21-04-2021

Bfd3 For Mac

Run the BFD3 Software installer for your platfrom - Mac OSX or Windows 2. Double-click the Download ticket file: BFD3CoreLibrary.fxfdownload - this begins the Core Library audio data download within FX License Manager. Heavy v1.0.0 EXPANSiON WiN MAC P2P 1.6 GB BFD3, BFD Eco and BFD2. BFD Heavy is an expansion for BFD3, BFD Eco and BFD2 featuring 2 stunning Yamaha birch drumkits and a variety of presets designed for hard rock and metal styles. Bfd3 Download Mac, Microsoft Office Professional 2019 Cost, BeLight Software Amadine Software, Windows Vista Home Premium Activation Key Free Download. BFD 8 Bit Kit is an expansion pack for BFD3, BFD Eco and BFD2 with dozens of esoteric, vintage and modified drums, percussion and beatboxes – all prepared and tuned in unique ways before being captured by a strange and wonderful array of microphones (in full 24-bit 44.1kHz quality!). 8 Bit Kit is the brainchild of S. Husky Hoskulds whose 8. BFD3 is the third generation of FXpansion's flagship software acoustic drum studio: new levels of realism and ground-breaking features in an intuitive redesigned engine. With stunning new kits, mix-ready presets and modelling technology for tom resonance and cymbal swells, BFD3 delivers uncompromising detail. The revamped interface has a new mixer and sound browser for the easiest BFD.

BFD 1.x Specifications/Requirements

Information about the BFD release

BFD was available only as a boxed product - not as a download.
It included approximately 9GB of audio data in total.
9 kicks, 15 snares, 6 hihats, 7 sets of toms, and 15 cymbals
Additional kit-pieces for download upon registration - see downloads section
Original BFD library is available as BFD Eldorado for use in BFD3/BFD Eco/BFD2

BFD 1.x minimum system requirements

1 GHz Pentium III or Athlon (Windows)
Apple PowerMac G4, OSX 10.2.8 733 MHz (G4 1.2 GHz recommended) (MacOSX)
512 MB of RAM (1GB or more recommended)
DVD drive(For installation)
Windows 2000/XP or MacOSX 10.2.8
9 GB of free hard disk space (Separate drive recommended)

Product Status

Is BFD a current, supported product?

BFD 1.x is now a legacy product. It has now been superceded by BFD3.

BFD may run on recent OS/sequencer version combinations, but it is not possible for us to test or develop BFD 1.x any longer, so please do so at your own risk.

It is not recommended to use BFD on modern operating systems, especially on Mac OSX. Upgrade paths are available on request for BFD3 and BFD Eco - please contact us for details.

The information in this FAQ is provided for users wanting to utilise older systems with old operating systems and old versions of host/DAW applications.

You may be able to find additional help from other users at the BFD forum.

General Information

What does BFD stand for?

Whatever you want it to :) - but it's certainly big and it's certainly drums.

Can I program my own patterns and fills for use in BFD?

Yes - BFD's Groove section supports standard MIDI files as exported by every sequencer known to man.

Can I use my own samples in BFD?

No - BFD's samples were recorded with a carefully set-up multi channel process, and it would not be possible to recreate the mic positioning with 'standard' samples. BFD is NOT a 'drum sampler' - it is very much a sound library instrument.

How many different kits and kit pieces are there?

There are 7 full kits and an assortment of spare kit pieces. In total, you have 9 kicks, 15 snares, 6 hihats, 7 sets of toms, and 15 cyms to choose from.

Where can I get updated versions of BFD?

Updated product versions are available [here](DL page link) after your BFD serial has been registered to your FXpansion user account.

You will need to decompress the archives and then double-click the extracted contents in order to install the update.

Bfd3 For Mac Software

Is there any latency built into BFD?

No. BFD loads the first part of every sample into RAM for immediate playback after which the remaining audio is played from disk. This means that hard drive access does not cause latency. Any latency you may experience is due to the size of the audio buffers used by your host application and sound card and inherent latencies involved with MIDI interface hardware/drivers.

Does BFD run at high sample rates?

The BFD plugin runs at any sample rate provided by the host - the audio is resampled (please be aware that resampling multiple channels of audio uses a significant amount of CPU power).

The standalone application provided with BFD runs at 44.1kHz only.

Installation

How do I check what version of BFD I am running?

On the BFD plugin interface, click on the FXpansion logo located at the bottom of the 'drum room' window. This displays the credits/'about' panel with the version number at the top.

This is the only way to check the BFD version - it is not possible to use functions such as 'Properties' in Windows or the Mac menu 'About' or Finder 'Get Info' functions on Mac OSX. These functions will display the version number of the standalone application - not the BFD software itself. The standalone application is simply a plugin host which loads the BFD plugin.

How can I find out what my BFD serial number is if I have misplaced my manual?

If you have not yet installed or registered BFD, it is not possible to retreive your serial number.

If you have installed BFD, you can retreive the 'productKey' item from your BFD preferences - this is the serial you entered when you originally installed BFD. Note that these methods only work if you have previously run BFD on that machine, and for Mac OSX, with that user account.

Mac OSX - Run the Terminal app, and type at the prompt: defaults read com.fxpansion.bfd productKey - Alternatively, open the BFD preferences file, located here: /Users/

Windows - use Regedit to find the registry setting 'productKey' inside HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/FXpansion/BFD

If you have lost your preferences AND your manual, then we can still help as long as you have previously registered BFD. New customers will be required to provide full proof of purchase.

I am having trouble entering my serial (licence) number.

There is no difference between 'serial' and 'license'. The terminology is different, but the number is the same. It begins with FXBFD- followed by 5 groups of 5 characters, separated with hyphens. (i.e. in this format: FXBFD-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx).

