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 | Windows XP SP1 or higher, Vista 32, P4 or better CPU (Windows)
| | OSX 10.4, G5 or Intel CPU (Mac)
| | 1 GB of RAM
| | 60 gig HD, 7200 rpm
| | DVD drive
| | Internet connection for product authorisation |
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| | | For best Results |
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| 2 GB of RAM or more
| | Fast, multi-core modern Intel or AMD CPU
| | Dedicated hard drive
| | VST, RTAS or AU compatible plugin host
| | Low latency audio interface |
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| | | Support Forums | | | |
| | | FAQ |
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| General Information Why no downloadable version of BFD2? [top] BFD2 has a large content library - 55GB - and comes on a total of 5 DVDS. It would be impractical for us to offer this as a download. What does BFD2 stand for? [top] Well it's Big, it's Drums and it's version 2! the rest is up to you :) Do I have to install all the content? [top] You have to install all the audio content on any particular DVD during the installation process, however you can choose from a small, medium or large installation if you are running short on hard drive space.
It is not necessary to install all the DVDs if you don't want to, although you MUST install DVD1. Please be aware that if you do not install all the DVDs, many presets will not fully load, due to the kit-pieces not being present.
After installation you can choose to delete individual kit pieces from your hard drive if you wish. Can I use my own samples in BFD2? [top] Yes! BFD2 introduces the ability to import your own sets of mono or stereo multi velocity samples, and play them within BFD2. Are further expansion packs planned? [top] Currently there are BFD XFL, BFD Deluxe, BFD Jazz & Funk, BFD Percussion and further packs are in development!
The new BFD2 internal architecture means that even more complex and expressive expansion packs are possible in future.
All previous BFD-compatible libraries, including the now discontinued BFD 8 Bit Kit and the original BFD1.x sounds, will work inside BFD2. Additionally, third parties such as Platinum Samples (Andy Johns Classic Drums, Joe Barresi Evil Drums) are also producing BFD- and BFD2-compatible packs, so you are buying into a vibrant product family. How many different kits and kit pieces are there? [top] There are over 90 kit pieces in BFD2 including 10 Full kits, 8 hihats, 23 cymbals, 16 snares and an extra kick! Is there any latency built into BFD2? [top] No. BFD2 has the first part of every sample loaded into RAM for immediate playback. Any latency is due to the size of the audio buffers used by your host application and sound card, and delays due to MIDI devices. Is there a printed manual supplied with BFD2? [top] No. There are several reasons for this:
BFD2's manual is around 180 A4 pages - such a staggeringly deep piece of software requires a very extensive manual to document its complex features. The thing is, from past experience we're not convinced that many users actually read paper manuals. We decided that a huge manual that collects dust on the shelf is simply a terrible waste of trees! Not to mention the fact that it would add heavily to the cost of BFD2 and to shipping costs due to the increased weight.
It is also intended that the electronic BFD2 manual will be updated alongside BFD2 as new features are added.
We don't think that too many people will be disappointed with the lack of a printed manual - these days even full sequencing hosts often use the electronic manual route in order to keep prices down. In the near future, we will be producing a limited run of printed manuals for sale separately to people who really really want one. Will FXpansion be offering mix presets from "name" engineers, and/or a preset sharing area for mixer presets? [top] Yes - we have some absolute legends working on mix presets, though as we can't rush those guys, it may be a few weeks yet before they're available. There are stock mix presets from less well known, but nevertheless highly competent, engineers included in the box.
You will be able to share mix presets via the Forum initially, we will put something more structured in place if there is a need. Can I use BFD2 without a host? [top] Yes. BFD2's built-in audio export and advanced Groove engine features mean that you can construct drum parts/ arrangements and then simply export your work as audio files to import into whatever device/software you want.
If you have very advanced usage needs - for example, tempo or time-sig changes during a song, or multiple output of audio channels, you must use a host. Does BFD2 support languages other than English? [top] BFD2 works in multilanguage operating systems.
The text in BFD2's interface itself is not currently multi-language, although it is a feature planned for future updates.
