All you need is a great plugin with which to do it – read on… Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 While guitars, strings, winds and other more nuanced, tonally sensitive instruments inevitably involve some degree of creative compromise in the pursuit of authentic results, the relative simplicity of the drum kit makes it easy to realise utterly convincing drum tracks in the virtual space. The last is only of direct relevance to actual drummers, of course, but also reflects the overall depth of multisampling involved.

Our selection criteria saw us focusing on the quality of each contender’s sample bank and included MIDI grooves, tweakability of individual drums and cymbals, mixing and processing features, and e-drum playability. In this round-up, we’ll look at what we consider to be five of the very best options on the market, across a range of price points and complexity levels. Today’s producer looking to create ‘acoustic’ drum tracks entirely in the box is truly spoilt for choice when it comes to sound sources, with countless impressive sampled-based instruments vying for their attention and cash.

Superior drummer 3 best price