Decomposer releases v1.0 of Sitala, a freeware drum sampler instrument in VST, AU, and AAX plugin formats for digital audio workstations on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
The early alpha version of Sitala was first announced in 2018 (here’s our news article about Sitala alpha). It immediately drew our attention as an uncommonly streamlined drum sampler plugin.
See also: Free Sampler VST PluginsWhereas most flagship drum samplers have so many features that you simply need to read the user manual to fully grasp their workflow, Sitala does exactly the opposite. This freeware drum sampler is simple, intuitive, and easy to grasp.
Sitala Overview
If you’re unfamiliar with the early versions of Sitala, here’s a quick overview.
Sitala features sixteen drum pads, each capable of loading one sample. The user can adjust the volume, pan, tuning, compression, envelope, and tone for every sample. Each drum pad can be mapped to a separate audio output for further processing in the DAW.
Easily load the samples via drag and drop or with the built-in file browser. Rearrange the loaded drums and save custom kits for later use. It’s also worth noting that Sitala comes with a default 808 drum kit, which sounds quite decent.

However, once you start using Sitala, you will discover that its biggest (and most important) feature is the workflow. It also packs a few hidden workflow enhancements, such as the frequency spectrum preview when adjusting a sample’s pitch. Easily tune the bass drum to your project’s key without having to use a spectrum analyzer (or even your ears, lol).
Sitala 1.0
So, what’s new in Sitala 1.0?
The plugin now features auto sample trimming (to remove silent parts), auto beat-slicing, and automatic output routing in Reaper. Also, Sitala now comes in the AAX plugin format.
Here’s a more detailed feature overview, courtesy of Decomposer:
- Sample trimming: Everybody asked for this one, so it’s available now. The main thing people wanted it for was to clean up poorly cut samples, which Sitala now does automatically: if you drop in samples with leading silence, it automatically sets the play start to the correct position.
- Beat slicing: We automatically detect and snap to transients within samples to make it possible to grab individual sounds out of a sample. It’s also possible to slice each chunk out to a separate pad.
- Automatic Multi-Out in Reaper: Sitala automatically detects if you’ve set Reaper up in stereo or multi-out mode and configures itself accordingly. It automatically renames the tracks to correspond to Sitala’s pad names.
- AAX Plugin: We’ve had lots of Pro Tools users asking for Sitala, and this release also includes an AAX version.
If you’re looking for a blazing-fast drum sampler plugin, don’t waste any more time and download Sitala right away. The only similar plugin out there is Speedrum Lite by Apisonic Labs, but Sitala is more polished at the moment.
More info: Sitala (32-bit & 64-bit VST/AU/AAX plugin format for Windows, macOS, Linux)
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Last Updated on December 11, 2020 by Tomislav Zlatic.