This article covers the latest Black Friday and New Year sale on Steven Slate Drums, the popular drum sampler, its expansion packs, and the Steven Slate Trigger drum trigger plugin. It also explains what Steven Slate Drums is and how to install and activate it.
Be sure to check it out. This article will be updated as new sales begin.
1. Steven Slate Drums Latest Sale
Steven Slate Drums is currently running the following sale.
Black Friday & New Year Sale: Until January 1, 2027
- (Until 1/1) Steven Slate Drums 5.5: a popular, easy-to-use drum sampler with a rich selection of kits. $49 USD. Expansion packs: $49 USD each.
- (Until 1/1) Steven Slate Trigger 2 Platinum: a high-precision multi-channel drum trigger. $49 USD. Expansion packs: $49 USD each.
2. What Is Steven Slate Drums 5.5 (SSD 5.5)?
Steven Slate Drums (SSD) is a drum sampler from Steven Slate Audio, created by producer Steven Slate. It brings the industry-standard drum sound heard on countless hit records for more than 20 years to your own tracks, whether you program drums or replace and reinforce live drums. The latest version is Steven Slate Drums 5.5 (SSD 5.5).
3 key points of SSD 5.5
- A free version you can use forever. A full-featured SSD 5.5 demo with no expiration is available, so you can try the sound and workflow for free (details below).
- 148+ kits and 2,400+ grooves for every genre. Rock, metal, hip-hop, country, electronic, pop, 70s and jazz are all covered.
- A sound that sits in the mix, trusted by professionals. The sound is designed to sit in the track without touching EQ or compression, and is recommended by many producers who mix hit records.
Main Features
- Kit Browser (148+ kits): Filter and preview more than 148 drum kits by genre, artist and sound character, and quickly find the kit that fits your song.
- MIDI Grooves (2,400+ grooves): Includes more than 2,400 MIDI grooves played by real drummers, covering every genre. Drag and drop them into your DAW.
- Groove AI: Analyzes your song, detects key transients and automatically suggests matching MIDI grooves. Fine-tune with the Morph knob, then build your song in the Build lane and send it straight to the arrangement.
- Customization Panel: Freely control articulation, tuning, velocity, each microphone and ADSR to fine-tune the sound in detail.
- Mix Console: A built-in studio-quality mixing tool to adjust volume, pan and effects for each drum part.
- Wide Compatibility (DAWs / electronic drums): Works with all major DAWs and supports major electronic drum kits, for both programming and live playing.
What Is in SSD 5.5 Free (Free Version)
A full-featured free demo with no expiration is offered by the official site. It includes the following.
- One kit: “Deluxe 2 Kit”
- Classic (mixed) Slate snare
- 3 kit presets: Deluxe 2 Free, Hugo, Dry n’ Tight
Supported Environment and License
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Product name | Steven Slate Drums 5.5 (SSD 5.5) |
| Developer | Steven Slate Audio |
| Supported DAWs | All major DAWs |
| Electronic drums | Supports major electronic drum kits |
| System requirements (Mac) | Intel 2.2GHz dual-core or higher (Apple Silicon supported) / 4GB RAM or more |
| System requirements (PC) | Intel dual-core / AMD 2.2GHz or higher / 4GB RAM or more |
| Authorization | Can be authorized with the Machine ID in PACE License Manager (a physical iLok is optional, not required) |
| Number of licenses | 3 iLok licenses per purchase (install on up to 3 computers) |
| Guarantee | 30-day money-back guarantee / instant download after purchase |
3. How to Install and Activate
This section explains how to install and authorize SSD 5.5.
There is also an official installation video, so please use it as a reference.
Create an Account
First, create an account from “ACCOUNT” then “SIGN UP” at the top right of the official site.
Enter your email address and your password twice, then enter the following.
- First Name
- Last Name
- Country
- Zip Code
(Company can be left blank.)
Click “VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT” in the email you receive.
You can now log in at any time from “ACCOUNT” at the top right of the official site.
Installation and Activation
From “ACCOUNT” you can view your products. If you purchased the paid version, enter your serial number from “Add Products”.
The paid version requires an iLok account. Enter your iLok ID, and an email containing a “Verification Code” will be sent to the email address registered with iLok. Enter that code, then activate with iLok License Manager to complete the iLok setup.
Select SSD5.5 or SSD5.5 FREE and download the MAC or WINDOWS installer.
Launch the installer and sign in with the account you registered. Then select the product to install, and choose the folder in which to save the SSD5 Library Folder.
After that, launch Steven Slate “SSDSampler5” in your DAW.
If the library does not load correctly, or after adding an expansion pack, open “Settings”, choose the folder where you saved the SSD5 Library Folder with “Select Base Dir”, then press the refresh icon at the top to reload.
That is the latest Steven Slate Drums sale information. SSD is a drum sampler that is more than usable even for free, so give the free version a try.