Welcome to my free virtual instrument plugin site. I’m Agus Hardiman and the creator of this MonsterDAW plugin!

Monster Drums is a music producer’s friend for making music (there are now 88 drum kits in 20 different music genres).

New UPDATE of MONSTER DRUMS version 3.2024.05 is available for to download below ↓↓↓

FAQ for previous users of Monster Drums:
Q : Should I uninstall the previous version?
A : I strongly suggest not, because they are different plugins. Delete if you have converted old projects to this new plugin version. Or keep previous version like I did to preserve old music project.

Q : Some channels like snare have no sound, why is that?
A : Monster Drums is now a multi-out plugin by default, so you need to set or enable your DAW’s multi-out capabilities. This feature allows you to put your own FX plugin on each sound according to your taste (google “how to set multi-out on [name of your DAW]”).
For example, here’s how in Ableton Live : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBguFdQDL-Y
Q : Why are the MIDI note numbers jumping ?
A : Because Monster Drums is GM (General MIDI) compatible plugin, so some presets have some distance-length MIDI note number according to THIS !

Q : Why is the version number 2024.05 (= May 2024), but it was released in July 2024, should it be 2024.07 ?
A : Because it’s very time-consuming for me to change the version number in the plugin’s GUI due to the large number of presets in Monster Drums (88 presets), so I decided not to change it !

TIPS : For each Monster Drums preset, set your balance, panning, and ambience to your liking and save it as a DAW preset so you can easily recall your favorite settings for your next project !

Whether you’re a rock or metal musician, an R’nB or hip-hop producer, a singer/songwriter composing jazz or acoustic music, or any other kind of musician, you’ll find that Monster Drum will become your go-to virtual instrument for your drum track.

The great thing about this VST is that it’s never complete. This VST is constantly getting new kit expansions, all for free!

Are you a fan of my plugins and want to see more? Consider becoming my Patreon and supporting my work. Your contributions will help me update and create new plugins for you to enjoy.
https://www.patreon.com/user/membership?u=91573631

The Indonesian and worldwide music producers donated all the kits in Monster Drum for free to show that they care about other producers making great music without spending money (If you want to contribute your drum signature sound, please email me at info at agushardiman.tv).

The kit donor has already mixed all the kits into Monster Drum VST, so Monster Drum users can use them immediately without mixing. However, a Multi-Out feature allows users to mix the individual sounds of each kit.

The great thing about this plugin is that it is never finished. It gets a new expansion (preset) sound every now and then, so stay tuned for more!

Disclaimer: MonsterDAW is a trademark of me, Agus Hardiman, the host of this AHTV blog.

Monster Drums Sound Demo

Here’s a demo of one of the MONSTER DRUM presets, a Cajon kit:

And here are some presets that play System of A Down’s song:

Monster Drums also has Vintage Drum Machine presets (20 presets), here’s the demo:

The new Monster Drums also have cinematic presets, check out this video:

Bruce Gelais made a cool preset walkthrough of Monster Drum, enjoy his drumming fun :

VU LUFS YouTube channel has made a sound demo of (almost) all of the presets in Monster Drums:

Mack Beats Studio YouTube channel makes interesting drum beats demoing the majority of presets, check it out here:

Alberto Smargiasso made a nice 80’s music vibe with Monster Drum (and other MonsterDAW plugins: Monster Bass, Monster Ethnica, Monster Piano, Monster Synth, and Monster Voxana):

Amner Hunter from YT Amner Hunter has made a thorough drumkit preview of Monster Drum, have a look here:

Brian Ramsey made a video on how to set up multi-out of Monster Drum in FL Studio 20 :

Josh Spurling in his YouTube channel made a piece of cool and unique music using Vian Dangdut Kit of Monster Drum :

Carlos Rodríguez Music YouTube channel has made a two-bar drum demo of all presets of Monster Drums. This will give you an idea of how each preset sound :

Monster Drums Features (v3-2024.05)

  • Dozens of cool-sounding drumkit presets. The current version is v3-2024.05 with 88 Drumkit (This will be updated regularly, please like AgusHardiman.TV on Facebook to be notified about updates).
  • Full mixer view for easy access to each sound’s on/off, volume, pan, tune, and ambience.
  • Defaults to multi-output so you can use your preferred FX plugin on your DAW as you wish (Google “How To Set Multi Out on [Name of your DAW]”)
  • Global Tune, Pan, Reverb, and Filter (EQ).
  • Parameter Automation to dynamically change sounds that fit your music (Read below on ‘How To Automate Monster Drum Parameters‘).
  • Soundbank/Presets can be placed on an external hard drive, no need to place it in a boot drive (Read step #4 below on ‘Monster Drum Download Links and Installation Steps‘).
  • The parameter/Knob value is reset by double-clicking it.
  • A new expansion sound preset will be released/updated periodically for FREE. Make sure you like AgusHardiman.TV on Facebook to be notified about updates.
  • Main plug-in format: Windows 64bit DAW, Mac VST, and Mac Audio Unit (AU). If you’re a Pro Tools user, please use BlueCat Patchwork to use this VST in your PT.

