Last Updated on August 14, 2020 by
Having a good drum sound in your mixes is essential, be it real drums, sampled drums or synth drums.
Not everyone has the luxury of having a drummer available to record whatever they need 24/7, so making your own drum tracks and getting them to sound good is a great way of doing things.
NOTE: The /Library folder is hidden in OS X 10.7 or later. To access the Library folder: Open Finder, click 'Go' in the top menu bar and hold the 'option alt' key to make your Library folder appear in the Finder “Go” drop down menu. Viewing the Loops in Addictive Drums 2.
- This kit was recorded at the legendary Fairfax Recording studio in Los Angeles (formerly known as Sound City). Fairfax and all of our existing ADpaks (from Addictive Drums) have been updated to make full use of all the new features of the Addictive Drums 2 engine. New sound shaping and kit building features. Ask and you shall receive, customers!
- MIDI drums grooves with provisions for searching matching grooves by filters and browsing. Power hand feature allows easy communication with the drummer. Compatible with Windows 7 or Mac OS; Possess many award winning sounds. XLN Audio Addictive Drums.
Luckily, there are many free drum VST plugins available that should get you sounding amazing in no time.
These are the best free Drum VSTs;
- MT Power DrumKit 2 (Windows, Mac)
- Drumatic 3 by e-phonic (Windows)
- DrumMic’a! by Sennheiser (Windows, Mac)
- Beatfactory Drums by BeatSkillz (Windows, Mac)
- MiniSpillage by AudioSpillage (Mac)
- SM Drumkit by SMM (Windows, Mac)
- EXD-80 by Third Harmonic Studios (Windows)
- Drum Pro by StudioLinked (Windows, Mac)
- TheDrumSource by Witech (Windows)
- REX 606 (Windows, Mac)
- Line of Legends (Windows, Mac)
- Sean Pandy Drums (Windows, Mac)
- Dub Turbo DrumTROOP (Windows, Mac)
- Single Cycle Vintage Drum Elements (Windows, Mac)
1. MT Power DrumKit 2 (Windows, Mac)
The MT Power DrumKit is a free sampler which offers high-quality samples of an acoustic, realistic drum kit.
The Samples come pre-processed which should make them sit nicely in any mix without any tweaking.
In addition to the incredible drum sounds that cut through any mix, it also has a fully pre-programmed groove library, which makes it extremely easy to set up a quick drum track for any song.
It also comes with a mixer where you can adjust the levels of each component, plus you can control the level of compression and panning.
Make sure to check out the official website here.
If you’re thinking about building a home studio, then make sure to read this entire post about the essential home studio components you need.
2. Drumatic 3 by e-phonic (Windows)
Drumatic 3 is a virtual-analogue drum synthesizer.
All sounds are 100% synthetic and allow for huge flexibility and variation.
It sounds pretty good, just remember that the sounds are nowhere close to a real drum, but that’s the whole point.
Sounds: Bassdrum, Snaredrum, Handclap, 2 Toms, Hihats and a Rimshot / Bell.
Features
Addictive Drums Osx On Pc Windows 7
- Graphical envelopes for amplitude and modulation
- Load / save presets for single sounds
- Simple but effective effect section for each sound with distortion and bitcrusher and a filter.
- 6 Stereo outputs, assignable for each sound.
- All parameters can be automated (midi-CC not yet supported)
You can download it here.
Are you also looking for 20 of the best Free Orchestral VST plugins? As it so happens, I wrote an article about the ones I think are the best!
3. DrumMic’a! by Sennheiser (Windows, Mac)
This is a Free drum sample Software which loads inside of the free native Instruments Kontact Player. This one allows you to change between Sennheiser and Neumann Microphones, which will change the drum sound a bit.
This one also comes with a mixer where you can adjust the volume of each individual component of the kit and also allowing you to EQ, Compress, add reverb and delay, pan, etc.
This is a fantastic option, especially because it’s free, check its official website here.
Related: I love free plugins, so I put together a list of the best Free Synth VST Plugins out there which you can check out here,
4. Beatfactory Drums by BeatSkillz (Windows, Mac)
Beatfactory Drums is a free drumkit/drum machine plugin which works in any DAW on Mac OS X and Windows 32/64-bit.
