2.0.1Dec 2007 www.fxpansion.com

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Contents

6 chapter 01: INTRODUCING BFD2

6 1:1 An introduction to BFD26 • WelcometoBFD26 • Credits

7 1:2 BFD2 Architecture7 • HowBFD2works7 • Anatomyofakit-piece8 • Articulations8 • Micchannels10 • Microphonebuses

11 1:3 Recording notes 11 • Personnel11 • Kitpreparationandtuning11 • Recordingpath 12 • Microphones

13 1:4 Introduction to the BFD2 interface 13 • Controlconventions14 • Interfaceoverview

14 1:5 Control bar14 • Pagebuttons14 • Presetindicator15 • Loadmenu15 • Savemenu15 • Gain 15 • Helpmenu

16 1:6 Status Bar16 • MIDILog16 • Audiostreamindicator16 • MIDIstreamindicator16 • RAMindicator16 • CPUandharddiskperformancemeters16 • Offlineswitch17 • Controllerlearn17 • Contextinfodisplay17 • Transport18 • RudeSololight18 • Beatlight18 • Tempo18 • Timesignature18 • Playbackposition

19 1:7 Loading BFD2 Presets

21 1:8 Saving BFD2 Presets 21 • ElementssavedwithPresets

22 1:9 BFD2 Help functions22 • Contextinfodisplay22 • Tool-tips22 • Helpmenu23 • GettingfurtherhelpwithBFD2

24 chapter 02: KIT PAGE building and adjusting your kit

24 2:1 Kit page overview

25 2:2 Kit Size25 • 10-piecekit25 • 18-piecekit26 • 32-piecekit26 • Switchingkitsizes

27 2:3 Loading and saving in the Kit page 27 • LoadingintheKitpage27 • SavingintheKitpage

28 2:4 Loading and saving kits 28 • Loadingkits–overview28 • Controlsinthekitchooserpanel30 • Savingkits

31 2:5 Kit display and kit-piece slot windows31 • Kitdisplay32 • Kit-PieceSlotwindows

33 2:6 Loading Kit-Pieces 33 • Overview33 • Controlsinthekit-piecechooserpanel36 • Possibleproblemswhenloading36 • Buildingunorthodoxkits

37 2:7 Importing your own sounds into BFD237 • SampleImportpanel37 • Importsettings38 • Photosettings38 • Velocitylayers38 • Import&Cancel38 • Progressbar

39 2:8 Kit page toolbar 39 • Select39 • Link 39 • NoteLearn39 • ClearKit

40 2:9 Kit-piece inspector40 • Photo&starrating40 • Kit-piecequick-loadcontrols40 • Kit-piecepresets41 • Basickit-piececontrols 42 • Ambiencesends42 • Advancedkit-piececontrols43 • Kit-piecebleedcontrols 43 • Articulationcontrols

45 2:10 Mini-mixer 45 • Mixer45 • MasterDynamics45 • MasterTuning45 • Humanize

46 2:11 MIDI Note Learn wizard46 • InitializingtheMIDIlearnwizard47 • Nextslotmode47 • Waitmode

48 chapter 03: MIXER PAGE engineering your drum sound

48 3:1 Mixer page overview 48 • Howtoapproachmixing

49 3:2 Loading and Saving in the Mixer page 49 • Loadingmixerpresets51 • SavingMixerpresets 51 • Varyingchannelsbetweenmixerpresets51 • Loading/savingchannelpresets 51 • Loading/savingeffectpresets

52 3:3 Introduction to BFD2 mixer channels 52 • Channelviews52 • TypesofchannelstripsinBFD2

.MANUAL

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55 3:4 Mixer toolbar and utility panel 55 • ResetMixer55 • AddAux55 • RemoveAux55 • FXPower55 • Mixerviewswitches56 • UtilityPanel

57 3:5 Mixer channel controls and indicators57 • Controls/indicatorsinRegularandFX/Sendsviews59 • Controls/indicatorsavailableinRegularviewonly59 • Controls/indicatorsavailableinFX/Sendviewonly

61 3:6 Using the mixer61 • Selectingchannels61 • Rearrangingchannelsonthemixer61 • Channelprocessingorder62 • Keyboardshortcutsformixeroperation62 • Channelcontextmenu63 • SignalRoutingindicators

64 3:7 Using FX64 • TheFXrack64 • BasicFXcontrols 65 • ManagingFXwiththeEffectcontextmenu65 • SwappingandcopyingFXbetweenslots

66 3:8 Using Sends and Sidechains 66 • Sendspanel66 • Sendindicators67 • Usingsendsforparallelprocessing67 • UsingSidechaining

68 3:9 Mic tools panel 68 • Directcontrols68 • Ambiencebuscontrols68 • Masterbleedcontrols

69 3:10 Mixer preset panel

70 3:11 Audio Export panel

72 chapter 04: GROOVES PAGE - overview an introduction to BFD2’s groove engine

72 4:1 Introduction 72 • Keyconcepts72 • BFD1.xusers

73 4:2 Grooves page interface

74 4:3 Loading and saving in the Groove page

75 4:4 Undo function

75 4:5 Transport, tempo and time signature75 • Transport76 • Beatlight76 • Tempo76 • Timesignature76 • Playbackposition

76 4:6 Using the Groove Engine

77 chapter 05: GROOVES PAGE part 1 palettes, grooves and fills

77 5:1 An Introduction to the Palette 77 • MIDIchannelsandkeyranges77 • Paletteandinfoinspectorsvisibility

78 5:2 Loading Palettes 78 • Palettechooser80 • LoadingBFD1.0and1.5Bundles

81 5:3 Loading Grooves 81 • UsingtheGroovechooserpaneltoloadGrooves

83 5:4 Playing Grooves in the Palette83 • TriggeringGrooveswithMIDInotes84 • TriggeringGrooveswithPreviewbuttons84 • Auto-Playandtransportcontrols

85 5:5 Working with Grooves in the Palette85 • SelectingGrooves85 • OperationsonGroovesinthePalette86 • BlendingelementsofotherGroovesintheeditor86 • Slotcontextmenu

87 5:6 Groove Actions 88 • SummaryofavailableGrooveActions88 • StartActionsforGroovesandFills89 • EndActionsforGrooves89 • SlotEndActionsforFills

90 5:7 Importing BFD 1.x Grooves and MIDI files90 • ImportingBFD1.xGroovesandBundles91 • ImportingMIDIfilesintothePalette91 • MIDIImportpanel

92 5:8 Groove and Palette Info Inspectors92 • DocumentingGroovesandPalettes92 • PaletteandInfoinspectorvisibility 92 • GrooveInfoInspector93 • PaletteInfoinspector

94 5:9 Saving and exporting Grooves94 • SavingGrooves94 • ExportingGroovesasMIDI95 • ExportGrooveasAudio

96 5:10 Saving Palettes

97 chapter 06: GROOVES PAGE part 2 editing, recording and groove FX

97 6:1 Introduction to the Editor97 • Editorinterfaceoverview97 • Othertopicscoveredinthischapter98 • PlayingthecurrentlyselectedGroove

99 6:2 Editor Grid99 • Kit-pieceandArticulationlanes100 • Events 100 • RulerandGroovelength101 • Velocitylane101 • Viewcontrols 102 • Zoomandscrollcontrols

103 6:3 Grooves toolbar 103 • Leftandrightmousebuttontools103 • Hearingeventsduringediting103 • Selecttool103 • Drawtool104 • Erasetool104 • Mutetool104 • Velocitytool104 • Undobutton

105 6:4 Other Editor functions105 • Editordisplaysettings105 • Metronome 105 • Gridcontrols105 • Grid-baseddestructiveprocesses106 • Editmenu 106 • Keyboardshortcuts

107 6:5 Combining elements of other Grooves

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108 6:6 Recording Grooves via MIDI108 • MIDIMappings108 • Initiatingrecording 108 • Recordingmodes108 • Metronomebutton108 • Recordlead-in

109 6:7 Groove FX panel109 • Show/HideadvancedGrooveFX109 • GrooveFXpower109 • Apply:Groove 109 • Apply:All 110 • Quantizeeffect 110 • Double/Halftimeeffect 110 • Simplifyeffect 110 • Dynamicseffect 111 • Swingeffect 111 • Humanizeeffects111 • HumanizeVelocity 111 • HumanizeTiming

112 chapter 07: GROOVES PAGE part 3 auto-play, drum track and other ways of using grooves

112 7:1 Auto-Play mode112 • Auto-Playvs.MIDItriggering112 • Auto-Playmodes

114 7:2 Drum Track Introduction114 • EnablingtheDrumTrack114 • DrumTracksynchronization

115 7:3 Drum Track display

116 7:4 Working with the Drum Track116 • AddingpartstotheDrumTrack116 • ManipulatingPartsontheDrumTrack117 • Partcontextmenu

118 7:5 Loading, saving and exporting the Drum Track118 • SavingandloadingDrumTrackcontents 118 • ExportingtheDrumtrackasMIDI118 • ExportingtheDrumtrackasaudio

118 7:6 Combining playback methods118 • GrooveplaybackandMIDItriggeringofarticulations

119 7:7 Using BFD2’s MIDI Out119 • SettinguptheMIDIoutputfunction119 • UsingtheMIDIoutputasaMIDIinputinyourhost119 • LatencyoftheMIDIOut

120 chapter 08: MAPPING PAGE key and automation mapping

120 8:1 Overview 120 • Loadingandsavingmaps120 • Keymappingview120 • Automationmappingview120 • Switchingbetweenviews

121 8:2 Loading in the Mapping page 121 • Loadingkeymaps122 • KeymaploadedwhenBFD2islaunched123 • LoadingAutomationmaps 123 • AutomationmaploadedwhenBFD2islaunched

124 8:3 Saving in the Mapping page 124 • SaveKeyMap124 • SaveAutomationMap124 • SaveKey+Automationmaps124 • SaveMIDIEventLog

125 8:4 Key mapping view125 • Kit-piecelisting125 • Keyboardlayoutandkeyrangeselector125 • Mappinginspector125 • Clearallkeys126 • Keylabelling127 • Single-articulationpreviews127 • Keycontextmenu 127 • MIDIeventlog127 • ExternalMIDILog

128 8:5 Working with the key mapper128 • MappinganarticulationtoaMIDIkey128 • Mappingmultiplearticulationstoneighbouringkeys129 • Layeringmultiplearticulationsonasinglekey129 • Specialarticulations

130 8:6 Mapping inspector130 • Articulationlist130 • Low&Highvelocity130 • VelocityCurve130 • Deletearticulation130 • Variablearticulationcontrols

131 8:7 Introduction to BFD2 automation131 • Overview131 • MIDICCsandhostautomation131 • MIDInoteautomation131 • ParameterMIDIlearnfunctioninthestatusbar131 • Automationmappingpage131 • Multiplemappings131 • SettingauniqueMIDIchannelforMIDIautomation132 • Automationviewinterface

134 8:8 Mapping MIDI CCs to BFD2 controls134 • AutomationsourcetableinMIDICCview134 • MappingindicationinBFD2parametertable134 • Mappinganalready-mappedBFD2parameter

135 8:9 Mapping MIDI notes to BFD2 controls135 • Automationparameterstablein MIDInoteview135 • CreatingaMIDInotemapping135 • MappingindicationinBFD2parametertable135 • Mappinganalready-mappedBFD2parameter

136 8:10 Mapping host automation to BFD2 controls136 • Automationparameterstablein hostautomationview136 • Creatingahostautomationmapping136 • MappingindicationinBFD2parametertable136 • Mappinganalready-mappedBFD2parameter

137 chapter 09: ELECTRONIC DRUMS & BFD2

137 9:1 Intoduction to using electronic kits with BFD2137 • Howelectronicdrumkitswork137 • Cross-talkbetweentriggersandzones137 • Double-triggering:settingtheRetriggerthreshold137 • Latency

138 9:2 Simple hihat control138 • Advantagesanddisadvantagesofnon-variablehihat

control

139 9:3 Variable hihat control139 • Overview139 • Assigningvariabletipandvariableshankarticulations140 • AssigningthehihatheightpedalMIDICC140 • Customizinghihatpedalresponse141 • AllHihatsvariablesetting

142 9:4 Other settings related to hihat control142 • Preferences143 • Kit-pieceInspector

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144 9:5 Positional snare control 144 • Variablesnarecontrols

144 9:6 Controlling cymbals

145 chapter 10: BFD2 PREFERENCES customizing BFD2

145 10:1 Preferences page overview

146 10:2 Data preferences146 • PreferenceOptions146 • DataPath146 • Startup

147 10:3 Groove preferences147 • ShowGrooveSessionpreferences147 • MIDIImport 148 • EditorPreferences149 • Metronome

150 10:4 Session preferences 150 • SessionMIDIprefereces151 • SessionPlaybackpreferences

152 10:5 MIDI preferences152 • MIDIChannels152 • MIDIInputTransformations152 • MIDIdisplay153 • KeyMappingpreferences153 • MIDILearnNoteWizardpreferences

154 10:6 Engine preferences154 • StreamingEngine155 • Synthoptions156 • Fadepreferences157 • Detail

158 10:7 GUI preferences158 • Controlbehaviour159 • MixerGUIOptions159 • KitPage159 • KeyboardShortcuts

160 Chapter 11: PROGRAMMING TIPS

160 11:1 Building the kit

160 11:2 Using Velocity layers160 • TheimportanceofutilisingBFD2’svelocitylayers160 • Deployingvelocitylayerseffectively160 • Dynamicscontrols

161 11:3 Using articulations effectively

161 11:3 Damping, tuning and tightening161 • Dampingkicks,snaresandtoms161 • Tighteningclosedhihats161 • Tuningthekit

162 11:4 Layering162 • Introductiontolayering162 • SimplelayeringusingtheLinkfunction162 • LayeringindividualarticulationsintheMappingpage162 • Creativeandexperimentallayering

163 11:5 Programming patterns163 • Drummingfundamentals163 • Transcribe,studyandeditexistingdrumparts163 • Physicalinterfacingwiththecomputer

164 chapter 12: MIXING AND EFFECTS USAGE

164 • Overview164 • D.CAMFX

165 12:1 Mixing basics165 • Micchannelusage165 • Panning165 • Gainlevels166 • ApproachingEQandcompression

167 12:2 EQ and filtering 167 • EQ 167 • Filter168 • FilterMod

169 12:3 Dynamics processing169 • Commoncompressionparameters169 • AdvancedfeaturesinBFD2’sdynamicsprocessors170 • CompChan 170 • CompBus 171 • NoiseGate

172 12:4 Distortion 172 • Drive173 • BitCrusher

174 12:5 Other effects 174 • Gain174 • Delay175 • Flanger175 • Chorus 176 • RingMod 176 • Frequencyshifter 176 • TinCanVerb

177 12:6 Mixing each part of the kit177 • Kicks177 • Snares177 • Hihats178 • Toms178 • Cymbals

179 12:7 Routing scenarios179 • Creatingsub-mixesforprocessingmicchannels

together179 • Micchannelseparation179 • Creatingsendstoanexternalreverb

180 12:8 External processing180 • Artificialreverb180 • Distortionandre-amping180 • Noise180 • Resamplingandre-sequencing

2.0.1Dec 2007

manual revision 2

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chapter 01 INTRODUCING BFD2

1:1 An introduction to BFD2

Welcome to BFD2ThankyouforpurchasingBFD2!

Welcometothemostadvancedacousticdrumproductionenvironmentever.Asyoubegintoexplorethesoftwareandmanualyou’llstarttorealisethesheerpoweryouhaveatyourfingertips.

About this manual

ThereisahugeamountoffunctionalityinBFD2,sopleasetakethetimetostudythismanualasyoudelveintothesoftware.Werealiseit’saratherlargemanual,butitisbrokendownintofairlyeasilydigestiblesections,logicallystructuredforeachpartofthesoftware.

RemembertousethePDFbookmarksintegratedintothedocumenttomakenavigationthroughthemanualquickandeasy.

CreditsSKoTMcDonald Projectlead,Programming(synthesisengineandmixer)PaulChana Programming(kitpage,panelsandInstaller)SteveBaker Programming(Grooveengine)AndySimper Programming(effectDSP&circuitmodelling)AngusHewlett Programming(adapters,licensing)AndreasSchnetzler Programming(website)GarethGreen Leadaudioengineering,production,editingAlexAkers Graphicdesign(interface,3Dmodelling)RusBrockman Graphicdesign(packaging)MayurMaha DocumentationRobBantin QualityassuranceengineeringRhiannonBankston-Thomas Marketing&SalesJuliaTitchfield Artistrelations&Publicity

EmreRamazanoglu SessiondrummingDarrinMooney SessiondrummingKevinHay AssistantaudioengineeringBenFerns PhotographyandvideoRyanSellers TechnicalsupportAlexVolmer Technicalsupport

SteveDuda&HuskyHoskulds BFD8BKAudioContent(Electronic)JohnEmrich BFDPERAudioContent(Percussion)

BFD2Grooves: JacquesMathias,PatchenPreston,MikaelAdle,JessySchmidt,DerikWhite,KevinHayBFD1Grooves: ChrisDagley,MayurMaha

RecordedatAIRStudiosLyndhurstHall,London

Thankstoallthebetatesters,especiallyRailJonRogut,RobertSfeir,RalfSteyrer,JordanL.Chilcott,ChristopherReis,OliverKauert,AndrewCordani,MikaelAdle,MurrayMcDowallandHiroakiHonshuku!

AdditionalthankstoApostrophe,BLT,CayTre,Karma,allpizzaplacesinamileforkeepinguscaffeinatedandfed...totheFoundry,CharlieWright’s,BarMusicHall,Poolbar,BricklayersandeveryboozeemporiuminShoreditchforkeepingussane...

...toallourfamiliesandfriends....cheers!

©2007FXpansionAudioUKLtd.

www.fxpansion.com

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1:2 BFD2 Architecture

How BFD2 works

Disk-streaming multi-channel sample playback engine

AttheheartofBFD2isasampleplaybackenginethatstreamsmulti-channelaudiorecordingsofdrum,hihat,cymbalandper-cussioninstruments–calledkit-pieces–beingplayedinvariousways,andrecordedwithmultiplesetsofmicrophones.

Thereisaninherentlatencywhenaccessingfilesonaharddrive.Becauseofthis,BFD2cachesashortsegmentofthestartofeverysoundinsystemmemory.Therefore,eventhoughBFD2canusealotofRAM,itallowsyoutousesoundswithdetaillevelsfarbeyondconventionalRAMlimitations.HarddiskspaceisfarcheaperthanRAM,andwillbefortheforeseeablefuture.

Dedicated interface for working with multi-channel acoustic drums

Ratherthanhavingtoworkwithagenericsamplerinterfaceandsamplelibrariesdesignedwithinitslimitations,BFD2’suserinterfaceallowsyoutoworkwithitshyper-detailedsamplelibraryasifyouwereplayingandmixingarealdrumkit!

Therearefunctionsdedicatedtobuildingthecustomkitofyourdreamsinseconds,tuninganddampingkit-pieces,andhigh-endstudioqualitymixingtools.Itfeaturessimple-to-usemappingtools,anddedicatedsupportforelectronicdrumkitsystems.Mean-while,theflexibleGrooveengineletsyoulaydownconvincingdrumtracksquicklyandeasily.

Anatomy of a kit-piece

Articulations

Akit-pieceismadeupofoneormorearticulations.Thesewerereferredtoas‘hittypes’inpreviousversionsofBFD.Anarticula-tionisanindividualwayofplayingapercussiveinstrumentsuchasadrum,cymbalorhihat.Forexample,hihatsfeatureupto11articulations–apedal-downsound(‘foot-chick’)andtipandshank(edge)soundswhenthehihatisclosed,fullyopenandatthreepositionsin-between.

Gooduseofmultiplearticulationsallowsgreaterrealismthanusingconventionalsample-sets,becauseoftheexpressiverangepossibleonadrumkit.

Velocity layers

Eacharticulationismadeupofanumberofaudiofiles,calledvelocitylayers.Theseaudiofilesarerecordingsofthearticulationbeingplayedatvaryingintensitiesfromsofttohard.Aswellastheamplitude(‘loudness’),thetimbralresponseofpercussiveinstrumentsvariesgreatlywithplayingdynamics.

ThehighamountofvelocitylayersinBFD2’ssoundsletsyourecreatethesoundofdynamicdrumming,givingconvincingresultswhenusingaccenting.Thisisveryimportantintheformationofrealisticgrooves.

Multi-channel audio files

Eachvelocitylayerisanaudiofilemadeupofmultiplechannels.Thesearerecordingsfromseveralsetsofmicrophonesusedtocaptureeachkit-piece.Realdrumrecordingsituationscommonlyusemultiplemicsetupsinordertocaptureavarietyofdifferentelements.

Firstly,akit-piecemaysounddifferentdependingonwhereamicisplaced.Snaressoundverydifferentwhenmic’dfromabovecomparedtofrombelow–amicplacedontopcapturesthe‘pop’oftheskinbeingstruck,whilethecrunchandsizzleofthemeshsnareiscapturedatthebottom.Meanwhile,micsinsidekickdrumstendtopickupthe‘snap’or‘click’ofthebeaterstrikingthedrum.Themain‘thud’andlow-endpoweriscapturedbyamicoutsidethekickdrum.

Drumrecordingsituationsalsomakeuseofstereosetsofmicstocapturethekitasitsoundsasawholewithinaspace.Theycapturetheprojectionofthekitanditsreflectionswithintheroommuchmoreeffectivelythanindividualdirectionalclosemicsonvariouspartsofthekit,whichsoundverydryincomparison.

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ArticulationsHereisasummaryofpossiblearticulationsinBFD2.Pleasenotethatsomekit-piecesdonotcontainallpossiblearticulations.

Kicks

Snares

Hihats

Toms

Cymbals

Percussion

HitNo Snare

HitRimSidestickDragHalf-edge*

PedalClosed tipClosed shank1/�-open tip1/�-open shank1/�-open tip1/�-open shank�/�-open tip�/�-open shankopen tipopen shank**

Hit

HitBellEdge

HitAlt[more...]***

*Half-edge is the skin or head struck half-way between the centre and the edge. Most previous BFD libraries featured a flam instead

** previous BFD libraries did not in-clude an open shank articulation

To support electronic drums, all tip and shank hihat articulations can also be triggered via a MIDI CC and � ‘virtual articulations’ – variable tip and variable shank

�-articulation cymbals are new in BFD�

***Percussion slots, like all slots in BFD�, can have more than � articula-tions. This allows you to load large, complex percussion pieces from the BFD Percussion expansion pack, which required one of � snare slots in BFD 1.�.

Mic channelsEachvelocitylayersampleofeachKit-Piecearticulationpossesses12micchannels(3stereo,6mono):

Ambience channels (stereo)

Overhead

Room • M/S Room in BFD� • Stereo room in most previous BFD libraries

Amb� • Room� in BFD�’s library • PZM in most previous BFD� libraries

The signal from the stereo Overhead mic set, above the kit.

The signal from the room mics. BFD� features an M/S room mic set. BFD�’s mixing engine decodes each M/S-re-corded kit-pieces on the voice level, so you can mix and match kit-pieces with previous BFD libraries, most of which feature a stereo Room.

The signal from the third set of ambient mics. The wide, high placed Room� mics in BFD� and PZMs in previous libraries all tend to sound huge!

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Direct mic channels (mono)

Kick In

Kick Out

Snare Bottom

Snare Top

Snare Top�

Multi

The signal from the mic inside the kick drum.

The signal from the mic outside the kick drum.

The signal from the mic underneath the snare drum.

The signal from the first mic above the snare drum.

The signal from the second mic above the snare drum. BFD�’s library is the first to contain this mic channel, which does not exist in previous BFD libraries.

The signal from the direct mic for all Kit-Pieces except kicks and snares. This is usually empty for kicks and snares.

Primary direct and bleed channels

ThekickandsnaremicsareusedforallKit-Pieces,asbleedsignalsarerecordedthroughthem.

AKit-Piece’sownclosemic’ddirectsignalisknownastheprimarydirectmicchannel.Forakick,thisisintheKickInandOutmicchannels,andforahihatorcymbal,itisintheMultimicchannel.

TheKickIn/Outmicchannelsaretheprimarydirectmicchannelsforthekick.BleedfromthekickappearsintheSnareBot-tom/Topmicchannels.TheMultimicchannelisemptyforkicks,exceptoncertainBFDXFLkicks,whichfeaturebleedcapturedthroughthehihatmic.

TheSnareBottom/Topmicchannelsaretheprimarydirectmicchannelsforthesnare.BleedfromthesnareappearsintheKickIn/Outmicchannels.TheMultimicchannelisemptyforsnares,exceptoncertainBFDXFLsnares,whichfeaturebleedcapturedthroughthehihatmic.

TheMultimicchannelistheprimarydirectmicchannelforallotherKit-Pieces,whosebleedappearsintheKickIn/OutandSnareBottom/Topmicchannels.

Bleedisonlypresentinthekickandsnaremicchannels.Bleedfromtheothermicsisnotincluded,becausethelevelsweretoolowandnotusefulenoughtojustifytheextraRAMandharddiskbandwidthrequired.Inanycase,bleedcanbe,inmanycases,anannoyingside-effectofthedrum-recordingprocess,whichisoftenminimizedduringpost-processingbyusingnoisegates.

10

Microphone busesAswellasmicchannels,whenusingBFDyouneedtobeawareofthefourmicrophonebuses,whichare‘virtualgroups’ofthemicchannels.

Ambience buses

TheambiencebusesallowyoutoapproachmixinginBFD2inthesamewayasarealdrumkitrecording.EventhoughBFD2’skit-piecespossessdiscreteambiencesignals,thisisimpossibletoachievewhenrecordingarealdrumkit,whenanyambientmicscapturethesoundofthewholeofthekit.

Also,whileyoucanmanipulateeachkit-piece’sdirectmicsaschannelsintheBFD2mixer,therearetoomanyambiencechan-nels(threechannelswouldberequiredforeachkit-piece)tocontroleachkit-piece’sambienceefficiently.

Therefore,theoverhead,roomandamb3signalsforallkit-piecesareeachorganizedintogroupscalledtheambiencebuses.

Pleasenotethatyoucan,inthekit-pieceinspector,routetheambiencesignalstoindividualAuxchannelsonthemixerifyouwish.Thisfacilityisprovidedforadvancedandexperimentalmixingapplications.Ifyoudothis,youcanstillcontroltheWidthofeachambiencetypeusingtheMicToolspanelintheMixerpage’sUtilitypanel.

Overhead

Room

Amb�

The Overhead mic channels from all Kit-Pieces.

The Room mic channels from all Kit-Pieces.

The third set of ambient mic channels from all Kit-Pieces.

Direct bus

Thereisafourthmicbus,calledtheDirectbus,whichrepresentsthedirectmicchannelsofallkit-piecesmixedtogether.Thisdoesnothaveadedicatedchannelonthemixerbydefault,althoughyoucancreateoneifyouwishbyaddinganAuxchannelandroutingallkit-pieces’directchannelstoit.

Youcan,however,controltheleveloftheDirectMasterbususingtheDirectfaderintheKitpage’sMini-mixersection,orusingtheDirectMasterlevelcontrolintheMixerpage’sMicToolspanel.

How mic buses are used in BFD2

MicbusesarecontrolledviatheMicToolspanel,partofthemixer’sUtilitypanel.Inthispanel,youcancontroltheleveloftheDirectbus,aswellastheWidthandDistanceoftheambiencebuses.

TheambiencechannelsthatexistintheKitpage’sMini-mixerandinthemainMixerpageshouldnotbeconsideredasmicbuses.Thisisbecausewhileambiencesignalsfromindividualkit-piecescanberoutedtootherauxchannels,theyarestillconsideredtobepartoftheambiencebuses.TheyarestillaffectedbytheWidthparametersintheMicToolspanel,althoughfortechnicalreasonstheDistancecontrolsdonotapply.

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1:3 Recording notes BFD2’ssoundswererecordedinstudio1atAIRStudiosatLyndhurstHall,Hampstead,London.

AIRStudioswasstartedin1969byGeorgeMartin,apro-ducerfamousforhisworkwithTheBeatles.

ItmovedtoitspresentlocationatLyndhurstHall,astunninggradeIIlistedconvertedchurchinHampstead,in1991.ItoffersoneofthebestliveroomsintheUK.

Studio1’srecordingroomcouldbedescribedasmediumtolargesized.Itconsistsmainlyofwoodensurfaceswithexcellentdispersioncharacteristicsandafastdecaying‘explosive’soundingreverbquality.

Thesizeoftheroomoffersalotofoptionswhenrecording,withverydifferentreverbcharacteristicsdependingonthepositionandheightofambiencemicrophones.

Thisroomwasportionedintoaslightlysmallerspacemoreappropriatefordrumrecording,withoutlosingitslushreverberantsound.

Themixingconsoleinthestudio1controlroomisaratherspecialcustomNevefeaturing‘AIRMontserrat’micpreamps.Itwasdesignedin1989byRupertNevewithconsultationfromGeorgeMartin,andisaclassicfully-discreteNevedesignofferingabandwidthof100kHz.

PersonnelAllsoundswererecordedandeditedbyGarethGreen,withengineeringassistancefromKevinHay.

DrummingdutiesweresharedbetweenEmreRamazonogluandDarrinMooney,bothrespectedandexperiencedsessionplay-ers.

Kit preparation and tuningDuringthesessions,theprimaryobjectivewastocapturetheinstrumentsasorganicallyandpowerfullyaspossible,whilecover-ingdifferentkindsofvoicingandtuning.Alotofthedrums,especiallythevintagekits,haveloosehardwareandothersupposedflaws.Thesehaveallbeenretained,astherereallyisnothingworsethansterile,characterlessdrums.

Thedrums,hihatsandcymbalsthemselvesareamixtureofmodern,vintageandcustominstruments.

Thelibraryincludestwohistoricandfamouskits.Firstly,aclassicLudwig‘Spiral’Vis-talitethatwasonceownedandplayedbythelateJohnBonhamand,secondly,RingoStarr’sBlueOysterLudwigkitthatwasusedonanumberofclassicalbums.

Theotherinstrumentsinthelibrarywereselectedtoofferawidetonalandstylisticrange,fromthemodern,tightpunchoftheDWCollector’sSeriestothewarm,roundedtonesofthevintageGretschRound-badgekit.Weevenmanagedtodragour‘housekit’atFXHQdowntothesessions–alate70sRogersXP-8withBosphorushihatandBradyjarrahwoodsnare.

Snaresespeciallywerecarefullytunedtorangefromdeepandloosetotightandringywithlotsofovertones.Drumheadswerechoseninordertocomplementeachindividualinstrument,whilevarioustypesofdampingwereusedwhenappropriate.Theresultinglibraryoffersaverywideandvariedselectionofsounds,greatforallkindsofmusic.

Recording path AllsoundswererecordedthroughtheNeve’sAIRMontserratpreampsintoProTools,viaPrismADA-8XRconverters,at24-bitresolutionwithasamplerateof44.1kHz.

NoEQ,compressionorotherprocessingwasusedonanychannels.

1�

MicrophonesSeveralmicrophonesweresetupformanymicpositions,withthemostappropriatesetsbeingusedforeachkit.

Somesnaresweremic’dusingaslightlydifferenttechniqueinvolvingthetopsnaremicspointingatthesideofthesnareshellinsteadofatthetopskin.

BFD2’ssnaresoffertwomicsforthetopsnareposition,allowingevenmoreflexibilitythanbeforewhenmixing.

Microphonedelaywaseditedoutfromthedirectchannelssoallkickandsnaremicchannelsaretime-alignedwithreferencetothemselves.

Bottomsnareandoutsidekickmicchannelshavebeenphase-flippedtoensuretheyarealreadyinphase.

Notime-aligningofambiencechannelswasperformed,asthiswouldaffectthenaturalstereoimageprovidedbytheirtimingdiscrepancies.

Directs

Kick In

Themostappropriateinsidemicfromthefollowingwaschosenforeachkick:

•AKGD112onthebeaterside•ElectroVoiceRE20insidethekick

Kick Out

Themostappropriateoutsidemicfromthefollowingwaschosenforeachkick:

•NeumannFET47•CADVX2

Snare Top

SnareTop1: ShureSM57SnareTop2: NeumannKM84

Snare Bottom

NeumannKM84

Hi Hats

NeumannKM84

Toms

SennheiserMD421ontopskinonly

Cymbals

NeumannKM84

Overheads

Themostappropriatesetfromthefollowingwaschosenforeachkit-piece:

•Coles4038•ManleyGoldreference

Bothsetswerearrangedasstereospacedpairs,withtheColesinaBlumleinarrayastheyhavea‘figureof8’response.

Room

ForthefirstRoommicset,originalAKGC12swereusedinM/Sconfiguration.Theywereplacedinfrontofthekit,approx.8ft.awayandalignedjustabovethekickdrum.

TheuseoftheM/Sconfigurationisintendedtofacilitateagoodtruemonoroomsound,somethingwhichisheardinmanyclassicdrumsounds.

Italsohasthebenefitofbeingusedforwideningthestereoimage.

TheBFD2mixingenginehandlestheM/Sdecodinginreal-timeonthevoiceleveltotakeadvantageofthistypeofrecording.

Amb3 (Room2)

FortheRoom2micsetontheAmb3micbus,astereospacedpairofSonyC800’swasused,placeddiagonally23ftawayfromthekitandveryhighupintheroom–around20-25ft.

ComparedtotheRoomset,thismicsethasamoreobviousroom‘slapback’reverbeffect.Becauseoftheheightofplacement,itcapturesthesizeoftheroomwell.Ithasabrighter,moredensesound.

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1:4 Introduction to the BFD2 interface

Control conventions

Faders

Fadersarecontrolledbyclickinganddraggingvertically.

Fadersareorientedverticallybutsomecontrols,suchasthesendlevelcontrolsintheFX/Sendsmixerview,arehorizontallyalignedbutarestillcontrolledbyclickinganddraggingvertically.

Knobs

Knobsarecontrolledbyclickinganddraggingvertically(up/down)bydefault.

ThiscanbechangedtocircularmotionintheGUIpreferencesorwiththestartupwizard.

Graphs

Graphscanbeorientedhorizontally or vertically.Theycanbeadjustedin2ways:

•Clickanywhereovertherangetojumptoavalue.

•Hoverthemousenearthecurrentvalueandclickanddragintheaxisinwhichthe graphisoriented(horizontallyorvertically).Thismethodismuchlikeusingthegraph asafader.

Fine control and returning to default values

•HoldingdowntheSHIFTkeywhileadjustingaknob,faderorgraphgivesyoufinecontrol.

•Double-clickaknob,faderorgraphtoreturnittoitsdefaultvalue.

Drop-down menus

Theseareindicatedbyadownward-facingtriangle–clicktodisplaythemenu.

Clickamenuitemtoselectitandhidethemenuagain,orclickelsewheretojusthidethemenu.

Otherdrop-downmenusdoexist,locatedonbuttonsforexample.Thesearedetailedinthe manualwherenecessary.

Numerical value boxes

Thesecanbeadjustedin2ways:

•clickanddragverticallytoadjustthecurrentvalue.

•double-clickthebox,typeanewvalueandpressENTERorRETURN.

Right-clicking

Right-clicksareusedinseveralpartsoftheBFD2interface,particularlyforaccessingcontextmenusandthesecondarytoolintheGrooveeditingenvironment.

IfyouuseaMacanddonothaveaccesstoa2-buttonmouse,youcanaccessright-clickfunctionsbyholdingdowntheCTRLkeywhileclickingyourmousebutton.However,a2-buttonmouseishighlyrecommended!

SomekeyboardshortcutthatoperatewiththeCTRLkeyonWindowsareaccessedonMacbyusingtheCOMMANDkeyinstead.ThisisalsoknownastheAPPLEkey.

Vertical fader movement

Vertical knob movement

Jumping to a graph value

Adjusting with click and drag

Click to display the menu

Click any item to select it

Double-click to type a value

Click and drag vertically to adjust

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Interface overview

1:5 Control bar

Page buttonsClickingtheselargebuttonsswitchestooneofthefivePages,eachcoveringadifferentaspectofBFD2’soperation.OnlyonePagecanbeactiveatanyonetime.

Kit page – chapter 2 TheKitpageisusedforbuildingandtweakingthekit,aswellasprovidingverysimplemixingfunctions.

Mixer page – chapters 3 and 12 BFD2’sadvancedandfull-featuredmixergivesyouaccesstovirtuallyunlimitedrouting,mixingandeffectsprocessing.Thebuilt-inEQ,compressionandothereffectscanbeaccessedhere,aswellasadvancedmicma-nipulationandaudioexportfunctions.Ifyou’remoreofawriterthananengineer,avarietyofprofessionalmixerpresetsareatyourfingertips.

Grooves page – chapters 4, 5, 6 and 7 TheGroovespageisanadvanceddrumsequencingenvironmentallowingyoutopreview,loadandplayBFD2’slibraryofready-madeGrooves.ItalsoincludesanadvancedGrooveeditor,humanizationeffectsandanumberofwaysofvaryingGroovesovertime,suchastheDrumTrack,whichallowsyoutosequenceawholetrackofindividualGrooves.

Mapping page – chapters 8 and 9 BFD2featurespowerfulmappingforplayingitsdrumsoundsandautomatingitsparameters.

Preferences page – chapter 10 ThePreferencesPageallowsyoutocustomizeBFD2toyourneedsbychanginganumberofsettings.

Preset indicator ThePresetindicatordisplaysthenameofthelastloadedBFD2Preset.Youcanalsoclickittomanuallytypeanewnameforthecurrentsession,whichisalsousedasthesuggestedfilenamewhenyounextsaveaBFD2Preset.

Page buttons Preset indicator

Load menu

Gain

Save menu

Help menu

Control bar:Features the Load, Save and Help menus, the Page buttons and other functions.

See section 1:�.

Page buttons:These change the contents of the main inter-face.

See section 1:�.

Main interface:This changes according to the currently selected page. Status bar:

Contains various displays and rea-douts, and several important func-tional controls.

See section 1:�.

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Load menu ClickingtheLoadbuttonshowsamenuallowingyoutoloadvariouselementsintoBFD2.TheLoadmenuispartlycontext-dependent,varyingaccordingtowhicheverPageiscurrentlyinview.Themenuhas3sections:

1. BFD2 Preset

APresetisasnapshotoftheentirestateofBFD.ThePresetloaderpanelallowsyoutoselectivelyloaddifferentelementsofPresets.ForafullguidetoloadingPresets,pleaseseethe‘Loadingpresets’sectionlaterinthischapter.

2. Page-dependent elements

DependingonwhichPageiscurrentlyinview,thenextpartofthemenushowstherelevantLoaditems–theexceptionisthePreferencesPage,whichdoesnotrequireanyloadingfunctions.

3. Commonly used elements

ThenextsectionofthemenuallowsyoutoloadcommonlyneededelementsfromPagesotherthanthatcurrentlyinview.

TheLoadmenuallowsyoutoloadthefollowingelementsintoBFD2:

•BFD2presets•Kits•Mixerpresets•Palettes•Grooves•MIDIkeymap•Automationmap–MIDICC,noteandhostautomationassignments

Save menu ClicktheSavebuttoninordertodisplaytheSavemenu.ThesavemenuisstructuredinexactlythesamewayastheLoadmenu.

Themenuallowsyoutosavethefollowing:

•BFD2preset•Kit•Kit-piecepreset•Mixerpreset•Groove•GroovePalette•MIDIkeymap•Automationmap–MIDICC,noteandhostautomationassignments•Keymap+Automationmap•MIDIeventlogcontents

Groove engine export functions

WhenintheGroovepage,thesavemenualsogivesyouaccesstothegrooveengine’sexportfunctions.

•ExportGrooveMIDI•ExportGrooveAudio•ExportTrackMIDI•ExportTrackAudio

Gain Becauseitispossibletorouteaudiooutof32channelswhenrunningasapluginwithinahost,BFD2includesanoverallplugingaincontrolwhichaffectsthelevelofallchannelssimultaneously.

DonotconfusethiscontrolwiththeMasterchannellevel–theMasterchannelintheBFD2mixerissimplyaspecialAuxchanneltowhichallchannelsareroutedbydefault,settooutputs1&2–isallyouneedifyouwanttoprocessallBFD2soundswiththeinternalFXandsimplyoutputastereopair.Ifthisisallthatyouneed,youcanusetheMasterchannelleveltocontroltheoverallvolumeofBFD2.

If,ontheotherhand,yousetupmorethanastereooutput,youcanusetheGaincontroltoadjustthevolumeofallBFD2’schan-nelstogether.

Help menu Seesection1:9fordetailsoftheHelpmenu.

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1:6 Status Bar

MIDI Log ClickingthisbuttonopensanexternalMIDIlogwindow,makingiteasytoviewandtroubleshootincomingMIDIevents.ThecontentsofthelogareidenticaltothesmallerlogbuiltintotheKeymappage.

Seesection8:4formoredetailsofMIDIlogginginBFD2.

Audio stream indicator TheAudiostreamindicatorlightsupwhenBFD2hassuccessfullylaunchedandbeenintegratedintothehostaudioengine(whenrunningasaplugin)orwhenthestandaloneversionofBFD2hassuccessfullyestablishedcommunicationwiththespecifiedaudiodevice.

MIDI stream indicator ThisindicatorlightsupwheneverBFD2receivesanyMIDIinput.

RAM indicator ThisindicatordisplayshowmuchRAMisbeingusedbyBFD2.Thisincludesthecachedstartportionofeachsound,plusasmalloverheadforBFD2’sengine.

CPU and hard disk performance meters The3horizontalmetersinthestatusbarprovideaperform-anceguageforseveralaspectsofBFD2’ssystemresourceusage.

Synthesis engine CPU usage

ThesynthesisengineisinvolvedinreceivingMIDIinputorgeneratingGrooveengineeventsandplayingbacktherelevantarticu-lations.

Mixer engine CPU usage

Themixerengineprocessesallrouting,mixingandFXfunctionsinBFD2.

Hard disk load

Thismeterindicatestheintensityofharddiskresourceusage.Donotbealarmedifthismeterreacheshighvalues,asyourmachinemaywellbeabletohandlealargeamountofdiskusage.Itisintendedasanindicatoroftheamountofharddiskactivitythatisoccurring.

Ifyourmachinecannothandletheamountofdiskusagerequired,theside-effectsareusuallyclearlyaudible–tailsmaybecutorintermittent,andaudiodropoutsorotherartifactsmayoccur.

Offline switch Thisswitchisintendedforusewithhoststhatprovideanoffline(non-realtime)bounceormixdownfacility.WhentheOf-flineswitchison,BFD2waitsforalldatatobeproperlydeliveredfromtheharddiskbeforeallowingthehosttocontinue,ensuringthatsoundsarenotcutoffbeforetheirfulldecayiscomplete.

PleasenotethatOfflinemodeisnon-realtime,andshouldonlybeusedduringofflinemixdownorrenderinginyoursequencer,ifitevenoffersthisfeature.DonotleavetheOfflineswitchenabledduringordinaryplayback.

Ifyoursequenceronlyprovidesrealtimebouncingfacilities(agoodexampleisProTools),youshouldleaveOfflinemodeturnedoffatalltimes.

MIDI Log

Transport controls

Beat light Timesignature

TempoPlayback position

Offline switch

MIDI & audio stream

indicators

Controller learn

CPU & HD performance

metersRAM

indicator

Context info display

Rude solo light

Synthesis CPUMixer CPUHard disk load

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Controller learn ThecontrollerlearnfunctiongivesyouaquickmethodofassigningBFD2controlstoMIDIcontinuouscontrollers(MIDICCs)andeventoMIDInotes,sothatyoucanusephysicalkeys,knobs,fadersorothercontrollerstocontrolBFD2con-trolssuchasknobs,fadersandbuttons.

Using controller learn

1.Whenthecontrollerlearnbuttonisenabled,anoverlayappearsontheinterface,withallMIDI-controllableparametershigh-lightedingreen.

2.Clickthedesiredautomatablecontrolandthendooneofthefollowing:

•movethephysicalknob,faderorothercontrollertoassignaMIDICC •playaMIDIkeytoassignthenote–thisisespeciallyusefulforbuttons

3.Theassignmentismade,andtheassignednoteorMIDICCnumberisoverlaidonthecontrol.

Pleaseseesection8:8formoredetailsonautomationofBFD2parameters.

Controller learn context menu Whileyouareincontrollerlearnmode,right-clickonanyassignablecontroltodisplaythecontrollerlearncontextmenu.

Clear automation

Thisfunctionclearsthecontrol’scurrentautomationmapping.

Iftheparameterhasnotyetbeenmapped,thisfunctionisgreyedoutonthemenu.

Context info display Thecontextinfodisplayprovidesinformationaboutthecontrolcurrentlyunderthemousecursor.Parameternamesandvaluesareshown.

Whileacontrolisbeingadjusted,thecontextinfodisplayremainslockedtotheparameteruntilthemousebuttonisreleased,showingthevalueasitchanges.

Transport ThetransportcontrolsareusedinconjunctionwithBFD2’sGrooveengine.Pleaseseesection4:5formoredetailsaboutthetransportbuttons.

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Rude Solo light TheRudeSoloindicatorisalwayslitwheneveroneormorechannelsaresoloedintheBFD2mixer.

YoucanALT-clickthislightinordertoun-soloallchannelscurrentlyinasolostate.

Beat light ThisindicatorflashesoneverybeatwhenBFD2’sGrooveengineisplaying.

Tempo WhenusingBFD2asastandaloneapplication,youcanenteratempofortheGrooveEnginebydouble-clickingtheTempoindicator.SimplytypeanewtempoandhitENTER.

Youcanalsoclickanddragthiscontrolupanddowntoadjustthetempo.

WhenrunningBFD2asaplugin,theTempoindicatorisnoteditablebecauseBFD2islockedtothehosttempo.

Time signature Similarlytothetempo,youcanenteranewtimesignatureeitherbydouble-clickingthisindicatorandtypinganewvalue,orclickinganddraggingeachnumberinthetimesignatureupanddown.

Playback position Thisreadoutisanindicatorofthecurrentplaybackposition,inbarsandbeats,ofeitherthehost(whenusingBFD2asaplugin),theDrumTrackorthecurrentGroove.

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1:7 Loading BFD2 Presets BFD2PresetsstoretheentirestateofaBFD2session.

ToloadaPreset,clicktheLoadbuttonintheControlbarandclickonLoadBFD2Preset...fromtheLoadmenuthatappears.ThisopensthePresetchooserpanel.Anyavailablepresetisdisplayedwithanimagerepresentingitscontents.

ClickaPresettoselectit.AlargerphotoandratinginformationisdisplayedintheInfodisplaytotheright.

Toloadapreset,selectitbyclickingonitandthenclicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsoloadanypresetinthelistingbydouble-clickingit.

View size Thisdrop-downmenuselectsthesizeofPresetimagesshowninthechooserpanellisting.Arangeofsettingsareavailable,includingtext-onlydisplays.LargersizesresultinlargerphotosbutrequiresmoreuseofthescrollbarsinordertoviewalltheavailablePresets.The‘List’and‘Details’settingsresultinfasteroperationduetothefactthatimagesarenotdisplayed.YoucanstillseeaphotoforthePresetbyselectingit–itsdetailsaredisplayedontherightsideofthepanel.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault‘Standard’size.

Sorting Withthisdrop-downmenuyoucansortPresetseitherby‘Name’or‘Starrating’.

RatingthePresetsinthedatabaseandsortingthelistingby‘Starrating’canmakeiteasiertofindyourfavouritePresets.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault(sortingby‘Name’).

Search ThePresetchooserpanelincludesasearchfacilityinordertonarrowdowntheamountofPresetsshowninthelisting.

Delete Preset from database ClickingthisbuttonremovestheselectedpresetfromtheBFD2database.Thisfeatureisprovidedifyoufindyouhavetoomanypresetsandyouwanttogetridofthosewhichmaynotbetoyourtaste,makingthoseyoudolikeeasiertofindinthePresetchooser.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.

Ifyouchoosetoremoveauserpresetfromthedatabase,youarealsoaskedifyouwanttoremovethepresetfilesfromdisk–if

Click to load the selectedPreset

Photo & Star rating

Delete Preset from database

Preset listing: click to select or

double-click to load

Sticky button

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youclick‘Yes’,thepresetfileanditsassociatedphotoaredeletedfromthe<userlocation>/BFD2/Presetsfolder.Ifyouclick‘No’,thepreset’sfilesremainuntouched.Ifyouleaveuserkitfilesondisk,theyarescannedduringthenextfullrescanofthedatabase(TrashandrebuildalldatabasesintheBFD2Datapreferences).

BFD2neverpromptstodeletefactory-installedPresetfiles.

Notethatthisfunctionalwaysleavestheactualkit-pieceaudiofilesuntouched–ifyouwanttodeletethesetorecoupharddiskspace,youmustgointoBFD2’saudiofolderanddeletetherelevantfolders.

Sticky button EnablingtheStickybuttonresultsinthePresetchooserpanelremainingopenafteraPresetisloaded.

Thisisusefulif,forexample,BFD2isbeingplayedviaMIDIandyouwanttorepeatedlychangePresetsuntilyoufindwhatyouneed.ClickingtheStickybuttonsavesyouhavingtokeepopeningthePresetchooserpanel.

Load selective elements from Presets ABFD2Presetstoresallofthefollowingconstituentelements:

•Kit(kit-piecesandkit-piecesetups)

•Mixer

•GroovePalette,DrumTrackandotherGroovepagesettings

•MIDIkeymap

•Automationmap–MIDICC,noteandhostautomationassignments

•Sessionpreferences

AbuttonisprovidedforeachoftheseelementsinthePresetchooserpanel,withtheexceptionofembeddedSessionprefer-ences.Eachofthesebuttons,whenenabled,tellsBFD2toloadthatconstituentelementofthepreset.Ifanelement’sbuttonisdisabled,itisnotloadedfromthepreset.

Forexample,ifyou’reworkinginasessionwiththeGroovesthatyouwant,butyoumerelywanttotryoutdifferentkitandmixersettingsfromvariousPresets,simplydisabletheGroovesbutton–thecurrentPaletteintheGroovespageisunaffectedwhenthenewkitandmixersettingsareloaded.

Bydefault,theMIDIMapandMIDICCsbuttonsaredisabled,becauseyouwouldnormallywanttostickwiththesameMIDImap-pingswhentryingPresets.

Load BFD1 OriginalBFD1.xProgramsareverydifferenttypesoffilestothePresetfilesusedinBFD2.BecauseofthistheyarenotshowninthePresetchooserpanel,evenifyouhavespecifiedaBFDdatapathcontainingvalidBFD1.xProgramsfiles.

However,BFD2givesyoutheabilitytoloadaBFDprogramfilethroughanadditionalfileloaddialog.Todothis,clicktheLoadBFD1buttontobringupasystemfileopendialog.ThenbrowsetoandselecttheBFD1programfilethatyouwanttoimport.

Aftertheprogramfilehasbeenloadedinthisway,itisrecommendedthatyoure-saveitasaBFD2Preset,inordertobeabletoloaditeasilyfromthePresetchooserpanel.

Load / Cancel buttons Toloadthecurrentlyselectedpreset,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsoloadanypresetbydouble-clickingitinthelisting.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecideyoudon’twanttoloadanewpreset,clicktheCancelbutton.

Keyboard operation

Youcannavigatearoundtheavailablepresetswiththecursor(arrow)keys.

TheselectedpresetcanbedeletedfromthedatabasebypressingtheDELETEkey.

LoadtheselectedpresetbypressingtheRETURNorENTERkey.

ToexitthePresetchooserpanelwithoutloadinganything,presstheESCkey.

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Photo & Rating

ThelargephotoofthePreset,showingarepresentationoftheincludedkit-pieces,isespe-ciallyusefulwhenusing‘List’or‘Details’Viewsettings.

Abovethephotoisthestarratingcontrol,withwhichyoucanratethepresetbyclickingononeofthestars.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systemwhentheSortingtypeissetto‘Starrating’:Presetsareshowninorderoftheirrating.Thismeansthatthosewithahigherratingareshownfirst.

Whenyousetapreset’sStarrating,itisappliedimmediatelytotheBFD2database.

1:8 Saving BFD2 Presets

TosavethecurrentstateofBFD2asaPreset,usetheSaveBFD2Presetfunc-tionontheControlbarSavemenu.

Asystemfilesavedialogisdisplayed,promptingyoutosavethePresettodisk.

ThesuggestedfilenameusedforthePresetisthatdefinedinthePresetnamebox,althoughyoucantypeanewfilenameifyouwish.

Whenyouarehappywiththefilenameandlocation,hitENTERorclicktheSavebutton.

Save location

WhenyousaveyourownPresets,youarepromptedbydefaulttosavethemintheuserlevelBFD2folderasfollows:

<userlocation>/Presets

Itisrecommendedthatyousticktothislocation,sothatyourPresetsareacces-siblewheneveryouusethePresetchooser.

WhereveryousavethePreset,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabase(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotre-scanned.

Preset photo

WhenyousaveaPreset,aTGAgraphicfileissavedalongwithit,showingimagesofthekit-piecesitcontains.ThisphotoisthenvisibleinthePresetchooserpanelduringfuturebrowsing.

Elements saved with PresetsWhenyousaveaPreset,allthefollowingelementsaresavedwithit:

•Kit(kit-piecesandkit-piecesetups)

•Mixer

•GroovePalette,DrumTrackandotherGroovepagesettings

•MIDIkeymap

•Automationmap–MIDICC,noteandhostautomationassignments

•Sessionpreferences

Itisnotpossibletooptnottosaveanyoftheseelements.Youcan,however,selectivelychoosetoloadonlycertainelements(withtheexceptionofembeddedSessionpreferences)whenrecallingPresetsatalatertime.

Ifyouspecificallydonotwanttosavecertainelements,forexampleGroovesormixerFX,withinaPreset,youshouldfirstclearthePaletteorremovetheFXfromthemixerbeforesavingthePreset.

Alternatively,youmaywanttosaveaPresetwithmixersettingsbutnokit-pieces,sothatyoucanloadwhateverkit-piecesyouwantintoacertainmixersetup.Sincemixerchannelsaredependentonkit-piecesbeingloaded,itisnecessarytofirstcreatethemixersettingswithkit-piecesloaded.However,beforesavingthePreset,clearthekit(removeallkit-piecesfromtheirslots).Themixerchannelsremain,buttheyareinactiveuntilyouloadkit-piecesintotherelevantslots.

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1:9 BFD2 Help functionsBFD2offersanumberofdifferenthelpmethodstomakelearningthesoftwareaspainlessaspossible.

Context info displayThecontextinfodisplayintheBFD2Statusbarshowsinformationaboutthecontrolelementcurrentlyunderneaththemousecursor.

Thisalsodisplaysthecurrentvaluesofcontrols,andupdatestoshowanyadjustmentsmadewhiletheyareadjusted.

Tool-tipsTool-tipsareshownwhenthemouseishoveredoveracontrolforadefinablelengthoftime.ThistimeissetintheBFD2GUIpreferences,andisdefinedinanimationframes.Asettingof25isroughlyequivalentto1second.

Ifyouprefer,youcanswitchofftool-tipsintheBFD2GUIpreferences.

Help menu ClickingtheHelpbuttonontheBFDControlbardisplaystheHelpmenu.

Launch PDF Manual

ThisfunctionlaunchestheBFD2PDFmanualinyoursystem’sPDFreader.

Start BFD2 setup wizard

TheBFD2setupwizardisprovidedasaneasywaytosetupBFD2’sprefer-encesinordertoachievethebestperformanceforyourparticularsystem.

WhenyouusetheStartBFD2setupwizardfunctionontheHelpmenu,thesetupwizardpanelisdisplayed.

Amplitude scaled response

ThisitemaffectsVeltoAmpdefaultamountsettingintheBFD2Enginepreferences.Withanamplitude-scaledresponse,thedefaultVeltoAmpamountissetat50%,meaningthatwheneverakit-pieceisinitialized–inotherwords,whenithasjustbeencleared–theVeltoAmpamountissetto50%.Therefore,whenyousubsequentlyloadakit-piece,itisfullyamplitude-scaledwithincomingvelocity.

Ifyouun-tickthischeckbox,thedefaultVeltoAmpamountissetat0%:noamplitudescalingisappliedwhenaslotisinitialized.

IfyouwanttospecifyothervaluesfortheVeltoAmpdefaultamountpreference,itisnecessarytoadjustthepreferenceitself.

This computer is connected to the internet

TickingthischeckboxenablestheLaunchwebbrowserforimagessettingintheBFD2GUIoptions.Thisresultsinlaunchingfac-toryGroovePaletteandmixerpresetauthors’websiteswhentheirimagesareclickedontheBFD2interface.

I have BFD 1.x installed

Ifthischeckboxisticked,BFD2addsyourBFD1.xdatapathandimportsallthekitsintotheBFD2database.IfBFD2detectsaBFD1instal-lationonyoursystem,thischeckboxistickedbydefault.

I like to use tool-tips

Tickingthischeckboxresultsintool-tipsbeingdisplayedwhenthemousecursorisheldoveracontrolforapprox.1second.Ifyouwanttoad-justthetimeittakesfortool-tipstoappear,youmustedittheTool-tipappeartimesettingdirectlyintheBFD2GUIpreferences.

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When moving a control I like to drag... [up and down / around (circular)]

Settingthisitemto‘upanddown’requiresverticalmousemovementtoadjustcircularknobsinBFD2,whilesettingitto‘around(circular)’requirescircularmousemovement.Thepreferencethatthisitemaffects–Circularknobmovement–islocatedintheBFD2GUIpreferences.

My main host application is... [BFD2 Standalone / various plugin hosts]

Thisitemaffectsthe-2octavenumberingand-1octavenumberingsettingsintheBFD2GUIpreferences.IfyouselecttheBFD2standalonehere,the-2octavesystemofnotenumberingisused.Ifyouchooseoneoftheotherhostsinthelist,thenotenum-beringpreferencesaresetaccordingly.

I am a... [keyboard/finger drummer / e-drummer / drum programmer] I use a... [various MIDI controller hardware keymaps]

TheseitemsinthewizardspecifyhowyouaregoingtocontrolBFD2.Dependingonthesettingspecifiedforthefirstitem,anumberofhardwarecontrollerkeymapsarelistedintheseconditem.

NotethatBFD2overridesthissettingifyousubsequentlyloadanewkeymap,orifyousetupastartupPresetwithdifferentkey-mapsettings.

Getting further help with BFD2FurtherinformationandhelpaboutBFD2canbefoundatthefxpansion.comwebpage.InternetshortcutstoallofthesehelpmethodsareavailableontheBFD2Helpmenu:

1. Launch online FAQ: www.fxpansion.com/bfd2faq

TheFAQisoftenupdatedwithlate-breakinginformationaboutBFD2.Thisincludescommonsolutionstoproblemswhicharenotcoveredinthemanual–forexampleinstallationandauthorizationissues.

2. Launch online forum: www.fxpansion.com/forum

Ourforumisfrequentedbyourprogrammingandtechnicalsupportteams,aswellasknowledgableandexperiencedusersofBFD2.IfyouhaveaquerywhichisnotcoveredintheprovideddocumentationorwebpageFAQs,youcanoftenfindananswerintheforumafteraquicksearch.Itisalsopossibletoobtainanswerstonewquestionsfromotherusersoutofourusualofficehours.

