FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection

The FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection is the third expansion pack for FXpansion's BFD premium acoustic drum module. Unparalleled in its detail and recording quality, the Deluxe Collection was tracked at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio facility in Chicago. The pack contains some of the most sought-after drums and cymbals of all time, recorded at up to 127 velocity layers in pristine detail.

The room in which the session was recorded is smaller and more up-front than the Eldorado room used in BFD and BFD XFL, giving the Deluxe Collection an extremely punchy and defined sound. The recording techniques employed also contribute hugely to the sound and character of the pack. Such esoteric microphones as the Josephson e22, c42 and c609, Royer R122 and the fabled Altec 150 'coke bottles' were used. The clarity and definition of the recordings has to be heard to be believed, and benefit greatly from Steve Albini's years of recording experience at the forefront of American music.

As befits a pack recorded in Chicago, the FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection features some legendary Ludwig kits, including a Vistalite from the 1970s, with 6 toms and 2 kicks, and a 1965 Clubdate. As well as these vintage kits, several modern classics are provided, such as a Sonor Designer, a Yamaha Pro Tour, a DW Black Oyster Pearl and a Gretsch USA Maple. Finally, a prototype BackYard Drums kit was flown to Chicago especially for the sessions. The Deluxe Collection represents the first time these exquisite boutique drums have ever been recorded.

In addition, the FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection contains a Ludwig Supraphonic 'Bonzo' snare and a Bison maple piccolo, while the kicks were equipped with felt, rubber or plastic beaters. Five Zildjian hihats, including 14" and 15" New Beats and a 13" Z Dynobeat, and a large assortment of Zildjian, Sabian, Paiste and Wuhan cymbals have also been immaculately captured.

The FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection is ideally suited to any styles of music demanding potent, stunningly recorded drums with a depth of dynamic variation to allow truly expressive playing.

FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection FAQ

Does FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection require BFD?

Yes. FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection is an audio expansion pack for BFD. As such, you need an up-to-date (v1.5 or later) installation of BFD in order to use it.

I was considering buying BFD XFL and now I'm torn between it and FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection. Which should I buy?

Both! However, if you must choose one over the other, here are the main differences:

- BFD XFL was recorded under exactly the same conditions as the original BFD library. The same drum room and recording equipment was used. Therefore, it matches the sound and acoustic space of BFD perfectly. BFD Deluxe Collection's smaller acoustic space results in a different sound, which is more up-front and punchy.

- FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection has higher levels of detail. It features up to 128 velocity layers (compared with up to 93 in BFD XFL), with cymbals having especially large amounts of layers compared to previous BFD material. Please be aware that using this level of detail results in a substantial hit on resources: you'll need more diskspace and RAM.

- BFD XFL contains substantial amounts of brushed and malleted Kit-Pieces, and also includes some basic kit-based percussion. FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection features only conventionally hit drums, cymbals and hihats (although the kicks are provided with different types of beaters in most cases.

Do I really need to install 55GB of data to use FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection?

No. For each of the 5 DVDs supplied with FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection, you have the option of installing with one of three 'footprints':

Small (32 velocity layers)
Medium (64 velocity layers)
Deluxe (up to 128 velocity layers)

The lower amount of velocity layers in Small and Medium installations result in less detail than a full installation, but require much less diskspace. Small and Medium installations are also less heavy on resources when using Deluxe Collection Kits and Kit-Pieces within BFD, because less RAM is required.

Where was FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection recorded?

At Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studio facility in Chicago. The Kentucky drum room in Studio A was used. It's much smaller than the drum room used in BFD and BFD XFL, so the room sound is a lot tighter, although it's far from dead. Check some of the audio examples in order to get a feel for the sonic character of FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection.

Did Steve Albini produce this expansion pack?

He was responsible for all mic placement, and made decisions about any processing to be used in the signal path (all analogue processing through vintage Urei/UA devices (in some cases with custom modifications). In effect, he did the engineering during the recording, along with other Electrical Audio staff members Greg Norman and Russ Arbuthnot.

Is this pack only good for rock and grunge music?

Not at all! While Steve Albini and his studio are predominantly known within rock circles, his primary motivation is to capture the sound of whatever he's recording as well as possible. FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection is simply an exquisitely recorded library of fine drums and cymbals, which is usable for anything from funk and jazz to rock, metal and grunge, and many styles beyond.

FXpansion BFD Deluxe Collection System Requirements

Mac

This Expansion Pack Requires BFD
BFD v1.5 (Free upgrade from v1.0)
Apple PowerMac G4, OSX 10.2.8, 733 MHz (G4 1.2 GHz recommended) (for MacOSX platform)
1 GB of RAM
DVD drive (for installation)
55GB of free hard disk space (separate drive recommended)

PC

This Expansion Pack Requires BFD
BFD v1.5 (Free upgrade from v1.0)
1 GHz Pentium III or Athlon XP (for Windows platform)
1 GB of RAM
DVD drive (for installation)
55GB of free hard disk space (separate drive recommended)