If you’re about to produce some hard-hitting rock and roll, wouldn’t it be nice to have the right tools and resources at your disposal?
Most producers will find rock drum sample packs and loops especially beneficial, particularly when there isn’t a drummer around to record with, or if anything goes wrong during the tracking process.
So, here are the best free rock drum sample packs and loops you can use to enhance your rock projects.
SampleRadar: 1,000 free drum samples by MusicRadar
Let’s start this thing off with a bang! MusicRadar comes at you with an explosive sample library featuring 1,000 free drum samples. Do you think you’ll exhaust this library any time soon? Unlikely.
You may not find all included samples usable, which is a potential downside of having to wade through 1,000 samples just to find the ones you need.
But let’s face it – so long as you’re recording, you will always need more material to work with. You never know when you might end up working on a hip-hop project, for example.
So, there are only upsides to having the SampleRadar: 1,000 free drum samples ZIP folder at your disposal.
This library comes with both acoustic and electronic / drum machine sounds, which have all been sorted by hits, kits, and REX loops (use these with any compatible software). The files have been further organized into sub-folders, which will help you navigate to the right sounds more quickly.
MusicRadar thought ahead when they were pulling together this selection, ensuring all the samples are available as quality WAV files for drag-and-drop ease of use.
Best of all, you can use these in personal projects, demos, official releases, commercial projects, and anywhere you please. The only thing you can’t do with this selection is redistribute it. Small loss.
Download: MusicRadar
SampleRadar: 252 free heavy metal drum samples
The genre of rock can take many forms – from the pop rock of Coldplay to the thrash metal of Slayer and everything in between. Taking a walk on the wild side, we find the impactful SampleRadar: 252 free heavy metal drum samples library.
MusicRadar isn’t kidding either. This library features an array of drum samples that would be at home in the heaviest of genres. These hit hard!
Now, booming acoustic drum sounds are awesome. But don’t you want some heavy electronic drum sounds too? Well, don’t worry that pretty little head of yours, because MusicRadar remembered to include those in this kit too.
These loops and beats have been supplied at a variety of tempos, so whether you need a slow, weighty beat in the style of Metallica’s “Sad but True,” or the fiery intensity of the frantic “Through the Fire and Flames,” you’ve got more than enough material to build your songs around.
If you need power-packed punchy drums, get this ZIP file, complete with quality 24-bit WAV files. Drag and drop into your DAW or sampler because it’s just that easy.
Do with them as the spirit moves, just don’t redistribute them and you’ve got everyone’s blessing.
Download: MusicRadar
SampleRadar: 437 free chunky guitar and drum samples by MusicRadar
Well, we know you didn’t necessarily ask for a pack containing both guitar and drum samples, but when they’re this chunky, how can you possibly resist?
SampleRadar: 437 free chunky guitar and drum samples were heavily inspired by the legendary hard rock of Led Zeppelin, which set the standard for rock bands to come.
The band was a supergroup, each member possessing an unmatched superpower. But there is no denying people remember them well for the guitar of Jimmy Page and the drums of John Bonham.
On the guitar side, MusicRadar was sure to include riffs, chugs, and even a few leads, to round out the collection.
The team has assembled the samples into seven discrete folders, and they’ve been named so you can easily identify which of the 437 included samples you’re selecting.
The ZIP folder contains samples in WAV format, so they transfer readily and easily over to your DAW or sampler.
The included material sounds great, and you’re free to use it as you please, assuming you don’t redistribute it.
Download: MusicRadar
SampleRadar: 459 free drum fill samples by MusicRadar
Drumbeats are relatively easy to build. If anything, the process can become quite repetitive, especially if you’re sequencing or “drawing” your beats into your piano roll or DAW. The process is often quickly reduced to a copy-and-paste slog.
Of course, more seasoned producers, artists, and creators recognize the importance of variation. No human plays the same note the same way twice, so there are variations in velocity, articulation, tempo, and more, even if slight, in every real drum performance.
The bottom line is, to make authentic-sounding beats, you need fills. And the SampleRadar: 459 free drum fill samples ZIP is stocked with over 450 of them!
Fills are awesome. They can telegraph a change in the music. They can make a boring beat interesting. They can surprise and delight the listener at unexpected times.
Programming fills is its own form of tedium, though (especially if rhythm isn’t one of your strengths), so having a sample pack like this is sure to streamline the process.
The included WAV files have been sorted into seven folders, which have been labeled by tempo. For quick and easy use, load them up into your DAW or sampler, and you’ll be off to the races.