3. Launch online support: www.fxpansion.com/support

Ifallotherhelpresourceshavenotyieldedanswerstoyourquestions,youcanfilloutatechnicalsupportrequestintheSupportsectionatfxpansion.com.

YoumustregisteryourcopyofBFD2beforeyoucanobtaintechnicalsupport.

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chapter 02 KIT PAGE building and adjusting your kit

2:1 Kit page overview

1. Loading and saving kits – 2:3, 2:4

UsetheLoadandSavemenusinordertoloadandsavekits.

2. Kit Size – 2:2

Thisselectorletsyouchoosebetween10,18and32piecekits.

3. Kit display – 2:5

Thischangesforeachkitsize.Clickakit-pieceinthedisplayinordertoselectit.Eachkit-pieceinthedisplayflasheswhenitisplayed.

4. Kit-piece slots and loading kit-pieces – 2:5, 2:6, 2:7

Thenumberofkit-pieceslotsshowndependsonthekitsize.Eachslotfeaturesacontrolsforloadingakit-pieceintotheslotandclearingitscontents,aswellastrimanddirectpancontrols.

5. Kit page toolbar – 2:8, 2:11

Thetoolbarfeaturestoolsforselectingandlinkingkit-pieces.

ItalsofeaturesawizardtoolforeasyMIDIlearn-basedkeyassignmentsforkit-piecearticulations.

6. Kit-piece inspector – 2:9

Thisinspectorfeaturesamultitudeofwaystotweakthesoundandresponseoftheselectedkit-pieceanditsarticulations.

Apresetsystemisalsoavailableforkit-pieceinspectorsettings.

Theinspectorincludesthekit-piecequick-loadcontrols,allowingyoutoflickthroughavailablekit-pieceswithoutopeningthekit-piecechooserpanel.

7. Mini-mixer 2:10

Themini-mixercontainsanumberofusefulfunctions.

Firstly,themastertune,masterdynamicsandhumanizecontrolsofferanumberofwaysofchangingthewaythekitsoundsandplays.

Themini-mixeritselfallowsaquickwayofsettingthemixbetweendirectandambientmicchannelswithouthavingtoswitchtotheMixerpage.

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2:2 Kit SizeYoucanchoosebetween3kitsizesusingtheselectorbuttonsonthetoolbar.

Allslotshaveanintendedpurpose–whenthekit-piecechooserpanelisdisplayedforeachslot,itsetstheTypeandSearchcontrolstoshowtheintendedvarietyofkit-piece.

However,youcanloadanykit-pieceintoanyslotbychangingtheTypeandSearchcriteria.

10-piece kit

1 Kick1� Snare 1� Hihat� Floor Tom� Mid Tom� High Tom� Crash 1� Cymbal 1� Ride 110 Perc

Whentheloadkit-piecebuttonisclickedforthetomslots,thekit-piecechooserdefaultstotheappropriatetypeoftombysettingthesearchcriteriaautomaticallyasrequired.Toviewalltoms,clearthesearchtext-box.

Whenloadingakit-pieceintothecymbalslots,thekit-piecechooserdefaultstotheintendedcymbaltypebyputtingtherelevantsearchcriteriaautomaticallyintothesearchtext-box.Toviewallcymbals,clearthesearchtext-box.

TheCymbal1slot(slot8)chooserdefaultstoshowingallcymbals.

18-piece kit

1 Kick 1� Snare 1� Hihat� Floor Tom� Mid Tom� High Tom� Crash 1� Cymbal 1� Ride 1

10 Kick �11 Snare �1� Perc1� Tom � (all toms)1� Tom � (all toms)1� Tom � (all toms)1� Crash �1� Cymbal �1� Ride �

Whentheloadkit-piecebuttonisclickedfortheFloor,MidandHighTomslots,thekit-piecechooserdefaultstotheappropriatetypeoftombysettingthesearchcriteriaautomaticallyasrequired.Toviewalltoms,clearthesearchtext-box.

Whenloadingakit-pieceintotheTom4,Tom5andTom6slots,thekit-pieceselectordefaultstodisplayingalltoms.

Whenloadingakit-pieceintothecymbalslots,thekit-piecechooserdefaultstotheintendedcymbaltypebyputtingtherelevantsearchcriteriaautomaticallyintothesearchtext-box.Toviewallcymbals,clearthesearchtext-box.

TheCymbal1andCymbal2slots(slot8)chooserdefaultstoshowingallcymbals.

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32-piece kit

1 Kick 1� Snare 1� Hihat� Floor Tom� Mid Tom� High Tom� Crash 1� Cymbal 1� Ride 1

10 Kick �11 Snare �1� Perc1� Tom � (all toms)1� Tom � (all toms)1� Tom � (all toms)1� Crash �1� Cymbal �1� Ride �

1� Perc ��0 Perc ��1 Perc ��� Perc ��� Perc ��� Perc ��� Perc �

�� Perc ��� Perc 10�� Perc 11�� Perc 1��0 Perc 1��1 Perc 1��� Perc 1�

The32-piecekitfeaturesthesamefirst18slotsasthe18-piecekit,butwithanextra14percussionslotsasshownabove.

Theseslotshavenodefaultmapping,duetothefactthattheypotentiallyneedlotsofMIDIkeys,soitwouldreallybenecessarytofirstsettheGroovePalettetoanotherMIDIchannel.

Ifyouneedthismanykit-pieces,pleasesetupyourdesiredmappingandsaveaProgramsothatit’ssetupforfutureuse.

Whiletheseslotsareintendedasapercussionrack,especiallyforusewiththeBFDPercussionexpansionpack,youcanofcourseusethemtoloadanykit-pieceyoulike.

Switching kit sizesIfthekitsizeischangedtoalargersetting,anycurrentlyloadedKit-piecesareunaffected-yousimplyhavemoreslotsavailabletoyou.

Ifyouchangetoasmallerkitsize,theslotswhichstillexistinthesmallersizeareunchanged.However,anyslotsthatdonotexistinthesmallersizearelost–thekit-piecesandanysettingsmadetotheslotareclearedfrommemory.

Forexample,ifyouchangefroman18-piecekittoa10-piecekit,slots11-18arediscarded.

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2:3 Loading and saving in the Kit page

Loading in the Kit pageYoucanloadandsaveanumberofdifferentelementsintheKitpage:

Kits (section 2:4)

Akitiscomprisedofanumberofkit-piecesloadedintokit-pieceslots,aswellasanyLinksetupsandadditionalparametersforeachkit-piece(adjustableinthekit-pieceinspector).Youcan,ifyouwish,choosetoloadonlythekit-piecearrangement,anddispensewiththeadditionalsettings.

KitsareloadedandsavedusingtheLoadmenuintheBFD2controlbar.

Kit-pieces (section 2:6)

Youcanloadindividualkit-piecesintotheavailableslotsinordertobuildacustomkit.

ThisisachievedviatheLoadbuttonsoneachkit-pieceslot,orbydouble-clickinganywhereinaslot.

Youcanalsousethekit-piecequick-loadcontrolsatthetopofthekit-pieceinspectorasanalternativewayofloadingkit-pieces.

Kit-piece presets (section 2:9)

Thesearepresetsofkit-pieceinspectorsettingsforeachkit-piececlass–kicks,snares,hihats,toms,cymbalsandpercussion.

Kit-piecepresetsaresavedusingthe‘Savekit-piecepreset’functionontheBFD2Loadmenuinthecontrolbar.

Youcanloadkit-piecepresetsviathekit-piecepresetloadingcontrols,locatedinthekit-pieceinspector.

BFD2 Presets (section 1:7)

YoucanalsoloadBFD2PresetsusingtheLoadmenuontheBFD2Controlbar.PresetscontainasnapshotoftheentirestateofBFD2.InthePresetchooseryoucanloadanyorallofthefollowing:

•Kit(kit-piecesandkit-piecesetups)

•Mixer

•GroovePalette

•Keymap

•Automationmap

•Sessionpreferences

Ratherthanbeabletoloaddefaultkits,mixerpresets,Groovesandmappingswhenthesoftwareislaunched,BFD2insteadonlyallowsyoutosetupadefaultPresettoloadwheneveritislaunched.Thisistoavoidhavingtoomanydefaultsettingsspecified,andalsoduetothesheervarietyofpossiblekit,mixerandmappingsetupsthatmightconflictwitheachother.

Saving in the Kit page YoucansavethefollowingusingtheSavemenu:

Kits: section 2:4

Kit-piece presets: section 2:9

BFD2 Presets: section 1:8

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2:4 Loading and saving kits

Loading kits – overviewToloadakit,clicktheLoadbuttonintheBFDControlbarandclickonLoadKit...fromtheLoadmenuthatappears.Thisopensthekitchooserpanel.

Allavailablekitsaredisplayedwithanimagerepresentingitscontents.Toseemoreinformationaboutakit,clickittoselectit.Detailedinformationaboutthekitandalargerphotoisdisplayedintheinspectortotheright.

Toloadakit,selectitbyclickingonitandthenclicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanykitinthelistinginordertoloadit.

Akitfilestoresasetofkit-piecesineitherofthe3availablekitsizes,aswellasfurthersettingsintheKitpage,suchasLinkandkit-pieceinspectorsetups.

Controls in the kit chooser panel

Load Audio Only button Youcanchoosetoloadonlythekit-piecesinakitbyclickingthe‘LoadAudioonly’button.Leavingthisbuttonoffresultsinakit’sLinkandkit-pieceinspectorsettingsbeingloadedwithit.

Slot Load switches TheSlotLoadswitchesallowyoutospecifywhichkit-pieceslotsarereplacedbynewsoundsandsettingsfromtheloadedKit.

TurningoffaSlotLoadswitchresultsinthecurrentcontentsofthatslotre-mainingunchangedwhenakitisloaded.

View size Thisdrop-downmenuselectsthesizeofkitimagesshowninthechooserpanel.Arangeofsettingsareavailable,includingtext-onlydisplays.Largersizesresultinlargerphotosbutre-quiresmoreuseofthescrollbarsinordertoviewalltheavailablekits.The‘List’and‘Details’settingsresultinfasteroperationduetothefactthatimagesarenotdisplayed.Youcanstillseeaphotoforthekitbyselectingit–itsdetailsaredisplayedintheinspector.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault‘Standard’size.

Click to load the selected kit

Info

Delete kit from database

Kit listing: click to select or double-

click to load

Sticky button

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Sorting Withthisdrop-downmenuyoucansortkitseitherbynameorbystarrating.

RatingyourfavouritekitsandsortingchoosercontentsbyStarratingcanmakeiteasiertofindyourfavouritekits.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault(sortingby‘Name’).

Search Thekitchooserpanelincludesasearchfacilityinordertonarrowdowntheamountofkitsshowninthechooserpanel.

Quick-search Usefulsearchtermsarestoredinthequick-searchdrop-downmenutotheleftoftheSearchtext-box.

Delete kit-piece from database ClickingthisbuttonremovestheselectedkitfromtheBFD2database.Thisfeatureisprovidedifyoufindyouhavetoomanykitsandyouwanttogetridofthosewhichmaynotbetoyourtaste,makingkitsyoudolikeeasiertofindinthechooserpanel.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.

Ifyouchoosetoremoveauserkitfromthedatabase,youarealsoaskedifyouwanttoremovethekitfilesfromdisk–ifyouclick‘Yes’,thekitfileanditsassociatedphotoaredeletedfromthe<userlocation>/BFD2/Kitsfolder.Ifyouclick‘No’,thekit’sfilesre-mainuntouched.Ifyouleaveuserkitfilesondisk,theyarescannedduringthenextfullrescanofthedatabase(TrashandrebuildalldatabasesintheBFD2Datapreferences).

BFD2neverpromptstodeletefactory-installedkitfiles.

Notethatthisfunctionalwaysleavestheactualkit-pieceaudiofilesuntouched–ifyouwanttodeletethesetorecoupharddiskspace,youmustgointoBFD2’saudiofolderanddeletetherelevantfolders.

Sticky button EnablingtheStickybuttonresultsinthekitchooserpanelremainingopenafterakitisloaded.

Thisisusefulif,forexample,BFD2isplayingasequenceorGrooveandyouwanttorepeatedlychangekitsuntilyoufindwhatyouneed.ClickingtheStickybuttonsavesyouhavingtokeepopeningthekitchooserpanel.

Load / Cancel buttons Toloadthecurrentlyselectedkit,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsoloadanykitinthelistingbydouble-clickingit.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecideyoudon’twanttoloadanewkit,clicktheCancelbutton.

Keyboard operation

Youcannavigatearoundtheavailablekitswiththecursor(arrow)keys.

TheselectedkitcanbedeletedfromthedatabasebypressingtheDELETEkey.

LoadtheselectedkitbypressingtheRETURNorENTERkey.

Toexitthechooserpanelwithoutloadinganything,presstheESCkey.

Info

TheInfoareadisplaysinformationaboutthecurrentlyselectedkitandallowsyoutorateit.

Photo & rating

Thelargekitphotoshowsarepresentationoftheincludedkit-pieces.Itisespeciallyusefulifyouareusingthe‘List’or‘Details’views.

Abovethekitphotoisthestarratingcontrol,withwhichyoucanratethekitbyclickingononeofthestars.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systemwhentheSortingtypeissetto‘Starrating’:kitsareshowninorderoftheirrating.

Whenyousetakit’srating,itisappliedimmediatelytotheBFD2database.

Info

Theinfodisplayshowsinformationaboutwhichkit-piecesexistineachofthekit’sslots.

•Validkit-pieces’namesareshowninblack

•Emptyslotsorthosewithunidentifiablecontentsareshowningrey

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•Invalidkit-piecesareshowninred–thisusuallymeansthatthekit-pieceshavenotbeenauthorizedoraresomehowcorrupt.Ifyoususpecttheyarenotauthorized,exitBFD2andruntheFXpansionLicenseManagertoverifytheirauthorizationstatus.Ifnecessary,authorizetheexpansionpackcontainingthekit-pieces.Thenre-runBFD2.ItmayalsobenecessarytotrashandrebuildtheBFD2database.

Import BFD1 kit OriginalBFDkitsareverydifferenttypesoffilestothekitfilesusedinBFD2.Becauseofthistheyarenotshowninthekitselectorpanel,evenifyouhavespecifiedaBFDdatapathcontainingkitsmadeforBFD1.0or1.5.

However,BFD2givesyoutheabilitytoimportBFDkitfilestotheBFD2database.Todothis,clicktheBFD1KitImportbuttontobringupasystemfileopendialog.ThenbrowsetoandselectoneormoreBFD1kitfilesthatyouwanttoimport.ThekitsareconvertedintoBFD2formatandaddedintothedatabasesothattheycanbeloadedinthekitchooser.

IfyouspecifythatyouareaBFD1.xuserduringtheBFD2setupwizard,BFD2automaticallyimportsanyBFD1.xkitfilesitfindsinthecurrentdatapaths.

Saving kits UsetheSaveKit...itemintheBFD2Savemenuinordertosavethecurrentkit.Clickingthismenuitemopensasystemfilesavedialogallowingyoutosavethekittoanylocation.

Save location

Whenyousaveyourownkits,youarepromptedbydefaulttosavethemintheuserlevelBFD2folderatthefollowinglocation:

<userlocation>/Kits

Werecommendthatyousaveyourkitsintothisfolderinorderforthemtobevis-ibleintheKitchooserpanel.

Whereveryousavethekit,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabaseandyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase,itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotrescanned.

Kit Photo

Whenyousaveakit,aTGAgraphicfileissavedalongwithit,showingimagesofthekit-piecesitcontains.Thisphotoisvisibleinthekitchooserpanelduringfutureuse.

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2:5 Kit display and kit-piece slot windows

Kit displayThekitdisplayservesanumberofpurposesintheKitpage.

Visual representation of the current kit

Thekitshowndiffersdependingonthecurrentkitsize.Seesection2:2fordetailsofthe3kitsizes.

Whenthemousecursorismovedoverapartofthekitinthedisplay,itscorrespondingslotwindowishighlighted(thisbehaviourcanbeturnedoffintheBFD2GUIpreferencesusingtheConnectkitandslotsetting).

Kit-piece event indicators

Whenakit-piecereceivesaMIDI,Grooveorpreviewevent,itssurfaceflashesinthekitdisplaytoindicatethatithasbeenplayed.

Kit-piece audition

Clickonakit-pieceinthekit-displayinordertohearapreviewofthemainarticulationinthekit-piece(hit,orclosedtipforhihats)atavelocityof95.

Inordertopreviewanyarticulationatanyvelocity,usetheAuditionstripinthekit-pieceinspector’sarticulationcontrolsection.

Selecting a kit-piece

ALT-clickonanykit-pieceinthekitdisplayinordertoselectitwithoutauditioningit.

Slot windows

Kit display

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Kit-Piece Slot windows

Eachavailablekit-pieceslotwindowinthedisplaysharessomecommonfeatures.

Kit Display highlight

Whenthemousecursorismovedoveranyslotwindow,itscorrespondingpartofthekitdisplayishighlighted.

Selecting a kit-piece

WhenusingtheSelecttool,clickingonakit-pieceslotselectsit,anditssettingsaredisplayedinthekit-pieceinspector.

IfyouenabletheSelecttriggerspreviewsettingintheBFD2GUIpreferences,clickingakit-pieceslotwindowtoselectitalsoresultsinanauditionbeingheard.

Load kit-piece

TheLoadbuttonopensthekit-piecechooserpanel.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanywhereontheslotinordertoopenthechooserpanel.

Seesection2:6formoredetailsonloadingkit-pieces.

Clear kit-piece

Thisbuttonremovesanykit-piececurrentlyloadedintotheslot.

Image

Themainpartoftheslotwindowshowsaphotooftheloadedkit-piece.Iftheslotisempty,agenericgreypictureofthesug-gestedkit-piecetypeisshown.

Trim

Thetrimcontrolisaglobalvolumecontrolforthekit-piece.Adjustingitaffectsthelevelofallthekit-piece’smicchannelsequally.Youcanthinkofitasa‘pre’volumecontrol-itsetsthelevelofthekit-pieceatthestartofthesignalpath,beforeanyroutingandmixingfeaturesareapplied.

Thiscontrolisduplicatedinthekit-pieceinspector.

Direct pan

Thepancontrolsetsthepanpositionofthekit-piecewithinthedirectmasterbus.Itdoesnotaffectthestereopositionofthekit-pieceinitsambiencechannels.

Thiscontrolisduplicatedinthekit-pieceinspector,andontheprimarydirectchannelforthekit-pieceintheMixerpage.

Mute & Solo

Withthesebuttons,youcanmuteandsoloallmicchannelsforeachkit-piece.

Thesecontrolsareduplicatedinthekit-pieceinspector.

Kit-piece audition

Whenakit-pieceisloadedintotheslot,ALT-clickinganywhereintheslotplaysanaudiopreviewofthemainarticulationinthekit-piece(hit,orclosedtipforhihats)atavelocityof95.TheSelecttoolmustbeenabledinthetoolbarforthistooccur.

Ifyouneedtopreviewindividualarticulationsatvariablevelocities,usetheArticulationpreviewcontrolsintheKit-PieceInspector.

Ifyouprefer,thisauditionfunctioncanoperateinasimilarwaytothearticulationAuditionstrip,althoughrestrictedtothemainarticulationonly.EnabletheLeft-rightvelocity-scaledpreviewsupportsettingintheBFD2GUIpreferencesifyouwanttheaudi-tiontoworkinthisway.

Slot number

Image

Selected slot

Trim

Mute &Solo

Direct Pan

Clearkit-piece

Load kit-piece

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2:6 Loading Kit-Pieces

OverviewToloadakit-pieceintoaslot,clicktheLoadbuttonontheslottoopenthekit-piecechooserpanel.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanywhereonakit-pieceslotinordertoopenthepanel.

Clickonakit-piecetoselectit.Youcanpreviewindividualarticulationsatanyvelocitybeforeloadingthekit-piece.Oncethede-siredkit-pieceisselected,clicktheLoadbuttontoloaditintotheslot.

Youcanalsodouble-clickakit-pieceinordertoloadit.

ToreturntotheKitpagewithoutloadinganewkit-piece,clicktheCancelbutton.

BFD2alsooffersthekit-piecequick-loadcontrolsinthekit-pieceinspector,forfastbrowsingthroughavailablekit-pieceswithoutopeningthechooserpanel.Seesection2:9fordetails.

Youcanalsoloadkit-piecesinvariouswaysintheMixerandGroovespages.

Eachslotisintendedforaspecifictypeofkit-piece.Bydefault,theTypedrop-downmenuandSearchcriteriaaresetsothatthechooserpanelshowstherelevantkit-piecetype.Ifyoutrytoloadakit-pieceintotheRide1slotforexample,Typeissetto‘Cym-bal’and“Ride”isusedastheSearchcriteria.

However,youcanloadanytypeofkit-pieceintoanyslot.SimplychangetheTypeandSearchsettingsinordertochangethedisplayedkit-piecetype.

Controls in the kit-piece chooser panel

View size Thisdrop-downmenuselectsthesizeofkit-pieceimagesshowninthechooserpanel.Arangeofsettingsareavailable,includingtext-onlydisplays.Largersizesresultinlargerpho-tosbutrequiresmoreuseofthescrollbarsinordertoviewalltheavailableitems.The‘List’and‘Details’settingsresultinfasteroperationduetothefactthatimagesarenotdisplayed.Youcanstillseeaphotoforeachkit-piecebyselectingit–itsdetailsaredisplayedintheinspector.

Thissettingisusedforallkit-pieceslotchoosers,andisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault‘Standard’size.

Click to load the selected kit-piece

Preview & Info

Delete kit-piece from database

Kit-piece listing: click to select or

double-click to load

Sticky button

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Sorting Usingthisdrop-downmenuyoucansortkit-piecesinthelistingbythefollowingcriteria:

• Manufacturer• Star rating• Articulation count• Kit-piece class• Disk size• Name

Ratingyourfavouritekitsandsortingchoosercontentsby‘Starrating’canmakeiteasiertofindyourfavouritekit-pieces.

Thissettingisusedforallkit-pieceslotchoosers,andisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault(‘Manufacturer’).

Type Thisdrop-downmenuspecifiesthetypeofkit-piecedisplayedinthecurrentkit-pieceslot’schooserpanel.

Whenaslot’skit-pieceselectorpanelisopened,onlykit-piecesthatcorrespondtotheslot’sintendedpurposearedisplayed.However,bychangingthekit-piecetypeyoucanloadanykit-pieceintoanyslot.

Pleasenotethattherearecertainimportantthingstobearinmindwhenloadingdifferenttypesofkit-piecesintoslotsinthisway.Pleaseseethe‘Buildingunorthodoxkits’sub-sectionbelowforusageguidelines.

Search Thekit-piecechooserpanelincludesasearchfacilityinordertonarrowdowntheamountofkit-piecesshowninthelisting.

Quick-search Usefulsearchtermsarestoredinthequick-searchdrop-downmenutotheleftoftheSearchtext-box.

Delete kit-piece from database Clickingthisbuttonremovestheselectedkit-piecefromtheBFD2database.Pleasenotethatthekit-piece’saudiofilesremainuntouched.

Thisfeatureisprovidedifyoufindyouhavetoomanykit-piecesandyouwanttogetridofthosewhichmaynotbetoyourtaste,makingkit-piecesyoudolikeeasiertofindintheselector.Youcanbringthembackbytrashingandrebuildingyourdatabase.

Becausethisfunctiondoesnotaffectkit-pieceaudiofiles,ifyouwanttoreclaimharddiskspace,youmustgointoBFD2’saudiofolderanddeletetherelevantkit-piecefolders.

Sticky button EnablingtheStickybuttonresultsinthekit-piecechooserpanelremainingopenafterakit-pieceisloaded.

Thisisusefulif,forexample,BFD2isplayingaMIDIsequenceorGrooveandyouwanttorepeatedlychangekit-piecesuntilyoufindwhatyouneed.ClickingtheStickybuttonsavesyoufromhavingtokeepopeningtheslot’schooserpanel.

Target indicator Thetargetindicatordisplaysinformationaboutthedestinationkit-pieceslot:

Target Slot (slot number)

Eachkit-pieceslotisnumbered–seesection2:2forinformationonkit-pieceslotnumberingforeachofthe3availablekitsizesinBFD2.

Target Suggested Class

Thisisthesuggestedkit-piecetypeforthedestinationslotnumber.Neverthelessyoucan,asalreadymentioned,loadanytypeofkit-pieceintoanyslot.

Currently in Slot

Thenameofthekit-piececurrentlyloadedintotheslot.Ifnokit-pieceiscurrentlyloadedintotheslot,‘Emptyslot’isshown.

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Import Clickingthisbuttonopensthesampleimportpanel.BFD2allowsyoutocreatesingle-articulationmonoorstereokit-pieceswithmultiplevelocitylayersfromasetofoneofmoresamples.Seesection2:7forafullguidetousingthisfeature.

Load / Cancel buttons Toloadthecurrentlyselectedkit-piece,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanykit-pieceinthelistinginordertoloadit.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecideyoudon’twanttoloadanewkit-pieceintotheslot,clicktheCancelbutton.

Keyboard operation

Youcannavigatearoundtheavailablekit-pieceswiththecursor(arrow)keys.

Theselectedkit-piececanbedeletedfromthedatabasebypressingtheDELETEkey.

Loadtheselectedkit-piecebypressingtheRETURNorENTERkey.

Toexitthekit-piecechooserpanelwithoutloadinganything,presstheESCkey.

Preview & Info

Thepreviewandinfoareadisplaysinformationabouttheselectedkit-piece,aswellasallow-ingyoutorateitandauditionitsarticulations.

Photo/Preview tab

• photo & star rating

Thelargekit-piecephotoisespeciallyusefulifyouareusingthe‘List’or‘Details’views.

Abovethephotoisthestarratingcontrol,withwhichyoucanratethekit-piecebyclickingononeofthestars.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systemwhentheSortingmethodissetto‘Starrating’:kit-piecesareshowninorderoftheirrating.

Pleasenotethatyoucanalsosetakit-piece’sratingwhenitisloaded,inthekit-pieceInspector.

Whicheverofthesesmethodsyouusetorateakit-piece,thechangeisappliedimmediatelytotheBFD2database.

• preview

Eacharticulationpresentwithintheselectedkit-piececanbepreviewedbyclickingitsAudi-tionstrip.Clicktowardstheleftofthestripforlowervelocitylayers,andtowardstherightforhigherlayers.

Info tab

TheinfotabintheInspectorshowsfactoryinformationabouttheselectedkit-piece.

Twoinformationreadoutsareshown:thetopdisplayshowsstandardinformationregardingthemanufacturer,name,materialsandproductiondateofthekit-piece.Theclass(type)ofthekit-piece,aswellasitssizeondiskanditslocationinthedatapathisalsoshown.

Belowthisinformation,aseparatetext-boxcontainsadditionalfactoryandrecordingnotes.

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Possible problems when loading Ifaproblemisencounteredwhenloadingakit-piece,anerroriconisdisplayedintheslot.Ifyouexperienceanyofthese,pleasegetintouchwithourtechnicalsupportteamforfurtheradvice.

Not found

ThiserrorappearswhenBFD2can’tfindakit-piecethatexistsinthedatabaseinanyofthecurrentdatapaths.Youmayhavedeletedormovedsomefilesorfoldersbyac-cident,ortheremaybeotherreasonsthedatacouldbemissing.Ifyoucannotresolvetheproblem,itmayhelptotrashandrebuildthedatabaseintheBFD2Dataprefer-ences.

Error

Thisindicatesthatsomethingwentwrongduringtheloadingprocess–themaincauseofthisisifthereisnotenoughRAMtoloadthekit-piecefully.Otherpossiblecauses:somelayersmayhavefailedtoloadortheremayhavebeenin-adequatepermissionstoloadthekit-piece.TheBFD2runtimelogshouldhelpindeterminingwhatwentwrong–pleaseconsulttheBFD2FAQfordetailsofhowtoretreivethelogs,orcontactourtechsupportteamforadvice.

Exception

Thismessagesignifiesaseriousinternalerrorwhenloadingthekit-piece.Youshouldn’teverseethismessage,butifitappears,theBFD2runtimelogshouldcontaininformationaboutwhathappened.SeetheBFD2FAQfordetailsofhowtoretrieveit,orconsultourtechsupportteamforadvice.

Unknown

Thismeansthatanunknownerroroccurred.Youshouldn’teverseethismessage,butifyoudo,pleasesavethecurrentBFD2sessionasaPresetandcontactourtechnicalsupportdepartmentforfurtheradvice.

Building unorthodox kitsEventhougheachslotinall3kitsizeshavesuggestedpurposes,BFD2allowsvirtuallyunlimitedfreedomwhenbuildingkits.ThisisachievedbychangingthesettingintheTypeselectorinthekit-piecechooserpanels.

Potential issues

Whilebeingabletofreelybuildyourkitcanyieldsomegreatcreativeideas,youshouldbeawareofthesepotentialissues:

1. Articulation mappings

Becausedifferentkit-pieceshavedifferentnumbersofarticulations,youcancreatediscrepanciesbetweenthekitandthekey-map.

Ifyouloadasnareintoatomslot,forinstance,theslotcontains5articulationsinsteadof1.TheseextraarticulationsneedtobekeymappedbeforetheycanbeplayedviaMIDI.

If,ontheotherhand,youloadatomintoasnareslot,anymappingswhichexistforthesnarewhichdonothavealogicalequiva-lentforatom‘fallback’toasuitableavailabletomarticulation.

Itisnotrecommendedtoloaddifferenttypesofkit-piecesintotheHihatslot.Thisslotisspeciallydesignedtoloadhihats,andthereisnorealreasontoloadanyothertypeofkit-pieceintothisslot.Ifyouhaveanelectronicdrumkit,youshouldbeawarethattheHihatslotistheonlyslotthatsupportsvariablehihatcontrol.

2. Grooves

EventhoughGrooveeventsdonotrelyonarticulationsbeingmapped,theyareneverthelessusuallyintendedforacertaintypeofkit-piecearticulation.Inthevastmajorityofcases,Groovesaredesignedforkitsthatfollowsuggestedkit-pieceslotuses.How-ever,youmaysometimescomeacrossGroovesthatcomewithaBFD2presetspecificallydesignedforthem.

Likearticulationmappings,Grooveeventsfallbackintelligentlytosuitablearticulationsintheloadedkit-piece,sothiscanbegoodforexperimentation.Pleasebearinmind,however,thataGroovesimplymaynotmakesensewhenplayedwithacomplete-lydifferenttypeofkitcomposition.

Solution: save BFD2 Presets

Becauseofthelargenumberofvariableswhenbuildingunconventionalkits,itisrecommendedthatafteryouhavesetupthekitandmixerthewayyouwantit,mappedtheavailablearticulationsasrequiredandsoon,youshouldsaveaBFD2PresetusingtheSavemenuontheBFD2Controlbar.ThisfunctionsavestheentirestateofBFD2,andthereforesavesallcurrentBFD2set-tings.

ItismuchmoreconvenienttosaveaBFD2PresetfileinsteadofhavingtosaveKit,MixerandMIDIpresetsthatcorrespondtooneanother.WhenloadingBFD2Presets,youcanchoosetoonlyloadselectiveelementsfromthosesavedineachPresetfile,whichareappliedtothecurrentBFD2environmentwheresuitable.

FormoredetailsonloadingandsavingBFD2Presets,pleaseseesections1:4and1:5.

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2:7 Importing your own sounds into BFD2BFD2allowsyoutoimportmonoorstereoWAVfilestomakeyourownsingle-articulationkit-pieces,whichcanhavemultiplevelocitylayers.

Thereareanumberofthingstobeawareofwhenusingkit-piecescreatedwiththeSampleImportfunction:

•Therecanbeonly1articulationinthekit-piece.Itcanbeeitheroneamplitude-scaledsample,ormultiplesamplesforvelocitylayers.

•Theyonlyproducesoundinthedirectbus.ThereisnofacilityforambiencechannelssuchasthosewithinBFD2’sfactorysounds.However,youcanofcourseusethemixer’sroutingfunctionstosendtheaudioforfurtherprocessingonanauxchan-nel,forexample.

•Only1channelisactiveforthekit-pieceslotonthemixer,nomatterwhatKit-Pieceslotisused,unlessitisloadedintothekick1orsnare1slots.

•Samplescanbemonoorstereo,butyoucannotuseacombinationofmonoandstereosamplesinthesameimportedkit-piece.

Sample Import panel Inordertocreateakit-piecefromasetofoneormoresamples,youmustopentheSampleImportpanel.First,openthekit-piecechooserpanelforanykit-pieceslot.ClicktheImportbuttononthepanelinordertoopentheSampleImportpanel.

Import settings

Destination

Selectadatapathtowhichtosavetheimportedsamplesasakit-piece.

ImportedsoundsstreaminthesamewayasothersoundsinBFD2,sothepathmustbeoneofthedatapathssetupintheBFD2DataPreferences.

Ifyouwanttospecifyanewdatapath,youmustfirstsetitupintheBFD2preferences.

Ifyoureceiveanerrorwhenimportingsamples,makesurethatyouhaveadequatepermissionstowritetothedatapath,andtryagain.

Kit-piece Type

Choosethekit-piecetypefromthisdrop-downmenu.Thekit-piececanbeclassifiedaskick,snare,tom,cymbalorpercussion.

‘Hihat’isnotanavailableoptionbecauseitwouldrequiremorethanonearticulation.

Name

Typeanameforthecreatedkit-piece.Thisisthenamewhichisvisibleinthekit-piecechooserpanels.

Velocity layers

Import settings

Photo settings

Import & cancel buttons

Progress bar

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Photo settingsYoucanspecifyanyJPEG,PNGorTGAimagefileasaphototoassociatewiththekit-piece.Ifnoimageisspecified,adefaultimageisused.

Browse button

ClickingthebrowsebuttonopensasystemfileopendialogallowingyoutobrowsetoaJPEG,PNGorTGAfiletospecifyastheimportedkit-piece’sphoto.Thefilemusthavearesolutionof180x150pixels.

Clear button

Clickingthisbuttonremovesthephotocurrentlyspecifiedforthekit-piece.

Velocity layersThisiswhereyouaddsamples,andsortthemintothedesiredorder,goingfromthehighestvelocitylayeratthetopofthelist,tothelowestlayeratthebottom.

Add Layer(s)

Clickthisbuttontoaddasample.AnymonoorstereoWAVfilecanbeselected,butitmustbeatasamplerateof44.1kHz,atabitdepthofeither16or24bit.

Ifonlyonesampleisspecified,BFD2automaticallyscalestheamplitudeofthesamplewithincomingvelocity–thishasthesameeffectasturningtheVeltoAmpcontroltomaximum.

Ifyouspecifytwoormorelayers,BFD2splitsthesamplesproportionallyacrossthevelocityrangeasnormal.Anyamplitudescal-ingneedstobedialledinmanuallywiththeVeltoAmpcontrolafterthekit-pieceisloaded.

Remove Layer(s)

Withasampleselected,clickthisbuttontoremovetheselectedsamplefromthelistofvelocitylayers.

Move layer up

Byclickingthisbuttonyoucanmovetheselectedsampleupthelistofvelocitylayers:itchangesplaceswiththesampleimmedi-atelyaboveit.

Move layer down

Byclickingthisbuttonyoucanmovetheselectedsampledownthelistofvelocitylayers:itchangesplaceswiththesampleim-mediatelybelowit.

Import & CancelWhenyouhavefinishedarrangingsamplesinthelist,clicktheImportbuttontosavetheuserkit-pieceintothedatabase.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecidethatyoudon’twanttocreateakit-pieceatthistime,clicktheCancelbutton.

Whenyouimportakit-piece,itisnotloadedintothecurrentslot–itisaddedtothedatabase.Itisvisibleinthekit-piecechooserpanelwhenevertheTypeandSearchcriteriaallowit,sothatitcanbeloadedlikeanyotherkit-piece.

Progress barAfteryouclicktheImportbutton,theprogressbarupdatestoindicatethecurrentprogressontheimportprocess.Whenitreaches100%,theimportprocessiscomplete.

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2:8 Kit page toolbar

ThetoolbarontheleftoftheinterfaceprovidesanumberoffunctionsintheKitDisplay.

SelectTheSelecttoolisthedefaulttoolintheKitDisplay.Itallowsyoutoselectkit-pieceslotsbyclickingonthem.

YoucanalsoALT-clickakit-pieceslotinordertopreviewitsmainarticulation(hit,orclosedtipforhihats)atavelocityof95.

Ifyouprefer,thisauditionfunctioncanoperateinasimilarwaytothearticulationAuditionstrip,althoughrestrictedtothemainarticulationonly.EnabletheLeft-rightvelocity-scaledpreviewsupportsettingintheBFD2GUIpreferencesifyouwanttheauditiontoworkinthisway.

IfyouenabletheSelecttriggerspreviewsettingintheBFD2GUIpreferences,clickingakit-pieceslotwindow(ratherthanALT-clicking)auditionsitaswellasselectingit.

Link Thistoolallowsyoutolinktwokit-piecestogetherforlayeringpurposes.

Tolinktwokit-pieceswhileinLinkmode,clickanddragoneofthekit-piecesontotheother.

Whenthesourcekit-pieceisselected,anarrowshowingthelinktothedestinationkit-pieceisdisplayedbetweenthetwoslots.

Whilethesourcekit-pieceisdeselected,asmallindicatorarrowisshownonitsslot.

Whenyoutriggerthesourcekit-piece,thelinkeddestinationkit-pieceistriggered.Ifitisthesamekit-piecetype,thecorrespondingarticulationistriggered.Ifthedestinationkit-pieceisadifferenttypeofkit-piecetothelinkedsource,BFD2triestotriggeranarticula-tionwiththesamename.Ifthisdoesnotexist,thefirstarticulationisplayed(‘hit’or‘closedtip’forhihats).

Removing a link

Toremovealink,right-clickonthesourcekit-piece(wherethearrowiscomingfrom).Alistoflinksfromthiskit-pieceareshowninthecontextmenuthatappears.Clickonthelinkthatyouwanttoremoveinordertobreakthelink.

Notethatifyouwanttolayerspecificindividualarticulations,youmustmapmultiplearticulationsontoasingleMIDIkeyintheBFD2Mappingpage.Seesection8:5fordetails.

Note LearnWiththeNoteLearntoolselected,clickingonaslotlaunchestheMIDInotelearnwizardforthatslotand,optionally,forsubse-quentslots.

Pleaseseesection2:11forafullguidetousingthisfeature.

Clear KitClickthisbuttontoremoveallkit-piecescurrentlyfillinganyslots,allkit-pieceinspectorsettingsandanycurrentLinksetups.

Linking the snare to the percussion slot. The kick already has a link set up.

Clicking on the kick shows its link destination. Right-click on a slot to remove a link.

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2:9 Kit-piece inspector

Thekit-pieceinspectorontherighthandsideoftheKitpanelallowsyoutotweakeachpartofthekitjustlikeyouwouldinareal-worlddrumrecordingenvironment.Itoperatesonthecurrentlyselectedkit-piece.

WiththeexceptionoftheArticulationcontrols,thekit-pieceinspectorisalsoavailableintheMixerpageUtilitypanel,whenselectingkit-piecedirectchannelsinthemixer.

Photo & star ratingThephotoindicatesthecurrentlyselectedkit-piece.

Thestarratingcontrolallowsyoutoratethekit-piece.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systeminthekit-piecechooserpanelswhenthe‘Sorting’methodissetto‘Starrating’.

Whenakit-pieceisratedinthisway,theratingissavedintheBFD2databaseimmediately.

Kit-piece quick-load controls Thekit-piecequick-loadcontrolsprovideanalternativetothekit-piecechoosersforloadingkit-piecesintothecurrentlyselectedslot.

Whentheslotisempty,theavailablekit-piecescor-respondtothesuggestedusefortheslot.However,ifyouloadadifferenttypeofkit-pieceintotheslot,thequick-loadcontrolsallowaccesstothistype.

Kit-piece selector

Clickthekit-piecenametodisplayadrop-downselectormenufeaturingallavailablekit-piec-esfortheintendedslottype.Clickonthedesiredkit-piecetoloadit.

Next/Previous buttons

Clickingthesebuttonsstepsthroughtothenextorpreviousavailablekit-piece.Theyofferaquickwayofcyclingthroughavailablekit-pieceswiththeminimumofeffort.

Kit-piece presets Kit-piecepresetsallowyoutosavekit-pieceinspectorsettingsforfutureuse.Theyaresavedonthebasisofakit-piece’stype.Thereforeallkicksaccessthesamesetofpresets,allsnaresaccessanothersetofpresets,andsoon.

Thisfunctionalityisveryusefulinsavingcommonlyneededsetups,sothatyoudon’tneedtotweakthesamekit-piecesettingswheneveryoucreateanewkit.

Anumberofpresetsareprovided,givingquickaccesstodampedanddrykicks,snaresandtomsforexample.

Preset selector

Clickthebrowsertodisplayadrop-downselectormenushowingallavailablepresetsforthetypeofkit-pieceloadedintotheslot.Clickonthedesiredpresettoloaditssettings.

Star rating

Photo

Kit-piece quick-loadKit-piece pre-setsBasic kit-piece controls

Ambience sends

Advanced kit-piece controls

Kit-piece bleed controls

Articulation controls

Previous Next

Kit-piece browser Previous Next

Kit-piece browser

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Next/Previous buttons

Clickingthesebuttonsstepsthroughtothenextorpreviousavailablepreset.Theyofferaquickwayofcyclingthroughpresetswiththeminimumofeffort.

Saving kit-piece presets Inordertosavethecurrentlyselectedkit-piece’ssettingsasapreset,clicktheSavebuttononBFD2’scontrol-bar.Clickon‘Savekit-piecepreset’fromtheSavemenuthatappears.

Asystemfilesavedialogisshown,allowingyoutonameandsaveyourpreset.Itisrecom-mendedthatyousavethepresetinthedefaultfolderwhichisshown,sothatitisacces-siblefromthepresetbrowser.

Kit-piecepresetsarenotpartoftheBFD2database.Theyarestoredinthefollowingfolder:

<userlocation>/KitPieces

Basic kit-piece controls

Trim

Thetrimcontrolisaglobalvolumecontrolforthekit-piece.Adjustingitaffectsthelevelofallthekit-piece’smicchannelsequally.Youcanthinkofitasa‘pre’volumecontrol-itsetsthelevelofthekit-pieceatthestartofthesignalpath,beforeanyroutingandmixingfeaturesareapplied.

Thiscontrolisduplicatedintheindividualkit-pieceslotwindows.

Pan

Thepancontrolsetsthepanpositionofthekit-piecewithinthedirectbus.Itdoesnotaffectthestereopositionofthekit-pieceinitsambiencechannels.

Thiscontrolisduplicatedintheindividualkit-pieceslotwindows,andontheprimarydirectchannelforthekit-pieceintheMixerpage.

Mute & Solo

Withthesebuttons,youcanmuteandsoloallmicchannelsforthekit-piece.

Thesecontrolsareduplicatedintheindividualkit-pieceslotwindows.

Flip Ambience

Becausetheambientmicbusesarestereo,youcanencounterproblemswhenpanningtheDirectmicchannelsforaKit-Piece.ThepositionoftheKit-Piecewithinthestereofieldoftheambientmicbusescannotbechanged-thisisaninherentdrawbackoftruestereoambience.However,activatingtheFlipAmbiencebuttonresultsintheKit-Piece’sOverhead,RoomandPZMleft/rightchannelsbeingswappedaround.

Usingthismethod,theKit-Piece’sambientreflectionscanatleastbeinvertedifyoudecidetoalterthedirectpanningsothatitispredominantlyintheotherhalfofthestereofield.

InadditionyoucanusetheWidthcontrolsintheBusMixerinordertomanipulatethestereopropertiesoftheambientmicbuses.

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Ambience sends ByadjustingtheOHSend,RoomSendandAmb3Sendcontrols,youcancontrolthelevelofthecurrentlyselectedkit-piece’sambiencechannels–Overhead,RoomandAmb3.Youcanalsosetupcustomroutingofeachtypeofambiencefortheselectedkit-piece.

Itisimportanttorealisethattheseare‘artificial’controls:youwouldnothavesuchcontrolinareal-worlddrumrecordingsituation.However,thecreativepossibilitiesaretoogreattoomitthisfunctionality.

AsdescribedintheMixerpagechapter(seesection3:3),youcanthinkoftheAmbiencebusesasstereoreverbreturns.Withthisanalogyinmind,thesecontrolsformthesendstothosereverbunits.

However,thisisnotareverbsendatall–thereverbisrealrecordedstereoambiencealongsidedirectsignalsinBFD2’smul-tichannelaudiofiles.

Youcannotpanthekit-pieceintheambiencechannels(apartfrominvertingthestereoimagewiththeFlipAmbiencebutton),orchangeanycharacteristicsoftheambience,beyondprocessingitssignalsfurtherorusingtheparametersintheMicToolspanel,partoftheMixerpage’sUtilitypanel.

Thefollowingcontrolsareavailableforeachofthe3ambiencesends:

Send level

Thereare3sendlevelcontrols,fortheOverhead,RoomandAmb3ambiencetypes.Eachcontroldictatesthelevelofthattypeofambienceforthecurrentkit-piece.

Routing selector

Bydefault,allambiencesignalsforallkit-piecesareroutedtothe3ambiencebuschannelsintheBFD2mixer.Youcan,however,overridethesesettingsandroutetheOH,RoomorAmb3signalsforanykit-piecetoanycurrentlyavailableauxchannel.

Notethattherearenoauxchannelssetupbydefault:youneedtocreatetheminthemixerfirstbeforeyoucanroutesignalstothem.

Notethatthesesettingscanleadtoissueswhenusingmixerpresets–seethesubsectionentitled‘Varyingchannelsbetweenmixerpresets’insection3:2.

Advanced kit-piece controls

Damping

BFDallowsvirtualcontroloverdamping,verymuchlikeputtingablanketorpillowinsideakickdrum,orplacingobjectswhichabsorbvibrationsontothesurfaceofasnareortom.

Donotconfusedampingwithchokingacymbalafterithasbeenstruckinordertostopitsdecay.

Thedampingcontrolsconsistof2parameters,andaffectallarticulationsinthekit-piece:

Damp Amount

Asthiscontrolisincreased,thedecayofthekit-piecebecomesshorter.

Damp Freq

Thedampingfrequencyisacrossoverfrequency.Belowthisfrequencysettingthedecayofitsambiencechannelsisshortenedaccordingtothedampingamount.Abovethefrequency,thedampingislessextreme.Thisresultsinamorenaturalambiencesoundwhenusingthedampingfunctions.

Tuning

Thecontrolallowsyoutotuneakit-piece-inotherwords,toincreaseordecreaseitspitch.Youcantunesoundsuptoanoctaveawayfromitsoriginalpitch.

Whiletuningcymbalshasnoobviousreal-worldequivalent,itisstillveryusefultodosointhevirtualdomain.

Dynamics

Thedynamicscontrolscalesincomingvelocitiesupordown.Assuch,itisnotreallyawayoftweakingakit-piece,butratherawayoftellingthe‘drummer’toplaythekit-piecemorequietlyormoreloudly.Youcanalterthedynamicsofthewholekitrelativetokit-pieces’individualdynamicssettingsbyusingtheMasterDynamicscontrolintheMini-mixer.

Asimilarcontrol,calledWeight,existsintheGroovepage,intheGrooveFXsection’snon-destructivevelocitymanipulationfunc-tions.ThisaffectsonlytheGrooveengine,andaccompaniesa‘velocitycompressor’forsmoothingoutvelocitydynamics.

Routing selector

Send level

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Kit-piece bleed controls InBFD2,bleedisthesoundofotherkit-piecespickedupbythekick1andsnare1directmics.Inreal-worldsituations,bleedoccursacrossalldirectmics.Forvariousreasons,bleedonlyexistswithinBFD2inthekickandsnaremicchannels.

Forfurtherdetailsonbleed,pleaseseesections1:2,3:3,and12:1.

Bleed destination

TheBleeddestinationbuttonsallowyoutoroutethekickandsnarebleedforthekit-pieceinoneofthreeways:

On

Bleedisroutedasnormaltothekick1andsnare1mixerchannels.

Direct

Thekit-piece’sbleedisroutedtoitsprimarydirectmicchannel.Therefore,therewouldbenobleedfromthekit-pieceinthekick1andsnare1micchannels,excepttheirownrespectivebleedsignals.

Off

Thekit-piece’sbleedisturnedoffcompletely.

Bleed trim

Youcanadjustthelevelofthekit-piece’sbleedsignalswiththiscontrol.

Changing overall bleed levels

YoucanchangeoverallbleedlevelsbyusingthemasterbleedcontrolsintheMicToolspanel,partoftheMixerpage’sUtilitypanel.

Articulation controls BFD2allowsyoutosetupanumberofparametersforeacharticulationintheselectedkit-piece.

Firstly,selectthearticulationthatyouwanttotweakusingtheselector,orselect‘All’inordertoaffectallarticulationsintheselectedkit-piece.

Articulation selector

TheArticulationselectordrop-downmenuisusedtoselectwhicharticulationinthecurrentkit-piecetoadjust.Ifyouwanttoeditsettingsforallarticulationsinthekit-piece,select‘All’inthemenu.

Audition strip

TheAuditionstripplaystheselectedarticulationwhenclicked.Thevelocityoftheauditiondependsonwherethestripisclicked–lowvelocitylayersareplayedtowardstheleftofthestrip,withvelocityincreasingtowardstheright.

With‘All’specifiedintheselector,apreviewofthemainarticulationisplayed.

Artic Trim

WiththeArticTrimcontrol,youcanadjustindividualarticulationsbetweenlevelsof-ooto+12dB.Thisisextremelyusefulwhenyouwanttoadjusttherelativelevelsofdifferentopenandclosedhihatarticulations,forexample.

Thedefaultis0dB.

Vel to Amp

Thissettingmakestheamplitudeofanarticulationquieterorlouderdependingontheincomingnotevelocity.Thisoccursinaddi-tiontothedifferentvelocitylayersamplesbeingplayedoverthevelocityrange.

Settingsrangefrom-100%to100%.Thisparametercanhavepositiveandnegativevaluesforincreasesanddecreasesinampli-tudewithhighervelocities.Whenitissetto0%,thereisnoamplitude-scalingonBFD2’ssounds–theyareplayedbackexactlyastheyexistondisk.

HighpositivesettingsofthisparameterresultinBFD2respondingmorelikeconventionalsample-sets.Itisveryusefulifyouareusingasmallnumberofvelocitylayersinordertosaveonsystemresources,asitcansmoothoutthedynamic‘resolution’overthevelocityrange.

Negativesettingsareprovidedforcreativeexperimentation.

VeltoAmpisalwayssetto+100%whenusinga‘minimal’detailsettingforanykit-piece–withthisdetailsetting,only1velocitylayerisinuseforeacharticulation.

Articulation selector

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Vel to Amp default DuringtheBFD2setupwizardwhichrunswhenyoufirstlaunchBFD2,youareaskedifyouwantanamplitude-scaledresponse.YourchoiceinitializesthestateoftheVeltoAmpdefaultamountpreference.

Ifyouchooseanaturalresponse–aVeltoAmpsettingof0%–thereisnoamplitudescalingwithdifferentvelocitieswithinBFD2:thevelocitylayersamples,playedatvaryingdegreesofforce,takecareofthe‘loudness’overthevelocityrange.

Ifyouchooseanamplitude-scaledresponseduringthesetupwizard,theVeltoAmpdefaultissetto+100%.Thismeansthattheamplitudescalesdowntosilenceoverthevelocityrange.

Settingupthispreferenceisagoodideaifyouwanttohaveamore‘conventional’dynamicresponseforBFD2’ssoundswithouthavingtosettheVeltoAmpparameterforeacharticulationineachkit-pieceafteryouloadit,orloadasuitablekit-piecepreset.

Thispreferencecanbefine-tunedintheEnginepreferences,whereyoucanspecifyadefaultVeltoAmpamountbetween-100%and+100%.

Vel to Tune

Thiscontrolallowsthetuningofeacharticulationtovarydependingontheincomingnotevelocity.

Therearealotofusesforthiscontrol,fromextremecreativeeffectstoverysubtlechangeswhichcangivesomeextracharactertothesoundofthekit.

Settingsrangefrom-100%to100%.Thisparametercanhavepositiveandnegativevaluesforincreasesanddecreasesinpitchwithhighervelocities.

Vel to Damp

Adjustingthissettingallowstheamountofdampingappliedtothearticulationtobevariedaccordingtothevelocityofincomingnoteevents.

Anychangesinthedampingappliedtoeacharticulationasaresultofthisparameterarerelativetothekit-piece’soveralldamp-ingamountsetting.

Settingsrangefrom-100%to100%.Thisparametercanhavepositiveandnegativevaluesforincreasesanddecreasesinthedampingamountwithhighervelocities.

Vel RND

TheVelRNDcontrolallowsyoutocontroltheamountofhumanizationappliedtoeacharticulationofakit-piecewhenusinganyofthehumanizationfeaturesinBFD2.

Settingsrangefrom0%to100%.Toturnoffrandomizationcompletelyforanarticulation,setthisparameterto0%.

Itcanbeusefultoturnoffrandomizationforarticulationsorkit-pieceswhenusinglowerMaxvelocitylayersanddetailsettings–randomizationinthesecasescansoundunnaturalandintrusive.

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2:10 Mini-mixer Themini-mixerallowsyoutoblendbetweentheambiencechannelsandthedirectmasterbus,aswellasofferingglobalcontrolovertuning,dynamicsandhumanizationforthekit.

Pleasenotethatifyouneedtocontroltheover-allvolumeofBFD2,theeasiestwaytodosoisbyusingtheBFD2mainvolumeontheControlbar–seesection1:2fordetails.

MixerThemini-mixerprovidessimplemixingcontroltoletyoublendthedirectandambiencechan-nelswithouthavingtoswitchtotheMixerview.

Direct master bus

TheDirectmasterbusconsistsofallkit-piece’sdirectmicchannels.ThismicbusdoesnothaveadedicatedchannelonthemainBFD2mixer,althoughyoucaneasilysetoneupbycreatinganAuxchannelandroutingthedirectmicchannelsforallkit-piecestoit.

TheDirectmasterlevelcan,however,beaccessedontheMictoolspanel,partoftheMixerpageUtilitypanel.

Ambience channels

ThethreeAmbiencechannellevelparametersarefortheOverhead,RoomandAmb3ambiencechannels.TheseareshortcutstotheactualambiencechannelsthatexistinthemainMixerpage.Notethat,unliketheDirectfader,theydonotrepresentthe‘virtual’micbusesforambiencetypes.

Sincetheseareshortcutstothemainmixer’sambiencechannels,theydonotaffectambiencesignalsthathavebeencustomroutedtoauxchannels.

Forexample,ifyourouteakit-piece’sRoomsignaltoanauxchannel,theRoomfaderintheMini-mixerdoesnotaffectthissignal.

Mini-mixer controls

Level fader

Thisfadersetsthegainofthechannel.Itincludesmomentarypeaklevelindicatorsaswellasredclipindicators–clickthesetocleartheirstatus.

Meter

Thestereometersprovidevisualfeedbackforthelevelofeachchannel.

Mute & Solo

Eachchannelcanbemutedorsoloed.ThesemuteandsolobuttonsareextensionstotheMixerpage’smuteandsolocontrols,andoperateinthesamedomain.Forexample,soloingtheDirectchannelintheMini-mixerresultsinsoloingalldirectchannelsinthemainBFD2mixer.

Master DynamicsTheMasterDynamicscontroladjuststhedynamicsofthewholekit,relativetotheindividualkit-pieceDynamicscontrolsinthekit-pieceinspector.Thiscontroleffectivelymakesthe‘drummer’playthewholekitmorequietlyormoreloudly.

Master TuningThiscontroladjuststhetuningofthewholekit,relativetotheindividualkit-pieceTunecontrolsinthekit-pieceinspector.Thiscontrolallowsyoutoradicallyalterthesoundofthewholekitveryeasily.

HumanizeTheHumanizecontroldefinesthemaximumamountofrandomvelocityvariation(higherorlowerthantheoriginalvelocity)thatcanbeappliedtoeventsinordertoinjectamore‘humanized’feelandmakedrumpartssoundlessmechanical.Thisisbecausearealdrummerdoesn’tplaythekitwithexactlythesameforceallthetime.

DonotconfusethiscontrolwiththeHumanizeVelocityeffectintheGrooveFX,whichappliesonlytoGrooves.TheHumanizecontrolintheKitpageisappliedonlytodirectMIDItriggeringofarticulations.

ThiscontroldoesnotaffectarticulationswhoseVelRNDparameterissetto0.

Master dynamics, Master tune and Humanize controls

Mixer

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2:11 MIDI Note Learn wizardTheMIDILearnWizardisprovidedsothatyoucanquicklyassignMIDImappingsbyplayingthenotesforeacharticulationonyourMIDIinputdevice.

Ifyouintendtouseanelectronicdrumkitforhihatcontrol,itisrecommendedthatyourefertochapters8and9,whichdealwithmanualmappingandconfiguringBFD2torespondtospecializedelectronicdrumkitcontrolsystems.

Initializing the MIDI learn wizardClicktheNoteLearnbuttonintheKitpagetoolbartoactivatetheNoteLearntool.Thenclickonakit-pieceslotinordertomapitsarticulationstonotesviaMIDIlearn.

Akit-piecemustbeloadedintotheslotinordertoperformthisfunction.

1. MIDI note request Uponclickingakit-piece,theMIDILearnwizardappears,promptingyoutoplaythedesiredMIDIkeyforthekit-piece’sfirstarticulation(‘Hit’,or‘closedtip’forhihats).

SimplyplaytheMIDIkeyyouwanttomaptothearticulation.

Next / Done button

Ifyoudonotwanttomapthecurrentarticulation,clicktheNextbuttontomoveontothenextarticulationifoneexists.

Iftherearenomorearticulationsandnomorekit-piecesloadedinsubsequentslots(ifusingNextSlotmode),theNextbuttonisreplacedbytheDonebutton–clickittoexitthewizardandreturntotheKitpage.

Previous button

Ifyouhavemappedanarticulationandmovedontothenext,butthenchangeyourmindaboutthelastmappingyoucreated,clickthePreviousbuttontogobackandre-mapit.

Exit button

Toquitthewizardwithoutmappingthecurrentarticulation,clicktheExitbutton.

2. Accept time IfaMIDInoteisplayedinordertomapthecurrentarticulation,thewizardentersthe‘accepttime’stage,andyouaregiven5secondstoplayadifferentMIDInoteifyoudidn’tgetitrightthefirsttime.IfyouplayadifferentMIDInote,theprocessisrepeated–youareagaingiven5secondstoplayanothernote.

ThedurationoftheaccepttimecanbedefinedintheBFD2MIDIprefer-ences.

