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DrumFlex vs Drumazon 2
Drumazon 2 and DrumFlex are different kinds of tool. Drumazon 2, from D16 Group, is an emulation of a drum machine: its maker says it emulates all the sounds of the original 909. DrumFlex is an acoustic drum kit you play from a MIDI file, a keyboard or an electronic kit. For 909 sounds and patterns, Drumazon 2 is the better fit. For a kit that plays a drum part, DrumFlex is.
What they have in common
- A VST3 plugin for Windows.
- Randomizing. Drumazon 2's randomizer fills patterns, which you can edit and save. DrumFlex has Randomize and Vary, and presets saved and loaded in both its program and its plugin.
- MIDI at the center. Drumazon 2 exports MIDI by drag and drop. DrumFlex opens and plays a MIDI file.
- A demo to try before you buy. Drumazon 2 has demo installers for Windows and Mac, and DrumFlex has a demo for Windows.
Where Drumazon 2 stands out
- The machine it emulates. It emulates all the sounds of the original 909, in 11 drum sounds, with over 1000 presets and patterns together.
- Patterns built inside it. The randomizer fills them, and each can be edited and saved.
- Two FX buses, each with its own chain of effects.
- Mac as well as Windows. Windows 7 or newer, and macOS from 10.13 to macOS 26, with AU and AAX plugins and VST2 as well as VST3.
- Electronic drums. If that's the sound you want, it's the choice, and DrumFlex has none.
- Priced at 119 euros on the maker's page.
Where DrumFlex stands out
- An acoustic kit, modeled, not sampled. Kick, snare, hi-hat, three toms, ride, two crashes, china and splash, in kits for metal, rock, pop, funk, jazz, smooth jazz, ballad and Latin.
- A program on its own. Drumazon 2's maker says it isn't a standalone program, so it needs a host application. DrumFlex runs standalone as well as a plugin.
- Plays what you give it. A MIDI file, General MIDI drum keys on any channel, or an electronic drum kit that sends General MIDI drum notes (it doesn't read the hi-hat pedal's controller or cymbal chokes by aftertouch).
- Drum strokes. Cross-stick, rimshot, buzz stroke, brush sweep, ride bow, bell and edge, and cymbals that can be stopped. No two hits alike, unless Hit variation is 0.
- Shaping. Stick hardness, tuning, ring, snare wires, each piece, the room and an EQ.
- Four slots to switch between kits or layer them, and a render of a MIDI file to FLAC, or to WAV with the included command-line renderer.
- $79, one time. A license key, no account, no online activation, one license for one person, to use on all of their own computers. It never connects to the internet.
Which to pick
- For 909 sounds and patterns: Drumazon 2.
- On a Mac: Drumazon 2.
- For a drum kit played from a MIDI file, a keyboard or an electronic kit: DrumFlex.
- If you want a standalone program as well as a plugin, on Windows: DrumFlex.
Owning both
One is a classic electronic machine, the other an acoustic kit, so they cover different parts of a song. Drumazon 2's demo installers are on d16.pl; DrumFlex's demo is here. This page doesn't compare how they sound. That's for your ears.
The facts side by side
Every fact about Drumazon 2 is from D16 Group's own pages, checked on 7 November 2026. Prices are list prices in US dollars; sales come and go.
| DrumFlex | Drumazon 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| How it makes its sound | Modeled. It computes every hit as it is played, from the drumheads, the stick, the snare wires and the cymbals. It plays no recordings. | An emulation of the TR-909 (the maker's words: it "emulates all the sounds of the original 909"). |
| Price | $79, one-time | €119 (shown in euros) |
| Download and disk space | 14.2 MB download, 31.4 MB installed | Not stated on the maker's pages |
| Memory the maker asks for | 4 GB, with 4 cores or more and 100 MB of disk (the minimum we state for every Flex program) | Not stated on the maker's pages |
| Runs on | Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit | Windows 7 or newer; macOS 10.13 to macOS 26 (Intel and Apple Silicon) |
| Forms | Standalone and VST3 | VST2, VST3, AAX; AU on Mac. Not a standalone program |
| Needs another program | Nothing else | A host program: it is not a standalone program |
| Copy protection | A license key and your email address, entered once for each Windows user on each computer. No account and no online activation. | Not stated on the maker's pages |
| Computers per license | One license for one person, to use on all of their own computers | Not stated on the maker's pages |
| Demo | A demo to download and try before you buy | Demo installers for Windows and Mac (limits not stated) |
| Kits and sounds included | Kits for metal, rock, pop, funk, jazz, smooth jazz, ballad and Latin, and a starting Session Kit; four slots to layer kits | 11 drum sounds, and over 1,000 presets and patterns |
More: virtual drums compared: modeled, sampled and drum machines, a table of 27 products, and all about DrumFlex.
If something here is out of date, write to [email protected] and we'll correct it.