BRUTE by UJAM virtual drummer plugin interface

BRUTE: Rock and Grunge Virtual Drummer by UJAM

Rated 4.7/5 on Plugin Boutique (205 ratings)

BRUTE is a virtual drummer plugin by UJAM for rock, grunge, punk and nu metal drum tracks. It includes five drum kits, six mix presets and 31 playing styles with 713 phrases in total.

VST3VST2AUAAXWindowsmacOS64-bit

AVAILABLE ATPlugin Boutique

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01Overview

BRUTE is built around the loud, edgy drumming associated with the grunge and alternative rock scene of the nineties and early two-thousands. Its sounds come from three microphone sets, which you can blend with the Smack and Grit controls. Five genre-specific kits cover styles from dark stoner grooves to polished radio rock, and the included mix presets shape the overall sound from gentle ballads to aggressive punk.

Best for

Grunge drum tracks
Punk double-time beats
Alternative rock anthems
Nu metal drumming
Power pop ballads
Stadium rock drums

Developer: UJAM
Category: Virtual Instruments
Store: Plugin Boutique

02Key features

What you get

Five genre-specific drum kits for rock and grunge styles
Six mix presets that replace the multi-bus effect chain
31 playing styles with 23 phrases each, 713 in total
Smack control to emphasize drum attacks and transients
Grit control to crossfade between clean and dirty mic sets
Three microphone sets, including vintage and modern sources
Available as VST3, VST2, AU and AAX on Windows and macOS

03In depth

Drum Sound, Microphones and Blending

UJAM records BRUTE with three sets of microphones, each with a distinct role. A vintage Sennheiser MD21 captures the attack transients, a set of vintage tube and ribbon overheads adds the organic character and resonance, and modern Schoeps microphones provide a cleaner, more detailed sound.

The Smack control raises the clicky microphone to help the drums cut through a dense mix. The Grit control crossfades between the clean and dirty mic sets, letting you move from a tidy sound to a rougher one.

Kits, Styles and Mix Presets

The five drum kits are tuned for different sub-genres, from the fat, low-tuned DARK kit to the bright, refined PRIME kit. The 31 playing styles each come with 23 ready-made phrases, giving you 713 phrases to start from.

The six mix presets swap the bus effect chain for every channel, so you do not have to build the routing yourself. Options include Gentle for polished ballads, Slam for compressed garage sounds and Crush for tape and valve-style distortion.

04Specs

Will it run?

Formats, systems and requirements as listed by Plugin Boutique. Missing details are left out, not guessed.

Developer	UJAM
Type	Plugin
Category	Virtual Instruments
Formats	VST3, VST2, AU, AAX
Operating systems	Windows, macOS
Architecture	64-bit

05Upgrades

Upgrade and crossgrade options

Option	Store link
BRUTE Loyalty Upgrade from any paid UJAM product	Plugin Boutique ↗

06FAQ

Questions, answered

What formats does BRUTE support?

BRUTE is available in VST3, VST2, AU and AAX formats. It runs on Windows and macOS, and the listed system requirements are 64-bit only.

What do I need to run BRUTE?

BRUTE needs Windows 10 or later, or macOS 10.14 to macOS 14, with 4 GB of RAM, 3.1 GB of free disk space, a 1280 x 768 display and an internet connection for authorization by email and password. The AU 2 version works only with Logic Pro X and newer.

What music styles is BRUTE designed for?

BRUTE focuses on rock, grunge, punk and crossover styles from the nineties through the noughties, including the sounds of nu metal. Its kits and presets cover slow stoner grooves, fast punk beats and polished alternative anthems.