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BFD BFD3 (download)

Virtual Acoustic Drum Module with 55GB Library, Reverb/EnvShaper Effects, and Groove Construction Engine - Mac/PC AAX, RTAS, VST, AU
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Compatible with:

Mac
Windows
AAX
VST
AU
Standalone

Software Compatibility

Most software is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers, but check to make sure.

If you're using Pro Tools, AAX plug-ins (or RTAS for older versions) are what you need. Most other Mac DAWs support AU plug-ins. VST is compatible with a number of Mac and Windows programs. Be sure you choose plug-ins that work with your DAW!

To learn more about software compatibility, check out our buying guide.

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Step into the Virtual Drum Room of Your Dreams

Load up FXpansion's BFD 3 virtual drum software, and it's as if you're standing inside an incredible-sounding room with every must-have drum component at your fingertips. This third-generation library gives you a huge array of sounds and presets, and an updated browser design makes working inside BFD 3 easier and faster than ever. BFD 3 gives you seven new kits (recorded in two locations), and its dedicated rock, metal, jazz, and brush kits provide the sounds you need to fit any project - regardless of genre. Want to make killer grooves? You're in luck. An improved groove engine and a groove-building rudiments tool make putting together great grooves with FXpansion BFD 3 a snap.

FXpansion BFD 3 Virtual Drum Software at a Glance:
  • More sounds but less disk space required, and easier to navigate too
  • Build your drum parts without switching between software programs
  • More realistic drum sounds with tom resonance and cymbal swell modeling
More sounds but less disk space required, and easier to navigate too

While BFD 3 packs more incredibly detailed drum sounds than its predecessors, new data compression methods means the BFD 3 library doesn't take up any more space than previous versions. There are many mix-ready presets ready for instant use in your projects, and the updated interface is so intuitive you won't have any problems creating your own custom kits too.

Build your drum parts without switching between software programs

The built-in groove construction tools in FXpansion BFD 3 let you create grooves without switching between BFD 3 and your sequencer. And with pre-played grooves by world-class drummers like Steve Ferrone, Brooks Wackerman, Peter Erskine, and more, you'll have no shortage of inspiring drum parts to work into your projects at any time.

More realistic drum sounds with tom resonance and cymbal swell modeling

Take it from Sweetwater, FXpansion BFD 3 sounds more realistic than ever thanks to new modeling technology. With control over tom resonance and cymbal swells you can create drum arrangements with more organic, lifelike character than ever before.

FXpansion BFD 3 Virtual Drum Software Features:
  • Virtual drums and groove creation software instrument
  • Pre-installed on 64GB flash drive
  • Includes seven new drum kits recorded in two different locations for a wide range of drum sounds
  • Kits were recorded with a variety of recording chains for a wide range of available sounds
  • Tom resonance and cymbal swell modeling add an extra layer of realism and natural sound
  • Streamlined interface and faster, more efficient audio engine let you work fast and reliably
  • Fully-editable groove engine makes it easy to construct your own patterns fast
Create amazingly lifelike drum arrangements with FXpansion BFD 3!

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Tech Specs

  • Software Type: Virtual Drums
  • Platform: Mac, PC
  • Upgrade/Full: Full
  • Download/Boxed: Download
  • Bit Depth: 32-bit, 64-bit
  • Format: AAX, VST, AU, Standalone
  • Hardware Requirements - Mac: 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor or higher, 4GB RAM or more recommended, SSD drive recommended
  • Hardware Requirements - PC: 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo / AMD Athlon 64 X2 or higher, 4GB RAM or more recommended, SSD drive recommended
  • OS Requirements - Mac: macOS 10.11-11.6
  • OS Requirements - PC: Windows 10
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 4010

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

BFD is killer.

Seems like a few people recently have had trouble with download/installs.
I did have a slight issue with an expansion pack. But Sweetwater helped out with that one. All good.

I originally had BFD2 in a Muse Receptor that actually died. So I retooled with a new PC running Performer.
Installed BFD3 no problem and away I went.

You could actually build a kit with the just the ambient mics if that's what you wanted. It's amazing.
The cool thing is being able to adjust OH and ambient mics after the fact.
The level of nuance options with bleed, tuning and damping is also amazing.

Just within the program itself - you really don't need any plugins.
But if you throw your fav compressor on the BDF channel insert in the DAW...it's
yet another level tailoring the kit to your track.

After putting up with all the drum machine sounds of the past... knowing they were never really it.
Though you could fake it pretty good. Kind of. In the long run it just wasn't the real thing.
And you can hear it.

BFD is the real thing. If you don't have the ability, facility and the money to properly record real
drums. BFD will get you there.
Music background: Guitar, Bass, Engineer, Programmer, Producer/songwriter.
Rated 5/5

Can't live without it

A lot of the comments here, both good and ugly, are at least partially true. I've had BFD for well over a decade and I use it on everything. It's literally the standard I measure everything else by. I went to go buy Geist 2 for an electronic sounding drum VST, at least partially because of how much I love BFD and they no longer sell it.

Things HAVE gotten worse since they sold everything off. And it's not a particularly fun install although only moderately worse than NI Komplete. They're big samples and they take a long time to download, but that's the price you pay for sound quality. For comparison, Komplete is an overnight download taking at least a good 8 hours and this is more like 1 hour and I have some expansion packs included in that. But Komplete is Battery plus half a bajillion other VSTs, samples, loops, etc. which is not an apples to apples comparison.

