I've finally decided to switch to Superior Drummer 3

20 characters of Ha! :slight_smile:

Makes it easier to click on kit pieces and verify what’s loaded where.

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Not much of a hidden/power user feature :slight_smile: But yeah.

Its a problem a lot of these apps seem to have, the insistence on a big kit graphic, that while cool, and shows some aspects, doesnt really offer a whole lot compared to screen space they take up.

Clicking on a kit piece and scrolling thru other drums with a mousewheel would be convenient maybe? Maybe having a level slider that pushes the damping material closer to the skin or something? Grabbing the mic in the room and moving it (which BFD used to have IIRC). Adding more bass traps to the room graphic dampens the ambient/room sound?

Just seems like a lot of space barely being used in nearly all these apps, from what I can tell. I realise it could get cluttered quick but thats for the designers to resolve! Not me! :slight_smile:

Geriatric.
It’s an ‘Early 2009’ MacPro 2x2.93Ghz Quad. With 32 gig of RAM.

_

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@basrikke I’m guessing you populated the RAM slots with either 4x4GB, or 2x8GB per CPU? In case you weren’t aware, in these Mac Pro’s it’s advised to run the RAM in “Triple Channel Mode”. That is, You populate the first 3 RAM slots per each CPU and leave the 4th slot vacant. You gain around a 5% (?) performance boost with the RAM this way, as opposed to using all 4 slots.

It’s advised to only use all 4 RAM slots if you’re actually going to be utilizing all/most of the memory.

I really like that!..(20…)

Thanks, Fender. I have no idea how the RAM slots were populated at the time when I got this machine. But I do know I often need as much memory as there’s available because I frequently work on large mock-orchestral pieces which, as I’m sure you know, eat up all the RAM they can grab.

But the configuration of my current machine is no longer something I’m giving any thought. In a few weeks time, it’ll be replaced. Looking back, this old machine has served me extremely well over the past 13 years. But it really is time for a change. And the biggest reason for that move is not so much the RAM, but the fact that on this 2009 Mac I can no longer update essential software: my UAD software (to drive the Apollo Quad interface and an UAD-2 PCI-card) is hopelessly stuck at a version from several years ago (and I can’t run their latest release of native plugins either), and so is LogicPro. Several other plugin brands also require a more recent OS than I can run. No-longer-supported and not-yet-supported connectivity is another growing problem. And the massively increased power of the new Mac will also be most welcome because I’ll finally be able to enjoy the Acustica Aqua plugins, of which I have quite a few, a lot more than I’ve been able to thus far.

Thanks again.

@basrikke There are actually a couple things you can do to get more performance out of that machine. The firmware can be “flashed” to a 5,1 (2010/2012) model.

This does a few things. First, it allows you to upgrade the CPU’s to 6-core Xeons, giving you a huge performance upgrade. Using these type Xeons will allow your RAM to run at 1333 MHz, instead of 1066 MHz, another nice performance boost.

You can then run macOS versions past El Capitan, including up to Monterey (with Open Core). Then you can take advantage of METAL capable GPU’s and also have NVMe boot support in High Sierra+.

You’re probably set with getting a new machine, but just thought I’d mention this stuff, as you could’ve been enjoying more performance all along.

Have you tried to opencore the machine? Worked amazingly for my mid 2009 Mac Pro that was already boosted to be 2012 compatible. Then I ran into the same problem as a cubase user I could not use the latest version on Mojave OS, so I used open core and the machine is now on Big Sur and cubase 12 pro running liek a boss. I can even got to Moneterey with opencore but for now I am happy with Big Sur, will do Monterey only when I really have to.

sorry this was for @basrikke

https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/MODELS.html#mac-pro

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sorry only saw this after i posted :wink:

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Much appreciated, Fender and Smith.

I’m certainly not planning to throw my current Mac away once the new one arrives, so there’s a good chance that one day, I’ll do something with your great suggestions. (I already did a firmware update a year or two ago to be able to install High Sierra; in its original state, the 2009 would indeed allow nothing beyond El Capitan.) Open Core is something I know absolutely nothing about. I’ll do some reading.

Thanks again!

_

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I like the sound of that - Fender & Smith, wouldn’t mind an endorsement haha!

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Good double act name. I propose a double A side split single with a double act I manage, Shatner and Fritzl :wink:

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Just call it Fendersmith= Someone who works on fenders

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I agree re: The Sunk Cost Fallacy.

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Well said, I fully agree. Only with BFD was I able to rediscover the sounds and cymbals of Edward Vesala’s LPs. Too bad I can’t use BFD3 now (I too have Mac Studio with Monterey - Logic Pro 10.7.7, AU plugin that loops when searching for data)…

You guys know you can have a copy of the M1 beta version?

I’ll try and find the message with the link but it’s been available for a while now.

Steve

Edit… found it

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I completely agree. It’s true that Superior Drummer may have a more visually appealing look, and it wouldn’t be fair to say it sounds bad, but BFD surpasses it in many aspects. However, it is a software that requires more learning time and doesn’t have the same attractive appearance as the competition. It’s a shame that after so many years, we haven’t seen at least a new version with an updated graphical interface and some subtle improvements. I believe many users would have appreciated that. As a suggestion, I also agree that the sampling of cymbals should be taken care of as it doesn’t feel entirely convincing, and the normalization of different samples and elements should be improved (some sounds are too loud while others are too low). I believe there is an opportunity for a BFD4, and it should exist.

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It is coming, end of 2024 to early 2025.

Steve

We’re already into May and the BFD Player still hasn’t been released yet. I’m going with late 2025 for a BFD4 release. Unless they have a dedicated team working on BFD4 behind the scenes, which I doubt.