Some users encounter problems entering the number. If this is the case, please follow these guidelines:

Firstly, ensure you have a recent version of BFD installed. Early 1.0.0.x versions of BFD are very fussy, we have made the process friendlier since.
Press [ENTER] after you type the username and serial in the text fields, and before you click [OK].
Make sure you type the serial in upper case. Type it exactly as it is written, including all hyphens. Make sure you are correctly differentiating between similar-looking characters: for example, between 1 and I, 0 and O, K and X, 8 and B.
Try to press delete a few times before typing the serial into the entry field, in order to get rid of any possible lurking spaces in the field. (This shouldn't affect recent versions of BFD, but please try it in case your license number box has unexpected invisible characters).
Try using the standalone version to authorize BFD (once BFD is authorized for one version, it is authorized for all).

How can I install BFD manually?

BFD's data installer from the DVDs may fail especially on more recent versions of OSX for which it was not designed. The data can be installed manually as follows:

copy the BFD folder from DVD1 to the desired location on your hard drive
copy the contents of the BFD/Data and BFD/Kits/Factory from DVD2 to the corresponding folders in the hard drive's BFD folder created in the previous step
install the BFD update installer as described elsewhere in this FAQ (this installs the standalone application and the various plugin files)
launch the BFD standalone application
you are prompted for the location of the data folder - this is the BFD folder created in step 1.
if you encounter any problems with seeing kits or kit-pieces, check in BFD's Options panel that the 'Data Path' is correctly set to the BFD folder created in step 1.

I'm having problems when installing an older version on top of a newer one, on MacOSX.

Navigate to the Library/Receipts folder and delete any files with 'BFD' in the filename.
It may also be useful to repair permissions on your system drive.
Then, run the desired BFD installer.

The faders on BFD's interface are jumping all over the place by themselves! What should I do?

BFD contains a number of built-in MIDI continuous controller (CC) mappings. BFD 1.0.9.0 and later versions feature a MIDI controller page within the Trigger Options panel for editing all assignments - we strongly recommend that you update to this version. Click the Reset button to clear all mapped controllers. Alternatively, they can be mapped to MIDI CCs which are more convenient.

When you have finished removing or remapping MIDI continuous controllers to BFD parameters, click the 'save' button. Enter the filename 'default' - this mapping file is automatically loaded when BFD is launched in the future.

Performance Tips

What can I do to reduce the amount of memory used by BFD?

Even with disk streaming, BFD requires a large amount of memory to prebuffer all its samples to ensure low latency. 512MB is the bare minimum for running the standalone version of BFD at lower detail settings. When you start adding large, resource-hungry sequencers into the equation, the overall memory requirements increase.

If you have a shortage of RAM, try the following to improve performance - all of these require BFD version 1.0.8.0 or later:

Unload unused hit types (articulations)

The Hit Options panel (formerly called the Trigger Keys panel) allows you to unload any hit type from any Kit-Piece so that it does not use RAM - for example you may not need snare drags/flams or half-open/shank hi-hats. Doing so can drastically reduce RAM usage.

Limit velocity layers

The Options panel allows you to specify the maximum number of velocity layers loaded for each kit-piece. For example, some of the BFD snares feature well over 40 layers in a number of hit types. Setting a maximum of 24 layers may halve the amount of memory used by the snare. BFD intelligently loads selected velocity layers distributed throughout the range available.

Use 16-bit Mode

Enabling the 16-bit Mode setting in BFD's Options panel loads audio at 16-bit instead of 24-bit, effectively halving the RAM usage. The quality difference is very small so it is very useful for those users with smaller amounts of RAM. You can also use it as a preview mode during composition, and change back to 24-bit during the final mix if your sequencer is capable of offline mixdowns.

How can I reduce the amount of CPU BFD uses?

Generally, the less data throughput, the less CPU BFD will use - so following the RAM reduction tips above reduces BFD's CPU load as well as most of the CPU load comes from operations related to the disk streaming, or from the operating system being forced to use virtual memory (which requires swapping chunks of RAM memory to disk).
Set ambient microphone Width to normal, and distance to 0 - these DSP operations require extra processing.
In the Options Panel, disable any graphics animations you can live without.
BFD's samples are 44.1kHz - if you can run your host at 44.1kHz as well, then no real time resampling is required. Like wise, detuning the kit pieces cans more CPU.
Close the editor window if you don't need it open.
Make your host precessing buffers as big as your requirements can allow. If you don't need super-low latency because you are composing in a looping or offline manner, BFD will appreciate the extra time to process the hundreds of audio channels it is delivering.
On older Mac OSX systems (especially G5 with older versions of OSX), file journalling may impact performance - after backing up all your data, try reformatting the hard drive containing the BFD data to a non-journalled, non-case-sensitive format.

I have a G4 or G5 Mac. Do you have any tips for optimizing OSX on my machine for use with BFD?

Have a simple picture as the desktop background, or none at all (eats RAM)
Make sure Energy Saver is on maximum (turn furthest away from Automatic)
Turn off hard drive Hibernation
Turn off File Vault
Turn off Fast User Switching
Use the scale effect instead of Genie on the dock - it's less CPU-intensive
Remove ical if you dont need it as it runs as a background process
Turn off Automatic Updates for OSX and other applications. These all take CPU cycles.
Try defragmenting your hard drive after backing up your data.
File journalling may impact performance on older versions of OSX - try backing up your data and reformatting the relevant drive to a non-journalled, non-case-sensitive form of HFS+
Use an application like Shadow Killer to turn of some of OSX's graphical effects
Make sure you're running BFD off a 2nd Drive, not from the system disk, or a drive which is already streaming audio tracks or samples. Firewire is preferable to USB on older machines
RAM is an important consideration, especially when running the BFD plugin with host applications like Protools/Cubase/Logic/DP. Whilst 1GB is the minimum for best performance with a memory-hungry host application, it is recommended to install at least 2GB.
Run BFD in stereo mode - at least while tracking/composing - as it's lighter on CPU usage. You can always mix the drums later, perhaps using the freeze function (if your sequencer has one!) on other instruments, audio tracks with lots of FX etc. The same goes for ReWire mode... only use it if or when you have to.
Try all the memory-reduction tips mentioned elsewhere in this FAQ.
Update your BFD to a newer version with improved performance.

What do BFD's Engine Options in the Options Panel mean, and how do they affect performance?