The kits included in the plugin were created using the MPC 2500 passing through high end outboard EQ, compressors, tube and solid state gear, for a gritty and punchy sound.
It’s a very fun plugin to use and it sounds absolutely fantastic!
Features
- Sampled from MPC 2500
- Created with High End OutBoard Gear
- Volume and Pan for Each Sample Pad
- ADSR Envelope for Shaping the Kit
- 10 Kits Included
- Built in REVERB
Here’s the to where you can download the Beat Factory Drums.
5. MiniSpillage by AudioSpillage (Mac)
MiniSpillage is a free professional quality drum synthesizer plugin featuring high resolution 64-bit DSP processing that includes 3 exclusive drum synthesis algorithms along with distortion effects and resonant filters.
Features
- HD 64-bit Digital Sound
- 3 Editable Drum Pads
You can Download it here.
Now, maybe you need some truly powerful Drum VSTs and the ones on this list won’t cut it; Here’s a post about the best Premium Drum VSTs out there.
6. SM Drumkit by SMM (Windows, Mac)
This is one of the best free acoustic drum sample packs available. The samples are from a Vintage Ludwig drumkit which just sound fantastic.
The intention behind this was to provide a sampled collector drum kit in an easy to use format (Kontakt) as well as the open WAV samples to map in your own samplers of choice.
To use in Kontakt, however, you will need the full version since the free version of Kontakt only allows you to use it for 15 min.
This Pack adds up to 3.7GB across 3614 samples recorded in 24 bits, and each piece has up to 64 velocity layers and up to 8 round robins.
Here’s a link to the official website.
If you’re looking for a Free DAW to use these plugins with, then make sure to read this guide I wrote on the best free DAWs available today!
7. EXD-80 by Third Harmonic Studios (Windows)
EXD-80 is a free 32-bit virtual analog drum and percussion synthesizer plugin for Windows.
It is a flexible drum synth that can produce a wide variety of drum and percussion sounds.
From emulations of classic drum machines to crazy, mangled glitch sounds – all synthesized, no samples here!
It is suitable for many EDM styles including electro, glitch, industrial, ambient, dubstep, drum & bass and hip hop.
Features
- 8 Modules – kick, snare, open and closed hi-hats, 5 x percussion sounds
- 4 Stereo output pairs
- Each output pair has its own stereo effects section featuring a Granulator and Waveshaper
- Supports VST host automation and MIDI continuous controllers
- User definable MIDI note mappings
- 128 User drum kit patches (comes with 16 preset drum kits)
Note: It’s only 32-bit.
You can download it here.
8. Drum Pro by StudioLinked (Windows, Mac)
This is a fantastic drum machine plugin no matter how you look at it. The sounds you can get out of it are great and the ease of use is unmatched.
It is ideal for Hip-hop, Trap, EDM, etc.
Features
- 20 drum kits.
- Global ADSR / reverb.
- 12 pads.
- Volume and pan for each pad.
Also, you can add some paid expansion packs if you’d like.
You can download it here.
9. TheDrumSource by Witech (Windows)
TheDrumSource is a sample based drum machine with a built in browser and sequencer. It has a simple, very clean interface and very fast workflow which is ideal for beginners.
Features
- support for many sample formats.
- Sample preview.
- Separate output channels.
- Very fast sample browsing.
- Resizable GUI.
- 24 patterns.
- 16/32/64/128 step sequences.
- Each channel has pan, volume, pitch, length knobs and swing.
- Formats (including 24-bit): WAV, AIFF, AIFC, AU, SND, RAW, PAF, IFF, SVX, SF, VOC, W64, MAT4, MAT5, PVF, XI, HTK, CAF, SD2, FLAC, OGG.
- Sample pack included
You can download it here.
I’ve also put together a list about the top Free Bass Amp VST Plugins which is definitely worth checking out!
10. T.REX 606 (Windows, Mac)
The T.REX 606 is a rompler of classic 606.
It’s got a vintage and Modern GUI Design featuring 7 Classics Sounds and knobs for Main Volume & Simple Reverb.
