DrumCraker VST3

DrumCraker is a free drum sampler VST3 plugin for Windows, Linux, macOS, and FreeBSD, fully compatible with DrumGizmo drum kits. Designed for low-latency performance and realistic drum sound reproduction.

Features

Core Functionality

• DrumGizmo Compatible: Load any DrumGizmo drum kit (XML format)
• Separate Kit & MIDI Map Loading: Independent control over drum kit and MIDI mapping
• Multi-Channel Output: 16 Fixed Stereo Buses (Kick, Snare, HH, Toms, Ride, Crash, SFX, Amb...)
• DAW Integration: Buses are named ("Kick", "Snare") for easy mixing in Reaper/Ardour
• Velocity Layers: Automatic sample selection based on MIDI velocity
• High-Quality Resampling: Lagrange interpolation for automatic sample rate conversion
• Asynchronous Loading: Non-blocking sample loading in background thread
• Optimized Performance: Unordered maps and instrument caching for minimal CPU usage

Audio Engine

• Zero Memory Leaks: Thread-safe memory management with automatic cleanup
• 64 Polyphonic Voices: Simultaneous note playback with intelligent voice stealing
• Lock-Free Audio Thread: No allocations or locks in real-time processing
• Master Volume Control: -60dB to +12dB range with smooth gain adjustment
• Multi-Bus Rendering: Efficient per-bus voice rendering with zero overhead in stereo mode
• Optimized Lookups: Hash-based caching for instrument and sample access

Humanization Engine

DrumCraker adds natural human feel to MIDI performances, working with both fixed and variable velocity tracks:

• Velocity Humanization (0-100%, default 8%): Adds natural velocity variation

  • Perfect Gaussian distribution (Box-Muller transform)
  • Works on ANY input velocity (fixed or variable)
  • With 8%: each note varies ±8% from its original velocity
  • Prevents mechanical "machine gun" effect on repeated notes

• Timing Humanization (0-20ms, default 5ms): Adds natural timing groove

  • Gaussian distribution for realistic human timing
  • Velocity-adaptive bias: loud notes rush slightly, soft notes drag
  • Works on perfectly quantized MIDI
  • Creates natural groove even on programmed drums

• Round Robin Mix (0-1, default 0.7): Anti-repetition sample rotation

  • 0.0 = Pure velocity matching (most consistent dynamics)
  • 0.7 = Hybrid intelligent (recommended): 93% penalty on last sample, velocity-aware
  • 1.0 = Pure rotation (maximum variation)
  • Always uses pool of 4 closest samples by velocity
  • Prevents same sample from playing consecutively

System Requirements

Windows

• OS: Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
• Audio: ASIO, WASAPI, or DirectSound
• CPU: x64 with SSE2 support
• RAM: 4GB minimum (depends on drum kit size)
• Compiler: Visual Studio 2022 with C++ support
• Build Tools: CMake 3.15+, Git

Linux

• OS: Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, etc.)
• Audio: ALSA, JACK, or PipeWire
• CPU: x86_64 with SSE2 support
• RAM: 4GB minimum (depends on drum kit size)
• Compiler: GCC 9+ or Clang 10+ with C++17 support
• Build Tools: CMake 3.15+, Git, pkg-config

macOS

• OS: macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
• Audio: CoreAudio
• CPU: Intel x86_64 or Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
• RAM: 4GB minimum (depends on drum kit size)
• Compiler: Xcode Command Line Tools with C++17 support
• Build Tools: CMake 3.15+, Git

FreeBSD

• OS: FreeBSD 13.0 or later
• Audio: OSS, ALSA (via alsa-lib), or JACK
• CPU: x86_64 with SSE2 support
• RAM: 4GB minimum (depends on drum kit size)
• Compiler: Clang 10+ with C++17 support
• Build Tools: CMake 3.15+, Git, pkg
• Note: LV2 format only (VST3 not currently supported on FreeBSD)

Installation

Option 1: Download Pre-built Release (Recommended)

1. Download the latest .vst3 from GitHub Releases
2. Extract and install:

# Install for current user
cp -r DrumCraker.vst3 ~/.vst3/

# Or install system-wide (requires sudo)
sudo cp -r DrumCraker.vst3 /usr/lib/vst3/

Option 2: Build from Source

Windows

1. Install Visual Studio 2022 (with C++ Desktop development).
2. Clone the repository and build:

git clone https://github.com/Wamphyre/DrumCraker.git
cd DrumCraker
cmake -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config Release

The plugin will be automatically placed in the releases/ folder.