RAM cache buffer size

The number of sample frames at the beginning of every velocity layer's audio file held in memory to allow immediate, no-latency playback. A larger setting allows more time for the disk streaming engine to get its act together and start delivering the rest of the audio file to the synthesis engine, but requires more memory.

Disk streaming buffer size

The size, in sample frames, of a block of audio data being streamed from disk into memory. Generally disk drives like reading fewer large chunks than many smaller chunks, but larger disk reads still take more time, and thus may require the extra leeway provided by a larger RAM cache. Generally, 16384 or 32768 is fine.

Max cache buffers

The maximum number of disk streaming buffers cached in memory. If the same velocity layer is triggered repeatedly, it is possible to avoid reading from the disk by reusing the disk stream buffers with the same data. This parameter determines how much of your memory you want to set aside in the hope of acheiving such reuse. If you have even a moderate amount of dynamics, randomization or anti-machine gun mode enabled, you may find that not much reuse occurs at all, and could possibly reduce this parameter a little. You still need at least a cache buffer per voice!

Max voices The maximum number of 'hits' BFD will play simultaneously. This can be larger than you think. For exampl, if you repeatedly bang on a cymbal, to enhance naturalism, we auto-choke-fade previous hits slowly to preserve the excitation of the cymbal. 64 is fine, and voices don't take much memory.

Max layers

BFD features some hit types with up to 46 velocity layers and expansion packs often feature 90 or more layers for some kit-pieces/hit types. To save memory, you can set the maximum level of velocity layer detail you want in a kit piece, and BFD will only load that many velocity layers into memory.

Cache Memory

This is the total amount of memory being used for audio data in BFD. The figure is derived by taking the total number of velocity layers in all hit style in all kit pieces, multiplying this total by size of the RAM cache buffers, and then adding the total memory used in all the disk streaming buffers.

Is it a good idea to put BFD on its own partition on my audio drive?

In general, no. If your harddrive is partitioned and you are streaming from both the BFD partition and your own tracks, this will lead to the hard drive read head jumping back and forth between the two partitions, which may reduce performance. Also, if you are streaming non-BFD audio from the same drive, this reduces the bandwidth available for BFD streaming. The best performance gain with hard drive configuration is derived by using a separate drive for BFD's audio data.

On which hard drive should I install my BFD data?

We recommend the following in order of performance preference (first is best):

A dedicated internal SATA or IDE drive, 7200rpm or above
A dedicated external firewire drive (do NOT chain the firewire drive with a digi002 or other firewire audio interfaces!)
A dedicated external USB2.0 drive
An internal drive shared with the data from other heavy disk-accessing programs - for example, the operating system (virtual memory swap files) or another disk streaming application such as your host sequencer (audio tracks) or Kontakt etc.

Can BFD use more than 4GB of RAM?

BFD 1.x is compiled for 32-bit capable operating systems.

This includes Mac OSX. Although your entire operating system may be able to utilize more than 4GB of RAM, each 'process' is limited to 4GB of addressable memory. This means BFD must share the 4GB with your host sequencer and any other plugins you have loaded. In practice, BFD may not be able to use more than 3GB of memory for samples, as the remaining memory will be used to load supporting libraries, graphics, the host application's code and resources, and so on.

Users with Windows will find that User Application Memory is limited to 2GB, as windows reserves the upper 2GB for operating system use, unless you have the /3GB switch turned on in your windows boot options. Do this at your own risk!

How can I move my BFD Data to another drive?

Simply move (or copy before deleting the original) your 'BFD' folder to the new location, then run BFD. BFD pops up a folder browser asking for the location of its data when it is next launched. Navigate to the new 'BFD' folder, and click OK.

Note that in the BFD Options Panel, the BFD folder location is displayed as the 'Data Path' and can be changed by clicking on the text box.

How should I configure my IDE drives for best BFD performance?

If you have purchased a second IDE disk drive to improve BFD's performance there are a few things to bear in mind when connecting your IDE devices.

IDE cables can support two devices each: a MASTER and a SLAVE device. The two devices share the bandwidth available on that cable, meaning that if you have your system disk as the MASTER and your BFD disk as the SLAVE, you will actually experience worse performance that just using a single disk!

The SLAVE device also has a lower priority for accessing the cable for communications with the rest of your system.

Your computer probably has a DVD drive on a second IDE cable. We recommend making your system drive and your BFD drive the MASTER IDE device on separate cables, and making the DVD drive a SLAVE device on your system drive's IDE cable.

In other words:

IDE cable 1 = system drive MASTER, dvd drive SLAVE
IDE cable 2 = BFD data drive MASTER

I have just installed BFD 1.5.1, and all the sounds are being cut short!

BFD's from the DVD production run marked 1.5.1 have an error in their initialization of the 'Max Cache Buffers' setting, found in the Options Panel. This setting can display a value of 16 while actually being set to zero - having no cache buffers effectively disables the disk streaming engine. Enter a larger Max Cache Buffers setting such as 64 to re-enable disk streaming. You should now hear BFD's sounds decay with their full natural tail.

How do I report a suspected bug or a crash?

Sorry but BFD 1.x is discontinued and there can no longer be any further development, testing or updates. All your BFD audio data and additional expansion packs are compatible with BFD3 and upgrade paths are available on request.

How can I make a kit piece louder permanently? (or: What is a 'Tweak' file, and how do I make one?)

It is possible to 'tweak' a kit-piece's levels using a 'tweaks.txt' file in the root of the kit-piece folder (next to the photo.tga and info.txt files).

For example: Ayotte/Snare1 has a tweaks.txt file with a +3dB gain:

Lines starting with '#' are comments. The gain you would like to permanently impose is expressed as +/- dB gain.

It is possible to generate such tweaks using the BFD interface (using version 1.5.0.26 or later) as follows:

Load a kit-piece is loaded and adjust the DIRECT MIC TRIM to the desired level
CTRL-click (CMD-click on Mac) on the mixer slot label - you are prompted to create a tweaks.txt for the kit-piece using the specified level.
Next time the kit-piece is loaded, this gain (or reduction in gain) is automatically applied to all the velocity layers. The Direct mic trim control acts relative to these levels.