3. Repeat the process for the next articulation

Aftertheaccepttimeelapseswithoutanothernotebeingplayed,thearticulationismapped,andthewizardmovesontothenextarticulationifoneexistsandthewholeprocessisrepeatedfromstage1.Otherwise,thewizardexitsandyouarereturnedtotheKitpage.

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Next slot mode Ifthismodeisenabled,thewizardcontinuestothenextoccupiedkit-pieceslotafterakit-pieceismapped.Thisisrepeatedeitheruntiltherearenomorefilledslots,oruntiltheendofthekitisreached.Theorderofslotsisdic-tatedbytheslotnumbers–section2:2containsasummaryoftheslotsineachkitsize.

Tomapthewholekit,clickonthekick1slot(slot1)andenabletheNextSlotmodesetting.Thisresultsinmovingtothenextkit-pieceafterthecurrentonehasbeenfullymapped.

Next KP button

IfyoudonotwanttomapanarticulationwheninNextslotmode,andtherearenomorearticulationsinthecurrentkit-piecebuttherearekit-piecesloadedintoslotsafterthecurrentslotinthekit,the‘Nextbutton’isreplacedbythe‘NextKP’button–clickittomoveontothenextkit-piece.

Wait mode Bydefault,Waitmodeisenabled,meaningthatthewizardwaitsindefinitelyforyoutoplayaMIDInoteduringstage1.

WhenWaitmodeisdisabled,youaregivenasetamountoftime–15secondsbydefault–toMIDIlearneacharticulationbeforethewizardmovesontothenextone.IfnoMIDInoteisreceivedwithinthistime,noassignmentismadeforthatarticulation.

TheamountoftimeavailableforeacharticulationisdefinedintheBFD2MIDIpreferences,withtheMIDILearnskiptimesetting.

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chapter 03 MIXER PAGE engineering your drum sound

3:1 Mixer page overview ToaccesstheMixerpage,clicktheMixerpagebuttonintheBFD2controlbar.

1. Loading and saving mixer presets (section 3:2)

UsetheLoadandSavemenusinordertoloadandsavemixerpresets.

2. Mixer channels (sections 3:3, 3:5)

Allmicchannels,ambiencebusesandauxesarerepresentedbychannelsintheBFD2mixer.

3. Toolbar (section 3:4)

TheMixerpagetoolbarletsyouaddandremoveauxchannelsandresetthemixer.ItalsocontainsaglobalpowerbuttonforBFD2’sinternalFX,andanumberofviewsettingsforthemixer.

4. Utility panel (section 3:4)

Thismulti-functionpanelprovidesaccesstoanumberofimportantfunctionsintheMixerpage,byclickingthetabbuttonsatthetopofthepanel.

•Sendcontrolsforeachchannel(section3:8)

•Mictools,formicbusandbleedcontrolnotcoveredbymixerchannels(section3:9)

•Mixerpresetpanel,allowsyoutodocumentandquicklybrowsethroughmixerpresets(section3:10)

•Audioexportsettings(section3:11)

•Kit-pieceinspector–thisletsyouadjustkit-piecesettingswithouthavingtoswitchbacktotheKitpage.Allkit-pieceinspectorsettingsareavailable,withtheexceptionofthearticulationcontrols.(section2:9)

5. FX rack (section 3:7)

TheFXrackshowsthecontentsofthe4FXslotsforthecurrentlyselectedmixerchannel.AfullsuiteofhighqualityaudioFXisbuiltintoBFD2.

How to approach mixingThischapterexplainshowtouseBFD2’smixer.However,itdoesnottellyouhow to mix,orhowtousethebuilt-inFXprocessors.

Chapter12containsacomprehensiveoverviewofdrummixingandharnessingBFD2’sFXsuitetocreategreatsoundingdrumtracks.

Itis,ofcourse,advisabletofirstreadthischaptertobecomefamiliarwithusingthemixersothatyouareinapositiontobeabletoaccomplishwhateverdrummixingtechniquesyouneed.

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3:2 Loading and Saving in the Mixer page

Loading mixer presetsToloadmixerpresets(alsoknownasmixersinBFD2),clicktheLoadbuttonintheBFD2ControlbarandclickonLoadMixer...ontheLoadmenuthatappears.Thisopensthemixerpresetchooserpanel.

Notethatyoucanalsousethemixerpresetpanel,locatedintheUtilitypanel,inordertoload,docu-mentandratemixerpresets–seesection3:10.

Mixer Preset chooser panel

Clickonamixerpresetinthelistingtoselectit.InformationaboutthepresetisshownintheInfoarea.

Oncethedesiredpresetisselected,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanymixerpresetinthelistinginordertoloadit.

Toloadakit,clicktheLoadbuttonintheBFDControlbarandclickonLoadKit...fromtheLoadmenuthatappears.Thisopensthekitchooserpanel.Allavailablekitsaredisplayedwithanimagerepresentingitscontents.Toseemoreinformationaboutakit,clickittoselectit.Detailedinformationaboutthekitandalargerphotoisdisplayedintheinspectortotheright.

Toloadakit,selectitbyclickingonitandthenclicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanykitinthelistinginordertoloadit.

View size Thisdrop-downmenuselectsthesizeofmixerpresetsshowninthechooserpanel.Arangeofsettingsareavailable,includingtext-onlydisplays.Largersizesresultinlargerphotosbutrequiresmoreuseofthescrollbarsinordertoviewalltheavailablepresets.The‘List’and‘Details’settingsresultinfasteroperationduetothefactthatimagesarenotdisplayed.Youcanstillseeaphotoforthepresetbyselectingit–itsdetailsaredisplayedintheInfoareaontherightofthechooserpanel.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault‘Standard’size.

Sorting Withthisdrop-downmenuyoucansortmixerseitherby‘Name’orby‘Starrating’.

RatingyourfavouritemixerpresetsandsortingchoosercontentsbyStarratingcanmakeiteasiertofindyourfavouritepresets.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault(sortingby‘Name’).

Click to load the selectedmixer preset

Photo & Star rating

Delete mixer preset from database

Mixer preset listing: click to

select or double-click to load

Sticky button

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Search Thesearchfacilityallowsyoutonarrowdowntheamountofpresetsshowninthechooserpanels.

Delete mixer preset from database ClickingthisbuttonremovestheselectedmixerpresetfromtheBFD2database.Thisfeatureisprovidedifyoufindyouhavetoomanypresetsandyouwanttogetridofthosewhichmaynotbetoyourtaste,makingpresetsyoudolikeeasiertofind.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.

Ifyouchoosetoremoveauserpresetfromthedatabase,youarealsoaskedifyouwanttoremovethepresetfilesfromdisk–ifyouclick‘Yes’,themixerpresetfileanditsassociatedphotoaredeletedfromthe<userlocation>/BFD2/Mixersfolder.Ifyouclick‘No’,thepreset’sfilesremainuntouched.Ifyouleaveuserkitfilesondisk,theyarescannedduringthenextfullrescanofthedatabase(TrashandrebuildalldatabasesintheBFD2Datapreferences).

BFD2neverpromptstodeletefactory-installedmixerpresetfilesfromdisk.

Sticky EnablingtheStickybuttonresultsinthemixerpresetchooserpanelremainingopenafterapresetisloaded.

Thisisusefulif,forexample,BFD2isplayingasequenceorGrooveandyouwanttorepeatedlychangemixersuntilyoufindwhatyouneed.ClickingtheStickybuttonsavesyouhavingtokeepopeningthemixerpresetchooserpanel.

Notethatyoucanalsousethemixerpresetpanelinordertoquicklyloadandcyclethroughavailablemixerpresetsinthedata-base.

Load / Cancel buttons Toloadthecurrentlyselectedpreset,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanymixerpresetinthelistinginordertoloadit.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecideyoudon’twanttochangethecurrentmixer,clicktheCancelbuttontoreturntotheMixerpage.

Keyboard operation

Youcannavigatearoundtheavailablemixerpresetswiththecursor(arrow)keys.

TheselectedpresetcanbedeletedfromthedatabasebypressingtheDELETEkey.

LoadtheselectedpresetbypressingtheRETURNorENTERkey.

Toexitthemixerpresetchooserpanelwithoutloadinganything,presstheESCkey.

Photo & Star rating

Thelargephotocanbeassociatedwithapresetwiththemixerpresetpanel(seesection3:10).Itisespeciallyusefulifyouareusingthe‘List’or‘Details’views.

Abovethephotoisthestarratingcontrol,withwhichyoucanratethepresetbyclickingononeofthestars.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systemwhentheSortingtypeissetto‘Starrating’:mixerpresetsareshowninorderoftheirrating.

Whenyousetapreset’sstarrating,itisappliedimmediatelytotheBFD2database.Itisalsopossibletoratethecurrentmixerpresetinthemixerpresetpanel.

Theratingcanalsobechangedafterthepresethasbeenloadedbyusingthemixerpresetpanel.

Import BFD1 mixer OriginalBFDmixerpresetsareverydifferenttypesoffilestothemixerpresetfilesusedinBFD2.Becauseofthis,theyarenotshowninthemixerpresetchooserpanel,evenifyouhavespecifiedaBFDdatapathcontainingmixersmadeforBFD1.0or1.5.

However,BFD2givesyoutheabilitytoloadaBFDmixerfile.Todothis,clicktheLoadBFD1Mixerbuttontobringupasystemfileopendialog.ThenbrowsetoandselecttheBFD1mixerfilethatyouwanttoload.ThesettingswithinthefilearetranslatedtoBFD2equivalentsandappliedtothecurrentmixer.

BFD1.0mixerpresetscontainsettingsonlyrelevanttothefirst9kit-pieceslots,whileBFD1.5mixerpresetscontainsettingsonlyrelevanttothefirst18slots.

Ifyouwanttousethesesettingsinfuture,itisrecommendedthatyoure-savethemasaBFD2mixerpreset.

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Saving Mixer presets UsingtheSaveMixer...functionontheControlbarSavemenushowsasystemSavedialogallowingyoutosavethecurrentmixertoanylocation.

Save location

WhenyousaveyourownMixerpresets,youarepromptedbydefaulttosavethemintheuserlevelBFD2folderasfollows:

<userlocation>/Mixers

WerecommendthatyousaveyourkitsintothisfolderinorderforthemtobevisibleinthemixerpresetchooserpanelandthemixerpresetpanelintheUtilitypanel.

Whereveryousavethemixer,itisaddedtotheBFD2databaseandshowninthepanelsusedtoloadmixers.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabaseandyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase,itemsnotsavedintherecommendeduserlocationarenotre-scanned.

Whereveryousavethepreset,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabase(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotre-scanned.

Varying channels between mixer presetsWhenloadinganewmixerpreset,onlysettingsrelevanttothecurrentkitareapplied.

Ifanydirectchannelsexistinamixerpresetforkit-pieceslotsthatarecurrentlyempty,theyareshownonthemixerbutareshowninan‘unusedstate’–thecolouredtabatthetopofthechannelisgrey,andnokit-piecephotoisshown.

Onceakit-pieceisloadedintotheslot,itbecomesactiveagain.Thekit-piecequick-loadcontrolsintheUtilitypanel’skit-pieceinspectorprovideaneasywayofdoingthiswithoutneedingtoswitchbacktotheKitpage.Youcanalsodouble-clickthechanneltobringupthekit-piecechooserpanelforthekit-piece’sslot.

Ifakit-pieceinthecurrentkithashaditsambiencechannelsre-routedtoauxchannels,thesesettingsareresetifauxchannelswiththesamenamedonotexistinthenewpreset.Notethateveniftherequiredauxchannelsdoexistinthenewpreset,theymayhavebeensetupforadifferentpurpose,soyoumayhearstrangeresults.

Customambiencesendsareanadvancedmixingfunctionprovidedforversatility,soitisrecommendedthatyouonlyusethemonlyifyouknowexactlywhatyouwanttoachievewithoutneedingtoloadmixerpresets.Ifyouusethemalotwhenmakingyourownpresets,itisagoodideatoformulateaconsistentchannelnamingschemewhencreatingcustomambienceroutings–forexample,‘KickOH’,‘SnareOH+Rm’andsoon.

Loading/saving channel presets Youcansaveandloadpresetsofindividualmixerchannelstripsusingthechannelcontextmenu.Pleaseseesection3:6formoredetails.

ThesepresetsarenotpartoftheBFD2database.Theyarestoredin:

<userlocation>/Mixers/Channels

Loading/saving effect presets BFD2’sbuilt-inFXsuitefeaturesitsownpresetsystem.Pleaseseesection3:7formoredetailsonusingFXpresets.

ThesepresetsarenotpartoftheBFD2database.Theyarestoredin:

<userlocation>/Mixers/Effects

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3:3 Introduction to BFD2 mixer channels

Channel views BFD2featurestwodistinctchannelstripviews.

Regular view

ThisisthedefaultchannelstripviewinBFD2.IftheFXandSendslotsareshowing,disabletheFX/SendsviewbuttoninthetoolbartoswitchtotheRegularview.

Regularviewdisplaysalongthrowfaderandanyessentialadditionalcontrols,suchasmute,solo,Record-enable,phaseflipandthechannelcontextmenubutton.

FX/Sends view

IftheRegularviewiscurrentlydisplayed,enabletheFX/SendsviewbuttoninthetoolbarinordertoswitchtotheFX/Sendsview.

Thisviewconsistsofasmallerfadersectionandareadoutofthe4effectandsendslots.Inaddition,auxchannelsandthemasterchannelhaveacoupleofadvancedcontrolsforsettingmaininputandsidechaintrim.

ThisviewisdesignedtoallowyoutoseetheFXandsendsofmorethanonechannelsimultaneously.IfyoudonotneedtodothisyoucansticktotheRegularview,althoughifyouneedtousetheextraauxandmasterchannelinputandsidechaintrimcontrols,youmustswitchtoFX/Sendsview.

Types of channel strips in BFD2Channelstripsappearinthemixerdynamically,dependinguponwhatkit-piecesarecurrentlyloadedandwhatmicchannelstheycontain.Therearevarioustypesofchannel:

Kit-piece Direct channels Eachkit-pieceslotthatcurrentlyhasakit-pieceloadedisrepresentedbyanumberofdirectchannelstripsonthemixer:

•theprimarydirectmic(s)

•thebleedmics

DirectchannelscanbehiddenbydeactivatingtheDirectmixerviewswitchinthetoolbar.Torevealthemagain,activatethebutton.

Primary Direct mic channels

Kickandsnarekit-piecesarespecialwithinBFD.

Wheneverakickisloadedintoaslot,itisrepresentedby2primarydirectchannelsinthemixer,fortheinsideandoutsidekickmics.Thesecanbeidentifiedbythecolourofthetabsatthetopofeachchannel:

•primarydirectmicsaregreen•secondarydirectmicsareteal

WheneveraBFD2snareisloadedintoaslot,itisrepresentedby3primarydirectchannelstripsinthemixer:thereare2micsabovetheBFD2snares,andanotherbelowthem.

WhenaBFDlibrarythatdoesnotcontain2snaretopmicsisused,only2directchannelsareavailable.IfyoureplaceaBFD2snarewith,say,aBFDJazz&Funksnare,thesnaretop2chan-nelisunused(itscolouredtabturnsgrey)untila3-channelsnareisreloadedintotheslot.

Othertypesofkit-piecesarerepresentedbyasingleprimarydirectmic.

Bleed mic channels: the kick1 and snare1 channels

Thekick1andsnare1kit-pieceslotshavefurtheruniqueproperties.Theycarrybleed:thesoundofotherkit-piecesthroughthe2kickmicsandthefirst2snaremics.Thesnaretop2channelinBFD2doesnotcontainbleed.

Thesechannels,likeambiencechannels,appearwhenanykit-pieceisloadedintoanyavailableslot.

Thisoccursevenifallbleedisturnedoffinthekit-pieceinspectorbleedcontrols,orifitisroutedtoprimarydirectmicchannels.

Imported kit-piece channels

Ifyouloadakit-piececreatedbyBFD2’ssampleimportfunction,itisrepresentedbyasingledirectchannelinthemixer,eithermonoorstereodependinguponthesamplesinthekit-piece.

Importedkit-pieceshavenoambienceorbleedchannels.

Direct snare channels in FX/Sends view

Direct snare channels in Regular view

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Unused direct channels

Akit-piece’sdirectchannelcanbeinanunusedstateif:

•nokit-piecesareloadedintotheslotandnootherkit-pieces’bleedexistswithinit•asnarewith3directmicchannelsisreplacedwithonewith2directmicchannels

Thesechannelsstillexistinthemixerandaresimplyinactiveuntiltheybecomeusedagain.Thecolouredtabatthetopofthechannelstripturnsgreyinsteadofgreenorteal.

Unusedchannelscanberemovedifyouprefer,usingthe‘Removeallunused’functiononthechannelcontextmenu.BFD2alsoasksyouifyouwanttoremoveunusedchannelswhentheResetmixerfunctionisused.

Ambience channels Ambiencechannelsappearinthemixerwheneverakit-pieceisloadedintoanyslot.TheycanbehiddenbydeactivatingtheAmbiencemixerviewswitch.Torevealthemagain,activatethebutton.

TherearethreetypesofambiencechannelintheBFD2audioarchitecture:

OverHead

Stereooverheadmicsinfrontofthekit.

Room

BFD2featuresaMid/SideRoomset,locatedbetweentheoverheadsandthemainroommics.Thiscapturesthespaceoftheroominaveryusefulway,makingitpossibletoexpandthestereoimageorreduceittotruemonowithverynaturalsoundingresults.

TheMid/Sidedecodingisdoneatthevoicelevel,soifyou’reusingsoundsfromotherBFDlibrariesinBFD2,normalstereoRoomchannelscanhappilyco-existwithBFD2Mid/SideRoomchannelsintheRoomambiencechannel.

Amb3

TheAmb3busisacombinationofthethirdstereoambiencechannelonallkit-pieces.

BFD2featuresasecondsetofroommics,muchfurtherbackthantheMid/SideRoomset,raisedapproximately4.5mabovethefloor.ThissetofmicscapturesthesizeoftheAIRStudiosroomwithexceptionalclarityandpower.

PreviousBFDlibrariesfeaturesasetofPZMboundarymicsontheflooroneithersideofthekitasthethirdstereoambiencechannel.

Whicheverlibraryyou’reusing,thethirdstereoambientchannelfromeachkit-pieceissummedintotheAmb3ambiencechannel.

Ambience versus reverb

YoucanthinkofeachAmbiencebusasastereoreverbreturnfromamonoin,stereooutreverbprocessorunit.ThesendsarelocatedintheKitview,intheKit-PieceSetupinspector.Thedifferenceisthattheambienceisnotgeneratedbyareverbproces-soratall–instead,itisrealrecordedroomambience.Thismeansthatyoucannotchangethecharacteristicsoftheambienceorchangetheplacementofkit-pieceswithinthestereospectrum,althoughtheDistanceparameterforeachambiencebusproducesaneffectsimilartoa‘pre-delay’controlonadigitalreverb.

Theseareinherentlimitationswhenusingrecordedambience.Thehugeadvantageisthatitisreal-it’simpossibletoachievesuchreverbusingartificialmeans.

Ifyouneedtocreateadifferentreverbspaceandchangethestereoplacementofkit-pieceswithinit,it’sveryeasytocreatesendsfromtheindividualkit-piecedirectchannelstoanauxchannelandroutetheaudiointoyourhostforprocessingwithanyreverbofyourchoice.Seesection12:7forawalk-throughexamplefordoingthis.

Custom routing of ambience

Itispossibletooverridetheroutingofakit-piece’sambiencetothe3ambiencechannels:usingthekit-pieceinspector’sambi-encesendcontrols,youcanrouteanyofakit-piece’s3ambiencesignalstoanyavailableauxchannels.

NotethatwhiletheWidthcontrolfortheambiencebusesintheMicToolspanelstillapply,theDistanceparameterisnotapplied–ifyourequirethisfunctiononanambienceauxrouting,youcanuseadelaywithminimalfeedbackatverysmalldelaytimesandsetitsMixcontroltotheextremeright.

Furtherlimitationsexistwhenloadingnewmixerpresets–seethe‘Varyingchannelsbetweenmixerpresets’sub-sectioninsec-tion3:2formoredetails.

Youwouldnotnormallyhavetheabilitytoperformsuchroutingduringarealdrum-recordingsession.Howevertheabilityispro-videdforadvancedandexperimentalmixingscenarios.

Unused ambience channels

Likedirectmicchannels,ambiencechannelsarecapableofbeinginan‘unused’state.Thishappensifnokit-piecesfeaturingambiencearecurrentlyloadedintothekit.Thesechannelsstillexistinthemixerandaresimplyinactiveuntiltheybecomeusedagain.Thecolouredtabatthetopofthechannelstripturnsgreyinsteadofblue.

Unusedchannelscanberemovedifyouprefer,usingthe‘Removeallunused’functiononthechannelcontextmenu.BFD2alsoasksyouifyouwanttoremoveunusedchannelswhentheResetmixerfunctionisused.

Ambience channels

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Aux channels Auxchannelsexistinordertoallowthecreationofsub-mixesforparallelbuscompressionandotherrout-ingandprocessingneeds,suchaswhenusingsidechainswithcertainFX.

TocreateanAuxchannel,clicktheAddAuxbutton.Anewauxchannelstripappearsinthemixer,andisavailableasandestinationforcustomambienceroutinginthekit-pieceinspector,andalsoasanoutputorsenddestinationonsuitablemixerchannels.

Tobeabletocreateanoutputorsendroutingtoanauxchannel,thesourcechannelmustbeontheleftofthedestinationauxchannel.

IfyouselectmultiplechannelsinthemixerandthenclicktheAddAuxbuttonwhileholdingdowntheALTkey,anauxchanneliscreatedandtheoutputroutingsoftheselectedchannelsaresettothisnewauxchannel.

AuxchannelscanbehiddenbydeactivatingtheAuxmixerviewswitchinthemixertoolbar.Torevealthemagain,activatethebutton.

Bydefault,auxchannelsareaddedtothemixerasstereochannels.Theycanbeswitchedtomonousingthemono/stereoswitchontheAuxchannelstrip.

InFX/Sendsview,Auxchannelshaveacoupleofextracontrolsfortheoveralllevelofincominginputsig-nalsandsidechainsignals.Theseareusefulifyouhaveseveralsourcesfedintoasingleinputandneedtoadjusttheiroveralllevelinsteadofadjustingthesendlevelforeachsource.

Unused aux channels

Likedirectandambiencechannels,anauxchannelcanbeinan‘unused’state.Thismeansthatitisnotadestinationforanyoutputorsendroutings.

Unlikeunuseddirectandambiencechannels,thecolouredtabatthetopofunusedauxchannelsneverturnsgrey–italwaysstaysorange.

However,likeunuseddirectandambiencechannels,unusedauxchannelscanberemovedviathethe‘Removeallunused’func-tiononthechannelcontextmenuandtheResetmixerfunction.

Master channel Themasterchannelisaspecialauxchannelthatiscompulsory.Itishard-wiredtothefirststererooutputfromBFD2.Thischannelcannotberemovedevenifyouenduproutingallchannelstootheroutputsorauxchannels.

Ifyouneedtorouteanumberofsignalstoacertainoutputandapplythesameprocessingtothemalltogetherbeforetheoutput,youmustcreateanauxchannelandsetitsoutputaccordingly.

Themasterchannelisalwaysatthefarrightofthemixerandcannotbemoved.Italsopossessesnosends.

Aux channels (mono and stereo)

Master channel

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3:4 Mixer toolbar and utility panel

Reset MixerClickingtheResetmixerbuttonresetsallchannelsettingstotheirdefaults,aswellasremovinganyloadedFXandsendsettingscompletely.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.

Ifthereareanyunusedchannelsinthecurrentmixer,BFD2alsoasksifyouwouldliketoremovethem.Unusedchannelsarekit-piecedirectchannelsthatarenotbeingusedbyloadedkit-piecesorbybleedsignalsfromotherkit-pieces.

Add AuxClickingthisbuttonadddsastereoauxchanneltothemixer.Ifyouneedamonoauxchannel,clickthemono/stereobuttonontheauxchannelafteritisadded.

IfyouselectoneormorechannelsinthemixerandthenclicktheAddAuxbuttonwhileholdingdowntheALTkey,anauxchanneliscreatedandtheoutputroutingoftheselectedchannel(s)issettothisnewauxchannel.

Remove AuxToremoveanauxchannelfromthemixer,firstselectthechannelit,thenclickthisbutton.

FX PowerTheFXPowerbuttonisaglobalpowerbuttonforallFXcurrentlyloadedintothemixer’schannels.Itoperatesinaddi-tiontothepowerbuttonsoneachFXslot.Therefore,afterturningtheFXPoweroffandonagain,anyPowersettingsthatpreviouslyexistedremainuntouched.

Mixer view switchesTheswitchesatthebottomofthetoolbaraltertheappearanceofthemixerinvariousways.

Signal

TheSignalviewswitchtogglestheoverlaidsignalroutingindicatorswhichvisuallyindicateoutput,sendandsidechainroutings.

Amb

Thisviewswitchtogglesthevisibilityofambiencechannelsinthemixer.

Direct

Thisviewswitchtogglesthevisibilityofdirectmicchannelsinthemixer.

Aux

Thisviewswitchtogglesthevisibilityofauxchannelsinthemixer.

Utility

TheUtilityviewswitchtogglesvisibilityoftheUtilitypanel(containingtheMicTools,Sendsinspector,mixerpreset,audioexportandkit-pieceinspectorpanels).

FX/Sends

TheFX/SendsviewswitchtogglesthechannelFXandsendscontrols.Itisnotstrictlynecessarytousethisview,astheselectedchannel’sFXareshownintheFXrackanditssendssettingsareshownintheSendsinspector.How-ever,thisviewisusefulforanoverviewofFXandsendssettingsacrossallchannels,aswellasprovidingaccesstothemainandsidechaininputtrimcontrols.

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Utility Panel TheUtilitypanelisamulti-pagepanelprovidinganumberoffunctionswhilemixing.Ithosts5panels,accessedbyclickingthe5selectorbuttonsatthetop.

Mic Tools panel

TheMicToolspaneloffersadditionalcontrolovercertainaspectsofmicchannelsandbuseswhicharenotpossiblefromregularmixerchannelfunctionality.Thisincludeswidthanddistancecontrolsfortheambiencebuses,controloverthedirectmicbusandmasterbleedlevelcontrolsforthebleedchannels.

Sends inspector

Thisinspectorprovidescontroloverthe4sendsonthecurrentlyselectedmixerchannel.

Mixer preset panel

Thispanelallowsyoutoflickthroughmixerpresetsquicklywithoutbringingupthemixerpresetchooser.Italsoal-lowsyoutosetapictureandadditionalinformationforyourownmixerpresets.

Audio Export panel

IntheExportpanel,youcanadjustvariouscontrolsforexportingaudiofromBFD2.

Kit-piece inspector

Thekit-pieceinspectorallowskit-piececontrolforthelastselectedkit-piecedirectmixerchannel(withtheexceptionofarticulationcontrols).ThisistoavoidneedingtoswitchtotheKitpagetoadjustmostkit-pieceparameters.

Panel selector buttons

Here, the currently displayed panel is the kit-piece in-spector, allowing access to kit-piece parameters without switching to the Kit page.

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3:5 Mixer channel controls and indicators

Controls/indicators in Regular and FX/Sends views

Label strip and coloured tab

Thelabelstripallowsyoutonameeachchannel.Double-clickthelabelstriptoedititscontents,andpressENTERwhenyou’redone.

Werecommendthatyoukeepnamesshort,asonlyasmallnumberofcharactersarevisibleonthestrip!

Justabovethelabelstripisacolouredtab.Thecoloursarehelpfulwhenviewingthemixerastheyindicatethechanneltypeandstatus.

Fader

Thefadersetsthegainofthechannel.

Pan

Forkit-piecechannels,apancontrolexistsontheprimarydirectchannel,whichallowsyoutosetthepanpositionofallthekit-piece’sdirectmicchannels.ThiscontrolisduplicatedintheKitpageslotwindowsaswellasinthekit-pieceinspector(availableontheKitpageandintheMixerpageUtilitypanel).

Ifyousetanauxchanneltomonooperation,apancontrolappearsonthechannel.

Thepancontrolisonlyappliedwhenachannel’soutputisroutedtoastereodestinationoutputorauxchannel.Ifthechannelisroutedtoamonooutputdestination,panisignored.

Meter

Themeterprovidesavisualguideofthechannel’slevel.Itincludesmomentarypeaklevelindicatorsaswellasredclipindicators–clickthesetocleartheirstatus.

Pan

Channel image

FX/sends power indicators

Meter

Fader

Record enable

Phase flip

Label strip and coloured tab

Output routingMute & Solo Channel context menu

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Mute & Solo

Allchannelshaveamuteandsolobutton.

Mute and Solo behaviour: Implied and Hard Mute/Solo

BFD2’smixerfeaturesveryflexiblemuteandsolobehaviour.Itfeaturestwotypesofmuteandsolostates:impliedandhard.

•Engagingonlythesolobuttononachannelresultsinimpliedmutesonallotherchannels:mutesareshownelsewhere,butthemutestateofthosechannelsisonlyimplied.Whenthesolobuttonisdisengaged,theimpliedmutesontheothernon-soloedchannelsarealsodisengaged.

•Impliedsolosaregeneratedonchannelscontributingsignalstothesoloedchannel,orinitssubsequentsignalpath.Theyareshownina‘half-lit’state.

•Engagingonlythemutebuttononachannelresultsinonlythatchannelbeinghardmuted(itisinanactualmutedstate)

•Engagingbothmuteandsolobuttonsonachannelresultsinthemuteoverridingthesolo.Bothbuttonsarelittoshowthatthehardsoloandmutestatesareengaged.Whileinthisstate,unmutingthechannelresultsinitrevertingtoahard-soloedstate.Ifthechannelisinsteadunsoloed,itwillbeleftinahard-mutedstate–itisnotanimpliedmute.

•Hard-mutingan‘auto-soloed’channel(inimpliedsolostate)overridestheimpliedsoloandthechannelismuted.

Solo Isolate function

Youcansetupchannelsinsoloisolatemode,whichmeansthattheyarealwaysheardwhensoloinganyotherchannel.

Toputachannelintosoloisolatemode,clickitssolobuttonwhileholdingdowntheSHIFTkey.Thesolobuttonbecomes‘half-lit’,andisalwaysheardalongwithanyothersoloedchannel.

Rude Solo indicator

TheBFD2statusbarcontainsaRudeSoloindicator,thatisalwayslitwheneveroneormorechannelsaresoloed.

YoucanALT-clickthisindicatorinordertoun-soloallchannelscurrentlyinahardsolostate.

Record enable

ThisbuttonisusedinconjunctionwithBFD2’saudioexportfeatures.Enablingthisbuttonforachannelmeansthatthechannelisexportedasadiscreteaudiofilewhenperforminganyexportaudio.

Clickthebuttontorecordenableamixerchannel.Clickitagaintorecorddisableit.

Youcanrecordenableanddisableallmixerchannelsusingtheaudioexportpanel,partoftheMixerpageUtilitypanel.

Phase flip

Thisbuttonallowsyoutoreversethephaseofanychannel.

AllBFD2’smicchannelsareprovidedinphasewitheachother(includingforkit-pieceswhichfeaturemul-tipleoutofphasemics,suchaskicksandsnares).However,ifyouneedtoflipthephaseofanychannel,youcandoso.

Mono/Stereo (aux channels only)

Bydefault,auxchannelsareaddedtothemixerasstereochannels.Thisbuttonal-lowsyoutochangeanauxchanneltomono.

Thisisespeciallyusefulifyouwanttoprocessmultipledirectchannelstogetherbeforesendingthemintoyourhostasmonooutputs.

IfyouhaveanyFXonanauxchannelbeforechangingitfromstereotomonostatus,theyareswitchedformonoversionsautomaticallywiththeirsettingsintact,andviceversa.

Output routing Eachmixerchannelcanberoutedtoanyavailableoutputoranyavailableauxchan-nelaslongasitispositionedtotherightofthesourcechannelinthemixerlayout(seethe‘Channelprocessingorder’sub-sectioninsection3:6fordetails).

Youcanrouteasmanychannelsasyouliketothesameoutputorauxchannel-theyaresummedbeforetheoutputorbeforetheinputoftheauxchannel.

Theoutputroutingselectordoesnotexistonthemasterchannel,asitishardwiredtothefirstsetofBFD2outputs.

Channel strip context menu

Right-clickinganywhereonachannelstripresultsinthechannelstripcontextmenuappearing.Youcanalsoleft-clickthemenubuttononeachchannelinordertomakethismenuappear.

Thiscontextmenuoffersanumberofusefulfunctionsformanagingchannelstrips,andprovidesaccesstothechannelpresetsystem.Seesection3:6formoredetails.

Using the output routing selector

Stereo state

Mono state

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Controls/indicators available in Regular view only

Channel Image

Thechannelimageservesseveralpurposes.

Firstly,itmakesiteasiertovisualizethepurposeofeachchannel–forkit-piecedirectchannels,theloadedkit-pieceisshown.Ifakit-piecedirectchannelexistsforwhichakit-pieceisnotyetloaded(forexamplesnare1bleedchannelswhennothinghasbeenloadedintothesnare1slot),agenericimageofadirectmicisshown.Theotherchannelsshowimagesofrelevantmicsorotherstudioequipment–seesection3:3forexamplesoftheimagesshownforeachtypeofchannel.

Clickingtheimageresultsinthechannelbeingselected.

Kit-piece direct mic channels

Thechannelimagehastwoextrafunctionsforkit-piecedirectchannels.

•ALT-clickingtheimageresultsinapreviewofthekit-piece’smainarticulationatavelocityof95.

•Double-clickinganimagebringsupthekit-piecechooserforthatchannel,meaningthatyoucanloadkit-piecesfromthechooserpanelwithoutswitchingbacktotheKitpagefirst.Notethatyoucanalsoloadkit-piecesusingthekit-piecequick-loadcontrolsintheKit-Pieceinspector,partoftheMixerpage’sUtilitypanel.

FX/Sends power indicators

These2banksof4verticalLEDindicatorsshowthecurrenton/offstateofthechannel’s4FXslots(leftbank)and4sends(rightbank).

Controls/indicators available in FX/Send view only

TheFX/Sendsmixerviewcontainsallthedisplaysandcon-trolsavailableinEasyview,althoughfadersandmetersaremuchsmaller.Italsofeaturesthefollowingadditionalcontrols:

FX slots

Thereare4insertpoints,calledFX(effects)slots,availableoneachchannel.AvarietyofFX,suchastrackandbuscompressors,EQsandfilters,andothersincludingphaser,flanger,delay,distortion,chorusandmore.

FXPower

EachFXslotfeaturesabuttontoturnitonoroff.Turnoffaneffecttobypassit.

IfyouALT-clickanybutton,allFXslotsinthechannelareturnedon.ALT-clickanybuttonagaintoturnoffallslots.

FX Selector

ClickonaslottodisplaytheFXmenu.AllavailableFXareshowninthemenu-selectonebymovingthemouseoverthedesiredeffectandreleasingthemousebutton.ToremoveanyFXfromtheslot,select‘[none]’intheFXmenu.

The4FXforthecurrentlyselectedchannelaredisplayedintheFXRack.Refertosection3:7formoredetailsontheFXrackandotheraspectsofusingandmanagingFX.

Pleaseseechapter12–inparticularsections12:3to12:6–formoredetailsonusingBFD2’sFXsuite.

ThefollowingFXareavailableformonoandstereochannels:

GainEQComp ChanComp BusDelayFilterFlanger

ChorusDriveBitcrusherRingModFreqShiftTinCanVerbNoise Gate

FX power

Send power & source routing indicator

FX slot/selector

Send level

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Sends

Youcansetup4sendsperchannel,whichareusedforparallelprocessingandsidechaining.Theycanberoutedtoanyavailableauxchannelaslongasthedestinationchannelistotherightofthesourcechannel(seethe‘Channelprocessingorder’sub-sec-tioninsection3:6).Sendscanalsoberoutedtothemasterchannel.

Youcanrouteasendintothemaininputorthesidechaininputofthedestination.SidechainingisusedforcertainFXwhichallowyoutoprocessthemaininputwhilereactingtothesidechaininputsignal.

Donotconfusemixerchannelsendswiththeambiencesendsinthekit-pieceinspector.Theambiencesendsareforsettinglev-elsandcreatingcustomroutingsforeachkit-piece’sambiencechannels.Sendsinthemixer,meanwhile,areintendedforparallelprocessing,sidechainingandothersuchmixingtasks.

Thesendcontrolsonmixerchannelsoffercontrolsforswitchingthesendonoroff,alteringthesendsourcepoint,andforsettingthesendlevel.AllotheraspectsofasendarecontrolledfromtheSendsinspectorintheUtilitypanel.

IftheSendsinspectorpaneliscurrentlydisplayed,movingthemousecursoroveroneofachannel’ssendshighlightsitssettingsinthepanel.

Pleaseseesection3:8forfurtherdetailsonusingthesendcontrolsandtheSendsinspector.

Send Power and source routing button

Theon/offbuttonsforsendsareslightlydifferenttothosefortheFXslots.TheyarearepresentationoftheSendFromroutingdefinedintheSendsinspector,whichdictatesthepointatwhichthesendexistsinthesignalpath.

Clickingoneofthesebuttonsturnsthesendonoroff.

ClickingoneofthesebuttonswhileholdingdowntheALTkeycyclesthroughthethreepossible‘sendfrom’settingstosetthesourcepointofthesendfromthechannel.

•PreFX(pre-fader)

•PostFX(pre-fader)

•Postfader

Send Level

Themainpartofeachsendslotisahorizontalfaderforthesendlevel.Clickanddragupanddowninthisareatosetthesendlevel.Thedestinationauxchannelnameisalsoshowninthisarea.

Thecolourofthisfaderdependsonthedestinationroutingofthesend.

Ifthesendisroutedtothemaininputofthedestinationchannel,itscolourisred.

Ifthesendisroutedtothesidechaininputofthedestinationchannel,itscolourislightblue.

Input and Sidechain trim Thesecontrolsareonlyavailableonauxchannelsandthemasterchannel.Theyallowtheadjustmentoftheinputlevelforthemaininputandthesidechaininput.

Input trim

Thiscontroladjuststhelevelofthechannel’smaininputsig-nal.Thisinputcanreceivesignalsasaresultofroutingoneormorechannels’outputstoit,and/orbycreatingoneormoresendstothechannel’smaininput.

Thecurrentinputsignal’slevelisrepresentedonthesmallLEDmetertothecontrol’sright.

Theinputtrimcontrolisausefulwayofadjustingtheover-alllevelofallsignalsfedtoanauxormasterchannelinput,insteadofhavingtoadjustthelevelsofalltheindividualsources.

Sidechain trim

AuxandMasterchannelsalsohaveasidechaininput,withthetrimcontrolprovidinganoveralllevelcontrolforthesidechaininput.Sidechainscanreceivesignalsfrommorethanonesidechainsendsource,sothiscontrolallowsyoutosetthelevelofthemalltogetherinsteadofhavingtoadjustthesendlevelsfromallsourcechannels.

Thecurrentsidechaininputsignal’slevelisrepresentedonthesmallLEDmetertothecontrol’sright.

Input trim and meter

Sidechain trim and meter

Pre FX (pre-fader)

Post FX (pre-fader)

Post-fader

Off

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3:6 Using the mixer

Selecting channels Clickanywhereonachannelinordertoselectit.

Whenachannelisselected,itssettingsareshowninthefollowingpartsofthemixerpage:

•FXrack

•SendsinspectorinUtilitypanel

•Kit-pieceinspectorinUtilitypanel(ifakit-piecechannelisselected)

Theselectedchannelishighlighted.

Selecting multiple channels

Youcanselectmultiplechannelsinordertomanipulatetheircontrolssimultaneously.

•CTRL-clickonachannel(Windows)•COMMAND-clickonachannel(Mac)

Addsthechanneltothecurrentselection.

•SHIFT-click

SelectsallchannelsbetweentheSHIFT-clickedchannelandtheexistingselection.

Allselectedchannelsarehighlighted.

Inaddition,oneofthechannelsisthe‘primaryselection’,andishighlightedbrighterthantheotherselectedchannels.ItssettingsareshownintheFXrack,sendsinspectorandkit-pieceinspector.

Clickingonanyotherselectedchannelresultsinitbecom-ingtheprimaryselection.

Clickingonanyunselectedchannelselectsitandclearsthecurrentselection.

Manipulating multiple channels

Whenmultiplechannelsareselected,youcanmanipulatetheirmaincontrolstogether(withtheexceptionofthechannelcontextmenu).Thecontrolsyoucanmanipulateinthiswayarethelevelfader,mute/solofunctions,recordenable,phaseinvertandthechanneloutputroutingselector.

•Adjustingacontrolononeoftheselectedchannelsresultsinthecontrolbeingchangedforallselectedchannels.

•HoldingdownALTwhileadjustingacontrolononeoftheselectedchannelsresultsinthecontrolbeinginverselyaffectedonalltheotherselectedchannels.Thisfunctionalitydoesnotincludethechanneloutputroutingselector.

•HoldingdowntheALTandSHIFTkeyswhilesettingthechanneloutputroutingresultsintheselectedchannelsbeingsettoascendingdestinationsofthesametype(i.e.eitheroutputsorauxchannels).

Rearranging channels on the mixerYoumaywanttomovechannelsaroundinthemixerinordertosuitpersonalpreference.Inordertodothis,clickonachannel’sselectionbaranddragitleftorrightasdesired.

Channel processing orderThereisoneimportantcaveatwhenrearrangingchannels.Theprocessingorderinthemixerisdefinedfromlefttoright.Youcannotrouteachannel’soutputorsendstoanotherchanneltoitsleft.Itmustalwaysbetoachannelonitsright.BFD2doesnotallowyoutomoveanychannelthatcontainsavalidroutingtoapositioninthemixerthatwouldbreakthisrule.Themasterchan-nel,forexample,mustalwaysbeattheextremerightofthemixer,andcannotbemovedtoanyotherposition.

The above shot shows the � snare channels selected, with the Snare1 Bot channel being the primary selection.

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Keyboard shortcuts for mixer operationBFD2providesanumberofkeyboardshortcutsformixeroperation.Ifyou’reusingBFD2asaplugininahost,youshouldbeawarethatsomehoststakecontrolofthekeyboardanddonotallowkeyboardshortcutstoberoutedtoBFD2.

Thefollowingshortcutsareavailable:

Previous channelNext channelIncrease GainDecrease GainToggle SoloToggle MuteToggle PhaseToggle Record enableDelete channel

←→↑↓PAGE-UPPAGE-DOWNPRDELETE

Pleasenotethat,aswithanycontrolinBFD2,youcanholddownSHIFTtoachievefinecontrolwhenmanipulatingcontrolssuchasfadersandknobs.

Channel context menu BFD2’smixerfeaturesacomprehensivesystemofmanagingchannelsettings,includingloadingandsavingchannelsettingsaspresets.Thisisachievedbyusingthechannelcontextmenu.

Youcanaccessthiscontextmenubyright-clickinganywhereonachannel,orbyclickingitscontextmenubutton.

Notethatthechannelcontextmenuappliesonlytothechannelonwhichitappears,regardlessofwhethermultiplechannelsarecurrentlyselected.Theexceptionisthe‘Removeallunused’function,whichremovesallcurrentlyunusedchannelsinthemixer.

Load channel preset

Thisfunctionbringsupasystemfileloaddialogwhichallowsyoutoloadapreviouslysavedchannelstrippreset.Anyapplicablesettingsareloaded–ifthepresetcontainssettingsthatareinappropriateforthedestinationchannel,theyareignored.

Save channel preset

Usingthisfunction,youcansavethecontentsofachannelstriptoapresetforfutureuseviaasystemfilesavedialogbox.

Copy channel

Thisfunctioncopiesthesettingsofthechannelstriptotheclipboard.

Paste channel

Thisfunctionpastesthechannelstripsettingsstoredintheclipboardtothecurrentchannel.Anyapplicablesettingsareapplied–iftheclipboardpresetcontainssettingsthatareinappropriateforthedestinationchannel,theyareignored.

Reset channel

Thisfunctionresetsthechannel’sparameterstotheirinitializedstate(defaultsettings),althoughFXandsendsarenotaffected.

Clear channel FX

ThisfunctionremovesallFXcurrentlyinsertedonthechannel.

Clear channel sends

Thisfunctionremovesanysendsettingsonthechannel.Itdoesnotappearonthemasterchannel’scontextmenu,asitdoesnotpossessanysends.

Remove channel

Thisfunctionappearsonlywhenapplicable.Itallowsyoutoremoveauxchannelsanddirectorambiencechannelsthatarenotbeingusedbyloadedkit-piecesorbybleedsignalsfromotherkit-pieces.

Remove all unused

Unliketheotherfunctionsonthechannelcontextmenu,‘Removeallunused’doesnotapplyonlytothecurrentchannel.Itre-movesallcurrentlyunusedchannelsinthemixer–thisincludesdirectandambiencechannelsthatarenotbeingusedbyloadedkit-piecesorbybleedsignalsfromotherkit-pieces,aswellasauxchannelsthatarenotoutputorsenddestinationsfromanychannels.

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Signal Routing indicatorsInordertomakeiteasiertovisualizeoutput,sendandsidechainroutings,BFD2featuresroutingoverlayindicatorstographicallyrepresentcurrentsignalroutings.

Bydefault,theseroutingindicatorsareturnedoff.ClicktheSignalbuttoninthemixertoolbarinordertoenablethem.

Output routing indicators MovingthemousecursorovertheOutputRoutingselectorforachanneldisplaysaredar-rowfromittothedestinationchannel.

Send and sidechain routing indicators

WhenSendsarevisibleonthemixer,mov-ingthemousecursoroverachannel’ssenddisplaysaredarrowfromittothedestina-tionchannel.

Additionally,thesend’scontrolsintheSendsinspectorarehighlighted.

Ifasidechainisroutedtoachannel,movingthemousecursoroverthesidechainsenddisplaysalightbluearrowfromittothedestinationchannel.

Additionally,thesidechainsend’scontrolsintheSendsinspectorarehighlighted.

Channel routing indicators

Movingthemousecursoroverachannel’snameresultsinallofthechannel’sroutingsbeingdisplayed:

•Outputroutingstoandfromit

•Sendandsidechainroutingstoandfromit

Turning off signal routing indicators Ifyoufindtheroutingindicatorsdistracting,youcandisablethemusingtheSignalviewswitchinthemixertoolbar.

Output routing indicator

Sidechain routing indicator

Send routing indicator

Channel routing indicators

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3:7 Using FX

The FX rackFX,oreffects,areBFD2’sbuilt-inaudioprocessors.TheFXrackshowsthecontentsofthe4FXslotsontheselectedchannel.

WhenBFD2isinitialized,theFXrackshowsthemasterchannel’sFXbydefault,asthemasterchannelisselectedbydefault.

SelectanychannelonthemixerinordertoshowitsFXintheFXrack.

Toloadaneffect,eitherclickontheslotsintheFX/Sendsmixerview,orusetheEffectcontextmenutoselectaneweffect(seebelowfordetailsofthismenu).

AllFXsharesomecommoncontrolsontheirinterfaces.Forinformationonindividualeffectcontrolsandoperation,pleaseconsultchapter12.

Basic FX controls

Power button

ThePowerbuttonturnstheeffectonandoff.Withthebuttondisabled,theeffectisby-passed.

YoucancontrolthepowerforeachFXslotbyusingthePowerbuttonstotheleftofeachFXslotonmixerchannels.

YoucanalsoturnallFXpoweronandoffusingthemainFXPowerbuttononthemixertoolbar.

Input meter

Thesmallinputmeterisveryusefultomakesuretheeffectisreceivingasignalandiftheinputisclipping.

Mix

TheMixcontrol,whichisamixcontrolbetweentheprocessed(wet)andunprocessed(dry)signals,existsonallBFD2FX.Bydefault,allFXaresetto100%wet,butthiscontrolallowsyoutoadjustthisasrequired.Ifyou’reusingFXonanauxchannel,it’srecommendedtoleavethiscontrolaloneandusethesendleveloneachchannelbeingsenttotheaux,unlessyouhaveaspecificrequirementthatrequiresadjustingthecontrol.

Whileitisnotcommontoseeawet/dryblendcontroloncompressors,allBFD2’sdynamicsprocessorsfeaturethiscontrol,inordertoquicklyfacilitateparallelcompressionforasinglechannelwithouthavingtosetupanauxchannelforit.

SC

ThisbuttonisforusewithBFD2’ssidechainingfeatures.Seesection3:8fordetails.Thisbuttonisnotusablewhensidechain-ca-pableeffectsareusedondirectorambiencechannels.Youmustuseanauxorthemasterchannelforsidechaining.

CPU indicator

EacheffectfeaturesaCPUusageindicatorsothatyoucankeeptrackoftheCPUpowerbeingusedbyyourFXsetups.

A/B compare

Thisbuttontogglesbetweentwodistinctstatesfortheeffect,eachwithitsownsettingsandpreset-loading.

Bydefault,theAstateisinoperationandhighlightedinblue.Ifyouwanttotrysomecompletelydifferentsettingswithouthavingtosavethecurrentsettingsasapreset,clickthebutton.AlladjustmentsarenowmadetotheBstate.Youcanloadanewpresetandchangealleffectsettingsasdesired.IfyoudecidetoreturntotheAstate,clickthebuttonagain.Ofcourse,anyadjustmentspreviouslymadetotheBstatearerecalledshouldyoudecidetoreturntoitbyclickingthebuttonagain.

Power

FX preset browser

SC

Label strip and coloured tab

Effect context menu

Input meter

CPU indicator

Mix

A/B compare

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FX Preset browser

Thepresetbrowserprovidesadrop-downmenushowingallavailablepresetsforaneffect,aswellasbuttonstosteptothepreviousandnextavailablepresets.Italsoservestodisplaythenameofthelastloadedpreset.

Clickingthenameofthepresetdisplaysamenushowingallavailablepresets.Simplyclickonapresettoloadit.

Managing FX with the Effect context menuClickingtheeffectmenubuttonmakestheeffectcontextmenuappear.

Thismenucanalsobeaccessedbyright-clickinganywhereonaneffect’sinterface.

New effect

Thisisasub-menucontainingalistofBFD2FX,lettingyouloadaneweffectinplaceofthatcurrentlyintheslot.Thisisespe-ciallyusefulifyou’reusingtheRegularmixerchannelview,whichdoesnotshowthestandardchanneleffectslotswhichallowyoutoloadFX.

ThefollowingFXareavailable:

GainEQComp ChanComp BusDelayFilterFlangerChorus

Filter ModDriveBitcrusherRingModFreqShiftTinCanVerbNoise Gate

Seechapter12–inparticularsections12:3to12:6–fordetailsonusingeacheffect.

Copy effect

Thisfunctioncopiesthecurrenteffectanditssettingstotheclipboard.

Paste effect

Thisfunctionpastesanyeffectanditssettingsfromtheclipboardtothecurrenteffectslot.

Reset effect

Clickingthisfunctionresetsthecurrenteffecttoitsdefaultsettings.

Clear effect

Thisfunctionremovestheeffectfromtheslot.

Load preset

Clickingthisitemmakesasystemfileopendialogappear,allowingyoutoloadpreviouslysavedpresetfilesfortheeffect.

Youcanalsousethepresetbrowserinordertoquicklybrowsethroughavailablepresets.

Save preset

Clickingthisitembringsupasystemfilesavedialog,allowingyoutosavetheeffect’scurrentsettingsasapreset.

PresetscanbereloadedusingtheLoadpresetfunctionontheeffectcontextmenu,orbyusingthepresetbrowser.

Swapping and copying FX between slotsYoucanre-orderandcopyFXinachannel’sslotsusingdraganddrop.Thisoffersaquickerwayofperformingthesetaskscom-paredtousingtheCopy/PasteandClearfunctionsontheeffectcontextmenu.

Swapping FX between slots

Simplyclickaneffect’sinterfaceanddragittotheleftorrightuntilit‘docks’intoanotherslot.Whenyoureleasethemousebutton,itisdroppedintothedestinationslot,andthecontentofthedestinationslotismovedtothemovedeffect’soriginalslot.

Copying FX from one slot to another

IfyouholddowntheALTkeywhiledragginganddroppinganeffectoveranotherslot,itiscopiedontothedestinationslot.Anyeffectpreviouslyinthedestinationslotislost.

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3:8 Using Sends and Sidechains

Sends panelTheSendsinspectorpanelislocatedintheUtilitypanel.Inordertodisplayit,theUtilitypanelneedstobevisible–clickthe‘Utility’viewswitchifitisnotcurrentlyvisible.Then,clicktheSendsbuttonatthetopoftheUtilitypanel.

Thispanelofferscontroloverthe4sendsinthecurrentlyselectedchannel.

Send Power

Thisbuttonswitchesthesendon(lit)andoff(unlit).Thecur-rentstateisshownonthebutton.

Send From

Youcanrouteasendfromanyof3sourcepointsinthechan-nelsignalpath:

Pre FX (pre-fader)

ThesignalissentfromthepointinthesignalpathbeforetheFXslots.Thispointisalsopre-fader.

Therefore,itreachesthedestinationwithoutbeingprocessedbytheFX,andisnotaffectedbyanyleveladjustmentviathechannel’slevelfader.

Post FX (pre-fader)

ThesignalissentfromthepointinthesignalpathaftertheFXbutbeforethefader.Thesentsignalreachesthedestinationafterbeingprocessedbythechannel’sFXslots,butisnotaffectedbyanyleveladjustmentviathechannel’slevelfader.

Post fader

Thesignalissentfromthepointinthesignalpathafterthechannel’slevelfader.Thismeansthatthesentsignalreachesitsdes-tinationafterbeingprocessedbythewholechannel–theFXslotsandthelevelfader.

ThisisthedefaultsettingfortheSendFromparameter.

Send To

Selectthesenddestinationfromthisdrop-downmenu.Youcancre-ateasendtoanyavailableauxchannel,ortothemasterchannelasasidechain,aslongasthedestinationchannelistotherightofthesourcechannel(seethe‘Channelprocessingorder’sub-sectioninsec-tion3:6).

Main/Sidechain selector

Youcanchoosetoroutethesendsignaltoeitherthemaininputforthedestinationchannel,ortoitssidechaininput.

Ifitissenttothesidechain,thesignalisnotprocessedthroughthechannel,butinsteadisusedforsidechain-enabledFX.Thereisoneexception–theEQeffectiscapableofprocessingthesidechainforreasonswhicharediscussedinthe‘Usingsidechain-ing’sub-sectionbelow.

Send level

Thisfadersetsthesendlevelfromthechannel.

Thesendlevelcanalsobesetbyclickinganddraggingthesendslotinthechannelstrip.

Send indicatorsIftheSendsinspectoriscurrentlydisplayed,movingthemousecursoroveroneoftheselectedchannel’ssendslotshighlightsitssettingsintheinspector.Like-wise,movingthemousecursoroverasend’ssettingsintheinspectorhighlightstherelevantslotinthechan-nel.

TheBFD2mixeralsoprovidesoverlaidsignalroutinggraphicsshowingsendandsidechainroutings.

Seesection3:6formoredetailsontheseindicators.

Send To

Send level

Main/sidechain selector

Send FromSend Power

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Using sends for parallel processingParallelprocessingformultiplechannelsisthemainreasonforusingsends.

Thereareavarietyofsituationswhenyoumightwanttouseparallelprocessing.Forexample,youmaywanttosendasmallamountofthehihatandsnarechannelstoareverborflangeronanauxchannel,orcompressallthekickchannelsthroughacompressor,whilealsoleavingtheoriginalsignalsinthemix.Thesekindsofmethodsarecommonlyusedindrummixing.

SetupanauxchannelwiththedesiredFXonthem.Createtherequiredsendstotheauxfromeachchannel,andseteachsendlevelasrequired.

Ifyouonlywanttoperformparallelprocessingonasinglechannel,youcansimplyusetheMixcontrolonthechannel’sFX.

Using SidechainingSidechainingistheuseofonesignaltocontrolthebehaviourofanamplitude-sensitiveprocessorthatactsonanothersignal.Itisnotheardintheoutputoftheprocessoratall.Itisacommonfeatureincompressors,inordertocompressonesignalaccordingtotheamplitudeofanother.

BFD2’smixerallowsyoutouseanyinternalchannelasasidechainsourceforacompressororgateinsertedonanyotherchan-nel.

Inaddition,thesidechainisalsoavailabletofeedthefilterFMfunctionintheFiltereffect.

Setting up a sidechain

Tosetupachannelasasidechainsourceforacom-pressoronanotherchannel,firstsetupasendtothechannelthatisgoingtobecompressed,andturnupthelevelofthesend.

Then,clicktheSidechainbuttonforthesendintheSendsinspector.

ThisSendisnowroutedtothesidechainofthechannelthatyouwanttocompress.

NowinsertacompressoronthedestinationchannelandclicktheSCbuttononthecompressorinterface.Thecompressornowreactstothesidechainsignalratherthantheactualsignalinthechannel.

EQ-ing the sidechain

Acommonproblemwhencompressingistheexistenceofexcessivelow-endfrequenciesinasidechainsignalcausingacompressortoreactmorethandesired.TheBFD2com-pressorsincludeasidechainhighpassfiltertoquicklyfilteroutthelowendfromasidechainsignal.

However,youmayneedtoapplyamorecomplexEQprocesstoasidechainsignalinordertoisolateaparticu-larbandoffrequencies,suchasthemid‘crack’ofasnaresound.BFD2’sEQprocessorprovidesawayofdoingthis.

InsertanEQonthechannelthatyouwanttocompress,makingsurethatitisbeforethecompressorinthelistofinserts.IfyouthenclicktheSCbuttonontheEQinterface,theEQprocessesthesidechaininsteadofthechannelsignal.

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3:9 Mic tools panelClicktheMicToolsbuttonatthetopoftheUtilitypaneltodis-playtheMicToolspanel.

ThispanelofferssomeadditionalwaystocontrolBFD2’smicchannelsandbuses.

Direct controls

Level & Meter

Thisfadercontrolsthelevelofalldirectchannelstogether.Itisapre-mixercontrol–italtersthelevelofallmicchannelsbeforetheyentertheirdirectchannelsonthemixer.Themeterprovidesavisualrepresentationofthelevel.

Mute & Solo

Thesebuttonsallowyoutomuteandsoloalldirectchannelsinthemixer.

Ambience bus controlsThefollowingcontrolsareavailableforeachambiencebus:Overhead,RoomandAmb3:

Width

UsingtheWidthcontrol,youcanchangethewidthoftheambi-encebus’sstereofield.Settingsrangefrommonotofullyenhancedstereo.

Asyoumovethiscontrol,themicdisplayvisuallyrepresentsthemovementofmicsinrelationtothekit.

TheWidthcontrolappliestoambiencesignalsevenifyouhaveroutedthemtocustomauxdestinations.

Distance

TheDistancecontroloffersavirtualcontroloverthedistanceofeachsetofambiencemicchannelsfromthekit.

Effectivelyitputsashortdelaybetweentheambiencechannelsandthedirectmics.Ithasasimilareffecttotheambienceasa‘pre-delay’controlhasoverthewetsignalonanartificialreverbunit.

