Drumagog 6 vs Addictive Trigger
You have a folder of your own drum samples, and a session with more than a kick and a snare to fix. What you want to know is which drum replacer handles all of it with less work. This page takes Drumagog 6 and XLN’s Addictive Trigger through the questions buyers ask.
The short answer
Both plug-ins replace the kick, snare and toms on close mics as the song plays. Addictive Trigger stops there, with sounds that come from XLN. Drumagog 6 plays your own samples, and it covers the hi-hat and cymbals too. Every hit it finds sits on the waveform, ready to fix. With Platinum, Drumagog’s Kit mode replaces the whole kit from one drum bus.
Drumagog 6 is the one to choose if you want to
- use your own samples
- replace hi-hats and cymbals as well as the kick, snare and toms
- fix any hit without leaving the plug-in
- get MIDI out while the song plays
- get the whole kit from one drum bus with Platinum
Where each one has the edge
Here are the things buyers ask about most. Each row says what you get with either one.
Using your own samples
Drumagog 6Drop a file or a folder onto the plug-in.
Addictive TriggerXLN says it can’t load your own samples.
Edge Drumagog 6
Hi-hats and cymbals
Drumagog 6GOGs for the hi-hat, ride and crash.
Addictive TriggerIts roles are the kick, the snare and four toms.
Edge Drumagog 6
Fixing a missed or false hit
Drumagog 6Move, add or remove any hit right on the waveform.
Addictive TriggerChange Threshold, Sensitivity or Hold Time.
Edge Drumagog 6
Setting what counts as a hit
Drumagog 6THRESHOLD, DETAIL and RETRIGGER.
Addictive TriggerThreshold, Sensitivity and Hold Time.
Edge Even
Telling the drum from the bleed
Drumagog 6REMOVE SIMILAR and KEEP SIMILAR.
Addictive TriggerAudio Fingerprints that trigger or reject.
Edge Even
Keeping some of the original drum
Drumagog 6BLEND.
Addictive TriggerBlend.
Edge Even
Finding a sound that fits
Drumagog 6Every GOG ranked by how close it sounds to your drum.
Addictive TriggerA list of presets for the drum you chose.
Edge Drumagog 6
The whole kit from one drum bus
Drumagog 6Kit mode replaces all six drums from one copy, with Platinum.
Addictive TriggerOne copy on each drum’s track, linked with SYNC.
Edge Drumagog 6
MIDI while the song plays
Drumagog 6MIDI out, plus a virtual MIDI port.
Addictive TriggerA MIDI file you drag out afterward.
Edge Drumagog 6
Working without a DAW
Drumagog 6A standalone app comes with both editions.
Addictive TriggerIt runs as a VST, AU or AAX plug-in.
Edge Drumagog 6
Drumagog 6 details are from this site. Addictive Trigger details are from XLN’s product page, manual and help center. The MIDI row also draws on Computer Music’s review.
Can I use my own samples?
XLN’s help center answers this one directly. Asked whether you can load your own samples into Addictive Trigger, it says no, not in the current version. The sounds are kicks, snares and toms from Addictive Drums 2. More come from XLN, as its Drum Vault pack or as the Addictive Drums 2 presets and ADpaks you already own.
Drumagog 6 plays whatever you bring. Drop an audio file onto a drum, and it plays right away. Drop a folder of samples, and Drumagog builds a GOG from them, sorted from soft to loud. In the GOG editor, you can then move samples between dynamic groups, and add room mics and articulations. Every GOG from Drumagog 3, 4 and 5 plays as it is.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. Your own samples go straight in.
Can it replace hi-hats and cymbals?
Each copy of Addictive Trigger takes one role. XLN’s manual lists them as Kick, Snare and Tom 1 to 4. Its sounds are described the same way, as kicks, snares and toms.
Drumagog 6 has GOGs for the hi-hat, ride and crash as well. With Platinum, it hears how open each hi-hat hit was and plays the matching articulation. A pedal sweep moves through your samples from closed to open. On the toms, each hit is sorted by pitch into four sizes.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. It covers every drum in the kit.
