Drumagog 6 vs Superior Drummer 3
You have recorded drums that need a better sound, and a mix that is already under way. What you want to know is whether to fix them on the track or rebuild them in a sampler. This page takes Drumagog 6 and Toontrack’s Superior Drummer 3 through the questions buyers ask.
The short answer
Superior Drummer 3 is a drum instrument. To replace recorded drums, its Tracker turns audio you import into MIDI for its own kits. Toontrack says Tracker works offline. Drumagog 6 replaces drums right on the track as the song plays. All the while, your drummer’s own sound stays in the mix for as much as you like. If you own Superior Drummer, Drumagog can play it for you too.
Drumagog 6 is the one to choose if you want to
- replace drums on the track while the song plays
- keep as much of the original drum as you like
- work from a drum bus or overheads with Platinum
- try it for a week before you buy
- play Superior Drummer straight from your recorded hits
Where each one has the edge
Here are the things buyers ask about most. Each row says what you get with either one.
Working on the track while the song plays
Drumagog 6It finds and replaces the hits as the song plays.
Superior Drummer 3Tracker works offline on audio you bring in.
Edge Drumagog 6
Getting your audio in
Drumagog 6Nothing to move. It sits on the drum track.
Superior Drummer 3Drop the drum audio files into Tracker.
Edge Drumagog 6
Keeping the drummer’s own sound
Drumagog 6BLEND mixes the sample with the original drum.
Superior Drummer 3The MIDI plays Superior Drummer’s kits.
Edge Drumagog 6
A drum bus or overheads
Drumagog 6Kit mode is built for them, with Platinum.
Superior Drummer 3Designed for multi-track audio from close mics.
Edge Drumagog 6
Fixing the hits it finds
Drumagog 6Move, add or remove any hit on the waveform.
Superior Drummer 3Add, nudge or remove onsets in Tracker.
Edge Even
Using your own samples
Drumagog 6Drop a file or a folder onto the plug-in.
Superior Drummer 3Import them as user instruments.
Edge Even
Getting MIDI out
Drumagog 6A MIDI clip, MIDI out and a virtual MIDI port.
Superior Drummer 3Drag the MIDI from Tracker’s export view.
Edge Even
Tracking a drummer live
Drumagog 6Live mode plays the sample as the drummer plays.
Superior Drummer 3Tracker works on recorded files.
Edge Drumagog 6
Finding a sound that fits your drum
Drumagog 6Every GOG ranked by how close it sounds to your drum.
Superior Drummer 3An instrument browser with filters.
Edge Drumagog 6
Disk space
Drumagog 6About 1 GB, plus 2.75 GB for the factory library.
Superior Drummer 3About 41 GB for the basic install.
Edge Drumagog 6
Trying it first
Drumagog 6Seven days of the complete Platinum edition.
Superior Drummer 3Toontrack offers no demo of it.
Edge Drumagog 6
Drumagog 6 details are from this site. Superior Drummer 3 details are from Toontrack’s product page, FAQ, release notes and forum.
Does it work on my track while the song plays?
Superior Drummer 3 is a virtual drum instrument. To replace recorded drums, you use its Tracker. Toontrack’s own Tracker page says it works offline. It analyzes the audio you give it and shows the MIDI it found.
Drumagog 6 is an effect on the drum track itself. While the song plays, it puts a sample from your GOG on each hit, lined up with the original. Every hit also lands on the waveform for you to check. When a drummer needs to hear the replacement while you record, Live mode handles that too.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. It works in the session you are already mixing.
Do I have to move my audio into another program?
With Tracker, yes. You drop your drum audio files into it. Toontrack lists WAV, AIFF, FLAC, OGG and MP3 as the formats it reads. In Cubase, the audio can be dragged across from the project.
Drumagog 6 sits on the track, and there is nothing to move. In REAPER, Studio One, Cubase and Nuendo, ARA 2 lets it read the whole track at once. The hits are on the waveform before you press play. Edit the audio later, and Drum mode picks up the change by itself.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. Your audio stays where it is.
Can I fix the hits it finds?
Both let you. In Tracker, you can add an onset that was missed, nudge one into place and set its velocity.
In Drumagog 6, every hit is a marker on the waveform of your own track. Drag it sideways to move it, or up and down to change how hard it plays. A double-click adds a hit. When a whole group of hits is wrong, REMOVE SIMILAR and KEEP SIMILAR fix them together.
Verdict Call this one even. Both let you correct the hits by hand.
What happens to my drummer’s own sound?
Tracker’s result is MIDI. From its export view, you drag that MIDI to the song track, and there it plays Superior Drummer’s own sampled kits through its mixer.
Drumagog 6 keeps the performance and the recording together. With BLEND, you mix the sample with the original drum, for as much of each as you like. STEALTH MODE replaces the track only around the hits. Between them, the original plays through untouched. Every sample is lined up with the hit it replaces. Turn on SHOW ALIGNMENT to see each one drawn over your waveform.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. You keep the drummer and change the sound.
One kick hit with SHOW ALIGNMENT on. The replacement sits in white over the original.
What about bleed and overheads?