The BFD2 manual will, in time, be translated into other languages. The first translation is likely to be the Japanese version, which is being provided by our Japanese distributor, Media Integration. Tell me about the presets supplied with BFD2. [top] BFD2 uses several different types of presets and other files. Version 2.0.0 ships with a variety of presets to get you up and running. We also have some high-profile engineers and producers working on more presets which will be delivered in a free update very soon.
1. BFD2 Presets
These are snapshots of the entire state of BFD2 - so they include the kit, kit-piece tweaks, customized mixer setup, Groove page contents, MIDI keymap and automation map, as well as certain session-based preference settings. There are numerous BFD2 Presets supplied - simply load one and swap out the kit-pieces or Groove engine contents.
2. Kits
A combination of kit-pieces to form a 10/18/32 piece kit, and any kit-piece tweaks set up in the kit-piece inspector.
3. Kit-piece presets
These are presets of kit-piece tweaks made in the kit-piece inspector. They are useful for dialling up dry/damped/ambient settings, for example.
4. Mixer presets
Mixer presets are much more complex than in BFD 1.x - they include custom aux channels, output and send routings and FX setups.
5. Channel strip presets
You can save the settings of a channel strip in the mixer and recall it on others.
6. FX presets
All the built-in audio FX feature a preset system.
7. Palettes
Palettes contain the entire state of the Groove page - the Palette of loaded Grooves, humanization FX, editor settings and Drum Track contents (the arrangement track).
8. Grooves
Grooves are now proprietary files instead of MIDI files. This means that they can trigger articulations directly without relying on a certain MIDI keymap in order to make sense. You can still import and export MIDI files as Grooves very easily. | | |
| Pricing and availability, license & copy protection What is the copy protection scheme used in BFD2? [top] BFD2 features a challenge-response authorization system, with three installs on your own machines allowed simultaneously.
You do NOT need to have an internet connection on the computer on which you install BFD2.
You must, however, authorize BFD2 before it can be used - there is no 'grace period' after installation.
We have tried very hard to make the authorization procedure as pain-free as possible. Please understand that it is necessary for safeguarding your investment in future development and user support for BFD2.
BFD2 does not use iLok or any other unified protection scheme. We do not believe in such systems' security, and would rather not pass on their costs to our customers. Is there upgrade pricing? [top] Yes, for a limited time 1/2 price upgrade packs will be available for £100/$200/Eu 150, both online and retail. After this time (several months - the offer won't end without plenty of warning) you will need to buy the full v2 if you have not yet upgraded. Can I use the upgrade on both my laptop and main machine? [top] Yes. You can install on up to 3 machines as long as only 1 is running it at any one time. Site / volume licensing is also available, POA. Is there an upgrade path from BFD Lite? [top] Yes! BFD Lite owners qualify for special discounts on BFD2 (Full). Please contact FXpansion support for details. Does BFD2 use a dongle? [top] No, but it must be authorized online before it can be used. You can do this directly if your machine is connected to the Internet, or via another machine with Internet connectivity by moving a small key file between the two machines (a USB memory key, CDRW, floppy disk or iPod would all do nicely). Do I need to re-authorize when installing the OS again or upgrading the OS/hardware? [top] A new major operating system version is enough of a change that the authorization system will require reauthing BFD2; point releases should be fine. Likewise, a significant hardware change will also require re-authorization. We will be monitoring the situation closely and adjusting the flexibility of the authorization system to get the best balance of copy protection and annoyance levels.
If reinstalling an existing OS without changing any hardware, you will be able to save the auth file and simply re-import it when authorizing BFD2 again. Do you allow license transfers? [top] Yes, however:
1. If you're the seller, you must contact us in advance of the sale. If you're the prospective second-hand buyer, you must check that the seller is cleared to sell. If in doubt, contact us.
2. There is a flat $50 fee per product for a license transfer, which can be purchased from our online shop.
3. Review copies, NFRs (Not For Resale copies, sometimes used for in-store demos), etc., cannot be sold or transferred under any circumstances.
