Top 10+ Drum Machine Free VST Plugins 2022

The TS-808 is a software emulation (VSTi plugin) of the Roland TR-808. The TR-808 service notes provide full schematics for each voice. I used them to make SPICE simulations of the circuits. I also analysed the best samples I could find (The Tape808, by Goldbaby), and tweaked the sounds until the waveforms and spectral content were as close as possible to the real thing.  Most of the voices have more parameters and a greater range than their hardware predecessor.

The TS-808 was a labour of love – I made it because I wanted to make music with it. I decided to make it available at no fixed cost because I thought others would enjoy using it too. 

Features:

• Roland TR-808 emulation
• Full schematics for each voice
• More parameters and a greater range than their hardware predecessor

System Requirements:

• This plugin is for PC only

MiniSpillage is a free professional quality drum synthesizer plugin featuring high resolution 64-bit DSP processing.

MiniSpillage includes 3 exclusive drum synthesis algorithms along with distortion effects and resonant filters.

Features

Bass Drum

• Single oscillator bass drum synth with pitch sweep, internal FM and harmonic controls.

Wood Drum

• Flexible wooden drum model synthesizes natural and synthetic timbres from log drums to toms.

Hi-Hat

• 6 oscillator closed and open hi-hat generator with noise source and dual resonant filters.

Compact Drum Synthesizer

Simple but powerful. MiniSpillage features 3 fully editable drum pads capable of creating a wide variety of original drum and percussion sounds. MiniSpillage includes 3 exclusive AudioSpillage drum models – BassDrum, WoodDrum and ElectroHiHat. Combined these 3 models can form the basis of any electronic rhythm track.

HD 64-bit Digital Sound

MiniSpillage features the same high definition 64-bit DSP engine as found in its larger brother DrumSpillage. The synthesis models are 100% algorithmic and take full advantage of today’s high quality sound cards and studio equipment.

System Requirements

Audio Spillage plugins are AudioUnit plugin instruments for Mac and as such require an AudioUnit plugin host program to run. Some example hosts are: Apple Logic Pro/Express, Ableton Live, MOTU Digital Performer, Five12 Numerology, PreSonus Studio One, Renoise, Plogue Bidule, Sagan Metro, Cockos Reaper, MuLab, Garage Band etc.

Hardware

• Apple Macintosh Computer with minimum 1GHz CPU.

Software:

• Apple Mac OS X 10.4 or higher including 10.5 (Leopard) and 10.6 (Snow Leopard).
• An AudioUnit host application capable of supporting Cocoa GUIs e.g. Apple Logic Pro, MOTU Digital
• Performer (v6+), Ableton Live (v8.0.5+), PreSonus Studio One, Five12 Numerology, AudioMulch,
• Renoise, Plogue Bidule, Apple GarageBand etc.

The Synsonic Instruments BD-808 Software-Plugin is useful for creating 808-style Bass Drum Sounds.

The underlying signal processing is based on a detailed analysis of the original 808 Bass Drum circuit.

With the MIDI-Control it is also possible to use the plugin as a Bass Synthesizer.

Originally the 808 Bass Drum has the following parameters for sound-shaping:

• Accent: Strength of the drum sound
• Level: Output level
• Decay: Duration of the drum sound
• Tone: Amount of attack-click

Additionally the Synsonic Instruments BD-808 offers the following useful soundshaping possibilities:

• Tune: Tuning in halftones
• Fine: Tuning in cents
• LongDecay: Extends decay range
• MidiSync-Tune: Tune depends on played Midi-Note
• MidiSync-Accent: Accent depends on Velocity of played Midi-Note

With the MIDI Learn function you can assign any MIDI-Controller to a parameter of the Bass Drum.

Check out Synsonic Instruments BDE-01 (Bass Drum Engine) HERE. 

System Requirements

Mac

• AU – Audio Units (32 & 64-Bit)
• VST (32 & 64-Bit)

PC

• VST (32 & 64-Bit)

Supported Sample Rates:

• 44.1kHz, 8 kHz and 96 kHz

Tested and Certified in:

• Cubase, Logic and Ableton Live

Drum Boxx Synth is our new freeware VST drum synthesizer that is designed to create thousands of unique synthetic drum sounds for sampling and production! Drum Boxx is our take on the outstanding Smackbox project designed by developer Stefan.

Why We Like It.

Drum Boxx has 12 individual signal channels. Each signal channel contains an individual drum synthesizer that can be routed into 3 individual stereo outputs. Output 1 is a direct output channel with no effects. Output 2 is sent through our specialized tempo synced delay effect. Output 3 is sent through our specialized chorus/flanger effect.