Toontrack’s FAQ says Tracker is designed for multi-track drum audio, recorded with close microphones. For those tracks, it has a Reduce Bleed control. A mono overhead or a stereo mix can work too. By Toontrack’s own account, that will most likely take more effort refining the trigger points.
Drumagog 6 Platinum has a mode built for exactly that material. Put one copy on a drum bus, an overhead pair or a room mic. Kit mode finds the hits on all six drums, and gives each a lane of its own. On close mics, REMOVE SIMILAR clears every false hit that sounds like the one you select.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. Kit mode is made for the drum bus.
Can I still use my Superior Drummer sounds?
Yes. Drumagog 6 comes with a note map for Superior Drummer. Choose SD3 in the NOTE MAP section of the MIDI page, and every hit plays the matching drum. The MIDI reaches Superior Drummer from a clip you drag out, or from the plug-in’s MIDI output.
With Platinum, you can go one step further and load Superior Drummer inside Drumagog. It then plays from the same hits as your GOGs, with no MIDI routing. A slider crossfades between your samples and the instrument.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. It plays Superior Drummer straight from your recorded drums.
How much money and disk space?
Superior Drummer 3 is USD 399 on Toontrack’s site. For the basic install, you download about 41 GB. The complete library is about 236 GB.
Drumagog 6 Pro is $99 and Platinum is $199, each as a one-time purchase. On disk, the plug-in takes about 1 GB, and its factory library of 536 GOGs adds 2.75 GB.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. It asks for less of both.
Can I try it first?
Toontrack’s trial page offers ten-day trials of its EZ line. Superior Drummer 3 isn’t on it. On the company’s forum, a Toontrack moderator wrote in October 2025 that it has no demo available.
Drumagog 6 has a free trial of the complete Platinum edition, Kit mode included. It runs for seven days, and it sounds exactly like the full version. Bring your own samples, or start with the five demo GOGs.
Verdict Drumagog 6 has the edge. You hear it on your own drums before you pay.
What Toontrack’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.
“Tracker works offline, meaning everything happens right now.”
“Tracker is designed to be used with multi-track drum audio files”
“will most likely require more effort from the user in refining trigger points”
“the only Toontrack software that does not have an available demo”
Side by side
| Drumagog 6 | Superior Drummer 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | ||
| What it is | A drum replacer that works right on your track | A virtual drum instrument |
| Getting the hits | Found as the song plays, or ahead of time with ARA 2 | Tracker analyzes the audio files you drop in |
| Live triggering while you record | ✓ Live mode | Tracker works offline |
| Your recording | Stays on the track, to blend or replace | Turned into MIDI for Superior Drummer’s kits |
| A whole kit from one drum bus | ✓ Kit mode, Platinum | Possible, with more refining of trigger points |
| Editing the hits | ||
| Editing the hits | ✓ On the waveform, with REMOVE SIMILAR and KEEP SIMILAR | ✓ In Tracker |
| Bleed between mics | Bleed reduction and REMOVE SIMILAR | Reduce Bleed in Tracker |
| Lining up with the original | Align to Phase or Align to Transient, checked with SHOW ALIGNMENT | MIDI notes at the detected onsets |
| Sounds and library | ||
| Sounds | 536 GOGs with a paid license | 7 kits, 25 snares and 16 kicks |
| Finding a sound that matches your drum | Every GOG ranked against your recording | An instrument browser with filters |
| Your own samples | Drop a file or a folder onto a drum | Imported as user instruments |
| Disk space for the sounds | 2.75 GB for the factory library | About 41 GB basic, more than 230 GB complete |
| Mixing and MIDI | ||
| Keeping the original drum | BLEND and STEALTH MODE | A Blend knob in Tracker |
| MIDI out | ✓ With a Superior Drummer note map | ✓ Dragged from Tracker’s export view |
| Price and trial | ||
| Price | $99 Pro, $199 Platinum | $399 |
| Free trial | Seven days of the complete Platinum edition | — |
| macOS and Windows | ✓ | ✓ |
Superior Drummer 3 details were checked in October 2026 on Toontrack’s site, in its FAQ and in its release notes. Prices and versions change over time. Superior Drummer is a trademark of its owner, mentioned here for comparison only. We are not affiliated with its maker.
Questions buyers ask
Can I use my Superior Drummer sounds with Drumagog?
Yes. With Platinum, you can load Superior Drummer inside Drumagog and play it straight from the hits. In either edition, choose SD3 in the NOTE MAP section of the MIDI page to send every hit to Superior Drummer as MIDI.
Do I need Superior Drummer to use Drumagog 6?
No. Drumagog 6 comes with sounds of its own. A paid license includes the factory library of 536 GOGs.
Does Drumagog 6 work on a stereo drum bus?
Yes, with Platinum. Kit mode finds the hits on all six drums from a drum bus, an overhead pair or a room mic.
Can I keep part of the original drum?
Yes. BLEND mixes the sample with the original drum. STEALTH MODE replaces the track only around the hits, and lets the original play through between them.
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.
Which DAWs support ARA 2?
REAPER, Studio One (as an Event FX), Cubase and Nuendo. In every other DAW Drumagog works as a regular insert.
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.
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.
Keep the drummer and change the drum sound.
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.