For any modern producer, a sampler is essential. However, if you’re strapped for cash or just starting out, it can be difficult to find good-quality sampler plugins that actually work and add to your beats.

The Grace Sampler is simple, sleek, and suited to synth users. The sampler has optional patches free for download on its website, most of which are for synths, but there’s also a couple for drum kits, keys, and bass. This sampler comes in both 32 and 64-bit versions, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility from device to device. The free Grizzly drum sampler VST plugin by Majken and Cyan is a powerful drum sampler with many of the same features as Battery or Guru. The Grizzly VST plugin features 8 drum pads with built in filters and 9 different effects like e.g. Distortion, bitcrusher, flanger, and delay.

Luckily, we’ve cut through the weeds and compiled 9 of the best free sampler VST plugins out on the market today.

Free Sampler VSTs

Without delay, here are our top picks. Sit back, relax, and explore these excellent samplers.

Grace Sampler by One Small Clue

The Grace Sampler is simple, sleek, and suited to synth users. The sampler has optional patches free for download on its website, most of which are for synths, but there’s also a couple for drum kits, keys, and bass.

This sampler comes in both 32 and 64-bit versions, so you won’t have to worry about compatibility from device to device. With most DAWS, you can drag and drop your samples right into the sampler, simplifying your workflow.

Grace Sampler comes with 2 step sequencers, 2 LFOS, and 4 different control pads. The sampler supports WAV, AIF, and SND formats directly which is impressive for a free plugin.

Grooove by BPB

If you’re looking to create some vibey drums, Grooove by BPB is a great pick. This drum sampler is perfect for techno and EDM musicians, looking to create catchy, unique loops.

The plugin has different slots in which 2 different drum samples can be layered and played simultaneously. The slots all have built-in LFOs for altering filter cutoff, sample delay, pitch, and standard attack, volume, pan, and start/end times. Luckily, the VST is supported in both 32 and 64-bit versions.

Grooove BPB is the free version of a full-on instrument, so if you like the notable sampling capabilities that come with the free VST, the purchased version by brunsandpork is a great step up.

TX16W Software Sampler

The TX16W software sampler has a wide array of features that usually only come with paid plugins. With this sampler, you can record samples directly and edit keyboard mappings making it a great pick for musicians looking to incorporate their DAWs into live performance.

As for modulation, the sampler has 2 LFOs and 3 step sequencers. Velocity and mapping can be handled by drawing a custom curve or using the integrated knobs. The plugin also acts as a bus so you can send in and out effects in real-time.

TX16W has 64-bit support and has a built-in arpeggiator, for a paid add-on, you can have time-stretch and pitch-bend modes. For free or otherwise, this plugin is no joke.

Sforzando by Plogue

Sforzando prides itself on its simplicity, with no graphic visualizer. There’s only one sample slot, with no effects or mixers.

The plugin simply consists of standard ADSR knobs, volume, pan, tone, and tune controls. Although this may feel limiting, for seasoned producers looking for a specific sound that doesn’t need a whole lot of extra fluff, Sforzando can be extremely helpful.

If anything else, the plugin works as a great ear-training tool and can train musicians to rely on their skillset rather than software. It comes with 64-bit support.

Zampler by Plugin Boutique

Zampler by Plugin Boutique is an excellent add-on for electronic musicians as you can download drum & bass, hip hop, even dubstep expansion packs.

The sampler has 3 LFOs and a large effects library including chorus, phaser, tube saturation, and many more. There are 2 sample banks and 3 ADSR envelopes for full modulation control.

Zampler has a step sequencer as well as sample oscillators for you to further tweak your sound. Unfortunately, Mac users only have 32-bit support. Windows has both 32 and 64-bit support, but any sample formats outside of sfz must be converted.

Paraphrasis by VirtualAnalogy

Paraphrasis helps you create those retro analog tones with any sample. Simply place your sample into the Paraphrasis sampler, and the modeling synthesizer will analyze the sound data to produce a more classic sound.
This VST is pretty simple, and the UI reflects that; there’s simply a pitch, resolution, analyze, and source toggle with no extra bells or whistles. Brutal death metal vst plugin. There’s only one slot to the plugin, but on the upside, it doesn’t take up a large amount of CPU.

There’s also a handy reverse toggle, so you can reverse your sample before giving it that added analog touch. Some users had trouble using this plugin in 64-bit though it supports both versions, so make sure you’re downloading the proper .dll when acquiring this plugin.

XTT01 by Synthedit Labo Japan

The XTT01 has that classic rack-mount feel and is designed to give you a sound reminiscent of the past. This sampler is known for its signature glide function.

This VST is pretty bare bones. There are the standard ADSR knobs to toggle the filter and amp envelopes, and a built-in LFO with speed, PW, and depth knobs. You can also pitch shift by semitones within the sampler.