4. We reserve the right to refuse a license transfer request.
Once a transfer is authorised and the fee has been paid, the new owner is entitled to exactly the same upgrade paths and technical support resources as if they had bought the product new. | | |
| System requirements & compatibility What's the minimum requirement when it comes to screen resolution [top] Your graphics card and monitor should be able to display a resolution of 1024 x 768 to take full advantage of BFD2's graphical user interface. How big is BFD2? [top] Approx 55GB full install size. Smaller installs of ~20GB and 35GB are available, and the footprint can be customized further, post install. Does BFD2 run on G4 CPUs or MacOSX before 10.4.x? [top] A G5 processor is the lowest we will support on Mac, but highly recommend that you use an Intel machine. The G4 is an incredibly old processor, with a very slow memory bus. BFD2 may work on a G4, but it is not officially supported. Even when using heavily reduced detail settings, usage of BFD2 (especially in a resource-hungry host like Pro Tools) will be very frustrating.
OS 10.3 and earlier versions of OSX are NOT supported - you must use 10.4 (Tiger) or higher. Does BFD2 support 64-bit or other >4GB addressing schemes? [top] No.
BFD2 should run as a 32-bit plugin inside a suitable 64-bit DAW environment (such as Sonar 64 'Bit-Bridge' for 32-bit plugins). Please note, however, that these platforms are not part of our standard testing regimes and we cannot guarantee their operation with all versions of BFD2. The last BFD2 version that was successfully tested in this type of environment is 2.0.4. Does BFD2 support / take advantage of multi core CPUs? [top] Very much so - the more the merrier! There are specific features that allow you to make even better use of multiple CPUs at the expense of some latency, but in addition to BFD2's own multicore support, most current DAWs are fairly good about allocating plug-ins to cores already. What plug-in formats will BFD2 work in? [top] VST 2.3 and 2.4, RTAS on PT7.0 and above, AU on OS X, and standalone (via CoreAudio, ASIO, WDM and MME). What OSes does BFD2 support? [top] Mac OS X 10.4.x and 10.5.x on Intel and G5 (not G4) CPUs, Windows XP and Windows Vista on all modern Intel and AMD CPUs. Can I run BFD2 on a DAW with no Internet connection? [top] Yes, as long as you have access to a machine somewhere with Internet connectivity (you're reading this, aren't you?), and a means of moving a small key file between the two machines (a USB memory key, CDRW, floppy disk or iPod would all do nicely). What platforms does BFD2 *NOT* support? [top] BFD2 does NOT support the following plugin formats:- ReWire, DXi, Pro Tools 5.x or 6.x.
BFD2 does NOT support the following OSes:- OS X 10.2.x "Jaguar", 10.3.x "Panther", Windows 95/98/98SE/ME, WinNT 4, Win 2000 (it may run on Win 2000, but we've never tried it and we don't support it!)
BFD2 does NOT support the following CPUs:- pre-SSE1 CPUs (Pentium II or old pre-XP Athlons), Pentium III-based CPUs inc. P3-based Celerons; PowerPC G3 and G4; non-AMD x86 clones such as Via, IDT, Cyrix, Geode. Will BFD2 work with Cubase SE3 on my intel Mac? Why does BFD2 Standalone work, but BFD2 in Cubase SE3 refuses to authorize? [top] Cubase SE3 is not a Universal Binary - in other words, it is compiled only for Power PC chips: G4s ad G5s. On an intel mac, Cubase SE3 runs in the "Rosetta" interpreter which makes Cubase think it is on a PPC mac. BFD2's authorization file is linked to your machine configuration, which includes the processor type.
Unfortunately, this means you can either authorize BFD2 to work in your simulated PPC Cubase SE3 environment, or you can authorize to run on your real hardware, but not both. However, the clincher is that Rosetta is going to really slow BFD2 down - BFD2 has a lot of highly optimized code specifically for PPC or Intel chips, and what will be happening on your system is Rosetta will be simulating PPC instructions on an Intel chip, and ignoring all BFD2's speedy intel instructions that we laboured over. This simulation is many times slower than is desirable for an audio application! We judge that a dual core 2GHz macbook pro is equivalent to a 500MHz G4.
So that's the lay of the land. Your music studio's performance as a whole will greatly benefit from a DAW that runs on intel macs natively, not just BFD2. | | |
| Upgrading from BFD 1.x Is BFD2 backward compatible with all BFD1 data and expansion packs? [top] Yes - however, it's not a "drop in replacement" - songs and projects saved with BFD1 will still load with BFD1.