Redistributing this library is discouraged, but otherwise, you’re free to do with it what you will.
Download: MusicRadar
SampleRadar: 347 free prog rock samples by MusicRadar
We are positively lucky that MusicRadar has so many free drum sample packs available for download. Their materials are generally well organized, abundant, and great sounding.
And so, we move onto this, SampleRadar: 347 free prog rock samples.
“Prog rock,” in case you don’t know, refers to progressive rock, a genre largely epitomized by Canadian bands like Rush and Saga. The music is typically complex and virtuosic, shifting effortlessly from one style (or segment) into another, usually using multiple genre styles and time signatures over the course of a single tune.
This library was inspired specifically by bands like King Crimson, Dream Theater, Yes, and Rush. Excellent choices indeed.
This pack has been divided into three construction kits based on tempo (132, 138, and 150 bpm).
Drums are naturally included, but inside the ZIP you’ll also find guitar, bass, organ, Rhodes loops, single hits, and even multi-samples.
No doubt you’ll come up with some very interesting tunes utilizing a library like this one. But don’t forget – you can’t redistribute it!
Download: MusicRadar
SampleRadar: 332 free hip-rock samples by MusicRadar
And now we’re wading into much more niche territory. But depending on what you’re looking for, you may find value in SampleRadar: 332 free hip-rock samples.
Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. were among the first to knock down the walls between rock and hip-hop, and since then, many bands have proposed their hybrid theories.
If you’ve ever thought about putting your spin on “hip-rock,” you will get a kick out of this library.
This kit includes five folders, comprised of loops, drum hits, hits FX, beats, and distorted bonus beats. Of course, you can expect all the files to come in 24-bit WAV fidelity, for ease of use in any common application.
You’re welcome to use these sounds in anything, so long as you don’t redistribute them.
Download: MusicRadar
SampleRadar: 162 free urban rock samples by MusicRadar
The SampleRadar: 162 free urban rock samples pack is very similar in concept to the previously mentioned 332 free hip-rock samples kit. It captures the essence of rock and hip-hop crossover success that Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C. had a hand in pioneering.
As with 332 free hip-rock samples, this kit includes more than just beats, with guitars, basslines, and more.
The ZIP file contains three construction kit folders, each labeled with the applicable tempo – 80, 88, and 95 bpm, respectively. Of course, the files are provided in 24-bit WAV format to ensure quality and ease of use.
From the angst-ridden nu-metal of Linkin Park to the funk- and hard-core-tinged hip-hop of the Beastie Boys, if inspiration strikes, take advantage of SampleRadar: 162 free urban rock samples as you will!
This comes with the standard disclaimer, however, to not redistribute the samples. Cool? Cool.
Download: MusicRadar
Free Sample Pack – Rock/Pop-Rock by Big Fish Audio
Big Fish Audio’s Free Sample Pack – Rock/Pop-Rock kit is perfect for rock, pop-rock, and indie-style productions.
This library is made up of two construction kits – Stadium Rock and Moments – Acoustic Pop Rock.
Stadium Rock comes with 153 files, including synths, electric guitar leads, electric guitar picking, electric guitar distorted, bass, drum tracks, drum hits, and more.
Moments – Acoustic Pop Rock features vocals, keys, acoustic guitars, bass, claps, multi drums, drum tracks, and more. It comes with 81 files in total.
From taking elements and using them in your tracks to combining the included material in interesting ways, construction kits offer a myriad of exciting possibilities. And this is a quality kit with some great sounds.
Download: Big Fish Audio
The Rock Drum Kit Pack – Rock Samples by Producersbuzz
The Rock Drum Kit Pack – Rock Samples is a compact kit featuring over 60 files. You get rock guitar loops, kicks, snares, hi-hats, and loops to play with.
It may not be big, but this library packs a punch. These sounds are sure to inspire some new beats in your rock projects.
Download: Producersbuzz
Drum Werks Free Drum Samples Trial Pack by Drum Werks
Drum Werks is the perfect place to go to find real drum samples for an array of genres – pop, rock, metal, funk, country, and others.
Here we find a rather generous taster pack in Drum Werks Free Drum Samples Trial Pack. This kit weighs over 500 MB, and it gives you access to 730 24 / 44 stereo samples, three kits, four folders loaded with snare sounds, and four folders loaded with kick sounds.
