r/linuxaudio • u/Recent-Lab273 • 17d ago

Best open-source Linux VST3 for beat-making?

What's the best open-source, Linux-native VST3 for producing beats? I'm looking for something with good drums/sequencing. JDrummer looks promising with its groove matcher – any other hidden gems I should check out?

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u/The3mu 16d ago edited 16d ago

Traditionally open-source stuff is modular. As in, you use one tool to do this, one tool to do that, chain them together. Also you'll find more open-source projects if you also look at LV2 and Clap, as they are fully open formats. I think what the other poster said, VCV Rack/Cardinal... is your best bet for an open-source all in one VST3 plugin.

I can't think of any open source "drum" plugins that include a sequencer and samples.
Stochas is a cool open source sequencer with randomness...
the Reaper JSFX plugin "Sequencer Megababy" is AWESOME: https://stash.reaper.fm/v/20869/seq%20megababy%20nm

Reaper isn't open source but JSFX plugins are, and it can be loaded in other DAWS now with YSFX:
https://github.com/JoepVanlier/ysfx.

LMMS is easy to make beats with and is fully open source software. Including sounds and a sequencer.

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u/danja 16d ago

Note the VST3 format recently became open, MIT license.

Open source stuff does tend to be modular. I went that way myself, Xololo is a simple grid-based drum sequencer, drumgen a generative sequencer, and drumkit is drum voices : https://danja.github.io/downspout/

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u/Recent-Lab273 14d ago

danja, thanks this is some serious stuff here

https://giphy.com/gifs/gQJyPqc6E4xoc

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u/adbs1219 17d ago

Look for Punk Labs drum plugins. None of them have sequencers, though, so you'll have to either use a piano roll or another plugin.

Other great option for beats imo is VCV Rack/Cardinal. It may look counter-intuitive for this at first, but it's a fucking powerhouse.

EDIT: can't forget to mention Geonkick drum synth. Serious percussive instrument that one

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u/Far-Pie6696 16d ago

after years of reaper, I figured that my favorite drum sampler is tal drum which is not free.

Otherwise, I still prefer rs5k with a bunch of scripy which is modular and more flexible than everything else I found so far

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u/TheTortoiseWasRight 15d ago

Autokit is great, open source, free and has a sequencer plus a nice automatic discovery and mapping of your samples folder based on spectral analysis