BFD1.x and BFD2 can co-exist on the same system. BFD2 will not interfere with any existing BFD1.x-based projects, and you can continue to use BFD 1.x as normal.
BFD2 is compatible with all audio and grooves in BFD1.x and the BFD expansion packs. BFD1.x presets can be imported into BFD2.
There are some systems in BFD2 which don't match BFD1's exactly - for example, the new mixer and signal processing engine has many elements which have no counterpart in BFD1; BFD2's groove engine uses a single unified groove palette spanning the entire keyboard instread of 3 separate octave-bundles.
BFD2 data is not compatibile with BFD1. Some kitpieces may play in BFD1, but BFD2 uses Mid/Side encoding for the room microphones, and allows 3 snare direct microphones, both of which are not supported in BFD1.
Any expansion packs that you want to use with BFD2 must be authorized in the FXpansion License Manager, which is installed with BFD2 and controls authorization of all new FXpansion products, and any expansion packs in BFD2.
Your expansion packs (and BFD 1.x, if you intend to use the original BFD library sounds) need to be registered in the same user account as your BFD2 license. If you have ended up with multiple accounts for different products, please contact our technical support department to resolve the situation. Does BFD2 come with BFD1 audio data? [top] No, only a brand new set of recordings that is exclusive to the BFD2 package. You will need BFD1's data installed and authorized in BFD2's License Manager to use the BFD1 sounds in BFD2. Does BFD2 come with BFD1 groove data? [top] Yes, but reformatted for BFD2's new Groove engine and accompanied by 1000's of new grooves made for BFD2. If I upgrade to BFD2 will BFD1 still work separately? [top] Very much so. Eventually, it is inevitable that OSes and hosts will move to a degree that BFD1 will no longer work - however, we do not anticipate this happening for a long while yet. Note that even if you buy the upgrade, you do NOT have to have BFD1 or its data installed for BFD2 to work (indeed, you can uninstall it later) - the only difference in the upgrade is that it requires your BFD1 serial number to be registered with us. How is the old audio data used by the new BFD2? [top] Aside from some slight differences in the mic'ing and articulations, they are treated to all intents and purposes identically to the new files. There is no need to have 2 copies of any of the WAV files on your drive - you can set up as many data paths in BFD2 as you like. Are there Stereo/Groups/All versions of BFD2? [top] No. BFD2 has flexible routing and modern DAWs, on the whole, can hide channels on demand and have good channel management generally, so there is no longer any need. Effectively, BFD2 gives you the best of all the approaches in one plug-in. How does the new Groove engine in BFD2 improve upon the BFD 1.x Groove Librarian? [top] There's simply too much new stuff to fully cover in this FAQ - please read the manual for a full guide to the new Groove engine! Here's a summary of the main new features:
Firstly, you can load up to 128 Grooves (including Fills), and devote an entire MIDI channel to the Groove engine in order to use all 128 (so that they do not clash with any MIDI keymappings to articulations).
Each Groove slot can have its own start and end behaviours set up. You can recreate classic drum machine fill behaviours or go way beyond into new territory for jamming auto-accompaniment.
Groove events are tied directly to articulations - they do not need MIDI keymappings in order to work.
You can audition Grooves before loading, in sync with the host if it is playing.
Realtime humanization is more comprehensive and easier to use. You can destructively 'print' humanization effects onto one or all Grooves.
BFD2's Groove Editor lets you edit Grooves with the same level of control as full sequencer MIDI editors.
You can record Groove events live via MIDI in real time.
BFD2 provides a single-track arrangement lane for Grooves, so you can create a full drum track entirely within BFD2.
You can export single Grooves, multiple Grooves or the drum track as MIDI or audio, with multiple channels if required. The export Groove features are great for making multichannel breakbeats quickly and efficiently. Since the export features are built into the software interface itself, you can use them when running BFD2 as a plugin or as a standalone application. I'm a Drumagog / BFD1.x user. Does BFD2 continue to support Drumagog functionality? [top] Support for Drumagog BFD and Drumagog Platinum does not yet exist in BFD2. This is because we needed to get the core functionality ready first - Drumagog support is slated to return soon in an upcoming BFD2 update. We are also actively working with WaveMachine Labs to improve Drumagog->BFD2 functionality even further.