We all know just how important snares and kicks are to the overall feel of the beat, and we love that Drum Werks built this trial library with versatility and customization in mind.
This pack truly is a steal of a deal, and it’s sure to become a go-to in your rock arsenal.
Download: Drum Werks
400+ FREE Acoustic Drum Samples (WAV) by wavbvkery
If you’re in search of some “odds and ends” to fill out your sample library, you’ll be happy to know that wavbvkery has got a few offers on tap, including some hip-hop drum kits and foley samples. They don’t have a huge selection, but hey, their stuff is free.
This kit, the 400+ FREE Acoustic Drum Samples pack, includes 445 WAV files in 24-bit / 44.1 kHz fidelity., It was essentially recorded for fun while wavbvkery was working on more official acoustic drum sample packs.
That being the case, Jon Sine’s personal Ludwig drumkit was recorded one piece at a time using one microphone in a vocal booth.
It’s a fun idea, and to my ears, the sounds are quite good. wavbvkery admits they probably won’t offer the same quality as BFD, Addictive Drums, or other drum VST plugins, but as they say, it’s all in how you use them.
Not to mention – this is the perfect kit for experimentation, creative work, layering in with another kit, sound design, and more. Let inspiration guide you.
Download: wavbvkery
50 Best Free Kick Samples by LANDR
Finding the perfect kick sample? Plenty of producers and beatmakers will tell you it’s rarely drag and drop, one and done. They often find themselves testing many kicks until they find the right one for their masterpiece.
So, there’s certainly no harm in adding a no-nonsense pack like LANDR’s 50 Best Kick Samples to your sample folder.
The included material isn’t all suitable to rock out of the box, but for layering, sound design, and other creative uses, it’s sure to come in handy.
Load up and load out.
Download: LANDR
Free Acoustic Drum Sample Pack by Black Lotus Audio
Black Lotus Audio gives you quick and easy access to 30 samples and loops you can incorporate into your workflow.
You can use them as is, for a nice acoustic flavor. You can resynthesize them and turn them into custom electronic drums. It’s up to you.
The kit may be compact, but it hooks you up with the must-haves, including kick, snare, toms, hats, crash, cymbals, ride, and splash – samples and loops.
The files have been supplied in WAV format.
Download: Black Lotus Audio
Free Acoustic Drum Kit by Rhino Star Music
Rhino Star Music’s Free Acoustic Drum Kit comes with a generous selection of kicks, snares, claps, closed hats, and percussions.
The 70+ files are supplied as WAV files, and they will be equally at home in rock, pop, or hip-hop, especially if genuine-sounding drum sounds are what you’re after.
In this case, it’s clear why it’s free, though. There are some gaps in the collection, like open hats, cymbals, toms, and so on. Of course, you can always combine this pack with others you’ve already downloaded.
Download: Rhino Star Music
Drum Samples by Judd Madden
Judd Madden is just the kind of creative guy that would randomly have drum samples available for download on his website. And the world is better off for it. Thanks, Judd!
The 118 WAV files are supplied in 32-bit fidelity. A Dolphin drumkit was recorded and spliced up to create this pack, which includes hi-hats, three crashes, splash, ride, China, kick, snare (on, off), and three toms played with a range of inflections and velocities.
Download: Judd Madden
Free Acoustic Drums Sample Pack by FREE WRLD
FREE WRLD put together this 50-sample library in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Altogether, it comes with 26 one-shots, five fills, and 19 breaks.
You will need to enter your email and agree to FREE WRLD’s terms and conditions to gain access to this pack, but it’s a small sacrifice for a freebie like this.
Download: FREE WRLD
Rock Kit by Indie Drums
Indie Drums offers the occasional free pack like this one, Rock Kit. They may be worth keeping on your radar given that they offer an array of drum sample libraries for different applications. At some point, you might have the hankering to upgrade to premium packs too.
Either way, their free Rock Kit comes with 28 24-bit / 48 kHz WAV individual hit samples. You get kick, snare, toms, and cymbals, which have a gritty tone to them.
Indie Drums’ Rock Kit may be a small one, but it’s still a good one.
Download: Indie Drums
Top Free Rock Drum Sample Packs, Final Thoughts
Did you find what you were looking for? We sure hope so!
Free kits aren’t necessarily in scarce supply, but finding the right sound for your projects can still prove a bit of a trial-and-error process. Stay patient and use your discretion in choosing sounds. And if you ever need something better, don’t forget there are premium samples and loops out there too.
Have fun and let us know how you get on.