- Best Drum Software 2019
- Best Drum Programming Software Free
- Best Virtual Drum Software
- Best Drum Programming Software For Metal
- Best Free Drum Programming Software
- Pirate Bay
In this post I am going to look at how I created my first drum track. I have included a video that covers all the steps from starting with a blank project in your recording software to programming your first track. If you want to follow my steps then I recommend you download the printable cheatsheet so that once you have watched the video through you can have it to hand when creating your own. I also talk about a really useful book on programming drums I used to help me get started, and you can take a look at that too. Finally you can grab a copy of the GM2 Drum Map I used, which is a simple text file you should be able to import in any DAW (Desktop Audio Workstation like Reaper) to customize the note names if they aren’t already included.
Those were the 10 best free drum software programs that we could find to download right now. Hope you enjoyed this list, and found a few to check out and try on your own. If you enjoyed any of them, or even tried them in the past, feel free to chime in on your experience with them. When it comes down to it, Superior Drummer 3 easily takes the top spot in this list of best drum software. If you are at all interested in programming virtual drums or expanding the options of your electronic drum set at home, you absolutely should not miss this one. Free beats with our round-up of six of the best freeware drum machines Freeware Drum Machines Melda MDrummer Small – Virtual Drummer. Melda Production has loads of freeware and MDrummer Small is, not surprisingly, a free version of the company’s MDrummer Large. Nevertheless, it’s quite a substantial product and download itself. The best part is it gets updated time to time because of music savvy developers who use to donate features time to time. LilyPond: Lilly pond is a software with unique approach to rendering notation. You can type out music in a kind of programming language, which LilyPond converts into a PDF or MIDI. LilyPond language is built to be logical, comprehensive and beginner-friendly. Just a forewarning, I hate programming drums. I usually ALWAYS record live drums and try to keep it that way, if I can. But recently I’ve been working on my own songs and would really like to be able to put drums to them. So I’m looking for peoples opinions that do a lot of drum programming in Studio One. What software do you think is the best?
If you don’t have a GM2 Drum Kit and are following the tutorial using the MT Power Drum Kit, then you should download the MT Power Drum Kit Map.
So let’s get started.
Best Drum Software 2019
If you’re anything like me then the idea of programming your own drum tracks is scary. If you’ve never played a drum to save your life, and you’re a newcomer to home studio recording, then the whole business of becoming even a half-decent DIY beat maker is daunting. To say the least.As a keyboard player and (wannabe) guitarist I can comfortably record and play around with the instruments I am familiar with. But drums? Beats? Rhythms? I need help with the absolute basics!
Lots of fears raise their ugly head and I break into a sweat at the thought of creating my own drum tracks. How do you set up your DAW software to create a drum track? Where exactly do you start in that empty space? How do you avoid it sounding cheesy and, well, like a newb who has never created their own beats before? How can you become the God (or Goddess) of Beat Makers when you don’t know even the 1st thing about how to play the drums?
Of course, the potential rewards of learning at least the rudiments of how to program drum tracks are many:
- Create and develop your own unique beats and style
- Never have to purchase (or steal) drum tracks again
- Avoid having to re-use stock beats and loops
- Really get to grips with another feature of your DAW
- Have a lot of fun learning a new skill and impress your mates with your new-found know-how
- Build confidence in your ability as a musician
- etc …
So I have been skirting around the idea of going anywhere beyond the drum loop libraries. Then I came across Chris Nothdurfter, who’s written a complete book on the subject of drum programming, and I decided once and for all the time had come to get over myself and get on with it. Yes. I finally rolled up my sleeves and created my first drum track. I learned a lot in a short space of time, and really enjoyed the process too. So much in fact that I decided to put together a step-by-step tutorial of exactly how I did it so that you can too.
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Once you have your first basic track, then you can quickly move on to more complex rhythms and fills having mastered the basics. Chris’s book takes you step-by-step through the process from beginner to advanced. If you are interested, it is available for immediate download as an eBook, or if you prefer to have a hard copy next to you, it is available in paperback too.
Trust me. If I can learn how to play virtual drums then so can you. So here goes.
So how did I do it? First off, I read the opening sections of Chris’s book , where he covers all the different kinds of drums in a typical kit. In the first instance I went right up to the part where he shows you how to set up your DAW (Desktop Audio Workstation or recording software) for drum programming. Chris is a guitarist who found himself in need of creating his own drum tracks to accompany himself, and over the years he has become a complete expert in this area.Although he comes musically from a Death Metal background (nobody’s perfect…) he has experimented with all genres and covers many of them in his book. So whatever style you are into, you should be able to create your own drum tracks to suit with his help. Plus nothing like a bit of cross-fertilization of genres and ideas to create something unique to you.
His guide is great for someone like me because Chris has a good clear understanding of how to program drums from the perspective of a non-drummer or a complete newcomer. He really helps to build your confidence. Now if you are not sure how to exactly go about setting up your DAW – and Chris does go into this in his book – I have put together a quick tutorial video above so you can see how I went about it.