Since BFD2 can be installed alongside BFD 1.x, you can start using BFD2 for other tasks while continuing to use BFD 1.5 for drum replacement with Drumagog until Drumagog support is added to BFD2. | | |
| Sounds, kits and content Are there any brushes, mallets, hotrods etc. in the new BFD2? [top] No - however, BFD2 is fully compatible with the Jazz&Funk and XFL expanders (and all the others including the Platinum Samples libraries), so you can use those - OR import your own samples. Are there more cymbal and percussion slots? [top] Yes. BFD2 allows you to load kits up to 32 pieces in size (compared to BFD1's 18). You can load anything in any slot. Note that each of the 32 pieces has multiple articulations, so this is equivalent to much more than 32 slots in a conventional drum sampler. What articulations does the BFD2 library have? [top] Here's a summary:
Cymbals: normal hit, bell and edge where possible.
Snares: normal hit, off-centre hit (half-way between the centre and edge), sidestick, rim, drag.
Hihats: Closed, 1/4-open, 1/2-open, 3/4-open, open (for tip and shank), pedal (foot-chick).
Toms: single articulation (hit)
Kicks: 'snare' and 'no snare'
These are the articulations in the BFD2 sound library - articulations found in older libraries will still work, of course.
BFD2's new architecture allows support for any number of articulations, so future expansion packs can introduce even more new articulations per kit-piece. Are there enough slots to load mallet-hit kit pieces at the same time as stick-hit pieces for a full tom kit (e.g. 5 toms)? [top] Yes, as long as you have suitable mallet samples (BFD Jazz & Funk, or your own samples). Is it possible to adjust the no. of vel layers on an individual per kit piece basis? [top] There is a global preference for the max velocity layers and also a detail setting per kit piece class (eg. for all kicks, or snares etc) allowing you to use half the maximum, a quarter of the maximum or a single-layer with automatic amplitude-scaling. How many data paths does BFD2 allow? [top] Unlimited paths across multiple drives. Is there any overlap between the BFD2 data and previous data sets, in terms of the drums that have been recorded? [top] To some extent, however no two identical kits have been recorded, and in any case no two drums sound the same (because of heads, tuning, the room, the mics & technique, even ambient factors like climate). For instance, the Black Beauty snare and Ludwig VistaLite are nominally similar to things in BFD1, XFL and Deluxe, but sound wildly different. Are there any promotional "demo" kit pieces included from other packs? [top] Yes, there are some bonus 8 Bit Kit and BFD Percussion kit-pieces with reduced velocity layers. These cover a few classic drum machine kicks and snares, and a few kit-oriented percussion sounds (cowbell, tambourine and some other 'bread and butter' sounds). See the Kit-Pieces tab of the BFD2 product page for a full listing of the kit-pieces provided with BFD2.
Please note that these bonus kit-pieces do not negate owning the expansion packs they're taken from - they comprise a very small and detail-reduced selection, allowing users without any expansion packs to experiment with the layering functions and percussion slots on multi-channel sounds, as opposed to mono/stereo imported samples. | | |
| Effects and mixing engine Can BFD2's effects be used outside BFD2? [top] Not initially -- however, they were developed in house, not licensed from third parties, so if there is demand, who knows what spin-offs will be possible... Does BFD2 support hosting of VST or AU plugins for internal effects? [top] No - because we wanted to guarantee stability and cross-compatibility of mix presets, and because you already have a DAW for that. With BFD2 having 8 stereo and 16 mono outputs, it isn't really an issue. Is there built in artificial reverb as well as the natural ambience channels? [top] Yes, there is an intentionally artificial sounding reverb available if you want that effect. It is not intended to be a premium quality reverb, so don't expect a 960L or H8000. Can you put separate EQ and compression on each drum? [top] Yes, CPU permitting. Running our EQ and high quality DCAM circuit-modeled comps on all 32 drums (~40 channels including buses and alternate mics) is going to take a hefty chunk of CPU. I see this "DCAM" logo on some of the effects. What's that all about? [top] DCAM is our proprietary analogue circuit modeling technology, and stands for "Discrete Component Analogue