7 unbeatable free drum plugins

Ensure your rhythm section is as tight as possible with our favourite free drum plugins. 

1. AudioSpillage - MiniSpillage

Download MiniSpillage

MiniSpillage is one of the most highly-regarded free drum plugins available, so we thought it'd be a great place to start. Unlike the other recommendations here, MiniSpillage is a drum synthesiser plugin that allows you to craft your own kit sounds. 

The beauty of MiniSpillage is in its simplicity. Featuring three synthesis algorithms for Bass Drum, Wood Drum and HiHat, the plugins 64-bit DSP engine and swath of effect parameters make for a very useful plugin. The absence of snare can be an issue, and is only available in the full version (DrumSpillage), however we have a couple of snare-specific plugins in this list that can fill the void. 

MiniSpillage is only available for macOS (10.4 or higher). 

2. Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free

Download Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free

Sadly, we're leaving behind the world of drum synthesis and looking at acoustic drum plugins from here on out, and what better example than Steven Slate Drums 5.5 Free. 

Based on the full version, SSD 5.5 Free features the Deluxe 2 kit, a mix-ready processed Slate snare, and three kit presets; Deluxe 2 Free, Hugo and Dry 'n' Tight. These kits definitely lend themselves best to rock and pop, but could definitely be tailored to other genres with some creative input on your part. 

Steven himself gives a little taste of the sonic character of each kit preset over on the download page, and the audio quality is excellent, so don't sleep on this one. 

SSD 5.5 Free is available for both Windows and macOS (VST,AU,AAX, 64-bit). 

3. Spitfire Audio LABS Drums / Percussion / Vintage Drums

Download LABS Drums / Percussion / Vintage Drums

We're pooling three different libraries into one for our next recommendation. If you've yet to sample the wonderful LABS initiative by Spitfire Audio, do yourself a favour and check it out - there's A LOT. For now, we're focussing on their rhythmic output; Drums, Percussion and Vintage Drums. 

Drums is a nice sounding modern kit; percussion brings together drum hits, shakers, timbales, cowbells and congas; and vintage drums presents two kits, one from the 40s and one from the 70s, each boasting a unique character. 

LABS, and Spitfire in general, are lauded for their high-quality recordings, and we highly recommend these libraries for those of you looking for natural sounding drums. 

All LABS libraries are compatible with Windows and macOS (VST2, VST3, AAX AU), but you are required to download the Spitfire Audio library manager to play each library.

4. Chair - EXC!TE Snare Drum

Download EXC!TE Snare Drum

EXC!TE SNARE DRUM is one of two snare designers on this list; creating ultra-realistic snare sounds using physical modelling algorithms. There are 6 controls available to mould your perfect snare that are separated into 'Excitation' and 'Resonator'. Excitation holds the velocity, tip hardness and rimshot controls, while Resonator holds drumhead tuning, snare tension and hit position. The physical modelling at play can create additional characteristics like snare rattle as well as alternate snare drum sizes.

EXC!TE SNARE DRUM is available for Windows (10 or older), macOS (10.12 or later) and Linux (VST3/64-bit).

5. Puremagnetik - Snare Drum Designer

Download Snare Drum Designer

Snare Drum Designer brings together three iconic snares to use; the Ludwig Acrolite, Maple Birch and Pork Pie Little Squealer. Each snare is programmed for individual microphone tweaking and tonal sculpting, making them suitable for a variety of genres from rock to film music. 

The pack is available for Ableton Live 10 (and higher), Kontakt (Full) and Logic Pro (10.4 and higher), with Live and Kontakt users able to use the custom control panel and directly control overhead, room and 'trashcan' microphones, whilst Logic users can load the snares in as Track Stacks of the multi-mic recordings including all direct, room and special effect microphones. 

6. Organic Drum Loops - Calfskin Kit

Download Organic Calfskin Kit

Organic Calfskin Kit is an acoustic drum rompler containing a 3.2GB sample library. These sounds can be controlled through a number of tweak-able parameters including gain and pan controls for individual mic'd sections of the kit, which can also be routed through another effect within your DAW.

There's also the option to set the hi-hat openings by BPM and then, most interestingly, there are global controls to alter the gain and pitch bend as well as a weirdness setting. Sufficed to say that things can go from normal to avant-garde to ridiculous in no time at all. This is an incredibly malleable plugin thanks to three articulation options; sticks, brushes or mallets, meaning there are 18 total drum kit variations to choose from. 

Organic Calfskin Kit is compatible with Windows (7/8/10, 64-bit) and macOS (10.13.6 and above - Catalina compatible, 64-bit, VST3). 

7. Manda Audio - MT Power Drum Kit 2

Download MT Power Drum Kit 2

Closing out our recommendations is Manda Audio's MT Power Drum Kit 2. Where this plugin stands apart is the breadth of options and the ease of its workflow. 

Just like SSD 5.5 Free or Organic Calfskin Kit, this plugin is made up of a collection of well recorded samples on an acoustic kit, which can be played using a MIDI controller, but its Groove Library is what makes this a great tool to add to your DAW. There are so many different groove variations to choose from, ranging in both tempo, style and time signature (4/4 or 6/8). Many people will want to programme their beats manually, but if you're not that experienced with programming drums or want some inspiration, this library is super helpful to start adding a rhythmic feel to your track. These different grooves are also accompanied by a selection of fills that pair seamlessly, and you can drag and drop these into the composer at the bottom of the plugins UI, shift the order and then drag the whole thing as a single MIDI performance onto your DAW's arrangement screen. 

MT Power Drumkit 2 is available for Windows (XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10, 11), macOS (10.5 or higher, Intel or ARM [M1/M2]) and Linux (VST, AU, AAX). 

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