BFD recently released an update of its drum VST, dropping BFD 3.5. Allan Leibowitz checked out the new, expanded version.
FXpansion’s BFD 3 was launched back in 2013, so it certainly has been a long time between drinks and much has changed in the VST space in the past dozen years.
When BFD 3 was launched, internet bandwidth was still limited, so some of us actually got the 41 GB package on a USB stick. Now, the update, which weighs in at over 55 GB, is only available via download, using the inMusic Software Center as the delivery mechanism.
What’s in the box
The virtual box contains a full version of BFD 3.5 which will overwrite parts of the original plug-in and add some extra bits.
The download, installation and authorisation is fairly intuitive, although it does require a lot of storage, which will be a challenge for MacBook Air owners; and due to its size, it also takes quite a while. In my case, the Core Library download took around four hours.
The new era of sample sharing has led to some beefed-up product security, and this means a few minutes watching circles on your screen as BFD checks your licence and authorisation every time you use it, which can be annoying when you’re keen to start playing. I would be happy to go through this tedious process the first time I fired up the program, but it seems unnecessary to endure the two-minute or more delay every time you use BFD – even on the same computer.
Bigger and better
According to BFD, the new version introduces an enhanced engine and “best-in-class features designed to push realism and sonic customization even further”.
The most notable upgrade is in sheer bulk: the new expanded Core Library delivers 51 kits and 60 presets, a huge jump from the previous seven kits. There’s a redesigned workflow, advanced modelling technology, a new mixer and sound browser, Apple Silicon AAX support, cross-platform VST 3 compatibility and a new Microphone Inspector panel.
I had been hoping for a new graphic user interface with more realistic kit representations, but alas, that part of the design is unchanged.
In action
There’s a lot going on in the main BFD 3.5 screen, but you can declutter it by hiding the browser panel, a column on the left-hand side where you select presets, kits, individual instruments and grooves. When that’s closed, you get a much clearer view of the kit you have selected and mixer panel which dominates the lower half of the workspace.
The main kit section of the screen shows a bird’s eye view of the kit, represented in a white and blue line drawing on a black background. You can choose from a drummer or audience view – essentially, drummer at the bottom of the screen looking up or at the top looking down. This is only really relevant when you start messing with the panning – i.e. if you pan left, is that audience left or drummer left?
You select kit pieces by clicking on them. Clicking also auditions the selected drum or cymbal – and the zone, such as head/rim or bell, bow or edge. Clicking also highlights the instrument in the mixer panel where you can adjust the volume, effects, sends and “tweaks” (tuning, decay and dampening). And a double-click in the instrument image in the fader opens the Drum panel, where you select an alternative drum or cymbal. This workflow is unchanged from the previous version and frankly doesn’t need any alteration – it works well for drummers, especially for making changes on the fly.
I suspect that lots of drummers will rely on the presets and not venture too far into the sonic editing, but there are lots of options for sound shaping in the Effects tab. There are 48 audio effects, including 13 AIR Music Tech effects such as AIR Compressor, AIR Lo-Fi (Decimator), AIR Distortion, AIR Dyn3 Compressor, AIR Economy Reverb, AIR Expander, AIR Maximizer, AIR Non-Linear Reverb, AIR Saturation Filter, AIR Spring Reverb, AIR Stereo Reverb, AIR Transient, and AIR Tube Drive. These can be applied either to individual inputs or globally.
MIDI maps
As e-drummers, one of the key requirements of any sample pack is MIDI compatibility. And here, BFD 3.5 is a mixed bag.
There is a huge collection of ready-made MIDI maps, including custom maps for some unlikely modules like the 25-year-old Clavia ddrum, the now-discontinued NFUZD, 2box DrumIt 5 and even Aerodrums. But you won’t find the Roland V71, Yamaha DTX Pro or Pearl mimicPro.
