The 8 Best FREE Drum VST Plugins (2022)
Drum VST Plugins
Drum VST plugins come in all different shapes and sizes, from virtual drum pads with sampled drum sounds, to individual kick synthesizers.
Using drum VST plugins can be a fantastic way to discover new drum / percussion samples and patterns, or to create drum sounds entirely from scratch.
When it comes to finding great drum plugins, there are some incredible options out there. There are also plenty of options that just aren’t worth your time.
Are they any FREE drum VST Plugins?
Yes! There are many free drum VST plugins out there. Many of these plugins are surprisingly powerful and versatile, and can be capable of creating great drum sounds similar to commercial plugins.
Below are the 8 best free drum VST plugins in 2022, that will give you authentic, professional drum sounds without you ever reaching for your wallet.
So without further ado, let’s get started!
1. MiniSpillage
MiniSpillage is a free, incredibly high-quality drum synthesizer plugin with a huge amount of flexibility and creative control.
This drum VST plugin is a highly popular choice when it comes to creating original drum sounds. The plugin features 3 fully editable drum pads capable of creating a wide variety of original sounds.
Each pad can then be edited in various ways, using the dedicated envelope editor, LFO editor, an independent distortion unit and several filter options.
MiniSpillage is a fantastic choice if you’re looking for a free drum synthesizer plugin with a simple, yet powerful interface.
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2. MT Power Drumkit 2
MT Power Drum Kit is a free drum VST sampler with crisp, high-quality sounds of an authentic, acoustic drum kit.
The drum sounds included in this plugin are incredibly realistic, and it is clear a lot of effort has been put into creating unique, detailed samples.
Instead of recording each individual drum hit at separate velocities, MT Power Drumkit was sampled by recording full grooves and then isolating each sound. As a result, it’s very easy to sequence high-quality, authentic rock, pop or metal drum patterns.
This free drum plugin also has compressors built into the channels, for a little added creative flexibility.
For many, the amount of additional controls and parameters may seem quite limiting. However, if you’re just looking for a professional sounding drum kit that sits perfectly in the mix, this plugin is definitely worth checking out.
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3. KickMaker
KickMaker does exactly what it says on the tin, allowing you to craft original kick drum sounds using a range of controls and effects.
This free drum plugin features 4 independent oscillators, each with it’s own ADSR curve. Even with it’s stripped-back, simple design, Kickmaker is capable of creating a range of kick drum styles. It’s also a ton of fun to use!
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4. Djinndrum
The Linn LM-1 is a absolutely iconic drum machine, used by pop icons such as Michael Jackson and Prince. The sounds of the Linn LM-1 have a distinct punchy timbre, and are found on countless 80s classics.
Djinndrum have kindly sampled the original sounds of the LM-1 for this free plugin, with surprising accuracy. From snare, claps and bass, to toms and conga’s, it includes everything you know to emulate that nostalgic, vintage sound.
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5. Drum PRO
Drum PRO is a drum VST plugin that includes 20 individual drum kits, spanning a range of genres including pop, trap and rnb. Within these 20 kits are samples from 9 vintage drum machines such as the Boss DR-55.
This plugin also includes 12 sliders, allowing you to set the volume of each drum pad.
The highlight of this plugin is definitely the diversity of the samples themselves, as the library even includes sounds fit for electronic genres such as techno or big room EDM.
Drum PRO is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for some new drum and percussion sounds to add to your sample arsenal.
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Ease of Use
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6. Drumatic 3
The only this plugin isn’t at the very top of this list is the fact it’s a free trial of a full product. This means the plugin outputs a short demo noise every 30 seconds, unless you buy the full version. If this doesn’t bother you, then read on!
Drumatic 3 is an extremely powerful drum synthesizers with an intuitive design and a LOT of creative power.
Drumatic allows you to utilise a mix of subtractive, FM and wavetable synthesis to create incredible drum sounds. Each sound features 2 stereo noise oscillators with over 30 noise types.
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7. Dub Turbo DrumTROOP
DrumTROOP is a drum kit rompler with 20 free drum kits.
This is a fairly outdated plugin, and the original site isn’t even active any more. However, there are definitely some hidden gems in terms of individual samples within the plugin, and the sound quality is surprisingly good.
Each drum kit has 128 triggers, with 16 total outputs. Each pad also has volume, pan, attack and release controls.
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8. T.REX 606
Sometimes, less is more. The T.REX 606 is an simple, low-CPU plugin modelled after the iconic Roland TR-606 drum machine.
The plugin consists of 7 classic sounds, and reverb / volume controls. Nothing more, nothing less.
This is a fun little plugin that is ideal if you’re looking for a few extra vintage drum sounds to add to your collection.
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