Caleb I. Tilley: The Best Plugins for Leveling up your Drums

“Hey, I’m Caleb! I’m a session musician, producer, and creator behind the YouTube channel Caleb I. Tilley, where I help producers discover the tools they need to create dynamic tracks that value feel over perfection. My background as a drummer heavily shapes how I approach music production; I’ve always believed that the feel and tone of the drums can completely define a song’s emotional impact and identity. Whether it’s heavy rock drums, pocket soul grooves, or tight pop tracks, drums play a huge part in making a song come alive.”

“In modern production, plugins have become an essential part of the process. We no longer need to rent out large studios or invest in costly outboard hardware to get the sound we’re looking for. We can shape, enhance, and completely transform our sounds with precision, and can always come back later to make adjustments. The right plugins can be seen as a bridge from the raw performance to a realized piece of music that others can connect with.”

“In this article, I’ll be sharing five of my favorite plugins that help me capture energy and character in my drum tracks, from tone sculpting, analog warmth, and even unique spatial characteristics. These tools have become staples in my workflow, and I believe they’ll elevate yours as well.”

 

1. XLN Audio Addictive Drums 2

Craft your own kits, tweak tuning and dynamics, and layer in professional drum tones with Addictive Drums 2 at Plugin Boutique

“I want to start off with Addictive Drums 2 by XLN Audio because it is my go-to virtual instrument of choice for drums and percussion, and you’ll find it on almost anything I put out in some capacity. These are some of the most detailed and responsive drum samples I’ve experienced, and the tonal flexibility is incredible.
Depending on the track, I’m either triggering Addictive Drums with an electronic drum kit or a more typical MIDI controller setup. I love it because you can either pick from a selection of presets within each of the ADpaks using the Explore tab, or completely ‘Frankenstein’ your own pieces together into a kit that is unique to your style with the Kit and Edit tabs. From there, you can tune each drum up or down, blend in virtual room mics, and even apply processing such as EQ, Compression, Gates, and more right inside the plugin.”

“I also appreciate that I can pick up ADpaks individually as I need them. Vintage Dead is the most recent ADpak I’ve picked up, and it’s perfect for dry, fat drum sounds where you want a lot of punch with a more vintage vibe. I’m also a huge fan of the Fairfax kit, as well as Modern Soul and R\&B. Having access to these sounds at the beginning of my drum workflow is an essential part of bringing my tracks to life.”

 

2. Waves IDX Intelligent Dynamics

Save time with this fast, frequency-aware compression for punchy drums and clear mixes, available from Plugin Boutique

“IDX by Waves is an interesting plugin for me because it takes what would have traditionally been a more involved task and saves you a ton of time, whether you’re a new or experienced producer. Essentially, it’s a frequency-focused intelligent dynamics processor that analyzes the frequency spectrum to tame the loudest energy, while preserving the areas that provide punch and clarity.”

“IDX is a must-have for drums because it does the heavy lifting of shaping transient energy and tonal balance with a very small learning curve. So, if you’re trying to bring your drums forward in the mix, IDX can be a very straightforward way of doing so. It’s especially useful when you don’t want to wrestle with multiband compressors, complex side-chains, or dozens of parameter tweaks. It uses intelligent controls with a minimal layout that can be used to make subtle or dramatic changes to the kit.”

“I often start with IDX toward the beginning of my chain, after my initial EQ, where I’m taking away any frequencies that I immediately recognize as unwanted. From there, I start with the main control in IDX, which is how I determine how much I want it to compress the signal. Then, I adjust the Speed, Tilt, and Mix to taste. It’s such a cool way to set a solid foundation at the beginning of the signal chain.”

 

3. Universal Audio Oxide Tape Recorder

Oxide Tape Recorder delivers smooth, musical tape warmth and punch, perfect for drums and mixes – give it a try at Plugin Boutique

“Oxide Tape Recorder by Universal Audio has become one of my go-to plugins for adding warmth and punch to my drum tracks. There’s just something about the way it handles the transients that breathes life into the drums, while at the same time, providing a very pleasant, tape-saturated sound. I recently put together a drum pack centered around soul and human feel, and I quickly realized that this plugin would be an integral part of developing the sound for that pack. Now, you’ll likely find it somewhere in any given session, anywhere from the drum bus to the stereo output, to give a sweetness to the entire mix.”