Bfd3 For Mac Os

Tell me more BFD secrets!

CTRL-right-click (CMD-right-click on Mac) on a kit-piece in a chooser panel to edit the 'info.txt' if you want to amend the info or add your own notes.
ALT-drag with the right mouse button from a chooser panel into a painting application to edit the kit-piece photos.

How can I make my own swing templates?

Terminology note

The first comment line of the Swing Template files labels the file as a Groove Template. Ignore this terminology discrepancy - this is a historical term used early in the development cycle.

Swing templates: how they work

Swing Templates are text files that define a series of control points in an X-Y mapping between INPUT time and OUTPUT time.
Any line starting with a '#' symbol is treated as a comment.
The left column defines the input times of the mapping control points, and the right column defines the output times. The times are Real numbers (ie can have decimal places), with units of BEATS.
The mapping can go for as many or few beats as you like. When BFD processes a Groove, it will wrap the mapping to cover the duration of the Groove. In this example, the swing template is 1 beat long.
Time points MUST be positive
Always finish by mapping a whole beat to the same whole beat
All entries in a column must be ascending in value, with no two control points being equal.
For the mathematically minded, this means your piecewise-defined function must be One To One and Onto over the defined time range.
Save your file with a .txt extension in the ...BFD/SwingTemplates folder.

Example: Simple Swing 16th

This example is located at the following path: ...BFD/SwingTemplates/Simple Swing 16.txt

Technical information for specific host/platform configurations

Important note about the information in this section

This information is specific information for BFD with very old versions of DAWs and Mac/Windows operating systems. It is not recommended to run BFD in modern operating systems and host environments - upgrade paths are available for BFD3 or BFD Eco on request.

When using BFD ALL, Groups or Ultra, I only hear the overhead mics. What happened to the other mics?

Some host applications require you to connect BFD's extra audio outputs to audio tracks or aux input tracks. For example, in Pro Tools, when you insert BFD into an instrument or an audio track, that track is only stereo, and only plays BFD's first two outputs - the overheads. You need to create Aux tracks that take their inputs from BFD's other output ports. You can also use audio tracks in record-enabled mode.

Similar processes are required for other hosts/DAWs such as Tracktion, Sampltitude, and others.

Wiring up BFD All or BFD Ultra can be daunting at first but registered users can download the 'Host Project Examples' from the registered users download area.

Instructions can also be found in BFD's Supplemental Manual.

BFD is causing bursts of White Noise on my Mac!!

Please Note: This only applies to BFD versions prior to version 1.5.45J which has a workaround. Please update to at least 1.5.45 first!

BFD users running Mac OSX should ensure that they have disabled all Energy Saver options in the System Preferences. If your Mac goes to Sleep, using either 'Put my hard disks to sleep' or 'Put my computer to sleep' options, the system file cache can become corrupt. This is a system cache, and is outside BFD's control - the problem survives clearing BFD's cache buffers or restarting the BFD disk streaming engine, removing and reinserting BFD, or rebooting your your host application. Only a full reboot of your Mac will clear the system file I/O cache fully. OS X 10.4.6 addressed some Energy Saver issues, but the white noise fault still appears at present.

Solution: Open System Preferences, go to the Energy Saver panel, and DISABLE (untick) 'Put My Hard Disks To Sleep' and 'Put My Computer To Sleep Whenever Possible'.

Another factor is if you are using a self-installed internal SATA or IDE drive, check that the drive is Mac Compatible. Not all hard drives are, and can lead to random white noise bursts. BFD pushes your I/O sub system hard, and is 'good' at finding incompatibilities.

Some notes for Pro Tools users

Mbox owners may have more trouble getting low latencies and consistant performance. We've experienced trouble with BFD and the Mbox on a 1.5 powerbook whereas using a Digi002 there were no problems at all. The limitations of USB on early machines and operating systems are the problem - it is recommended to use a more robust solution.

If you are having crackles and pops on ProTools please check the Digidesign site for specific fixes and updates for Pro Tools regarding these symptoms. The problem can be made worse by increasing buffer sizes.

TDM users: please realise that although you may have a big MIX farm or HD rig this does not affect the performance for native plugins like BFD which run entirely on your host machine's CPU.

How do I use multiple outputs from RTAS with BFD 1.0.10.0 beta10 or later and Pro Tools 6.7?

Since version 1.0.10.0 beta10, BFD supports multiple outputs from the RTAS plugin within Pro Tools 6.7. In order to use it, please proceed as follows:

Insert the BFD all multi-output RTAS instrument into a stereo audio track. This will output the Overhead mics as its stereo pair. The first stereo pair of a multi-out RTAS instrument is the primary outut, which cannot be assigned to an aux output.
Now add 2 stereo Aux tracks. You can set the inputs to the BFD Room and BFD PZM stereo pairs.
Now add 11 mono Aux tracks. Set the inputs for these to be the mono microphones, from Kick In to Cymbal 3.

How are multiple outputs from BFD handled in Logic Audio?

When using Logic, the multiple outputs from BFD (like any other AudioUnit plugin) become available to special Audio objects called 'Aux' channels. The primary stereo output of each plugin (Direct Stereo bus on BFD (Group Outputs) and Overhead bus on BFD (All Outputs)) appear at the original Audio Instrument channel used for BFD. If any of BFD's outputs have not been directed to an Aux channel, then they will also appear mixed into the original BFD Audio Instrument channel.

You need to create a new Audio object in the 'Audio' page of the environment and change the Cha parameter for the object to 'Aux 1'. Repeat this procedure for the number of channels you'll need for BFD (and perhaps more for other instruments if you require it) - BFD (Group Outputs) needs 3 stereo Aux channels (the first output is played through the original Audio Instrument channel used for BFD), while BFD (All Outputs) requires 2 stereo and 10 mono. If you use BFD in multichannel mode a lot, it's a good idea to create these Aux channels in your Autoload.LSO so they're already available when you start a new project.

To direct one of BFD's multiple output channels to an Aux channel, click-hold on the input selector on the Aux channel (the 2nd selector above the fader) and select Instrument N (where N is the Audio Instrument channel containing BFD) -> Outputs 3-4, 5-6 etc. You will, of course, need to assign the Aux channel output to one of the Master channels, or a bus with an output to a Master channel, in order to hear these outputs.