It’s really straight forward to use, very simple and intuitive. The sound quality isn’t the best, but you should definitely try it out since it’s free.
It works both on Windows and Mac OS.
You can download it here.
11. Line of Legends (Windows, Mac)
Line of Legends may look extremely simple to you, but don’t let it fool you, it’s a great plugin
It features high quality drum samples from the eponymous free sample pack released by realdrumsamples.com.
The interface is divided in 8 sections (Kick, Snare, Clap, Snap, Toms, Hi hat, Ride and Crash).
Each section uses its own individual output for an easier handling in a productive environment.
Features
- 47 high quality samples.
- 8 individual outputs.
- Punch knobs for attack sculpting.
- Release and Pan knobs
Important Note: Some people have reported that in order to get sound you might need to set up the output channels in your DAW.
You can download it from the vst4free website.
12. Sean Pandy Drums (Windows, Mac)
Sean Pandy Drums is a VST/AU drum rompler plugin with Kick, Snare, 4 Toms – and a Sub Blower.
Every drum consists of 6 velocity layers and up to 10 random-robin samples, which means that you should get no machine gun effect even with fast repetitions.
This plugin sounds pretty nice to be honest, on the official website you will find two songs that have been recorded using this drum plugin and it surprised me, so make sure to check it out.
Also, it comes with a reverb, but it sounds a bit metallic, so go easy on it.
You can Download it here.
13. Dub Turbo DrumTROOP (Windows, Mac)
Ok, this has to be one of the best free drum machines available, it’s just capable of doing way too many things and it does them far too well.
DrumTROOP is a great alternative to constantly creating kits from scratch or messing around with bloated on board functions in most drum vst’s.
Features
- 20 free drum kits.
- 16-20 sounds per kit (some kits are full = 100+ samples)
- 128 triggers on every kit.
- 16 outputs.
- 32x/64x – mac/pc – vst/au
- Universal drum placement on the first 8 pads
- Vol, Pan, Attack, Release per pad.
You can download it here.
If you’re looking for a high quality guitar sound without investing in gear or even software, then make sure to check out my article about the top Free Guitar VST plugins available!
14. Single Cycle Vintage Drum Elements (Windows, Mac)
Vintage Drum Elements is a virtual drum machine featuring the sound of the Yamaha RX5.
The 12 pad interface is super intuitive and easy to use, making it an ideal choice both for beginners as well as experts.
The preloaded samples are of top-notch quality.
The plugin drum machine comes with 4 drum kits, 1 FX set and 4 instruments featuring;
- Yamaha RX5 Kit 1
- Yamaha RX5 Kit 2
- Synthetic Kit
- Ethnic Kit
- FX
- DX Bass
- DX Clavecin
- DX Marimba
- DX Orchestra
The plugin is available as a VST & AU instrument for Mac & PCs both in 32 bit and 64 bit.
Here’s the link to the official website.
Learn how to Produce music
If you want to learn how to produce music at home the right way and without making too many mistakes, then I’d recommend that you read these posts;
If you need real drum sample sounds, then I’d recommend either the MT Power DrumKit 2 and DrumMic’a! by Sennheiser.
If you want to create some hip-hop music, then the Drum Pro by StudioLinked is a good starting point.
Special Deals at Pluginboutique!
Get up to 99% off of Premium Plugins!
Is EZ Drummer free?
EZ Drummer is not free.
However, you can try it for free for 10 days before having to purchase it!
What is a drum VST?
VST stands for Virtual Studio Technology, and there are different kinds of VSTs.
As far as drums go, there can be VST libraries, beat machines and drum Synthesis, and they all work in different ways.
