I want to record each track in the mixer into separate tracks in DP in one pass.
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Select all of the BFD3 mono channel outputs you want. Hold down Shift+Option(?) and choose mono1 as an output. That should add separate mono outputs to all those channels in ascending order. Repeat the same process for any stereo channel you want routed. You are limited to 16(?) separate outputs per mono and stereo, so be mindful of that. Depending on the size of the kit, you may not be able to route all BFD3 outputs in one pass.
In your DAW, the process should be similar for the inputs. With the mono tracks selected in DP, holding down Shift+Option on a input should bring up plugin. Navigate to BFD3 mono1 and it should automatically route the other inputs. Repeat for stereo tracks.
This is how it works for me in Pro Tools. Should be similar, though the key commands you hold down may be different. You’ll have to experiment. Otherwise, you can do each track one by one, but that is tedious. Once you have the BFD3 output routing, I suggest saving that as a new preset so you can easily pull up that routing.
This is how I have my bundles and BFD set up for multiple outputs into DP:
| DP | BFD | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1+2 | Master | Master |
| 3+4 | Stereo 2 | Overheads |
| 5+6 | Stereo 3 | Ambience (PZMs) |
| 17 | Mono 1 | Room |
| 19 | Mono 2 | Direct Hat |
| 21 | Mono 3 | High High Tom |
| 23 | Mono 4 | Low High Tom |
| 25 | Mono 5 | High Mid Tom |
| 27 | Mono 6 | Low Mid Tom |
| 29 | Mono 7 | Low Tom |
| 31 | Mono 8 | Floor Tom |
| 33 | Mono 9 | Snare 2 Top |
| 35 | Mono 10 | Snare 2 Bottom |
| 37 | Mono 11 | Snare 1 Top |
| 39 | Mono 12 | Snare 1 Bottom |
| 41 | Mono 13 | Kick 2 In |
| 43 | Mono 14 | Kick 2 Out |
| 45 | Mono 15 | Kick 1 In |
| 47 | Mono 16 | Kick 1 Out |
Thank you Joseph and I mean it sincerely (20 characters)
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Thanks Fender=Bender. I appreciate the information.
Where are you selecting all the bfd mono channels at one time within BFD3? In the mixer? I just got back into recording after stepping away from what use to be the buisness of music. I use to route channels into separate tracks in DP one by one from BFD. At the time if I did that, it negated using the effects in BFD. Is there a way to integrate the separate tracks with BFD effects on them into DP11 by routing them to individual tracks and then to a master bus in DP11 to use third party plugins in tandem with BFD effects?
@Bos You can Command-Click on each channel to select and highlight them (teal color). Then, hold down Option+Shift and click at the bottom on the name of the first track, probably the kick in. That brings up a pop-up menu where you can choose the output. If you select the Mono 1 output with the key commands held, BFD3 will automatically assign the rest of your selected tracks to their own mono outputs. The same applies for tracks with stereo outputs.
If you have Global FX turned on, then those tracks routed to your DAW will output with the FX. Keep in mind that when you route the mono direct channels this way, the Master bus channel for those direct mono mics is not used, so if you had FX on a bus, that will not get routed/recorded.
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Can I rout the ambient channels and master the same way?
I think that may have been a ridiculous question. I think I would have to route to a master as well. It would be functioning like a bus in DP? So… I don’t think I could access the effects on a master rail in BFD3?
@Bos Ambient channels, yes. The main output Master channel, no, not unless you have other channels going into it.
Basically, if you want to route any bus channels, there has to be other channels routed into them.
Ambient channels don’t because those have signals being sent into them via the sends and not channel outputs.
If you want a best of both worlds hybrid method with BFD3 FX and your DAW, I’d say route your kick, snare and tom Master channels and the ambient channels only. Then in your DAW, add any reverb and parallel aux tracks there, as it will probably sound much better than the verbs in BFD. And lastly, send all of those to a drum bus track for the overall processing. The drawback is that you won’t be able to adjust the direct mic levels, as they would already be summed to one track.
That’s not how I do things, but just throwing the idea out there. For serious projects, I do everything in Pro Tools, even if I’ve already worked on a kit with the BFD FX. I just use that for fun and if I’m jamming or something.
You mean the direct mic level going to the Ambient channels in BFD?
So I am sending the my Kik, snare, tom master channel and ambient channels with no effects into DP where I will add effects, sends, and bus them to bus channels then a master drum rail within DP? What about the direct cymbal channels in BFD? Do you run those out to DP as well?
Yes, the ambient send levels from any kit piece. The ones with the on/off button and a slider for the level.
The way I’m saying, is so you can record tracks in DP with the BFD FX on.
Yes, I forgot cymbals and the hi hat.
I think I’m just confusing the both of us. I don’t know how else to explain it and it’s hard without knowing what your preset looks like.
Personally, for me, other than the hat, I don’t use individual cymbal tracks. All of the cymbal information would be on the overheads, room and ambient tracks.
Sometimes, I won’t use tom tracks either. At simplest “mic” setup, I’ll have Kick (out), Snare (top), hat, room (I almost always have it in mono) and overheads.
My mono BFD3 Routing Only goes out up to 32. Where are you up to 47?
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This is just for Digital Performer. In DP’s Bundles, you can route 3-48, but, DP only recognizes 3-16 for stereo and 17-48 (odd numbers only) for mono routing.
In BFD, you have Master (which would correspond to DP’s 1&2) - this is the same as if you used the plugin’s output. You can route stereo 2-8 which corresponds to DP’s 3-16 and mono 1-16 that corresponds to DP’s 17-48 odd numbered channels.
I don’t use DP’s Aux channels, so, I’ve never learned how to route them. Probably to one of the 7 stereo routing pairs.
You seem to have some duplicate kick and snare channels? I am wondering why. If you could take a screenshot of your BFD mixers ambient routing I would really appreciate it. Understandable if you can’t.
Do you route all the individual PZM mic’s to stereo 3 out?
You can have two snare drums and two kick drums per drum kit. I have Kick drum 1 Out routed to BFD’s Mono 16 and DP’s 47. Kick 1 In 15/45. Kick 2 Out 14/43. Kick 2 In 13/41.
I may or may not be able to take a screen shot of that. In trying to remind myself of how this is set up, I realized that I did something dumb on the standalone BFD. I’ll see if I can take a screen shot in BFD within DP.
All of the kit pieces automatically are routed to their individual spot mics and also to the ambience mics, rooms mics and overhead mics. I just assign Ambience (which are the PZMs) to BFD’s Stereo 3. The Ambience is based on a pair of PZM mics picking up the kit from their location and not individual PZM mics micing each kit piece.
Thanks. I guess where I get confused is that it looks as though the rooms, overheads and PZM mic’s are all going the the ambient rail in BFD, so if you break them up and route the room, overhead, and pzm’s to individual outs in dp, do you then bus them to a master rail in dp for summing and processing as one ambient Chanel or is my interpretation of the BFD routing wrong?
If you did no routing at all, the individual mics would route to the master, the overheads, room mics and ambience mics would route to the “AmbMix” and that would route to the master.
With the routing capabilities, you can route before the “AmbMix” bus to have individual control of overheads, room mics and ambience mics outside of BFD (in your DAW).
You can either route them to your master bus in DP so they would be individual tracks, or, to a drum bus, or, any configuration you want. I usually have a submix bus for all of my tracks and have them all routed to that bus. If I were to set up a drum bus to be able to increase or decrease the gain of all of the drums at once, I might do that.