Please note that old versions of Logic do not feature automatic plugin delay compensation for Aux channels so using any plugins which introduce a delay into the signal path leads to that channel being delayed.

How is BFD ReWire used with Digidesign Pro Tools?

BFD ReWire is only recommended on very early versions of Pro Tools 6. If possible it is highly recommended to use the RTAS plugin as described above.

Run the BfdRewireApplet (located in your Applications folder on OSX, and in Programs/FXpansion/BFD in your Start menu on Windows).
Set the 'Output setup' to 'Group Outputs' (if you want 4 stereo buses, one each for Direct, Overhead, Room, and PZM) or 'All Outputs' (for stereo Overhead, Room and PZM buses, plus individual direct outs for each drum mic). If you want to use 'Stereo Output' then it's unnecessary to use ReWire mode, as RTAS provides the same functionality.
Make sure 'Enable BFD ReWire device' is set to 'On'. Please disregard the 'Alt. Panel Mode' option - this is no longer necessary.

When Using Pro Tools (TDM/HD systems)

Create an Audio track. If you create a stereo track, it will only be able to handle the stereo buses - Overhead, Room and PZM, as well as the Direct Stereo bus in BFD (Group Outputs). Mono tracks can only handle the mono direct outputs from BFD (All Outputs).
Repeat the process depending on whether you are using BFD (Group Outputs) or BFD (All Outputs) and how many channels you need to monitor.
You then need to insert the BFD (ReWire) RTAS plugin on each of the Audio tracks used to monitor the ReWire channels from BFD. Set the Output selector of each ReWire plugin to the desired channel.
Only stereo buses from BFD will be available to stereo Audio tracks, while only mono direct outputs from BFD will be available to mono Audio tracks.
NOTE: Currently, the channels are labelled 0-1, 2-3, 4-5 etc. from 0-16. They correspond to 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 etc. from 1-17 in the BFD channel layout (see the manual for the full listing). This numbering scheme may be corrected in a future update.
Run the 'BFD Launch ReWire' application (also located in your Applications folder on OSX, and in Programs/FXpansion/BFD in the Start menu on Windows) in order to bring up BFD's interface. ReWire is a protocol which streams audio between two separate applications. The BFD Launch ReWire program is effectively a different application, and therefore needs to be manually launched. It follows that the BFD ReWire interface will not behave in the same way as your Pro Tools RTAS plugins.
You also need to create a MIDI track in Pro Tools in order to trigger BFD. Create a new MIDI track in Pro Tools and direct it to 'BFD (Rewire) RW target - channel-1'. You can now trigger BFD via MIDI using an external controller or just by programming it in the Pro Tools Edit window.
Note that you won't be able to record BFD's output directly on these Audio tracks which contain the ReWire plugin. You need to output the Audio tracks to Buses, then record the Buses into new Audio tracks.

When Using Pro Tools LE (MBox/Digi001/002 systems)

The procedure is the same as for Pro Tools TDM systems - with the difference that you can add the ReWire plugins on Aux as well as Audio tracks.

How is BFD ReWire used with MOTU Digital Performer 4?

It is highly recommended to use a plugin version of BFD with DP - please try updating to a more recent version of BFD and DP before resorting to using the ReWire functionality.

Run the BfdRewireApplet (located in your Applications folder).
Set the 'Output setup' to 'Group Outputs' (if you want 4 stereo buses, one each for Direct, Overhead, Room, and PZM) or 'All Outputs' (for stereo Overhead, Room and PZM buses, plus individual direct outs for each drum mic). If you want to use 'Stereo Output' then it's unnecessary to use ReWire mode, as AudioUnits within DP provide the same functionality.
Make sure 'Enable BFD ReWire device' is set to 'On'. Please disregard the 'Alt. Panel Mode' - this is no longer necessary.
Using BFD (All Outputs)
Launch DP, create a new project and create 14 Aux Tracks. You should configure 11 of these tracks to receive input from 'New Mono Bundle/BFD (ReWire):BFDs #6 7' onwards: this sets up the mono direct outputs. For the stereo tracks, select 'New Stereo Bundle/BFD (Rewire):BFDs #0 1-1 2', #2 3-3 4, and #4 5-5 6. This will set up the Overhead, Room and PZM stereo buses.
Using BFD (Group Outputs):
Launch DP, create a new project and create 4 Aux Tracks. Configure these Aux tracks to receive input from 'New Stereo Bundle/BFD (Rewire):BFDs #0 1-1 2', #2 3-3 4, #4 5-5 6 and #6 7-7 8. These will correspond to Direct Stereo, Overhead, Room and PZM buses.
Run the 'BFD Launch ReWire' application (also located in your Applications folder) in order to bring up BFD's interface. ReWire is a protocol which streams audio between two separate applications. The BFD Launch ReWire program is effectively a different application, and therefore needs to be manually launched. It follows that the BFD ReWire interface will not behave in the same way as your AudioUnit or MAS plugins.
You also need to create a MIDI track in Digital Performer in order to trigger BFD. Create a new MIDI track using Project/Add Track/MIDI Track and point the output to BFD (ReWire): BFD (ReWire)RW Bus-BFD (ReWire)RW target.

Licensing / Copy Protection

What copy protection method is used?

BFD 1.x uses a simple serial number-based protection system.

Can I use it on both my laptop and main machine?

Yes - you can install on up to 3 machines as long as only 1 is running it at any one time. Site / volume licensing is also available (POA - please contact us for details).

Do you allow license transfers?

Yes, however:

If you're the seller, you must contact us in advance of the sale. If you're the prospective second-hand buyer, you must check that the seller is cleared to sell. If in doubt, contact us.
There is a flat $50 fee per product for a license transfer, which can be purchased from our online shop.
Review copies, NFRs (Not For Resale copies, sometimes used for in-store demos), etc., cannot be transferred under any circumstances.
We reserve the right to refuse a license transfer request.