Modeling". DCAM enables us to build virtualized electronic circuits in code, the results of which are superbly authentic. You'll already have heard some of the filtering and distortion modelling if you've tried our free Orca synthesizer. The compressors in BFD2 are very realistic models of 2 of the most well-known studio compressors ever, and sound great even at extreme settings. I like to use group busses and side-chained effects in my mixes. Can I do that any of that in BFD2? [top] Yes. You get a modular mixer with flexible channel routing, assignable AUX sends/returns and side-chain busses. A selection of the bundled effects have a side-chain input (where it makes sense). Can I have a full list of the built-in FX? [top] Gain
EQ (with DCAM-modelled filters)
Comp Chan (DCAM-modelled on a well-known limiting amplifier)
Comp Bus (DCAM-modelled on a well-known large format console compressor)
Delay (versatile stereo 2-tap delay line with a 'swing' control for a variety of delay feels)
Filter (simple high and low pass filters)
Flanger
Chorus
Filter Mod (versatile DCAM-modelled multi-mode filter with envelope follower and audio-rate modulation)
Drive (versatile DCAM-modelled drive unit with 4 distortion models)
Bitcrusher (digital distortion based on sample-rate and bit-depth reduction)
RingMod
FreqShift
TinCanVerb (artificial sounding trashy reverb unit)
Noise Gate | | |
| Import & export, inputs & outputs Does BFD2 support drag-n-drop of grooves to hosts? [top] Yes. Does the new Groove engine load existing midi drum file/performances into it? [top] Yes. Can MIDI files be exported directly from BFD2? [top] Yes, via drag&drop direct to host, Finder, etc, or using the Save menu in the Groove page. Does BFD2 make it easier to export audio than BFD1? [top] Yes, multi track audio rendering & export is built-in and extremely easy to use. You can export Grooves as audio, and also set up BFD2 to export what it's playing in sync with a host that is sending it MIDI.
The export features allow you to 'record-arm' any channel on the BFD2 mixer - whether it is a direct mic channel, ambience channel or aux/master channel - so that the channel is exported as a discrete audio file. This means you can create multi-channel bounces very easily, which is something that not all hosts can do.
The audio export features are built into the BFD2 interface itself, so you can use them either when running BFD2 as a plugin in a host or as a standalone application. Can end users import multi-velocity samples? [top] Yes, you can import multi-velocity mono or stereo samples in standard WAV format. Imported samples are used to create a kit-piece which can be loaded into a slot in the normal way. Imported kit-pieces can have only 1 articulation. Does BFD 2 work with multiple outputs in Logic 8? [top] Yes (BFD1 does as well now...). Please be aware that Logic 8 has a limit of 24 outputs for plugins, so when running in Logic 8, BFD2 provides 8 stereo outputs and 8 mono outputs (instead of 8 stereo, 16 mono). Does the standalone support multiple outputs? [top] Not at first, but this is planned to happen soon. | | |
| Electronic drums support What E-Drum kits does BFD2 support? [top] BFD2 comes with factory mappings for the following:-
Akai MPD24
Alesis DM5, DM5 Pro, Trigger IO, Control Pad / Performace Pad
Alternate Mode DrumKat and DK10
Clavia DDrum
M-Audio Trigger Finger
Korg PadKontrol
Roland TD-3/6/8/10/12/20
Yamaha DTXtreme. My E-Drum kit isn't on this list. Can I still use it? [top] Easy-to-use functionality is built in for setting up mappings for less common controllers like Zendrums, TrapKats, Mandala Drums, Hart, XDrum, Pintech, RET, Roland HD-1, HPDs and SPDs, Ion IED-1s etc., as well as customized or DIY controllers and modified versions of the factory supported controllers (e.g. TD brains with extra toms or cymbals from Roland or elsehwere).
BFD2 makes it easier to set up your e-drum kit, and you should be able to get a response comparable to your drum brain sounds, as long as you have a suitable low-latency system. The BFD2 manual contains more info about latency and electronic drums in general (see chapter 9). Does BFD2 support positional sensing? [top] Yes - BFD2 supports positional sensing using a MIDI CC.
Currently, positional sensing support is implemented for snares, to switch between the hit/half-edge articulations.
We will be implementing positional sensing support for other slots very soon in an update release. | | |
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