| Hello fellow S1 users, I am still trying to set up my S1, all the technical stuff. I had just solved one problem, and..well, they come in pairs, and then some, as they do. So the next hiccup on my way to being a fluent S1 user pertains to the use of Addictive Drums in S1. I have searched the topics here, and I see many others use AD in S1, but I haven't found any threads discussing the problem I have. There were loads of pages, though, and I do not have the time to peruse them all, so if anyone is cognizant of a thread on this topic that already exists, please link it to me. The problem I am having is getting S1 to recognise AD. I have followed instructions on how to integrate AD to S1--I clicked on 'Options', then 'VST Plug-Ins', then I tried both finding the location folder of AD, as well as dragging the location directly to S1. I have it installed in the XLN Audio folder, so that's all correct. I dragged it to S1, even restarted and updated plug-ins. I did everything, and still AD does not appear under 'INSTRUMENTS'. I did everything the online instructions say, I know where it is supposed to be located and how it is supposed to work, but it isn't here, and so it doesn't work. Does anyone have any idea what the problem could be? I do not just dash to the forums for help whenever I encounter trouble; I really do spend days researching, and this is the last resort. When tutorials do nothing, the only way to go is to seek some direct advice, so I would appreciate any advice or insight anyone who uses AD might have for me. The way I know S1 the problem will solve itself before the first person even replies, but just to cover all my bases, I shall post this. Thanks in advance for any responses! Windows 10 (1809) 64-bit, Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU N3710 @ 160GHz, 4GB Studio One 3 Professional Version: 3.5.6 build 45910 AudioBox USB 96 |
| Not sure if this is relevent but when windows recently updated itself i lost add drums.. had to reauthorize..this did the trick S1 4 pro SCAN Pro Audio 3XSystem PC (dont know the details but high end build ,64g ram 9 ssd's To many Spitfire.VSL. (amongst others) libraries studio logic sl 88 and korg pianos and a ton of other stuff that i just had to have |
| sarabalazic wrote Sounds like you're pointing to the 'exe' file, which is NOT the vst plugin. You need to find the 'Addictive Drums 2.dll' file and put that directory in the vst scan list. That might be in the vstplugin folder or if you're coming from another DAW, it might be in that DAWs vst folder. gabo Sager laptop, 32G, 1TB SSD, Win10-64, RME UFX, Studio One Pro 5, Addictive Drums, Izotope O9, Melodyne Studio, all versions updated frequently The Moderns, https://open.spotify.com/artist/1x6Fd133GftlRyRYl0xgjf |
| If you are using AD2 because you migrated from SONAR, then put 'C:Program FilesCakewalkVstPlugins' in your S1 Vst Plug-ins locations list. This is what I had to do. You will also then pick up some (but not all) of the other plugins that were bundled with SONAR. You'll know you're an old rock-n-roller when the only spandex in your pants is in the elastic waistband. Studio One Professional 4.6.1 i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro Audient iD44, TASCAM US16x08, Presonus 1810 FaderPort 8, Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors UAD-2 PCIe DUO (two of them), v9.11 |
| The responses are quick here Thanks to all who responded. My Windows updates itself abnormally fast, I feel, every few days (Windows 10 64-bit), but the application still works...although I paid a lot for Fairfax vol. 1 and 2, and have 5 selections for each which boggles my mind--either they overprice insanely or I have no idea how to download the full version (but I registered the key, downloaded the installer, and have what I assume are the full versions) You might be right, perhaps it is best I reinstall it if I can find the register key (I changed computers, changed mail...chaos) because some pathway somewhere might be corrupted somewhere (as much as I appreciate everyone's help here, if anyone starts to get technical with abbreviations I truly will have no idea what you are talking about as I am notoriously resistant to learn anything computer/tech related).so I will probably try that. As far as for where I come from, I am a novice DAW-user, so S1 is my first. I have never heard of a DAW before last year nor does anyone where I am located have any idea what a DAW is. The music industry and scene where I am located is non-existent outside of select coteries that do not share the know-how. So I depend on this forum for help where people are what appears to be mind-bogglingy advanced when it comes to the tech stuff. I used to think the only way to create music