A Drum Studio Inside Your DAW
Recording real drums is complicated.
You need:
- A drummer
- A drum kit
- Microphones
- Preamps
- A good room
And somewhere you can make a lot of noise.
A drum sampler gives you another option.
Real drums are recorded in a studio…
Then turned into an instrument you can play inside your DAW.
You can program a completely new drum performance.
Replace badly recorded drums.
Layer samples with real drums.
Or completely change the character of a song.
The important part is not finding the most realistic drum sampler.
It is finding the right drum sound for the record.
Quick Summary
👉 Drum samplers use recordings of real drums that can be triggered with MIDI or used to reinforce recorded drums. Some of the best options include Addictive Drums 2, Hertz Drums, Superior Drummer 3, Steven Slate Drums, GetGood Drums and BFD.
The biggest difference between them is not the technology.
It is the sound of the drums, microphones, room and production.
A sample is simply a recording of a sound.
Hit a snare.
Record it.
Now you have a snare sample.
But modern drum instruments record the same drum many different ways.
Soft.
Medium.
Hard.
Rimshot.
Sidestick.
Different microphones.
Different rooms.
This is called multi-sampling.
Instead of hearing the exact same recording every time you press a key…
The sampler can respond more like a real drum kit.
XLN describes Addictive Drums 2 as using multi-sampled drums recorded in studios and played by session drummers.
The simplest approach is sample playback.
Create a MIDI note.
The sampler plays a drum.
Kick.
Snare.
Hi-hat.
Tom.
Cymbal.
Change the MIDI velocity…
And you can change how hard the drum is played.
This means you can create an entire acoustic drum performance without ever recording a drum kit.
Samples can also be used with real drums.
Imagine you recorded a great performance…
But the kick drum sounds weak.
A drum replacement plugin can detect each original kick hit and trigger a new sample.
Now you can:
Replace it.
Or…
Blend the two together.
Real drum for character.
Sample for consistency.
Plugins like Steven Slate Trigger 2 are designed specifically for drum replacement and reinforcement.
Classic Drum Machines: The SP-1200 🪨
There are lots of options.
But these are some of the most useful places to start.
Addictive Drums 2 is fast, flexible and easy to understand.
Choose a kit.
Choose a groove.
Choose a preset.
Start making music.
Different ADpak expansions give you completely different kits and recording styles.
Best for: Almost anything.
Hertz Drums combines a virtual acoustic drum instrument with tools for working with drum samples inside your DAW.
It feels particularly at home in:
- Rock
- Metal
- Modern drum production
Best for: Powerful modern drums.
Superior Drummer 3 goes deep.
Very deep.
Multiple kits.
Microphones.
Bleed.
Mixer channels.
Effects.
Grooves.
Audio-to-MIDI conversion.
It is less like opening a drum plugin…
And more like opening an entire virtual drum studio.
Best for: Maximum control.
Steven Slate Drums 5.5 specializes in drums that can quickly fit into a modern production.
Punchy kicks.
Controlled snares.
Mix-ready presets.
There is also a free version if you want to experiment first.
Best for: Fast modern production.
GetGood Drums is another great option for modern rock and metal.
The Modern & Massive series focuses on exactly what the name suggests:
Modern.
And…
Massive.
Its current version includes a large collection of presets aimed at contemporary rock and metal production.
Best for: Big modern rock drums.
This is where drum sampling gets really interesting.
You are not limited to choosing:
Kick A.
Snare B.
Tom C.
You can think in terms of records.
Listen to:
Nirvana — Smells Like Teen Spirit
Then listen to:
Both have huge rock drums.
But they are completely different.
Nevermind was recorded at Sound City, and Butch Vig has specifically discussed the importance of the room in creating its drum sound.
Metallica’s Black Album is so recognizable that BFD offers an entire Black Album Drums expansion inspired by its drum sound.
Instead of asking:
Which snare should I use?
Try asking:
What record should these drums feel like?
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Not every drum sound needs to be enormous.
At the opposite extreme are:
Dead drums.
Dry drums.
Dampened drums.
Short sustain.
Very little room.
Very little ringing.
Lots of focus.
Listen to:
Or:
Tame Impala — The Less I Know The Better
The drums do not need a giant room to feel powerful.
XLN even makes a Dead & Dry Collection built around heavily controlled vintage drum sounds, including its Vintage Dead and Vintage Dry kits.
DAW EQ: The 7 Frequency Bands 🎛️
Think of drum sounds as a balance.
At one extreme:
Dry
- Close
- Short
- Tight
- Controlled
At the other:
Wet
- Distant
- Long
- Ambient
- Explosive
Neither is better.
A dry kit can make a groove feel intimate.
A huge room can make a chorus explode.
The right choice depends on the song.
Classic Drum Machines: The MPC60 🥁
| Drum Sampler | Strength |
|---|---|
| Addictive Drums 2 | Fast and versatile |
| Hertz Drums | Powerful modern drums |
| Superior Drummer 3 | Deep control |
| Steven Slate Drums | Mix-ready sounds |
| GetGood Drums | Modern rock and metal |
| BFD | Detailed acoustic and classic kits |
The best drum sampler is not necessarily the one with the most samples.
Or the biggest library.
Or the most controls.
Start somewhere else.
Imagine the record.
Huge or small?
Wet or dry?
Vintage or modern?
Natural or polished?
Then choose the drum kit that already lives in that world.
Don’t choose the drums first.
Choose the album first.
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Also read:
How to Start Your Own Online Business Teaching Music
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