Each of the 12 individual drum synthesizers can be tweaked, pitched, filtered, equalized, and distorted independently from each other and saved as part of a kit. Moreover, you can independently add noise and other velocity controls to each drum synthesizer making the sonic palette available with Drum Boxx extremely vast!

Why We Think You Will Like It.

The original Smackbox had a fun “Mad Scientist” vibe that we chose to maintain. In addition to providing a GUI makeover, we updated the original coding to make Drum Boxx a VST 2.4 effect, added effects to the routing system, improved performance and overall sound sculpting abilities. In the end, we feel honored and glad to have the opportunity to introduce Drum Boxx as a worthy successor to the original Smackbox project.  

Highlights:

• 12 Channel Drum Synthesizer
• 3 independent Stereo Outputs
• 10 custom preset kits/128 user kits available
• Delay and Chorus effects
• Midi automation
• VST 2.4

System Requirements

• PC VST
• 32 Bit

The Synsonic BD-909 is a model of the TR-909 Bass Drum.

We have analysed the original circuit and created an accurately digital model.

There are also more soundshaping possibilities like distortion, noise decay, tune depth and hold and pitch.

The plugin includes factory presets and you can also create your own presets now.

Check out Synsonic Instruments BDE-01 (Bass Drum Engine) HERE. 

System Requirements

Mac

• AU – Audio Units (32 & 64-Bit)
• VST (32 & 64-Bit)

PC

• VST (32 & 64-Bit)

Supported Sample Rates:

• 44.1kHz, 8 kHz and 96 kHz

Tested and Certified in:

• Cubase, Logic and Ableton Live

• Drum Sampler
• Pads Playable by Mouse
• Individual Reverb Send
• Auto-Mute Group
• Visual Response
• Logical Layout.

PC:

• This plug-in is for windows only.

Nasty Looper is a free Drum Machine designed and created by Duarte Vinagre (beatassist.eu), to be used on Windows 32-bit.

This might be one of the best free offers of drum machines in the market. Nasty Looper has 16 pad cells that you may load with 16 or 24-bit .wav samples, map into your MIDI Controller for further writing on the Piano Roll of your DAW.

Almost Every parameter of Nasty Looper may be mapped into a MIDI Controller control, providing yourself the possibility of perform Live and Improvised sessions of music very quickly.

The first 12 pad cells have:

• Reverse
• Mute
• Loop
• Tone
• Pitch
• Start adj
• End adj
• Low pass and High Pass filters
• Delay
• Filter Stepper
• Arp Tune Stepper
• Pan and Volume
• Pattern Sequencer (up to 64 steps)
• Mix control for PFL using an external mixer
• Booth control for PFL using an external mixer
• Configurable Choke group
• Midi player for playing midi files

The last 4 Pad cells are introduced for loops.

These cells can play you any loop just by configuring the beats number.(eg: 16bars = 64 beats). Here you can also tweak start and end adj, delay, and filter stepper among other controls.

Nasty Looper has a built in Break Sequencer up to 128 steps. Whitin 128 steps you can choose any to create a silence in the current pattern sequencing build.

This VSTi also counts with a fancy built in Synth and a Brickwall Limiter preventing clips during Live performance.

It comes with a demo soundbank provided by beatassist.eu, loopmasters.com and VIPsoundlab.

System Requirements

• Nasty Looper runs on Windows XP/Vista/Win7/Win8 32-bits and 64-bits when bridged.

Third Harmonic Studios have released EXD-80, a free 32-bit VST instrument plugin for Windows. The plugin is a virtual analog drum and percussion synthesizer. EXD-80 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!

EXD-80 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)

System Requirements

EXD-80 is a VST instrument plugin (32-bit) for Microsoft Windows operating systems:

• Windows XP (SP2 or later), Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8. A host application that supports 32-bit VST instrument plugins is required.

Gnome Kick is designed for backing up a kick drum and adding that extra “thud” that seems to be missing at times.

GnomeKick features a special “Analog” knob to add analog-like modulation to fatten up the oscillators. This Kick Generator was built in Synthedit. Enjoy!

The Wollo Beat is a 808 style virtual drums and percussion machine. Key features include 2 drumsets, each with 15 velocity-sensitive sounds. With gain, pan, and filters to alter each instrument. As well as pitch.

Features

• Simple, easy to use interface
• 16 voice polyphony
• Volume, pan, filters and pitch for each sound
• Delay
• Reverb
• Preset manager