KVR Audio

Element9 · Post by **Element9** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:03 pm

I am looking for recommendations. I want have one maybe two VSTs to cover all my electronic drum needs.

I began making electronic music as a hobby lately. Genre-wise it's pretty diverse. Some of it sounds like psytrance, some like nu jazz etc. I play drums and have used DAWs for years for non-electronic music (though I am a bit rusty) so I can compose and program drums/beats well enough for my needs. I only used a couple of free VSTs so far: Sitala, T-Rex 606 and Line of Legends.

I am now looking for a VST with a bit more options, great library/presets and possibly a drum synth capabilities. Though I am still not sure whether samples of synthesis is what I should focus on at the moment. I think I don't need it to have a sequencer - I am comfortable using DAW for that.

Through research I found Spark 2 and Battery 3 as good candidates, but I'd like to see if there are other good options that I missed.

EDIT: If it can do/has decent acoustic drums, that's a nice bonus.

WasteLand · Post by **WasteLand** » Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:14 pm

Element9 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:03 pm I am looking for recommendations. I want have one maybe two VSTs to cover all my electronic drum needs.

I began making electronic music as a hobby lately. Genre-wise it's pretty diverse. Some of it sounds like psytrance, some like nu jazz etc. I play drums and have used DAWs for years for non-electronic music (though I am a bit rusty) so I can compose and program drums/beats well enough for my needs. I only used a couple of free VSTs so far: Sitala, T-Rex 606 and Line of Legends.

I am now looking for a VST with a bit more options, great library/presets and possibly a drum synth capabilities. Though I am still not sure whether samples of synthesis is what I should focus on at the moment. I think I don't need it to have a sequencer - I am comfortable using DAW for that.

Through research I found Spark 2 and Battery 3 as good candidates, but I'd like to see if there are other good options that I missed.

EDIT: If it can do/has decent acoustic drums, that's a nice bonus.

arturia spark 2 is great, as battery 4 (but perhaps you want battery 3, some people prefer it).

meldaprodcution MDrummer can be an option, have it quite recently. i am not a drummer, but making patterns (with step, or playing on pads, finger drumming) i can.

MDrummer is made by a.. drummer... EDIT: expensive, normally, but always, buy in sale. there is anew sound library coming for it. free.

these are limited options, in the sense, i have them, so about other i can't really judge.

maschine is also great, and has some synths possibilities.

Spark 2, you can do synthesis.

there are more synthesis orienteted drum vst plugins, but they don't really get me, i have other options to make drums with synthesis.

kong in reason is quite good. but than you must have reason...

the most synthesis oriented vst is softube heartbeat, that i have, except the soft modulars i own, in those environments, yes, you get it.

so a bit of biased comment, biased on what i own and know.

rob papen has a nice vst. tried it, not for me, but for you, perhaps. fxpansion geist 2? seems popular.

clipnotic · Post by **clipnotic** » Sat Jul 11, 2020 9:56 pm

Sonic Academy Kick2 has synthesis and you can add samples, too.

Ah_Dziz · Post by **Ah_Dziz** » Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:58 am

If you want “electronic” as in “made with oscillators and noise and filters” I would wholly recommend Drumatic or Microtonic. If you just mean “drums coming out of my computer” battery, kontakt, addictive drums, or any of tons of packages will do the thing. If you are willing to go with less flexible sample libraries (less layers, less modulation etc.) there are good cheap/ free samplers and even more free samples out there. Depends on how much flexibility you need. To anybody starting up with electronic music these days I would say grab Komplete. There is very little you can’t do with it in any style. If you grab it on sale or second hand, it is crazy cheap too.

Passing Bye · Post by **Passing Bye** » Sun Jul 12, 2020 5:23 am

I use specialized kick plugins in conjunction with samples (loaded in sampler) for rest of the kit, for psytrance I would definitely use the same, something like Sonic Academy Kick 2, Bazzism or even new Psylab and some good samples.

https://www.sonicacademy.com/products/kick-2
https://ismism.de/BazzISM.htm
https://fx23.net/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgGcxrdn4D4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZqh0ir2yE0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG89A_pM9-g

Which DAW you use?

MMaarrkk · Post by **MMaarrkk** » Sun Jul 12, 2020 7:07 am

What comes to mind first would be Spark 2 by Arturia. You can get as complex as you want and even when you want to keep it simple, it offers a ton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aoARCMkoAo

Here's a video where we took a look at some of it's functionality - to cut down on reading.

vitocorleone123 · Post by **vitocorleone123** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 4:47 pm

I went with samples in Kontakt.

Check out Sugar Bytes Drumcomputer. That’d be the one I’d probably get. Punch 2 is also supposed to sound good but not be as easy to use.

Lotuzia · Post by **Lotuzia** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:02 pm

Stix : Analog, FM @ audiorate, AM-RM, Samples/Custom samples and also a lot of classic machines in factory presets like these ones :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0BED-MpM3I

Lotuzia · Post by **Lotuzia** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:03 pm

StiX overview (of version 1.0 only) :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyFHPUTL4X4

lectropunk · Post by **lectropunk** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:06 pm

Try fxpansion geist lite it's free and quite cool I'd even prefer it to maschine
I load my own one shots with this

thecontrolcentre · Post by **thecontrolcentre** » Fri Jul 17, 2020 5:06 pm

D16 Drum Computer
IL Drummax
AD Tattoo
Ableton Live Drum Racks

Element9 · Post by **Element9** » Sat Jul 25, 2020 5:20 pm

I tried Spark 2 and I kick click with it, though the 20 minute demo Artiria provides is ridiculous. No way you can really try it in 20 min.

I tried Rob Papen Punch 2 and for now it does everything I need. Basics are not that different than Battery which I used to use loong time ago (version 2 I think). It also has synthesis. Downside is that it can layer only up to 3 samples which is not enough for some multisampled libraries though it seems like I would go with a separate plugin for acoustic drums. Also UI is not great but I can live with it.

In Geist Lite I am missing multi-output.

If I ever need acoustic drums Addictive Drums is on the top of list to try out.

Double Tap · Post by **Double Tap** » Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:59 pm

XO by XLN is great. It's more of a sample library with a sequencer attached but it is brilliant for allowing you to choose sounds.

My favourite acoustic drum set is Steven Slate Drums because it has a nice rolled snare sound and I've not come across that anywhere else yet, although it might be somewhere in Battery that I've not looked yet.

pekbro · Post by **pekbro** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 12:08 am

+1 for StiX, also many of the other suggestions as I have most of them being a sucker for Drum Machines. This will be my next one, of course it's OT and most will be horrified by it

https://www.islainstruments.com/product/s2400/

zerocrossing · Post by **zerocrossing** » Thu Aug 13, 2020 4:57 am

Element9 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 25, 2020 5:20 pm I tried Spark 2 and I kick click with it, though the 20 minute demo Artiria provides is ridiculous. No way you can really try it in 20 min.

I tried Rob Papen Punch 2 and for now it does everything I need. Basics are not that different than Battery which I used to use loong time ago (version 2 I think). It also has synthesis. Downside is that it can layer only up to 3 samples which is not enough for some multisampled libraries though it seems like I would go with a separate plugin for acoustic drums. Also UI is not great but I can live with it.

In Geist Lite I am missing multi-output.

If I ever need acoustic drums Addictive Drums is on the top of list to try out.

I almost bought Punch 2. I liked it a lot. Instead I got an Analog RYTM.

Which electronic drums VST?