Tech support from the new company was a little hard to get, but far from impossible and once I got ahold of them they were very friendly and helpful.

But even though there's a grain of truth, at least, to every negative comment here, it's still one of the only pieces of software I can NOT make music without. Period. I have NI Battery and don't care for it as well as some hardware drum machines and NI is not even in the same ball park for realistic sounding drums, which is what BFD does - REAL sounding drum kits.

I'm taking a Drum programming and mixing class at Berklee and looking deeper at BFD's settings, but it tends to sound pretty good right out of the box. And if you're a professional audio engineer there's a lot to tweak under the hood like mic bleed between drums.

I also play drums a little and have a DW kit and my ears can't tell the difference between BFD and a real drum kit when I program drum grooves. It just sounds like a drummer "should", even the cymbals. And it just gets better the more I learn how to use it because it does go insanely deep contrary to what you might think when it just sounds good pretty much as soon as you lay it on a MIDI track straight out of the box.

I have no idea what I'll do if they stop selling it. So far I haven't heard anything that can even touch it. Out of the countless VST plugins I own from Komplete, dozens of Universal Audio plugins, Seventh Heaven, numerous VST synths from at least half a dozen different companies, Amplitube, to everything else - if I could only have 1 VST plugin BFD would be it. In comparison, everything else for making music is "optional".
Music background: Long time music student, occasional band mate, and hobbiest audio engineer
Rated 5/5

BFD is the best Drum emulation software

I have used several drum emulation software programs( including Addictive Drums 2 and Battery 3) in my recording and by far BFD is the most realistic sounding. It fairly easy to use and is extremely flexible and expandable. While it does not seem to remove all the computer "artifacts" it comes closest to a realistic sound. With the proper mixing and mastering I believe that can be achieved. The user interface is extremely easy to use and adjusting the sound of each of the drums and cymbals is quite intuitive. The snare drums that come with BFD could use some improving but some of the expansion packs such as Metal Snares solve this problem. The drums can be routed into separate outputs in your DAW. The built effects are pretty good. Overall this is a very good drum emulation program for those of us who want to record but can't afford to go into a studio and record live drums. I concur with one of the previous reviews this product IS difficult to install and get up an running. This is in part because the application and libraries are installed separately. The problem did not seem to occur with installation of the expansion packs. After the installation BFD automatically detected the new content. So in my opinion this the best drum emulation software I have used thus far and is a good addition to your software library.
Music background: Progressive rock musician
Rated 5/5

Superb

I don't write a lot of reviews, but this one deserves recommending.

It's just ******* great.

I'm a serious student of drumming and own a lot of nice acoustic drum gear. Still, recording acoustic drums is tricky, and I want a good in-the-box platform. BFD3 sounds to me like really great drum recording.

I own a lot of computer sound software, and BDF3 is among the best of any program I've heard for sonics and engaging usability, so it's among my 'desert island computer audio' gear. I own the two other 'big name' drum sample libraries and drum playback engines -- those sound really good too, but they sound to me like great drum libraries with a noticeably computerized playback. Not so with BFD3, IMO they really nailed the groove engine and humanizing so that, if you want it to, it sounds like a great drummer recorded in a great room with a great engineer. Andrew Scheps did the mixing, so BFD3 was literally mixed by a Grammy winning engineer, and the sounds are mix-ready if you like them in their initial state.

Where BFD3 really kills the other drum programs IMO is in its joy of use. FXpansion really made a large number of very thoughtful choices to make BFD3 feel like an instrument and be fast and pleasing to use. And if you want to go deep, man this thing is super deep, but never baffling.

On the strength of BFD3 I checked out FXpansion Geist, the drum sampler / groovebox. That is also very good, but different from BFD3. All told, I think FXpansion has really cracked the code on fun, great sounding computer-based drum instruments. Very worth checking out, and on sale at a good discount in Spring 2016 at the time this is written.

There are demo versions available, and good videos online for tutorials / previews.

One thing I have not done yet is used BFD3 connected to my MIDI drums. I have no opinion on that, but there are a lot of forum posts around comparing which is the best platform for connecting to MIDI drums. I would demo things aggressively and compare what has the best sound and lowest latency on your rig if you're going that route.

I put off checking out the FXpansion drum gear (as I already owned others) but glad I finally did. It's great!
Rated 4.5/5

great Drum even better with Platinum Samples packs

Wasn't digging it out of the box. But I got some Extra stuff from Platinum Samples.
WOW! Andy Johns and the Hirsch kits are what makes this even better. The cherry on the top is the service you get from Rail at Platinum Samples. This bloke is a dead set legend for customer service. He is the best customer relating owner, producer, tech nut and service provider out there. BFD3 core is superb as is the Vintage recording techniques and the Modern retro stuff. But my favorite feature is awesome third party Expansions like Platinum Samples. Superior Drummer 3 is awesome too. But you can't beat the third party stuff here. BFD3 or FXansion service is pretty good too. Wouldn't have got the product without the third party options though. Rail is the Bossssssssssssssss of all bosssssssssseeeeesssssss.
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