![]() ![]() ![]() This includes the above-mentioned compression, without which the full library would be in excess of 160GB. You can purchase either a boxed or downloadable version and choose between three levels of install (18, 27 or 55 GB) depending upon your requirements and available disk space. That said, the two versions can co-exist on the same system.īFD3 can work in stand-alone mode or as a VST, AU, RTAS or AAX 64 plug-in, with the first three of these available in either 32- or 64-bit formats. However, both drum sample data and MIDI groove data from previous BFD installations will happily function with BFD3, although you might find you need to do some initial tweaking if you load one of your own BFD2 presets into BFD3. A new lossless audio compression/decompression system also that means audio data takes up only 1/3 of the hard-drive space without any compromise in performance or audio quality. In addition, there are a number of new features in terms of the performance options, some new articulations and improvements in the mixing/processing capabilities. This gives a total of 118 kit pieces (or, as they're rather intuitively called in the new terminology, 'Drums') plus 1000 new MIDI grooves in a range of musical styles. There is also a completely new core-audio library with five new kits, one of which is sampled in three versions based on sticks, brushes and mallets. The obvious difference with BFD3 is a significant overhaul of the interface, both The Model panel provides additional control on aspects such as damping and, for the toms, the amount of resonance.visually and functionally. And if your drum playing or programming sucks, then FXpansion throw in a huge collection of ready-made (and editable) MIDI drum grooves that can capitalise on the sampling and articulations offered. The vast majority of us simply couldn't get close to the sound and control that BFD offers. In short, what you have here is a virtual equivalent of the best acoustic drum kit you can imagine, in the best recording room you can imagine, miked up with the best collection of mics you can imagine, ready for you to play and then mix. Oh, and you get a range of dedicated effects such as compression, EQ, envelope shaping, distortion and reverb that can all be added to your drum mix. The mixer allows you to blend all of these sound sources, just as you would with a multitrack recording of a real acoustic drum kit including the ability (if you want it) to add 'bleed' from one drum into the mic positioned near another. In addition, you get overhead, room, ambient and various mono and compressed room channels. ![]() ![]() For example, the snare features top, bottom and side mics while the kick has in, out and sub mics. However, the potential for creating realistic drum performances doesn't just depended upon the sample base there is also the very sophisticated mixing environment, including multiple microphones on some drums. Providing your programming and/or The Tech panel allows you to fine-tune the sound of each individual drum, including bleed, dynamics and aying chops are up to it, what this allows is an ultra-realistic sample-based performance to be created no machine gun rolls or parts where every hit of every drum is triggering the same sample. For example, for the snare you can get standard hits, drags, flam, half edge, rimshot, side stick and rim click, while the hi-hat features as many as 13 different articulations. Equally, multiple articulations have been sampled. In essence, you get a series of meticulously sampled acoustic drum kits with multiple sample layers (up to 80 on some of the snares). The basic concept of BFD3 is essentially the same as BFD2. So, five years after its release - and given that BFD2 is still one of the best virtual drum instruments available - just what have FXpansion found to improve upon? What's New? I found that it offered the essence of a real drum kit, with the subtleties and nuances of the performance all under easy control, in a convenient software format. I reviewed BFD2 for SOS in the June 2008 issue. And even if you have the kit, drummer, recording space and microphone collection to compete with what's possible with these virtual instrument tools, efficiency alone might be enough to mean you choose the virtual route. Whatever your take on the matter of virtual instruments vs the real thing, there is no doubting the realism, flexibility and convenience offered by virtual drum instruments such as FXpansion's BFD series, Toontrack's Superior Drummer, Native Instrument's Battery or XLN Audio's Addictive Drums. BFD2 was always going to be a hard one to top, but that hasn't stopped FXpansion from trying. ![]()
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