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The best free VSTs plugins for drummers
Since Steinberg developed the first Virtual Studio Technology standard in 1996, VSTs have become invaluable tools at home and in the studio. Musicians and producers can now record many different instruments without breaking the bank. This is especially handy for drums, given they usually require a large studio space and many microphones. Some of the best free VSTs for drummers provide high-quality sounds and powerful features that rival more expensive plugins. As such, you no longer need to spend money to create professional-sounding tracks. Here are my favorite free VSTs for drummers and why I use them for all my recording needs.
Don’t slate it til you’ve tried it
Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free came to market in March 2020 and has quickly become one of the most popular drum VSTs. The free software version contains one drum kit named the “Deluxe 2.” However, the kit has three variations — Dry’n Tight, Free Edition, and Hugo. Each kit enjoys pleasing and realistic-sounding samples that are excellent for recording pop, rock, and metal. There is even a button for switching all snare hits to rimshots, which is well-suited for rock and metal music.
The plugin is easy to use and features a handy drum kit visualizer that lights up when drum voices are activated. However, those wanting to dig deeper will enjoy the edit menu. This section lets you alter each microphone emulation’s routing, volume, and pan. Drums and cymbals can be tuned, and you can flip each direct, overhead, and room microphone’s phase. There are sections for tweaking articulation parameters, dynamics, range, and MIDI velocity settings.
SSD 5.5 Free includes 275 drum grooves based on jazz, pop, RnB, and rock music.
One standout feature is the plugin’s ADSR panel. Unique to SSD 5.5, this allows versatile control over attack, delay, sustain, and release. Attack and decay have maximum values of 1000ms, while sustain has a limit of 10ms and release a maximum of 20ms. There are also individual dials for shaping the attack, decay, and release curves, and a dial for the sustain volume. This allows for comprehensive customization of each drum voice, allowing you to tailor the kit’s tone to your songs.
SSD’s mix panel lets you easily route the microphones into your digital audio workstation (DAW.) The Multi-Out option is handy, allowing you to assign each of the 16 stereo and 16 mono outputs for 48 routing channels. Those recording via MIDI can map SSD to their electronic instrument. The software’s MIDI Learn feature is cool and maps articulations straight from your source device. However, those seeking pre-made rhythms can select from SSD’s integrated list of drum grooves. These come in jazz, pop, RnB, and rock genres split into intro, verse, chorus, bridge, and fill sections. The free version includes 275 unique patterns.
Power meets simplicity
The MT Power Drum Kit 2 plugin has been a staple of my workflow for years. It’s entirely free, with the option of donating to bypass a screen each time you open the program. Like SSD 5.5 Free, the VST features a visualizer for a five-piece drum kit with extra crash and china cymbals. MT Power Drum Kit 2 is user-friendly and enjoys simple, dedicated sections for controlling the mix, grooves, and MIDI settings.
The kit comes pre-processed with EQ and compression, delivering tight and punchy sounds. Subsequently, MT Power Drum Kit 2 is excellent at cutting through a busy project file. It can also be used with another drum kit to add clarity and more prominent high-end. Those composing highly produced rock, metal, and pop tracks will enjoy the VSTs’ powerful and dynamic samples. However, its sound profile is less suited for more nuanced genres like jazz and bossa nova.
MT Power Drum Kit 2 combines well with other VSTs to deliver tight and punchy drum sounds.
The mixer panel is more barebones than SSD 5.5, profiting just channel level, pan, and compression controls. However, you can assign each drum to one of eight outputs. Snare, hi-hat, toms, ride, and cymbal channels can also be grouped to adjust multiple channel volumes simultaneously. The master slider does as expected, with no additional parameters for master compression, EQ, or limiting. However, while mixing controls are limited, the plugin excels at creating interesting grooves.
MT Power Drum Kit 2 provides a mind-blowing number of pre-installed drum rhythms. The groove panel begets a composer slider that lets you drag and drop beats and fills, with each section categorized by drum voices and note divisions. Selecting a drum groove expands the panel with suggested stylistic fills. These come in 4/4 and 6/8 time signatures. Unfortunately, other simple and compound measures are not supported. However, the plugin has MIDI mapping and MIDI Learn functionality to record other time signatures seamlessly.
Vintage tones in the comfort of your home
The Spitfire Audio Labs ecosystem offers many free VSTs from brass and strings to drums and experimental. Renowned for its high-quality sound at no cost, the company’s Vintage Drums plugin is a mainstay for many producers. This VST features two kits named 1975 and Animal. The first is sampled from a 1975 Ludwig with a 26″ bass drum, much like Jon Bonham used to play. The second is modeled from a 1940 Slingerland kit with calfskin heads. Both profit warm, lo-fi-style drums that sound excellent.
The editing tools are sparse even compared to MT Power Drum Kit 2. However, there are sliders for adjusting expression and dynamics and a knob for adding grit and reverb. Adjusting the expression slider increases and decreases the kit volume, whereas the dynamics slider adjusts the full mix. The drums sound tight, modern, and controlled with the slider fully down while pushing it up creates a roomy, acoustic sound. Grit introduces a distortion overlay that sounds increasingly compressed and saturated as the knob parameter is dialed up. Switching the knob to reverb can be handy for blending the kit with the rest of your mix.
Spitfire Labs' Vintage Drums plugin offers warm-sounding drums at no cost.
You can alter the pitch of the drum kit, although I find this makes it sound much more synthetic. The kit can also be panned and you can adjust the master volume with the slider. However, the lack of a mixer panel and individual channels means you cannot pan or change the volume of each drum voice. Unlike SSD 5.5 and MT Power Drum Kit 2, there are no parameters for individually increasing compression, articulation, or ADSR curves.
Nevertheless, Spitfire Audio Labs’ Vintage Drums VST is excellent for those who want to focus on the creative process. The controls are simple and intuitive, and the nuanced samples are more suited for jazz, soul, soft rock, and samba compositions. The drum kits arguably sound more pleasing than those profited by SSD 5.5 Free and MT Power Drum Kit 2. However, the drums are harder to mix due to the limited control and customization options.
VSTs have come a long way since their inception nearly 30 years ago. While no plugin can truly emulate the subtleties of an acoustic drum kit, artists and producers have never had as much choice for recording drums as they do now. This comes with the added benefit that you no longer need to spend copious amounts on studio hire. But what do you think? Are the best free VSTs for drummers handy for sparking inspiration and recording professional-sounding drums at home and in the studio, or do acoustic drums still reign supreme?