The HI-HAT TRIGGER RANGES window shows how open each hit was.
What if it gets a hit wrong?
No drum replacer gets every hit on a real take. In Addictive Trigger, the tools for that are its detection controls. XLN’s manual says to increase Sensitivity if the detection misses hits. Hold Time is there to avoid unwanted flams or double hits. Flags on the waveform show which transients triggered. The manual describes no way to move, add or remove a single hit.
Drumagog 6 shows every hit it finds as a marker on the waveform. Drag the THRESHOLD line down, and the ghost notes appear while you drag. Any hit can be moved, or made harder or softer, with a drag. A missed one goes in with a double-click. You can even choose the exact sample a single hit plays, like a rimshot in the middle of a fill.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. You fix the hit itself.
What sounds do I get?
Addictive Trigger comes with a selection of kicks, snares and toms from Addictive Drums 2. Once you choose a role, it lists the presets for that drum.
A paid Drumagog 6 license includes the factory library of 536 GOGs. Play the song once, and Drumagog measures the drum on your track. Every GOG is then ranked by how close it sounds, with a percentage on each row. For more, the store inside the plug-in has libraries with demos you can play before you buy.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. The library finds the closest sound for you.
Can I get MIDI out of it?
Addictive Trigger records the MIDI it generates as the song plays. Afterward, you drag the file from its display into a MIDI track. Computer Music’s review found a MIDI Export function, but no live MIDI output.
Drumagog 6 sends every hit out as a MIDI note while it plays its samples. For DAWs that can’t record that output, a virtual MIDI port shows up as a device called DRUMAGOG 6. On the MIDI page, every note also sits on a piano roll that edits like your DAW. When the part is right, drag the take onto a track as a MIDI clip.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. The MIDI plays live and edits in place.
Can one copy do the whole kit?
XLN’s manual sets up a kit with one copy on the kick, one on the snare and one on each tom track. Pressing SYNC on each copy links them. After that, presets saved under the same name change together.
In Drumagog 6 Platinum, one copy goes on the drum bus, and you choose Kit mode. An overhead pair or a room mic works too. From there, it finds the hits on all six drums. Each drum then gets a lane on the TRIGGER page and a channel strip on the MIX page.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. One copy handles all six drums.
What about bleed?
This is Addictive Trigger’s own approach. You capture up to four Audio Fingerprints from the track. Each one can be set to trigger or to reject, and a Match slider then sets how close a hit has to be.
Drumagog 6 comes at it from the hits. Select one false hit and press REMOVE SIMILAR, and every hit on the track that sounds like it goes in one step. On a tom track full of bleed, KEEP SIMILAR keeps only the hits that sound like the one you picked. Between copies of Drumagog, bleed reduction keeps the kick from triggering the snare mic’s copy.
Verdict Call this one even. Each has its own way to tell the drum from the bleed.
What does it cost?
Addictive Trigger is $149 on XLN’s site. Its Drum Vault pack of extra sounds is $89.
Drumagog 6 Pro is $99 and Platinum is $199, each as a one-time purchase. Both include the full factory library. Before you buy, the free trial gives you the complete Platinum edition for seven days. It all runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, and on Windows, as VST3, AU, AAX and a standalone app.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. The full library comes with either edition.
What reviewers and XLN’s own pages say
You don’t have to take our word for any of this. Each line below links to where it was published.
“No, not in the current version of our products.”
“The inability to load your own sounds in is a major drawback”
“there is a MIDI Export function, but no live MIDI output”
“Increase Sensitivity if the detection misses hits.”
