I’m definitely not a drummer - but I have been using BFD3/2 since around 2011. Sometimes my drummer friends couldn’t believe that the drums in my productions were programmed on a PC and not recorded by drummers. Regarding Steinberg: I’m a Cubase, Dorico and Wavelab user and I experience their products as being very reliable and stable - maybe because I’m a musician (and IT guy) - and not a drummer:-)
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Saying a program for drummers is an affrirmative statement, not there to say only a drummer can exploit it. the point is a new complex part of the application - audio to midi, which is complicated in a program like Cubase which has done for over a decade (drums, really? no) - in order to do something extraordinary it does in no way currently. in the midst of difficulties many are experiencing it struck me as a strange request. No need to do too much with that remark. I reiterate, please BFD don’t do it.
regarding steinberg, which is pandering to other DAW users’ feature requests sticking those in maintenance updates, and implementing bs which disrupts oldtimers muscle memory (double click deletion of notes in Key Editor so now I have to look for Note Expression in rightclick or up in the menu) and in an incomplete implementation of anyway.
I’m definitely not a coder, just a musician, so… think what you will about it
Its not that strange a request, I’d use audio to midi detection feature all the time in BFD, and I’d likely use it on samples way outside its remit 
As it stands, I just use some other bits of software that do it. Its a bit of tech that has been around for a while, and its not that complex to turn volume into velocity. ATM I do it in Reaper with a gate set to the frequency range of say the kick drum. Being able to feed audio into BFD and letting it try and figure out what drums to add could be a great way to get inspiration.
Whats going on with other DAWs isnt an indication of what goes on with BFD. Looking at BFD1 to now BFD 3.4, and there are multiple features that werent included in BFD1. Change is the only constant
Whats going on with BFD atm is just teething troubles switching companies, its a rather unique set of circumstances that hopefully wont be of relevance to whatever new version and new features we get. I dont think its a thing to consider when discussing our dreams for BFD
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in context, the remark is it struck me as strange because of the transition period we’re undergoing where people are having basic struggles, and I think it’s technologically ambitious. it asks for polyphonic audio-to-midi from drum sounds which are not often very identifiable as pitch. I would be happy to be shown how wrong my imagination of this is, but I like the thing being stable and solid, and I don’t agree with its place in this application particularly.
again, ‘program for drummers’ is an affirmative statement. if it’s taken as exclusionary language, that is interpretative, it’s not my statement at all. There is an attitude behind it, that’s pro-DIY and pro-self agency.
I’m not having stability issues at all from BFD3 that I can discern. I like this. I’m saying I think at this juncture that looks like a bad idea, at a crucial transition time. I would like the business to stay in business, it seemed very likely to me it would vanish soon.
also interpretative is ascribing “Whats going on with other DAWs isnt an indication of what goes on with BFD.” to my remark per Cubase. I did not state it was, that isn’t in there. I said please do not do this kind of reach, and gave what to me is a bit of a cautionary tale as an example of my own thinking.
“don’t be steinberg and pander,”
and I get “Regarding Steinberg: I’m a Cubase, Dorico and Wavelab user and I experience their products as being very reliable and stable - maybe because I’m a musician (and IT guy) - and not a drummer:-)”
I’m a musician.
I’m out of here. that’s not collegial worth a damn.
and the condescension
how do I log out, I don’t need this
I getcha. But we will be out of that transition period. This is a thread for what we would dream about having in BFD4, and obviously top of everyones list would be stable and solid 
There is a whole bunch of apps that do this already. And with a gate set to particular frequencies, one can fairly easily get just the kick coming thru, or just the hihats. Obviously this method becomes less useful around toms and snares, but Drumagog was surprisingly good when I tried it a while back.
https://producerhive.com/buyer-guides/vst/best-drum-replacement-plug-ins-and-software/
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My main beef about using BFD3 in VE Pro is the lack of mono channels. Having to fake them with half a stereo is totaly non-portable and counter-intuitive. It makes setup such a chore. Also, since the grooves and groove engine are part of the composition, it’s a nuisance to have them outside of the project.
I was merely intending to chat about why it might not be a strange idea. No condescension intended, all smiles and good intentions here
I did not intend to be offensive in any way. Initially I just answered the OP’s question: “What do people want from a BFD4? Let’s get some ideas going!” And the audio to midi thing is something I want. I think it was You who started to qualify my wish as “strange” …
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Agree with the name prefix for locating and identifying which kit/preset belongs to which expansion pack. 
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I would like to see an update to the GUI so it is adjustable in size and also it is scalable so the while you could drag out corners/top/bottom/sides you could zoom in and out to meet your needs and also have a Save View function.
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Is colour coded mixer faders available in BFD3? If not then a good idea.
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Able to use 3rd party fx plugs in the fx on all channels in the mixer eg UAD McDSP plugs.
Thanks
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I loved the ambience sounds in bfd2 so could you make those available as an option in BFD4. Maybe multiple ambience options like a few different overheads to swap out in the mixer. Instead of loading verbs as sends. Possible or not I don’t know. Are they recorded sounds or fx?
I loved BFD from the very first time I tried it years ago with BFD1 so any improvement is awesome.
