MODO DRUM 1.5 from IK Multimedia is an instrument for drum tracks that combines physical modeling drum synthesis with advanced sampling, covering 13 drum kits, a cymbal sample engine and 1400+ MIDI patterns.
MODO DRUM 1.5 at a glance
| Developer | IK Multimedia |
|---|---|
| Type | Instruments / Drum Machine |
| Formats | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX |
| Operating systems | Windows, macOS 10.9 or later |
| Apple Silicon | Native |
| Architecture | 64-bit |
| RAM | 8 GB or more |
| Price on Plugin Boutique (October 2026) | €237.99 |
What MODO DRUM 1.5 does
Each kit can be rebuilt from the bottom up in the Customize section, where drums are added, removed, swapped or rearranged. Skins, tuning and damping are adjusted for every drum, and the diameter, height and shell profile can be changed on each drum itself. Snare drums expose size, tension and type, kick drums expose beater type and technique with heel up or heel down, and both kick and snare can be tuned with sympathetic snare and tom resonance. Cymbals are tuned up or down and their damping is shaped directly. A selectable hitting position and swappable stick head types complete the performance side.
The plugin is organised around a Showroom for choosing one of the 13 kits and a Customize section for building one. A Smart Filter helps locate grooves, grooves can be dragged straight into the DAW, and a mixer section carries effects derived from T-RackS and AmpliTube together with eight convolution-based room reverbs and a suite of 19 studio processors. The interface is resizable for any display.
The Windows build appears as x64 crack and x86 crack, the macOS build as a .dmg crack, and the plugin formats show up as VST crack, AU crack and AAX crack in the same listings.
Key features
- Physical modeling drum synthesis. The developer describes a drum synthesis engine that models the physical behaviour of each drum, combined with advanced sampling.
- Kit and drum customization. In the Customize section drums can be added, removed, swapped or rearranged, and skins, tuning and damping are set per drum.
- Shell and size controls. Diameter, height and shell profile can be changed on each drum, and snare size and tension are adjustable.
- Kick and snare behaviour. Kick beater type and technique (heel up or heel down) can be changed, and sympathetic snare and tom resonance can be controlled.
- Cymbal sample engine and damping. Cymbals come from a sample engine and can be tuned up or down, with damping shaped for their sound.
- Velocity and round-robin variation. Infinite velocity layers and infinite round-robins are listed to give hits a more human feel and less repetition.
- Groove library and mixer. A Smart Filter finds grooves from 1400+ MIDI patterns, grooves drag into the DAW, and the mixer carries T-RackS and AmpliTube derived effects.
Use cases
- Building a custom kit. Drums are swapped, tuned and damped inside the Customize section to match a specific sound.
- Finding grooves. The Smart Filter narrows the 1400+ MIDI patterns so a groove can be dragged into the session.
Compatibility
The plugin comes as VST3, VST2, AU and AAX for Windows and macOS (64-bit), with native support for Apple Silicon listed. The minimum macOS version is 10.9 and it needs 8 GB of RAM.
Who it is for
Producers building drum tracks who want to edit the drums themselves, as well as programmers working from the included MIDI patterns and mix engineers who use the built-in effects.
MODO DRUM 1.5 compared with similar plugins
Drum Designer from UVI is a drum synth for Windows and macOS. Groove Agent 6 from Steinberg is a drum machine available as VST3, AU and AAX on Windows and macOS.
| Plugin | Developer | Type | Formats | Systems | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MODO DRUM 1.5 | IK Multimedia | Drum Machine | VST3, VST2, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €237.99 |
| Drum Designer | UVI | Drum Synth | Windows, macOS | €30.74 (regular €147.76) | |
| Groove Agent 6 | Steinberg | Drum Machine | VST3, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €157.68 |
| DRUM | Loopcloud Plugins | Virtual Instruments | VST3, VST2, AU | Windows, macOS | €98.18 |
| Hertz Drums 2 | Hertz Instruments | Virtual Instruments | VST2, AU, AAX | Windows, macOS | €48.59 |
Price and availability
MODO DRUM 1.5 was listed on Plugin Boutique in October 2026 at €237.99. Prices change often, so the store page shows the current one.
MODO DRUM 1.5 FAQ
Does MODO DRUM 1.5 run on Apple Silicon Macs?
Yes. Native support for Apple Silicon is listed, on macOS 10.9 or higher.
Which formats are available for MODO DRUM 1.5?
The plugin is available as VST3, VST2, AU and AAX, and the macOS build appears as a .dmg crack in search listings.