Asyoumovethiscontrol,themicdisplayvisuallyrepresentsthemovementofmicsinrelationtothekit.

Ifyoucustomrouteambiencesignalstoauxchannels,theDistancecontrolisnotappliedonthem.

Mic display

Thisdisplayrepresentsthelocationoftheambientmicsinrelationtothekit.ThemicsmoveinresponsetoadjustmentoftheWidthandDistancecontrolsforeachsetofambientmics.

Thedisplayisrepresentativeratherthanbeingtotallyaccurate,especiallyasBFD2’ssoundscontainanM/SpairfortheRoommics–changingthewidthforanM/Spairhasnothingtodowithmovingapairofmicsapart.Itisthereforeintendedtobeusedasaroughvisualindicatoroftheperceivedwidth,ratherthananaccuratedisplayofthemicsusedinBFD2recordings.

Master bleed controlsTheMasterbleedcontrolsallowyoutochangetheoveralllevelsofbleedsignals.Theseoperaterelativetotheindividualkit-piecekickandsnarebleedlevelssetinthekit-pieceinspector.

Master Kick Bleed level

Thiscontrolsetstheoveralllevelofkickmicbleed.

Snare Bleed level

Thiscontrolsetstheoveralllevelofsnaremicbleed.

Other Bleed level

Someexpansionpacklibrariescontainbleedindirectchannelsotherthanthekickandsnarechannels.Forexample,someBFDXFLkicksandsnarespossessanadditionalbleedsignalinthehihatdirectmicchannel.Thisbleedappearsinthehihatslotdirectmicchannelifoneofthesekit-piecesisused.

Usethiscontroltosetthebleedlevelsinallotherdirectmicsexceptkicksandsnares.

Ifyouarenotusinganysuchkit-pieces,thiscontroldoesnothaveanyeffect.

Mic display

Master bleed controls

Ambience bus controls

Direct controls

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3:10 Mixer preset panel

TheMixerpresetpanelallowsyoutorateandviewinformationaboutthecurrentMixerpreset.YoucanalsoenteryourowninformationtodocumentownpresetsbeforesavingthemusingtheSavePresetbuttonintheMixerPageToolbar.

Additionally,thispanelallowsyoutoquicklybrowsethroughmixerpresetswithoutneedingtousethemixerpresetchooserpanel.

Photo

Mixerpresetscanhaveanassociatedpicture.

Whenusingfactorypresets,left-clickingtheimageopenstheauthor’sspecifiedwebsiteURLinthesystem’sdefaultbrowser(althoughthisbehaviourcanbedisabledintheBFD2GUIpreferences).

Ifyouhavenotloadedapalettecontaininganimage,adefaultimageisdisplayed.

Itispossibletoaddorchangetheimageforthemixerpresetinthispanel.

YoucanspecifyanyJPEG,PNGorTGAimagefileasaphototoassociatewiththekit-piece.

Browse button

ClickingthebrowsebuttonopensasystemfileopendialogallowingyoutobrowsetoaJPEG,PNGorTGAfiletospecifyastheimportedkit-piece’sphoto.Thefilemusthavearesolutionof180x150pixels.

Clear button

Clickingthisbuttonremovesthephotocurrentlyspecifiedforthemixerpreset.

Star rating

Youcansetaratingforthecurrentmixerpreset.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systeminthePresetchooserwhenthelistingissortedby‘Starrating’,makingiteasiertofindyourfavouritepresets.

Youcanspecifyaratingforamixerpresetfrom1(worst)to5(best).

Whenyourateapreset,theratingisimmediatelysavedintotheBFD2database–youdon’tneedtore-savethepresetinordertostoretherating.

Author

Thenameofthemixerpreset’sauthorisshownhere,andcanbeeditedbydouble-clickingonthefield.

URL

FactorymixerpresetscancontainthewebsiteURLofthepreset’sauthor,whichisshownhere.

Notes

Anyadditionalnotesforthepresetareshownhere.Youcandouble-clickthisfieldtoeditandenteryourowntext.

Next/Previous mixer preset

Clickingthesebuttonsstepsthroughtothenextorpreviousavailablepreset.Theyofferaquickwayofcyclingthroughpresetswiththeminimumofeffort.

Pleasenotethatthereisnowarningwhenswitchingpresets.

Photo

Next/previous mixer preset

Star rating

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3:11 Audio Export panel TheaudioexportpanelpanelislocatedintheUtilitypanel.Inordertodisplayit,theUtilitypanelneedstobevisible–clickthe‘Utility’viewswitchifitisnotcurrentlyvisible.Then,clicktheSendsbuttonatthetopoftheUtilitypanel.

BFD2’saudioexportfunctionsallowyoutocreateconvenientmulti-channelmixdownsfromBFD2,withouthavingtodependonyourhost’smixdownfeatures,whichcanoftenbequitelimited.

Youcanrecord-enableanymixerchannelyouwishtoexportasadiscreteaudiofile.Therefore,youcanexportdirectmicchannels,ambiencebuses,auxchannelsandthemasterchannel.

Clicktherecord-enablebuttononanymixerthatyouwanttoexport.

Export folder

Setsthepath(folderlocation)towhichtowriteexportedaudiofiles.ItisrecommendedthatyouuseadrivethatisnotusedforBFD2’saudiodata,asitmaynotbepossibletoproperlystreamsamplesforplaybackwhilerecordingtothesamedrive.

File prefix

Thefilenameofeachexportedaudiofilecontainsthenameofeachmixerchannel(editableinthelabelstrip)enabledforexport,alongwiththisoptionalfileprefix.Resultingfilesarenamedinthefollowingformat:

FilePrefix_MixerChannel.WAV

Bit depth

Thissettingdictatestheresolutionoftheexportedaudiofiles.16and24bitresolutionsareavailable.

Rec enable all

Clickingthisbuttonrecord-enablesallmixerchannels.

Rec disable all

Clickingthisbuttonrecord-disablesallmixerchannels.

Export button

ThefunctionalityofthisbuttonchangesdependinguponthestateoftheExportSyncmodeset-ting.

WhentheExportSyncmodeissettoRangeorHost,clickingthisbutton‘arms’theexportfunction,meaningthattheexportcom-menceswhencertainconditionsarereached.

ClicktheExportbuttonagaintodisarmtheExportfunction.

Whenusingthe‘Host’ExportSyncmode,theexportcommenceswhenthehostorBFD2transportisstartedandstopswhenthehostorBFD2transportisstopped.

WhentheExportSyncmodeissetto‘Range’,exportingcommenceswhenplaybackinthehostortheBFD2DrumTrackreachestheStartpoint,andstopswhentheDurationhasbeencompleted.

WhentheExportSyncmodeissetto‘Free’,clickingtheExportbuttonstartsexportingimmediately,andclickingitagainstopsit.

Time

Duringanexport,thisdisplayshowsthetime,inminutesandseconds,thathaselapsedsincetheexportbegan.

Export button

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Export Sync mode

Free

TheFreeExportSyncmodeletsyoumanuallystartandstoptheexportbyclickingtheExportbutton.AudioiswritteninrealtimeasBFD2isused,untiltheExportbuttonisclickedagain.

Range

ThisExportSyncModestartsandstopsexportingwithinadefinableStartpointandduration.ThismodeisintendedtobeusedwhenusingBFDasaplugininahost.

Beforeperformingtheexport,youmustfirst‘arm’theExportfunctionbyclickingtheExportbutton.

Host

WhenHostmodeisselected,theExportfunctioncommenceswhenthehostorBFD2transportisstarted.UsetheBFD2trans-portwhenrunningBFD2asastandaloneapplication,orwhilethehosttransportisstoppedwhenrunningasaplugin.

Beforeperformingtheexport,youmustfirst‘arm’theExportfunctionbyclickingtheExportbutton.

Start

Thisvaluedefinesthestarttime(inbars)tocommencetheexportwhentheExportSyncmodeissetto‘Range’.

Duration

Thisvaluedefinesthelengthoftheexport(inbars)whentheExportSyncmodeissetto‘Range’.

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chapter 04 GROOVES PAGE - overview an introduction to BFD2’s groove engine

4:1 Introduction BFD2’sGroovespageisanadvancedrhythmproductionenvironment,givingyouagreatinterfacetowriteandeditdrumpatterns,aswellasprovidingperformanceplaybackmethodsandevenatrackonwhichtosequencepatterns.

ThischapterisintendedasanintroductiontohowtheGrooveengineworks,whilechapters5,6and7provideanin-depthguidetoallitsfeatures.

Key conceptsThereareseveralkeyconceptstobeawareofintheGrooveengine.

Groove

ThebasicelementsusedintheGrooveengine.Groovescontainevents–thesearenotMIDInotes,buttriggersforspecifickit-piecearticulations.

Therefore,Groovesalwaysplaythecorrectarticulationsnomatterwhatmappingyousetup.

Fill

Onceloaded,anyGroovebedesignatedasaFill.ItisstillaGroove,butreferencedasaFillforusewithsomefeatures.

Palette

ThePaletteisasetof128slots,eachcapableofholdingaGrooveandeachrepresentedbyaMIDIkey.

APaletteisalsothenamegiventothe‘presetformat’oftheGrooveengine.WhenyousaveaPalette,itstorestheentirestateoftheGroovespage.

BFD 1.x usersIfyouhavebeenusingtheGroovefeaturesinBFD1.0and1.5,pleaseseesection5:7foradiscussiononhowBFD2’sGrooves,FillsandPalettesdifferfromtheGrooves,FillsandBundlesusedinBFD1.x.

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4:2 Grooves page interface

1. Palette (chapter 5)

Youcanhaveupto128Groovesloadedinmemoryatanyonetime.EachofthesemustbeassignedtoaslotinthePalette,eachofwhichalsocorrespondstoaMIDIkey.

EachslotinthePalettecanbesetasaFillandhasitsowndefinablebehaviourregardinghowitstartsandwhathappenswhenitends.GroovescanbetriggeredviaMIDIorusingBFD2’sAuto-Playfeatures.

2. Editor and toolbar (chapter 6)

TheEditorletsyoumodifyGroovesorwritenewonesfromscratch,eitherbydrawingandmanipulatingnoteswiththemouse,orbyrecordingliveviaMIDI.Thiseditingenvironmentisfullyfeaturedandrivalsmajorsequencinghosts’MIDIeditors.

ThetoolbarincludestheUndobutton,whichallowsyoutoundoanyoperationintheGroovespage.

3. Groove FX (section 6:7)

BFD2providesacomprehensivesetofnon-destructivequantizationandhumanizationeffects,whichareappliedtotheoutputoftheGrooveengine.

TheycanalsobedestructivelyappliedtothecurrentlyselectedGrooveorallGroovesinthePalette.

4. Auto-Play controls and Drum Track (chapter 7)

WhenusingBFD2asaplugininahost,theAuto-PlayfunctionsprovideawayofautomaticallystartingplaybackoftheGrooveengineinsyncwiththehosttransport.

YoucanchoosetostartplaybackofarandomGroove,specificGroove,thecurrentlyselectedGrooveinthePalette,ortheBFD2DrumTrack.

TheDrumTrackisanintegratedtimelineonwhichtolayoutasequenceofGrooves,inordertocreateacompletedrummingperformance.

5. Info inspectors (section 5:8)

TheGrooveandPaletteInfoinspectorsallowyoutoviewdetailsaboutthecurrentlyselectedGrooveandtheentirecurrentPal-ette.

Bydefault,theyarehidden–theycanbeviewedbyclickingtheShowInspectorsbuttonbelowthePalette.

YoucanalsorateGroovesandPalettesintheseInfoInspectors,sothattheycanbesortedby‘Starrating’inthechooserpanels,inordertomakeyourfavouriteGrooveseasiertofind.

6. Transport (section 4:5)

ThetransportcontrolsareusedinnumerousGroovespageoperations,fromplayingGroovesinAuto-Playmode,torecordingGrooveeventsliveviaMIDIinput.

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4:3 Loading and saving in the Groove pageThereareseveraldifferentelementsthatcanbeloadedandsavedintheGroovepage.AlloftheseloadandsavefunctionsareavailablefromtheLoadandSavemenussituatedonBFD2’sControlbar.

Load Groove... ThisfunctionbringsuptheGroovechooserinordertoloadaGrooveintothecurrentslot,ormultipleGroovesonsequentiallyhigherslotsstartingatthecurrentslot.

IfthecurrentlyselectedGrooveslotisempty,ashortcuttotheLoadGroove...func-tionisshownintheeditorarea.

Seesection5:2foraguidetoloadingGrooves.

BFD2iscapableofloadingGroovesinitsownformataswellastheMIDIfileGroovesusedinBFD1.x,althoughthesearenotvisiblebydefaultsinceBFD2shipswiththeentireBFD1.5GrooveLibraryconvertedintothenewformat.IfyouhaveadditionalBFD1.xGrooves,seesection5:7forfurtherdetailsonloadingtheminBFD2.

Load Palette...

ThisfunctionbringsupthePalettechooser,allowingyouselectaPalettetoload.PleasenotethatdoingsooverwritesallsettingsintheGroovepage,includinganyGroovesalreadyinthePalette,anyGrooveFXoreditorsettingsandanyeventsontheDrumTrack.

IfthecurrentlyselectedGrooveslotisempty,ashortcuttotheLoadPalettefunctionisshownintheeditorarea.

Seesection5:3fordetailsonloadingPalettes.

BFD2iscapableofloadingoldformatBFD1.xformatBundles,althoughthiscapabilityisdisabledbydefaultduetoBFD2ship-pingwiththeentireBFD1.xlibraryconvertedtoBFD2format.IfyouhaveadditionalBFD1.xBundles,seesection5:7fordetailsonusingthem.

Save Groove... ThisfunctionsavesthecurrentlyselectedGroovetotheBFD2database.

PleasenotethatthissavesaGrooveinBFD2Grooveformat.YoucanexportasMIDIbyusingtheExportGrooveMIDI...functionontheBFD2Savemenu.

Seesection5:8foraguidetosavingGrooves.

Save Palette...

YoucansavethecurrentcontentsofthePaletteusingtheSavePalettebuttononthePalette.

WhenyousavethePalette,thesavedfilecontainsallconstituentGroovesandtheirslotactions,GrooveFXandEditorsettings,andthecontentsoftheDrumTrack.ThismeansthatasavedPaletteismorethanjustthecontentsofthePaletteslots.

Seesection5:9formoredetailsonsavingPalettes.

Export Groove MIDI...

ThisfunctionopensasystemdialogboxtosavethecurrentlyselectedGrooveasaMIDIfile.

IfmultipleGroovesareselected,aseparateMIDIfileissavedforeachGroove.

Seesection5:8formoredetailsonexportingGroovesasMIDIfiles.

Export Groove Audio...

TheExportAudiofunctionperformsanaudioexportofthecurrentGrooveselection.

IfmultipleGroovesareselected,aseparatesetofaudiofilesissavedinaseparatefolderforeachselectedGroove.

Seesection5:8formoredetailsofthisfunction.

Export Track MIDI...

ThisfunctionexportstheentireDrumTrackasaMIDIfile.

Seesection7:7formoredetails.

Export Track Audio...

TheExportAudiofunctionperformsanaudioexportoftheDrumTrack.

Seesection7:7forfurtherdetails.

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4:4 Undo function

EveryoperationperformedintheGroovepagecanbereversedbyclickingtheUndobutton.Thismultiple-levelUndofunctionisveryusefulasmanyfunctionswhichcandrasticallychangeyourworkareonlyaclickaway.

TheUndobuttonexistsontheGroovepagetoolbar(seesection6:3).Itdoesnotoperateliketherestofthetoolbarbut-tonsforchangingEditmodes,andisnotrestrictedtoEditorfunctions–virtuallyanyactionperformedintheGroovepagecanbeundone.

ToseewhichactioncanbeundonebyclickingtheUndobutton,movethemouseovertheundobutton–thelastactionisshowninthecontextdisplayintheBFD2statusbar.

Virtuallyanyactioncanbeundone,soevenifyouloadanewpalettebyaccident,feelfreetoundoit.

Whileyoucansetupanynumberoflevelsforthemultiple-levelUndofunctionintheBFD2Groovespreferences,pleasenotethathavingmorelevelsofUndoavailableusesmoreRAM.

4:5 Transport, tempo and time signatureThesecontrols,locatedintheBFD2statusbar,areusedforavarietyofpurposeswhenusingtheGroovespage.

Transport

Play

UsethePlaybuttoninthetransporttostartplaybackwhenusingBFD2asastandaloneapplication.

WhenusingBFD2asaplugin,itcanbeusedwhilethehostisstopped,untilitisstarted,whenplaybackrestartsinsyncwiththehost.

ThePlaybuttonisprimarilyusedwiththeAuto-PlayfunctionsinBFD2:itisusedtostartplaybackofeithertheDrumTrackoraGrooveinthePalette.

ItisalsousedinconjunctionwiththeRecordbuttonwhenrecordingGrooveeventsviaMIDI.

Stop

ThisbuttonstopsGrooveplayback.ThisispossibleevenwhentheBFD2pluginisplayinginsyncwiththehost–Grooveplay-backinBFDstopswhilethehostkeepsplaying.Ifthehostisstoppedandrestarted,Grooveplaybackrestartsinsyncwiththehostposition.

AfterplaybackhasbeenstoppedinthiswaywhenusingtheDrumTrack,ifBFD2isrestartedwithouthostsync,playbackcom-mencesfromthepositionatwhichplaybackwaspreviouslystopped.

Record

TheRecordbuttonisusedinconjunctionwiththeMIDIGrooveRecordingfeatures.ThisbuttonisonlyaccessiblewhentheGroovesPageisshown,exceptifyoustartrecordingandthenswitchtoanotherPagebeforestoppingrecording.

Loop

TheLoopbuttonisusedinvariousGroovepagefeatures.

•UsedforenablingLoopedMIDIGrooverecording

•UsedforenablingLoopedplaybackintheDrumTrack

Return to start

TheReturntostartbuttonisusedwiththeDrumTrack.Whenpressed,theplaybackpositionresetstopositionoftheStartmarker.

ThisbuttoncanbeusedduringplaybackwithoutpressingStopfirst.Doingso‘disconnects’synchronizationifusingBFD2asaplugininahost.

Panic

ThePanicbuttonstopsplaybackofanyGroovesthatmaybecurrentlyplaying.

Return to start

Beat light Timesignature

Stop Play Loop Panic Playback position

TempoRecord

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Beat lightThisindicatorflashesoneverybeatwhenBFD2’sGrooveengineisplaying.

TempoThisindicatordisplaysthecurrenttempo.

IfBFD2isrunningasapluginwithinahostsequencerthatprovidestempoinformation,thiscontrolisnoteditableandfollowsthecurrenttempointhehost.

WhenrunningBFD2instandalonemode,orinahostthatdoesn’tprovidetempoinformation,atempobetween30and999BPMcanbeentered.Toeditthetempo,double-clicktheTempoindicator,typeanewtempoandhitENTER.

Time signature Thisindicatordisplaysthecurrenttimesignature.

IfBFD2isrunningwithinahostsequencerthatprovidestimesignatureinformation,thisisnoteditableandsynchronizestothecurrenttimesignatureinthehost.

WhenrunningBFD2instandalonemode,orinahostthatdoesn’tprovidetimesignatureinformation,thetimesignaturecanbeentereddirectlybydouble-clickingthisindicatorandtypinganewvalue,orbyclickinganddraggingeachnumberinthetimesignatureupanddown.

Playback positionThisreadoutisanindicatorofthecurrentplaybackposition,inbarsandbeats,whenBFD2isinplaymode(andinrecordmodewhenrecordingGroovesviaMIDI).Dependingonanumberofdifferentcircumstances,thisindicatorcanshowanyofthefollow-ing:

When using BFD2 as a plugin in a host:

•Thecurrentsongpositionofthehost.

When using BFD2 as a standalone application:

•ThecurrentpositioninthecurrentGroovewhenusinganyAuto-Playmodeexcept‘DrumTrack’.

•ThecurrentpositionintheDrumTrackwhenusingtheDrumTrackAuto-playmode.

•ThecurrentpositionintheGroovewhenrecordingeventsinrealtimeviaMIDI

4:6 Using the Groove EngineBFD2featuresanumberofdifferentwaysofplayingGrooves.Thesearedescribedinmoredetailinsections5:4and7:1.

Playing Grooves with MIDI notes

EachslotinthePalettecontainingaGrooveisassignedtoaMIDInote.PlayaGroove’sMIDIkeyinordertoplayit.Innormalmode,keepthenotehelddownforaslongasyouneedittoplay.InLatchingmode(enabledintheBFD2Sessionpreferences),pressthenoteoncetostartplayback,andagaintostopit.

Using each Groove’s preview buttons

EachPaletteslotfeaturesaPreviewbutton,whichstartsandstopsplaybackinthesamewayasplayingaMIDIkeywheninLatchingmode.Ifdesired,previewbehaviourcanbechangedsothatplaybackonlyoccurswhilethemouseishelddownonthePreviewbutton.

Using Auto-Play features

BFD2featuresanumberofAuto-Playmodes,whichplayGrooveswhentheBFD2transportisusedtostartplayback,orwhenyourhostsequencertransportisstarted.ThismethodofoperationmakesBFD2behavelikeasynceddrummachineorauto-ac-companimentmodule.

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chapter 05 GROOVES PAGE part 1 palettes, grooves and fills

5:1 An Introduction to the Palette ThePaletteiscentraltotheGrooveengine.Itconsistsof128slots,eachcorrespondingtoakeyonyourMIDIkeyboard.AnyGrooveyouwanttouseinBFD2mustbeassignedtoaslotinthePalette,whetheryouwanttotriggeritwithaMIDIkey,oruseitintheotherpossibleplaybackmodes.

ThePaletteisshownintheformofaMIDIkeyboardlayout,goingfromthelowestnoteatthebottomtothehighestnoteatthetop.

UsethescrollbarormousewheeltoaccessthefullrangeofthekeyboardinthePalette.

MIDI channels and key rangesBydefault,theGroovepaletteandanynotesmappedtoarticulationsreceiveMIDIeventsonallMIDIchannels(Omnimode).Aswellasthis,anyMIDInoteautomationofBFD2controlsalsoreceivesonOmni.

IntheBFD2SessionpreferencesyoucansetGroovenotes,articulationnotesandMIDIautomationtoseparateMIDIchannels.

UnlessyouchangetheMIDIchannelsettings,itisrecom-mendedthatyouuseC5andaboveforGrooves,soasnottointerferewiththedefaultkeyassignmentsforthesounds.

AGroovecannotco-existwitharticulationmappingsonthesamekey!

IfanyslotalreadycontainsanarticulationmappingforBFD2’ssounds.itisgreyedout.YoucanstillplaceaGrooveontothekey,butanyarticulationsmappingsareremoved.

Palette and info inspectors visibilityBydefault,theGrooveandPaletteinfoinspectorsarenotshown,astheysharescreen-spacewiththePalette.ClicktheShow/HideInspectorsbuttontorevealthem.Clickthebut-tonagaintohidethemanddevoteallavailablespacetothePalette.

YoucanfreelyadjustthevisiblePaletteandinfoinspectorareasbyclickingtheborderbetweenthemanddraggingup/down.

Seesection5:8formoreinformationaboutthePaletteandGrooveinfoinspectors.

Show/HideInspectors

Default Groove Actions

Slot Groove Actions

Fill button

Auto-Fill button

Playback indicators / Preview buttons

Scrollbar

Each slot corresponds to a MIDI key

Keylabels

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5:2 Loading Palettes ToloadaPalette,bringupthePalettechooserusingoneofthefollowingmethods:

1.ClicktheLoadbuttonontheBFD2ControlbarandclickonLoadPalette...fromtheLoadmenuthatappears.

2.IfthecurrentGrooveslotisempty,clicktheshortcuttotheLoadPalettefunctionthatisshownintheeditorarea.

Palette chooserThemainareaofthePaletteChoosershowsalistingoftheavailablePalettesintheBFD2database.UsethescrollbartobrowsethroughallavailablePalettes.

Loading a Palette

ToloadaPalette,firstselectitbyclickingonitinthelisting,andclicktheLoadbutton.

Alternatively,youcansimplydouble-clickaPaletteinthelistingtoloadit.

TheentirePaletteisloaded,clearingtheentirecurrentstateoftheBFD2Groovespage.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.

Grooves within a Palette

YoucanexpandaPalettebyclickingtheexpand/collapsebuttontoitsleft,inordertorevealitsconstituentGrooves.

YoucanselectandviewinformationaboutaGroovewithinaPalette,aswellasauditionitbeforeloading.However,thepar-entPalettealwaysstaysselectedwhenselectinganyGroovewithinit,soifyouclicktheLoadbuttonwithaconstituentGrooveselected,theparentPaletteisloaded.

Expand All & Collapse All ThesebuttonsallowyoutoquicklyexpandandcollapseallPalettesinthelisting.

Other elements within a Palette

AsavedPalettestorestheentirestateoftheGroovespage.Inotherwords,itcontainsthefollowing:

•constituentGrooves•theselectedGroovewhenthePalettewassaved•settingsforDefaultandindividualSlotGrooveActions•GrooveFXsettings•settingsintheEditor(suchasgridswing,viewsettingsetc)•Auto-Playsettings•thecontentsoftheDrumTrack

WhenyouloadaPalette,alltheseelementsareloadedwithit,overwritingthecurrentstateoftheGroovepage.

Click to load the selectedPalette

Info

Delete Palette from database

Palette listing: click to select or

double-click to load

Category filters

Expand/collapse buttons

Info columns

Scrollbar

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Audition Preview buttons

WhenaPaletteinthelistingisexpandedtoshowitsconstituentGroovesbyclickingtheexpand/collapsebuttontoitsleft,anextracolumnappearsinthelisting,con-taininganauditionpreviewbuttonforeachGrooveinthePalette.

Thesebuttonsallowyoutoaudi-tionaPalette’sGroovesbeforeloadingit.

ClickaGroove’sauditionpreviewbuttontostartauditioningit.Clickthebuttonagaintostoptheaudi-tion,orclickanotherGroove’sauditionpreviewbutton.

Auditionedgroovesplayatthecurrenttempothroughcurrentlyloadedkit-pieces.NotethatifthepreviewedGroovecontainseventsforkit-piecesthatarenotloaded,theydonotproduceanysound.Ifnokit-piecesareloadedatall,previewingtheGrooveresultsinnosound.

OnlyoneGroovecanbepreviewedatanyonetime.IfyouclickanotherGroove’sauditionpreviewbuttonbeforethecurrentGroovehasfinishedplaying,thecurrentGroovestopsplayingimmediatelyandthenewonebegins.

WhetherornotpolyphonicmodeisenabledintheBFD2preferences,auditionpreviewscauseBFD2tostopplayinganyotherGroovesthatmayalreadybeloadedandplayingintheGrooveengine.

TheHoldmousebuttontopreviewsettingintheBFD2Groovespreferencesresultsinauditionsonlyplayingbackwhilethemousebuttonishelddownontheauditionpreviewbuttons.

Auto-preview TheAuto-previewfunctionallowsyoutoautomaticallypreviewtheselectedGroove,loopedandsynchro-nizedtoyourhosttempoandtransport.

Again,ifanyGroovesarealreadyloadedandplayinginBFD2,theyaremutedwhenpreviewingaGrooveinthePalettechooser.

Palette and Groove info columns

ThefollowinginformationisshownincolumnsforeachPalette:

• Name• BPM (original tempo)• Time Sig (original time signature)• Bars (length in bars)• Genre• Rating• Library

YoucansortPalettesinthelistingbyname,tempoorratingbyclickingtherelevantcolumnheader.

Clickaheaderagaintotogglebetweenascendinganddescendingarrangement.

TheseinformationcategoriesarealsoshownforaPalette’sconstituentGroovesifitisexpandedbyclickingtheexpand/collapsebuttontoitsleft.NotethatyoucanonlysortPalettesbyclickingtheName,TempoandRatingcolumnheaders.

Audition preview buttons

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Category filters 3categoryfiltersareavailabletonarrowdowntheGroovelisting,inordertomakeiteasiertofindwhatyouneed.Eachfiltercanbesettooneofthefollowingcategories:

• Library• Genre• BPM range• Author• Time signature• Star rating

Bydefault,theseareturnedoff,aseachfilterissetto[all].

Search function ThePalettechooser’sSearchfunctionsallowyoutofurthernarrowdownthenumberofPalettesinthelistingwithintheboundsdefinedbythethreecategoryfilters.

TypeintheSearchtext-boxtosearchforPalettesusingoneormorekeywords.

Name,Author,Library,andGenreinformationfieldsaresearched.

TheseinformationfieldsaresetusingthePaletteInfoInspectorbeforesavingaPalettetodisk.

Delete Palette from Database ClickingthisbuttonwithaPaletteselectedremovesitfromthedatabase.PleasenotethatnoPalettefilesaredeleted–thesestillexistondisk.

ItcanbeusefultoremovePalettesthatyoudon’tlikefromthedatabase,asitcanmakethosethatyoudolikeeasiertofind.

YoucanalwaysgetdeletedGroovesbackusingtheTrashandrebuildalldatabasesfunctionintheBFD2Datapreferences.

Load from File Clickingthisbuttonbringsupasystemfileopendialog,allowingyoutobrowsetoandselectaPal-ettefromanylocationthatmaynotalreadyexistinthedatabase.

Youmayneedtodousethisfunctionifyou’vedownloadedaPalettemadebyanotheruser.IfyouwanttheloadedPalettetobeaccessibleinthePalettechooserinfuture,youmustre-saveit.

Load / Cancel buttons ToloadthecurrentlyselectedPalette,orparentPaletteofthecurrentlyselectedGroove,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanyPaletteinthelistinginordertoloadit,oranyGrooveinordertoloaditsparentPalette.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecideyoudon’twanttoloadanewPalette,clicktheCancelbutton.

Info

TheInfodisplayshowsinformationabouteachPalette.

ThisdisplayinthePalettechooserlooksverysimilartothePaletteInfoin-spectorintheGroovespage,exceptthatinformationfieldscannotbeedited.

Youcan,however,ratePaletteswiththestarratingcontrol.AnychangesareappliedimmediatelytotheBFD2database.

Seesection5:8fordetailsoftheinformationfields.

Loading BFD 1.0 and 1.5 BundlesBydefault,thePalettechooserdoesnotshowBFD1.xGrooveBundles.However,youcanmakethesevisibleandloadablefromthePalettechooser.Seesection5:7forafullguidetothisprocess.

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5:3 Loading Grooves

Using the Groove chooser panel to load GroovesToloadaGrooveintoaPaletteslotin,firstlybringuptheGrooveChooserinoneofthefollowingways:

1.SelectaslotinthePaletteonwhichtoloadaGroove.ThenclicktheLoadbuttonontheBFD2controlbarandclickonLoadGroove...fromtheLoadmenuthatappears.

2.Double-clickaslotinthePaletteonwhichyouwanttoloadaGroove

3.IfthecurrentGrooveslotisempty,clicktheshortcuttotheLoadGroovefunctionthatisshownintheeditorarea.

TheGrooveChooserisalmostidenticaltothePaletteChooser,exceptthatitletsyouloadindividualGroovesintoslotsratherthanloadanentirePalette(andallitsassociatedsettingsthatoverwritetheentirecurrentstateoftheGroovespage).

Seesection5:2fordetailsofhowtousethePalettechooserpanel.TheGroovechooserpaneldiffersinthewaysdescribedbelow.

Selecting and loading Grooves

UnlikethePalettechooser,theGroovechooserallowsyoutoselectandloadindividualGrooves.UsethescrollbartobrowsethroughallavailableGroovesinthelisting.

ToloadaGroovetothecurrentslot,firstselectitbyclickingonitinthelisting,andclicktheLoadbutton.

Alternatively,youcansimplydouble-clickaGrooveinthelistingtoloadit.

Loading multiple Grooves

IfyouselectmultipleGroovesinthelisting,theyareloadedtosuccessiveascendingslotsinthePalettestartingwiththecurrentslot.

ToselectmultipleGroovesinthelisting:

•CTRL-clickonaGroove(Windows)•COMMAND-click(Mac)

AddstheGroovetothecurrentselection.IfaselectedGrooveisCTRL-clicked,itisde-selected.

•SHIFT-click

SelectsallGroovesbetweenthecurrentlyselectedGrooveandthelowestorhighestselectedGroove(acontiguousselection).

WiththedesiredGroovesselected,clicktheLoadbuttoninordertoloadthemintoascendingslotsstartingwiththecurrentslot.BFD2displaysawarningmessageiftheendofthePaletteisreachedanditisnotpossibletoloadalltheselectedGrooves.

Click to load the selectedGroove

Info

Delete Groove from database

Groove listing: click to select or

double-click to load

Category filters

Audition preview buttons

Info columns

Show Palettes button

Scrollbar

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Show Palettes button

Bydefault,theGrooveChoosershowsalistingofallGroovesinthedatabase.ByclickingtheShowPalettesbutton,youcanshowGroovesas‘children’oftheirparentPalettes,whichcanmakeGrooveseasiertofind.

LikeinthePalettechooser,Palettescanbe‘expanded’toshowtheGroovestheycontainbyclickingtheexpand/collapsebuttontoitsleft.Whenexpanded,clickingthisbuttonreturnsthePalettetoits‘collapsed’state.TheExpandAllandCollapseAllbuttonsalsoappearinthismodeofoperation.

Groove chooser Info display

TheInfodisplayshowsinformationabouteachGroove.

ItlooksverysimilartotheGrooveInfoInspectorintheGroovesPage,exceptthatinformationfieldscannotbeedited.

Youcan,however,ratePaletteswiththestarratingcontrol.Anychangesareap-pliedimmediatelytotheBFD2database.

Seesection5:8fordetailsoftheinformationfields.

Delete Groove from Database ThisbuttonreplacestheDeletePalettefromdatabasebutton.Itfunctionsinthesameway,exceptitdealswithGroovefilesratherthanPalettefiles.

Load from File IntheGroovechooser,thisbuttonbringsupasystemfileopendialogthatallowsyoutoloadanindividualfiletoloadfromanylocation.

NotethatyoucannotloadmultipleGroovesusingthismethod.

Youmayneedtodousethisfunctionifyou’vedownloadedaGroovemadebyanotheruser.IfyouwanttheloadedPalettetobeaccessibleinthePalettechooser,youmustre-saveitintotheuserlocation.

Ifyouchangethefiletypeextensionto*.MIDintheopendialog,youcanbrowsetoandimportaMIDIfile.Thisfeatureisde-scribedinsection5:7.

Load / Cancel buttons ToloadthecurrentlyselectedGroove(s),clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanyGrooveinthelistinginordertoloadit.

Ifyouchangeyourmind,clicktheCancelbutton–nothingwillbeloaded.

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5:4 Playing Grooves in the Palette

Triggering Grooves with MIDI notesOnceaGrooveisloadedintoaslot,youcantriggertheslot’sMIDIkeyinordertoplaytheGroove.

Grooveplaybackoccurswhilethekeyishelddown,andstopswhenitisreleased.Theslot’skeylabelturnslightbluewhiletheGrooveplays,anditsplaybackindicatorlightsup.Theseindicatorsarealsousedaspreviewbuttons(seebelow).

Start and End Groove Actions

ThewayinwhichaGroovestartsandwhathappenswhenitendsaredefinedbyGrooveActions.

AGroove’sStartactiondictateswhetheritstartsplayingimmediatelyoratthe startofthenextbeatorbar.

ThereareavarietyofpossibleEndactions,includingplayingthecurrentGrooveagainormovingontoanother,eventhoughtheinputMIDInotehasnotchanged.

Youcansetupdefaultbehavioursforallslots’StartandEndGrooveActions,andcustomizeindividualslotstobehavedifferently.Seesection5:6formoredetails.

Latching mode

Bydefault,playbackisactivewhiletheMIDIkeyishelddown.UsingtheLatchingmodesettingintheBFD2Sessionpreferencesyoucanchangethisbehavioursothatinstead,youplaythekeyoncetostartplayback,andplayitagaintostopplayback.Alternatively,whileaGrooveisplaying,youcansimplytriggeranotherGrooveviaanotherMIDIkey.

Polyphonic mode

Normally,onlyoneGroovecanbeplayedatanyonetime.IfPolyphonicmodeisenabledintheBFD2Sessionpreferences,morethanoneGroovecanbeplayedsimultaneously.ThingscanquicklygettoobusyorsimplyverymessywhenusingpolyphonicGrooveplayback.Seesection7:7forsomehintsonusingthismode.

The Groove in the Palette’s F#� slot plays while an F#� note is played into BFD�.

When the note is released, playback of the Groove stops.

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Triggering Grooves with Preview buttons TheplaybackindicatorsontherightofeachslotinthePalettedoubleaspreviewbut-tons.Clickingaslot’spreviewbuttonplaystheGroovecontainedintheslot.

Whenpreviewing,playbackfollowsthebehaviourdefinedbyGrooveActions.Seesection5:6formoredetailsofGrooveActions.

Clickanotherslot’sPreviewbuttoninordertochangetothatslot’sGroove.ThemethodoftransitionisdictatedbytheDefaultandSlotStartActions.

IfPolyphonicmodeisenabled,clickinganotherslot’sPreviewbuttonplaysitsGrooveatthesametimeasthecurrentGroove.

Stopping previews

EachGroovecanbestoppedbyclickingitsrespectivePreviewbuttonagain.

YoucanalsousetheStoporPanicbuttonsintheBFD2transporttostopplaybackofallcurrentlyplayingGrooves.

Preview mouse behaviour

EnablingtheHoldmousebuttontopreviewsettingintheBFD2Groovespreferencesresultsinpreviewplay-backbeingactiveonlywhilethemousebuttonishelddownonaPreviewbutton.TheendresultisthatitworksinthesamewayasholdingdownaMIDIkeytoplayGrooves,withoutLatchingmodeenabled.

ItisnotpossibletopreviewGroovespolyphonicallyusingthissetting,asitisonlypossibletoclickonlyonepreviewbuttonatatime.

Bydefault,thePreviewbuttons’behaviourissimilartoLatchingmodewhenusingMIDItriggering:thebuttonisclickedoncetoenableplayback,andagaintostopit.

Previewing individual elements of one Groove over another

Youcan‘expand’eachGrooveinthePalettetoshowitskit-pieceelementsasindi-vidual‘Grooveelements’inthePalette,byclickingtheexpand/collapsebuttontoitsleft.

Thesekit-pieceGrooveelementshavetheirownpreviewbuttons,sotheycanreplacethecorrespondingelementinaGroovethatisalreadyplaying.Forexample,withaGroovealreadyplaying,youcanreplaceitssnareswiththesnarelinefromanotherGroove.Notethatusingthisfunctionalwaysresultsinreplacingthekit-pieceelementofthecurrentGroove–itisneveroverlaid,evenwhenPolyphonicmodeisenabled.

Clicktheexpand/collapsebuttonagaintocollapsetheGroovetoitsnormalstate.

Expandedkit-pieceelementsarealsousedinreplacingormergingpartsinthecur-rentlyeditedGroovewiththosefromothers.Thisfeatureiscoveredinsection6:5.

Auto-Play and transport controlsByenablingtheAuto-Playfunction,furtherwaysofplayingGroovesarepossible.YoucansetacertainGroove,arandomGrooveorthecurrentlyselectedGroovetoplaywhenyourhostsequencerstarts,Alternatively,BFD2’stransportcontrolsreplacethehosttransportwhenthehostisstopped,orwhenusingtheBFD2standaloneapplication.

Auto-PlayalsoletsyouusetheDrumTrackfeature,whichallowsyoutolayoutafulldrumperformancebysequencingGroovesfromthePalette.

Seechapter7forfurtherdetailsontheAuto-Playfunctions.

Pleasenotethat,aslongasPolyphonicmodeisenabledintheBFD2Sessionpreferences,youcanstilltriggeradditionalGroovesmanuallyviaMIDIoverthetopofGroovestriggeredviaAuto-Play.

Here, the �� BPM Funk HH� Groove is playing with the snare

element from the HH� Groove.

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5:5 Working with Grooves in the Palette

Selecting GroovesClickaGrooveslotinthePaletteinordertoselectit.IftheslotcontainsaGroove,itisshownintheEditor.

Multiple Selection

YoucanselectmultipleGroovesinthePalettebyholdingdowntheCTRLorSHIFTkeyswhileclickingonGrooves.

PleasenotethatwhenmultipleGroovesareselected,youcannotusetheEditor.

•CTRL-clickonaGroove(windows)•AppleclickonaGroove(Mac)

AddstheGroovetothecurrentselection.IftheGrooveisalreadyselected,thisproc-essde-selectsit.

•SHIFT-click

SelectsallGroovesbetweenthecurrentlyselectedGrooveandthelowestorhighestselectedGroove(acontiguousselection).

Operations on Grooves in the Palette

Setting Slot Groove Actions

YoucandefinethewayinwhicheachGrooveinthePalettebehaveswhenitstartsplayingandwhathappenswhenitends.

SelectingmultipleGroovesisveryusefulforsettingSlotstartandendactionsformorethanoneGrooveslotatonce.Simplymultiple-selectthedesiredGroovesandsettheSlotStartandEndActionsasnormal.TheActionsareappliedtoallGroovesintheselection.

Pleaseseesection5:6formoredetailsonmakingthesesettings.

Moving Grooves

YoucanmoveselectionsupordownthePaletteviadrag&drop.IfyoumoveasingleGroovefromoneslottoaslotcontaininganexistingGroove,theGroovesareswappedbetweenslots.

WhenyoumovemultipleGrooves,theyareplacedonsequentialGrooveslotsgoingupfromtheslotonwhichtheyweredropped.

IfanyotherGroovesalreadyexistwithinthissequenceofslots,theyareswappedintotheoriginalslotoftheGroovewhichreplacesit.

Copying Grooves

IfyouholddowntheALTkeywhileyoudrag&drop,theselectioniscopied(anyGroovesthatalreadyexistinthedestinationslotsareover-written).

Pleasenotethatifyoumoveorcopyanarbitrarymultipleselection(inotherwords,theselectedGroovesarenotallinneighbouringslotstoeachother),themovedorcopiedGroovesareplacedonneighbouringslotstoeachother.

Saving and exporting Grooves

YoucansaveorexportaselectionofoneormoreGrooves.Seesection5:8fordetails.

Editing Grooves

WhenasingleGrooveisselected,itisshownintheEditor,whichprovidesacomprehensiveenvironmentforadjustingexistingelementsandaddingnewonesusingthemouseorMIDIinput.YoucanalsoapplyhumanizationeffectstoeitherthecurrentlyselectedGrooveorthewholePalette.

ItisnotpossibletoeditmultipleGrooveselections.

Seechapter6forafullguidetousingthesefeatures.

Adding Grooves to the Drum Track

AddaselectionofGroovesfromthePalettetotheDrumTrackbydragginganddroppingittothedesiredposition,indicatedbytheinsertmarker.

Seesection7:5formoredetailsonthisfeature.

Setting the Slot End Actions for a multiple Groove selection.

Moving a selection of � Grooves to new slots.

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Blending elements of other Grooves in the editorAsmentionedintheprevioussection,eachGroovecanbe‘expanded’toshowitsconstituentkit-pieceelements–kicks,snares,hihats,toms,cymbalsandsoon.

WheneditingoneGrooveyoucanreplaceormergeanelementofanotherGroovebydragginganelementfromthePalettetotheEditorgrid.Seesection6:5foraguidetousingthesefeatures.

Slot context menu Right-clickingonanyselectedGrooveslotdisplaystheslotcontextmenucontaininganumberoffurtherGroove-basedoperations.

Copy selected Grooves

CopiesallcurrentlyselectedGroovestotheclipboard.

Cut selected Grooves

RemovesallcurrentlyselectedGroovesfromtheirslotsandstoresthemintheclip-board.

Paste selected Grooves

IftheclipboardcontainsCutorCopiedGrooves,thisfunctionpastesthecontentstothecurrentslotandasmanysubsequentemptyslots(goingupthekeyboard)asnecessary,dependingonhowmanyGroovesareintheclipboard.

New Groove

Createsanewempty1-barGrooveontheslot.ThisisrequiredifyouwanttocreateanewGroovefromscratchanddraworrecordnotesintoitwiththeEditor.

IfyouhavepreviouslycreatedchangedaGroove’slength,creatinganewGrooveresultsinaGroovewiththesamelengthasthelastGroovewhoselengthwaschanged.

IfyouattempttocreateanewGrooveonaslotthatalreadycontainsaGroove,awarningisshown,requiringyoutoconfirmtheactionbeforeyoucancontinue.

Ifthecurrentlyselectedslotisempty,ashortcuttothisfunctionisalsoshownintheEditorarea.

Clear Palette

ClearstheentirecontentsofthePalette.

Awarningisshown,requiringyoutoconfirmtheactionbeforeyoucancontinue.

Export MIDI... Export Audio...

ThesefunctionsallowyoutoexporttheselectedGroove(s)asMIDIoraudio.Seesection5:9forfurtherdetailsoftheseexportfeatures.

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5:6 Groove Actions ThePaletteareacontains2setsofcontrolsaboveandbelowthelistofslots,whichletyoudefineGrooveActions,orplaybackcharacteristics.

TheareaaboveGrooveslotsformstheDefaultActioncontrols.

Meanwhile,theareabelowtheGrooveslotsformstheSlotActioncontrols.

UnlessyousetspecificSlotActionsforindividualslots,allslotsfollowtheDefaultActionsettings.

PleasenotethattheSlotActionsdonotapplytoGroovesontheDrumTrack.AnystructuringofplaybackovertimeintheDrumTrackmustbemanipulatedintheDrumTrackitself.

Start

TheStartparameterdefineshowaGrooveshouldcommenceplayingwhentriggered:whetherimmediatelyorusingoneofanumberofsynchronizedtransitionmethods.

End

TheEndparameterspecifieswhathappensafteraGroovecompletesplayback.YoumaywantasingleGroovetokeeprepeatingonceitendsor,alternatively,youmaywanttotriggeranotherGrooveatrandom,orsimplystopplayingaltogether.

Fill button

TheSlotGrooveActionsareaincludestheFillbutton,withwhichyoudefineaslotascontainingaFill.FillsareusedfortheAuto-Fillfunction.Theyarealsousefulwhenrecreatingaclassicdrummachinefill-intechnique:acertainbeatisplaying,andwithasingletrigger,thefillisplayed,andafterthefillends,playbackofthepreviousbeatresumeswithnoadditionaltriggering.

Auto-Fill button

TheAuto-FillbuttonislocatedintheDefaultGrooveActionsarea.Withthisbuttonenabled,aFillisplayedataregularinterval,definedintheBFD2Sessionpreferences.Bydefault,aFillisplayedevery4bars.

WhenusingtheAuto-Fillfunction,Fillsshouldonlybe1barlong.Ifalongerfillisencountered,onlyitslastbarisplayed.

Usethe‘Auto-Fillperiod’settingintheSessionpreferencesinordertodefinetheintervalinbars.

Auto-Fill

Fill button

Selected Groove slot

Slot Start Action

Slot End Action

Default Start Action

Default End Action

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Summary of available Groove ActionsBelowisasummaryoftheavailableDefaultStartandEndGrooveActions,aswellastheavailableSlotStartandEndGrooveActionsforindividualslots.

Default Actions

Start

• Next Bar• End of Groove• Play in Sync• Immediate

End

• Random Groove/Fill• Random Groove• Loop• Move Up• Move Down• Stop

Slot Actions

TheavailableSlotEndActionsvaryaccordingtowhetheraslotissettobeaGrooveoraFill.

SlotEndActionsforGrooves,andtheSlotStartActionsforGroovesandFillsalsocontaina‘Default’setting,whichresultsintheDefaultActionsettingbeingused.

ItisnotpossibleforaGrooveslotsetasaFilltofollowtheDefaultEndAction.Bydefault,theEndparameterintheFillSlotAc-tionsissetto‘PreviousGroove’.

Start

• Next Bar• End of Groove• Play in Sync• Immediate• [Default]

End (Grooves)

• Random Groove• Random Groove/Fill• Loop• Move Up• Move Down• Stop• [Default]

End (Fills)

• Previous Groove [default]• Random Groove• Stop

Start Actions for Grooves and Fills

Next Bar

TheGroovestartsplayingfromitsstartatthestartofthenextbar.

End of Groove

TheGroovestartsplayingfromitsstartwhenthecurrentGrooveends

Play in Sync

TheGroovestartsplayingimmediatelyfromthepointintheGroovecorrespondingtothecurrentplaybackposition.ThisallowstimingtostaysynchronizedwiththerestofthesongwhenyouwanttodropinnewGroovesatanypoint,orswitchbetweenmultipleGroovesquickly.

Immediate TheGrooveorFillstartsplayingimmediatelyfromthestartoftheGroove.

Default (Slot Start Actions only)

ThissettingexistsonlyintheindividualGrooveandFillSlotStartActionmenus.Whenselected,GroovesandFillsstartplayingaccordingtotheDefaultStartActionsetting.

Slot Start Actions

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End Actions for Grooves

Random Groove/Fill

WhentheGrooveends,anyavailableGrooveorFillinthePaletteisplayed.

Random Groove

WhentheGrooveorFillends,arandomGroovefromthePaletteisplayed.

Loop

WhentheGrooveends,itisplayedagain.

Move Up

WhentheGrooveends,thenextslotupinthePalettecontainingaGrooveisplayed.

Move Down

WhentheGrooveends,thenextslotdowninthePalettecontainingaGrooveisplayed.

Stop

WhentheGrooveends,playbackstops.

Default

ThissettingonlyexistsintheSlotEndActionmenuforGrooves.

Whenselected,theGroove’sEndbehaviourfollowstheDefaultEndActionsetting.

Slot End Actions for Fills

Previous Groove

WhentheFillends,theGroovethatwasplayingpreviouslyisplayedagain.

ThisfunctionisveryusefulwhenyoujustwanttobreakoutofaGrooveandtriggerafillwithonenote,andwhenitends,justhaveitgobacktothepreviousGroovethatwasplayingwithnofurtherinteraction.

IftherewasnoGrooveplayingbeforetheFill,theFillisloopeduntilanotherGrooveorFillisplayed.

Random Groove

WhentheFillends,arandomGroovefromthePaletteisplayed.

Stop

WhentheFillends,playbackstops.

Default End Actions

Slot End Actions

Slot End Actions for Fills

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5:7 Importing BFD 1.x Grooves and MIDI files

Importing BFD 1.x Grooves and Bundles

Groove formats

BFD2Groovefilesarestoredinaproprietaryformatwhichallowsthesoftwaretoassociateeventswithspecificarticulations,andarethereforeindependentofMIDImappings.APaletteletsyouassembleupto128Grooves,whileasavedPalettealsoincludesthestateoftheentireGroovespage.

Ontheotherhand,BFD1.xusedMIDIfilesasGrooves,routingnotestoarticulationsaccordingtothedefaultBFDkeymap.Upto12MIDIfileswerereferencedfromatextfilecalledaBundlefile.TheMIDIfilesexistinasubfolderwiththesamenameastheBundlefile.

Thesetwoformatsarefundamentallydifferent.TheentireBFD1.5GroovelibraryisprovidedwithBFD2asPalettesinthenewformat.Therefore,BFD1.xGroovesandBundlesarenotshownbydefaultinthePalette.Ifyouhaveanythird-partyBFD1.5-for-matMIDIGrooves,orifyouhavemadeyourowncustomGrooves,BFD2iscapableofloadingthem.

MIDI Import mapping

SinceBFD1.xGroovesareinMIDIfileformat,withnointernalarticulationmapping,BFD2mustconsultaMIDIkeymapinordertoassignitsMIDInoteeventstoarticulations.

TheImportMIDIkeymapsettingintheBFD2GroovespreferencesallowsyoutospecifyakeymaptouseforimportingMIDIGrooves.

Bydefault,BFD2ignoresanyMIDInotesencounteredthatarenotdefinedinthereferencedkeymap.Apreferencealsoexists(UnmappedMIDInotemode)toshowawarningwhenthisoccursinsteadofsimplyignoringanyunusednotes.

Accessing BFD 1.x Bundles in the Groove and Palette choosers

1.EnabletheShowBFD1BundlessettingintheBFD2Groovespreferences.

2.MakesurethebundlesandtheirconstituentMIDIgroovesarecontainedwithinaBFD1.5datapath.BFD2looksforGrooveBundlesinBFD/Grooves,andforFillBundlesinBFD/Fills.ABundlemustbeusableinBFDtobeloadableinBFD2.Thismeansthatitshouldproperlyreferenceupto12MIDIfilesinsideasub-folderoftheGroovesfolderwiththesamenameastheBundle.ChecktoseethattheBundleloadsproperlyinBFDifyou’renotsure!

3.intheBFD2Datapreferences,clicktheScandatapathsfornewfilesbutton.

4.iftheGroovescorrespondtotheBFD1.5keymap,settheImportMIDImapintheBFD2GroovespreferencestousetheBFD1.5keymapprovidedwithBFD2.IfyourGroovesarecreatedforadifferentkeymap,you’llneedtomakeasuitablenewBFD2keymap–seechapter8fordetailsofhowtodothis.

ThePaletteandGroovechoosersshouldnowshowthebundlesandMIDIgrooves,whicharereadytoload.BothGrooveandFillBundlesareshowninthechooser.

Assembling Palettes from BFD1.5 bundles

GrooveBundlesetsgenerallyconsistofoneortwoGrooveBundlesandanaccompanyingFillBundle,eachconsistingofupto12MIDIfiles.InordertoassembletheseintoasingleBFD2Palette,proceedasfollows.

1.UsingthePalettechooser,loadthefirstGrooveBundle.WhenloadingaBundleinthisway,theGroovesareplacedintoas-cendingslotsstartingatC5.

2.UsingtheGroovechooseronasuitableGrooveslotinthePalette,withtheShowPalettesbuttonenabled,loadalltheGroovescontainedwithinanyotherGrooveandFillBundlesintheset.Usethemultipleselectioncapabilityinthechooserinordertoaccomplishthis.

3.IfthesetcontainsFills,selecttheminthePaletteandclicktheFillbuttonintheSlotGrooveActionsarea.Thesearenowdesig-natedasFills.

4.SavetheassembledPalettetotheBFD2UserGrooveslocation.

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Importing MIDI files into the PaletteBFD2allowsyoutoimportaMIDIfileintoaslotinthePalette,andoptionallysplitthefileintosmallerGroovestobeplacedonascendingslotsbeginningwiththedestinationslot.

Initiating MIDI import

TherearetwowaysofinitiatingtheMIDIimportprocess.

Using drag & drop

Drag&dropaMIDIfileontothedestinationPaletteslotfromasystemfilelocationsuchasthedesktoporafolderwindow.

Using the Groove chooser

YoucanloadaMIDIfileusingtheGroovechooserbyproceedingasfollows:

1.double-clickthedestinationpaletteslottobringuptheGroovechooser

2.clickthe‘Loadfromfile’button

3.setthefiletypeto*.mid.

4.browsetoandopentheMIDIfile

MIDI Import panel AfterinitiatingtheMIDIimportprocessusingoneofthetwoabovemethods,theMIDIImportpanelappears.

MIDI file summary

ThesummaryareadisplaysananalysisoftheimportedMIDIfile.Thefilename,tempo,timesignatureandlengthinbarsareshown.

Importing the MIDI file as a single Groove

IfyouwanttoimportthewholeMIDIfileontooneslotasasingleGroove,youdon’tneedtomakeanyadjustmentsintheMIDIimportpanel–simplyclicktheImportbut-tontoimporttheMIDIfileasaGrooveontothedestinationslot.

Ifyouchangeyourmind,clicktheCancelbuttontoreturntotheGroovepagewithoutimportinganything.

Splitting and importing the MIDI file as multiple Grooves BFD2allowsyoutosplittheMIDIfileintosmallerGroovesofequallength,tobeimportedintoascendingPaletteslotsbeginningwiththedestinationslot.

Inordertodothis,youneedtoadjusttheGroovesplitparameters.

Bars per Groove

ThisparameterspecifiesthelengthofeachsmallerGrooveinbars.

Grooves

ThisparametershowsthenumberofsmallerGroovesthatwillbecreatedwiththecurrent‘BarsperGroove’setting.

Import Groove

ThispairofvaluesallowsyoutosetuparangeofthesmallerGroovescreatedtoactuallyimporttoPaletteslots.

New name

ThisfieldallowsyoutoenteranamefortheGroovestoimport.ThesenamedGroovesarenumberedsequentiallyinthePalette.

Import & Cancel

Onceyou’vesettheparametersupasrequired,clicktheImportbutton.TheMIDIfileissplitasspecifiedandthedesiredseg-mentsareimportedintothePaletteasGrooves,inascendingslotsstartingwiththedestinationslot.

Ifyouchangeyourmind,clicktheCancelbuttontoreturntotheGroovespagewithoutimportinganything.

YoucanalsopresstheESCkeyinordertocanceltheoperation.

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5:8 Groove and Palette Info InspectorsTheGrooveandPaletteInfoInspectorsdisplaysandallowsyoutoeditadditionalinformationforloadedGroovesandtheentirecurrentPalette.

Documenting Grooves and PalettesYoucansetanumberoftextfieldsfordocumentinginformationaboutcurrentlyloadedGroovesandPalettes,suchasthename,recommendedtempo,timesignatureandmusicalgenre.ThismethodofdocumentationcanbeveryusefulwhenloadingGroovesandPalettesinfuture,asyoucansortandsearchfortheseinformationfields.

Palette and Info inspector visibility Bydefault,theGrooveandPaletteinfoinspectorsarenotshown,astheysharescreen-spacewiththePalette.ClicktheShow/HideInfoInspectorsbuttontorevealthem.ClickthebuttonagaintohidethemanddevoteallavailablespacetothePalette.

YoucanfreelyadjustthevisiblePaletteandInfoInspectorareasbyclickingtheborderbetweenthemanddraggingup/down.

Groove Info Inspector Thefollowinginformationisavailable,andcanbeedited,forthecurrentlyselectedGroove.

Withtheexceptionoftherating,anychangesarestoredwiththeGroovewhenitisnextsaved.

IftheGrooveInfoInspectoriscurrentlyshowing,clickthePalettebuttoninordertoviewthePaletteInfoInspector.

Name

ThenameoftheGrooveisshownhere,andcanbeeditedbyclickingonthefield.Ifnonameisentered,theGroove’sfilenameisshown.

BPM

ThisshowstherecommendedtempooftheGrooveinbeatsperminute(BPM),andcanbeeditedbyclickingonthefield.

PleasenotethatGroovesarealwaysplayedbackatthecurrenttempo,butthisfieldshowswhattheauthorconsidersisthebesttempofortheGroove.

Time Sig

ThisshowsthetimesignatureoftheGroove,andcanbeeditedbyusingthetwosetsofup/downarrowcontrols.

ItispossibleforthecurrenttimesignaturetobedifferenttothisGroove.Ifthisisthecase,whenplayingGroovesfromthePalette,someofthegroovemaybeloopedortruncatedtofitthenecessarybarlength.

GroovesplayedfromtheDrumTrackalwaysplaytotheirfulllength.