was to book a studio session, but since 2 hours studio time here for a rough cut with no polish or production costs the equivalent of a 1000 quid and up (and there are 3 studios in the whole country so the greed is allowed to flourish) I had to find other options. That's how I learned about DAWs, and apart from the free stuff like Audacity (or it was free when I used it, anyway) which I have no idea how anyone can seriously use to create even a cheap demo, S1 is the first DAW I have ever been personally involved in. But I am flying off at a tangent now. I shall probably try reinstalling and see what happens. And if it still doesn't work...well..as a poetically robotic Austrian fellow once offered: 'I'll be back' Windows 10 (1809) 64-bit, Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU N3710 @ 160GHz, 4GB Studio One 3 Professional Version: 3.5.6 build 45910 AudioBox USB 96 |
Addictive Drums Osx On Pc Windows 10
| Your XLN Installer has to be installed and running the latest version so it can manager your license keys and install issues. At this moment, XLN is updating their platforms so once that is done, you should be able to download this program from your XLN account. Once all your XLN licenses are in order, you must make sure you are pointing Studio One to the correct VST path for Addictive Drums 2.dll. Bbd Please add your specs to your SIGNATURE. Search the STUDIO ONE 5 ONLINE MANUAL. Access your MY.PRESONUS account. OVERVIEW of how to get your issue fixed or the steps to create a SUPPORT TICKET. Needs to include: 1) One Sentence Description 2) Expected Results 3) Actual Results 4) Steps to Reproduce. OS: Win 10 x64 Home, Studio One Pro 5.x, Notion 6, Series III 24, Studio 192, Haswell CPU: i7 4790k @ 4.4GHz, RAM: 16GB, Faderport 8/16, Central Station +, PreSonus Sceptre S6, Eris 3.5, Temblor 10, ATOM, ATOM SQ |
| 1. Launch XLN Online Installer. 2. Click the 'Advanced button' on the top. You will see the path selections here. The one that says Addictive Drums 2 is the application path. Ignore that for now. Look for the VST32 and VST64 paths below that and make note of current path locations, or change the paths to something you prefer. 3. Add the path that you found in step #2 to your Studio One 'Options > Locations > VST Plug-ins'. Check 'Scan at startup'. 4. Restart Studio One. You should see the XLN AD 2 instrument now. DAWs: Studio One Pro v4.6.1, and others .. OS: Win10 Pro x64 2004 System: Home-built custom PC; i3 3.4Ghz; 16GB DDR3; Intel HD Graphics; Dual Monitors; Samsung EVO 860 500GB SSD; Samsung QVO 860 1TB SSD; PCIe FireWire Audio: M-Audio FW-410 |
| I too lost contact with AD2 and your solution worked perfectly. Thank You StudioOne 4.6 Professional Windows 10, i7 7700, 24 GB, multiple hard drives, multiple video monitors, Mackie Blackbird (2), Mackie MCU Pro with extender, several studio monitor systems, numerous hardware and software synths and controllers. |
| XLN software is notorious for needing to reauthorize your computer any time there is a windows update. Using the installer to remove your current authorization and recreate a new one solves 99% of all XLN issues. No reinstalls needed (unless the installer itself needs updating.) You'll know you're an old rock-n-roller when the only spandex in your pants is in the elastic waistband. Studio One Professional 4.6.1 i5-8400, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, 2TB HD, Win10 Pro Audient iD44, TASCAM US16x08, Presonus 1810 FaderPort 8, Console 1, JBL 306P Mk.II Monitors UAD-2 PCIe DUO (two of them), v9.11 |
| I tried all these solutions and nothing worked. I even reloaded XLN Addictive Keys and still nothing. Finally, I went to Studio One->options->Locations->VST Plugins. Here, click the button that says Reset Blacklist. Scan at Startup should be clicked. Thats it. Reboot, then you will see your Addictive Keys or Drums come back. |
| oriole04 wroteI tried all these solutions and nothing worked. I even reloaded XLN Addictive Keys and still nothing. Finally, I went to Studio One->options->Locations->VST Plugins. Here, click the button that says Reset Blacklist. Scan at Startup should be clicked. Thats it. Reboot, then you will see your Addictive Keys or Drums come back. That's probably the first thing you should try with missing plugins. DAWs: Studio One Pro v4.6.1, and others .. OS: Win10 Pro x64 2004 System: Home-built custom PC; i3 3.4Ghz; 16GB DDR3; Intel HD Graphics; Dual Monitors; Samsung EVO 860 500GB SSD; Samsung QVO 860 1TB SSD; PCIe FireWire Audio: M-Audio FW-410 |
| hello, went trough previous posts and manage to bring AD2 to S1 instruments folder. but now when I drag it to new instruments track nothing happens. any Ideas ?! thanks |
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