That said, the MIDI Learn function is intuitive and allows you to quickly allocate notes to drums and cymbals simply by striking them and selecting the appropriate articulation. Speaking of articulations, I couldn’t find options like left and right drum hits (which are becoming more common in high-end triggers and modules), but you will find sounds like flams and drags for snares as well as the usual bow/bell/edge/choke for cymbals and very detailed open to closed layers for the hi-hat.
The sounds
Of course, regardless of the bells and whistles, any VST comes down to its samples.
While I wasn’t a huge fan of BFD in any of its past iterations, I have to say that I sat up and took note of this one.
Firstly, the range of sounds is impressive – 51 kits ranging from brushes and mallets to metal and hard rock, with even more spice thanks to the 60 different presets.
Sadly, I have not been able to obtain a comprehensive list of instruments sampled for the Core Library, but flipping through the drum browser tab, one finds a range for kick drums including a DW Mardi Gras, a Ludwig Stainless Steel and others from Pork Pie, Mapleworks and Gretsch. The snares include a Ludwig Supraphonic, Mapex Black Panther, Tama Bell Brass and Tempestra, among others. Note that a number of iconic snares are absent, but the presets manage to squeeze a wide variety of sounds out of the fairly limited snare arsenal, so there’s nothing significant “missing”. The same is true of the tom selection – not a huge range, but a variety of tunings and articulations. In the case of the Mapleworks kits, there are up to six toms, with tunings from almost octabon pitch to kettle drum range. I was particularly impressed with the long-ringing decay of some of the bigger drums.
On the cymbal side, the producers have conjured up an impressive sonic range with another fairly limited selection. The pies include many of the usual suspects – Zildjian A (Sweet, Rock) along with some choice instruments for Bosphorus and Paiste. And again, there is some variety here with a number of instrument samples with brushes and mallets as well as sticks.
And there are close to two dozen percussion samples, from tambourines to cowbells.
The sounds are excellent, and the sampling seems deep. I have seen mentions of 80 velocity layers per articulation, all controlled though the improved built-in round-robin playback.
As a covers drummer, I was able to find almost perfect matches for everything in my song list – without any need for additional tweaking. (Admittedly, I’m not playing Phil’s In The Air Tonight, but I’m confident that could be dialled up.)
What is disappointing is that BDF is so vague about the contents of the new expanded pack, with very little information available about the new kits, and the samples (for example, are these new recordings or are these merely reworked from the BFD 3.0 Core Library?). Sure, I don’t expect them to divulge proprietary information like the number of samples and velocity layers (although many manufacturers shout these out), but surely a simple list of kits and instruments is not too much to ask?
Overall
BFD 3.5 is a very large (in file size) addition to the decade-old seven-kit BFD 3 offering. It boasts almost a 10-fold expansion in preset kits, along with a slightly tweaked user interface.
However, much of BFD 3 remains the same – the look and feel are very similar, so there will be a very shallow learning curve for those who upgrade.
For new users, the layout and functionality will be easy to navigate – very similar to most other VSTs.
BFD 3.5 plays well out of the box, once you select the appropriate MIDI map. However, those using the pack with the very latest e-drum modules may be scratching their heads about the included stock maps which include some of the oldest and most obscure drum brains out there while ignoring some popular new offerings. However, the powerful and intuitive MIDI learn function does compensate for any missing presets.
At the end of the day, VSTs are all about the sounds, and in this case, there are lots of them, they are highly editable and they sound pretty darn good.
Like most VSTs, BFD 3.5 is highly playable right out of the blocks. Even those who know nothing about audio editing will be able to come up with credible sounds for almost any genre.
And those who like tinkering will have lots of fun with the Kit, Effects, Sends and Tweaks options.
If you’ve overlooked BFD in the past, this iteration may make you reconsider. And maybe inMusic, BFD’s parent, will take this review on board and release more information about the kits and the sampled instruments to make it easier to decide if this one’s for you or not.
BFD 3.5 is a free upgrade for those with a full BFD 3 licence. And for everyone else, there are plenty of deals around. For example, I’ve seen one offer for €64.45 (against a list price of €197.34) or US$59 (down from $199). At that kind of price, it’s well worth trying!