Genre

ChoosetheGenreofthecurrentGroovebyclickingonthisfieldandselectingthegenrefromthedrop-downmenu.

Alternatively,youcandouble-clickthefieldandtypeinanygenreyouwant.

Star Rating

YoucansetaratingforthecurrentGroove.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systemintheGrooveBrowserwhenthelistofGroovesissortedbyrating,makingiteasiertofindyourfavouriteGrooves.YoucanspecifyaratingforaGrooveorPalettefrom1(worst)to5(best).

WhenyourateaGroove,theratingisautomaticallysavedintotheBFD2Groovedatabase–youdon’tneedtore-savetheGrooveinordertostoreratings.

Author

ThenameoftheGroove’sauthorisshownhere,andcanbeeditedbyclickingonthefield.

Comment

Anadditionaltextfieldisprovidedforaddingyourownnotestothestoredinformation.

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Palette Info inspector Thefollowinginformationisavailable,andcanbeedited,forthecurrentlyloadedPaletteifonehasbeenloaded.

IfyouhaveassembledyourownsetofindividualGroovesinthePalette,thisinformationisempty.

Withtheexceptionoftherating,anychangesarestoredwiththePalettewhenitisnextsaved.

IftheGrooveInfoinspectoriscurrentlyshowing,clickthePalettebuttoninordertoviewthePaletteInfoInspector.

Star Rating

YoucansetaratingforthecurrentPalette.Thisisusedasa‘favourites’systeminthePaletteBrowserwhenthelistingissortedbyrating,makingiteasiertofindyourfavourites.YoucanspecifyaratingforaGrooveorPalettefrom1(worst)to5(best).

WhenyourateaPalette,theratingisautomaticallysavedintotheBFD2Groovedatabase–youdon’tneedtore-savethePaletteinordertostoreratings.

Name

ThenameofthecurrentlyloadedPaletteisshownhere,andcanbeeditedbyclickingonthefield.Ifnonameisentered,thePalette’sfilenameisshown.

Author

ThenameofthePalette’sauthorisshownhere,andcanbeeditedbyclickingonthefield.

Genre

ChoosetheGenreofthecurrentPalettebyclickingonthisfieldandselectingthegenrefromthedrop-downmenu.

Alternatively,youcandouble-clickthefieldandtypeinanygenreyouwant.

Photo

Palettescanhaveanassociatedimage.

Whenusingfactory-suppliedPalettes,left-clickingthephotoopenstheauthor’sspecifiedwebsiteinthesystem’sdefaultbrowser(althoughthisbehaviourcanbedisabledintheBFD2GUIpreferences).

Youcanspecifyanimagefileasaphototoassociatewiththekit-piece.Ifnoimageisspecified,adefaultimageisused.

Browse button

ClickingthebrowsebuttonopensasystemfileopendialogallowingyoutobrowsetoaJPEG,PNGorTGAimagefiletospecifyastheimportedkit-piece’sphoto.Thefilemusthavearesolutionof96x96pixels.

Clear button

Clickingthisbuttonremovesthephotocurrentlyspecifiedforthekit-piece.

Comment

Anadditionaltextfieldisprovidedforaddingyourownnotestothestoredinformation.

Copy to Grooves

ClickingthisbuttoncopiescurrentyenteredPaletteinformationfieldstoallGroovescurrentlyinthePalette,whereapplicable.

Photo

Star rating

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5:9 Saving and exporting Grooves

Saving Grooves IfyoucreateanewGrooveormodifyanexistingGroove,itislikelythatyouwillwanttosaveyourGrooveintotheBFD2database.WiththedesiredGrooveselected,usetheSaveGroove...functionintheBFD2Savemenu(locatedintheControlbar).

Asystemfilesavedialogisdisplayed,promptingyoutosavetheGroovetodisk.

Save location

WhenyousaveyourownGrooves,youarepromptedbydefaulttosavethemintheuserlevelBFD2folderasfollows:

<userlocation>/Grooves

Ifyouwish,youcansavetheminanyotherfolderwithintheGroovesfolder.

ItisrecommendedthatyousaveGrooveswithintheuserGrooveslocationinorderforthemtobevisibleintheGroovechooserpanel.

WhereveryousaveaGroove,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryim-portanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabase(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotre-scanned.

TheinformationspecifiedintheGrooveinfoinspectorissavedwithGrooves.Additionally,theirLibraryfieldissetto‘User’.

Naming the saved Groove file

ThecurrentnameoftheGroove,asdefinedintheGrooveInfoinspector,isthedefaultfilenameshown.Eitherstickwiththisortypeadifferentfilename,thenhitENTERorclicktheSavebuttoninordertosavetheGroove.

Ifyoutypeanewfilenametoreplacethedefaultfilenameshown,BFD2asksyouifyouwanttochangethenamestoredintheGroove’sNamefield.TheNamefieldisusedtolabeltheGrooveinBFD2’sdatabase,sosettingitproperlyisimportantforrelo-catingGroovesinfuture.

BFD2’s Groove format

WhenyousaveaGrooveinthisway,itissavedinBFD2’sproprietaryGrooveformat–thisisnotaMIDIfile.ThereasonforthisisthatGroovescontaineventsrelateddirectlytoBFD2’sarticulations,meaningthatGroovesarenotreliantonacertainMIDIkeymap.

IfyouneedtosaveaGrooveasaMIDIfile,usetheGrooveMIDIexportfunctionsinBFD2.

IfyouhaveasetofGroovesinthePalette,youcansavethewholePalettewhichsaveseachindividualGroovewithit.TheGroovescanalwaysbeloadedasindividualGrooves,althoughthe‘ShowPalettes’buttonmustbeenabledintheGroovechoos-er.Seesection5:10foraguidetosavingPalettes.

Exporting Grooves as MIDIIfyouwishtosaveGroovesforuseinotherMIDIapplications,youcansaveaGrooveasaMIDIfile.Inordertodothis,selecttheGrooveandusetheExportGrooveMIDI...functionintheBFD2ControlbarSavemenu.

Thisresultsinasystemfilesavedialogbeingdisplayed,promptingyoutoexporttheGroove.ThecurrentnameoftheGroove,asdefinedintheGrooveInfoinspector,isthedefaultfilenameshownfortheMIDIfile.Ifyouneedto,navigatetothecorrectlocationandtypeadifferentfilename,andthenhitENTERorclickSave.

IfmorethanoneGrooveisselected,aseriesofnumberedGroovesissavedbasedonthespecifiedfilename.

ThecurrentMIDImappingisusedfortheexport.Ifanarticulationismappedtomorethanonekey,thelowestkeytowhichitismappedisusedforitsMIDIeventsintheexportedfile.

UsingtheMIDIexportmodesettingintheGroovespreferences,youcanchoosetoexportaMIDIfilecontainingonetrackforallkit-pieces,onetrackperkit-pieceoronetrackperarticulation.

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Using drag & drop to export Grooves

YoucanalsodraganddroptoexportasingleormultipleGrooveselectioneithertoaMIDIfileortoaMIDIoraudioinstrumenttrackinyourhostsequencer.

ThesameMIDIexportpreferencesdescribedabovealsoapplytodrag&dropexports.

Toinitiateadrag&dropexport,selectoneormoreGroovesinthePaletteanddragthemoutsidetheBFD2window.

Exporting to MIDI file

IfyoudroptheGrooveselectionontoasuitablesavelocation–inotherwords,thedesktoporafoldershowninaWindowsEx-ploreroraMacOSXFinderwindow–theGroovesaresavedasindividualMIDIfilesatthedestination.

Exporting to host MIDI track

IfyoudroptheGrooveselectionontoaMIDIoraudioinstrumenttrackinyourhostsequencerwhilerunningBFD2asaplugin,eachGrooveiscreatedasaMIDIpartsequentiallyfromthepointatwhichtheyweredropped.

Thisfunctionalitydependsuponthehost’slevelofsupportfordrag&dropofMIDIfiles.Somehostsmaysupportdrag&dropofsinglefilesbutnotmultiplefiles,andothersdonotsupportdrag&dropatall.

Pleaseconsultyourhost’sdocumentationortechnicalsupportservicestodeterminehowitreactstodrag&dropofMIDIfiles.

Export Groove as AudioTheExportAudiofunctionperformsanaudioexportofthecurrentGrooveselection.TheresultingfileiscuttotheexactlengthoftheGrooveatthecurrenttempo,withanoptionaltaildefinableintheBFD2Groovespreferences.

IfmultipleGroovesareselected,aseparatesetofaudiofilesissavedinaseparatefolderforeachselectedGroove.

Export settings

ThesettingsintheAudioExporttaboftheMixerpageUtilitypanelareusedfortheRecordpath,fileprefix,andfileformat,whiletherecordenablebuttonsoneachMixerchannelareusedtodeterminewhatchannelsareexported–aseparateaudiofileisgeneratedforeachmixerchannelenabledforrecording.

Ifyouattempttoinitiateanexportbeforeavalidexportpathhasbeenset,anerrormessageappearstoinformyouofthisfact,andtheexportoperationiscancelled.SetarecordpathintheAudioexportpanelinordertosuccessfullyperformtheaudioexport.

Ifnochannelsarecurrentlyarmedinthemixer,BFD2promptsifyouwanttoarmallchannelsandcontinue.Ifyouonlywanttoarmcertainchannelsforexport,youmustcanceltheoperationandarmtherelevantchannelsintheMixerpagebeforeattempt-ingtheexportagain.

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5:10 Saving PalettesTosavethecurrentPalette,usetheSavePalettefunctionontheBFD2controlbarSavemenu.

Asystemfilesavedialogisdisplayed,promptingyoutosavethePalettetodisk.

Save location

WhenyousaveyourownPalettes,youarepromptedbydefaulttosavethemintheuserlevelBFD2folderasfollows:

<userlocation>/Grooves

Ifyouwish,youcansavetheminanyotherfolderwithintheGroovesfolder.

ItisrecommendedthatyousavePaletteswithintheuserGrooveslocationinorderforthemtobevisibleinthePalettechooserpanel.

WhereveryousaveaPalette,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryim-portanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabase(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarebere-scanned.

TheinformationspecifiedinthePaletteinfoinspectorissavedwithPalettes.Ad-ditionally,theirLibraryfieldissetto‘User’.

Naming the saved Palette file

ThecurrentnameofthePalette,asdefinedinthePaletteinfoinspector,isthedefaultfilenameshown.Eitherstickwiththisortypeadifferentfilename,thenhitENTERorclicktheSavebuttoninordertosavethePalette.

Ifyoutypeanewfilenametoreplacethedefaultfilenameshown,BFD2asksyouifyouwanttochangethenamestoredinthePallete’sNamefield.TheNamefieldisusedtolabelthePaletteinBFD2’sdatabase,sosettingtheNameproperlyisimportantwhenlocatingPalettesinfuture.

BFD2 Palette format

WhenyousaveaPalette,theentirestateoftheGroovepageissavedwithit.Inotherwords,itcontainsthefollowing:

•constituentGrooves•thecurrentlyselectedGroove•settingsforDefaultandindividualSlotGrooveActions•GrooveFXsettings•settingsintheEditor(suchasgridswing,viewsettingsetc)•Auto-Playsettings•thecontentsoftheDrumTrack

Whenreloaded,aPaletteoverwritesallcurrentsettingsintheGroovepage.

IfyourGroovePaletteismadeforacertainkit,mixerandkeymapsetup,itisrecommendedthatyousaveaBFD2Presetforeasyrecall–thissavestheentirestateofBFD2toonefile.

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chapter 06 GROOVES PAGE part 2 editing, recording and groove FX

6:1 Introduction to the EditorTheBFD2GrooveEditorprovidesacompleteintegratededitingenvironmentformodifyingtheBFD2groovesorforcreatingyourown.

TheEditorshowsthecontentsoftheGrooveinthecurrentlyselectedslot.

Editor interface overview

1. Editor grid 6:2

TheEditorgridismadeupofarticulationlanesforkit-pieces,whichcontaineventstotriggersounds.ItisverysimilartoMIDIdrumeditorsincommonlyusedhostsequencers.Ifyouhaveusedsuchsoftware,you’llfindotherelementsofthegridfamiliar,suchastherulerandvelocitylane,aswellaszoomandscrollingcontrols.

2. Edit modes toolbar 6:3

Thetoolbarcontainsanumberofeditingtoolswithwhichtomanipulateeventsintheeditorgrid.Again,thesefunctionsareprob-ablyfamiliartoyouifyouhaveusedadvancedhostsequencerMIDIeditorsbefore.

ThetoolbaralsoincludestheUndobutton,whichallowsyoutoundoanyoperationintheGroovespage.

3. Other editor functions 6:4

Acrossthetopoftheeditorgridareanumberofadditionaleditingfunctions,includinggridandquantizecontrolsamongstothers.

4. Groove FX 6:7

WhileitistechnicallynotrelateddirectlytotheEditor,theGrooveFXisnonethelessacrucialelementincreatingrealisticandgreatsoundingdrumparts.Itallowsyoutoapplyanumberoftiming,quantizationandhumanizationfunctionstotheoutputoftheGrooveengineinanon-destructiveway.ItalsoallowsyoutodestructivelyapplysettingstothecurrentGrooveorallGroovesinthePalette.

Other topics covered in this chapter

• Blending elements of other grooves in the Palette (section 6:5)

Youcanmergeorreplaceakit-piece’seventsfromotherGroovesinthePalette,whichisveryusefulfor‘remixing’newGroovesfromexistingones.

• Recording Groove events via MIDI (6:6)

BFD2allowsyoutorecordGrooveeventsinrealtimeusingMIDIinputdevicessuchaskeyboards,drumpadsortriggers.

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Creating a new Groove in a slot

IfthecurrentlyselectedGrooveslotisempty,ashortcuttotheNewGroovefunctionisshownintheEditorarea.Clickittocreateanew1-barGrooveintheslot.

Alternatively,eveniftheslotiscurrentlyoccupiedbyaGroove,right-clickonaslotandselecttheNewGroovefunctionfromtheslotcontextmenuthatappears.

IfyouhavepreviouslycreatedchangedaGroove’slength,creatinganewGrooveresultsinaGroovewiththesamelengthasthelastGroovewhoselengthwaschanged.

IftheslotalreadycontainsaGroove,youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeanewGrooveiscreated,replacingthepreviouscon-tentsoftheslot.

Playing the currently selected Groove Whenusingtheeditor,youmaywantaneasymethodofplayingbacktheeditedGroove,withouthavingtoplaytherelevantMIDIkeyorclicktheGroove’spreviewbuttoninthePalette.

Ifthisisthecase,firstlysettheAuto-Playmodeto‘Palette’andsetthePaletteAuto-playmodeto‘Current’intheBFD2Sessionpreferences(thisisthedefaultsettingincaseyouhaven’ttouchedthesesettingsbefore).ThenmakesurethattheGrooverepeatswhenitendsbysettingtheDefaultand/orSlotGrooveEndActionsaccordingly(seesection5:6formoreinformationonGrooveActions).

Thismeansthatwhenplaybackisstarted,eitherviatheBFD2transportorviathehosttransportwhenrunningBFD2asaplugin,thecurrentlyselectedGrooveinthePaletteisplayed.BecausethecurrentlyselectedGrooveisalwaysshownintheEditor(aslongasonlyoneGrooveisselectedandtheFocusbuttonisnotenabled),thisisaveryusefulplaybackmodewheneditingGrooves.

IftheEndActionoftheGrooveissettomovetoadifferentGroove,youwon’tseetheplayingGrooveintheEditor,asitnormallyshowsonlythecurrentlyselectedGroove.IfyouwanttoseethecurrentlyplayingGrooveinstead,enabletheFocusbuttonintheGrooveEditor(seesection6:4fordetails).

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6:2 Editor Grid

Kit-piece and Articulation lanes

Kit-Piece Lane

IfaKit-Pieceisloaded,itsnameisshownonthekit-piecelane.Ifnokit-pieceisloadedyetintheslot,theslotnameisgreyedout,anda[!]indicatorisshowntotheleftofthemuteandsolobuttons.

Youcandouble-clicktheslotnameorkit-piecenameinordertobringupthekit-piecechooserforthatslot,meaningthatyoudon’tneedtoswitchtotheKitpageinordertodoso.

Somekit-piecelanesmaynotbeseenwithcertainViewselectorsettings.SeetheViewcontrolssub-sectionbelowformoredetailsonthesesettings.

Thekit-piecelaneshowsalleventsforthekit-pieceinthecurrentGroove.

Expanding a kit-piece lane to show its articulation lanes

Totheleftofthekit-piecenameistheexpand/collapsebutton.

Incollapsedmode,asinglelaneisdisplayedforthekit-piece,showingeventsforallarticulations–thisiscalledthekit-piecelane.

Whileinthismode,clickingtheexpand/collapsebuttonresultsinaaseparatelanebeingdisplayedforeacharticulationwithinthekit-piece.ThearticulationlanesshowalleventsforthatarticulationinthecurrentGroove.

Kit-piece lanes. Note that the kick slot has nothing loaded.

Click the [+] button to expand the kit-piece lane to show each articulation lane within it.

Articulation lanes

Events

RulerView controls

Kit-piece and articulation

lanes

Velocity lane

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Asinglelaneisalwaysshownforeacharticulation,regardlessofwhetheryouhavemappedthearticulationtoaMIDIkeyornot.

Ifanarticulationdoesnotexistintheslot’scurrentlyloadedkit-piece,itsnameisgreyedoutanda[!]indicatorisshowntotheleftofthemuteandsolobuttons.

Whileinexpandedmode,clickingthebuttonagainreturnstocollapsedmode.

Whenincollapsedmode,youcaneditthekit-piece’sevents.Anyneweventsyouaddarecreatedonthefirstarticulationforthatkit-piece.Forfullcontrolovereditingakit-piece’sevents,it’srecommendedthatyouexpanditslanetoshowallarticulationlanesbeforeaddingnewevents.

Mute and Solo buttons

Eachkit-pieceandallitsindividualarticulationshaveamuteandsolobutton.Itisthereforepossibletomuteandsolotheeventsofthewholekit-piece,orindividualarticulations.

Mutesoverridesolos:ifakit-pieceismuted,noneofitsarticulations’eventsareheard,irrespectiveoftheirsolostatus.

Events

Eventsareshownas‘diamonds’oneacharticulationlane:theseare‘one-shot’triggers.Thereisnowayofcontrollingthedurationofevents–triggeredsoundsplayuntiltheydecaynaturally.However,manualchokeeventsorotherarticulationsofthesamekit-piececanbeusedtostopthedecayofasound.Alsoremem-berthatotherparameterslikedampingaffectthedecayofasound.

Highvelocityhitsaredarkerincolourthansoftvelocityhits.

Selectedeventsarelargerthanotherevents.

Mutedeventsareshownassolidwhite.Thesedonotproduceanysounduntiltheyareunmutedagain.

Ruler and Groove length

Ruler Theruleratthetopofthegridshowsatimelineinbarsandbeats.

TheendoftheGrooveisrepresentedbytheGrooveEndmarker.

Changing the length of Grooves TochangethelengthofaGroove,clickanddragtheGrooveEndmarkerleftorright.Thecursorchangestoahorizontalarrow.

ClickanddragattherightedgeoftherulertoincreasetheGroovelengthbeyondthecur-rentworkspace.Youmayneedtodecreasethecurrentzoomlevelinordertosetthedesiredlengthmoreeasily.

ReleasethemousebuttonatthedesiredpointtosettheGroovelength.

NotethatGroovesmustalwaysbeawholenumberofbarslong.

Ruler Groove End marker

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Velocity lane

ThevelocitylaneunderneaththeRulershowseventvelocitiesasverticalstalks,withhigherstalksdenotinghighvelocityevents,whilelowervelocityeventsarerepresentedbyshorterstalks.

Youcandrawdirectlyontothevelocitylaneinorderto‘paint’invelocitychangesquickly.

IfyouholddowntheALTkeyyoucandrawlinesinthevelocitylane,whichisveryusefulprogrammingvelocity‘ramps’.

Ifoneormoreeventsareselected,thevelocitystalksofselectedeventsarehighlighted,withothersgreyedout.

Withaselectionactive,drawingontheVelocitylaneonlyaffectsselectedevents.

Velocity show/hide

ThisbuttontogglestheVelocitylaneinthedisplay.Ifyoudon’tneedthefunctionalityofthevelocitylane,insteadjustrelyingontheshad-

ingofeventstodiscerntheirvelocity,youcanhidetheVelocitylanetoachievemorespacefortheEditorGrid.AsBFD2providestheVelocitytoolforadjustingvelocitiesofindividualevents,theVelocitylaneisnotessentialformanyoperations.

View controls

View selector

Youcanchoosewhichkit-piecesappearintheEditorbyusingtheViewSelector.

Artics

Thisisthedefaultviewmode.Inthismode,onlyarticulationsusedintheGrooveareshownintheEditor.Thisisthemostcompactview,andsaveshavingtoscrollthroughalargenumberofeventlaneswhenediting.

Ifyouareusingthismodeandrequireakit-piecearticulationwhichhasn’tyetbeenusedintheGroove,switchto‘Groove’or‘Kit’viewtomakeyourinitialedits,andthenswitchbackto‘Artics’view.

Groove

Whenthisviewisselected,onlythekit-piecesusedinthecurrentGrooveareshown.

Ifyouareusingthismodeandrequireakit-piecethathasn’tyetbeenusedintheGroove,switchto‘Kit’or‘All’viewtomakeyourinitialedits,andthenswitchbackto‘Groove’view.

Kit

Selecting‘Kit’showsallkit-pieceswhichhaveactuallybeenloadedintotheirslots.

All

When‘All’isselected,all32availablekit-pieceslotsarerepresentedintheEditor,regardlessofwhethertheyareloaded.

ItisnotespeciallyrecommendedtoeditGroovesinthiswaywithrequiredkit-piecesnotloaded,asitdoesnotshowthepossiblearticulationsthatmightbeavailablewhenakit-pieceisloadedintoanunusedslot.However,itisprovidedsothatyoucandouble-clickthegreyed-outkit-piecenametolaunchthekit-piecechooserforthatslot,savingyoufromhavingtoswitchtotheKitpagetoloadakit-piece.

Expand All/Collapse All TheExpandAllandCollapseAllbuttonsofferaquickwayofexpandingandcollapsingallkit-piecestoshoworhidetheirindividualarticulationlanes.

Velocity lane

Velocity show/hide

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Zoom and scroll controls

Zoom in/out

Thezoomin/outbuttonsatthebottom-rightoftheEditorgridcontrolthehorizontalzoomlevel.

Scrollbars

IftheZoomlevelresultsinpartoftheGroovenotbeingvisibleintheEditorgrid,usethehorizontalscrollbartochangethevisiblearea.

Iftherearetoomanykit-piecesorarticulationstobevisibleatonce,usetheverticalscrollbartochangethevisiblearea.

Additional mousewheel functions

YoucanalsousethemousewheeltoscrollupanddownintheEditorGrid.

HolddownALTwhileusingthemousewheelinordertozoominandout.

Vertical scrollbar

Zoom in/outHorizontalscrollbar

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6:3 Grooves toolbar

TotheleftoftheEditorgridistheGroovestoolbar,containinganumberoftoolswithwhichtomanipulateeventsinthegrid.ItalsocontainstheUndofunction,whichcanundoanyoperationperformedintheGroovespage.

Left and right mouse button tools Youcanhavetwotoolsavailableatonce,oneforeachmousebutton.Ifyou’reusingaMacwithonlyonemousebuttonavailable,youcanuse[CTRL-click]forrightmousebuttonfunctionality.

Left-clickonatooltoselectthetooloperatedbytheleftmousebutton.

Right-clickonatooltoselectthetooloperatedbytherightmousebutton.

Thecursorchangestoshowthecurrentlyselectedleftmousebuttontool.However,oncetherightmousebuttonishelddown,thecursorchangestorepresenttherightmousebuttontool.

Thecurrentleftmousebuttontoolishighlightedinthetoolbar.

Additionally,thecurrentlyselectedrightmousebuttontoolishighlightedbythesmallLEDtothetop-rightofeachtoolbarbutton.

Youcanalsousekeyboardshortcutstoselecttheleftandrightmousebuttontools.Seesection6:4fordetails.

Bydefault,bothmousebuttonsaresettotheSelecttool.

Hearing events during editingWiththePrevieweventsduringeditingsettingenabledintheGroovespreferences,therelevantarticulationisheardwhenenteringnotes,selectingandmovingnotes,alteringtheirvelocityandunmutingthem.

Select toolClickingonaneventwiththeSelecttoolselectsit.

HoldingdownSHIFTwhileclickingonanothereventaddsittotheselection,andSHIFT-clickingonaneventwhichisalreadyselecteddeselectsit.

Draggingthecursorfromanemptyareaonthegridcreatesaselectionofanynotesenclosedbytheresultingselectionbox.

HoldingdownSHIFTwhiledraggingaselectionboxinvertstheselectionstatusofanyeventswithinit.

Creatingmultipleeventselectionsisusefulinapplyingothertoolstoseveraleventsatonce.

YoucanselectalleventsinthecurrentGrooveusingtheEditmenuortheCTRL-A(Windows)orCOMMAND-A(Mac)keyboardshortcut.Seesection6:4forfurtherdetails.

• Moving events

WiththeSelecttool,youcanchangethepositionofselectedeventsbyclickinganddraggingthemleftorright.

IftheSnapfunctionisengaged,movedeventsaresnappedtothecurrentGridresolution–attherelevantgriddivisionandattheoriginalpositionbetweengriddivisions.Whenthisfunctionisdisabled,selectedeventscanbefreelymovedwithnosnapping.

Youcanmoveselectedeventstootherarticulationsorkit-piecesbyclickinganddraggingthemvertically.

Whenyoudraganddropeventstodifferentsetsofarticulationsordifferentkit-piecesaltogether,BFD2attemptstomaintaineventsondifferentarticulations,butifthetargetkit-piecehasfewerarticulationsthantheoriginal,orifyoureachtheverticalbordersofakit-piece’slanes,themovedeventsareforcedontothesamearticulations.

• Copying events

YoucancopyeventsinthesamewayasmovingeventsbyholdingdowntheALTkeywhilemovingselectionsaroundthegrid.

Draw toolClickingonthegridwiththeDrawtoolcreatesaneweventatthecursorposition.

Ifyouholddownthemousebuttonwhenenteringaneventandthendragitleftorright,youcanrepositiontheeventintime.

Ifyouholddownthemousebuttonwhenenteringaneventandthendragupordown,youcanchangethevelocityoftheevent.

Whenenteringanevent,thevelocityofthepreviouseditedeventisused.

IftheSnapfunctionisenabled,theevent’spositionissnappedtothenearestdivisionatthecurrentgridresolution.

Afterenteringanevent,itbecomesthecurrentselection.

NotethatwhenusingtheDrawtool,youcanalsoclickonnotestoselectthem(andSHIFT-clickonfurthernotestoaddtotheselection).Youcanalsomoveandcopyselectionsusingdrag&dropinthesamewayasyoucanwiththeSelecttool.

Right mouse button tool

Undo button

Left mousebutton tool

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Erase toolClickaneventorselectionofeventswiththeErasetooltoeraseit.

Ifyouholddownthemousebuttoninanemptyareaanddrag,aselectionboxiscreated.Anyeventsenclosedwithintheselec-tionaredeletedwhenthemousebuttonisreleased.

YoucanalsousetheDELETEkeywhileinotherEditmodesinordertodeletethecurrentselection.

Mute toolClickingonaselectionofeventswiththeMutetoolcausesittobemuted–itbecomessilentbutisnotdeleted.

Ifaneventorselectionisalreadymuted,clickingitagainunmutesit.

Youcancreatearectangularselectionboxinthesamewayastheselecttool,butwhenyoureleasethemousebutton,thenotesenclosedbytheboxaremuted(andalsoselected).

Iftheselectioncontainsbothmutedandunmutednotes,theirstatebecomesinverted.

Velocity toolTousetheVelocitytool,clickonaneventorselectionofevents,holdthemousebuttondownanddragvertically.Upwardmove-mentincreasesthevelocityoftheevents,whiledownwardmovementdecreasesit.

IfyouusetheVelocitytoolonamultipleselectionofevents,theirvelocitiesareadjustedbythesameamount.Howeverifyoutryandadjustvelocitiesbeyondtheirlimits,theirvaluesbecomesaturatedattheminimumormaximumamount.

Youcanalsoadjustthevelocitiesofallevents,oraselectionofevents,usingtheVelocitylane,describedintheprevioussection.

Undo button TheUndobutton,whileitexistsontheGroovespagetoolbar.doesnotoperateliketherestofthetoolbarbuttons,andisnotrestrictedtoEditorfunctions–anyactionperformedintheGroovepagecanbeundone.

Seesection4:4fordetailsoftheUndofunction.

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6:4 Other Editor functionsAnumberofadditionaleditingfunctionsareavailableintheEditorarea.

Editor display settings

Follow

Ifyou’rezoomedintoaGroovesothatonlypartofitisvisible,enablingtheFollowfunctioncausesthedisplaytoscrollandfollowtheplaybackpositionindicator.

Focus

Bydefault,theEditorshowsthecurrentlyselectedGroove.

WiththeFocusbuttonenabled,theEditorshowsthecurrentlyplayingGrooveinstead.

Thismeansthatif,forinstance,aGroove’sEndActionsettingresultsinatransitiontoanotherGroove,thenewGrooveisshownintheEditorwhenthetransitiontakesplace.

Withthisbuttondisabled,theEditoronlyevershowsthecurrentlyselectedGroove.

Metronome EnablingtheMetronomebuttonresultsinaclickorothersoundbeingplayedoneachbeat.Normally,themetronomeisonlyactivewhenusingtherecordingfunction.However,ifyourequireitduringplaybackyoucanenableitintheBFD2Groovespreferences,aswellasselectfromanumberofdifferentmetronomesounds.

YoucanalsochangethelevelandsoundofthemetronomeintheGroovespreferences.

Grid controls

Snap

Ifthisfunctionisactivated,eventdrawingandmovingoperationsaresnappedtothecurrentlyselectedgridresolu-tion.

Grid Type selector

Here,youcansetdifferentgridresolutionsforquantizingandsnapping.Straight,tripletanddottednotegridresolutionsareavailable.

Swing control

Ifastraightgridtypeischosen,theSwingcontrolmoveseveryoff-beatgriddivi-sion.ThisisusefulforeasycreationofswunggrooveswhenenteringnewnotesusingtheSnapfunction.DonotconfusethisfunctionwiththeSwingfunctionsintheGrooveFXpanel.ThegridSwingfunctionisonlyusedtomanipulatetheEditorgrid.

Grid-based destructive processes

Quantize events

ClickingthisbuttoncauseseveryselectedeventtobequantizedtothenearestGriddivision.Donotconfusethisfunctionwiththenon-destructiveQuantizefunctionintheGrooveFXpanel,whichcanbesettoitsowngridresolutionandoption-allyappliedtothecurrentorallGrooves.Thegrid-basedQuantizeEventsfunctionisadestructivequantizingprocessthatisappliedtocurrentlyselectedeventsinthecurrentGrooveonly,appliedwithreferencetothecurrentgridsettings.

Shift Events Left

Everyselectedeventismovedleft(earlierintheGroove)byonegriddivision.AnyeventwhichmovespastthestartoftheGroovecyclesroundtotheend.

Shift Events Right

Everyselectedeventismovedright(laterintheGroove)byonegriddivision.AnyeventwhichmovespasttheendoftheGroovecyclesroundtothestart.

Gridcontrols

Grid-baseddestructiveprocesses

Editor display settings Edit menu

Grid type selector

Swing control

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Edit menu TheEditmenuallowsyoutoperformseveralselectionandeditingoperations.Youcanalsoperformtheseoperationsusingkeyboardshortcuts,althoughmanyhostsdonotallowallkeyboardeventstogetthroughtoBFD2.Insuchcases,theEditmenuisinvalu-able.AsummaryoftheEditor’skeyboardshortcutsisgivenlaterinthissection.

Select all events

ThisfunctionselectsalleventsinthecurrentGroove.

Cut selected events

ThisfunctionremovestheselectedeventsfromtheGrooveandstoresthemintheclipboard.

Copy selected events

Thisfunctionstorestheselectedeventsintheclipboard,leavingtheeventsthemselvesunchanged.

Paste selected events

IfGrooveeventsexistintheclipboard,thisfunctionpastesthemintothecurrentGroove.

Eventsarepastedtothesamekit-pieceslots,articulationsandpositionsthattheyoccupiedwhentheywerecutorcopiedtotheclipboard.

Thisoccursevenifthekit-pieceslotisempty.Iftheoriginalarticulationdoesnotexist,itisremappedtothemainarticulationintheslot.

IfaGrooveisn’tlongenoughtocontainthepastedevents,theeventsarepastedbeyonditsendpoint.Inordertorevealthem,theGroove’slengthmustbemanuallyincreasedtoasuitablelength.

Keyboard shortcutsAllthefunctionsintheEditmenuarealsoprovidedaskeyboardshortcuts.

Additionally,ashortcutforerasingtheselectedevents(ratherthancuttingthemtotheclipboard)isprovidedontheDELETEkey–pleasebeawarethisisnotthesameastheBACKSPACEkey.

TheDELETEshortcutisveryusefulasitprovidesacesstotheErasetoolwhilehavingtwoothertoolsactiveonthemousebut-tons–veryusefulifyouwant,say,theDrawtoolontheleftmousebuttonandtheVelocitytoolontherightmousebutton.

Function

Select All eventsCut selected eventsCopy selected eventsPaste selected events

Delete selected events

Select tool (left button)Draw tool (left button)Erase tool (left button)Mute tool (left button)Velocity tool (left button)

Select tool (right button)Draw tool (right button)Erase tool (right button)Mute tool (right button)Velocity tool (right button)

Windows shortcut

CTRL - ACTRL - XCTRL - CCTRL - V

DELETE

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Mac shortcut

COMMAND - ACOMMAND - XCOMMAND - CCOMMAND - V

DELETE

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NotethatsomehostsdonotroutekeyboardinputthroughtoBFD2.Ifyouusesuchahost,youshouldusestandardinterfacecontrolsforthesefunctions:theEditmenu,Erasetoolandstandardwayofleft-clickingandright-clickingEdittoolbarbuttons.

YoucanalsochangetheassignmentsforToolselectionintheBFD2GUIpreferences.

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6:5 Combining elements of other GroovesYoucancombineelementsofanyGrooveinthePalettewiththecurrentlyselectedGroove.

Firstly,selectthedestinationGrooveforediting.

ThenexpandtherelevantsourceGrooveinthePalettesothatitskit-piececomponentsareshowing.Makesureyouclickontheexpand/collapsebuttontoexpandthesourceGroove–clickinganywhereelseintheslotresultsintheGroovereplacingthecur-rentselectionandbeingshownintheEditor.

Youcanauditionelementsbyclickingtheirpreviewbuttons–thisisdonewithoutchangingthecurrentlyselectedGroove.

Replacing elements

Toreplacetheeventsforanykit-pieceinthecurrentGroove(destination)withakit-pieceelementfromthesourceGroove,draganddroptheexpandedkit-pieceelementfromthesourceGroovetothedesiredlocationinthegrid.

Merging elements

Tomergetheeventsforanykit-pieceinthecurrentGroove(destination)withakit-pieceelementfromthesourceGroove,draganddroptheexpandedkit-pieceelementfromthesourceGroovetothedesiredlocationinthegrid,whileholdingdowntheALTkey.

Expand a Groove to show its elements, which can be dragged across to the currently edited Groove

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6:6 Recording Grooves via MIDIBFD2providestheabilitytorecordanewGroove,oraddeventstoanexistingGroove,usingMIDIinputinrealtime.

ItisnotpossibletorecorddirectlyontotheDrumTrack.AllrecordingisconductedonlyonthecurrentGrooveselectedinthePalette,whichisdisplayedintheEditor.

MIDI MappingsWhileBFD2’sGrooveenginedoesnotrequireanyMIDInotemappingsinordertoplaybackevents,youmusthaveeacharticula-tionmappedtoMIDInotesinordertorecordGrooveeventsviaMIDI.

PleasenotethatevenifyouhaveanarticulationmappedtomorethanoneMIDIkeyandusethemalltorecordevents,theyarealwaysrepresentedbyonelaneintheEditor.

Initiating recording Tobegintheprocess,selectaGrooveinthePalette,orcreateanewGrooveusingthe‘NewGroove’functionintheSlotcontextmenuandsetittothedesiredlength.

ToarmMIDIrecording,clicktheRecordbuttonontheBFD2transport.TheRecordbuttonlightsupasolidred–this‘arms’therecordfunction,whichisreadytostartrecordingwhenitreceivesaplaycommand.

PressthePlaybuttonontheBFD2transporttostartrecordinginstandalonemode,orwhenrunninginahostifyou’dliketorecordwithoutthehostplayinginsync.

Inordertorecordwhilethehostplaysinsync,pressplayinyourhost–BFD2’stransportstartsreceivesaplaycommandinsyncwiththehostbeingstarted.

Whicheveroftheabovemethodsyouusetostartthetransportwhenitisrecord-armed,theRecordbuttonstartsflashingandentersrecordingmode.

Recording modes

Default recording mode

Bydefault,whenthepositionreachestheendofthedefinedGroovelength,recordingcontinues,withthelengthoftheGrooveincreasing,untiltheStopbuttonispressed.Whenrecordingisstopped,theGroovelengthissetautomaticallytoaccomodatetherecordedevents.

Loop record mode

ByenablingtheLoopbuttonontheBFD2transport,youcanrecordinloopmode.ThismeansthatwhenthedefinedendoftheGrooveisreached,therecordpositionreturnstothestartoftheGroove.ThereforeyoucankeepoverdubbingelementsuntilyoupresstheStopbuttontoterminaterecording.

Loop commit record mode

Normally,clickingUndoafterstoppingrecordingwouldundoalleventsrecordedduringthattake.However,inloopcommitrecordmode,BFD2sets‘undopoints’by‘committing’anyrecordedeventsattheendofeachbar.

Afterrecording,youcankeepclickingtheUndobuttontoregressivelyundotheeventsrecordedduringeachloopcycleinthetake.

YoucanevenusetheUndobuttonwithoutleavingrecordmode.TryassigningtheUndobuttontoasuitableMIDInoteintheautomationmap.

LooprecordcommitmodeisenabledintheBFD2Groovespreferences.

Metronome buttonWhentheMetronomebuttonintheEditorisenabled,aclickisheardoneverybeatwhenrecording.

Optionally,youcanalsohearthemetronomewhileplayingbackGrooves.Thereareanumberofdifferentavailablemetronomesounds.AllthesebehavioursarecontrolledintheBFD2Groovespreferences.

Record lead-inYoucansetalead-intimeforrecording,inbars.Recordingonlystartsafterthistimefollowingatransportstartwhenrecord-armed.TheamountofbarsisdefinedwiththeRecordlead-insettingtheBFD2Groovespreferences.Bydefault,thereisnolead-in(thetimeissetto0bars).IftheMetronomebuttonisenabled,itisheardduringthelead-inperiod.

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6:7 Groove FX panel

TheGrooveFXsectionisasetofeffectsthatallowyoutomanipulatethevelocityandtimingofthecontentsoftheGrooveen-gine.

Theeffectsarereal-timeandnon-destructive-theoriginalGroovesarenotchangedinanywayYoucanthinkoftheGrooveFXpanelasasetof‘MIDIeffects’atthe‘output’oftheGrooveengineeventstream,thatisappliedbeforethesoundsaretriggered.Pleaseremember,however,thattheGrooveengineisnotreallyaMIDIengine,becauseittriggersarticulationsdirectly,ratherthangeneratingMIDIeventsthatfeedintotheMIDIinputforarticulations.

ThepanelisvisibleinEditorview,underneaththeEditorGrid.

WhiletheGrooveFXsectionisreal-timeandnon-destructive,youcandestructivelyapplyitssettingstothecurrentGrooveorallGroovesinthePalette.

Show/Hide advanced Groove FXWiththisbuttonyoucantoggletheGrooveFXviewtominimizedviewortothenormalmaximizedview.Bydefaultitisshownwithallcontrolsavailable.However,ifyouneedmoreworkspacefortheEditor,thepanelcanbecollapsedtoasmallerviewwithonlythemostimportantcontrolsshowing,byclickingtheShow/HideadvancedGrooveFXbutton.Clickthebuttonagaintoexpandit.

Groove FX power Whenthisbuttonisenabled,theGrooveFXsectionisactiveontheoutputoftheGrooveengine.ClickthebuttontodisabletheGrooveFXsection.

Apply: Groove Thisbutton‘prints’,ordestructivelyappliesthecurrentGrooveFXsettingstothecurrentlyselectedGroove.Oncethisfunctionhasbeenapplied,BFD2asksyouifyouwanttopowerofftheGrooveFXsection.Thisisbecauseifitremainsactive,itappliesthesameeffectsagainwhentheaffectedGrooveisplayedback.

Whenusingrandomizationeffects,thisbuttonappliesdifferentresultseachtimeitisclicked.

Ifyoudon’tliketheresultsyougetwhenyouapplyrandomizationeffects,youcanalwaysusetheUndofunctiontoreverttohowitwasbefore.

Apply: All ThisisasimilarfunctiontotheApply:Groovebutton,exceptthatitdestructivelyappliestheGrooveFXsettingstoallGroovesinthePalette.Oncethebuttonisclicked,BFD2asksyouifyouwanttopowerofftheGrooveFXsection.Thisisbecauseifitremainsactive,itappliesthesameeffectsagainwhentheprocessedGroovesareplayedback.

Thisisamorepracticallyusefulfunction,asyoucanapplythecurrentsettingstoallGroovesinthePalettesotheyareequallyaf-fected.IfyoulikeyoucanthenenabletheGrooveFXsectionagaininordertochangethefeelofallGroovesevenmorewithnewsettings,perhapsrepeatingtheApplytoAllprocess.

AswiththeApply:Groovebutton,whenusingrandomizationeffects,thisbuttonappliesdifferentresultseachtimeitisclicked.

Ifyoudon’tliketheresultsyougetwhenyouapplyrandomizationeffects,youcanalwaysusetheUndofunctiontoreverttohowitwasbefore.

Humanizeeffects

Apply functions

Swingeffect

Show/hideadvancedGroove FX

Compress effect

Simplifyeffect

Quantize effect

Double/Half-time

effect

Power

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Quantize effect TheQuantizeeffectallowsyoutoapplyavariableamountofnon-destructivequantizetoplayingGrooveevents.Youcanquantizetoavarietyofresolutions,withoptionalswing.

Thisisanon-destructiveQuantizefunctionasopposedtothedestructiveQuantizefunctionintheEditorFunc-tions.

Quantize type

Selectatimingresolutionusingthisdrop-downmenu.Thefollowingtypesareavailable:

Straight

1 note1/�1/�1/�1/1�1/��1/��1/1��

Triplet

1/� triplet1/� triplet1/� triplet1/1� triplet1/�� triplet1/�� triplet1/1�� triplet

Dotted

1/� dotted1/� dotted1/� dotted1/1� dotted1/�� dotted1/�� dotted

Quantize

TheQuantizecontrolvariestheamountofquantizingapplied,withresultsrangingfromunquantized(minimumposition)tohard-quantized(maximumposition).AdjustingthiscontrolbetweenthesevaluesallowsyoutotightenuptimingwithoutlosingallofthefeeloftheoriginalGrooves.

Q Swing

Thiscontrolappliesavariableamountofswingto1/8,1/16,1/32,1/64and1/128gridresolutions.DonotconfuseQ-SwingwiththeSwingeffect.TheprincipleissimilartothatofthegridSwingforsnappingandquantizingtotheEditorgrid(seesection6:4),exceptthattheGrooveFXQuantizeeffectgridisalteredratherthantheEditGridforsnapeditinganddestructivequantizing.

Double/Half time effect ActivatingtheDoubletimebuttonmakestheGrooveengineplayatdoubletime(doublethecurrenttempo).

ActivatingtheHalftimebuttonmakestheGrooveengineplayathalftime(halfthecurrenttempo).

Simplify effect TheSimplifycontroldialsinanalgorithmthatselectivelymuteseventsintermsof‘importance’totheGroove.It’ssomethingofa‘complexitygate’,withthecontrolactingasathresholdparameter.ItisveryusefulifyoufindaGroovetobetoo‘busy’–forexample,withalotofghostnotesthatintrudeupontherestofyoursongtoomuch.

ThefunctionjudgeseventsbasedontheirvelocityanddistancefromthecurrentQuantizegridsettings.Atsmallersettings,lowvelocityeventsthataresubtantiallyawayfromthequantizegriddivisionaremuted.Asthecontrolisincreased,moreandmoreeventsarecarefullyremovedinordertosimplifytheGroovefurther.

Dynamics effect

Compress

ThiscontrolreducestherangeofdynamicvariationintheplayingGrooves.Turningitallthewaytotherightmakesalleventsplayatthemaximumvelocity(127),assumingthatotherGrooveFXthataffecteventvelocityareinactive.

DonotconfusethiswiththeaudiocompressorsinBFD2’sMixerpage,whichalterthedynamicsofaudiosignals.TheCompresseffectintheGrooveFXisaneventvelocitycompressor,whichismoreakintotellingadrummertouselessintenseaccentingor,atextremesettings,toplayeveryhitatexactlythesameforce.

Weight

TheWeightcontrolallowsyoutoscaleupordownthevelocityofplayingGrooveevents-thisislikeaskingadrummertoplaymoresoftlyorharderoverall.Itisusefulasa‘makeupvelocitygain’controlwhenusedinconjunctionwiththeCompresscontrol.

ItworksinasimilarwaytotheMasterDynamicscontrolelsewhereinBFD2,althoughitappliesonlytotheGrooveengine.Nor-maltriggeringofarticlulationsviaMIDIisunaffected.

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Swing effect TheSwingeffectappliesavariableamountofnon-destructiveswingtoplayingGrooveevents.Anumberoftiminggridsareavailable,withvariableamountsofswing.

Thisisanon-destructiveSwingfunctionasopposedtodestructivelyquantizingeventstoaswunggridintheEditorFunctions.

Also,withintheGrooveFXsection,donotconfusetheSwingeffectwiththeQ-SwingparameterintheQuantizeeffect.TheQ-SwingparameterallowstheuseofswunggridsintheQuantizeeffect,whereastheSwingeffectallowsyoutoapplyaseparatelayerofswingwithadifferentfeelandtiminggrid.

Whenusedinconjunctionwitheachother,theQuantizeandSwingeffectsallowyoutoneutralizethefeelofavarietyofGroovesandapplyatotallydifferentfeeltothem.Becauseofthenumberofvariablecontrolsinthesetwoeffects,ahugerangeofdifferenttimingfeelscanbeachieved.

Swing template type Thisdrop-downmenuallowsyoutochoosethetiminggridfortheSwingeffect.Youcanchoosebetween8thnoteand16thnoteswingtemplates.AnumberofbonusSwingtemplatesfromFXpansion’sGURUsamplerhythmworkstationarealsoprovided.IfyouownGURUyoucancreateswingtemplateswithinit–simplycreateanewgroovefromapattern’s‘Shift’graphvalues(seetheGURUdocumentationfordetailsonhowtoaccomplishthis).ThencopytheGroovefileyoucreatedfromtheGURUdata/Groovesfolderintothefollowingfolder:

<userlocation>/BFD2/SwingTemplates

Swing

TheAmountcontrolvariestheintensityoftheswing.Noswingisappliedwiththiscontrolatthecentreposition.Ifyouincreasethecontrol,eventsareswungtowardsthepreviousornextgriddivision,uptoamaximumofathirdofthewaytowardstheneigh-bouringbeatdivision.

Theswingamountisalsoshownasagraphicalcontrol,inmaximizedviewonly.Clickanddragtherepresentative‘event’diamondtotheleftorrightofthecentretosettheamountofswing.

Humanize effects TheHumanizeVelocityandHumanizeTimingeffectsarerandomizationeffects,withacontroltodialintheamountofrandomiza-tionrequired.

Humanize Velocity ThiseffectisagreatwayofaddingamorehumanfeeltoGrooves,byapplyingvaryingdegreesofrandomiza-tiontoGrooveeventvelocities.

ThiseffectappliestoGroovesonly:ifyouwanttohumanizeincomingMIDInotesfortriggeringsoundsdirectly,youneedtousetheseparateHumanizecontrolintheKitpage,whichappliesonlytoincomingMIDI.

TheAmountcontroldefinesthemaximumamountofrandomvelocityvariation(higherorlowerthantheoriginalvelocity)thatcanbeappliedtoevents.

Humanize Timing TheHumanizeTimingeffectisanotherwayofmakingGroovessoundmorehumanbyapplyingvaryingamountsoftimingrandomizationtoplayingGrooveevents.Lowersettingsarerecommendedforsubtleandnon-intrusivehumanization,whilehighsettingscanresultinyourdrumssoundinglikethedrummerneckedseveralbottlesofrocketfuelpriortothetake.

TheAmountcontroldefinesthemaximumamountofrandomtimingvariation(beforeoraftertheactualevent)thatcanbeappliedtoevents.

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chapter 07 GROOVES PAGE part 3 auto-play, drum track and other ways of using grooves

7:1 Auto-Play mode

Auto-Play vs. MIDI triggering

MIDI Triggering

BFD2’sGroovescanbetriggeredwithMIDInotes–bydefaultplayingwhilethenoteishelddown.Optionally,youcanenableLatchingmodeintheGroovespreferences,whichtogglesplaybackofaGroovewhenitsMIDInoteisplayed.

Asdescribedinchapter5,aGroove’splaybackbehaviourwhenitisstartedandwhenitendsareconfigurable.

Usingthesemethods,itispossibletoconstructdrumpartsontheflybyplayingMIDInotes.StartandendbehaviourscanbesettokeepcertainGroovesplayingorplaybackmovingtootherGrooves,firingofffillsatopportunemoments,andsoon.YoucanrecordtheseMIDInotesinyourhostsequencerwhenrunningBFD2asaplugin,orsimplyuseBFDasalivejammingtool–ifyou’reaguitaristit’sagoodideatouseaMIDIfootswitchboardtoswitchtofillsanddifferentsections.

It’salsopossibletousePaletteslots’previewbuttonstojamGrooveslive,althoughthisdoesn’tallowasmuch‘hands-on’freedomasusingadedicatedMIDIcontroller.

Seechapter5,especiallysections5:4,5:5and5:6,formoredetailsonusingGroovesintheaboveways.

Auto-Play BFD2’sGrooveenginefeaturesseveralAuto-Playmodes,whichallowyoutouseBFD2asmoreofatradi-tionaldrummachineorauto-accompanimentmodule.

WhenanAuto-Playmodeisenabled,theGrooveenginestartsplayingautomaticallywhenyoustartyourhostsequencertransport,orwhenclickingthePlaybuttonontheBFD2transportwhenthehostisstoppedorwhenrunningBFD2asastandaloneapplication.

IfGrooveplaybackhasbeenstartedsimultaneouslywiththetransport,playbackbehaviouristhencontrolledbytheDefaultandSlotGrooveActions,unlesstheDrumTrackisbeingused,inwhichcasethesequenceofGroovesintheDrumTrackoverridesindividualGrooveActions.

EffectivelyitissimilartoplayingaMIDIGroovenoteofindefinitelength(orjustasinglenote-oninLatchingMode)wheneverstartingplaybackinyourhost.

Auto-Play modes

Off

WhenAuto-PlayisturnedOff,GroovesareonlyheardwhenyouplaythemviaMIDInotes,orwhenyouclickthePreviewbuttonsonthePaletteinordertostartplayback.

Palette

Inthismode,BFD2playsbackGroovesinthePalettewhenthetransportisstarted.Therearethreesub-modesforthisauto-playmode,whichareconfigurableintheBFD2Sessionpreferences,usingthePaletteAuto-PlaymodeandPaletteAuto-PlayGroovesettings.

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Current

WhenplaybackisstartedthecurrentlyselectedGrooveinthePaletteisplayed,followingthebehaviourdefinedbyGrooveAc-tions.

SincethecurrentlyselectedGrooveisalsotheGrooveshownintheEditor,thisAuto-PlaymodeisveryusefulwheneditingaGroove.SetitsEndGrooveActionto‘Loop’sothattheGroovekeepsloopingwhileyouedit.

ClickingonanotherPaletteslotthatcontainsaGroovecausesittostartplayingandstopstheoriginalGroove.Notethatthisoc-cursregardlessofwhetherPolyphonicmodeisenabledintheSessionpreferences.ThetransitionfollowstherelevantStartandEndGrooveActionsasnormal.

Thisisthedefaultsub-modeforthePaletteAuto-Playmode.

Groove

Inthissub-mode,youcanspecifyaspecificGroovetoplaywhenthetransportisstarted.TheGrooveisspecifiedviaanaccom-panyingsettinginthepreferences,PaletteAuto-PlayGroove,bysettingtheMIDInoteofthedesiredGrooveslot.

Random

Inthissub-mode,arandomGroovefromthePaletteisstartedwhenthetransportisstarted.

Drum Track

ChoosingtheDrumTrackAuto-PlaymodeallowsyoutoassembleasequenceofGrooveswithinBFD2itself,andplayitbackinsyncwithyourhostwhenrunningBFD2asaplugin.

ThisfeatureisveryusefulifyouusethestandaloneversionofBFD2asalivedrumaccompanimenttool–youcanputtogetherawholesong’sworthofdrums,withasmanychangesasyoulike,andmanipulateeachpartintheEditor.

YoumayevenfindthatyoupreferBFD2’sdrumeditingenvironmenttothatinyourhost,andchoosetoconstructyourproject’sdrumpartswithinBFD2.ThestateoftheDrumTrackissavedwithPalettesandBFD2Presets,makingiteasytoquicklyloadupawholesong’sworthofdrumsinnewprojects.

AnothermajoradvantageofusingtheDrumTrackisthatBFD2featuresabuilt-inofflineexportfunctionallowingyoutoexportthewholetrackasamulti-channelbounce,fasterthanrealtime.Thisisverybeneficialifyouwanttocreatedrumbouncesquicklyandyourhostdoesnotofferanofflinemixdownfeature.

WhenusingBFD2asaplugininahost,theplaypositionintheDrumTrackisalwayssynchronizedtothehostplaybackpositionwhenthehost’stransportisrunning.

Youcanrepositiontheplaybackpositionmarker(usingthemouseortheReturntostartbuttoninthetransport)andusetheBFD2transporttostartandstopplaybackwhenthehostisstopped,orwhenusingBFD2asastandaloneapplication.

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7:2 Drum Track IntroductionTheDrumTrackallowsyoutoputtogetherasequenceofGroovestoformanentiretrackofdrums.

Enabling the Drum TrackTheDrumTrackremainsinactiveuntilAuto-playisenabledandtheAuto-playModeissetto‘DrumTrack’.

Drum Track synchronizationPlaybackfollowsthehosttempoandtimesignatureifyouarerunningBFDasapluginwithinahost,andsynchronizestoitsthehostplaybackpositionwhenthehosttransportisrunning.

IfyouareusingthestandaloneversionofBFD2,orifthehosttransportisstopped,usethetransport,tempoandtimesignaturecontrolsinBFD2’sstatusbartocontrolplayback.

YoucannotcreatetempoortimesignaturechangesintheBFD2DrumTrack.Ifyouneedsuchfunctionality,youmustuseahostthatiscapableofthis.BFD2’sDrumTrackfollowshosttempochanges.Italsotrackshosttimesignaturechanges,butdoesnotrepresentthemgraphically.Therefore,ifyouusetempochanges,werecommendthatyousequenceBFD2entirelyfromthehost.

Looped playback

IftheLoopbuttonisenabledontheBFD2transport,playbackdoesnotfollowthehostplaybackposition.Instead,whentheplaypositionreachestheendloopindicatorintheDrumTrackruler,playbackloopsbacktothepositionspecifiedbythestartloopindi-cator.

The Drum Track playing in sync with Pro Tools when running BFD� as an RTAS plugin

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7:3 Drum Track display

Track ruler

TherulerrepresentstheDrumTrack’stimelineinbarsandbeats.

Track lane

GroovesareaddedasPartsintotheTracklaneusingdrag&drop.

OnlyonePartcanplayontheTrackatanyonetime!

Position marker

TheblueplaybackpositionmarkerindicatesthecurrentplaybackpositionwhentheDrumTrackisplaying.

Insert marker

TheredinsertmarkerindicatestheinsertionpointwhenaddingaparttotheDrumTrackandwhenmovingorcopyingpartswithinit.Italsospecifiesthepointatwhichpartsplitoperationsoccur.

Changing the insert marker position

Tochangethepositionoftheinsertmarker,clickthedesiredpositionintheTracklane.

ThisisusedfortheSplitPartatmarkerfunctioninthePartcontextmenu.

Start marker

Wheninstandalonemodeorwhenthehosttransportisstopped,thestartmarkerspecifiesthepointintheDrumTracktowhichtosendthepositionmarkerwhenpressingtheReturntostartbuttononthetransport.Thismeansthatplaybacknextstartsfromthestartmarkerpoint.

YoucanpresstheReturntostartbuttonduringplayback,whichcausestheplaybackpositiontojumptotheinsertmarkerwithoutinterruptingplayback.

WhenrunningBFD2asaplugininahost,theDrumTrackplaybackpositionalwaysstartsinsyncwiththehostposition.YoucanclicktheStoporReturntostartbuttonsonBFD2’stransportduring

playbackinorderto‘disconnect’thesynchronizationbetweenhostandplugin.

Changing the Start marker position

Tochangethepositionofthestartmarker,clickthedesiredpositionintheTrackruler.

Loop start and end markers (Looped playback only)

WhentheLoopbuttonisenabledontheBFD2transport,theLoopindicatorsappearontheDrumTrackruler.Whenthepositionmarkerreachestheendloopindicator,playbackloopsbacktothepositionspecifiedbythestartloopindicator.

Clickanddragthestartandendloopindicatorsbyclickinganddraggingthemleftandrightalongtheruler.

Zoom in/out

Thezoomin/outbuttonsatthebottom-rightoftheDrumTrackdisplaycontrolthehorizontalzoomleveloftheDrumTrack.

YoucanalsousethemousewheelwhileholdingdowntheALTkeytochangethezoomlevel.

Scrollbar

IfthezoomlevelresultsinpartoftheDrumTracknotbeingvisible,usethescrollbartochangethevisiblearea.

PartsScrollbar

Startmarker

Zoomin/out

Loop endmarker

Loopstart marker

Positionmarker

Insertmarker

Tracklane

Trackruler

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7:4 Working with the Drum Track

Adding parts to the Drum Track

ToaddaGrooveasaPartontheDrumTrack,draganddropanygroovefromthepalettetothedesiredpointintheDrumTrack.

OnceaGroovehasbeendroppedontotheDrumTrack,itisreferredtoasa‘Part’.

ItisimportanttorememberseveralfactsaboutPartsintheDrumTrack:

Drum Track parts reference Palette Groove slots

PartsonthetimelineareactuallyinstructionstoplayaGroovefromthecurrentpalette.