Linux / macOS / FreeBSD

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Wamphyre/DrumCraker.git
cd DrumCraker

# Install dependencies (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install build-essential cmake git pkg-config \
    libasound2-dev libfreetype6-dev libfontconfig1-dev \
    libx11-dev libxrandr-dev libxinerama-dev libxcursor-dev \
    libcurl4-openssl-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libgtk-3-dev \
    libgl1-mesa-dev

# Install dependencies (FreeBSD)
sudo pkg install cmake pkgconf alsa-lib freetype2 libX11 libXext \
    libXinerama libXrandr libXcursor mesa-libs libglvnd libxkbcommon \
    jackit lv2

# Build and install (automatically handles JUCE)
./build.sh

# Optional: enable CPU-specific optimizations (faster, less portable)
# NATIVE_OPTIMIZATIONS=ON ./build.sh

# Optional (macOS): override minimum supported macOS version for release compatibility
# MACOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=12.0 ./build.sh

# Install VST3 (Linux/macOS)
cp -r releases/DrumCraker.vst3 ~/.vst3/

# Install LV2 (Linux/macOS/FreeBSD)
cp -r releases/DrumCraker.lv2 ~/.lv2/

The build process automatically:

1. Checks dependencies: (Linux/macOS/FreeBSD) Verifies required system libraries
2. Clones JUCE framework: Downloads JUCE 8.0.10 (if not present)
3. Compiles the plugin: Portable optimizations by default (works across different CPUs)
4. Organizes output: Creates ready-to-install VST3/LV2 bundle in releases/
5. Includes resources: Embeds background image in plugin bundle
6. Cleanup: Removes temporary build files

Usage

Loading a Drum Kit

1. Open your DAW (Reaper, Ardour, Bitwig, etc.)
2. Create a MIDI track and load DrumCraker as an instrument
3. Click "LOAD DRUMKIT" and select the drum kit XML file
4. Click "LOAD MIDI MAP" and select the MIDI map XML file
5. Adjust Master Volume to your preferred level (default: 0dB)

DrumGizmo Kits

DrumCraker is compatible with all DrumGizmo drum kits. You can download free kits from:

• DrumGizmo Official Kits

Popular kits include:

• DRSKit: Versatile rock/jazz kit
• CrocellKit: Heavy metal kit
• MuldjordKit: All-purpose kit

Multi-Channel Routing

DrumCraker uses a Fixed Routing strategy to ensure consistent mixing across different drum kits. Buses are explicitly named in your DAW (if supported, e.g., Reaper, Ardour) for easy identification.

Fixed Bus Map:

• Bus 1: "Kick" (Main Kick + Kick Sub)
• Bus 2: "Snare" (Top, Bottom, Trigger)
• Bus 3: "HiHat" (Closed, Open, Pedal)
• Bus 4: "Toms" (All Toms mixed to stereo)
• Bus 5: "Ride" (Bow, Bell)
• Bus 6: "Crash" (All Crashes mixed to stereo)
• Bus 7: "China/Splash" (Effect cymbals)
• Bus 8: "Ambience" (Room/Overhead mics if exposed as separate instruments)
• Bus 9-16: "Aux" (Percussion and unclassified instruments)

This allows you to create a SINGLE template in your DAW that works with ANY DrumGizmo kit, without channels shifting around when you change kits.

Parameters

Master Volume

• Range: -60dB to +12dB
• Default: 0dB
• Purpose: Overall output level control

Velocity Humanization

• Range: 0.0 to 1.0 (0-100%)
• Default: 0.08 (8%)
• Purpose: Adds natural velocity variation to ANY MIDI input
• How it works:
  • Perfect Gaussian distribution (Box-Muller transform)
  • Adds variation on top of existing MIDI velocity
  • Works even if all MIDI notes have same velocity (e.g., all at 120)
  • With 8%: velocity 100 becomes ~92-108, velocity 120 becomes ~110-130
• Use Cases:
  • 0.05-0.10 (5-10%): Subtle realism, tight playing
  • 0.10-0.20 (10-20%): Natural human feel (recommended)
  • 0.20-0.40 (20-40%): Loose, expressive, dynamic playing

Timing Humanization

• Range: 0.0 to 20.0 ms
• Default: 5.0 ms
• Purpose: Adds natural timing groove to MIDI (even perfectly quantized)
• How it works:
  • Gaussian distribution for realistic human timing
  • Velocity-adaptive bias: loud hits rush ~20%, soft hits drag ~20%
  • Creates natural groove on programmed drums
• Use Cases:
  • 2-5ms: Tight, professional studio feel
  • 5-10ms: Natural human timing (recommended)
  • 10-20ms: Loose, laid-back, relaxed grooves

Round Robin Mix

• Range: 0.0 to 1.0
• Default: 0.7
• Purpose: Prevents "machine gun" effect on repeated notes
• How it works:
  • Selects from pool of 4 closest samples by velocity
  • 93% penalty on last used sample (with default 0.7)
  • Weighted random selection respects velocity layers
  • Never plays same sample twice in a row
• Settings:
  • 0.0: Pure velocity matching (most consistent dynamics)
  • 0.7: Hybrid intelligent (recommended - natural + velocity-aware)
  • 1.0: Pure rotation (maximum variation, less velocity-accurate)

Technical Details

Audio Processing

• Sample Rate: Automatic conversion to project sampl