The BFD3 GUI might not have been as ascetically pleasing to some, but I found it far more useful since it displays the rooms mics and adjustments you make. Would be nice if they updated dynamically instead of having to double-click the screen. Would be even better if you could use the GUI to make adjustments.
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I felt the same way about the BFD3 UI when it first came out. I never upgraded because of it and just wound up moving on to Slate for a while. Now that I’ve been using it for almost a year now, I’ve adjusted nicely and don’t mind it at all. It’s superior to BFD2 and Slate for that matter, in almost every way.
And honestly, I’m not really spending my time staring at the drums in Kit view. Once I’ve got my preset loaded, the plugin window is closed and I’m working on the MIDI in my DAW.
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@Fender_Bender
@SF_Green
I definitely agree that it’s a superior-sounding product to everything else I have. I will be closing the plugin window as much as possible, but at the moment it is crashing Logic every time, so I can’t use it in my DAW at all, only Standalone. I’m still waiting for tech support to see if they can get it working. From reading this forum, it seems to have more issues on a mac than PC, and I’m running Catalina. Usually I manage to fix problems myself, but as Logic crashes every time without even issuing a Crash Report, I am unable to see what the problem is.
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Hey, sorry for the slow reply.
The License Manager downloads installers and once you run them, you can choose where the content gets installed - it is 100% possible to have software on the OS drive and content on another drive. That’s pretty much how everyone does it these days. BFD totally supports this.
You just need to make sure you have enough space to download it (there is also a download location preference in License Manager) and then run the installer. Once it is installed, authorized, and working, you can delete the downloaded installer - or back it up.
Hi Drew,
Thanks for the response. When I tried to do it like that, it just wouldn’t work. Everything is now successfully installed on my external drive, which is fine, but I still have two issues. I sent you a direct message about these problems and wonder if you might be able to help. It’s been a week and still no word from InMusic and BFD3 is still crashing Logic running Catalina each time you try to select it
Dean
Velocity affects timing. A lot of drummers tend to very slightly rush their accents, and delay their softer hits. This would work best on a per kit-piece basis. You typically would want this to affect hi-hats differently than it affects a kick.
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Add more mono/stereo outputs DAW. I currently use up just about all the mono outputs when direct routing and that’s with bussing all toms to a stereo track. If you have a large kit with a lot of kick, snare, toms and cymbal channels, there’s no way you can route everything on it’s own channel.
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We need Apple Silicon Native Support ASAP, please. I’ve been buying and using BFD every version since v1 and paid a lot more than $49 for each upgrade.
Sincerely hoping a move to Toontracks will not be necessary.
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Along with that, routing/mixer presets that I can load without altering the effects chain. I like to get a quick stereo kit up for writing, and then break it out to a full fledged mixer later in the process. This is especially true when I use VEP, which sometimes necessary under ProTools.
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Yeah, earlier in this thread I mentioned the lack of routing presets. Keeping that separate from the mixer is definitely the best way to go. Steven Slate Drums has this and it’s a big time saver.
My workflow in PT is similar to yours. Compose with a single stereo output and then multi-out to record later. When I have time, I’m going to make some PT session templates just for my BFD3 kits, so I can quickly import once I’ve decided on a kit for a session. That way the routing is ready to go.
I know this is probably overkill, but how about giving some slightly tensioned up and down samples for the snares? I know there’s the tuning feature, but I’m talking changing the actual tension of the top and bottom heads. Wouldn’t have to be much… maybe a few 1/8, or 1/4 turns around the lugs, up and down in pitch.
I just watched a cool video from Creative Sound Lab and he tightened the bottom head slightly and loosened the top. He said it was something he read about Bonham doing. It really brought some more life out of it.
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Just so you know, you can’t watch in the frame: people will need to click through and go to YouTube to watch. It is available there still
Thanks for that. I didn’t realize. I got rid of the embedded player and just left the text instead. Did you watch it? Pretty neat, huh? I’ve watched some of his other mixing vids, but didn’t know he was a solid drummer as well.
Think you can do it this way to just inbed the link and the the player
Drum Tuning - Why the Bottom Snare Head Matters More
Yeah just use the link icon, enter URL and title, and that does it
Yeah, good video. Haven’t worked with live drums much since I was much younger and used to play my brothers kit some. Definitely changed the tone of the drum. Cheers.
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Fixed. Thanks mate. I’m not real savvy with this stuff, but now I know.
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Great video, if this can be achieved then it would be well worth looking into it. The only thing that makes me think you are correct about it being overkill, is that with software the bottom head of the snare or any other drum is never going to fall out of tune like it does in reality.
A minor thing but whilst previewing a groove and wanting to here it with different kits I realised that the arrows in the dashboard are only for presets and not kits.
It would be useful if, when changing from the presets to the kits tab, the dashboard changed in order to reflect that and the arrows could then be used to go from kit to kit.
Whilst you’re at it, perhaps have it do the same for the kit piece tab too 
Steve
@Steve63 Wait, I thought you said you don’t really use the grooves? 
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What can I say, guilty as charged 
When I said, ‘really’ I meant it’s a very rare thing but it has been known to happen.
I have too many grooves from 20 years of freebies.
Obviously most of the ones that shipped with BFD and its expansions relate to particular kits and are suited for those kits and genres.
Steve
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