IfyourtrackusesagroovefromaslotatMIDIkeyC5,andyouclearthegrooveinthatslot,youarewarnedthatpartsontheDrumTrackwillbeaffected–youcancanceltheoperationatthispointorchoosetogoaheadwithit.IfyoudocleartheGroove,thepartontheDrumTrackremains,butitdoesnotplayanythinguntilanewGrooveiscreatedorloadedintotheslot.

IfyouloadanewGrooveintotheC5slot,thenewGrooveisplayedbythepartthatstillexistsontheDrumTrack.

Default and Slot Groove Actions are ignored

PartsontheDrumTrackdonotfollowtheDefaultandSlotGrooveActionsoftheiroriginalGrooves.AnystructuringofPartsovertimemustbeexplicitlycreatedinthetrackitself.

Only one Part can be played on the Drum Track at any one time

TheDrumTrackhasasingle‘layer’–itdoesnotpermitanytypeoflayeringofmultiplePartsontopofeachother.

OnlyonePartcanbeplayingontheDrumTrackatonce.

Manipulating Parts on the Drum Track

Selecting Parts

ClickonaParttoselectit.AdditionalPartscanbeselectedbyshift-clicking.SeveraladjacentPartscanbeselectedbyclickingonthesongbackgroundanddrawingaselectionboxoverthedesiredParts.ThecurrentlyselectedPartsarehighlighted.

Dragging a Groove to the desired point in the track, represented by the insert marker

Here, the Groove has been dropped into position, creating a new part on the track

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Moving selected Parts TomovePartsontheTracklaneselectoneormorepartsandthendragthemalongtheTracklane.Theposi-tionatwhichtheywillbedroppedisshownbytheinsertmarker.Releasethemousebuttontodropthepartatthedesiredposition.

IfthereisagapofthesameorgreatersizeasthemovedPartbetweentheinsertmarkerandanotherPartinthetrack,thePartsimplyslotsintothegap.

Ifthereisnogap,oragapsmallerthanthemovedPart,betweentheinsertmarkerandanotherPartinthetrack,allsubsequentPartsinthetrackarenudgedlaterintimebythelengthofthemovedPart–inotherwords,thegapispreserved.

Copying selected Parts

YoucancopyPartsusingdraganddropbyholdingdowntheALTkeywhilemovingthem.ThisfunctionfollowsexactlythesamebehaviourasthatwhichoccurswhenmovingParts,exceptthattheoriginalPartisnotmoved,itiscopied.

Changing the size of Parts

ItispossibletomakeaPartshorterintheDrumTrackbyclickinganddraggingitsextremeleftandrightedges.

WhenyoumovethemousecursorovertheextremerightedgeofaPart,you’llnoticeitchangetoreflectthefactthatyoucanclickanddragatthispoint.ClickanddragtowardstheleftinordertoshortenthePart.AnindicatorappearsattherightoftheParttoindicatethatithasbeentruncated.

IfyoumovethemousecursorovertheextremeleftedgeofaPart,thecursorchangestoreflectthefactthatyoucanclickanddragfromthispointtowardstherightinordertochangethestartpointofthePart.A‘...’indicatorappearsattheleftoftheparttoindicatethatthestartpointhasbeenchanged.

ItisnotpossibletochangethelengthofapartbeyondthatoftheoriginalGroove.

Part context menu

Right-clickingontheDrumTrackbringsupamenuwithanumberofadditionalfunctionsformanipulatingParts.Exactlywhichfunctionsareavailabledependsonwhetheryouright-clickonanemptyareaofthetrack,orifyouclickononeofaselectionofParts.

Cut Selected Parts

ThisfunctionremovestheselectedPartsfromthetrackandstoresthemintheclipboard.

Copy Selected Parts

ThisfunctionstorestheselectedPartsintheclipboard.

Paste at marker

ThisfunctionpastesthecopiedPartstothepointindicatedbytheinsertmarker.Partsareinsertedoneaftertheotherintheiroriginalorderinthetrack.Theirrelativepositionswhentheywereoriginallycopiedarenotretained.

Split part at marker

Ifyouright-clickonapart,youcansplitthepartatthepositionmarker.

Whenapartissplit,thefirstoftheresultingtwoPartshasa‘...’indicatoratitsright,toshowthatithasbeenshortened,andcanbeincreasedtoitsoriginallength.ThesecondoftheresultingPartshasa‘...’indicatoratitsright,toshowthatitisstartinglaterthantheactualstartoftheoriginalGroove.

Clear All Parts

ThisfunctionclearsthecurrentcontentsoftheDrumTrack.TheGroovesinthePaletteremainunchanged.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.

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7:5 Loading, saving and exporting the Drum Track

Saving and loading Drum Track contents YoucannotloadandsaveonlythecontentsoftheDrumTrack,sincetheyaredependentonGroovesinthePalette.Therefore,theDrumtrackcanonlybesavedandloadedalongwiththePalette.

Exporting the Drum track as MIDI YoucanexporttheentireDrumTrackasaMIDIfilebyusingtheExportDrumTrackMIDI...functionontheBFD2ControlbarSavemenu.

Thisresultsinasystemfilesavedialogbeingdisplayed,promptingyoutoforafilenameforthesavedMIDIfile.Ifyouneedto,navigatetoadifferentlocationbeforetypingafilename,andthenhitENTERorclickSave.

ThecurrentMIDImappingisusedfortheexport.Ifanarticulationismappedtomorethanonekey,thelowestkeytowhichitismappedisusedforitsMIDIeventsintheexportedfile.

UsingtheMIDIexportmodesettingintheGroovepreferences,youcanchoosetoexportaMIDIfilecontainingonetrackforallkit-pieces,onetrackperkit-pieceoronetrackperarticulation.

Exporting the Drum track as audioTheExportAudiofunctionperformsanaudioexportoftheDrumTrack,fromthebegin-ningtotheendofthelastpartonthetrack.

Optionally,atailattheendcanbeaddedinordertocaptureanylingeringdecaysattheend.ThesizeoftheexporttailisdefinedintheBFD2Groovespreferences.

Export settings

ThesettingsintheExportpanelintheMixerpageareusedfortheexportpath,fileprefix,andfileformat,whiletherecord-enablebuttonsoneachmixerchannelareusedtodeterminewhatchannelsareexported–aseparateaudiofileisgeneratedforeachmixerchannelenabledforrecording.

Ifyouattempttoinitiateanexportbeforeavalidexportpathhasbeenset,anerrormessageappearstoinformyouofthisfact,andtheoperationiscancelled.SetarecordpathintheExportpanelinordertosuccessfullyperformtheaudioexport.

Ifnochannelsarecurrentlyarmedinthemixer,BFD2promptsifyouwanttoarmallchannelsandcontinue.Ifyouonlywanttoarmcertainchannelsforexport,youmustcanceltheoperationandarmtherelevantchannelsintheMixerpagebeforeattempt-ingtheexportagain.

7:6 Combining playback methods

Groove playback and MIDI triggering of articulationsIfyouenablethePolyphonicmodesettingintheBFD2Sessionpreferences,BFD2isabletoplaymorethanoneGroovesimulta-neously.

ThismeansthatyoucanoverlayadditionalGroovesviaMIDIwhileBFD2isalreadyplayingbackGroovesinAuto-Playmode,creatinglayereddrumpatternsonthefly.

Hints for polyphonic Groove playback

WhenlayeringGroovestogetherpolyphonically,itisveryeasyforthemtobecomeextremelybusy.Itcanalsocausealotmorediskstreamingandresourceloadforyourmachinetodealwith.Youmayalsoencountersomewhatunnaturalkit-piecechokingbehaviour–aprimeexampleiswhencombininghihatpartsfromdifferentGrooves.

Therefore,it’sagoodideatousethemuteandsolocontrolsintheEditortoisolatekit-piecesinGroovesyouwanttooverlayontothosealreadyplaying.

ItcanalsobeagoodideatomuteoutcertainpartsfromGroovesplayingviaAuto-Play.Forexample,usetheEditormuteandsolocontrolstoisolateGroovesthatdon’tcontainanysnare,crashandtomevents,andplaytheseintheDrumTrack.

PlayanothersetofGroovesviaMIDIthatcontainsnare,crashandtomevents.Therefore,overaset‘bed’ofkickandhihatpat-terns,youcancreatenewhybridGroovesinrealtime–you’llneedahostifyouwanttorecordthiskindofGrooveperformancejamming.

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7:7 Using BFD2’s MIDI OutIncompatiblehosts,youcanusetheoutputoftheBFD2plugin’sGrooveengineasaMIDIinputstreamtotriggerotherinstru-mentsonentirelydifferentMIDItracks.

Currently,theonlypluginformatthatsupportsthisfeatureisVST,andeventhenonlyinsomehosts–themainsequencinghoststhatincludethisfunctionalityareAbletonLiveandSteinberg’sCubaseandNuendo.Additionally,somemodularhostssuchasPlogueBiduleandEnergyXTprovidetheabilitytopatchMIDIbetweenplugins.

Setting up the MIDI output function

TousetheMIDIoutput,youfirstneedtoenablethefunctioninBFD2.IntheSessionpreferences,enabletheSendMIDIOutset-ting.

Bydefault,MIDIchannel1isusedfortransmittednoteevents.ThiscanbechangedusingtheMIDIOutchannelsetting,alsointheBFD2Sessionpreferences.

Using the MIDI output as a MIDI input in your hostOncetheBFD2MIDIoutputisenabled,itbecomesavailableasaMIDIinputinyourhost.ThiscanbeusedasaMIDIinputsourceforMIDItracksroutedtoanyinstrument.

TheactualmethodwithwhichtheMIDIroutingisaccomplishedvariesbetweenhosts.

Typically,insequencerhosts,youneedtosettheMIDIinputportofaMIDItracktotheBFDMIDIOut,andalsosetthechannelaccordingtotheMIDIOutchannelsettingintheBFD2Sessionpreferences.

Modularhosts,ontheotherhand,involvegraphicalpatchingofbetweentheMIDIoutputandinputportsonmodules.

Pleaseconsultyourhost’sdocumentationorsupportservicesforguidanceonperformingsuchtasks.

Latency of the MIDI OutTheVSTMIDIoutputsuffersfromlatency.ThisisnotthefaultofBFD2butofinherentflawsinnativeaudiosystems.

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chapter 08 MAPPING PAGE key and automation mapping

8:1 Overview TheMappingpageallowsyoutomapMIDIcontroldevicesandhostautomationparameterstoBFD2’sarticula-tionsandsoftwarecontrols.

Loading and saving maps (sections 8:2, 8:3)YoumaynotevenneedtousetheMappingfunctionsasBFD2comessuppliedwithanumberofpre-mademapsforcommonpadcontrollersandelectronicdrumkits.

Ifyoucreatecustomkeyand/orautomationmapsforyourownneeds,youcansavethemforfutureuseinBFD2.

Key mapping view (sections 8:4, 8:5, 8:6)

Mapping articulations to MIDI notes

Ifyouhavesimplemappingneeds–usingaMIDIcontrollerkeyboardordesktoppadunitforinstance–theKitpage’sMIDInotelearnwizardprovidesanintuitiveandeasywayofassigningkeysorpadstoarticulations.Seesection2:11foraguidetothisfunction.

ThekeymapviewintheMappingpageisespeciallyusefulif:

•youhaveanelectronicdrumkit

•youwanttolayerindividualarticulationsonasinglekey

•thepre-mademapsandsimplemappingtechniquedonotsuityourworkingmethodsandyouneedtosetupmorecomplexmappings

Automation mapping view (sections 8:7, 8:8, 8:9 and 8:10)

Mapping BFD2 parameters to MIDI CCs and notes (8:7, 8:8, 8:9)

BFD2parameterscanbemappedtoMIDIcontinuouscontrollersornotes.Notesareespeciallyusefulforbutton-typecontrols.

Mapping BFD2 parameters to host automation parameters (8:7, 8:10)

YoucanalsomapBFD2parameterstohostautomationparameters,whicharehigh-resolutionautomationsystemsprovidedbyadvancedhostsequencingenvironments.

Switching between views UsetheKeyandAutobuttonsintheMappingpagetoolbarinordertoswitchtotheKeymappingandAutomationmappingviewsrespectively.

Key mapping view Automation mapping view

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8:2 Loading in the Mapping page

Loading key mapsToloadakeymap,clicktheLoadbuttonintheBFD2ControlbarandusetheLoadKeyMap...func-tionontheLoadmenuthatappears.Thisopensthekeymapchooser.

Allavailablekeymapsaredisplayedwithanimagerepresentingtheircontents.

Toloadamap,selectitbyclickingonitandthenclicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsodouble-clickanymapinthelistinginordertoloadit.

View size Thisdrop-downmenuselectsthesizeofthekeymapsshowninchooserpanellisting.Arangeofsettingsareavailable,includingtext-onlydisplays.Largersizesresultinlargerpho-tosbutrequiresmoreuseofthescrollbarsinordertoviewalltheavailableitems.The‘List’and‘Details’settingsresultinfasteroperationduetothefactthatimagesarenotdisplayed.Youcanstillseeaphotoforeachkeymapbyselectingit–itsdetailsaredisplayedintheInfoarea.

Thissettingisrecalledbetweensessions.ItsstateisstoredintheBFD2preferences–therefore,ifyoure-initializeyourBFD2preferencesthissettingisreturnedtothedefault‘Standard’size.

Search Thekeymapchooserpanelincludesasearchfacilityinordertonarrowdowntheamountofkit-piecesshowninthelisting.

Delete key map from database ClickingthisbuttonremovestheselectedkeymapfromtheBFD2database.Thisfeatureisprovidedifyoufindyouhavetoomanymapsinthelistandyouwanttogetridofthosewhichmaynotsuityourneeds.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforeyoucancontinue.Youcanbringremovedmapsbackbytrashingandrebuildingyourdatabase.

Ifyouchoosetoremoveauserkeymapfromthedatabase,youarealsoaskedifyouwanttoremovethemapfilesfromdisk–ifyouclick‘Yes’,thekeymapfileanditsassociatedphotoaredeletedfromthe<userlocation>/BFD2/Mapsfolder.Ifyouclick‘No’,themap’sfilesremainuntouched.BFD2neverpromptstoremovefactory-installedkeymaps.

Sticky button EnablingtheStickybuttonresultsinthekeymapchooserpanelremainingopenafterakeymapisloaded.

Thisisusefulifyouwanttorepeatedlychangemapsuntilyoufindwhatyouneedwithouthavingtokeepopeningthechooserpanel.

Click to load the selected key map

Info

Delete key map from database

Key map listing: click to select or

double-click to load

Sticky button

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Current Key Map indicator ThekeymapcurrentlyloadedintoBFD2isshownhere.

Ifnomaphasbeenloaded,thefactorydefaultBFD2.0keymapisindicated.

Ifyouhavemadeanymodificationstothecurrentmapsinceitwasloaded,anasteriskisshownnexttothecurrentkeymapname.

Import BFD1 Map ThisfunctionisprovidedincaseyouareapreviousBFD1.xuser,andalreadyhaveacustomkeymapthatyouwouldliketouseinBFD2.ClickingthebuttonopensasystemfileopendialoginyourBFD/Keymapsfolder.Ifnecessary,navigatetothelocationoftherequiredkeymap,selectitandclicktheOpenbutton.ThekeymapisconvertedtoBFD2formatandaddedtothedatabase.Adefaultimageisusedforthemap.

Load Auto Map Too Withthisbuttonenabled,loadingakeymapalsoloadsanautomationmapwiththesamenameifitexistsinthe<userlocation>/Mapsfolder.Ifnoautomationmapexistswiththesamename,thecurrentautomationmappingsareunchanged.

Load / Cancel buttons Toloadthecurrentlyselectedkeymap,clicktheLoadbutton.

Youcanalsoloadanykeymapinthelistingbydouble-clickingit.

Ifyouchangeyourmindanddecideyoudon’twanttoloadanewkeymap,clicktheCancelbutton.

Keyboard operation

Youcannavigatearoundtheavailablekeymapswiththecursor(arrow)keys.

TheselectedkeymapcanbedeletedfromthedatabasebypressingtheDELETEkey.

LoadtheselectedkeymapbypressingtheRETURNorENTERkey.

Toexitthekeymapchooserpanelwithoutloadinganything,presstheESCkey.

Info

Theinfoareadisplaysinformationaboutthecurrentlyselectedkeymap.

Photo

Thelargekeymapphoto,representingthehardwareorsoftwareitsupports,isespeciallyusefulifyouareusingthe‘List’or‘Details’views.

Info

Theinfodisplayshowsanyrelevantinformationprovidedwithfactory-madekeymaps.

Key map loaded when BFD2 is launchedWhenaninstanceofBFD2islaunched,itreloadsthelastkeymapthatyouloaded.

However,ifyouhavespecifiedastartuppresetintheBFD2Datapreferences,thekeymapcontainedwithinitoverridesthelastmapthatwasloaded.

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Loading Automation maps Toloadanautomationmap,clicktheLoadbuttonintheControlbarandusetheLoadAutomationMap...functionontheLoadmenuthatappears.Thisopenstheautomationmapchooserpanel.

Thispaneloperatesinalmostexactlythesamewayasthekeymapchooserdescribedpreviously,withtwodifferences:

•Itdisplaysandallowsyoutoloadautomationmapsinsteadofkeymaps.TheCurrentKeyMapindica-torisreplacedbytheCurrentAutomationMapindicator,whichdisplaystheautomationmapcurrentlyloadedintoBFD2.Ifnoautomationmaphasbeenloaded,thefactorydefaultBFD2automationmapisindicated.SimilarlytothekeyMapchooser,ifthecurrentautomationmaphasbeenmodifiedsinceitwasloaded,anasteriskisshownnexttoitsname.

•TheLoadAutoMapToobuttonisreplacedbyaLoadKeyMapToobutton,whichloadsakeymapwiththesamenameifitexistsinthe<userlocation>/Mapsfolder.

Automation map loaded when BFD2 is launchedWhenaninstanceofBFD2islaunched,itreloadsthelastautomationmapthatyouloaded.

However,ifyouhavespecifiedastartuppresetintheBFD2Datapreferences,theautomationmapcontainedwithinitoverridesthelastautomationmapthatwasloaded.

Click to load the selected automation map

Info

Delete automation map from database

Automation map listing: click to

select or double-click to load

Sticky button

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8:3 Saving in the Mapping page TheMappingpageallowsyoutosaveanumberofdifferenttypesoffiles.ThesavefunctionsareaccessedfromtheLoadmenuontheBFD2controlbar.

Save Key MapThisfunctionopensasystemfilesavedialog,promptingyouforafilenameinordertosavethecurrentarticulationmappingsasaBFD2keymap.

Save location

Whenyousaveyourownkeymaps,youarepromptedbydefaulttosavethemintheuserlevelBFD2folderatthefollowinglocation:

<userlocation>/Maps

Werecommendthatyousaveyourmapsintothisfolderinorderforthemtobevisibleinthekeymapchooserpanel.Whereveryousaveakeymap,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabase(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotre-scanned.

Keymapfilesaresavedwiththe.bfd2mapextension.

Adefaultimagefileissavedwithkeymaps.

Save Automation MapThisfunctionopensasystemfilesavedialog,promptingyouforafilenameinordertosavethecurrentautomationsettingsasaBFD2automationmap.

Save Location

Thedefaultsavelocationforautomationmapsisthesameasthatforkeymaps:

<userlocation>/Maps

Itisrecommendedthatyousaveyourautomationmapsintothisfolderinorderforthemtobevisibleinthekeymapchooserpan-el.Whereveryousaveamap,itisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatifitisremovedfromthedatabase(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotre-scanned.

Automationmapfilesaresavedwiththe.bfd2autoextension.

Adefaultimagefileissavedwithautomationmaps.

Save Key + Automation mapsThisfunctionopensasystemfilesavedialog,promptingyouforafilenameinordertosaveakeymapandautomationmapwiththesamename(althoughthetworesultingmapfileshavedifferentextensions–.bfd2mapand.bfd2auto).

Save Location

Thedefaultsavelocationforthesemapsis:

<userlocation>/Maps

Itisrecommendedthatyousavethemapsintothisfolderinorderforthemtobevisibleinthechooserpanels.Whereveryousavethemaps,theyisaddedtotheBFD2database.Itisveryimportanttoremember,however,thatiftheyareremovedfromthedata-base(orifyoutrashandrebuildyourdatabase),itemsnotsavedintheuserlocationarenotre-scanned.

Adefaultimagefileissavedwiththemaps.

Save MIDI Event LogYoucansavethecontentsoftheMIDILogfordiagnosticandtroubleshootingreasons.TheMIDILogisdescribedinsection8:4.

WhenyouselecttheSaveMIDILogfunction,asystemfilesavedialogappearsatthelastusedfolder,promptingyouforafilename.

MIDIEventLogsaresavedwiththe.logfileextension.

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8:4 Key mapping viewBFD2’skeymappingmappingprocessinvolvesdragginganddroppingakit-piecefromthekit-piecelistingtoaMIDIkeyinthekeyboardlayout.

Kit-piece listingThekit-piecelistingshowsallthekit-pieceslotsinthecurrentkitsize.

Youcanmapakit-pieceslotevenifnokit-pieceisloadedintotheslot:thedefaultchoicesofarticulationsfortheslotaremap-pable.Youcanmapakit-pieceslotevenifithasnokitpieceloaded.Ifyoumapaslotthathasnothingloadedintoityoucanonlymapthedefaultarticulationsavailablefortheslot.

Keyboard layout and keyrange selector Thekeyboardlayoutshowsaregionof11/2octavesofthekeyboardatanyonetime.EachkeyislabelledwithitsMIDInote.

Thekeyrangeselector,effectivelyascrollbar,allowsyoutoaccesstheentirekeyboardrange.

Thecurrentlydisplayedregionisshownasashadedoverlayonthekeyboardrange.

Clickanddragtheshadedregionupordowntochangethedisplayedkeyboardregion.Youcanalsousethemousewheeltoscrollupanddownthekeyboardrange.

Mapping inspectorYoucaneditthemappingpropertiesofthecurrentlyselectedkeyinthemappinginspector.

Selectakeyinthekeyboardlayoutbyclickingonit.Thekeyishigh-lightedinlightblueanditscontentscanbeedited.

YoucanalsoselectakeybyplayingitviaMIDI.ThisfunctioncanbeturnedoffbydisablingtheSelectkeyswithMIDInotessettingintheBFD2MIDIpreferences.

Seesection8:6forfurtherdetailsonthemappinginspector.

Clear all keysClickingthisbuttoninthetoolbarclearsallcurrentkeymappings.

MIDI event log

Kit-piece listing

Keyrange selector Mapping inspector

Keyboard layout

Clear All Keys

Keyrange selector

Click and drag up/down to access the full keyboard layout

Selected key

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Key labelling Keyscontainingasinglearticulationmappingareshowninthefollowingformat:

[Slot name] : [Artic index] [Kit-piece] [Articulation]

Ifmorethanonearticulationhasbeenmappedtoakey,itislabelledasfollows:

<Multiple> [no. of articulations]

Forexample,ifasnareisloadedintothesnare1slotandthedragarticulationismappedtoakey,thefollowingisshown:

S�:� <Snare Drag>

Ifyoudeletethisarticulationfromthekey,andthenloadatomintothesameslot,thefollowingwouldbedisplayedonthekey:

S�:� <Tom Hit>

Ifyounowmapanyotherarticulationtothekeywithoutdeletingthecurrentmapping,thelabelwouldchangetoreadasfollows:

<Multiple> <�>

Other labels

•Groovenotesarelabelledwith:

<Groove>

•Slotchokesarelabelledasfollows:

Slot [slot number] Choke

•Mappingswhosearticulationsarenotcurrentlyloadedarelabelledwitha(!)indicator.

Key colours

Keysareshadedtorepresentvariousstates.

Green

Grey

Blue

Light blue

Purple

One or more articulation mappings exist on the key.

A Groove note exists on the key.

A slot choke note exists on the key.

The currently selected key.

Destination slot during a mapping operation.

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Single-articulation previewsIfakeycontainsasinglearticulation,clickthekeywhileholdingdowntheALTkeytohearapreviewofthearticulation.Forqui-etervelocities,clicktowardstheleftofthekey.Clickingthekeytowardsitsrightresultsinhighervelocitypreviews.

Previewsarenotavailableforkeyscontainingmultiplearticulations,orforkeyscontainingasinglearticulationofanon-loadedkit-piece(labelledwitha(!)indicator).

Key context menu Byright-clickingonakey,thekeycontextmenuappears.Thismenuallowsyoutocut,copyandpastemappingsbetweenkeys.

Cut

Removesanymappingsfromthekeyandstoresthemintheclipboard.

Copy

Storesthekey’smappingsintheclipboardandleavesthemintactonthekey.

Paste

Iftheclipboardcontainscutorcopiedmappingsettings,thisfunctionpastesthemtothekey.

MIDI event log TheMIDIeventlogdisplaysalistofallMIDIeventsreceivedbyBFD2.Itisveryusefulfortroubleshootingandmakingadvancedmappingtaskseasier.

Log display

ThelogdisplaysincomingMIDIdatainthefollowingformat:

Notes

Channel [1-1�] Note On [C0 - G10) Velocity [1-1��)

MIDI Continuous Controllers (CCs)Channel [1-1�] CC [0-1��) Value [1-1��)

Other MIDI messages (e.g. Pitchbend etc.)Channel [1-1�] Message [value)

Usethescrollbartoscrolluptowardsoldereventsinthelogbuffer.

Notethatthislogisalsoprovidedasanauxiliarywindow:clicktheMIDIlogbuttonontheBFD2Statusbartoopenanexternalwindow.

Clear log

ClickingthisbuttonclearstheentirecontentsoftheMIDIeventlog.

Save log

Usingthisbutton,youcansavethecurrentcontentsoftheeventlog,fortroubleshootingortechnicalsupportpurposes.

External MIDI Log YoucanalsouseBFD2’sexternalMIDIlogwindow.SimplyclicktheMIDIlogbuttonintheStatusbarinordertoopenthiswindow.Itscontentsareexactlythesameasthekeymappingpage’sMIDIeventlog.

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8:5 Working with the key mapper

Mapping an articulation to a MIDI key1.Usingthekeyrangeselector,selectthedesiredpartofthekeyboard

2.Drag&dropthekit-piecetoakey.Ifyouwanttomovetoadifferentareaofthekeyboardwithoutabandoningthedrag&dropoperation,movethemousecursoratthetoporbottomedgeofthekeyboardlayout,sothattheviewedareascrollsupordownthekeyboard.

3.Afteryoureleasethemousebuttonoverthedesiredkey,selectoneofthekit-piece’sarticulationsfromthepop-uplistthatap-pears

Mapping multiple articulations to neighbouring keys1.Usingthekeyrangeselector,selectthedesiredpartofthekeyboard

2.Drag&dropthekit-piecetoakey.Rememberthatyouarealsomappingtokeysaboveorbelowthenoteonwhichyoudrag&drop,theexactnumberdependinguponthenumberofarticulationsinthekit-piece.

Ifyouwanttomovetoadifferentareaofthekeyboardwithoutabandoningthedrag&dropoperation,movethemousecursoratthetoporbottomedgeofthekeyboardlayout,sothattheviewedareascrollsupordownthekeyboard.

3.Selecteither‘AllArticulations,upwards’or‘AllArticulations,downwards’inthepop-uplistthatappears.Eacharticulationinthekit-pieceismappedtoasinglekey,goingupordownthekeyboardfromtheoriginalkey.

Click and drag a kit-piece from the listing to a key Select an articulation from the list that appears

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Layering multiple articulations on a single keyYoucanplaceasmanyarticulationsasyoulike,fromanykit-pieces,onasinglekey.Thisoffersamoreadvancedmeansoflayer-ingsoundsthanusingtheLinkfunctionintheKitpage.Simplykeepdraggingadditionalarticulationsfromanykit-piecetothesamekey.

Pleasenotethatyoucannotlayerslotchokearticulations.Ifyoutrytodragaslotchokeontoakeycontainingoneormoreexist-ingarticulations,youarepromptedtooverwritethecurrentassignmentsforthekey.Likewise,ifyoutrytodraganotherarticula-tionontoakeycontainingaslotchoke,youarepromptedtooverwritetheslotchokewiththenewassignment.

Special articulations

Slot Choke

Anykit-piececanbechokedbyplayingaslotchokekey.Thisstopsthedecayofanykit-pieceaccordingtoitsfadesettingsintheBFD2Enginepreferences.

Pleasenotethatyoucannotlayeraslotchokenotewithanyotherarticulation-placingachokenoteonakeyoverwritesanymappingthatalreadyexistsonthatkey.

Ifyouuseanelectronicdrumkitthatsupportsmanualcymbalchokingusingpolyphonicaftertouch(polypressure)messages,youcanenabletheChokewithaftertouchsettingintheBFD2MIDIPreferences.Pleasenotethataftertouchchokingonlyworksoncymbals.

All Articulations, upwards All Articulations, downwards

Theseareusedformappingallarticulationstoconsecutivekeys,goingeitherupthekeyboardfromtheselectedkey,ordown.

Variable tip (hihat slot only) Variable shank (hihat slot only)

Thesearticulationsappearforhihatsonly.Pleaseseesection9:3formoredetails.

Variable snare (snares only)

Thisarticulationappearsforsnaresonly.Pleaseseesection9:5formoredetails.

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8:6 Mapping inspectorWhenanyMIDIkeyisselectedbyclickingonitorplayingthenoteviaMIDI(aslongastheSelectkeyswithMIDInotesprefer-enceisenabled),themappinginspectordisplaysanumberofsettingsforthekey,whichcanbeappliedtoanyofthearticulationscurrentlymappedtoit.

Articulation listEacharticulationthathasbeenmappedtothekeyisshowninthearticulationlist.Clickanyarticulationtoselectitandedititsparameters.

Low & High velocityTheseparametersallowyoutoproportionallyscaleincomingvelocitiesoveracertainrange.Forexample,ifLowissetto64andHighissetto127,anincomingvelocityof0producesanoutputvelocityof64,whileanincomingvelocityof16producesanoutputvelolcityof72,andsoon.

Velocity CurveThisparametercontrolsthevelocitycurveoftriggerednoteevents.Clickinganddraggingtheparametercausesasmallgraphcurvetoappearandchangeshape.Thegraphrepresentsincomingvelocity(x-axis)againstoutputvelocity(y-axis).

Delete articulationClickingthisbuttonwhileanyarticulationisselectedremovestheassignmentfromthekey.

Variable articulation controlsWhenanyvariablearticulationisselected,anextrasetofcontrolsareavailable.

•Selectingthevariabletiparticulationdisplaysthevariablehihattipcontrols.

•Selectingthevariableshankarticulationdisplaysthevariablehihatshankcontrols.

•Selectingthevariablesnarearticulationdisplaysthevariablesnarecontrols.

Fordetailsonthesecontrols,seechapter9.

Variable articulation controls

Articulation list

Selected key

Low & High velocity

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8:7 Introduction to BFD2 automation

OverviewBFD2allowsyoutochangemostofitscontrolsovertimebyusinghardwarecontrollersormessagesfromyourhost.MIDIcon-tinuouscontrollers(MIDICCs),MIDInotesandhostautomationparameterscanbeassignedtotheavailablesoftwarecontrols.

MIDI CCs and host automationMIDICCsandhostautomationbothhavetheirownsetofadvantagesanddisadvantages.BFD2supportsbothmethodssoit’sentirelyuptoyouwhichtouse.

MIDIcontinuouscontrollersallowamaximumresolutionof128steps.WhileRPNandNRPNcommandsallowhigherresolutions,itisrelativelyrareforhardwareMIDIcontrollerstosupportthem,becauseofthecomplexityrequiredtoprogramthesefunctions.

Hostautomation,ontheotherhand,allowsfarhigherresolutionforcontinuousparametercontrol.Theamountofresolutioncanvarydependingonthecapabilitiesofthehostandthepluginformat,aswellasanyhardwarecontrolsurfacesused.Ittendstobeanythingfrom14-bit(16,384steps)to32-bitfloatingpoint(effectivelycontinuous).

Whileitiseasyto‘draw’hostautomationcurvesontotracklanesinyourhost,hardwarecontrollersforthistypeofautomationtendtobeexpensiveandspecialized.

Also,thecontrolsavailableforpluginsonthesehardwareautomationdevicestendstoberatherfiddlyanduncustomizable,usuallyhavingtopagethroughmanyparameterstoreachtheoneyouneedatanyonetime.MIDIcontrollerstendtobeeasiertocustomizetoyourneeds,andbecausetheyarecheapertheymakeitaffordabletohavemorededicatedhardwarecontrolsatonce.

MIDI note automationBFD2allowsyoutomapMIDInotestosoftwarecontrols.Thisisveryusefulforbuttontypecontrols.Youcanalsoassignacon-tinuouscontrolsuchasafaderorknobtoaMIDInote–thenotetogglesthecontrolbetweenminimumandmaximumvalues.

Parameter MIDI learn function in the status barVirtuallyallBFD2faders,knobsandbuttonscanbeassignedtoMIDIquicklyandintuitivelybyusingthecontrollerlearnfunctionintheBFD2Statusbar.Thisfunctioniscoveredinsection1:5.

Automation mapping pageTheautomationmappingpagegivesyouacompleteoverviewofallMIDIassignments,aswellastheabilitytoassigncontrolsmanuallytoMIDICCs,MIDInotesandhostautomationparameters.

WhileyoucanassignMIDICCsandnotestoBFD2controlsviathecontrollerlearnfunctioninthestatusbar,theautomationmappingpageistheonlyareainBFD2thatallowsyoutoassignhostautomationparameterstothesoftwarecontrols.

Multiple mappingsBFD2allowsyoutoassignanyonesoftwareparametertotwopossibleautomationparameters:

1.ONEMIDICCorMIDInote

2.ONEhostautomationparameter

ItisinadvisabletosendMIDIandhostautomationvaluesatthesametime,becausetheBFD2parameterwouldkeep‘jumping’betweenvaluessentbythetwosetsofmessages.

Setting a unique MIDI channel for MIDI automationYoucanspecifyaseparateMIDIchannelforMIDIautomationevents,byusingtheControllerMIDIchannelsettingintheBFD2Sessionpreferences.

ThisisusefulbecauseifyouwanttoassignalotofbuttonstoMIDInotes,forexample,youmayrunoutofnotesbecausetheyarealreadyusedbyarticulationassignmentsandGrooves(althoughyoucan,asdiscussedelsewhere,assigntheGrooveenginetoitsownMIDIchanneltoo).

ThisMIDIchannelsettingalsoappliestothecontrollerlearnfunction.Onceset,BFD2receivesMIDIonlyonthespecifiedchan-nelwhenmakingcontrollerlearnassignments.

IfyoucreatesomeMIDIautomationassignmentsandsubsequentlychangetheControllerMIDIchannelsetting,allcurrentas-signmentsreceiveonthenewMIDIchannel,regardlessofwhatchannelwasusedwhenfirstcreatingthemappings.

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Automation view interface

Key and Auto buttons

IftheMappingpageiscurrentlyinkeymappingview,clicktheAutobuttontoshowtheautomationmappingview.

ClicktheKeybuttontoreturntokeymappingview.

Automation type

Thesethreebuttonsallowyoutochoosebetweenthe3automationmappingtypes.Eachautomationtypecoversadifferenttypeofautomationmethod.

MIDI CCs

ClickthisbuttontoviewtheMIDICCmappingsandmapBFDparameterstoMIDICCs.Thisviewisrecommendedforfadersandknobs.

MIDI notes

ClickthisbuttontoviewMIDInoteautomationmappingsandmapMIDInotestoBFD2parameters.ThismethodisespeciallyusefulforbuttoncontrolsinBFD2.

Host automation

ClickthisbuttontoviewhostautomationmappingsandmaphostautomationparameterstoBFD2parameters.

BFD2 parameters

ThiscolumndisplaysallassignableparametersinBFD2.Anumberofglobalparametersareshown,alongwithfurtherparam-etersfortheKit,MixerandGroovespages,whicharearrangedinatree-viewlist.Dependingonthecurrentautomationtype,anyparametersthatarealreadymappedarehighlightedinyellow.

Kit

TheKitsectioncontainsalistofall32availableslots,eachexpandabletoshowitsautomatableparameters.

Mixer

TheMixersectionhasanumberofglobalmixerparametersandalsoshowsalistofthecurrentchannels,eachexpandabletorevealitscontrollableparameters.Theavailablechannelsinthislistisupdateddynamicallyaschannelsareaddedtothemixer.

Groove

ThetransportcontrolsareshownintheGroovesection,aswellasanexpandableitemfortheGrooveFXcontrols.

Automation source

Thecontentsofthistablevariesaccordingtothecurrentautomationtype.Seethenextfewsectionsinthismanualforafullguidetousingthistablewhenusingeachoftheautomationtypes.

Automation type

Automation source table

Key and Auto buttons

Clear All Auto

BFD� parameters

Learn modeDelete

selected mapping

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Clear All Auto

Clickthisbuttontoclearallassignmentsforthecurrentautomationtype.Thelabellingofthisbuttonchangestoreflectthecurrentautomationtype.

BFD2asksforconfirmationbeforeapplyingthisfunction.

Learn mode

WiththeLearnmodebuttonenabled,sendingaMIDICCorplayingaMIDInotecausestherelevantCCornotetobecomese-lectedintheautomationsourcetable.

Theautomationtypemustbesettotherelevanttypeofcontrolforthisfunctiontowork–inotherwords,iftheautomationtypeissetto‘MIDICCs’,playingaMIDInotedoesnotchangetheselection,andviceversa.

Delete selected mapping

WhenaMIDICC,noteorhostautomationparameterisselectedintheautomationsourcetable,clickingthisbuttonresultsinthemappingbeingcleared.ThisbuttonhasnoeffectiftheselectedautomationsourceisnotmappedtoaBFD2control.

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8:8 Mapping MIDI CCs to BFD2 controlsTomapMIDIcontinuouscontrollers(CCs)toBFD2controls,select‘MIDICC’astheautomationtype.

Automation source table in MIDI CC view When‘MIDICCs’isselectedastheautomationtype,theautoma-tionsourcetableswitchestoMIDICCmode.Itiscomprisedofthreecolumns.

CC ID

Thereare128availableCCsperMIDIchannelintheMIDIspecifica-tion,withanIDfrom0-127.MIDICCsarelistedinthetablearrangednumericallybytheirIDs.

CC Name

ManyCCsarecommonlyassociatedwithamoremeaningfulname,whichislistedinthiscolumn.

Parameter

Whenamappinghasbeencreated,theassignedBFD2parameterisshowninthiscolumn.

WhennomappingexistsforaCC,thiscolumnisblank.

Mode

Thiscolumnallows2differentmodesofMIDICCcontrolbehaviour.

Continuous (default)

ThisisthedefaultmodeandthemostobviouswaytocontrolafaderorknobinBFD2–thefaderorknob’svaluefollowstheMIDICCvaluescontinuously.

Switch

ThismodeisintendedtobeusedwhencontrollingbuttonsinBFD2withMIDICCs.WhenyousetthismodeforaMIDICCtonoteassignment,theMIDICCrangeisdividedintwo,witheachhalfoftherangesettingthestateoftheassignedbutton.

MIDI CC value

0-����-1��

BFD� button state

offon

Creating a MIDI CC mapping1.Firstmakesurethat‘MIDICCs’isselectedastheautomationtype.

2.FindtheBFD2parameteryouwanttoassignintheBFD2parameterscolumnlist.

3.Intheautomationsourcetable,findtheMIDICCwithwhichyouwanttoautomatetheBFD2parameter.YoucanusethelearnmodefunctionandsendvaluesfortherelevantCCinordertojumptoandselectthedesiredCC.

4.Draganddroptheparameterfromthe‘BFD2parameters’listtothedesiredCCinthe‘Automationparameters’table.

Alternatively,youcanalsoselectthedesiredMIDICCinthe‘Automationparameters’tableanddouble-clickthedesiredparam-eterinthe‘BFD2parameter’list.

5.Ifrequired,settheModeoftheassignmenttoSwitch(ifcontrollingabutton).

Mapping indication in BFD2 parameter tableIfaBFD2parameterhasbeenmappedtoaMIDICCornote,itishighlightedinyellowintheBFD2parameterlist.

Mapping an already-mapped BFD2 parameterIfaBFD2parameterisalreadymappedtoaMIDICCornote,creatinganewmappingfortheparameterresultsinerasingthepreviousmapping.

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8:9 Mapping MIDI notes to BFD2 controlsTomapMIDInotestoBFD2controls,select‘MIDInote’astheautomationtype.

Automation parameters table in MIDI note view

When‘MIDInote’isselectedastheautomationtype,theautomationsourcetableswitchestoMIDInotemode.Itiscomprisedofthreecolumns.

Note

Thereare128availablenotesperMIDIchannelintheMIDIspecifica-tion.Notesarearrangedinthetablefromthelowestnote(C-2)tothehighestnote(G8).

Mode

Therearetwopossiblemodes–momentaryandtoggle.MomentarymodeengagesthecontrolwhiletheMIDInoteishelddown–uponreleasethecontrolreturnstoits‘off’state.Togglemode,ontheotherhand,isa‘latching’behaviour–playthenoteonceandreleaseittoengageacontrol,andplay/releasethenoteagaintoreturnittoits‘off’state.

BFD2decidesonasuitabledefaultsettingforthemode,dependingontheBFD2parameterbeingmapped.Byclickinginthiscolumn,youcanoverridethissetting.

Parameter

Whenanmappinghasbeencreated,theassignedBFD2parameterisshowninthiscolumn.

Whennomappingexistsforanote,thiscolumnisblank.

Mode

Thiscolumnallows2differentmodesofMIDInotecontrolbehaviour.

Toggle (default)

Togglemodeisa‘latching’behaviour–playthenoteonceandreleaseittoengageacontrol,andplay/releasethenoteagaintoreturnittoits‘off’state.

Momentary

Inthismode,theassignedBFD2controlisengagedwhentheMIDInoteishelddown(whenitsendsaMIDInoteonmessage).UponreleaseoftheMIDInote(whenitsendsaMIDInoteoffmessage)thecontrolreturnstoits‘off’state.

•AssigningBFD2transportcontrols

IfyouneedtoassigntheBFD2transportcontrols,itisrecommendedtousemomentarymode.

Creating a MIDI note mapping1.Firstmakesurethat‘MIDInote’isselectedastheautomationtype.

2.FindtheBFD2parameteryouwanttoassignintheBFD2parameterscolumn.

3.Intheautomationsourcetable,findtheMIDInotetowhichyouwanttomaptheBFD2parameter.Youcanusethelearnmodefunctionandplaytherelevantnoteinordertojumptoandselectthedesirednote.

4.DraganddroptheparameterfromtheBFD2parameterscolumntothedesirednoteintheautomationsourcetable.

Alternatively,youcanalsoselectthedesiredMIDInoteintheautomationsourcetableanddouble-clickthedesiredparameterintheBFD2parametercolumn.

5.Ifrequired,setthemodeoftheassignmentto‘Momentary’.

Mapping indication in BFD2 parameter tableIfaBFD2parameterhasbeenmappedtoaMIDInoteorCC,itishighlightedinyellowintheBFD2parametercolumn.

Mapping an already-mapped BFD2 parameterIfaBFD2parameterisalreadymappedtoaMIDICCornote,creatinganewmappingfortheparameterresultsinerasingthepreviousmapping.

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8:10 Mapping host automation to BFD2 controlsTomaphostautomationtoBFD2controls,select‘MIDInote’astheautomationtype.

Automation parameters table in host automation view

When‘Hostautomation’isselectedastheautomationtype,theautomationsourcetableswitchestohostautomationmode.Itiscom-prisedoftwocolumns.

Auto ID

Thereare128availablehostautomationparameters,withanIDfrom0-127.HostautomationparametersarelistedinthetablearrangednumericallybyautomationIDs.

Parameter

Whenanmappinghasbeencreated,theassignedBFD2parameterisshowninthiscolumn.

Whennomappingexistsforahostautomationparameter,thiscolumnisblank.

Creating a host automation mapping1.Firstmakesurethat‘Hostautomation’isselectedastheautomationtype.

2.FindtheBFD2parameteryouwanttoassignintheBFD2parameterscolumn.

3.Intheautomationsourcetable,findthehostautomationparametertowhichyouwanttomaptheBFD2parameter.

4.DraganddroptheBFD2parameterfromtheBFD2parameterscolumntothedesiredhostautomationparameterIDintheautomationsourcetable.

Alternatively,youcanalsoselectthedesiredhostautomationparameterintheautomationsourcetableanddouble-clickthedesiredparameterintheBFD2parametercolumn.

Mapping indication in BFD2 parameter tableIfaBFD2parameterhasbeenmappedtoahostautomationparameter,itishighlightedinyellowintheBFD2parametercolumn.

Mapping an already-mapped BFD2 parameterIfaBFD2parameterisalreadymappedtoahostautomationparameter,creatinganewmappingfortheparameterresultsinerasingthepreviousmapping.

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chapter 09 ELECTRONIC DRUMS AND BFD2

9:1 Intoduction to using electronic drumkits with BFD2BFD2supportstheuseofelectronicdrumkitsfortriggeringsounds.Pre-mademapsareprovidedformostkits.However,ifyouwanttocustomizetheresponse,orifyouneedtomapakitthatisn’tsupportedintheprovidedpresets,thissectionexplainshowtobestuseBFD2’smappingsystemforworkingwithelectronickits.

Mosttriggers/padsonelectronickitsarefairlystraightforwardtomaptoBFD2’ssounds.Howeverthehihatrequiresmoreatten-tion,asdoesthesnareifyouwanttoutilizepositionalsnareinformationforswitchingbetweenthe‘hit’and‘half-edge’hit.Ifyourkitsupports‘grabbing’acymbaltriggertochokeit,BFD2cansupportthistoo.

ThischapterassumesthatyouarefamiliarwithusingtheMIDIviewinBFD2.Pleasemakesureyoureadthepreviouschapterfullybeforethisone.

How electronic drumkits workElectronicdrumkits,or‘e-drums’usuallyconsistofanumberofpadswhichtransmittriggersignalsascontrolvoltageoveranaudioconnection.Additionally,apedalmechanismthattransmitsthevariablestateofthepedalbetweenopenandclosed,againusingacontrolvoltageoveranaudioconnection.

Theaudiosignalsareroutedtoaconverterbox,commonlyreferredtoasa‘drumbrain’,whichtranslatesaudiosignalsreceivedfrompadsintoMIDImessages.Thebrainoftenalsohasonboardsounds,whichareratherlimitedduetomemoryconstraints.

Commone-drumsystemsincludeD-Drums(formerlymadebyClavia),RolandV-Drums,theYamahaDTseriesandAlternateModeDrumkat.Notethatsomebudgete-drumsystemssuchastheIonkitdonotsupportvariablehihatpedals,insteadusingaswitchtypepedalthatsimplychangesbetweenopenandclosedstates.Youcannotutilizevariablehihatcontrolwithsuchkits.

Cross-talk between triggers and zonesItsverycommontoexperiencecross-talksymptomswhenusinge-drumsystems–whenyoustrikeonepad,theresultingvibra-tionsarepickedupbyotherpads’sensors.Thisisoftenmadeworsebythefactthatmoste-drumsystemsaresuppliedwithasingle-framemountingsystem,resultinginlessisolationforeachpad.Inadditiontocross-talkbetweenindividualpads,substan-tialcross-talkalsooccursbetweenzonesonmulti-zonepads.

Inpractice,thisisoftennotamajorproblem,asitreflectswhatwouldhappenwithrealdrumkittosomeextent.However,whenusingBFD2,itcancauseproblems:

•Excessdiskstreamingduetomorevoicesaretriggeredatonce

•ProblemswhenusingMIDIlearnfornoteassignmentsduetomultiplenotesbeingsentwhenstrikingonepadorzone.

Itcanbemoreeffectivetousemanualnoteassignmentwhenassigningyoure-drumsystemtoBFD’ssounds.Inordertodothis,youneedtoknowwhichnoteissentoutbyeachpad,orbyeachpartofthepad.Sometimesthebrainitselfhassetuppageswhichprovidethisinformation,whileitcanoftenalsobefoundinthemanual.Theremaybesituations,however,whenyoumayhavetoexamineheMIDIoutputfromthedrumbrain.BFD2’sMIDIeventlogallowsyoutodothis.

Double-triggering: setting the Retrigger thresholdAnothersymptomofcross-talkis‘double-triggering’andunwantedchokingofsounds,especiallywhenusingdual-zonetriggers.Mostdrumbrainshavevariousconfigurationparameterstogetaroundthecross-talkanddouble-triggeringproblem,whileBFD2alsocontainstheRetriggerthresholdsetting,locatedintheBFD2Enginepreferences.Itallowsyoutosetalengthoftimeafterareceivednoteinwhichtoignoreallnotes.

However,it’salwaysagoodideatoeradicatetheseproblemsatthesource.Pleaseconsultyoure-drumsystemdocumentationforinformationonhowtominimizetheeffectsofcross-talkwithyourkit.

LatencyWhenyou’replayingBFD2withe-drums,itisimportanttobeawarethatBFD2maynotrespondasquicklyasanyonboardsoundsinthedrumbrain.Thisisduetolatency,whichisaninherentproblemincomputer-baseddigitalaudiosystems.

ItisimportanttorememberthatlatencyisNOTcausedbyBFD2.Thesourcesoflatencyissueslieelsewhereinyoursystem.

Causes of latency when using BFD2

•PossibleadditionalprocessingtimerequiredinthebraintocreatetheMIDIoutput,asopposedtotriggeringtheinternalsounds.

•Anyinherentlatencyandtiminginaccuraciesinvolvedwithconnectingthebrain’sMIDIoutputtothecomputer’sMIDIinterface.

•AnylatencyinvolvedingettingthedatafromtheMIDIinterfacetoBFD2.USBMIDIinterfaces,forexample,canhavemuchlargerlatencythanPCIorserialinterfaces).

•Audiointerfacelatency/buffersize.Smallerbuffersizesresultinlowerlatencies.However,theyalsorequiremoreCPUpowerandwell-engineeredaudiointerfacehardwareanddrivers.

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Bus traffic problems

Youmayfinditparticulatlydifficulttoachievelowlatenciesonlaptopsandsmallermachineswithlimitedexpansionpotential–noabilitytoinstalldedicatedinternaldrivesoraudiointerfaces.Thismeansyoumayneedtochaindevicesonthesamefirewirebus,forexample.Thisoftenleadstodropoutsatlowerlatencies.

ItishighlyrecommendedtoruntheharddrivecontainingBFD2’ssoundsfromaseparatebustotheaudiointerface.Numerousoptionsareavailable–CardbusorExpressCardFirewire/E-SATAcardsareoneoption,whileUSB2harddrivesoraudiointerfac-esrepresentanothersolution.Somelaptopsfeaturefast7200RPMinternaldrives–insuchcases,runningBFD2’ssoundsfromtheinternaldriveisanotherpotentialoption.

Recommended systems for low latency

Ifyou’reseriousaboutdrummingwithBFD,youmustassembleasystemwhichcangetdowntoveryplayablelowlatencies.Au-diointerfacessuchasthosebyRMEandLynxcandeliverlatenciesaslowas64or32samples(1.5msor0.75msat44.1kHz).

APCIorPCI-Expresssolutionisrecommended,withCardBusandExpressCardinterfacesonlaptopsbeingofsimilarquality.

AFirewireinterfaceonitsownbusisthenextbestoptioninourexperience.

Aninternal7200RPMdriveforthesoundsispreferable–ifthisisnotpossible,useanexternaldriveonitsownbus(Firewire,USB2andE-SATAareallpotentialoptions).

IfyoualsouseagoodMIDIinterface(PCI/PCI-ExpressisbetterthanUSB)andafastcomputer,youcanachieveaveryrespon-sivefeelwhenplayingBFD2withe-drums.

Ifitisnotpossibletoassembleasystemcapableofstablelowlatencyoperation,itmaybebesttorecordyourperformancewhilemonitoringthesoundsinyourdrumbrain,andthenafterwardsroutetherecordedMIDItoBFD2’ssounds.

9:2 Simple hihat controlTheeasiestwaytocontrolBFD2hihatswithanelectronickitisbyignoringtheMIDICCtransmittedbythebrainaccordingtothehihatpedalpositionandinsteadsimplyusingtheopen,closedandpedalhihatnotestransmittedbythebrain.

Thedrumbraincalculateswhethertosendoutanopenorclosedhihatnotedependingonthestateofthehihatpedal.Somebrainsthatsupportmulti-zonetriggersarecapableofsendingoutdifferentopenandclosednotesfortip(alsoknownasbow)andshank(edge)triggers.Apedalnoteistransmittedwhenthehihatpedalcontrollerisfullydepressed.

ThesenotesaremappedtosuitableBFD2articulations.

Example: Roland TD-20

ThefollowingtableshowshowtomapthenotestransmittedbyaRolandTD-20toachievenon-variablehihatcontrol.

Roland note

Open BowClosed Bow

Open EdgeClosed Edge

Pedal

MIDI note (note no.)

A#1 (��)F#1 (��)

D0 (��)A#-1 (��)

G#1 (��)

default BFD� mapping

open tipclosed tip

open shankclosed shank

pedal

ItishighlyrecommendedtoremapA#1andD0to1/2-opentipand1/2-openshank,astheserepresentthemostcommontypeofopenhatsound.Theopentiparticulationinparticularismorelikeahihatbellsound,orasmallridecymbal.

Advantages and disadvantages of non-variable hihat controlWhileitmaybearguedthatusingthismethodislessexpressivethanusingavariablehihatcontrolmethod,itoffersadistinctadvantage.

WhenrecordinginaMIDIsequencer,theresultingMIDIdataismucheasiertoedit.WhenusingaMIDICCforthehihatpedalposition,youneedtomoveorcopytherecordedCCvaluesalongwithanynoteswhenediting.Thiscanbecumbersome.

Ifyouusethesimplehihatcontrolmethod,anyeditingandquantizingyouneedtodoarealsomuchmorestraightforward.Youcanmovenotestootherarticulationsafterrecordingtomakepartsmoreexpressive.

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9:3 Variable hihat control

OverviewAsdiscussedinthelastsection,variablehihatMIDIrecordingscanbetedioustoeditorquantize.Therefore,ifyouusethismethodofhihatcontrol,it’sadvisabletoeithermakesureyourtakesarespot-on,ortoberesignedtotediouseditingoperations.Ofcourse,ifyou’repredominantlyusingBFD2forplayinglive,thisisnotaconcern.

NotethatBFD2’sGrooverecordingfunctionautomaticallyconvertsvariablehihatinputintostandardhihatarticulationswhichdonotrelyonthehihatpedalheightMIDICCvalues.

ElectronicdrumkitsuseaMIDIcontinuouscontroller(referredtoasHihatheightinBFD2)torepresentthepositionwithinopenandclosedstatesofthehihatpedal.Wheneveravariabletiporvariableshanknoteisplayed,BFD2playstheappropriatetiporshankarticulationfromthoseavailable–closed,1/4-open,1/2-open,3/4-openorfullyopen–dependingontheHihatheight.

Youcanassignasmanykeystovariabletiporshanknotesasyouneed.However,allvariabletipnotessharethesamesettings,whileallvariableshanknotesshareanothergroupofsettings.Ifyoulike,youcan‘lock’thevariabletipandvariableshankset-tingstogether,ifyoudon’tneedtoadjusteachofthemindependently.

Therearealsoanumberofimportantpreferencesthatdictatehihatresponse:seesection9:4fordetails.

Important note

BFD2allowsvariablehihatcontrolonlyforthehihatslot(slot3).YoumayloadadditionalhihatsinotherslotsandtriggertheirarticulationsdirectlywithMIDInotes,butvariablehihatcontrolisrestrictedtohihatsloadedinthehihatslotonly.

Assigning variable tip and variable shank articulations Anyhihatnotethatyourelectronicdrumkitbraintransmitsshouldbeassignedtoeitheravariabletiporvariableshankarticulation,withoneimportantexception.Almostallbrainssendouta‘pedal’note,or‘foot-chick’sound,whenthehihatpedalisdepressedfully.ThisnoteshouldalwaysbemappedtoBFD2’spedalarticulation.

Thevariabletipisusedforthemainsurfaceor‘bow’ofthehihat,whichshouldbeusedifyouonlyhaveasingle-zonehihattriggerpad.‘Tip’referstothefactthatthesurfaceofthehihatisstruckwiththetipofthestick.

Thevariableshankisusedfortheedgeofthehihat,whichshouldbeusedinaddi-tiontothevariabletipifyouhaveadual-zonehihattriggerpad.‘Shank’referstothefactthattheedgeofthehatisstruckwiththeshank,orbody,ofthestick.

Example: Roland TD-20

AgoodexampleistheRolandV-Drumsrangeofkits.MostofRoland’sbrainssendoutthesamesetofnotesforthehihat.Thefollowingtableillustrateswhichnotestomaptowhicharticulation.

Roland note

Open BowClosed Bow

Open EdgeClosed Edge

Pedal

MIDI note (note no.)

A#1 (��)F#1 (��)

D0 (��)A#-1 (��)

G#1 (��)

BFD� mapping

variable tipvariable tip

variable shankvariable shank

pedal

TheRolandbraindecideswhethertosendthe‘open’or‘closed’notedependingonthepedalcontrollervalueandasettingonthebraindictatingthetransitionpointbetweenopenandclosed.

ThisdistinctionisunimportanttoBFD2becauseitcontainsadditional1/4-open,1/2-openand3/4-opensounds.

Thereforetheopenandclosedsoundsaremappedtothesamevariablearticulation.BFD2makesitsowndecisionsaboutwhichactualhihatarticulationtoplay,dependingonthevalueofthepedalcontroller.

Thepedalnote,meanwhile,chokesanyplayingopensoundandplaysthehihatpedalarticulation(the‘foot-chick’sound).

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Assigning the hihat height pedal MIDI CCThehihatpedalsofmostelectronickitstransmitaMIDIcontinuouscontrollerinordertorepresentthepositionofthepedalbe-tweenopenandclosed.

AMIDICCvalueof0meansthatthepedalisopen(fullyup).

Asthepedalismoveddown,thevalueoftheMIDICCincreases.Themaximumpossiblevalueis127.

Usually,theMIDICCusedis#4.TheMIDICCthatyouwantBFD2touseforhihatcontrolisdefinedusingtheMIDICCparam-eterinthemappinginspectorforvariabletiporvariableshankarticulations.

Customizing hihat pedal responseInordertocustomizetheresponseofthehihatinBFD2,youcanadjustanumberofcontrolsinthemappinginspectorforthevariabletipandvariableshankarticulations.

Variable hihat controls

TheVariablehihatcontrolsletyouspecifythearticulationtransitionpointsovertherangeofhihatheightMIDICCvalues.

Therearefouradjustablepointsonalargeslider,representingthetransitionsbetweenthehihatarticulationsoverthepedalrange,andformingfive‘zones’(forclosed,1/4-open,1/2-open,3/4-openandfullyopenarticulations).Eachofthesepointsdisplaysavaluefrom0to127,whichcorrespondstothehihatheightMIDICCvalueatwhichthetransitionoccurs.Dragthepointsupanddowntoadjustthem.