XTT01 has no visualizer, so it’s a great tool to use for musicians who are more auditory based learners. You can only load one sample at a time in this plugin. Unfortunately, this simple yet powerful sampler only supports 32-bit software, so it may not work for you if you have more modern equipment.

Bassje by Odosynths

Bassje by Odosynths is a great drum sequencer to give your beats the funky groove they’ve been missing. It’s loaded with 3 different toms as well, so if you’re just looking for a great tom loop generator, Bassje is a great addition to your library.

The plugin is separated into two main sections: An octave and filter sequencer. Nothing can describe the sounds you can get out of this puppy other than using is. Bassje has a volume, reso, and volume knob.

Its retro UI speaks to the nature of the plugin, as it’ll generate patterns very reminiscent of physical drum machines. For any musician trying to create retro-inspired music, Bassje is perfect.

Helios by TobyBear

Helios is an impressive audio sampler unit that is meant to be used during live performance. It has 8 different LFOs, including 2 that sync up to the sample’s tempo.

This plugin is able to tweak a sample is real-time with pitch-bending, looping, delays, and LFO filters. You can drag and drop wave files directly into the interface, making it ideal for DJs or musicians who have to improvise often. Unfortunately, it only supports a 32-bit connection so newer equipment may not work with this plugin.

What We Recommend

Any of these VSTs are excellent to try out but there are two that stand out in our minds:

Grooove BPB

Grooove BPB stands out in its flexibility and abundance of features for a free plugin. With 6 different drum slots and a variety of effects, it’s a versatile sampler that can act as an effect bus if nothing else.

Oftentimes rhythm is the core and soul of music production, so having a drum sampler to assist in that process is priceless (literally).

TX16Wx Software Sampler

This sampler is a full-on replacement for any stock sampler you may have, and then some. No other sampler can compare to this VST’s level of flexibility: With separate windows MIDI mapping, envelopes, modulation, arpeggiator, and samples themselves, it’s hard to believe that this plugin is free.

Another great thing about this plugin is the ability to record and drag samples directly into the interface. This may seem like a small factor, but for the right producer, it can significantly simplify your workflow.

Paid Plugins

If you’ve tried out a couple of these free options and you’re looking to take the next step, be sure to check out our guide on the best-paid sampler VSTs of 2019. Here are our two standout picks from that piece.

Phalanx by Vengeance Sound

Phalanx is an impressive sampler and sound effects generator that is very versatile in use. The plugin has a number of optional expansion packs catered to specific genres of music, so you’re sure to find one that works for you.

The plugin has a polyphony threshold at 256 notes, and 32 single samples can be played at once. In addition to its bevy of embedded effects, Phalanx holds its ground when used as a drum sampler.

Read more at Best Sampler VSTs

Polygon Sampler by Glitchmachines

This sampler is relatively affordable, making it a great paid VST to consider in your transition. Although it is mainly geared towards electronic music, the unique user interface and 120 embedded presets make this a fun tool for any producer.

If anything else, this sampler surprisingly works well as a synthesizer with an impressive 8 LFOs. It has a lot of granular synthesis capabilities, making it a great way to boost your low-end frequencies without altering the timing of your samples.

Read more at Best Sampler VSTs

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All in all, any of these options are great to test out considering there’s no upfront cost other than your time. Have creating exciting new beats using your free Sampler VSTs!

Disclosure: When you buy through our links, we may get a commission at zero cost to you.

Have you ever wondered if you could create drum patterns yourself without scrolling through thousands of sample libraries? Yh!

With the advent of different drum VST plugins, it is possible to create percussion sounds, drum beats, rhythms, and even patterns without the need of buying any audio samples.

Basically, you would have different stock samples (Kick, Hats, Snare, Claps, Bongos and so on) in the drum VST plugin, and with that, it is possible to program your own rhythms and beats. Most of the time, I program my own loops and I export each and every loop created, this way, I can reuse it easily without opening my drum vst plugin every time plus this also saves your CPU load

That out of the way, let us look at some of the best free drum VST plugins for your music production toolbox.

Let’s dive in…

1.) Manda Audio – MTPower DrumKit 2

MT Power Drum Kit is a free drum sampler by Manda Audio that offers powerful, high-quality sounds of a real acoustic drum kit, one of the good thing about this free sampler is that samples have been specially recorded and carefully processed to make them suitable across genre of music such as pop, rock, metal music and more.

One of the tip I would give anyone utilizing this Drum VST is to carefully play with the varied collection of samples, and you could either save a preset of the one you like or if you are like me, you would render the collections you want, that way it would be reusable across multiple projects without pulling an instance of MT Power Drum Kit every time you wanna work on a project.

Another good thing about this plugin is that the samples are well compressed and Equalized to make them glue to your mix, moreover, you can choose from thousands of assorted rhythms in the comprehensive Groove Library and compose your own drum accompaniment. In particular, the innovative functions for creating fills generate very smooth and realistic drum tracks.

Lastly, On the right-hand side, you can listen to demo tracks to hear what you can make with it.

