What are the best Drum VSTs in 2020? Welcome to this Drum VST review!
In this video we’ll be comparing 5 different Drum VST Plugins. Which drummer will you be hiring to play on your next album? Do the free drum plugins cut it for you, and are the paid ones worth the money? Let me know your thoughts!
To make the comparison as fair as possible, EQ, Compression and Reverb were removed. If you hear any reverb, it’s from the samples themselves. I also matched the gain on each track. This makes sure they play back at the same volume.
I encountered some mapping issues and have edited some of the MIDI data. For example, sometimes a tom would play instead of a crash. In those cases, I moved the MIDI note to play the correct part of the kit. Other than that, there have been no edits to the MIDI data.
Drum VST List
- Sennheiser DrumMic’a! Free – https://bit.ly/2ZVWMCy
- Steven Slate Drums Free – https://bit.ly/2AI0d7v
- Addictive Drums Demo – https://bit.ly/3ejE1yo
- Superior Drummer – https://bit.ly/3iExpxT
- Studio Drummer – https://bit.ly/3gJQSeP
Conclusion
I thought the free drum plug-ins performed extremely well. In fact, I think they perform well enough to hold off purchasing a paid library. Especially if you’re not a drummer, or you’re just starting out, your money would probably be better spent elsewhere.
Here’s another factor to consider. You most likely already have multiple drum libraries (included in your DAW, Native Instruments Komplete, etc.) at your disposal. With Sennheiser DrumMic’a! and Steven Slate Drums also in your arsenal, you would have the tools to handle a wide range of situations.
When Would You Consider Purchasing a Drum VST?
I would wait until I find myself needing brushes, more control over tuning, or just a wider variety of kits and cymbals. Once you reach that point, you’d be very clear about what you need from the paid drum library. Knowing exactly what you need will allow you to make a smart purchase.
Anyway, I hope this helped. Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. Thanks for reading!