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I would like to have BFD4 in a drum module for E-drums. Our drummer uses a roland TD50 with BFD3 on his MacBook and it sounds better than the TD50 for our requirements. So much more natural and musical. The only option to compare to BFD is the Pearl Mimic and that has a limit to it and the sounds are great but a BFD version of this would be the new standard I think. Everyone has there own needs but BFD is so versatile and natural and musical it would be our pick of the (small) bunch available. I would want to see high end converters with a strong power supply to make them work properly, enough storage space for expansion kits and updates, USB3 for eternal drive, more than 5 snares as that is an average for drum modules from what I’ve seen so far, and individual outs . Trigger Inputs - 2 snares, 5 toms, 6 cymbals, hats, 4 percussion, and anything else you come up with. Mixer needs the basics like the OH Room and Ambience. The Pearl Mimic is almost there but lacks some extras including BFD. Also it should be compatible with usb/digital snare/hats/rides etc. The module could even be a half or full rack unit, possibly a versatile variation with expansion cards and TB I/O connection. Thanks for listening to all of us BFD users. 
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I often wondered why Roland or Yamaha or any of the other popular eDrum manufacturers didn’t approach FXpansion to go into some kind of partnership and build a BFD3 eDrum.
That said, doesn’t running BFD3 from your laptop give you more editing options with presets and effects than you’d get from an eDrum box? I’ve never played one so can’t say.
I think it would need to be a separate project or partnership though.
Steve
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Thanks Steve. Yeah I thought the same. Maybe there is a story there we haven’t heard about.
Yes we do that ATM but the issue becomes more cables, 3 seperate boxes(module > computer> good I/O box) so the gear is more to setup, backup, look after(protect basically) and connect with more cables. It does give you a backup with the module being available quickly, but it is more to carry around and keep working and more complicated for live work for both the drummer and mixer. The Pearl Mimic got it pretty close with one Room Ambience fader and that makes it easier for drummers and live work to turn it off quickly. Laptops with track pads etc and the current BFD setup is very slow when playing live if you know what I mean. It’s amazing how that can become an interference with what seems so basic in a studio/rehearsal environment. Still love the sound though.
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Being able to collapse specific kit piece channels, in the mixer, instead of collapsing the whole thing would definitely help with workflow.
For example, when I’m balancing my kick channels. Once I’m done, I could consolidate them into the Kick Master and then move on to the snare and do the same, etc.
Basically like routing folders.
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Customizeable Mixer Groups. This would be a quicker way to adjust the volume of a group of kicks, snares, toms, etc, rather than selecting all of them.
Another benefit, is when your using post fader sends. Say I have my snare master sending pre-fader to an aux track for parallel compression. Having a group for those two channels would allow you to adjust their channel faders simultaneously.
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Converting Mac & Windows software to be standalone in embedded hardware is… probably not an expense they wanted to consider. It would probably end up being done the overly complex & problematic (and cheap & lazy) way: Receptor-like linux computer, running the existing VST in a WINE environment.
BFD1 is the only BFD that was ever ported to the Receptor, if I recall correctly. I can’t even remember if mine has BFD1 on it. Receptor was so problematic. What a waste of money that device was overall (for me; I know some people used it live and liked doing so). It’s never been recorded into any of my projects.
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Hi
BFD4 on iPad?..BFD4 as new standard for live sound?..easy/fast switching between presets??
I am excited! I am finally on the cusp of using BFD3 for live sound (probably late to this party). This is something i have wanted to do for years = bringing great studio sounds to live setting (independent of production = stage size, speaker dimensions, and PA mixing person etc) as raising the standard of drum production this way lifts the whole band sound quality and lowers stage level…prior to now the sounds and the latency hasn’t been up to it. Audiences are so used to listening to high quality production that I am committed to reducing/ removing my acoustic spill. The recent appearance of the M1 chip in the iPad Pro (and M1 in MacOS) suggests there is a bigger convergence of live tech apps and we might anticipate a version of BFD on that OS?? (or wait for apple to homogenise it)…i.e. BFD4 on iPad 2022?
Why??..i am using alesis DM10 module (yes old but actually pretty good detector) as trigger interface to drive BFD3 via usb on my MacBook (2020) and its great…actual drum kit i use is my original 80s Tama kit fitted out with a new flexible piezo sensor config i’ve invented (i work in advanced materials … if you want to know more please message me…basically i can literally flip/180 deg rotate my acoustic kit from electro to acoustic at will at gigs and most people think im playing an acoustic kit…feels great too)… live i/we often use Mackie DL16 mixer driven by iPad for simple gigs … (or other digital desks ie Allen & heath for bigger gigs)…whats stopping me at present using BFD live regularly is i’m loathe to take my MacBook to ‘rock’ gigs (get damaged, bits lost, or stolen) although some of our sound guys are happy to do this (but don’t have BFD)… i would take an iPad…
i am currently trialling my exist DM10+BFD+MacBook live setup in ‘soft’ live gig settings (low risk of damage gear loss) … so far people love it …& especially at rehearsal …i’m contemplating running a longish usb cable to mixing station and handing over to mixer…if more PA people had BFD drums (and i could easily/confidently share my key map and kit arrangements) all i would need is my old module/trigger unit…that be great
this is the future …more and more often we are streaming and BFD is great for streaming sound…acoustic drums are a struggle venue to venue for streaming.
cheers
R
PS: i am a drummer and was largely happy with my live acoustic kit sound for 20+ years…but no more!..great drum production is THE KEY to great live sound (guitars keys vocals are easy to mix)
pps sorry for long post…as i said…im excited!
ppps…i realise alesis flirted with iPad dock and it wasn’t a great success…too early and tooo much change in iOS and formats… …convergence of trigger speed, processor speed, drum sound quality, availability and cost of tech means BFD live use is now go for me …
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I totally want the Groove Editor on a tablet, with just a minimal sound set. Need to be able to write on the subway, or a plane, or a ship at sea.
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