This video shows you step-by-step how to program your very first drum track in Reaper Software. Reaper is great if you are just starting out because you get a FREE 60-day evaluation of the software. Plenty of time to have a go at this beat making lark for free and see if it’s for you. I’m confident you will become an addict.
Although I use Reaper here, the steps would work whichever DAW you are using, the principles are universal, you just might have to do a bit of searching to find the equivalent commands if you are using Cubase, Pro Tools, Logic, Mixcraft or something else.
Once you have created your first simple track, it’s time to go back to the book, #HitIt – The Ultimate Guide To Programming Drums (nice title Chris), to get beyond that first kick-snare-kick-snare pattern.
The way his book works you create your first track as above, then Chris helps you build up your beats, step by step, genre by genre. Starting with Pop he goes on to cover: Building the beat; Hi-hat barking; Tom beats; Sidestick; Half-time feel; The Ride cymbal; Bass drum variations; Pop fills; and Crash cymbals.
Moving on to Rock, he then goes on to look at: Snare drum Comping; Ghost notes; Advanced fills; Triplet fills; and Ending fills. Of course there is a whole section on Metal, including: Locking-in with palm muting; Double Bass drum beats; Blast beats; and various Metal fills.
Once you have mastered the programming part, Chris then talks about quantization and humanizing your tracks and even includes bonus chapters on odd time signatures, and mixing tips.
All in all, I can really recommend the purchase of #HitIt if you are keen to dabble in creating your own drum tracks. It helped me get over my fear and whatever else it was that stopped me from getting started. His claim that the book is the only resource on drum programming you will ever need is not too far from the truth. This will take you a long way before you need to move on.
By the way, not only do you get the book with 150 screenshots of groove and fill examples, you also get the additional bonus chapters AND the opportunity to download all the grooves and fills described in the book in MIDI format so you can import them directly into your DAW. You could use all these as the basis for further development once you have mastered the basics. You will get a long way towards being a master of this skill if you work through this book.
Still feel daunted? Let me reassure you Chris has a clear, direct style and he really comes from the perspective of someone who has learned how to make their own drum tracks to accompany themselves. He did not start out as an expert drum programmer, but gradually he has become exactly that. Follow him and you can do it too. Nothing you can do that can’t be done! Now go forth and make some beats!
Drum Programming Resources
If you liked the video and want to print off a step-by-step cheatsheet to have by your side while you are programming your first drum track then you can download it below. It works through each of the steps with annotated screenshots, so should be really useful. Then there is also the GM2 Drum Map I mentioned. Or, if using the MT Power Drum Kit then you will want the MT Power Drum Kit Map.Finally, follow the link to HitIt and Chris Nothdurfter will give you more info about his book, plus you can download a free chapter to see if it’s for you.
Prefer The Real Thing?
Drum programming is not for everyone. For many musicians, it’s got to be the real thing. In this blog I focus mainly on using your computer to record, edit and mix your music because I am a Music Techy. But if you are interested in learning to play the real drums instead, then I’ve found a great site written by a drummer which is perfect if you are a beginner looking to buy your first drum kit and learn how to play. Rock on.Let me know how you get on with your first foray into drum programming in the comments box below. Tell me what you think of the video and if you have any questions then ask. I’m here to help.
Drums and percussion are the backbone in most of the musical tracks. Choosing the right drums and percussion in music production is crucial and can make the difference in the end. If you do not have the necessary experience to play drums, a drummer friend or money to hire one, then you must use drum sounds from a free drum library or use a free virtual instrument plugin.
We have compiled for you a list with some of the best free drum VST plugins you can find on the Internet. Some of them are more complex for the most advanced and require some knowledge about synthesizing, others are very easy to use and intuitive, but all offers very good drum sounds and can be applied in a wide variety of musical genres. And best of all, they are free!
SL Drums 2 by Beatmaker
SL Drums 2 is the newest version of Beatmaker‘s freeware drum VST, AU plugin available for Windows and MAC OS. Featuring over 450 drum samples, 118 new drum kits, new controls and new GUI design, SL Drums 2 is a great virtual drum machine to have into your DAW. Best part…it’s free!
Free Download: SL Drums 2
Best Drum Programming Software Free
Impakter by de la Mancha
Impakter is a powerful drum tool and one of the best free drum plugin tested and used by us, featuring over 300 drum samples generated by analogue synths like Korg MS20, Roland Juno60, Kakken SX-150 and drum machines such as Yamaha MR-10, Korg KPR-77, Mattel Synsonics and Antonelli Organ 2377 rhythm box.
Impakter comes with 4 modules for kick, snare, hats and percussion sounds, 52 presets covering a range of sounds and styles plus more.
Compatibility: VST 32-bit plugin format for Windows.