Video Walk-Through:

System Requirements:

• PC: Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP
• Mac: OS X 10.5 or higher, Intel processor
• Linux: Wine + VST bridge

2.) Audiosonic – DigiDrum Pro

DigiDrum looks a bit hard on the eye but it is more powerful than you thought, it contains a five-part drum and percussion VST plugin suitable for a diverse range of genres be it Afro beats, House Music, Pop and more.

I’ll say this again, the interface isn’t really intuitive but otherwise, it is packed with loads of sound editing parameters that can be processed as you see fit. I should also mention that you can use the Velocity section to give the sample some cool vibes.

Features:

• 5 separate DigiDrum parts with 5 user definable audio outputs
• 27 classic drum and percussion waveforms
• User wave file import
• Parts can easily be layered to create even more complex sounds
• easy sound preview ensures intuitive preset programming
• A Versatile filter setup capable of many different timbres
• Velocity modulation of the amp, pitch, and filter to ‘humanize’ the feel of the beat
• Full VST automation of every sound editing controls

Video Walk-Through:

3.) TromineGT

Tromine GT is a TR-808-style analog drum synthesizer. It features:

• 16 Analog drum synthesizers: Bass drum, Snare drum, Low tom / Low Conga, Mid tom / Mid conga, High tom / High tom, Claves, Rimshot, Maracas, Handclap, Cowbell, Crash cymbal, Closed hi-hat, Open hi-hat.
• 9 outputs.
• MIDI CC support.
• Automation support.

Video Walk-Through

4.) DrumTroop

DrumTROOP is a drum kit rompler coming with 20 free drum kits. It features:

• 20 free drum kits.
• 128 triggers on every kit.
• 16 outputs.
• Universal drum placement on the first 8 pads.
• Vol, Pan, Attack, Release per pad.

Video Walk-Through:

Download Win 32 VST / WIN 64 VST / Mac OSX VST / Mac AU

5.) Ugritone – Anarchy Drums

Anarchy Drums is a virtual drum sample library or an instrument that emulates the sound of the 1990’s California Punk. It was recorded with a handful of mics at a DIY environment on tape. According to Ugritone:

The idea was to capture nothing but the drums, the room and the preamp.We left the tweaking to a bare minimum so you could tweak more, or not tweak at all (insert a famous punk band name here, ha) Relive the golden days of never-ending skate parks with Anarchy Drums.

Video Walk-Through:

Free Vst Sampler Drum Machine Loops

Download Ugritone – Anarchy Drums

6.) Rhytmus

If you’ve used an old rhythm machine before then you should definitely love this plugin, it is based on an old rhythm machine and features ten buttons. Each individual button can play two different rhythm sections, so basically you can play 20 different rhythmic loops such as samba, mambo, tango, waltz, rumba, tango, bossa, rock, etc.

When you click “open”, you can change the tune, volume, pan of each rhythm component such as snare, bongo, cowbell, hi-hat, etc. That’s not all – you can mix these rhythmic sections with Tambourine, Guiro, Quijada sounds.

7.) Junn

Junn is the virtual Linn drum machine and is only supports VST

8.) Arex2011

AREX 2011 is a free VSTi drum module based on a hardware drum machine from the early ’80s.

Features:

Free Vst Sampler Drum Machine Software

• 16 pads.
• 29 embedded drum samples of RX11.
• 12 individual/group outputs.
• Individual volume, pan, accent.
• Assignable MIDI note within 36 – 99 range.
• VST automation.
• MIDI automation of essential controls.
• Assignable MIDI CC#.
• 16 part multi-timbral MIDI Outflow.
• It can be used as a MIDI control surface of sorts.
  Bundled with RX11 MIDI swing templates and 55 demonstration patterns.

Best Sampler Vst

System Requirements:

• Windows XP SP2 and higher

Free Vst Sampler Drum Machine Vst

9.) Lel UDS Drums

LEL UDS Drums is a free VSTi by Softrave that has 140 stunning samples of the famous vintage analog drum module Lel UDS. One thing I love about this plugin is the option to filter the high frequency of any bank and to also mix sounds to create the sample I want.

The idea behind this is to put all analog sounds together to save time for creativity and to have easy access to the best selection of LEL sounds, essential for techno production.

What really makes this instrument different from just samples is that you can tune individual analog drift to every snare. That makes snare lines less mechanical/repetitive and makes it more analog.

Video Walk-Through:

10.) AFX

AFX is a drum machine that is designed for 32/64-bits VST2/VST3 versions for Windows! It also supports .sf2 files.

According To beatassist:

Free Sampler Vst Plugin

We got some acoustic samples and we have transformed them in the digital world in order to create unique sounds for you to include in your productions.

The Drum Machine has 8 slots that load the soundbanks, such as:

• bassdrums
• clsHats
• cymbals
• digital snares
• opHats
• snares
• toms.

Each of these slots also has a distortion station and a state variable filter.

Drum Sampler Vst