Drumgizmo

If you’re on Linux, Drumgizmo is probably the best free drum plugin you’ll find. It’s open-source, supports LV2, and offers multichannel output with mic-bleed simulation, which is the closest free approximation to a real multi-mic drum recording. You can download community-made drum kits and create your own using the included toolkit. Drumgizmo also runs on Windows and macOS, and it has a dedicated following among open-source audio users.

It’s definitely one of the best open-source drum samplers right now. However, the project’s momentum has slowed. One of the original developers confirmed in late 2024 that he no longer actively works on it. The wiki still shows recent edits as of early 2026, so it hasn’t been fully abandoned, but development is not what it once was. Kits also need to be manually downloaded and configured, which requires more setup than most free drum plugins.