Forexample,let’ssaythatthepointsforthevariabletipcontrolaresetatvaluesof10,50,80,and110.Thismeansthatthe‘zones’ofMIDICCvaluesareasfollows:

0-�10-���0-��

�0-10�110-1��

open�/�-open1/�-open1/�-openclosed

WhenavariabletipistriggeredinBFD2,theconcurrentvalueofthehihatpedalMIDICCisanalyzed.Dependinginwhich‘zone’thevaluelies,theappropriatearticulationplayed.Forexample,ifthevalueis30,a3/4-opentiparticulationisplayed.Ifitis110,aclosedtipisplayed,andsoon.

Whenusingahihatwithlessthanthemaximumamountofarticulations,BFDintelligentlyremapstriggerstothemostappropri-atearticulationthatdoesexist.ThisoccursifyouunloadanyarticulationsintheKitview,orifyouusehihatsfrompreviousBFDlibraries.TheoriginalBFDlibrarydidnotinclude1/4-openor3/4-openarticulations,whileallpre-BFD2expansionpacksdonotincludeanopenshankarticulation.

Lock Tip and Shank

Ifyoudon’tneedtoadjustthevariabletipandvariableshankresponsesseparately,youcanenabletheLockTipandShankbutton.Thisresultsinlockingthesettingsofbotharticulationstogether,sothatthePedalPositionslidercontrolsareexactlythesameforbotharticulations.

Variable hihat controls

Hihat height MIDI CC

Lock Tip and Shank

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Possible problems

ApartfromaproblemingettingtheMIDItoBFD2(checkyourhostMIDIfiltersettings),itispossiblethatyourpedalmaynotbesendingoutthemaximumpossiblerangeofMIDICCvalues.

Forexample,itsmaximumvalue(whenfullyclosed)maybe90insteadof127.Ifthisisthecase,adjustthetransitionpointbetweenclosedand1/4-opensothatitisatorbelow90,andmovetheothersliderstoappropriatepointsovertherestoftheavailablerangemovingdowntowards0.

YoucanusetheMIDIeventlogtoexaminetherangeofvaluestransmittedbyyourhihatpedal.

YoumayalsobeabletoadjustthisrangeoftheMIDICCinyourdrumbrain.

All Hihats variable settingThissetting,locatedintheBFD2Sessionpreferences,representsaquickwayofchangingasetofregularhihatarticulationsintoavariablehihatsetup.Itworksbychangingallhihatarticulationmappings(withtheexceptionofthepedalarticulation)tovariableequivalentsusingasinglepreferencecheck-box.

ToillustratethisusingtheRolandTD-20example:

Roland note

Open BowClosed Bow

Open EdgeClosed Edge

Pedal

MIDI note (note no.)

A#1 (��)F#1 (��)

D0 (��)A#-1 (��)

G#1 (��)

BFD� default mapping

open tipclosed tip

open shankclosed shank

pedal

‘All hihats variable’ enabled

variable tip variable tip

variable shankvariable shank

pedal

Inthetableabove,thecolumntotheextremerightshowstheeffectivemappingswiththesettingenabled.Theoriginalmappingsarenotchangedatall,andyoucanreturntonormalbydisablingthepreference.

Whilethepreferenceisenabled,hihatarticulationsdisplaytherelevantvariablehihatcontrolsintheAdvancedmappingsettingsdisplayinsteadofthestandardsettings,soyoucancustomizehihatresponseasyouwouldwhendealingwithvariabletipandvariableshankarticulations.

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9:4 Other settings related to hihat control

Preferences

Hihat reopen threshold

MostdrumbrainsconstantlysendouthihatpedalmovementMIDICCmessageswhilethepedalismoved.OneofthefewbrainsthatdoesnotoperateinthismanneristheRolandTD20,whichonlysendsouthihatpedalCCmessagesduringandveryclosetoahihattrigger.

WhenbrainsconstantlysendoutthehihatpedalCC,potentialproblemsarecreatedwithBFD2’stransmutingfeatures,suchasturningaclosedhatintoanopenhatwhenthepedalismovedupveryshortlyafteraclosedhattrigger.IfCCmessagesaresentcontinuously,thetransmutingwouldalwaysbeactive,whichisnotdesirable.

The‘HHreopenthresh’parametersetsatimelimit(definedinmusicalnotes)afterahihattriggerfortransmutingtooccurifthepedalismoved.

Itissetat1/64-notebydefault,whichisoptimalformostsituations.However,ifyouneedtoadjustthisresponse,youcande-creaseitto1/128-note,orincreaseituptoamaximumof1/16-note.

Retrigger threshold

Asmentionedinsection9:1,theRetrigThresholdsettingexiststocombatdouble-triggeringproblems.Hihatscanbeespeciallypronetospewingoutlotsofnotes,especiallydualzonetriggers.

IncreasingtheRetrigthresholdmayhelpinovercomingsuchproblems.

Hihat transition fade time

The‘Hihattranstime’parameterdefinesthespeedofthetransitionbetweensoundsduringthetransmutingprocess.Ifyousetthisvaluetoohigh,youmaysufferfrom‘swishy’-soundinghihattransitions.

Hihat tightening controls

Thetighteningcontrolssimulatetheactofpressingdownhardonarealhihatpedal,whichmakesthehatsound‘tighter’,withareduceddecay.

Thesecontrols,locatedintheBFD2Enginepreferences.canbesettograduallymaketheclosedhattighterovertheMIDICCrangeoftheclosedtipandshankarticulations.

Tighten (default)

ThedefaultTightencontrolsetstheamountoftighteningappliedatthelowestpointoftheclosedzone.

Tighten (amount)

Thiscontrolsetsthemaximumpossibletighteningamount.ThisistheamountoftighteningappliedwhentheMIDICCvalueisatthehighestpointoftheclosedzone.

ThereisaproportionalincreaseinthetighteningappliedastheMIDICCisincreased.

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Hihat choke fade settings

Thehihathasmorechokefadesettingsthanotherkit-pieces,becauseofitsmorecomplexnature.ThedefaultHihatchokefadesettingsshouldbeadequateformostpurposes,usingbothe-drumsandmoreconventionalinputmeans.Pleasesee10:5formoredetailsaboutthefadesettings.

Thedefaultvaluesareasfollows:

Hihat choke fade (base)Hihat choke fade (range) Hihat closed tip choke fade Hihat pedal choke fade

1.0001.0000.0�00.0�0

ThesesettingstellBFDtoonlyperformafastchokeonaplayinghihatarticulationifapedalnote(usuallyG#1)isreceived(italsoperformsafastchokeonclosedtiparticulations–moreonthatlater).Mostdrumbrainssendoutapedalnotewhenthehihatpedalisfullydepressed,inadditiontotheMIDIcontrollermessagesforpedalmovement.

Everythingelseischokedmuchmoreslowly,allowingmorenaturalcymbal-stylechokingforopenhihatsounds.meaningthatBFDwon’tchokehatswhendrumbrainssendoutmassesofMIDInotesbecauseofcross-talkbetweenzonesetc.

Additionally,thereisaseparatechokefadesettingforclosedtipsounds.Thisisprovidedforkeyboarddrummersandprogram-merswhoareunfamiliarwithneedingtochokeanopenhatwithapedalsound.

Youmayfindthatyoure-drumsystemisdemonstratingalotofcross-talkbetweenhihatzonesandperhapssendingoutunde-siredclosedtipnotes.Ifthisisthecase,tryincreasingtheHihatclosedtipchokefadesettingtoalargervalue.

Pleasealsonotethatsincetheclosedshankarticulationisquiteasplashysound,notunlikea1/4-opentip,itistreatedasan‘open’articulation-i.e.itwon’thaveafastchokeunlesstheglobalhihatfadechokefadesettingsaresettosmallvalues.

Kit-piece Inspector

Amplitude scaling with velocity

Ifyou’reaccustomedtothewaythate-drums’onboardsoundsrespond,youmaywanttoaddsomeamplitudescalingoverthevelocityrange.Bydefault,BFD2’ssoundsareplayedatnaturalrecordedlevels,withthekit-piecestruckatvaryinginten-sitiestoformthevelocitylayers.

Whileitisdifficulttoachieveonarealkit,youmayrequireamorelinearscalingofloudnesswhenplayingane-drumhihat,asitcansimplyfeelmoreplayable,probablyduetolimiteddynamicresponseoftrigger-ingtechnology.Ifthisisthecase,youcanincreasetheVeltoAmpparameterforthehihatarticulations.

ThiscontrolislocatedintheKit-PieceInspectorintheKitview.Tosetitforallhihatarticulations,selectthehihatkit-pieceintheKitview,andintheKit-PieceInspector’sArticulationselector,choose‘Allarticulations’.ThenincreasetheVeltoAmpparametertodialintheamountofscalingrequired.

Levels of different hihat articulations

Youmaywanttoadjustthelevelsofthedifferenthihatarticulationsinrelationtoeachother.Thiscanbeachievedusingthe‘ArticTrim’controlintheKit-PieceInspector(intheKitview).

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9:5 Positional snare control TheBFD2soundsetfeaturesa‘half-edge’snarearticulation,whichistheheadofthesnarestruckhalfwaybetweenthecentreandtheedge.Theregular‘hit’articulation,ontheotherhand,isaresultofthesnareheadbeingstruckinthecentre.

TheVariablesnarearticulationallowsyoutoaccessthehitandhalf-edgearticula-tionsusingthepositionalsensingofsnaresinelectronicdrumsystemssuchasthosebyRoland.

PositionalsensingworksbythedrumbrainsendingoutaMIDICCrepresentingthedistancefromthecentre(wherethevalueis0)andtheedge(value127).

Inordertoutilizethisfunctionality,avariablesnarearticulationmustbemappedinBFD2.Typically,youshouldassignittothekeynormallyassignedtothe‘hit’articulation,typicallyD2.Pleasemakesurethatitistheonlyarticulationonthekey–deleteanyarticulationsthatmayhaveoriginallyexistedonthekey.

Variable snare controlsOnceavariablesnareismapped,selectthekeyonwhichthemappingexistsandselectthevariablesnarearticulationinthemappinginspector.Thevariablesnarecontrolsareshown.

MIDI CC

Firstly,defineaMIDIcontinuouscontrollertouseasthesourceforthepositionalinformation.ClickanddragtheMIDICCvalueupanddowntosettheCCnumber.YoucanalsodefinethisMIDICCintheMIDIpageAutomationviewbymappingtherelevantkit-pieceslot’s‘Position’parametertothedesiredMIDICC.

OnRolandkits,thisMIDICCisusuallyCC#17.

Adjusting positional response

Apositionsliderisalsoprovidedinthevariablesnareadvancedmappingsettings,inordertodefinetheMIDICC#valuerepre-sentingtheboundarybetweenthehitandhalf-edgearticulation‘zones’.Simplydragthepointupordownonthesliderinordertochangetheboundarybetweenthezones.Ifthepointissetat64,thismeansthatthetwozonesaresetasfollows:

0-����-1��

hithalf-edge

Thisessentiallymeansthatthehitarticulationisusedifthesnarepadisstruckuptohalf-wayfromthecentre,beyondwhichthehalf-edgearticulationisplayedwhenthepadisstruck.

9:6 Controlling cymbalsManyelectronicdrumkitsfeaturemanualchokingofcymbalsby‘grabbing’thecymbaltrigger.Suchsystemsusuallyinvolveapressurecontrolleronthecymbal,whichsendsoutpolyphonicaftertouch(polypressure)messagesassociatedwiththecymbalMIDInotes.

YoucanusethisfeatureinBFD2byenablingtheChokewithaftertouchsettingintheMIDIpreferences.Pleasenotethatafter-touchchokingonlyworksoncymbalsinactualcymbalslots.

Ifyoure-drumsystemfeaturespositionalsensingonthecymbal,pleasenotethatBFD2doesnotcurrentlyrespondtothisfea-ture.

Variable snare controls

Snare position MIDI CC

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chapter 10 BFD2 PREFERENCES customizing BFD2

10:1 Preferences page overview ClickthePreferencesbuttonintheBFD2ControlbarinordertoshowthePreferencespage.

BFD2containstwotypesofpreferences:

1. Session preferences:

Thesearesettingsthatarenotneededoftenenoughtomeritaplaceonthemainuserinterface.However,theyarethekindofsettingsthatareusefultosetandsavewitheachproject.Therefore,thesesettingsaresavedalongwithaBFD2presetandwithyourhostprojectwhenrunningBFD2asaplugin.TheSessionpreferencescategoryisaccessedusingtheSessionbuttoninthePreferencestoolbar,orviashortcutbuttonsintheMIDIandGroovepreferencescategories.

2. Global preferences:

AllothercategoriesinthePreferencespagecontainthekindofsettingsinvolvingBFD2’sperformanceandunderlyingenginethatyouwon’tneedtochangeveryoften.TheyarestoredinadedicatedpreferencesfileinBFD2’ssystemfolder,andareusedwheneveryoulaunchBFD2.Theyarenotsavedwitheachprojectorpreset.

Sub-categories containing relevant preferences

Preferences toolbar

containing various

categories

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10:2 Data preferences

Preference Options

RESET ALL PREFERENCES

Clickingthisbutton,andagreeingtothesubsequentconfirmationdialog,resultsinallyourpreferencesettingsbeingtrashed,revertingtofactorydefaultsettings.

Scan Data Paths for new files

ClickingthisbuttoncausesBFD2toscanitsdatalocationsfornewfiles.

ThelocationsthatarescannedincludeanysetupintheDataPathsetting(seebelow)andtheBFD2userstoragelocation.

Anyfileswhichhavebeenremovedfromthedatabaseusingthevariouschooserpanelsareignored.

Trash and rebuild all databases

ThisbuttonresultsinyourentiredatabasebeingtrashedandrebuiltfromBFD2’sdatalocations.

ThelocationsthatarescannedincludeanysetupintheDataPathsetting(seebelow)andtheBFD2userstoragelocation.

Thisfunctionrescansanyitemsthathavebeenremovedfromthedatabase,butwhichhavenotbeendeleted.

Remove unreferenced info from database

Ifyouhavedeletedanykitfiles,presets,GroovesorotherfilesusedinBFD2fromyourharddisk,clickingthisbuttonremovestheirentriesfromthedatabase.

Data PathThedatapathspecifiesthelocationoftheBFD2foldercontainingthesampledataandotherfileslikekeymaps,Groovesandsoon.

IfyouhavespreadoutyourBFD2dataoverseveraldrives,youcansetupasmanydatapathsyoulike.

YoucanalsoselectaBFDfolderfromaBFD1.0or1.5installation.

AlwaysmakesuretoselecttheBFD2orBFDfolderwhenspecifyingadatapath–inotherwordsDONOTselectBFD2/Audio,BFD/Dataoranyotherfolder.

Startup

Startup Preset

YoucanspecifyadefaultPresettoloadwhenBFD2starts.APresetstorestheentirestateofBFD2.

Alternatively,youcansetthisoptionto‘Don’tloadanything’,meaningthatBFD2islaunchedinitsfactory-initializedstate.

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10:3 Groove preferences

Show Groove Session preferencesThereareanumberofsession-basedpreferencesconcerningthebehaviouroftheGrooveengine.Youcanviewandeditthesesettingsbyclickingthisbutton,whichisashortcuttotheSessionPreferencescategory,alsoaccessibleusingtheSessionbuttononthePreferencestoolbar.

SessionpreferencesaresavedwithaBFD2presetorhostprojectcontainingtheBFD2plugin.Therefore,theycanbesetinde-pendentlyforeachBFD2session.

Seesection10:4formoredetailsonthesesettings.

MIDI Import

Import MIDI key map

ThissettingletsyouspecifyaMIDIkeymaptouseinseveralcircumstanceswithinBFD2.

1.ItisusedformappingnotesinimportedMIDIfiles2.ItisusedformappingnotesinimportedBFD1.xBundlesandGrooves

Seesection5:7formoredetailsonthesefunctions.

ThedefaultsettingforthispreferenceistheBFD1.5keymap,meaningthatBFD2isreadytoacceptBFD1.5-formatMIDIfilesimmediately.

Unmapped MIDI note mode

Whenthispreferenceissetto‘Warnonunmappednotes’,BFD2warnsyouwheneverimportingaMIDIfilecontainingnoteswhichdonotexistonthespecifiedimportMIDImap(thissettingcanbefoundintheMIDIpreferencescategory–seesection10:5).

Bydefaultthisissetto‘Ignoreunmappednotes’,whichmeansthatanyencounterednotesthatdonotexistonthekeymapareignored.

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Editor Preferences

MIDI export Mode

ThissettingspecifiesthetrackstructureofexportedMIDIfilesinBFD2.Youcanchoosebetween3settings:

•Onetrackforallkit-pieces•Onetrackperkit-piece•Onetrackperarticulation

Record lead-in (bars)

Youcansetalead-intimeinbarsforBFD2’sGrooverecordingfunctions.RecordingonlystartsafterthistimewhenhittingthePlaybuttonwhileMIDIrecordingisarmed.Simplyenteranumberofbarstouseasalead-in.Enter0ifyoudonotwantalead-inwhenyourecord.

Groove record commit mode

ThissettingdeterminesifLoopCommitmodeisused,inwhicha‘commitpoint’issetattheendofeachGroovecyclewhenrecordinginLooprecordmode.Seesection6:6formoredetails.

Eachcommitpointcanbeconsideredasan‘undopoint’–byusingtheUndofunctionyoucanundoeachcycleofrecording.

Off

Norecordcommitsaremadeduringtherecording.PressingUndoafterrecordingwouldundothewholetake.

On

Recordedeventsarecommittedattheendofeachloopcycle,formingan‘undopoint’foreachloopcycleduringthetake.

Duringorafterrecording,youcankeepclickingtheUndobuttontoregressivelyundothenotesplayedduringeachloopcycleinthetake.Acommitisonlyperformedattheendofaloopcycleifeventsarereceivedwithinit.

Maximum undo steps

HereyoucansetthemaximumnumberofundostepsintheGrooveEditor’sunlimitedundofunction.MorestepsusemoreRAM!

Export tail length (seconds)

Thispreferenceallowsyoutospecifythesizeofthetailretainedattheendofanaudioexport.Thelengthofthetailissetinseconds.

Retainingatailattheendofexportsmakessurethatanylingeringdecaysarecaptured.However,ifyouaretryingtocreateau-diofilesthatareanexactnumberofbarslong(forexamplewiththeExportGrooveAudiofeature),leavethissettingat0.

Preview/load tempo/time sig if possible

Ifthissettingisenabled,GroovesarepreviewedattheiroriginaltempointheGrooveandPalettechooserswhenusingBFD2asstandalone,orwhilethehostisstoppedwhenusingBFD2asaplugin.

Additionally,whenrunningBFD2instandalonemode,thecurrenttempoischangedtotheoriginaltempoofaGrooveorPalettewhenitisloaded.

Whenthesettingisdisabled,Groovesarealwaysauditionedandloadedatthecurrenttempo.

Max Drum Track length (bars)

HereyoucansetupthemaximumlengththeDrumTrack,inbars.Thedefaultis1000:ifyourequirelongerdrumtracks,increasethisvalue.

Hold mouse button to preview

ThissettingchangesthebehaviourofpreviewbuttonsinthePaletteandGroove&Palettechoosers.

Withthesettingenabled,Groovepreviewsplaywhilethemousebuttonishelddownonitspreviewbutton.

Whendisabled,clickingapreviewbuttonstartsplayingtheGroove,andclickingitagainstopsit.

Preview events during editing

Withthissettingenabled,eventsareheardwhenbeingeditedintheGrooveeditor.Thisoccursduringthefollowingoperations:

•drawinganevent•selectinganevent•movinganeventtoadifferentarticulationlane•changinganevent’svelocity.

Show BFD1 Bundles

BFD2iscapableofloadingtheMIDIfilesGroovesusedinBFD1.x,aswellasitsownnewproprietaryformat.However,BFD1.xGroovesarenotvisiblebydefaultsinceBFD2shipswiththeentireBFD1.5Groovelibraryconvertedintothenewformat.IfyouhaveadditionalBFD1.xGrooves,seesection5:7forfurtherdetailsonloadingtheminBFD2.

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High-accuracy song position display

ThissettingisenabledbydefaultandresultsinahighlyaccuratepositionmarkerintheGrooveEditorgrid.ThiscancausemoreCPUusageonsomesystemssoifyoufindyouareexperiencingaudioartifactswhenusingtheGrooveEditor,disablethisset-ting.

Metronome

Metronome type

ThereareaselectionofmetronomesincludedwithBFD2.Selecttheonewhichsuitsyoubest.

Metronome volume

Thissettingallowsyoutospecifyavolumelevelforthemetronome,andrangesbe-tweenamaximumof100andamimimumof1.

Metronome mode

Thissettingdetermineswhenthemetronomeisheard.Twosettingsarepossible:

Record only

Whenthemetronomebuttonisenabled,itisheardduringrecording.

Record and Play

Whenthemetronomebuttonisenabled,itisheardwhenplayingbackandrecording.

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10:4 Session preferences

Sessionpreferencesaresettingsthatarenotneededoftenenoughtomeritaplaceonthemaininterface,butwhichareusefultosaveonasession-by-sessionbasis.

IfyouwantanysettingsinthiscategorytobeappliedwhenBFD2islaunched,youneedtocreateasuitablestartuppresetwithBFD2setupthewayyouwantit.Todoso,proceedasfollows:

1.setBFD2’sparametersasyouwantthem

2.setupBFD2’ssessionpreferencesasdesired

3.saveaBFD2preset

4.gototheDatacategoryinthePreferencespage

5.settheBFD2presetyoujustsavedasthestartuppreset

Session MIDI prefereces

Reset to factory default values ClickingthisbuttonrevertstothefactorydefaultsettingsforSessionMIDIpreferences.

Notes MIDI channel Grooves MIDI channel Controller MIDI channel

ThesesettingsspecifytheMIDIchannelsonwhichBFD2re-ceivesMIDIdataforthefollowingpurposes:

•triggeringarticulationswithMIDInotes•playingGrooveswithMIDInotes•automatingBFD2controlswithMIDICCsandMIDInotes

Bydefault,allofthesearesettoOmni,whichmeansthatarticulationkeymaps,GroovenotesandMIDIautomationreceiveonallMIDIchannels.

ItisverylikelythatyouwillstarttorunoutofMIDInotesinparticularifyouhavelarge,complexkits,lotsofGroovesorlotsofMIDInoteautomation.Ifthisisthecase,youcanmakeBFD2receiveMIDIdataondifferentchannelsforeachofthesepurposes.

Ifyouwanttochangeanyofthese3settings,itisnotadvisabletoleaveanyotherswithanOmnisetting.YoushouldseteachtoaspecificMIDIchannel,evenifyouwanttwoofthemtoshareachannel.

Send MIDI Out MIDI Out channel

ThesesettingsrelatetoBFD2’sMIDIOutfunction,whichoutputseventsfromtheGrooveengine(seesection7:7forfurtherdetailsofusingthisfeature).

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Session Playback preferences

Revert to factory defaults

ClickingthisbuttonrevertstothefactorydefaultsforMIDIsessionpreferences.

Auto-fill period

ThissettingdefineshowoftenfillsaretriggeredwhenusingtheAuto-fillfunction.Setthenumberofbarsyouwantbetweenfillshere.

Palette Auto-Play mode

Ifyou’reusingthePaletteAuto-Playmode,thissettingallowsyoutochoosebetween3behaviourswhenBFD2’stransportisstarted(eitherusingthePlaybuttononBFD2’stransport,orbystartingthehosttransportwhenusingBFD2asaplugin).

Current (factory default)

WhenBFD2’stransportisstarted,itstartsplayingthecurrentlyselectedGroove.

Thismodeisparticularlyusefulwhenworkingintheeditor,whilesettingtheeditedGroove’sEndActionto‘Loop’.

Groove

WhenBFD2’stransportisstarted,aspecificGroovefromthePaletteisplayed.ThisGrooveisspecifiedusingthePaletteAuto-PlayGroovesetting.

Random

WhenBFD2’stransportisstarted,itplaysarandomGroovefromthePalette.

Palette Auto-Play Groove

Ifyou’reusingthe‘Groove’PaletteAuto-Playmode,thissettingletsyouspecifytheMIDInoteoftheGrooveyouwanttostartplayingwhenBFD2’stransportisstarted.

Groove engine active

YoucanswitchofftheGroovefunctionsinBFD2entirelyifyouwishbydisablingthissetting.TheGroovefunctionsdonotworkatallwiththissettingdisabled.

Latching mode

Whenthismodeisenabled,GroovearestartedandstoppedwithaMIDInoteonmessage,insteadofkeepingakeyhelddowntokeepitplaying(noteontostart,noteofftostop).WhentheGrooveends,itsbehaviourfollowsitsdefinedGrooveActions.

Therefore,whenusingthismode,playaGroove’sMIDIkeyoncetostartitandagaintostopit.

Polyphonic mode

Ordinarily,BFD2allowsyoutoplaymorethanoneGrooveatonce.WhenPolyphonicmodeisenabled,multipleGroovesmaybeplayedsimultaneously.AnewlytriggeredGroovedoesn’tstopanyotherGroovescurrentlyplaying.ThisisusefulforlayeringGrooves.Seesection7:6forhintsonusingPolyphonicmode.

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10:5 MIDI preferences

MIDI Channels

Show Session MIDI

Thereareanumberofsong-basedpreferencesconcerningthebehaviouroftheGrooveengine.ClicktheShowMIDISongSet-tingsbuttontoviewandeditthesePreferences.

SongpreferencesaresavedwithaBFD2program.Therefore,theycanbesetindependentlyforeachBFD2session.

SongpreferencesallowyoutosaveasetofdefaultstouseasinitialsettingswhenBFD2islaunched.Theycanbechangedonaper-sessionbasiswhileretainingthedefaultsunlesstheyarespecificallychangedandre-saved.

MIDI Input Transformations

Auto pedal event

Thissettingistobeusedwhenusingvariablehihatcontrolwithelectronicdrumbrainswhichdonotsendoutapedal(foot-chick)noteautomaticallywhenthehihatpedalisclosed.

Whenenabled,BFD2generatesandplayapedalnotewheneverthehihatheightMIDICCreachesthefirstvaluewithinthe‘closedzone’definedwiththeVariablezonesliderfortheVariableTiparticulation(seesection9:3).

Ifyourdrumbrainsendsoutapedalnotewhenthehihatpedalisfullydepressed(D-DrumandV-Drumbrainsfallintothiscat-egory),thenyoushoulddisablethissetting.

Auto splash event

Whenusinganelectronicdrumkitwithvariablehihatcontroller,enablingthissettingcausesBFD2togenerateahihatsplashsoundwhenthehihatpedalisclosedandopenedinveryquicksuccession.

Choke with aftertouch

EnablethisoptioninordertomakeBFDrespondtopolyphonicpressure(aftertouch)signalsforchokingcymbals.ThismethodofcymbalchokingiscommonlyimplementedinelectronicdrumbrainssuchasthoseinV-DrumandD-Drumsystems.

MIDI display

-2 octave naming -1 octave naming

SomesequencersandMIDIcontrollerdevicesuseanoctavenumberingsystemwhichbeginsatC-2,ratherthanC0,whilesomeothersuseC-1asthelowestkey..

Thesesettingsallowyoutosetthenotenumberingconventionaccordingtoyourownpreference.The-2octavenumberingset-tingisenabledbydefaultduetothefactthatitseemstobethemostcommonsysteminthemajorsequencinghosts.

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Key Mapping preferencesThesesettingsconcernthebehaviouroftheMIDIpage.

Prompt for Choke note overwrite

Withthissettingenabled,attemptingtomapaslotChokearticulationtoakeyalreadycontainingotherarticulationsresultsinawarningandrequestforconfirmation.

Assign only 1 note per articulation

Whenenabled,thissettingdisablesthelayeringofmultiplearticulationsonakey.Ifyouattempttomapanarticulationtoakeyalreadycontaininganarticulation,themappingsalreadypresentareremoved.

Select keys with MIDI notes

Whenthissettingisenabled,pressingaMIDIkeyselectsthatkeyintheKeyboardlayout.Thedisplay‘jumps’tothiskey,sothatitisshowinginthecurrentlyviewedkeyrange.

MIDI Learn Note Wizard preferencesThesesettingscontrolthebehaviouroftheMIDInotelearnwizardintheKitpage.

MIDI learn wait mode default

ThissettingdetermineswhetherWaitmodeisenabledbydefault.Itisenabledinfactorydefaultsettings.

Only learn 1 note per articulation

Whenthissettingisenabled,theMIDInotelearnwizarddoesnotallowyoutousethesamekeyformorethanonearticula-tion.Whenyouattempttomapanarticulationtoanotethatisalreadymappedtoanotherarticulation,thepreviousmappingisremoved.

MIDI learn next slot mode default

Thispreferencespecifieswhethernextslotmodeisenabledbydefault.Itisenabledinfactorydefaultsettings.

MIDI learn accept time (sec)

ThissettingdefinestheamountoftimethatBFD2allowsforyoutoplayanalternativeMIDInotebeforemovingtothenextarticu-lation.Bydefault,thisissetto5seconds.

MIDI learn skip time (sec)

Whenwaitmodeisdisabledinthewizard,thissettingspecifiesthetimedelaybeforethewizardmovesontolearningthenextarticulation(orthenextkit-piece,ifthecurrentarticulationisthelastinthecurrentkit-pieceandnextslotmodeisenabled).Bydefault,MIDIlearnskiptimeissetto15seconds.

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10:6 Engine preferences

Streaming Engine

Load all to RAM

WiththeLoadalltoRAMsettingenabled,BFD2loadstheentirekittoRAM,andnodataisstreamedfromthedisk.

PleaseensureyouhaveenoughRAMbeforeusingthisoption!

Thesizeofeachkit-pieceisshownintheInfotabofthekit-piecechooserpanels.Tousethisoptionwiththehighestkit-piecede-taillevels,youwouldrealisticallyrequireseveralgigabytesofRAM.However,ifyouusethisoptioninconjunctionwith16bitmodeandalowMaximumvelocitylayersvalue,itcanbeaviableoptionwhenusingsmalleramountsofRAM.

16 bit mode

Inthismode,sampledataisloadedintoRAMandstreamedfromdiskat16bitinsteadof24bit.Because24bitdataisstoredinmemoryas32bitfloats,using16bitmodeeffectivelyhalvesthememoryfootprintrequiredbyBFD2.

Preview RAM audio only

ThissettingmakesBFD2playonlytheinitialpartofthesoundswhichareheldinRAM,withnodiskstreamingtakingplace.Itcanbeusefulasapreviewmodewhilecomposinginordertoavoiddiskusage,anddisabledduringmixdown.TheactualamountofeachsoundstoredinRAMisdeterminedbytheRAMBuffersetting.

Mixer in own thread

Ifyouhaveamulti-coreCPU,youmaywanttoenablethisoptiontodevoteoneofthecorestoBFD2’smixerengine.Pleasenotethatthismodeincreaseslatencybyonehostbuffer(usuallythisisdefinedbythebuffersizesettingforyouraudiocard).Thisisfortechnicalreasonsandisunavoidable.

Restart engine

Ifyouchangeanyofthefollowingsettings,itisnecessarytoclicktheRestartenginebuttoninordertomakethemactive:

•LoadalltoRAM•16bitmode•RAMbuffer•Streambuffer•Maxcachebuffers•Maxvelocitylayers

Ifanykit-piecesarecurrentlyloadedwhenthisfunctionisused,BFD2reloadsthemautomaticallyusingthenewsettings.

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RAM buffer

Thisvalue,insampleframes,isthesizeoftheportionofeachsoundheldinRAMtoenablelowlatencyoperationwithinBFD2(tocircumventtheinherentlatencyinvolvedwithharddiskseektimes).TheportionheldinRAMplayswhileBFD2’sstreamingenginecuesuptherestofthedatafromtheharddisk.

Alargervaluegivestheharddrivelongertodeliverthedata,butismoredemandingonRAM.Ifthesettingistoolowforyoursystem,youarelikelytosufferfromdropoutsandotheraudioartifacts.

ThisvaluedeterminesthelengthofeachsoundplayedwhenthePreviewRAMaudioonlyoptionisenabled.

Settingsof4096,8192,16384,32768and65536samplesarepossible,selectableviaadrop-downmenu.Asettingof16384or32768isfineformostsystems,whileveryfastnewermachinesmaybeabletorunat4096or8192.Youshouldtrytousethelow-estsettingpossibleonyoursystem.

Stream buffer

TheStreambufferisthesize,insampleframes,ofthebuffersofdatabeingstreamedintoRAMfromtheharddiskforeachvoice.Generally,harddrivesaremoreefficientatreadingfewerlargechunksofdatathanmanysmallerchunks.However,alargerStreambufferusesmoreRAM,andmaybeinefficientifnotallthedataisused,suchaswhennotesarechoked.

Settingsof4096,8192,16384,32768and65536samplesarepossible,selectableviaadrop-downmenu.Settingsof8192,16384or32768arefineformostsystems:youshouldtrytousethelowestsettingpossibleonyoursystem.Ifyousetavaluethatistoolowforyoursystemtohandle,youarelikelytoheardropoutsorotheraudioartifacts.

Max cache buffers

ThissettingrepresentsthemaximumnumberofdiskstreamingbufferscachedinRAM.Ifthesamevelocitylayeristriggeredrepeatedly,itispossibletoavoidreadingfromthediskbyreusingthediskstreamingbufferswiththesamedata.Thisparam-eterdetermineshowmuchofyourRAMyouwanttosetasideinthehopeofacheivingsuchreuse.Ifyouhaveevenamoderateamountofdynamicsintheperformance,orifyouareusingHumanizevelocityorAnti-machinegunmode,youmayfindthatnotmuchreuseoccursatall,andcouldpossiblyreducethisparameteralittle.

Youstillneedatleast1cachebufferpervoice!

Max voices

TheMaxvoicessettingdictatesthemaximumnumberofvoicesBFD2canplaysimultaneously.Ifthevoicelimitisexceeded,BFD2implementsanintelligentvoice-stealingsystem,basedontheoldestvoicewhichisstillplaying.

Thenumberofvoicesrequiredforaperformancecanbelargerthanyouthink.Forexample,decayingcymbalsandtomscanraisepolyphonyrequirementsquiteconsiderably.64isasafenumbertouse,andvoicesdon’tusemuchRAM.

Max velocity layers

YoucanlimittheamountofvelocitylayersusedbyBFD2,therebyreducingthestrainontheharddiskandRAM,attheexpenseofdetail.Ifakit-pieceisloadedthathasmorelayersthanthenumberspecifiedwiththissetting,BFD2onlyloadstheselectedvelocitylayersatproportionalintervalsoverthevelocityrange,soyoustillgetthebenefitsofBFD2’snaturalvariationsinkit-piecetimbreanddynamics,onlywithless‘resolution’overthevelocityrange.

Smallervaluescanbeusefulasanefficientpreviewmodewhilecomposing.Simplyincreasethevalueandrestarttheenginebeforeperformingafinalmixdownwithfullquality.

Tochangethesetting,double-clicktheboxandenteranewvaluebetween1and256.

Ifyouareusingalownumberoflayers,itisrecommendedthatyousettheVeltoAmpdefaultpreferencetoahighpositivevalue,anythingfrom+50%to+100%.

Thismeansthatallloadedloadedarticulationsaresettoscaletheiramplitudeoverthevelocityrange,givingasmootherdynamicrangethanasmallnumberofvelocitylayerswouldallow.

NotethatBFD2allowsfurtherdetailsettingsforeachtypeofkit-piece,whichoperateasproportionalreductionsoftheMaxveloc-itylayerssetting.SeetheDetailpreferencessub-sectionbelowforaguidetomakingthesesettings.

Synth options

Drummer perspective

EnablingthissettingallowsyoutohearBFD2’soutputfromthedrummer’sperspective,ratherthanthatofalistenerontheothersideofthekit.Allpansettingsareinverted,asaretheambiencechannels.TheinversionoccursrelativetotheFlipambienceset-tingsforeachkit-piece.Thissettingisenabledbydefault.

Disable SideStick tuning

Withthispreferenceenabled,thesidestickarticulationforsnaresisnotaffectedbychangestothetuneandmastertuneparam-etersintheKitpage.Thisresultsinbehaviourthatmorecloselyresembleshowarealsnareworks.

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Anti-machinegun mode

Withthissettingenabled,BFD2neverplaysthesamevelocitylayertwiceinsucessionforanarticulation.Thiseffectivelyremovesthe‘machinegun’effectwhichcanmakedrumrollsandotherintricatepartssoundunrealistic.

IftheVelRndparameterissetto0foranyarticulation,itisnotaffectedbytheAnti-machinegunmodesetting.Seesection2:8formoreinformationonusingtheVelRndparameterforarticulations.

All Hihats variable

TheAllHihatsvariablesettingprovidesaquickwayofturningasetofregularhihatarticulationsintoavariablehihatsetup.Itworksbychangingallhihatarticulationmappings(withtheexceptionofthepedalarticulation)tovariableequivalents.Seesection9:3formoredetailsofthisfunction.

Retrig threshold

ThissettingdefinesaperiodoftimeaftereachreceivedMIDInote,withinwhichfurtherreceivednotesareignored.Thissettingisusefulifyouownatriggeringsystempronetocross-talkanddoubletriggering.

Thevalueissetinseconds.

Thedefaultvalueis0.050(50milliseconds).

Hihat reopen thresh Hihat Trans time Hihat tip tighten (base) Hihat tip tighten (range)Hihat shank tighten (base)Hihat shank tighten (range)

Thesesettingsarerelatedmostlytocontrollinghihatsfromelectronicdrumsystems.Seesection9:4foraguidetosettingthesepreferences.

However,evenifyouarenotusinganelectronicdrumsystem,youcanmakeclosedtipandshankhihatarticulationssoundtighterbysettingtheHihattiptighten(base)andHihatshanktighten(base)preferencesasrequired.

Vel to Amp default amount

ThisvaluespecifiesthedefaultamountsetfortheVeltoAmpparameterforeacharticulationineachloadedkit-piece.

Firstly,thissettingisusefulwhenusinglowerdetaillevels(forexample,ifyouinstalledBFD2atalowdetaillevel,orifyouhavereduceddetaillevelsusingtheMaxvelocitylayersandDetailsettings).UsingahighVeltoAmpsettinggivesyouasmootherdynamicrangethanasmallnumberofvelocitylayerswouldallow.

Secondly,youmaybeusedtothevelocityresponseofdrumsoundsinsynthsandsamplers,whenadrumsound’samplitudescalesdowntosilenceoverthevelocityrange.Thisisespeciallytrueifyou’reusedtothesoundsusedinelectronicdrumkitbrains.

However,thisisn’treallyhowrealdrumsrespond,soleavethissetto0ifyouareusingasufficientamountoflayersandpreferanaturalresponse.

Ifyoupreferanamplitudescaledresponse,setthispreferencetoanythingfrom+50%to+100%.

ThedefaultstateofthispreferenceisdictatedbyyouranswertothefirstquestionintheBFD2setupwizard(seesection1:9).

Fade preferencesAchokefade,orfade,occursifanarticulationinakit-pieceistriggeredbeforeanolderarticulationfromthesamekit-piecehasfinisheddecaying.Forexample,ifyouplay2hightomsrapidlyinsuccession,thefirstisfadedoutwhilethesecondistriggered.Thefadesettingsallowyoutoadjustthefadetimesforthekit.

Thehihat,tomandcymbalslotshavetheirownfadesettings,whileallotherkit-pieceslotsusethe‘default’fadesettings.Differ-entkit-piecetypesrequiredifferentchokefadetimestosoundrealistic.Whileshortfadetimesforsnaresandkickssoundfine,cymbalsneedmuchlongerfadetimes,forinstance.Hihats,meanwhile,needspecialattentionastheirchokingbehaviourisverydifferenttootherkit-pieces.

How fades work

Therearetwocomponentstothechokefadetimeforeachoftheabovecategories:fade(base)istheminimumfadetime,whilefade(range)isamaximumofextrafadetimeaddedtothe(base)value,accordingtoBFD2’s‘dominantexcitationpreservation’algorithm.Thisalgorithmallowslongerfadetimesforlouderarticulations(highervelocity)whenchokedbysofterarticulations(lowervelocity),whilereducethefadetimewhenalowvelocityarticulationischokedbyasuccessivehighervelocityarticulation.Thisapproachachievesrealisticresults,whilereducingthediskstreamingloadwhenpossible.

Alowvelocityarticulationchokedbyahighvelocityarticulationhasafadetimeoffade(base),whereasaloudeventchokedbyasofteventhasafadetimeoffade(base)+fade(range).

Pleasenotethatthesettingsarequitepowerful,andwithextremesettingsyoucanachieveresultswhichmaysoundunrealistic.Subtleuseisadvisedifyouwantrealisticresults!Extremesettingsare,however,facilitatedasanaidtocreativityandexperimen-tation.

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Special concerns for hihats

Hihatshaveafewextrafadeparameters,asinmanywaysthehihathasthemostcomplexchokingbehaviourwithinadrumkit.

Thereare3separatechokefadetypesforhihats:pedalnotesandclosedtipnoteshaveseparatechokefadetimestotherestofthehihat’sarticulations.Itisrecommendedthatthepedalandclosedtipchokefadetimesarekeptatlowvalues,whiletheotherhihatchokefadetimes(coveringallopenarticulationsaswellastheclosedshankarticulation)shouldbekeptathighervalues.

Thepedalistheonlythingthatchokesanopenhihatwhenplayingadrumkit.WhenplayingBFD2’ssoundsfromanelectronicdrumkit,thepedalnotesentoutwhenthepedalismoveddownfullyisthenoteusedtochokeanopenhihat.

Ithasalsobecomeconventionalforsample-baseddrumkitstochokeopenhatswithaclosedhatnote.Therefore,theclosedtipchokefadetimeisalsoprovidedandissettoalowvaluebydefault.

Openhihatpositionsandtheclosedshankarticulationaresplashiersoundsthatreactsimilarlytocymbalswhenplayedrepeat-edlyinsuccession.

Default choke fade (base)

Default choke fade (range)

Hihat choke fade (base)

Hihat choke fade (range)

Hihat closed tip choke fade

Hihat pedal choke fade

Tom choke fade (base)

Tom choke fade (range)

Cymbal choke fade (base)

Cymbal choke fade (range)

Cymbal choke fade (manual)

The minimum fade time for all kit-piece slots without indi-vidual fade times (kicks, snares and percussion).

The maximum fade time for all kit-piece slots without indi-vidual fade times (kicks, snares, percussion).

The minimum fade time for the hihat slot.

The maximum fade time for the hihat slot.

The choke fade time applied to previous hihat sounds when a closed tip hihat is triggered.

The choke fade time applied to previous hihat sounds when a pedal hihat is triggered.

The minimum fade time for the tom slots.

The maximum fade time for the tom slots.

The minimum fade time for cymbal slots.

The maximum fade time for cymbal slots.

The choke fade time for manual choking a cymbal using the slot choke articulation, or using poly pressure mes-sages sent out by electronic drumkits.

DetailTheDetailsettingsallowyoutosetthelevelofvelocitylayerdetailforeachkit-piececlass:kicks,snares,hihats,toms,cymbalsandpercussion.

ThesesettingsoperaterelativetotheMaxvelocitylayerssetting–inotherwords,thelowerdetaillevelsproportionallyreducethenumberoflayersspecifiedinthissetting.Velocitylayersareselectedatproportionalintervalsoverthevelocityrange,soyoustillgetthebenefitsofBFD2’snaturalvariationsinkit-piecetimbreanddynamics,onlywithless‘resolution’overthevelocityrange.

Fourdetaillevelsareavailable:

Minimal

Onlyonevelocitylayerisloadedforeacharticulationinthekit-piececlass.TheVeltoAmpsettingforeachloadedarticulationisautomaticallysetto+100%,inordertoscalethevolumeoverthevelocityrange.

Small

BFD2loadsapproximatelyaquarterofthe‘maxvelocitylayers’settingforeacharticulationinthekit-piececlass.

Medium

Approximatelyhalfofthemaxvelocitylayerssettingareloadedforeacharticulationinthekit-piececlass.

Large

Themaximumpossibleamountoflayers,asspecifiedbythemaxvelocitylayerssetting,areloadedforeacharticulationinthekit-piececlass.

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10:7 GUI preferences

Control behaviour

Circular knob motion

Whenthissettingisenabled,circularmousemovementisrequiredtocontrolknobsinBFD2.Whenthesettingisdisabled,knobsarecontrolledbyverticalmousemovement.Thesettingisdisabledbydefault.

Left-right velocity-scaled preview support

Withthissettingenabled,BFD2revertstoaBFD1-stylepreviewmechanismofvelocityincreasingfromlefttoright.Thisoccursinthefollowingpreviewhotspots:

•ALT-clickingakit-pieceslotwindowintheKitpage•ALT-clickingakit-pieceinthekit-piecechooserlisting•ALT-clickingakit-piece’sdirectchannelphotointheMixerpage•ALT-clickingakeyinthekeymapper’skeyboardlayout

Ifthissettingisdisabled,clickinganywhereinthesepreviewhotspotsresultsinapreviewwithafixedvelocityof95.

Launch web browser for images

Whenthissettingisenabled,clickingaphotoassociatedwithamixerpreset(intheMixerpage’smixerpresetpanel)oraGroovePalette(intheGroovepage’sPaletteInfoinspector),resultsintheauthor’swebsitebeinglaunchedinyoursystem’sdefaultwebbrowser.

Ifyouarenotconnectedtotheinternet,orsimplywanttodisablethisfunctionalityforanyotherreason,thissettingprovidesthispossibility.

Display tool-tips

Enablingthissettingresultsinatool-tip–ashortpieceofcontext-sensitivehelp–appearingwhenthemousecursorhoversoverapartoftheuserinterfaceforacertainamountoftime.

TheamountoftimerequiredtohoveroveracontrolorotherpartoftheinterfacecanbedefinedwiththeTool-tipappeartimeset-ting.

Whiletool-tipsareveryhelpfulwhenfirststartingtouseBFD2,youmayeventuallyfindthemdistracting.Ifthisisthecase,youcandisablethissetting.

Notethatcontext-sensitivehelpalwaysappearsinthecontextinfodisplayintheBFD2statusbar,whateverthestatusofthisset-ting.

Tool-tip appear time

Thissettingspecifiesthetimerequiredtohoveroveracontrolorpartoftheuserinterfaceforatool-tiptoappear.Thetimeisdefinedinanimationframes.Asettingof23isroughlyequivalentto1second.

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Mixer GUI Options

Show mixer signal routing Show Utility panel Show ambience channels Show aux channels Show direct channels Regular channel view

ThesepreferencessetthedefaultstatesofthemixerviewswitchesintheMixerpagetoolbar(seesection3:4fordetails).

Animate mixer meters Animate FX meters

ThesesettingsallowyoutodisablemeteringonmixerchannelsandinFXinterfaces.Whilethesesettingsareenabledbydefault,theyareprovidedincasethemeteringgraphicscauseexcessCPUusageonyoursystem.

Kit Page

Connect kit and slot

Withthissettingenabled,movingthemousecursoroverakit-pieceinthegraphicalkitdisplayresultsinthecorrespondingkit-pieceslotwindowbeinghighlightedwithanoverlaidgreenconnectingline.

Disablingthissettingturnsoffthisbehaviour.

Select triggers preview

Whenthissettingisenabled,clickingakit-pieceslotwindowintheKitpagewiththeSelecttoolresultsinapreviewbeingheard.

Bydefault,thissettingisdisabled,meaningthatyoumustALT-clickakit-pieceslotinordertopreviewit.

Clear slots on kit load

Bydefault,whenloadingakit,anykit-pieceslotsthatdonotcontainakit-pieceintheloadedkitareunaffected.

Byenablingthissetting,theentirepreviouskitisclearedbeforethenewkitisloaded.

Default kit size

ThissettingallowsyoutospecifythekitsizewhenBFD2islaunched.Youcanusekitswith9,18or32kit-pieceslots.

Keyboard ShortcutsBFD2allowsyoutosetupkeyboardshortcutsforimportantfunctions.Pleasenotethatmanyhosts‘steal’keyboardinputfromtheplugin–insuchcases,BFD2’skeyboardshortcutsdonotwork.

Shortcutsareassignedtofunctionsbyclickingthefunctioninthelist,andthenclickingtheLearnbuttonabovethelist.Youcannowpressthekeythatyouwanttouseasashortcutforthefunction.CTRL,SHIFTandALTmodifiersareaccepted.

SelectafunctionandclicktheClearbuttoninordertoremovetheassignment.

Thefollowingfunctionscanbeassignedtoakeyboardshortcut:

Function

Kit pageMixer pageGrooves pageMIDI pagePrefs pageSave ProgramLoad ProgramPlay / StopLeft tool: Select (Grooves)Left tool: Draw (Grooves)Left tool: Erase (Grooves)Left tool: Mute (Grooves)Left tool: Vel (Grooves)Right tool: Select (Grooves)Right tool: Draw (Grooves)Right tool: Erase (Grooves)Right tool: Mute (Grooves)Right tool: Vel (Grooves)

Default keyboard shortcut

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Chapter 11 PROGRAMMING TIPS

11:1 Building the kit

Choose the right kit-pieces

ChoosingtherightKit-piecesisparamounttogettingtherightsound.Ifyouwantatightkicksound,startwiththetightest-sound-ingkickyoucanfind!

Paycloseattentiontothecompositionofyourkitandbecreative–BFD2allowsyoualotoffreedombyallowingyoutomixandmatchtomsandtoloadanytypeofKit-pieceintoanytypeofslot-it’sveryeasytouseafloortomasakick,forexample.

Mix and match

Thereisabsolutelynoreasontosticktopre-definedmanufacturer-basedkits.Mostdrummersregularlymixandmatchpartsofthekitfordifferentmusicalneeds,andittakesamatterofsecondsinBFD2.Havingsaidthat,thereisabsolutelynothingwrongwithfindingakitthatworksforyouandstickingtoit.Thereareinfinitewaysinwhichtoshapeasinglekittosoundgoodinanytypeofcontext.

Likewise,thereisnoneedtosticktothesamelibrarywhenbuildingakit.Althoughthevariousexpansionpacksarerecordedindifferentroomstotheoriginallibrary,thereisnoreasonwhytheycan’tsoundgoodinthemixtogether.

11:2 Using Velocity layers

The importance of utilising BFD2’s velocity layersAveryeasymistaketomakewithBFD2istousemaximumvelocitiesallthetime.Whenyoudothis,ineffectthedrummerisplayingwithmaximumforceallthetime-somethingthatdoesnothappenofteninreallife.Asaconsequence,thedrumpartsoundsroboticandmachinegun-like.Adrumkitisamassivelyexpressiveinstrument:itsoundsverydifferentwhenplayedwithsofthits(lowvelocities)thanwhenitisplayedwithbrutalforce(highvelocities).

TheBFD2libraryhasupto96velocitylayers.Whatthismeansisthatthedrumsarerecordedbeingstruckbyupto96levelsofintensity.It’svitaltomakegooduseofthesevelocitylayersinordertoachieverealisticdrumming.

Deploying velocity layers effectivelyItisvitallyimportanttorememberthatintelligentuseofdifferentvelocitiesandaccentingisanimportantelementof‘groove’,andcancontributetoswing-likeeffectsevenwithtightlyquantizedpatterns.

Trymakingastraightclosedhihatpatternquantizedto1/16thnotes,witheachnoteatavelocityof100.Whenthispatternisplayedbackitsoundsprettyrigidandrobotic.

Nowselecteveryoff-beat16thnoteandreduceitsvelocitytoaround50.Whenthispatternisplayed,itoffersamuchmoreinter-estingsenseofgroove,withoutanytimingchangeshavingbeenappliled.

Softvelocitiesaregoodforanythinggentleandacoustic,suchasmellowjazz,soul,countryandblues,whilehighvelocitiesaregreatforreallyrockingout.

ThelevelofvelocitylayerdetailinBFD2givesyoualotofroomforvariationandaccentinghits,allowingdeepcomplexityanddynamicexpression.WhencombinedwithalltheotherfunctionsinBFD2,suchasprocessingandarticulationvelocitycontrol,thecreativepossibilitiesareimmense.Tryapplyingheavycompressiontotheselowvelocityhits,whileaddingaliberalamountofVeltoDamp(velocitytodamping)inthekit-pieceinspectorforfurtherdimensions.

Dynamics controlsTheDynamicscontrolsarevaluabletoolstogetthemostoutofBFD2’shighdetaillevels.Don’tconfusethesewithdynamicsprocessing(suchascompressionorgating).TheBFD2Dynamicscontrolsscaleincomingnotevelocitiesupordown.Thisallowsyoutochangethedynamicsofthe‘playing’inrealtime.

TheMasterDynamicscontrolisparticularlyuseful,especiallyifyouassignaMIDIcontrollertoitforrealtimeautomation.Pro-gramadrumtrackasnormal,thenrecordyourself‘riding’theMasterDynamicscontroloveritsdurationwithaMIDIcontroller.Pullitdownslightlyfortheverses,andperhapstowardstheendofthebarleadinguptoeachchorus,starttopullituptogivethedrumsmoreintensity.

EachKit-PieceslothasaDynamicscontroltoo,soyoucanadjusttheintensityofeachpartofthekitindependently.YoumaybesurprisedhowmanydifferentpermutationsofdrumsoundsyoucanachievewithasinglepatternandtheDynamicscontrols.

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11:3 Using articulations effectivelyThevariousarticulationsareaveryimportantaspectofBFD2,andmakingintelligentuseofthemcancontributetotherealismofyourdrumtracks.Articulationssuchassnaredragsofferquickaccesstoelementsofadrumperformancewhicharenotalwaysstraightforwardtoprogramorplay.OtherarticulationsrepresentdifferentwaysofplayingaKit-Piece.

Kicks

Kicksaretypicallyrecordedwithasnarepresent,meaningthatitalsocontainsthesoundofthesnarewireresonatingwhenthekickishit.However,somekicksalsooffera‘nosnare’hit,whichdoesnotcontainthesnarerattle,duetothesnaredrumbeingremoved.

Snares

BFD2’ssnaresgenerallycontainahitatthecentreofthedrumhead,anotherhithalfwaytowardstheedge,arimandasidestickaswellasdragrolls.Someexpansionpackscontaindifferentotherarticulationssuchasflams.

Whenusingthedrags,rememberthatBFD2’schokingmechanismletsyoucutthesoundofaKit-Piecewithanotherhit.Achokeeventisidealforcuttingshortadragifit’stoolongandyoudon’twanttochokeitwithanothersnarehit.

Hihats

HihatshavethemostpossiblearticulationsofanyKit-PiecetypeintheBFD2library.Tipandshanksoundsareprovidedatava-rietyofdegreesbetweenopenandclosed,aswellaspedal(foot-chick)sounds.‘Tip’isusedtodescribethetipofthestickhittingthetopofthehihat,while‘shank’referstothebodyofthestickhittingtheedgeofthehat.

Formostapplicationswhereyouneedaclassic‘open’hatsound,youshouldaimtousethe1/2-openarticulations.Theopentipsoundismorelikea‘hihatbell’-thetopcymbalinahihatactuallysoundsmorelikearidethanahihatwhenitisnotvibratingagainstthebottomcymbal.

It’salsogoodtorememberthatadrummergenerallychokesanopenhihatbymovingthepedaldown,whichresultsinafoot-chickwhilestoppingthetwohihatsurfacesfromvibratingagainsteachotherbybringingthemtoaclosedposition.Therefore,youshoulduselowvelocitypedalhitsintheappropriateplaceafteranopenpositionforchoking.

11:3 Damping, tuning and tightening

Damping kicks, snares and tomsThedampingcontrolsintheKit-PieceInspectoractasanenvelopetocontrolthelengthofasound’sdecay.Increasingthedamp-ingamountshortensthedecaytime.Snaresandkickscanbecomemorepowerfulandcutting,whileyoucandramaticallyreducethedurationoftomstostopthemdominatingthemix.

ThedampingfunctioninBFDemulatesreal-worlddampingmethods,suchasusingadampingringonsnaresandtoms,orfillingkickdrumswithduvets,blanketsorpillows.

Dampingisespeciallyusefulingroove-orientedmusicorwhenusingfasttempos:shorteningthedecayofthedrumscanmakethempunchierandcreatesmorespaceinthemixforotherelements.

Usingthedampingcontrolstoalargedegree(over50%)isamucheasieralternativetousinggatestoachievesimilareffects.

Tightening closed hihatsDampingonhihatsisnotusuallyappropriate,althoughthefacilityisprovidedifyouwouldliketoexperiment.

Amoreusefultoolforhihatsisthe‘tighten’feature.Thisallowsyoutoshortenclosedhihatswithoutaffectingopenhatpositions.Evenifyoudon’tuseahihatpedalcontroller,setthetightenamountfortheclosedtipandclosedshankarticulationsusingthe‘defaulthihattighten’parameterintheBFD2Sessionpreferences.

Whenusingahihatpedalcontroller,theamountoftighteningisvariablewithintheclosedpositionrangeofMIDICCvalues.

Tuning the kitItcanbeagoodideatoadjustthetuningofthevariouspartsofthekitslightlytomatchthekeyoftherestofyourproject.Thiscanbeaveryquickwayofgettingthedrumstositbetterinthecontextofasong.

Aswellastheindividualtuningcontrolsforeachkit-pieceslot,BFD2providesaMastertunecontrol,whichadjuststhetuningofthewholekit.Itispossibletoquicklyachievewildvariationsofdrumsoundsinthisway.

Pleasenotethatexcessiveuseofthetuningcontrolscandegradethequalityofthesounds–eventhoughahighqualityresam-plingalgorithmisusedinBFD2,itisadvisabletouseaslittletuningaspossibletooptimallypreservethefidelityoftherecord-ings.

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11:4 Layering

Introduction to layeringThistechniqueiswidelyusedinmodernproduction,wherebyasampledsnareandkickarelayeredovertheoriginaldrumtrack’skicksandsnares,doublingthemup.Theusualmethodforthisproductiontrick,called‘drumreplacement’,isfairlycumbersome-youneedtoisolatethekicksandsnaresfromanybleedintheirtracks,andusethetransientstotriggertherequiredsoundsinasampler.WhenusingBFD2,it’sfareasier.

Simple layering using the Link functionIfyouwanttolayertwosnaresinBFD2,loadthefirstintotheSnare1slotasnormalandthenloadanotherintotheSnare2slot.Then,usingtheLinkfunctionintheKitpage,linkthetwoslots.ThisresultsinSnare2beingtriggeredwheneverSnare1istrig-gered.

BFD2’susersampleimportfunctionallowsyoutouseanysamplesforthispurpose,includingstereosamplesfromspecializeddrumreplacementsamplelibraries.

Layering individual articulations in the Mapping pageYoumaywanttolayerspecificarticulations,forexampleSnare1’smainhitwithanimportedkit-pieceinoneslot,anditssidestickwithaseparateimportedkit-pieceinanotherslot.

Inordertodothis,loadthekit-pieces,anddraganddroptherelevantkit-piecearticulationsontoanemptykeyintheMappingpagekeymappingview.Playthiskeywheneveryouwantthelayeredeffect.