Monster Drums Download Links and Installation Steps

Monster Drums doesn’t have an installer so you have to place the files manually. Follow these steps carefully:

1. Download The Monster Drum MAIN Player

Click and download one of the FREE main players of Monster Drum according to your OS (Mac or Windows) and plugin formats (VST2, VST3 or Audio Unit). No need to download all files, just choose one!

2. Unzip and Put It In Your DAW’s Plugin Folder

Unzip the downloaded files and put the main file (.vst3 or .component or .dll) into the plugin folder of your DAW (Google “daw plugin location mac windows”).

3. Download The Monster Drums’ Library Files

Download this Library file (filename: MONSTER Drum v3 Library.zip)

Extract it and put it in any folder/external hard drive (but DO NOT change the folder structure of the original zip file).

4. Insert Monster Drums Plugin and Choose Library Location

Fire up your DAW and insert the MONSTER Drums plugin (usually in the AgusHardiman.TV folder/brand).

Click “Choose folder” to change the location of the soundbank/preset to the folder location of your Monster Drum Library:

Let Monster Drums know where you store its Library files

5. Play and Record!

If step #4 was successful, you are now ready to select a preset and start playing and recording:

Click the Preset box and choose a selection of Drumkit based on the music genre

NOTE : If the plugin loads the different preset library, READ the FAQ below !

NOTE: For Mac users, the MONSTER plugins are not signed yet so if you encounter a problem that the plugin is detected as harmful (actually it’s not), you can try to google “how to install unsigned software on Mac OS X”. Or you can follow the direction in here: wikihow.com/Install-Software-from-Unsigned-Developers-on-a-Mac or you can watch this video :

How To Automate Monster Drum Parameters?

In Cubase, after inserting the Monster Drum plugin, you have to open the automation lane (I’m using Monster Synth as the example):

MONSTER Synth - How To Draw Automation in Cubase
Monster Synth/Voxana/Drum parameter automation in DAW Steinberg Cubase

In Studio One, go to the Piano Roll and add the parameters to automate (I’m using Monster Synth as the example):

Monster Synth/Voxana/Drum parameter automation in DAW Presonus Studio One

In other DAWs, find a way/googling on how to add automation lanes/tracks.

FAQ About Monster Drums

Q : I have Monster Drum version 2 installed. Should I delete this version or keep it?

A : If you have some important project sessions with version 2, you should keep version 2. It will not interfere with version 3. I have version 2 and version 3 side by side on my computer. Besides, the sound is almost the same with the new tune/pitch feature (which is not available in version 2).

QI chose the wrong folder library and my Monster plugins show up with a different library. How to solve this?

A : Move the wrong library folder to somewhere else on your hard disk and start the plugin again. It will ask for the new folder location. Now, choose the right one. You can move back that 1st folder to its original location after the plugin loads the correct library.

Q : I want XXX and YYY features of Monster Drum, can you program them?

A : To be honest, I’m a professional musician and audio educator BUT I’m not a professional plugin programmer. I do this just for fun, so your request may not be available (but you can always try to ask me via email info at agushardiman.tv).

Q : Why are there no more VST 32-bit versions?

A : In the past, I made a 32-bit version of my VST. But now my programming software CANNOT output a 32-bit plugin anymore, so I don’t provide 32-bit.

Q : I have a problem using this plugin on my Mac, I’m using Monterey/Big Sur/Catalina. It says that the files are corrupt or can’t be opened because the developer is not trusted.

A : This problem is caused by Mac OS security which is very strict now. I have applied for a developer account at Apple to become a trusted developer, but they haven’t responded to my request yet.

In the meantime, please watch these videos (if it doesn’t work, it’s ok, you can ignore my plugins):

Or read these articles:

Monster Drum Preset Contributors

Most of the presets in Monster Synth were programmed by me, Agus Hardiman, but the drumkit was donated by my friend around the world. I’m open to collaboration. If you have a cool drumkit sound that you programmed, please email me at info at agushardiman.tv !

Monster Drum Version Histories

Version v3-2024.04 (released on July 21th, 2024):
  • New Ambience Knob
  • New presets (all 88 drumkit presets in 20 different music genres)
Version v3-2022.07 (released on July 6th, 2022):
  • New feature: Parameter Automation within your DAW.
  • New feature: Preset Management to group the sound into categories.
  • 20 Presets in 10 drumkit categories.

Spread This Plugin To Your Friends

If you find this plugin useful, please tell your friends !

If you make music with this plugin and share it on your social media, please include the hashtag #MonsterDrums or #MonsterDrumsVST so I can find it !

If you want to get notified when this plugin is updated, like AgusHardiman.TV Facebook pages!

ENJOY!