Side by side
| Drumagog 6 | Addictive Trigger | |
|---|---|---|
| Finding the hits | ||
| Every drum in the kit | Kick, snare, hi-hat, toms, ride and crash | Kick, snare and toms |
| A whole kit from one drum bus | ✓ Kit mode, Platinum | One drum per copy |
| Telling hits from bleed | REMOVE SIMILAR, KEEP SIMILAR and bleed reduction | Audio Fingerprints |
| Editing the hits | ||
| Seeing the hits | Every hit as a marker you can move, with its velocity | Flags on the waveform for each detected transient |
| Fixing a missed ghost note | Double-click the waveform where it belongs | Lower Threshold or raise Sensitivity |
| Moving or removing one hit | ✓ | — |
| Choosing the sample for one hit | ✓ CHOOSE SAMPLE, on any drum | Stroke types by fingerprint, on the snare |
| Sounds and library | ||
| Sounds included | 536 GOGs with a paid license | Kicks, snares and toms from Addictive Drums 2 |
| Your own samples | ✓ Drop a file or a folder | — |
| Library ranked by how close each sound is | ✓ | — |
| Layers on one drum | Up to 64 GOGs with STACK, Platinum | A main kit piece plus three Flexi slots |
| Hi-hat openness | ✓ Automatic, Platinum | — |
| Tom sizes sorted automatically | Sorted by pitch automatically, Platinum | Tom 1 to 4, set on each copy |
| Mixing and MIDI | ||
| Keeping the original drum | BLEND and STEALTH MODE | Blend |
| MIDI | MIDI in and out, a piano roll, a MIDI clip and a virtual MIDI port | Drag-and-drop MIDI export |
| Price and platform | ||
| Price | $99 Pro, $199 Platinum | $149 |
| Standalone app | ✓ | — |
| macOS and Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
Addictive Trigger details were checked in October 2026 on XLN Audio’s site, in its help center and in the Addictive Trigger manual. Prices and versions change over time. Addictive Trigger and Addictive Drums are trademarks of their owner, mentioned here for comparison only. We are not affiliated with their maker.
Questions buyers ask
Can Drumagog 6 replace Addictive Trigger?
Yes. Drumagog 6 replaces the kick, snare and toms on close mics. It also covers the hi-hat, ride and crash. With Platinum, one copy on the drum bus replaces the whole kit.
Can Drumagog 6 play Addictive Drums?
Yes. Drumagog sends every hit out as a MIDI note. Send that MIDI to Addictive Drums, and it plays along with your track. Any other drum instrument works the same way.
Can Drumagog 6 replace hi-hats and cymbals?
Yes. There are GOGs for every kind of drum, the hi-hat, ride and crash included. With Platinum, Drumagog also plays the hi-hat articulation that matches how open each hit was.
How does Drumagog 6 deal with bleed?
Bleed reduction keeps the kick from triggering the snare mic’s copy of Drumagog. For any false hits left on the track, REMOVE SIMILAR clears every hit that sounds like the one you select.
Can I use my own samples?
Yes. Drop an audio file onto a drum to play it right away, or drop a folder to build a GOG from it.
What does the free trial include?
The complete Platinum edition for seven days, with five demo GOGs and any samples of your own. The full factory library comes with a paid license.
Which features need Platinum?
Kit mode, automatic hi-hat and tom tracking, STACK, the gate, the transient shaper, the convolution reverb, Morph|Engine and plugin hosting. The free trial includes all of them.
What sounds come with Drumagog?
A paid Pro or Platinum license includes the factory library of 536 GOGs. The store inside Drumagog adds collections from us and from other publishers, each with demos you can audition before you buy.
Will my Drumagog 5 GOGs still work?
Yes. Drumagog 6 opens every one of them as it is.
Can I send the six drums to separate outputs?
Yes. In Kit mode each drum strip has a stereo output of its own, in DAWs that allow extra outputs on an effect plug-in, such as Pro Tools and REAPER.
Will Kit mode run on my computer?
A modern computer runs one Kit mode instance on the drum bus comfortably. The free trial is the best way to see how it runs on yours.
Put Drumagog 6 on your toughest snare track.
The free trial is the complete Platinum edition for seven days, Kit mode included.
More comparisons
See how Drumagog 6 compares with the other ways to replace recorded drums.