Update: No Link Available
MiniSpillage by AudioSpillage
MiniSpillage is a professional quality drum synth plugin featuring 6 oscillators and open Hi-Hat Generator with a noise source and dual resonant filters. Besides this, MiniSpillage also features 3 fully editable drum pads and 3 exclusive AudioSpillage drum synthesis models – BassDrum, WoodDrum and ElectroHiHat. It is very flexible and capable of creating a wide variety of original drum and percussion sounds.
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MiniSpillage is a free percussion synthesizer plugin only for Apple Mac OS X music apps.
Free Download: MiniSpillage by AudioSpillage
EXD-80 by Third Harmonic Studios
EXD-80 is a free Drum VST instrument plugin for Windows, featuring 8 drum modules, 4 stereo output pairs (each has its own stereo effects section) and also featuring 128 drum kit patches with 16 preset drum kits. EXD-80 can be used in any EDM music style from Electro, Industrial, Dubstep to Ambient, Bass, Hip Hop and more.
Compatibility: VST 32-bit plugin format for Windows.
Free Download: EXD-80 by Third Harmonic Studios
Drumatic 3 by E-Phonic
Drumatic 3 is a great virtual analog drum synthesizer with all sounds completely synthetic: bass drums, snare drums, hand claps, two tom drums, hi-hats, and bells. Uses graphical envelopes for amplitude and modulation, featuring 6 Stereo outputs, assignable for each sound. Drumatic 3 is a simple but effective drum virtual instrument great for any producer or sound designer.
Although the E-Phonic has released a new commercial version, Drumatic 4, the previous version is still available for download and is 100% free.
Compatibility: VST 32-bit plugin format for Windows.
Free Download: Drumatic 3 by E-Phonic
Best Virtual Drum Software
Drum Boxx by SonicXTC
Drum Boxx by SonicXT is another great freeware VST drum synthesizer with which you can create thousands of unique synthetic drum sounds for your musical productions. Drum Boxx features 12 individual signal channels, each with an individual drum synthesizer that can be tweaked, pitched, filtered, equalized, and distorted independently offering an extensive range of sound modulation and drum sound design. Also, 10 custom preset kits/128 user kits are available.
Compatibility: VST 32-bit plugin format for Windows.
Free Download: Drum Boxx Synth by SonicXTC
Drum Pro by StudioLinked
Drum Pro by Studio Linked is a freeware virtual drum machine designed for Windows and Mac OS and features a collection of 20 drum kits which can be expanded by purchasing new commercial drum expansions from the developer website. The graphical interface has 16 drum pads, and ADSR envelope for the volume and pan controls for each drum pad. Besides this controls, Drum Pro also includes a reverb mix control and a global volume control. You can easily play drum using your MIDI controller and Drum Pro plugin.
Compatibility: VST, AU 32-bit/64-bit plugin format for Windows and Mac OS.
Free Download: Drum Pro by Studio Linked
TS-808 by Tactile Sounds
TS-808 is a VSTi virtual instrument that emulates the legendary drum machine Roland TR-808 and is one of the best plugins of this kind tested by us. Using full schematics for each voice and more parameters this plugin is even an advanced drum machine than his predecessor.
Unfortunately, TS-808 is only available for Windows.
Free Download: TS-808 by Tactile Sounds
MDrummer Small by MeldaProduction
MDrummer Small is the little brother of the MDrummer Large, and is one of the most complex and versatile free virtual drum machine plugin from this list. Even this plugin is the “little brother” still lets you create some very good drum sounds and comes with more than 500 MB of samples, multisamples, rhythms and other data.
MDrummer Small also features MIDI Command Method, Integrated Arrangement Sequencer, Jamming Functionality and many other useful features.
Compatibility: VST, AU plugin format for Windows and Mac OS. A standalone version is also available (only for Windows).
Free Download: MDrummer Small by MeldaProduction Freefall tournament hacked arcade games stick war.
Line of Legends by VST4FREE
Line of Legends is a free drum plugin created by VST4FREE specifically for Hip Hop beat makers, using free drum samples released by RealDrumSamples.com. The GUI is divided in 8 sections: Kick, Snare, Clap, Snap, Toms, Hi-Hat, Ride and Crash, each using its own individual output. Also features punch knobs for attack sculpting and Release, Pan knobs. In total Line of Legends comes with 47 high-quality drum samples.
Compatibility: VST, AU plugin format for Windows and Mac OS
Best Drum Programming Software For Metal
Free Download: Line of Legends by VST4FREE
I think you have already noticed that there are only 9 free drum plugins, not 10. We left this spot open so if you have a recommendation please use the comments section. Depending on your comments we’ll choose the tenth plugin for our list.
Best Free Drum Programming Software
We have thought about these plugins:
Asap Rocky Kit is ideal for making hip-hop and trap beats. This kit also includes 33 carefully crafted.fxp presets for the Nexus VST.
- Beat Factory Drums by Beat Skillz
- MT Power Drum Kit 2 by Power Drum Kit
Pirate Bay
You might also like to check our list with Best Free VST Synth Plugins of 2015