BFD 3

BFD is the cumulation of what a sample based drum VST instruments can be.

fxpansion has created an organic drum machine that can be played/programmed, and is the first serious drum synth to address programmed grooves that aren't hackneyed.

A drum kit is pictured in the upper middle part of the interface. Click on it and you see the kit outline you will design. You have choices, tons of them. The easiest is to load one of 7 preset 'kits'. These kits contain a typical studio drum setup with layered, ultra-high quality drum samples. You can make your own kits by selecting each drum/cymbal. When loaded, the included kit samples are astonishingly detailed with hundreds of samples. Each drum has enormous sound potential with samples cross layered using velocity maps. Any given drum can contain four or five musical techniques. This provides for extreme realism. BFD offers total control with stero, all drum tracks and all mikes for each drum. Nothing comes close to BFD's attention to detail.

There is a section for microphone settings including direct, overhead, room, pzm and master sliders. These settings enhance realism and sound shaping. On each side of the interface there are icon buttons. The left has icons of various drums such as hi-hat, snare, bass, toms, cymbals (3 including either ride or crash). It's important to emphasize BFD's character demonstrated in these individual drums. You can play selected drum to hear it's timbral changes. Pan, pitch, dynamics, trim and tune controlss are available per drum.

To the right are many options for control of drum kits including key mapping, system options, play options, quantizing and humanizing for velocity and timing. The options are stylishly graphic and at times fun (a beatnick turns into an alien as you change velocity/timing). And for automated use you can select grooves, fills and shuffle...and this is just setting up the drum kit and how it will play. If you have drum pads or a kit like V-Drums you get an even better feel for the quality of BFD's multisamples. Playing live, the articulations have a 'real' feel to them. Add that you can save your own kits and we've covered only half of what BFD does.

There are hundreds of grooves and fills in all kinds of musical styles. You drag and drop, program or edit grooves too. While pre-programmed grooves may sound like the cheesy drum machines of old, BFD is vastly different. You can use these grooves as is or create your own gooves and fills which save as midi files.

CONCLUSION
The drum kits are beautifully sampled with many noted drummers playing or programming the grooves. Think of a style/kit and you'll find it. There are several ways to create performances. Play them, use grooves or a mix of both. Even if you are rhythm challenged BFD delivers with great sounding drums and styles that work better than any drum solution available. It is a must have if you take you drum tracks seriously. BFD offers many features found nowhere else.Read Review