Ezdrummer

The drummer is a key part of any band, helping to keep time and filling in with some great beats and rolls when needed. If you are somebody who likes to dabble with music, or maybe a semi-professional who likes to mix their own productions in your home studio, EZdrummer for Windows will be a good part of your musical basket of fun.

EZdrummer is a plug-in that you use with your audio software (in other words, a digital audio workstation, or DAW). You have to already have a DAW installed on your computer to get EZdrummer to work. Once you've got it in, you're ready to rock and roll. In a nutshell, you can record a drum beat and add it to your project, and then edit it as you see fit to match up with what you have. It will save the track as a MIDI file, and while the quality can be a bit low at times, it will do what you need it to. If you're somewhat new, the interface is pretty easy to edit and get to work with your music to keep it in time. There is also something wittily called the "Groove Library," which has a wide selection of drumming instrumentals that you can use for your projects. Need a certain type of drum? A variety is included to fit your needs, including snare drums, cymbals, hi-hats, etc. Other time-keeping instruments that aren't drums, like the tambourine and cowbell, are also included.

Best of all is the cost, which is nothing! It's freeware, so go have some fun with it!

Add drum beats to your music mixing.

• Fun freeware that has a wide variety of drums and other percussions
• Great for newbies and professionals as well
• Easy to use interface that works with your already installed DAW
• Has a library of pre-installed drumming