Once a transfer is authorised and the fee has been paid, the new owner is entitled to exactly the same upgrade paths and technical support resources as if they had bought the product new.

General Information

What is BFD3?

BFD3 is a complete acoustic drum software workstation. It offers: - a number of drumkits recorded with multiple mics at high levels of detail - deep functionality for tweaking aspects of each part of the kit - a versatile mixing and processing engine for sculpting the drum mic channels - a built-in Groove engine providing pattern-based drum parts with arrangement and editing - functions for routing audio outside of BFD3 alongside MIDI and audio export features

It comes with VST2.4, AU and AAX64 plugin versions and also as a standalone application. The VST2.4, AU and standalone app work in both 32-bit and 64-bit on Windows and 64bit on OSX.

Is BFD3 supported on macOS Catalina?

BFD3 is compatible with macOS Catalina (10.15). The BFD3 demo is not currently compatible with macOS Catalina, but we're working on an update to this which we aim to release as soon as possible.

Is BFD3 a boxed or a downloadable product?

BFD3 and the BFD3 Core Library are available as a downloadable product. The boxed USB version is no longer available - if you encounter any issues with the BFD3 Core Library download, please speak to our support team.

Is it available in retail stores as well as online?

The boxed and download versions can be purchased directly from our website. In addition, the boxed version is available at local dealers, and the download version is available from selected online stores.

Can I upgrade from BFD2?

Yes - the upgrade can be purchased directly from the BFD3 product page or in participating retail/online stores.

How big is the download version?

Approximately 38GB - this is de-compressed to 55GB with a full installation, although the audio data can be installed in a small or medium disk footprint if you prefer.

Are there any differences between the BFD3 boxed version and the download version?

No - they are exactly the same.

Can I upgrade from BFD Eco or BFD 1.x?

Yes. There is a shop item for the BFD Eco upgrade. Please note that you must register the BFD3 upgrade to the same account as your BFD Eco registration. It is not possible to upgrade to BFD3 from any version of BFD Eco that was provided with any Digital Vaults expansion packs.

If you would like to upgrade from BFD 1.x, this can be arranged on request - please contact us for details.

Can I upgrade from BFD Eco NFUZD?

Yes - there is a shop item for the upgrade from BFD Eco NFUZD or BFD2.

If I buy a boxed version can I access the download right away?

No - it can only be registered for download access after it has been physically delivered to you. If you require immediate access to BFD3, you will need to purchase the download version.

Are expansion packs available for BFD3?

Yes - any of the huge range of expansion packs compatible with BFD1 or BFD2 (or BFD Eco) is usable with BFD3.

A large range of boxed and download-only expansions is available from the FXpansion webshop.

Several third-party companies also produce BFD3-compatible expansion packs.

Is there a printed manual supplied with BFD3?

There is no printed manual with BFD3. The operation manual is available in HTML or in PDF form for printing out your own copy.

Can I use BFD3 without a DAW or host?

Yes - BFD3 comes with a standalone version which can be used without a host/DAW. BFD3 features pattern sequencing and audio/MIDI export functions so can be used as a self-contained tool.

If you have very advanced usage needs - for example, tempo or time-sig changes during a song you must use it as a plugin inside a DAW.

Does BFD3 support languages other than English?

BFD3 is available only in an English language version, but it works fine in any language operating system.

Is there a demo version?

Yes - it comes in all plugin formats and as a standalone app and times out after 30 minutes. It also does not save its state if it is used as a plugin in a project. There is also no internal saving of any preset types except MIDI key maps and automation maps.

The demo version can only load audio data that comes with it - this version cannot load expansion pack data. The demo audio data is 16-bit and includes a single kit with direct and overhead channels only, and limited articulations for kick, snare, toms (main hit articulation only), crash (bow, edge) and ride cymbal (bow).

Can BFD3's audio data be streamed from the USB flash drive with the boxed version?

No - the USB flash drive is intended only as a delivery medium - it is not suitable for real-time streaming. Please be aware that the boxed version of BFD3 is no longer available for purchase.

If I'm upgrading from BFD2, is BFD3 a drop-in replacement?

No, but BFD3 does load your BFD2 Presets and Kits if they are saved out first. BFD3 is a new plugin as it is very different internally and has a new key map to cover new articulations. However - you can load a BFD2 key map into BFD3 just fine and BFD2 can co-exist on the same system as BFD3.

Are there any elements from BFD2 that cannot be loaded into BFD3?

Kit-piece presets from BFD2 cannot be loaded into BFD3 - this system has been replaced by Processed Drum presets - these allow you to save presets containing a loaded Drum along with Drum Editor and channel effects settings.

Also, the PSP Vintage Warmer effect introduced in BFD 2.1 has now been deprecated. The new DCAM Distortion effect features new algorithms which can be used for subtle warming as well as shredding distortion.

New Features

What's new in BFD3?

Some highlights include a new high detail 7-kit library, tom resonance and spill modelling, cymbal swell modelling and a new and more flexible interface with easier sound-browsing and an extendable width window. Parts of the kit can be tweaked more deeply, with much-improved damping, dynamics and humanization functions.

The mixer features new effects including a new high-quality algorithmic reverb and DCAM-modelled envelope-shaping and distortion effects. External signals can now be used for sidechaining purposes with certain effects. It also contains more comprehensive control over bleed signals, better overviews of effect and send settings for all channels, as well as the ability for simpler BFD Eco-style mixing.

The key mapping interface has been redesigned, with several new ways of mapping articulations as well as the ability to create velocity splits.

The Groove engine features a new set of high-quality Grooves by pro session drummers, with the Groove editor now providing a suite of drum rudiments for easy creation of your own patterns.

Please see the full 'What's New' document here.

What's new with the sounds?

BFD3 includes 4 kits recorded at Ocean Studios in LA, USA - these are geared towards... metal, indie, 70s rock and pop, but are versatile enough to be used for all kinds of styles with the right processing.

Kits 5-7 are recorded at Omega Studios in Maryland, USA - these feature a tight and clean sounding room and provide stick, brush and mallet versions of a Mapleworks custom kit. These are perfect for jazz, pop and many other genres.