“What I love most about Oxide is how musical the saturation is. I tend to experiment with driving the input section just enough to give it that satisfying tape saturation and punch, while still preserving the tonal integrity of the drum kit. It’s amazing how far you can drive the signal without it becoming harsh or brittle!”

“Beyond drums, Oxide is incredibly versatile. You can use it to add character to vocals, guitars, or your entire mix. But for me, it really shines on drums, where it can add punch and round out your low end in a way that transforms a clean drum track into something that stands out in a unique way within your mix.”

 

4. Universal Audio SSL 4000 E Channel Strip

You can grab Universal Audio SSL 4000 E Channel Strip at Plugin Boutique – a full console channel strip in your DAW, perfect for drums and workflow efficiency.

“There’s something special about having access to a console channel strip right inside of my DAW, especially the SSL 4000 E by Universal Audio, which has become one of my go-to channel strips for drums. Now, I have never had the privilege of using a real SSL console, but fortunately, I can capture that magic in a special way while introducing the advantages of a digital workflow using this plugin.”

“Channel strips, in general, have become an important part of my workflow for a while now. Of course, there are benefits to using specialized EQs, Compressors, and Gates from various manufacturers in your signal chain, but there’s something really special about having a full, power-packed channel strip with all of the essential features in one place.”

“One of my favorite things to do with the SSL is to utilize the channel strip to its extent before I go searching through my plugin library for other plugins that serve the same purpose. This not only helps with decision fatigue but also saves me a lot of time. However, it works beautifully as a preamp as well, even if there are times when you don’t need to use the other functions on a particular track. You can disable each section of the channel strip, making it a very versatile tool to use on your individual kit pieces or the entire drum bus.”

 

5. Safari Pedals Flamingo Verb

For versatile reverb that adds space, texture, and personality to drums, try Flamingo Verb at Plugin Boutique

“One thing you’ll find on most of my drum tracks is a tasteful amount of reverb, and one of my favorites recently has been Flamingo Verb by Safari Pedals. For a reverb plugin, it is very straightforward in layout, yet extremely flexible in practice. Rather than just creating space, it adds a bit of personality to the drum kit by combining elements of space, texture, and tonal qualities.”

“Flamingo Verb is an essential part of my workflow because of its versatility. It features a Time knob that transitions between 4 different impulse responses, allowing you to seamlessly move between a tight room, a short plate, a classic spring, and a big, spacious hall. On top of that, I love the addition of the Drive, Width, High Pass, and Low Pass Filters. It gives you a lot of tonal flexibility in a form factor and layout similar to a guitar pedal, which is awesome.”

“I tend to use Flamingo Verb to add a bit of a unique space and texture to my snare tracks, often putting it on an aux track and sending the snare to it that way. Though it’s also incredibly easy to throw it on as an insert and use the included Blend knob to mix the dry/wet signal. Either way you do it, this plugin is a great way to add unique space and texture to your tracks without making it complicated.”

 

Wrapping Up

“Each of these plugins plays a unique role in how I approach drum production, but together, they form a powerful toolkit for shaping, enhancing, and creating a unique sound. Addictive Drums 2 gives me the foundation for my drum tracks that helps the initial performance come alive. Waves IDX intelligently gives me a great foundation for a balanced track. Oxide Tape Recorder adds analog warmth and punch that makes the track stand out. The SSL 4000 E Channel Strip is a one-stop shop for bringing classic tone and flexibility, while providing the polish of a professional console right inside my DAW. Lastly, Flamingo Verb provides the finishing touch, adding unique space and texture without getting lost in itself. Each sound has a distinct sonic quality and purpose, which is an important part of highlighting feel over perfection in my drum productions.”

“If you’ve resonated with anything I’ve said, or you’d like to see how I use these plugins in real-world situations, feel free to check out my YouTube channel. I’d love to see you there!”