Timpani VSTs: 5 Excellent Kettle Drum Plugins (Free and Paid)

Orchestral Percussion SDX: Overview

Right out of the gate we have Orchestral Percussion SDX. The library sounds fantastic, being that Toontrack tracked the instruments in the main hall at Galaxy Studios.

Each instrument is multi-sampled, giving more realism to each sound.

The major downfall of the library is that it does require Toontrack Superior Drummer 3 to function. If you already own SD3, Orchestral Percussion SDX may be a great option!

TIMPHONIA: Overview

Here’s a standalone timpani VST! Timphonia by Modwheel is one of the best-sounding kettle drum plugins I’ve heard so far.

The library includes 11 “regular” Kontakt patches (yes, Kontakt is required, unfortunately) with hits, flams, ruffs, rolls, with both mallets and sticks.

Timphonia also includes 18 “irregular” Kontakt patches including extended techniques such as pedal bends, bowed cymbal on timpani bends, coin spins, broomstick rubs, shell hits, rubber ball bounces, and more.

As stated, you will need the full version of Kontakt and 7.1 GB of space on your hard drive.

Spitfire Symphony Orchestra: Overview

Don’t get me started on Spitfire percussion. There is absolutely nothing better. This library is incredible.

For all you composers out there, look no further than Spitfire Percussion.

The instruments were recorded meticulously at Air Studios with the world-renowned Joby Burgess.

The library is rather expensive, but the Timpani samples sound so realistic. To give you an idea, there are a total of 43109 samples included in the instrument.

Kontakt is also not needed as the free player does not time out due to Spitfire’s license with Native Instruments.

Kettle Drum: Overview

For those on a budget, check out Kettle Drum – Timpani by Samsara Cycle Audio.

Unfortunately, this Timpani VST is not the greatest. It sounds rather monophonic, and it seems that there is limited sustain of each pitch.

I can only recommend using this if you’re doing pop or hip hop production and intend to mess it up with effects.

Here are a few other free timpani VSTs to try out:

• VSCO2 Timpani
• Sonatina Timpani

BFD Orchestral: Overview

BFD Orchestral is an expansion pack designed for use with BFD3, BFD Eco, and BFD2, providing users with a specialized set of concert percussion instruments. This pack targets film scoring, commercial composition, and creative sound design.

The library includes a big range of orchestral bass drums, snares, and hand cymbals, alongside chromatically tuned timpani and concert chimes sampled over 1.5 octaves.

Elite Orchestral Percussion: Overview

Vir2 Instruments’ Elite Orchestral Percussion is a comprehensive 19 GB library with over 250 orchestral percussion instruments including bass drums, snare drums, and cymbals, alongside unique offerings like handbells, ethnic instruments, and various effects. The library is structured to cater to a wide array of orchestral compositions.

One of the standout features of this library is its randomization engine, designed to enhance the realism of each instrument. This engine works by varying the pitch, timing, and volume of each hit slightly, which can significantly diversify the timbre. Additionally, the integrated Humanize engine allows users to control these variations, providing a level of customization that can be tailored to specific needs.

The EZRoom feature further extends the library’s capabilities, enabling users to place instruments within a variety of acoustic spaces, from grand concert halls to intimate chambers.

The custom articulation and trigger engine is a notable aspect, featuring multiple articulations and the ability to program up to 25 user-defined rhythmic patterns.

Sonatina Symphony Orchestra: Overview

The Sonatina Symphony Orchestra (SSO), developed by Mattias Westlund, is a free orchestral sample library designed for use with Kontakt. The library includes samples that were originally part of Westlund's extensive work and also features additional samples he released on his blog.

Each instrument in the SSO is designed to contain all necessary articulations within a single Kontakt instrument. 

The SSO is best suited for beginners or those on a budget looking to start composing. In terms of sound quality, the samples are decent but may lack the richness and detail found in higher-end libraries.