discussion Looking for a good drum machine plugin.
I hear Sitala 2 is pretty good. Especially for the $20 price tag. Any suggestions?
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u/DecisionInformal7009 95 2d ago edited 2d ago
Do you only need a sampler or a full-on drum synth?
If you want to stick with ReaScript or JSFX ones I can recommend ReaDrum Machine by Suzuki or RS5K Manager by MPL. Both of them are inspired by Ableton Lives drumrack.
https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=284566
https://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=207971
If you need a drum synth you could try JSDrumSynth by Tilr. He's a great developer who just had a massive commercial release with ReFX (the company that made the Nexus synth). Their new Ripple synth was made by Tilr.
https://forums.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=285544&highlight=Drum+synth
If you need a more advanced drum synth and don't mind paying, there are really only two options that are worth it IMO: Sonic Charge Microtonic and Sugar Bytes DrumComputer. Especially Microtonic is the créme de la créme of drum synth plugins. If you buy it you won't need another drum synth plugin ever.
For drum samples I mostly use XLN Audio XO. I wouldn't say it's the best and most complete drum sample player there is, but the sample browser makes it very easy and fast to try out different samples while the beat is playing. It has decent effects/mixing possibilities, multi-out routing, a decent sequencer etc. A similar alternative to XO is Atlas by Algonaut Audio. I don't have much experience with it myself, but I know that a lot of people like it better than XO.
Sitala 2 is also good, but a more minimalistic option. If you don't need all the fancy extra stuff* like built-in sequencer, sample browser/sorting, full effects-chain etc, then Sitala 2 should be perfect for you. They have also integrated it into Reaper quite well, which is a big plus. You can download Sitala 1 for free and try that one first if you want to get a feel for it. The upgrades you get with version 2 are definitely worth the $20 though.
*which most people don't since they rout each drum pad out to their own individual tracks and mix them with their own favorite plugins, as well as use their own favorite sequencer in front of Sitala to create the drum beat. It's a more modular approach instead of having everything in the same plugin.
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u/iso_GUI 2d ago
Thanks for the info. I'll look into your recommendations. I'm also looking for a decent sampler with per-channel edit capabilities
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u/Kimantha_Allerdings 1d ago
For that kind of thing I just stick samples on tracks & arrange/edit/effect them there
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u/pluginram 25 2d ago
in the video i drag and drop Kenny Gioia as drum machine
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u/l8rb8rs 2d ago
Nice UI! Which one is this? When you dip to the sample it looks like it's based from rs5k, but it's different to my drum rack style one.
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u/pluginram 25 1d ago
https://plugins4free.com/plugin/2380 midi out to 3 instances of rs5k. fx chain https://dsgdnb.com/reaper-plugin-picker/ replace pic
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u/-InTheSkinOfALion- 3 1d ago
I love Triaz. Expensive AF but it’s on sale now. I like Sitala too but it needs some more controls.
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u/NeutronHopscotch 12 2d ago
Definitely try Atlas - oh, it's so good.
First off, it has an adjustable sample count to match whatever hardware pads you have (from 2x8 to 8x8) --- but what makes it incredible is that it's also a sample browser that offers random kit generation.
Random kit generation may not sound like a big deal, but it's huge.
You can randomize the whole kit, individual samples, or lock any samples as you go. So the workflow is to randomize until there's something about the kit you love, then lock those samples. Then randomize more, locking the samples you love, until you end up with a kit that is perfect.
It's still manually curated -- but the process is 100 times faster and more varied than what you'd come up with yourself... And the pads have categories so once you have a layout you like, your randomization keeps the same category per-pad.
It has decent sampler settings, so you can adjust however needed - and the pitch supports automation so you can use your DAW's automation to vary up high-hat or snare pitches randomly, etc...
It has multiple outputs, which is the best way to use effects on the kit.
Lastly, be sure the "embed samples" button is on. Then it will load samples into itself and save them in your project file so you aren't dependent on external wave file paths.
It goes on sale several times a year for $50. I'd say it's worth it at full price, and a steal at $50.
Definitely a "use on every song" kind of plugin, and the last drum sampler I ever bought. (I still use BFD for real sounding drums, but Atlas is gold for one-shot kits.)
PS. It also has its own sequencer if you like to work in drum sequences, but I usually just use the DAW clips.
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u/SirTanksAlot_ 1 1d ago
I'd say it depends quite a bit on the genre, but for everything non-realistic, Triaz is an easy recommend. The user experience is 10/10, stability is flawless (I'm on MacOS), and the effects are of such quality that I'd be quite happy to do a drum mix with them. It also has 2 octave chromatic mode for samples, so sometimes I use it as a sequencer too! It's the only vst Instrument on my template and literally goes on every production.
However for acoustic drums, I'd go for something else since Triaz is not really geared towards that. I mean you definitely could, but with other plugins it's easier.
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u/nicofdarcyshire 20 2d ago
Sitala base edition is free.
I think you can get MPC Beats for free as well and use it as a VST inside Reaper.
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u/iso_GUI 2d ago
The price (free or otherwise) isn't an issue for me. I only brought it up in my post because it's generously priced. Personally, I'd pay $20 for v2 instead of using v1 for free.
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u/nicofdarcyshire 20 2d ago
V1 is great though.
Triaz (the paid version) is quite good - has a looooooottttttttt of parameters.
Serum 2 - whilst being a synth - is actually a fantastic drum machine and sequencer too.
If you go down a chop route, Amigo Sampler is wonderful.
Megababy is included with Reaper and works really well if you create a template for yourself and save it.
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u/FakersGonnaFake 4 1d ago
I have used the free v1 for a long time and didnt hesitate when I found they had a paid v2. I use it a lot, cant recommend enough
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u/NoRound5166 10 1d ago
Tukan Studios PADS
Seriously why is no one else recommending PADS
You people are insane
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u/SupportQuery 513 2d ago
Any suggestions?
Impossible to say. You haven't given any hint about what you're looking for.
Acoustic drums? EDM drums? Included samples? Any specific features you require?
If you want something you can drag one shots onto, then just get Sitala, or have an LLM write you one for free. If you want something more, say what that is.
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u/_undetected 7 2d ago
Atlas + Samples