The Best Drum Machines For Every Budget
Whether you’re a classic hardware fan, a modern innovator or a sample-tweaker – there’s a drum machine for you.
The drum machine is one of the most important and influential instruments in modern music. Classic hardware drum machines like the LinnDrum and Roland 808 would come to define genres and eras in the latter half of the 20th century, making a permanent mark on the popular and underground music landscape.
These vintage bits of gear now cost thousands of pounds and are out of the price range of most producers, however, there are plenty of affordable software options available. Read on to discover the best modern drum machines, 80s drum machines, 808 and 909 plugins, acoustic drum plugins and drum machines for sample tweakers.
Best Modern Drum Machines
XLN Audio - XO
(£110.70)
XLN Audio’s XO is a drum machine straight from the future. Moving away from traditional drum machine rules, this beast of a VST drum plugin allows you to quickly and intelligently build kits using your own drum sample collection.
XO analyses all your drum samples and presents them in ‘XO Space’, grouping similar drum samples close to one another in a unique cloud-like interface so you can take the guesswork out of sample selection.
With your samples selected you can then tweak and sequence your drum hits, and take advantage of XO’s randomisation and groove template options.
Sugar Bytes DrumComputer
(£99.95)
Taking a different approach toward modern drum machines, Sugar Bytes DrumComputer is the ultimate drum machine for synthetic drum specialists.
DrumComputer comes equipped with eight sound engines, each one layering a resonator, wavetable or analogue oscillator and resynth or sampler, Use the resynth engine to get awesome liquid cymbals and hats, or load your own sounds for tweaking with the built-in sampler.
Add flavour with the multimode filter, compressor, distortion and reverbs, and create inspiring grooves with the feature-packed sequencer. The 16-step sequencer boasts probability, rolls, swing and humanise features, making drum programming fresh again.
Best Drum Machine for Sample Tweakers
Loopcloud DRUM
(£49.96)
Fully integrated with the huge Loopcloud sample library, Loopcloud DRUM is a sample tweaker's dream. Choose from the countless drum samples in the Loopcloud collection, assign them to the plugin’s 16 drum pads, and tweak them with tuning, filter and envelope controls.
Go a step further with effects – add reverb, delay lo-fi, distortion, a ‘DJ’ filter, and a Limiter, and then sequence a groove with the built-in sequencer.
You can also export your grooves as MIDI if you want to continue editing your beat in your DAWs MIDI editor.
Best 80s Drum Machines
BeatSkillz RetroHit
(£7.96)
With RetroHit, BeatSkillz have created the ultimate affordable 80s drum machine. Loaded with 600+ drum samples from some of the 80s’ most iconic drum machines, you’ll instantly get a host of unmistakable drum sounds from the era.
Expect sounds from the EMU sp12, OB- MX, LinnDrum and Fairlight drum machines, recorded through a selection of tube and Solid State preamps and compressors such as the NEVE 1073, Thermionic Culture Rooster, Electrodyne pres, Distressor, Api 2500 and Drawmer 1978.
Build your own kits with 12 assignable pads, and tweak samples using attack, release, reverb and pitch controls. With a purchase of Retro Hit, you also get access to each drum hit in sample form so you can use them however you like.
Iconic Instruments Iconic V
($99)
Unlike RetroHit, Iconic V only emulates one iconic 80s drum synth; however, it does it exceptionally well. The team at Iconic Instruments have painstakingly recreated the sound of the Simmons SDS-V, faithfully recreating it in digital format, whilst also adding a few more exciting modern features.
You may not know the name Simmons SDS-V, but you’ll certainly recognise the sound. Watch the trailer video above and you’ll recognise some distinctive beats from Duran Duran, Howard Jones and Naked Eyes.
Iconic V isn’t a standalone VST drum plugin, instead, it runs in Kontakt and the free Kontakt player – but don’t let that deter you. This is one of the best 80s drum machines available right now.
Best 808 Plugins
Tactile Sounds TS-808
(FREE)
Do you want that classic Roland 808 sound, but don’t want to spend four grand on a hardware model? Well, Tactile Sounds have got you covered. The TS-808 is one of the best free drum plugins out there, and despite its price tag (or lack thereof) it sure packs a punch.
The TS-808 is not based on samples, instead, each voice is synthesised in real-time. The inner workings of the plugin are based on the original schematics that came with the hardware Roland 808, meaning that this software emulation behaves in the same way. In fact, Tactile Sounds have pushed the TS-808 beyond the limits of the original, allowing you even greater control over drum voices.
The only downsides are the lack of a built-in sequencer and the fact that the VST drum plugin is PC only. However, if you don’t use a Mac, this is a fantastic option.
D16 Group Nepheton
(£85.00)
Nepheton has been around for a while, but in that time very few software 808 emulations have even come close to knocking it from the top spot. Complete with the distinctive black and orange colour scheme, Nepheton gives users all the features and sounds found on the original Roland machine, plus a few extra parameters for deep tone and envelope tweaking
Nepheton’s sequencer comes with 96 patterns pre-loaded for quick beat making, and you can export and import patterns as XML files, making this 808 drum machine plugin perfect for collaborating.
Best 909 Plugins
Synsonic BD-909
(FREE)
Synsonic BD-909 is a free drum plugin that emulates the iconic kick drum of the Roland 909. This is a must-have drum plugin VST for anyone making house or techno – the 909 kick is a staple part of both genres, and the Synsonic BD-909 gives you that iconic sound in a totally free drum plugin.
Take complete control over the sound of your 909 kick with envelope, distortion and noise control. You can also tune your kick so it sits perfectly with your bassline.
D16 Group Drumazon
(£85.00)
Yet another top-class Roland drum machine emulation from D16, Drumazon is the developer’s take on the iconic TR-909 drum machine. Synthesising each drum voice in exactly the same way as the original hardware 909, Drumazon is a faithful VST drum plugin replica.
That said, Drumazon does boast extra parameter tweaking for more sound design control, and its sequencer comes with randomisation options, making idea generation on the fly a doddle.
Best Drum Machine with Acoustic Samples
XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2
(£76.62)
Addictive Drums 2 is a must-have for any producers looking for a VST drum plugin that does acoustic drums well. There are countless drum kits available for Addictive Drums 2, and each kit has been recorded in state-of-the-art, world-class studios giving you a high-budget sound in your DAW.
XLN Audio have also recorded performances from some of the world’s greatest drummers so you can take their grooves and beats and use them in your music.
Tweak the balance of your acoustic drum with the fully-featured built-in mixing environment, and add effects like compression, noise, EQ and more for a finely tuned live drum sound.
Wavesfactory VQ Drums
(£49.00)
VQ Drums is a spectacularly recorded Kontakt Instrument which gives you an authentic 1964 Ludwig Hollywood drum kit recorded in a beautiful wooden room. It produces a very characterful, authentically 60s sound, and the well-designed UI gives you a lot of sound tweaking possibilities.
Adjust the pitch, pan, level and effects on each individual drum. You can even blend the room mics as you like, and control how much bleed occurs between microphones on different drums!