The presets supplied with BFD3 provide a wide variety of resulting sounds with the included raw kits.

Tell me about the tom resonance modelling feature.

BFD3 contains physically modelled DSP algorithms which simulate the resonant behaviour of toms when kicks and snares in the kit are played. It also recreates the sound of kicks and snares bleeding into the tom mics without using actual recorded bleed signals for this purpose (this simulated bleed is known as 'spill' in BFD3. The benefit is that the modelled resonance and bleed vary depending on the loaded kick/snare as well as the toms themselves.

Bf3 Formal Charge

The purpose of these modelled resonances and bleed signals is to create a 'glue' for the entire kit which leads to a more realistic, organic and vibrant sound.

How about the cymbal swell feature?

BFD3's cymbal swell function offers several models of cymbal wash behaviour. It intelligently shapes cymbal articulations when played in frequent succession to emulate the buildup of energy when playing a real cymbal.

Sounds and Content

How detailed are the sounds?

BFD3 features new articulations: rim-clicks for Snares, rim-shots and rim-clicks for Toms and splashes and bells for hihats.

Many kits also feature additional ambient mic channels such as mono and hardware-compressed room channels, allowing greater mixing flexibility.

The following figures represent the maximum velocity layers per Drum class in the BFD3 Core Library:

Kicks: 60 Snares: 80 Toms: 50 Hihats: 65 Other: 50

How big can I make the kit in BFD3?

The kit in BFD3 is limited internally to 64 pieces with a maximum of 5 Drums from each Drum Class.

To achieve this kit size you must have enough system resources and you must be able to map all required articulations to notes within the 128 key range of a MIDI channel unless you only want to play the kit with BFD3's built-in Groove engine, which internally addresses each articulation directly without using MIDI notes.

Are there any brushed/mallet sounds in BFD3?

Yes - one of the kits is provided in brush and mallet versions.

How many toms or cymbals can I load?

You can load up to 5 floor toms, 5 mid toms, 5 rides, 5 crashes and so on. However, going beyond a certain number requires you to create additional MIDI mappings unless you only want to address them directly from the Groove engine.

What about kicks and snares?

Up to 5 kicks and 5 snares can be loaded, with access to all articulations as long as they are mapped to keys or accessed directly from the Groove engine.

Fxpansion Bfd3 Unlocked For Mac

What are articulations and velocity layers?

Bfd3 For Mac Download

Each drum, cymbal, hihat or percussion instrument within BFD3 features a number of articulations, each representing a way of playing the instrument.

Each articulation is recorded at gradually increased striking intensities from quiet to loud, with the range of samples designed to be addressed by the MIDI note velocity range. These individual recordings are called velocity layers.

How long do kits take to load?

Overall, kit loading times are comparable to those in BFD2. However, please bear in mind that BFD3's library features more articulations and audio channels. The BFD3 library is compressed on disk in a lossless format, so data is quicker to load from disk.

In addition, BFD3's loading routine has been improved - it now loads velocity layers more intelligently across the kit so that each Drum is playable more quickly.

What's this about compression?

BFD3's library is stored in a proprietary lossless compressed audio format, meaning that it consumes less disk space and resources when being streamed during playback. The CPU load for the decompression process is insignificant.

If the BFD3 Core Library was to be stored without compression, it would use approx. 160GB on disk.

Mixing and Effects

Can BFD3's effects be used outside BFD3?

No - this is not possible.

Does BFD3 support hosting of VST or AU plugins for internal effects?

No, but it features a wide range of high-quality internal effects.

Each channel in the mixer can be routed to a discrete output for processing in your host or with outboard hardware.

Is there built in artificial reverb as well as the natural ambience channels?

Yes - the effects suite includes 4 Overloud Breverb algorithms as well as a new reverb developed in-house called FXverb.

FXverb is based on the Diffusor algorithm found in Bloom and is expanded to provide versatile and high-quality reverb sounds.

Bfd3 Mac Download

Can you put separate EQ and compression on each drum?

Yes - there are 6 effect slots per mic channel, plus the ability to create further aux channels for sub-group processing.

I see a 'DCAM' logo on some of the effects. What's this?

DCAM is our proprietary analogue circuit modeling technology, and stands for 'Discrete Component Analogue Modeling'. DCAM enables us to build virtualized electronic circuits in code, the results of which are superbly authentic. The compressors in BFD3 are very realistic models of 2 of the most well-known studio compressors ever, and sound great even at extreme settings. The effects suite also includes DCAM-modelled envelope shaping, distortion and resonant filtering.

I like to use group busses and side-chained effects in my mixes. Can I do that any of that in BFD3?

Yes. Aux channels can be freely created in the mixer, to which the outputs from multiple channels can be routed. Signals can also be routed as parallel sends. Certain effects, such as the Bus Compressor, can be sidechained from any other signal in the mixer. BFD3 also includes an external sidechain input for using with sidechain-enabled effects.

Does the standalone support multiple outputs?

Yes, if your audio interface features multiple outputs, the standalone application will support them.

Technical Information

What operating systems are supported by BFD3?

On Mac, BFD3 supports Mac OSX 10.9 or later versions. On Windows, BFD3 v3.2.3.3 supports Windows 7 or later versions. BFD3 v3.3.0.32 (Beta) supports Windows 8.1 or later.

Older OS versions may work, but we cannot support or test for them.

Do I have to install all the content?

Yes, although 3 detail levels are available for the installation.

Can I use my own samples in BFD3?

Yes - you can import your own sets of mono or stereo multi-velocity samples.

Will my BFD2 and expansion pack content work in BFD3?

Yes - the BFD2 and BFD 1.x libraries, and all other BFD-compatible expansion packs - are usable after they have been specified within BFD3's content locations (data paths). If you have already authorized your expansion packs for use on your system, you will not need to re-authorize them for use with BFD3.

I'm having problems with adding expansion packs to my BFD3 installation - please help?

Each content location can have either a /Data or /Audio sub-folder - not both.

If any of your specified content locations features both a /Data and /Audio sub-folder, the easiest way to overcome the issue is to create a new folder elsewhere, move the /Audio folder to it, then add and activate the new folder as another content location.

