I am wondering if there is much love out there for BFD3 and it’s use in Cubase. I have heavily invested in BFD3 with many add on kits and kit pieces. I am thinking that sharing info, tips and techniques might be helpful. I tend to use BFD as a multi out instrument with all the processing and mixing done in Cubase and using the best plugins I have it still sounds great. inMusic have bought BFD and I have had an email from one of the developers Sam Morris who assures me development is continuing.
I would be glad to hear from interested in this subject.
Great! I have just migrated to a new computer and was worried that I might have issues with BFD3. However, the most difficult issue was getting BFD to see some of the Kits. Luckily everything is sorted now. I also bought three of the Chocolate Audio kits as they were all on offer. The Imperial and the Modern Retro on the Fxpansion site and and the contemporary Vintage from Chocolate Audio. They were all half price and really excellent.
I also have:
Jazz Noir
Vintage Recording Techniques
Horsepower
Virtually Erskine
Jazz & Funk
Oblivion
Metal Snares/Wooden Snares
Modern Drummer Snares
Platinum Samples:
Jim Scott Rock Drums 2
Andy Johns Classic Drums
As you can see I am not keen on moving to another Drum Plugin.
I am using all the outputs from BFD in the Cubase mixer, as you have probably seen from other posts.
Do you use WYSIWYG? I love that thing! I’m currently in the process of saving some presets of the instrument in Cubase (different kits, different effects, different mix, inserts per channel etc.), I’m a little bummed that I can’t have groups saved in the multi-preset. Do you have any tricks for that? Or do I have to re-evaluate my thinking process and do as much routing from within BFD?
Edit: Argghhh, the installation of kits is always a mess.
Well yes I do and the main thing is to create them in a Template. Even if you eventually want to change the kit it is jut a case of allocating the outputs from BFD. I have a strict output allocation
I f I am using the Ambient channels rather than a different reverb I will sometimes allocate the individual room mics or any extra snare mic to the remaining mono outputs. It is unfortunate that the track presets cannot recreate the group tracks. However it is not too much of a bother if you have set things up with the template.
I often use parallel compression using two group tracks, depending on the sound I want.
To be honest I am still learning and any new trick is worth learning.
I too use templates, but I have a large collection of previous projects, so I use Import Tracks From Project a lot. That can preserve groups, folders, outputs, inserts, sends, FX and fader balance. Since so much of BFD is set up in a similar way for project after project, it is a huge time-saver.
Wow! You have your fair share. I only have the Maple Jazz as an add-on. I have BFD since the beginning, and upgraded to 2, and then 3, so I don’t know how much of an overlap (if any) exists between the basic libraries and the add-ons. It’s the main thing that gives me pause when I’m checking out the expansions, as I see many similar kit pieces. What’s up with that?
Are the expansions completely different content? Do you find yourself in a situation where you have for example two Supraphonic snares where one is a “dud” (meaning less velocity layers, less articulations)? That would be very useful to know.
Actually, I’m still using BFD2, which is perfectly working here, even with pro 11.0.10. Glad to read that the development keeps going on, as I’m still considering the upgrade, though not seeing what the 3rd generation brings which could justify the update cost (315 € ?), this, withe rather cryptic ‘Installation size’ parameter.
Whoa! I paid 120-ish? (It was 130ish if you wanted a usb stick shipped.)
Was the flac tool in 2? I don’t remember? Maybe that’s why they’re giving iffy installation sizes? The flac tool really brings the size down.
Seems that it was a Fxpansion site issue : closing and reloading it, I see now 135 € for the BFD3 Upgrade from BFD2 (download). So, problem solved, in a way.
The ‘Installation size’ issue remains : I don’t remember the flac tool, but maybe because I never had to use it : will have to look at this one. Beside this, if I choose the Medium one, will I be able to “update” to Full later on, if needed and without destroying the settings already done ?
The Chocolate Audio kits are new so I am learning what they can do. The sound is great and the drum room seems very nice. The snares are great and recorded really well. I am not so worried about overlap as there are always differences, mics, rooms tuning etc that makes it interesting to swap when you want a different sound. I really love the Metal Snares and use them a lot. I never loaded the snare off versions as I have no interest in that sound. I don’t think there are many snares that sound the same. Just changing the snare can do more to change the feel of a track than just about anything else.
I forgot to mention that I have both of the Signature Snares and the Sleishman Snares.
I would also add that I got everything when there were sales over quite a number of years.
The BFD3 sample use a compression algorithm that makes quite a difference to the download size. The only thing I know about the Installation size is that the difference in loudness between each velocity level is more noticeable and the round robins don’t vary quite as much.
If you are prepared to download again you should be able to install the full kit. I have done this with a kit that was not loading properly. I moved the kit folder out of the BFD folder just in case then downloaded and installed the Full installation. The reason for moving is my niggling doubt that it will over-install and not simply add the files.
In some ways maybe and I am sure you are right. However, I am very invested, I know how it works and get good results in the Cubase mixer. The expansion kits sound very good. There are a lot more Grooves in BFD 3. Plus at the minute I am living in hope of a BFD4. SD is quite expensive and the expansions aren’t cheap either.
What @raino is talking about is the paint tool in the groove editor. You can arm it with a rudiment (a paradiddle for example). Now, when you click and drag, you will be adding those 4 paradiddle hits, and dragging up down affects their relative velocities. The 4 notes comprising the paradiddle already have different velocities(!), so this tool makes writing a groove much more natural and quick.
I wish Cubase had this tool in the drum editor, it’s really powerful!