Creative and experimental layeringThereisalotofroomforcreativitywhenusinglayeringtechniques.Forinstance,youcanusedifferentamountsofambienceanddampingforeachsnare,andusethetuningcontrolstoadjustthesoundfurther.Thisisevenbeforeusingprocessingtotakeitevenfurther.

Youcanusesimilarmethodsonkickstomakethemhugewiththunderouslow-end.

Youdon’tneedtorestrictlayeringtodrumreplacementapplications–it’salsogreatfordesigningstrangeandexperimentalkits,especiallywhenusedwithmoreesotericlibrariessuchasBFDPercussionand8BitKit.

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11:5 Programming patternsAguidetodrumpatternprogrammingisbeyondthescopeofthismanual-likegoodmelodyandharmonyparts,therearenoshortcutstogooddrumcomposition!However,hereareafewhintsandtipstopointyouintherightdirection.

Drumming fundamentalsConsiderhowadrummerwouldplayapattern.Mostdrummershave2handsand2feet:4limbsintotal.Itthereforelogicallyfollowsthatgenerally,upto4thingscanbeplayedatanyonetime.It’sgoodtowatchafewdrummingvideos(agoodsourceofthesecanbefoundatdrummerworld.com)orstudysomedrumscorestogetabetterideaofhowdrumpatternsarecomposed.

Studyafewpointsofdrummingrudiments:thingslikesingleanddoublestrokes,paradiddles,andsoon.Understandinghowdrummersbuildrhythmsisvitallyimportantincreatingrealisticdrumparts.

Physical interfacing with the computerDrummingisaveryphysicalactivity!It’sgoodtoplaysomethinginrealtimetocapturerealspontaneityandgroove,insteadofus-ingamouseonapianoroll.

Akeyboardactionisnotidealfordrumming,asthereisalotoftravelrequiredtotriggerthenote.Keyboardmechanismsweredesignedtomovehammersthathitstrings,nottoplaydrumsounds!It’sbettertousesomethingmoretactileandresponsivelikeadrum-padunit(suchastheM-AudioTriggerFinger,KorgPadKontrol,AkaiMPD-16/24etc)oranelectronicdrumkit.

Transcribe, study and edit existing drum partsTrytotranscribethedrumpartsfromyourfavouriterecords.Ifyoufinditdifficulttoprogramdrumsthatyoucanhearwithyourears,thenit’sunreasonabletoexpectyourselftoprogramdrumsthatyoucanonlyhear‘inyourhead’.Themoreyoupracticedrumprogrammingtechniques,themoreskillsyoulearn.Agoodwaytotranscribeapatternistoimportaloopingsegmentofasongintoatrackonyoursequencer.Whileloopingthepart,programthedrumsoundsuntilitsoundsright,thenmutetheloop.Whateverremainsshouldbeareasonableapproximationofthedrums.

AnothervaluableresourceforstudyisBFD2’slibraryofGrooves.EvenifthepatternsintheGroovelibraryaren’tyourcupoftea,youcanstudythemasMIDIpartsinyoursequencertoseehowadrummerpushesandpullsagainstthe‘grid’ofhardbeatdivi-sions.It’salsoagoodideatolookattheeventvelocities,togetafeelforhowaccentingandvelocityvariationcanhelpthefeelofadrumpattern.

IfyoulikethefeelofaGrooveoraFillbutnottheactualpattern,it’sveryeasytotocreatenewpatternsbymovingnotes‘upanddown’todifferentkit-piecearticulationsinyoursequencer’spianorollorinBFD2’sGrooveeditor.Manysequencersalsocontaintoolsfor‘groovequantizing’–extractingthefeelfromaMIDIpart(suchasanexportedGroove)andusingitasaquantizetem-plateforotherMIDIparts.Seeyoursequencinghost’smanualfordetailsofsuchfeatures.

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chapter 12 MIXING AND EFFECTS USAGE

OverviewTheaimofthischapteristohelpyouapproachmixingwithBFD2,coveringeverythingfromuseofmicchannelstothebuilt-inFXsuite.

Mixing advice

Thesesectionsgiveyoupointersonmixing–fromusingBFD2’sbuilt-incontrolovermicchannels,bleedandpanningtoroutingfunctions,externalprocessingandunderstandinghowtomixeachpartofthekit.

Pleasetaketheadviceforwhatitis:ausefulstartingpointifyou’reinexperiencedwithmixingdrums.It’snotintendedasgospelorasetofrules.Therearenorules–ifyouhaveyourownideasaboutyoursound,weencourageyoutoexperimentandbecreative.

12:1 Mixing basics

Howtoapproachmicchannels,panning,gain,EQandcompression.

12:6 Mixing each part of the kit

SomehelpfulpointersonusingEQandotherprocessingonvariouspartsofthekit.

12:7 Routing scenarios

AguidetousingBFD2’sroutingfunctionsforthreecommonscenarios:creatingasub-mix,achievingmicchannelseparationoverseparateoutputsandcreatingasendtoanexternalreverb.

12:8 External processing

Morecreativeadviceonusingexternalprocessingtotakeyourdrumsoundsevenfurther.

BFD2 FX guide

TheBFD2FXallcontainanumberofcommoncontrols,locatedatthetopofeacheffect’sinterface.Seesection3:7formoredetailsaboutthesecontrols,aswellasforinformationonlaunchingandmanagingeffectsinyourmixes.

Theguideinthischaptercontainssuggestedusesforcommoncontrolswhereparticularlyapplicable,suchaswhenusingtheMixcontrolforquickparallelcompressioneffects.

Notethatitisbeyondthescopeofthisguidetoprovideafullexplanationofeacheffectandhowitworks–somefamiliaritywiththesetypesofprocessorsisassumed.

12:2 EQ and filtering

AguidetoBFD2’sEQ,FilterandFilterModFX.

12:3 Dynamics processing

AguidetousingBFD2’sdynamicsprocessors:CompChan,CompBusandNoiseGate.

12:4 Distortion

AguidetotheDriveandBitCrusherFX.

12:5 Other effects

AguidetotherestoftheprocessorsinBFD2:Gain,Delay,Flanger,Chorus,RingMod,FreqShift,TinCanVerb

D.CAM FXFXlabelledwiththeD.CAMlogoarepainstakingmodelsofreal-worldanalogcircuitsandcomponents,includingtheirnon-lineari-ties.Theseadvancedmodellingtechniquesbringyouascloseaspossibletomanipulatingyoursoundswithrealanaloghard-ware.

ThefullyD.CAM-modelledFXaretheCompChan,CompBus,FilterModandDriveprocessors.

ThefiltersusedintheEQarealsoD.CAMmodelled,asarefilteringanddriveelementsofmostoftheotherFX.

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12:1 Mixing basics

Mic channel usage

Using ambience

It’simportanttorememberyoudoNOTneedallmicchannelsatmaximumlevelsinthemix.Inmostnormalmixingsituations,drumambienceisturneddowntoquitesubtlelevels.Youwouldn’tnormallyhavethreewetreverbsignalsturnedupasloudasthedrysound,sowhydoitwithrealambience?

TheambienceinBFD2isthereifyouneedit.Ifyoudon’t,turnitdownandworkwiththedirectsignals.RoomandPZMsignalstendtobethebiggest-soundingchannels,whichreallygiveaheavyimpressionofspaceandincreasedsustain.Ifyouwantadry,intimatesound,turnthesedown.TheOverheadchannelsstillprovidealushsenseofambiencewithoutsoundingtoohuge.

YoucanadjustambiencelevelsforeachKit-piece,usingtheKit-pieceTrimcontrols(asopposedtotheDirectTrim).Therefore,ifyouneedatightkickbutahugesnare,turndowntheKit-pieceTrimonthekickandleaveituponthesnare.Thesecontrolsactlikereverbsends,whiletheOH,RoomandPZMfadersareeffectivelylikereturnlevelsfor3differentreverbalgorithms.

Mic channel selection

ThereareallkindsofwaysofusingBFD2’smicchannels.Manyrecordingsessionsareconductedwithjustasetofstereooverheads,perhapswithsomekickreinforcementwithadedicateddirectkickmic.There’snothingwrongwithjustusingonemicbussuchasthedirectsoroverheads.Itisentirelyuptoyouanddependsuponthesoundyouwanttoachieve.Youcanrecreatevirtuallyeverymic-ingtechniqueinBFD2,sobecreative!

Agoodtechniqueforanall-purposedrumsoundistousethedirectmicchannelsforpunch,atouchofoverheadsforasenseofspaceandamonoroomdialledintotaste.Monoroomsaregreatbecausetheysoundverypunchyandthick,andsinceit’svirtu-allyimpossibletogetasymmetricalresponsethatfollowsthestereoplacementofakick,thisisaverycommontechniquesoasnottointerferewithakit’spanning.

To bleed or not to bleed

Inpracticalterms,usingbleedgivesamorenaturalrecordeddrumsound,asitalwaysexistsinreal-worldrecordings.

However,artificialseparationisanidealsituation:mixengineersoftenusegatestoeradicatebleedasmuchaspossible.Youmayfindthatbleedismoreproblematiconsomekit-piecesratherthanothers.Thereforethepossibilityofcontrollingbleedforoneormorekit-piecesisprovidedintheKit-PieceInspector.

Ifyou’renotinterestedinbleedatall,andareonlyconcernedwithachievingseparationofthedifferentkit-pieces,youcaneradi-cateitcompletelybyturningdownthemasterkickandsnarebleedcontrolsintheMicToolspanelintheBFD2Mixerpage.

PanningDon’tbeafraidtousemonowhenitcomestotheambientchannelsorpanningthedirects-itcanhelpthemixtosoundbigger.It’squitecommontouseamonoroomsignalwithheavycompressionforexample.AlthoughthedirectsarepannedbydefaultinBFD2toreflectthelayoutofthekit,itcanbeagoodideatoputthekick,snareandhatinthecentreofthestereofield-thiscangivethedrumsmoreweight,presenceandimpact.

It’salsowisenottogooverboardonpanningtomsandcymbals.ThedefaultpanpositionsinBFD2aretomatchupwiththeposi-tionsintheoverheads.However,youdon’tnecessarilyhavetosticktothese.Again,ambiencechannelscanbegoodinmono,andreducingthestereospreadcangivethedrumsmoreimpact.

Whendealingwithstereoambiencechannels,rememberthatthepositionofthedifferentpartsofthekitare‘hard-coded’intothestereoimageoftheambiencechannels.Thisisanunavoidablelimitationofhavingstereoambiencechannels.However,theam-biencechannelsforanyKit-Piececanbeflipped:forexample,ifyoumovethedirectcymbalsignaltotheothersideofthestereoimage,youcanfliptheambiencetomatch.Crashcymbalstendtopositionedontherightofthekit,ridestotheleft,andsplashestowardsthecentre.

The‘Drummerperspective’settingintheBFD2preferencesflipsallpansettingsgloballytoreflectthedrummer’sperspectivesit-tingatthekit,orbacktotheengineer’sperspectiveinthecontrolroom,watchingfromtheotherside.Whichperspectiveyouuseisentirelyuptoyou.

Gain levelsWhenmixingdrums(oranythingelseforthatmatter)inthedigitaldomain,it’sagoodideatokeepallindividualchannelgainsatsensiblelevelspeakingbetween-12to-15dB.Thismeansthatevenwhenyousumalotofchannelstogetheryoustillhaveadecentamountofheadroomonthemasteroutputs,meaningthatanyclippingisunlikely.Pullingyourhostmixer’smasterfaderdowntocompensateforexcessivelevelsofindividualchannelsisbadpractice,asisslappingabrick-walllimiteracrossthemas-teroutputs.

RunningyourindividualchannelsatsensiblelevelsalsomeansthatanyEQandotherprocessingthatisappliedislesslikelytoclipitschannels.

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Approaching EQ and compressionEQ(equalization)andcompressioncanbeusedinavarietyofways.Thetraditionalapproachistousetheseprocessorsinasubtlewaysothatinstrumentsfittogetherbetterinthemix,tameover-dynamictracksto‘levelthemout’more,andsoon.

Intermsofgettingagoodmix,well-balancedlevels(betweenthevariousdrummicchannels,andbetweenthedrumsandtheotherinstrumentsinyoursong)tendtobemoreimportantthanEQorcompression.SeasonedmixengineersuseheavyamountsofEQandcompressiononlyasalastresort,usuallytofixapoorly-recordedinstrumentorasacreativeeffect.

Approaching EQ

WhenusingEQ,cuttingratherthanboostingcanoftenleadtothesameperceptionofthesound,withouteatingintoheadroom.Thisdoesn’talwaysseemdesirable,butinthecontextofamixitoftenworksbest.Itleadstoacleanermix-boostinglotsofele-mentscanresultinamesswhichismorepronetodistort.

AnotherpitfalltoavoidisthemistakeofconstantlyEQ-inginsolomode.MakeyourEQadjustmentswiththerestofthesong’sinstrumentsplaying!EQ-ingonlymakessenseinthecontextoftherestofthemix!It’scalled‘equalization’becauseyou’remakingdifferentelementssittogetherbetterbyrestrictingtheirfrequencyrangeifthey‘clash’witheachother.Whatmightsoundgreatsolo’ddoesn’talwaysworkinthemix-itcanoftenbeoverbearinginthemixcontext.IfyouproperlyEQelementsincontext,indi-vidualpartscanoftenappearweakwhilesolo’d.Alwaysrememberthatnoteverythinghastosoundhugeifyouwantapowerfulmix.

OnebasicuseofEQistocutthelowfrequenciesonsoundsthatdon’treallyneedit,suchashihatsandcymbals.Thiscanresultinalessmuddylowend,allowingkicksandtomsmorespacetoachievetheirimpact.Italsobenefitstherestofyourmixtoo,beyondthedrums.

Approaching compression

It’sagoodideatocarefullyEQasoundbeforeithitsadynamicsprocessorsuchasacompressororgate.Unnecessaryfrequen-ciescanadverselyaffecthowadynamicsprocessorreactstothesignal.

Compressioncanbeusedcreativelyaswellasfor‘functional’reasonsliketamingheavilyfluctuatingdynamics.Withtherightap-proach,creativecompressioncanhaveaverypowerfuleffectthatiscommonlyheardoncommercialrecordings.

However,alwaysrememberthatanycompressionisinfactmakingthesoundsmaller–acompressor‘squashes’thedynamicsofasignalsothatyoucanmakeitlouderwithoutclipping.Itisincrediblyeasytooverdoitandcompletlyruinthesoundofthedrums,ormakethemexcessivelyintrudeintotherestofyoursong.

Seesection12:6foraguidetoprocessingspecificpartsofthekit.

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12:2 EQ and filtering

EQ BFD2’sEQisbasedonawell-knownclassicconsoledesign.Itoffers4bandsofEQ,includ-ingtwoparametricmidbands.

Low and High bands

TheLowandHighbandsareswitchablebetweenabell(withafixedQof2.5octave)andashelvingresponse(withafixedrolloffof12dBperoctave).

•Lowbandfrequencyrange: 40to600hz

•Lowbandgainrange: +/-16.5dB

•Highbandfrequencyrange: 600to14khz

•Highbandgainrange: +/-20dB

Parametric Mid bands

TheMidbandsfeaturebellcurveswithadjustableQ.

•LowMidBandfrequencyrange: 200hzto2Khz

•HighMidbandfrequencyrange: 800hzto7khz

•Qrange: 0.5octaveto2.5octave

•Highbandgainrange: +/-20dB

Band power

EachbandhasitsownPowerbuttonallowingyoutosaveCPUbyonlyusingthebandsyouneed.

SC

EnablingtheEQ’sSCbuttonallowsyoutoEQthechannel’ssidechaininput.ThiscanbeveryusefultoEQasidechaininputbeforeitentersacompressor,forexample.Forthisfunctiontowork,theEQmustbeplacedbeforethesidechainprocessorinthechannel’seffectslots.

Frequency Display control

YoucanchangeEQcurvesbyclickinganddraggingthegraphicaldisplayintheEQeffectinterface.

Toeditabandinthisway,movethemousecursoroverthedisplay.Thedisplayisdividedinto4zonesforeachband,eachhigh-lightedinadifferentcolour,correspondingtothecolourofeachband’sstandardcontrolsontheinterface.

Withabandhighlighted,clickanddragup/downtoadjusttheband’sgain,andleft/righttoadjustitsfrequency.ForthetwoMidbands,clickinganddraggingup/downwhileholdingdowntheALTkeyallowsyoutoadjusttheband’sQ.

Filter TheFiltereffectprovidesnon-resonanthigh-passandlow-passfiltersforbroadtonalshap-ingofsignals.

ItcanbeusedtorolloffthelowendinOverheadandRoombuses,ortoremoveultra-lowfrequenciesfromkickdrums,espciallywhenlow-shelvingEQisapplied.

HP Freq

Thehigh-passfilterremovesfrequenciesbelowthespecifiedfrequencywhichcanbesetwithinarangebetween20hzand500hz.

LP Freq

Thelow-passfilterremovesfrequenciesabovethespecifiedfrequency,whichcanbesetwithinarangeof35Hzto3kHz.

Power buttons

Eachfilterfeaturesapowerbutton–whenitisturnedon,thefilterisenabled,andwhenitisturnedoffthefilterisbypassed.

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Filter Mod Thisisastate-variableself-oscillatingmultimodefilterwitharesponseof12dbperoctave.

Ithasabuilt-inenvelopefollowertomodulatethefilter’scutofffrequencyrelativetotheinput.Thisstageismodelledonananalogfull-waverectifiedenvelopefollower.

Additionally,thefilterfrequencycanbemodulatedataudioratebytheinput.

Thefilterismodelledonclassicmultimodesynthesizerfilterdesignsatthecircuitlevel,withitssoundcharacteristicreminiscentofthewell-knownOberheimfilter(althoughitisnotanexactmodelofthisfilter).

Youcanalsousethechannel’ssidechaininputasthesourcefortheenvelopefollowerandfortheaudiorateFM.ForexampleyoucoulduseabassdrumtunedverylowasaroughandreadyLFOtomodulatethefilter.

Mode

4filtermodesareavailable,eachofferingdifferentfilteringfunctionsrelativetothecutofffrequency.

Low pass

Allowsthroughonlyfrequenciesbelowthecutofffrequency.

High pass

Allowsthroughonlyfrequenciesabovethecutofffrequency.

Band Pass

Allowsthroughonlyabandoffrequenciesaroundthecutofffrequency.

Notch

Thisistheoppositeofabandpass,inthatitallowsthroughallotherfrequenciesexceptabandoffrequenciesaroundthecutofffrequency.

Modulatinganotchfiltercangivephaser-likeresults.

In drive

Thiscontrolsetstheamountofsignalgainbeforethenon-linearitiesofthefilter.Aswellasincreasingthegain,usingmoredriveresultsinarichandcomplexinteractionwiththefilter’sresonance.

Out drive

ThisisanOTA-typenon-linearampfunctionattheoutput,inordertoboostandcolourthefilteredsignal.

Pitch

Thiscontroladjuststhecutofffrequencyofthefilter.Itismeasuredinoctavestobemoremusicallyrelevant.

Res

Thiscontroladjuststheresonanceofthefilter.YoucanthinkofthisashavingasimilareffectastheGaincontrolonanEQ–itaccentuatesthefrequenciesaroundthecutoffpoint.

Thisisachievedbyfeedingsomeofthesoundatthecutoffpointbackintothefilter.Highresonancesettingscausethefiltertoself-oscillate–beverycarefulwithyourspeakersandyourearswhenusingsuchsettings.

Attack

Thiscontrolchangeshowquicklytheenvelopefollowersectionrespondstotransientsintheinputsignal.Longerattacktimesmeanthatthefiltertakesalongertimetorespondtoamplitudechanges.

Release

TheReleasecontrolchangeshowquicklytheenvelopefollowercausesthefiltertoreturntoitsoriginalpositionwhentheinputsignaldecreasesafteratransient.

Env Depth

Thiscontroladjuststheamountofmodulationofthefilter’scutofffrequencybythebuilt-inenvelopefollower.

FM Depth

Thiscontrolsetstheamountofaudio-ratemodulationofthecutofffrequencybytheinput.

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SC

EnablingtheSCbuttonresultsintheFilterModeffectusingthechannel’ssidechaininputasthesourcefortheenveloperfollowerandaudio-rateFMfeatures.Thismeansyoucanuseotherchannelstomodulatethefiltercutoff.

Thisfunctionallowsyoutobeverycreativewiththefilter–here’safewideastotryout:

•forquickanddirtyLFOs,trytuningakickdownreallylowandusingitasthefilterFMsource,perhapsaftersomeadditionalprocessing.

•loadarbitrarysoundsasusersamplesusingBFD2’ssampleimportfunctions,andusethemasthefilterFMsource

•useaself-oscillatingfilteronanotherchannelasthefilterFMsource!

12:3 Dynamics processing

Common compression parameters

Attack

TheAttackcontrolonacompressorrepresentsthespeedatwhichthegainisreducedwhentransientspassthroughit.

Thiscontrolisoftenmisunderstood.AlwaysrememberthattheattackdoesNOTindicatetheamountoftimetakenbeforethecompressorstartstocompress.

Release

TheReleasecontrolonacompressorsetsthespeedatwhichthegainlevelreturnstonormalafteratransienthaspassed.

Ratio

Theratiospecifiesthegainreductionappliedbythecompressor.Thenumbersintheratiorepresentthechangeingainbeforeandaftercompression.

Forexample,assumingthatthethresholdlevelhasbeenbreached,thenaratioof2:1wouldmeanthatforevery2dBofin-creasedsignallevelcomingintothecompressor,theoutputlevelrisesby1dB.

Advanced features in BFD2’s dynamics processors

SC

TheBFD2CompBusandtheNoiseGatefeatureasidechainfunction.ByenablingtheSC(Sidechain)button,theprocessorreactstothechannel’ssidechaininputratherthanthemaininput,whilestillapplyingtheprocessingtothemaininput.Thisallowsyoutocontrolthedynamicsofthemaininputsignalwithanothersignalentirely.SidechainingisnotavailableontheCompChan.

Key HP (Key signal High-pass)

Thiscontrolallowsyoutoapplyavariablehighpassfilteronthekeysignalthatisusedforthecompressor’samplitudedetection.Itappliestoeitherthemaininputorthesidechaininput,whicheverisbeingusedtotriggerthecompressor.However,itisneverappliedtotheactualsignalthatisheardattheoutput.

Thiscontrolisusefulwhenthereistoomuchlow-endinthesidechainsignal,resultinginthecompressorreactingtooheavily.

Parallel compression and the Mix control

Parallelcompressioninvolvesmixingacompressedsignal(usuallyfairlyheavilycompressed)withtheoriginaldrysignal,inordertoachievethe‘huge’soundofacompresseddrummixwhilekeepingthetransientsoftheoriginaldrumsintact.

Whileit’sunusualtoseeawet/drymixcontrolonacompressor,theMixcontrolonBFD2’scompressorsisveryusefulforapply-ingparallelcompressiontoasinglemonoorstereochannelwithoutcreatingadditionalauxchannels.Ifyouneedtoapplyparallelcompressiontomorethanonechannelatonce,youmustfirstcreateasub-mixonanAuxchannel.

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Comp Chan TheCompChan(channelcompressor)isderivedfromaclassic‘feedback-basedFETlimit-ingamplifier’design.

Itisalsowhatisknownasa‘fixed-threshold’design–thethresholdatwhichcompressionstartsisnotadjustable.Inpractice,thismeansyoumayneedtoadjusttheinputandoutputlevelswhenchangingratios.

Input & Output

Thiscontrolvariestheinputlevelgoingintothecompressor.Oncetheinputlevelhasreachedtheinternalthreshold,compressionbegins.Whenthishappens,usetheOutputcontroltoturndowntheincreasedinput.TheInputcontrolrangesfrom-20tp+40dB,whiletheOutputcontrolrangesfrom-40dBto+20dB.

Attack

TheAttackcontrolhasaanarbitraryrangeof0to10,whichequatestoareal-worldrangebetween0.02msand0.8ms.

Release

TheReleasecontrolhasaanarbitraryrangeof0to10,whichequatestoarangebetween50msand1.1seconds.

Ratio

Ratiosavailableare4:1,8:1,12:1,20:1and‘Nuke’,whichisanemulationofthe‘allbuttonsin’modeonaclassiclimitingampli-fierdesign.Itresultsinaparticularlybrutaltypeofcompression.

Comp Bus Thiscompressorisbasedonaclassicbuscompressordesignfromthecentresectionofawell-knownBritishlarge-formatmixingconsole.

Itismostcommonlyusedtoadd‘glue’andpowertoadrumbus.However,italsoworksverywellasachannelcompressorinitsownright,offeringadifferentflavourofcompressioncomparedtotheCompChan.

Attack

Sixattacktimesareavailable:0.1ms,0.3ms,1ms,3ms,10ms,30ms.

Release

Fivereleasesettingsareavailable:0.1ms,0.3ms,0.6ms,1.2msandAuto.

Ratio

Threeratiosettingsareavailable:2:1,4:1and10:1.

Threshold

Unlikethechannelcompressor,thebusscompressorallowsyoutoadjustthethreshold,whichrepresentstheinputlevelatwhichthecompressorstartstoreact.

Make up gain

Thiscontrolallowsyoutoincreasetheoutputgainafterthecompressorcircuithasappliedgainreductiontotheinputsignal.

Analog limit

Thisbuttonappliesanalognon-linearitiestotheinputtothecompressor’samplitudedetectioncircuit(whilenotaffectingtheinputsignalitself).Thisresultsinadifferentcharactertotheprocessing–thecompressioneffectismoretransparentonattacks.

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Noise Gate Anoisegateisatypeofdynamicsprocessorthatmutesorattenuatestheinputsignaluntilitsamplitudeexceedsanadjustablethresholdlevel,atwhichtimethegate‘opens’toallowaudiothroughatitsactuallevel.

Theyareoftenusedduringdrummixinginordertoisolatedrumswithinsignalscontainingbleedorspillfromotherdrums.Anothercommonuseistoreducethedecayoftomsandkicks.Noisegatesareoftenreferredtosimplyas‘gates’.

WhileBFD2containsbleedinthekickandsnarechannels,itcaneasilybeturnedoffratherthanhavingtousegatestominimizebleed.Likewise,thedecayofkit-piecescanbeadjustedusingthedampingcontrolsinthekit-pieceinspector.However,usinggatescanbegoodforcreativeeffects,orsimplyforrecreatingthetypesoftechniquesusedinrealdrummixingsessions.

BFD2’sNoisegatehasasidechainfunction,allowingyoutocreatetriggeredpulsingeffectsveryeasily.Forexample,routeanychannelsuchasahihatorausersampledirectchanneltothemasterchannel’ssidechaininputandinsertanoisegateinoneofthemasterchannel’seffectslots.Enablethesidechainbuttonforthegateandadjustthethresholduntilthesidechaininputtrig-gerstheaudioonthechannel.

Whensettingveryfastattackandreleasetimes,itiscommontohear‘clicks’intheaudio,especiallywithsoundspredominantlycomprisedoflowfrequenciessuchaskicksandtoms–thisistotallynormalandyousimplyneedtoincreasethesetimesslightlytoeradicatetheproblem.

Attack

Thiscontrolsthespeedatwhichthegateopensoncethethresholdhasbeenexceededbytheinputsignal’samplitude.

Hold

Thisparametercontrolstheamountoftimethegateremainsopenaftertheinputsignalhasdroppedbelowthethresholdlevel.

Release

Thiscontrolsthespeedatwhichthegateclosesattheendoftheholdtime.

Threshold

Thiscontrolallowsyoutosetthelevelatwhichthegatestartstoopen.Whentheinputsignalamplitudeexceedsthelevelspeci-fiedbytheThresholdcontrol,thegatestartstoopentoallowaudiothrough.

SC

Likethecompressors,theNoiseGatefeaturesasidechainfunction.ByenablingtheSC(Sidechain)button,thegatereactstothechannel’ssidechaininputratherthanthemaininput,whilestillapplyingthegatingprocesstothemaininput.Thisallowsyoutocontrolthegatingofthemaininputsignalwithanothersignalentirely.

LP Freq & HP Freq

Thesecontrolsallowyoutofiltertheinputsignalusedtotriggerthegate,whileleavingtheactualprocessedsignalunfiltered.Thisallowsyoutoisolatecertainfrequenciesintheinputtoimprovethegatingresponse–forexample,excessivelowfrequenciesintheinputcanmakethegatereactmorethanrequired.

Itisimportanttorememberthatthesefiltersaffectonlythekeysignalusedtotriggerthegate,whetheritisthemaininputorthesidechaininput.Theyarenotappliedtotheprocessedsignal.

Key Listen

EnablingtheListenbuttonletsyouhearthekeyinputbeingusedtotriggertheNoiseGate’samplitudedetectioncircuitinsteadoftheprocessedinputsignal.Thekeysignalcanbeeitherthemaininputorthesidechaininput.

ItisveryusefulwhenusingtheLPandHPfiltersand/orthesidechaininput.

Hysteresis

Noisegateshaveatendencytoopenandcloseveryquicklywhentheinputsignal’samplituderemainsclosetothethresholdlevelforlongerperiods,somethingthatcanresultin‘gatechatter’.

IncreasingtheHysteresiscontrolsmoothsoutthegateresponsetoreducethisproblem,althoughthegatebecomeslesssensi-tivetosmallchangesaroundthethresholdlevel.

Mix

WiththeMixcontrolat100%,theBFD2NoiseGatemutesthesignalcompletelywhenclosed.Ifyouwanttoletthesignalthroughatalowlevel,decreasetheMixcontroltoallowmoreofthedrysignalthrough.

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12:4 Distortion

Drive BFD2’sDriveeffectoffers4distortioncircuitmodels,usefulforaddingcolour,gritormoreextremedistortiontoyourpristinedrumsounds.

Mode

Diode

Diodeclipcircuitsarefoundincountlessguitarpedalsandotherdistortionunits.Itgraduallydrivestheinputthroughouttheamplituderange.Itshapestheinputsignal’samplitudeasshowninfig.1.

OTA (Operational Transconductance Amplifier)

ThismodemodelsthebehaviourofanoverdrivenOTAchip.Itshapestheinputsignal’samplitudeasshowninfig.2.

fig.1 : Diode fig.� : OTA

OpAmp (Operational amplifier)

ThismodemodelsthebehaviourofanoverdrivenOpAmpchip.Itshapestheinputsignal’samplitudeasshowninfig.3.

HalfRect (Half Rectifier)

Thistypeofdistortionallowsthroughthetophalfoftheinputsignal’swaveform.Itshapestheinputsignal’samplitudeasshowninfig.4.

fig.� : OpAmp fig.� : HalfRect

Drive

Thiscontrolsetstheamountofdistortionthattakesplace.

LP Freq & HP Freq

Thesecrossoverfiltersexistbeforethedistortionstagetoenableyoutoshapethetonalcharacteristicsofthesignalgoingintothedrivecircuit.Forexample,youmaywanttodistortthehighendofakickdrumwhileleavingthedeeplowendunchanged.

Thelow-passfiltersfrequenciesabovethespecifiedfrequency.Ithasaslopeof-6dBperoctave,andrangesfrom1Hzto100Hz.

Thehigh-passfiltersfrequenciesabovethespecifiedfrequency.Italsohasaslopeof-6dBperoctave,andrangesfrom1kHzto100kHz.

Thesefiltersarecrossoverfilters–thefrequenciesthatarefilteredoutbeforethedistortionstageareaccessibleviatheCleancontrol.

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Dirty & Clean

TheDirtycontrolsetstheamountofpost-distortionsignalthatisheardattheoutput.

TheCleancontrolsetstheamountofthecleansignal,whichiscomprisedofthesignalsfilteredoutbythelow-passandhigh-passcrossoversbeforethedistortionstage.Inotherwords,allthefrequenciesremovedfromthesignalbythefilters.

Itisimportanttorememberthatthesearenot‘wet’and‘dry’controls–usethestandardMixcontrolatthetopoftheeffectinter-faceinordertomixbetweenthepre-andpost-effectsignals.

Tone

TheTonecontrolisasimple-6dBperoctavelow-passfilterfortheDirtysignalafterthedistortionstage.Itallowsyoutorolloffharshhighfrequenciesthatmayhavebeengeneratedinthesignalaspartofthedistortioneffect.

Bit Crusher TheBitcrushereffectprovidesatypeofdigitaldistortionthatoccurswhenthesample-rateandbit-depthoftheaudioisreduced.Itallowsyoutosimulatethesoundofearlysamplers,usefulforundergroundhip-hopandother‘lo-fi’styles.

Bits

Thiscontrolreducesthebitdepthfromamaximumof16bitstoaminimumof1.82bits,whichiseffectivelyalmostpuredigitalnoise.Thenoisegeneratedbythebit-reductionproc-essiscalledquantisationnoise.

Earlydigtaldrummachinesandsamplerstendedtohave8or12bitresolution.

Freq

Thiscontroladjuststhesampleratefrequencyoftheaudioprocessedbytheeffect.andrangesfromamaximumof100kHztoaminimumof1Hz.

Lowersampleratesresultinanaliasingeffectontheprocessedaudio.

Drive

ThisisanOTA-typedistortionstageafterthecrossoverfilters,enablingyoutoaddgainandcolourtothesignalbeforeitisproc-essedbythebitandsample-ratereductionstages.

LP Freq & HP Freq

Thesecrossoverfiltersexistbeforethebitandsample-ratereductionstages,allowingyoutodictatewhichpartofthesignalisprocessed.Forexample,youcanprocessthehighendofakickdrumwhileleavingthedeeplowendunchanged.

Thelow-passfiltersfrequenciesabovethespecifiedfrequency.Ithasaslopeof-6dBperoctave,andrangesfrom1Hzto100Hz.

Thehigh-passfiltersfrequenciesabovethespecifiedfrequency.Italsohasaslopeof-6dBperoctave,andrangesfrom1kHzto100kHz.

Thesefiltersarecrossoverfilters–thefrequenciesthatarefilteredoutbeforethedistortionstageareaccessibleviatheCleancontrol.

Dirty & Clean

TheDirtycontrolsetstheamountofprocessedsignalthatisheardattheoutput.

TheCleancontrolsetstheamountofthecleansignal,whichiscomprisedofthesignalsfilteredoutbythelow-passandhigh-passcrossoversbeforeprocessing.Inotherwords,allthefrequenciesremovedfromthesignalbythefilters.

Itisimportanttorememberthatthesearenot‘wet’and‘dry’controls–usethestandardMixcontrolatthetopoftheeffectinter-faceinordertomixbetweenthepre-andpost-effectsignals.

Tone

TheTonecontrolisasimple-6dBperoctavelow-passfilterfortheDirtysignalafterthebitandsample-ratereductionstages.Itallowsyoutorolloffharshhighfrequenciesthatmayhavebeengeneratedinthesignalaspartoftheprocessing.

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12:5 Other effects

Gain TheGaineffectisasimpletoolforincreasingordecreasingachannel’sgain.

Gain

Thisistheonlycontrolonthiseffect,andletsyouincreasethechannel’sgainupto18dB,ordecreaseitupto-infdB.

Delay BFD2’sDelayeffectcanoperateasastereoormonodelayline,dependingonwhetheritisusedonastereoormonochannel.

Sync & Time

Thedelaytimecanbeseteitherinabsolutetimevaluesinsecondsorintempo-basedvalues.IntempomodethedelayissyncedtoBFD2’stempo.

ItispossibletoadjusttheTimeparametersmoothlyinrealtimewithoutsufferingglitchinglikemanydigitaldelays.Thedelayedsignalsimplychangespitchsmoothlytowardsthenewdelaytime,inasimilarwaytoananalogBBD(bucket-bridgedelay).

BPM mode

WhentheSyncparameterissetto‘BPM’,thedelaytimeissetintempo-basedvalues.Possiblevaluesrangefrom64thnoteto2bars,includingdottedandtripletvariations,thelatterbeingespeciallyusefulforclassicshufflegroovesusingsimple¼-noteinput.

Seconds mode

Inthismode,thedelaytimeissetasanabsolutetimevalue,rangingfrom31msto4seconds.

Feedback

Thiscontrolsetstheamountofdelayregenerations,causedbyfeedingthedelayedsignalbackintotheinput.Highervaluesfeedthedelayedsignalbackinatahigheramplitude,leadingtomoreregenerationsoftheinputsignal.Settingsof100%leadtoin-definiteregenerationsuntilthevalueisreduced,andwithgooduseofthebuilt-infilteringcanresultinclassicpsychedelic,dubbyanalogdelayeffects.

Swing

TheBFD2delayfeatures2taps,whichareplayedatthesametimewiththeswingcontrolatthecentreposition.

ByturningdowntheSwingcontrol,youcanmovethelefttapbeforetherighttap,uptoadistanceofhalfthedelaytime.Byturn-inguptheSwingcontrol,therighttapismoveduptoadistanceofhalfthedelaytimebeforethelefttap.

Thiscontrolopensupahugearrayofswungdelaygrooves,whichcanaddawidevarietyofrhythmicfeelstothedelayeffect.

LowCut and HighCut

Thesefiltersallowyoutoapplytonalshapingtoeachdelayregeneration.

TheyarepresentedasLowCut(effectivelyaHigh-pass)andHighCut(Low-pass)inordertodifferentiatethemfromtheLP/HPcrossoverfiltersinthedistortioneffects.

TheLowCutcontrolremoveslowfrequenciesfromthefeedbackpath.Itallowsyoutosetafrequencybelowwhichthesignalisfiltered.

TheHighCutcontrolremoveshighfrequenciesfromthefeedbackpath.Itallowsyoutospecifyafrequencyabovewhichthesignalisfiltered.

Suchfilteringisveryusefultopreventdelayedsignalsintrusivelytakingoveramix.ItisalsoessentialtousethesefilterswhenrecreatingclassicanalogtapeandBBDdelayeffects.

Sum Input (stereo only)

Enablingthisbuttonsumstheleftandrightinputstoasinglemonosignalandfeedsonedelaylineinsteadoftwo.

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Flanger TheFlangereffectisashortmodulateddelaylinewithfeedbacktotheinput.Itisusedforasenseofmovementandforpsychedeliceffectsfromthesubtletotheextreme.

ThemodulationsourceisasineLFOwithadjustablefrequency.

Freq

TheFreq(frequency)controlaffectsthespeedofmodulationofthedelaytime.

Depth

TheDepthcontroladjuststheamountofmodulationofthedelaytime.

Display

TheneedledisplayintheFlangereffectrepresentsthecurrentdelaytime.

Position

ThisisafixeddelaytimewhichisaddedtothedelaytimewhichismodulatedbytheinternalLFO.Itisaveryshortdelay,rangingfrom0msto15ms.

Feedback

Thiscontroladjuststheamountoftheflangedsignalthatisfedbackintotheinput.

Higherfeedbacksettingsresultinamorepronouncedflangingeffect.Settingsover50%leadtoextremecombfiltertypeeffects.

Spread (stereo only)

Thiscontrolallowsyoutoadjustthepanningoftheleftandrightchannelprocessedsignals.

Phase (stereo only)

ThePhasecontroloffsetsthephaseoftheinternalLFOsfortheleftandrightchannels.

Mode

Bydefault(withthisbuttonturnedoff),theflangedsignalisinpositivephasewiththeinputsignal.

Enablingthisbuttonresultsintheflangedsignalisoutofphasewiththeinputsignal.

Apositivephasesettingtendstoleadtoamoreobviousflangingeffect.

Chorus TheChoruseffectisamodulationeffectthatispitch-based.Itisusedforthickeningupsounds.

Freq

TheFreq(frequency)controlaffectsthespeedofpitchmodulation.

Depth

TheDepthcontroladjuststheamountofmodulationawayfromtheinputsignal’soriginalpitch.

Display

TheneedledisplayintheChoruseffectrepresentsthespeedanddepthofmodulationinrelationtotheoriginalpitch(thecentreposition).

Spread (stereo only)

Thiscontrolvariesthepanningoftheleftandrightpitch-modulatedsignals.

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RingMod Aringmodulatormultipliestwosignalstogether,givingyouthesumandthedifferencebetweenthemandtheoutput.

TheRingModinBFD2hasaninternaloscillatorthatprovidesoneofthesignals,theotherbeingthedrumsoundpassingthroughit.

Thiseffectisgreatforradicaltimbralchangesformoreexperimental-soundingmixes.

Mode

Changesthewaveshapeoftheinternaloscillatorwhichismultipliedwiththeaudioinputtotheeffect.Sine,Triangle,Saw,SquareandParabolicoscillatorshapesareavailable,aswellaswhiteorpinknoise.

Pitch

Thiscontroladjuststhepitchoftheinternaloscillator.Therangeofthiscontrolprovidesahugevarietyofeffects.

Drive

Thiscontrolintroducesanadjustableamountofdistortionontheinputsignal–overdrivingthesignalinthiswaychangesthewaveshapeoftheinput,leadingtofurthervariationsintheresultingeffect.

Frequency shifter Nottobeconfusedwithapitchshifter,afrequencyshifterworksinasimilarwaybychang-ingthefrequencyofthesoundpassingthroughit.However,unlikeapitchshifter,theresult-ingsignaldoesnotresultinaharmonicseries.

Pitch

ThePitchcontroladjuststheamountoffrequencyshifting,andisrepresentedinsemitones.Youcanshifttheinputsignal’sfrequenciesupordownbyupto36semitones(3octaves).

Amp

TheAmpcontroladjuststheleveloftheoutputsignal.

TinCanVerb Thiseffectisarecreationofacheap-soundingroomreverbunit,perfectfortrashysound-ingdrummixesandanantidotetothelush,realambienceinBFD2’srecordings.Itisnotintendedtoservethefunctionofapremiumqualitydigitalreverb–forthispurpose,it’sbesttouseagoodqualityexternalreverbpluginorhardwareunit.

Size

TheSizecontrolletsyouadjustthesizeofthevirtualreverberationroom.Smallerroomsoffersubtleambience,whilelargeroomsresultinamore‘cavernous’andreflectiveeffect.

Decay time

Thiscontroladjuststhedecaytimeofthereverbeffect.Usesmallerdecaytimesforsubtlesmallroomeffects,withlargertimesusefulforspecialeffects.

Damp

IncreasingtheDampcontrolresultsinlesshighfrequenciesintheeffectedsignal,leadingtoadarkerreverbsound.Atleastsomedampingisessentialtoavoidoverlytinnyandfatiguingresults.

Pinch & Squeeze

Thesecontrolsmanipulatetheshapeofthevirtualreverbroom,leadingtoavarietyofresultingeffects.Theymakethereverbsoundalotmoreartificialandareusefulforspecialeffects.

Freeze

Asthenamesuggests,thisbutton‘freezes’thecurrentreverbbufferandloopsitindefinitelyuntilthebuttonisdisabled.Automat-ingthiseffectisexcellentfordubbyspecialeffects.

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12:6 Mixing each part of the kit

Kicks

EQ

The‘lowendthump’ofakickliesinthe40-80Hzrange-manyengineersrefertothisasthe‘chest’region-becauseyoucanfeelitinyourchest,rattlingyourribcage!

Themainbodyofakickexistsinthe80-120Hzrange,withthethefundamentalfrequencyofmostkicks,dependingonsize,be-ingataround80Hz.

Thebodyandresonanceofthedrumshellisfoundinthe160-500Hzrange.Cuttingthesefrequencies(‘scoopingthemids’)leadstoacleaner,modernkicksound,whichsitswellinthemix.Leavingtheseinissuitedmoretoanold-schoolsound.

Thebeatersoundliesbetween1and6kHzdependingontype:harderbeaterstendtohavemoreenergyinthehigherfrequen-cies.Accentuatethisfrequencyrangeforamodern‘clicky’rockkicksound.

Alternatively,rolloffsomeofthetopendforamorerelaxed,‘woofy’soundingkick,moresuitableforjazzyorfunkmusic.

Mic channels

Theinsideandoutsidekickmicchannelssoundverydifferenttoeachother.Theinsidekicksoundgivesyouthebrighter,moreaggressivesoundwithlesslow-endandsome‘shellresonance’.Thisisbecausethemicispointedmuchclosertowherethebeaterstrikestheskin.Theoutsidekicksoundismuchmorelikethekicksoundaswehearitwhilestandingnexttothekit.Itisoftendeeperinbassandless‘attacky’.

Howyoubalancethesesignalsisuptoyou,butjustrememberthattheoutsidemicgivesyouthedepthandweightwhiletheinsidegivesyoutheattackanddefinition.

Damping and tuning

Onfastersongs,chooseatighterkickandusemoredamping.Thequickerthetempoofthesong,thelessbassanddecayyoucangetawaywithonthekicks.

Tuningthekickdrumtothekeyofthetrackcanalsohelptomakethingsgeltogethernicely.Thisisacommonsolutiontositua-tionswhereabasslineandkickarenotsittingnicelytogether.

Snares

EQ

Thelow-end‘thump’ofasnareisusuallyaround100-140Hz(dependingonitssizeandtuningasalways).Rollingofftheverylowestfrequenciescanhelpasnaretocutthroughamix.Also,loweringtheamountofbassaffectstheresponseofanycompres-sionappliedtothesnare.Lessbassenergymeansthatcompressorsrespondbettertothethetransientsofthedrum.Side-chaincompressionisanalternativewayofdealingwiththis.

Cuttingthelowmidsataround250-400Hz‘opensup’thesoundofthedrum,whileremovingsomemidsat700Hzreducesthe‘bark’ofthesnare.Thecrackandattackofthesnareisusuallytobefoundbetween2to7kHz.Ifit’sanylowerthan2kHzittendsto‘honk’.Boostingsomeveryhighfrequenciesataround12-15kHzreallyaccentuatestheultra-high-end‘sizzle’.

Ifthesnareissoundingtooaggressiveinthemidrange,cuttingat1-2kHzby1or2dBsmoothsitoutwhilststillretainingthebiteandweight.

Mic channels

Forclassicpopsnaresounds,usemoretopmicchannelthanbottom.Foracrunchiersoundusemorebottomsnare,whichletsthroughmoreoftheactualsnarewire,resultinginmoretopend‘crack’andsizzle.

Alotoftheapparenttop-endcrackofasnarealsocomesthroughtheoverheadsaswellasthebottomsnarechannel.

Damping

Ifasnaresoundstooringy,useBFD2’sdampingfunctionstocontrolitsdecay.Introducingdampingcanradicallyalterthecharac-terandfeelofasnare.

Hihats

EQ

Rollingoffthelow-endonthehihatsisveryuseful.Itremovesaslightly‘gongy’elementtosomehatswhichcanoftenbeundesir-able.Cuttingthelow-endinthiswayalsohelpshihatstositbetterinthemix.

Accentuatingthefrequenciesaround1-3kHztendstomakethe‘stick’aspectofthesoundmorepronounced,whileboostingabovethisrange,especiallyat5-10kHz,resultsinmoreoftheclassichihat‘sizzle’.

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Dynamics

Whilecompressioncantamehatsandbalancethelevelsofdifferenthihatarticulations,rememberthatit’salwaysnicetoretainagoodamountofdynamicsforthehihat,asthiscancontributealottothefeelofagroove.Therefore,trynottoover-compresshihatchannels.Youcan,ofcourse,adjustthelevelsofindividualhihatarticulationsinthekit-pieceinspector,somethingwhichissometimesvitalasEQ-inginparticularcanpronouncetheenergyofnon-closedarticulations.

Toms

EQ

Thebassenergyoftomstendtolieinthe50-120Hzrange.Obviously,largertomshavemuchmorebassenergythansmallerones.

Themainbodyofthetoms,inthe120-500Hzrange,canbeverytroublesome-thereisadangerofthemendingupsoundingtoothickandheavy.Somegooduseofanarrow-bandwidthEQcut(tunedtotaste)helpsthetomstositinthemixbetterwithoutoverpoweringeverythingelse.

Theattackofthetomsliesinthe1-7kHzrange-thiscontains‘thebite’ofthetom.Ifyouremovealotofmid-range,thenyou’llbeleftwiththisfrequencyrange,withthetomshavingverylittleapperentsustain.

Tom selection

Ifyouwantthunderoustoms,uselargerones!Don’tsticktopresetconventionsontomselection.BFD2allowsyoutomixandmatchtoms,soyoucanassemblecustomtomsets.Twofloortomsandaracktomcanbegreat,evenifthe2floortomsarenotfromthesameset-oncetheyareEQ’dandcompressedinthemixitisveryhardtotellthatthey’refromdifferentkits.Replacingthehightomwithamidtomisoftenagoodidea,asmanyhightomsaretoosmall(andthereforehigh-pitched)forsomeapplica-tions.

Damping

UsingBFD2’sdampingcontrolsontomsisagreatalternativetousinggatesto‘tame’thetoms.MostofBFD2’stomsarere-cordedundampedtoallowmaximumflexibility.Forcertaintypesofmusic,theycanlasttoolongintheiruntreatedform.Uselargeamountsofdamping(over50%)forfunkandothergroove-basedmusic,whereanexcessivelyresonantsetoftomswouldtakeoverthemix.Thesameappliestometal,wherethebeatsarejusttoodensetoaccomodateundampedtoms.

Panning

Trynottoheavilypanthetoms–therearen’tmanydrummerswitharms12feetacross.Also,tomswithlotsoflow-end(suchasfloorandlargemidtoms)usuallysoundbetterwhenmixedinbothspeakers.

Cymbals

EQ

Likethehats,it’sveryusefultohighpassfilterthecymbalsheavily.Again,itgetsridof‘gongy’tonesandlow-end‘bark’.

Don’tbeafraidtocuttooheavily,evenallthewayupto2kHzormore-thisisaverycommontechniqueinthecontextofmodernrockorpopproduction.

Takecarewhenboostingtrebleoncymbals,asitveryeasytooverdoitandupwithancymbaltrackthatistoobrightandmessy.

Mic channels

Itcanbegoodtousemoreambiencethandirectsignalwithcymbals.Usingtheoverheadsmakescymbalssitinthemixmorerealistically.However,tryandretainagoodamountofthedirectchannelforrides,asthishelpstheattacktocutthrough.

General guidelines for EQ and compressionRemembertoreadthe‘ApproachingEQandcompression’topicinsection12:1.ThiscontainssomeimportantgeneralguidelineswhenusingEQandcompressiononyoursounds.

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12:7 Routing scenarios

Creating sub-mixes for processing mic channels togetherYoumaywanttoprocessanumberofmicchannelstogetherthroughthesamesetofFX.Let’ssayyouwanttogroupthekickinandkickoutchannels,andapplysomeparallelcompressiontothem.

•Createanauxbusandsetittomonomode.

•SetthekickinandkickoutOutputselectortotheAuxchannelyoujustcreated.

•Adjustthelevelsofthekickinandkickoutchannelstoachievethedesiredbalancebetweenthem.

•InsertacompressorinoneoftheAuxchannel’sFXslotsandsetthecontrolsasrequired.

•SettheWet/Dryblendcontroltoachievethedesiredbalancebetweenthecompressedanduncompressedsignal.

•Therearemanypossibilitiesforsub-mixing–youmaywanttocreatestereosub-mixesforallthetomsorcymbals,forexample.Byusingtheambiencesendroutingcontrolsinthekit-pieceinspector,youcanevenroutetheambiencesignalsforthesekit-piecestothesameauxchannel,oraseparatesetofkit-piecespecificambiencechannels.

Mic channel separationIfyouwanttosendeachmicchanneloutoftheBFD2pluginintoyourhost’smixerwithoutperforminganymixingorprocessinginBFD2’smixer,proceedasfollows:

•Seteachkit-piece’sdirectmicchannelstoanindividualoutput.Sincetheyaremono,itisrecommendedthatyouusemonooutputroutings.

•Seteachambiencebustoapairofstereooutputsfromtheplugin.

•BFD2has16monooutputsand8stereooutputs,soifyouareusingalargeamountofkit-piecesyouneedtoroutesomedirectchannelsthroughthesameoutputs.Youcansetmorethanonechanneltothesameoutput,althoughitcanbemoremanage-abletoroutetherequiredchannelstoanAuxchanneltosetupasub-mix,androutethischanneltotheappropriateoutput.

•Therearenorulesabouthowyoushouldsetupyourrouting–everythingdependsonyourcreativeneedsandwhatyouwanttoachieve.

•OnceyouhaveseparatedoutthemicchannelstoindividualoutputsfromBFD2,setupyourhost’smixertoreceivethem.Seeyourhost’sdocumentationfordetailsofhowyourhostimplementsthisfunctionality–BFD2operatesinthesamewayasanymultipleoutputplugin.

•Youcanthenprocessthemicchannelsthroughwhateverpluginsyouchooseinyourhost,routethechannelsoutofyouraudiointerface’sphysicaloutputsinordertouseexternalprocessorsandeffectsunits,orsimplyrecordthemasaudiotracks.

Creating sends to an external reverbIfyouhaveinvestedinahighqualityreverbpluginorhardwareunit,itisverysimpletosetuponeofBFD2’soutputsasanexter-nalauxsend.

•Createastereoauxchannel.

•Createasendoneachofthedirectmicchannelsthatyouwanttosendtothereverb,andenablethem.

•ForeachSend,settheSendTodestinationtotheAuxchannelyoucreatedearlier,andSetuptheSendFromroutingandthesendlevelasrequired.

•SettheoutputselectoroftheAuxchanneltooneofBFD2’sstereooutputs

•Setupyourhosttoreceivethisstereooutputononeofitsmixerchannels.Seeyourhost’sdocumentationfordetailsofhowyourhostimplementsthisfunctionality–BFD2operatesinthesamewayasanymultipleoutputplugin.

•Youcantheninsertareverbpluginonthissignal,orrouteitfromyouraudiointerface’sphysicaloutputstoahardwarereverbunit.

•YoucanstillroutetheoriginaldirectmicchannelswithinBFD2forfurthermixingandprocessing.

•Theabovemethodisusableforanytypeofparallelprocessing–forexampleparallelcompression.Simplycreatethedesiredmonoorstereosub-mixesusingtheoutputand/orsendroutingfunctions,androutethesub-mixesoutofBFD2forfurtherprocessing.

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12:8 External processingThefollowingtechniquesinvolveknowledgeofroutingandotherfunctionsinyourhost,andfamiliaritywithothersoftware.Notethatthissectionisintendedascreativeadvicewiththebestintentions.Pleasedon’taskushowtoachievethesetechniques!ThereisawealthofinformationavailableviasearchenginessuchasGoogleandYahoo.

Artificial reverbDon’tbeafraidtouseanartificialreverb,especiallyonthesnaresandtoms.Usingafakespaceinadditionto,orinsteadof,BFD2’srecordedambiencecanopenupanewworldofsounds-engineersoftendothiswithrealmultitrackeddrumstoo!Ex-tremelyshort,brightplatereverbscancompletelychangethenatureofthedrums.Youcanalsouselargerroomsandaddbuscompressiontoachievehugedrumsounds,justlikeyouwoulddowithBFD2’sambience.

Ifthingsaresoundingtoo‘reverby’forthemix,trytofindareverbprogramwithaverystrongearlyreflectionelement,andusemoreofthisthanthemainreverbtailitself.Thisisalsogreatforachieving‘slapback’roomeffects,especiallywhencombinedwithpre-delay.

Also,don’tgocrazyonthe‘roomsize’and‘reverbtime’parameters-besensible!Reverbsthataretoolongsimplyclutterupthemixandsoundmessy.

Pre-delaycanbeveryuseful-itcanhelptoseperatethedrumsfromthereverbandkeepthemixsoundingmoredefined,insteadof‘distancing’thedrumstothebackofthemix.Pre-delayisthetimebetweenthebeginningofthedrysoundandthebeginningofthereverb.Asettingofbetween10and25mscanworkverywell.Extremesettingscanproduceslapbackeffects,likewhenusingtheDistancecontrolsfortheambiencebusesinBFD2’smixer.

Usingmonoreverbscanreallypinthedrumstothecentreofthemixand,asdescribedearlier,isaverycommonproductiontechniqueforgettingbigdrumsounds.

Distortion and re-ampingSomedistortionoroverdrivemixedbackinwiththedrydrummix,canadddirt,gritandcolourtothedrumswhilenotkillingthedefinitionandqualityofthesoundandtransients.It’sgoodtokeepsomesubtletybymixingdistortedsignalsatlowlevels,andheavilyEQ-ingthesesignalssoasnottoendupwithamessymix.

WhileyoucanobviouslyusethedistortioneffectsavailablewithinBFD2,itcanbegoodtothinkoutsidethebox–tryre-ampingthedrumsforexample.RouteachannelviaanAuxsettoitsownoutputtoamic’dupguitar/bassamporsmallPAspeaker,andrecorditbackintoyourhost.Youcouldeventrysomeheadphones,hi-fispeakersor,ifyou’reluckyenoughtohaveaccesstoone,aLeslierotatingspeakerforreallyorganic,psychedelicswirlingeffects.

Youcanevencreateyourownrealanalogreverbsbydoingthisinthegarageorwhateverotherspaceyoucanpossiblytakeyourrig!

NoiseDon’tbeafraidofnoise.Attheriskofsoundingrathercontroversial,itspresenceinamixcanactuallymakeitsoundwarmer,moreorganicandmore‘alive’.Anoise-freedigitalproductioncanrisksoundingclinical,flatandlifeless.Recordingsalwayscon-tainsomenoise,andmostcommercialproductionsarealsomixedonananalogconsolethroughanalogprocessors,aprocesswhichalwayscontributessomenoisetothemix.Itisanatural,real-worldphenomenonandweareusedtohearingit!

Tryrunningsomechannelsthroughsomehardwareprocessorsinsteadofhyper-cleanplugins,orexperimentwithbouncingpartstotape.EvensimplyrunningtheaudiooutofagoodD/AconverterandbackinthroughagoodA/Dcangiveyourrecordingssomecolourandbite.There’ssomehowsomething‘real’aboutthesoundofelectronswhizzingaroundacircuit,orbeingwrittenasmagneticinformationtotapeandreadback-youcanpotentiallyaddmoredepthanddimensiontoyoursoundswhendoingthingslikethis.AnotherideaistousenoisesamplesasimportedsamplesinBFD2,andmixtheminwiththedrumsoundswhileprocessingthem.

Resampling and re-sequencingBFD2isperfectformakingyourownbreakbeats!Youcanthinkaboutitasasoundsourceformakingyourownpersonalisedbreaksbycreatinggood-soundingdrummixesandmixingdownpatternstostereoexports.Youcanthenre-processtheclipsandusebeat-slicingtechniquesonthem,andthenuseasamplerplugintore-sequencetheslices.Thisisacommontechniqueinhip-hop,drum&bassandotherbreakbeatmusic.FXpansion’sGURUsamplebeatboxinstrumentisanexcellentintegratedtoolforsuchpurposes.Manysequencinghostsalsocontaingoodtoolswithwhichtomanipulateimportedaudio–youmaypreferworkingwithchunksofaudiothanMIDI,usingtoolslikeProToolsBeatDetectiveforexample.

BFD2’sversatilitymeansyoucantailorthesound,pattern,grooveandtempoexactlytoyourneeds,andusetheExportGrooveAudiofunctiontocomeupwithinstantloopstoslotintoyourbeat-slicerofchoice.