If you are continuing to use BFD2 on your system to load older sessions, the new folder should also be added to your BFD2 data paths after which the database must be rescanned.

If in any doubt regarding this procedure, please contact our support team who will be happy to assist you.

Is there any latency built into BFD3?

No - there is no latency involved when using BFD3 apart from that inherent within your audio card itself.

Does BFD3 support 64-bit architecture?

BFD3 supports 64-bit and 32-bit on Windows and 64bit on OSX.

Does BFD3 support / take advantage of multi core CPUs?

Yes - BFD3 complies fully with your DAW's multi-core CPU management.

Can I run BFD3 on a DAW with no Internet connection?

Yes, as long as you have access to a machine somewhere with Internet connectivity and a means of moving a small key file between the two machines (a USB flash memory key, CDRW, floppy disk or iPod for example).

Does BFD3 support PowerPC processors on Mac?

No - on MacOSX, BFD3 works with Intel processors only.

Is the sandboxing functionality in Garageband X or later supported by FXpansion products?

At this time, it is not possible to use FXpansion products in Garageband X or any other DAW/host which uses sandboxing. It is unlikely that this will change in the foreseeable future.

Can BFD3 be set to lower detail settings to save memory even if I installed the full detail version of the library?

Yes - BFD3's engine preferences lets you reduce the maximum number of velocity layers or run in 16-bit mode which halves the amount of RAM used by BFD3. It is also possible to adjust the sizes of buffers used by the streaming routines which can also substantially reduce RAM use.

BFD3 also allows you to save/load profiles of these engine settings, making it quick and easy to alter BFD3's settings for different working environments such as a less powerful laptop for working while travelling.

Is it possible to adjust the detail level of each part of the kit?

There are global preferences for detail settings and also a detail setting per Drum class so you can specify a single layer, 25%, 50% or the full set of velocity layers for all kicks, snares, toms, cymbals, hihats and percussion instruments.

How many data paths does BFD3 allow?

Unlimited paths across multiple drives.

Does BFD3 support drag-n-drop of grooves to hosts?

Yes, as MIDI or bounced audio.

Does the new Groove engine load existing MIDI drum file/performances into it?

Yes.

Can MIDI files be exported directly from BFD3?

Yes, via drag&drop direct to host, Finder, etc, or using the Save menu in the Groove page.

Can audio be exported directly from BFD3?

Yes, multi track audio rendering & export is built-in and extremely easy to use. You can export Grooves as audio, and also set up BFD3 to export what it's playing in sync with a host that is sending it MIDI. The export features allow you to 'record-arm' any channel in the BFD3 mixer - whether it is a direct mic channel, ambience channel or aux/master channel - so that the channel is exported as a discrete audio file. This means you can create multi-channel bounces very easily, which is something that not all hosts can do. The audio export features are built into the BFD3 interface itself, so you can use them either when running the plugin in a host or when using the standalone application.

Using Electronic Drums

Which electronic drumkits and MIDI controllers does BFD3 support?

BFD3 comes with factory mappings for the following:

Alesis ControlPad, DM5, DM5 Pro, Trigger I/O
Alternate Mode DrumKat, TrapKat
Clavia DDrum
KAT KT1, KT2
Korg Pad Kontrol
MAudio Trigger Finger
Roland TD-10, TD-11, TD-12, TD-15, TD-20, TD-20X, TD-3, TD-30, TD-4, TD-6, TD-8, TD-10, TD-12, TD-20, TD-3, TD-6, TD-8
Simmons SD1000
Yamaha DTX Multi12, DTX500, DTX502, DTX700, DTX900, DTXtreme

My E-Drum kit isn't on this list. Can I still use it?

Easy-to-use functionality is built in for setting up mappings for less common controllers like Zendrums, TrapKats, Mandala Drums, Hart, XDrum, Pintech, RET, Roland HD-1, HPDs and SPDs, Ion IED-1s etc., as well as customized or DIY controllers and modified versions of the factory supported controllers (e.g. TD brains with extra toms or cymbals from Roland or elsehwere).

You should be able to get a response comparable to your drum brain sounds as long as you have a suitable low-latency system on which to run BFD3.

Does BFD3 support positional sensing?

Yes - BFD3 supports positional sensing using a MIDI CC for snares - to switch between the hit/half-edge articulations.

Purchasing / Licensing

What kind of copy protection scheme is used?

This product features a challenge-response authorization system, with three installs on your own machines allowed simultaneously.

You do NOT need to have an internet connection on the computers on which it is installed.
You must, however, authorize the product before it can be used - there is no 'grace period' after installation.

We have tried very hard to make the authorization procedure as pain-free as possible. Please understand that it is necessary for safeguarding your investment in future development and user support.

Our products do not use iLok or any other unified protection scheme. We do not believe in such systems' security, and would rather not pass on their costs to our customers.

Can I use it on both my laptop and main machine?

Yes - you can install on up to 3 machines as long as only 1 is running it at any one time. Site / volume licensing is also available (POA - please contact us for details).

Do I need to re-authorize when installing the OS again or upgrading the OS/hardware?

A new major operating system version is enough of a change that the authorization system will require re-authing the product; point releases should be fine. Likewise, a significant hardware change will also require re-authorization. We will be monitoring the situation closely and adjusting the flexibility of the authorization system to get the best balance of copy protection and annoyance levels.

If reinstalling an existing OS without changing any hardware, you will be able to save the auth file and simply re-import it when authorizing the product again.

Do you allow license transfers?

Yes, however:

If you're the seller, you must contact us in advance of the sale. If you're the prospective second-hand buyer, you must check that the seller is cleared to sell. If in doubt, contact us.
There is a flat $50 fee per product for a license transfer, which can be purchased from our online shop.
Review copies, NFRs (Not For Resale copies, sometimes used for in-store demos), etc., cannot be transferred under any circumstances.
We reserve the right to refuse a license transfer request.

Once a transfer is authorised and the fee has been paid, the new owner is entitled to exactly the same upgrade paths and technical support resources as if they had bought the product new.