FXpansion BFD Jazz Funk User Manual

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BFD Jazz & Funk Collection

Welcome and thank you for purchasing BFD Jazz & Funk Collection! We hope you
enjoy working with it as much as we do. Please read through this manual carefully.
The installation process and the Hit types used in this expansion differ from
previous products in the BFD range. Reading through this manual will ensure that
you get the most out of the sounds.

The data on the BFD Jazz & Funk Collection DVDs is compressed (using a zero­loss algorithm), to facilitate the delivery of the highest possible level of detail.

The latest version of BFD v1.5 is required in order to use BFD Jazz & Funk

Collection. Please make sure it is properly installed before you proceed.

Installation

Each DVD contains an installer specific to the contents

of that DVD. Please follow these steps for each DVD !

Special note for Mac users: during the installation routine, you may be asked for

your Admin password. You must have Admin rights in order to install this software.

1. Insert the DVD and run the BFD Jazz & Funk Collection installer.

• Windows:
If the installer does not auto-run, explore the DVD contents in My

Computer and double-click BFD JNF Win Setup.exe to run it.

• Mac:
Open the DVD contents and double-click BFD JNF Mac Setup.

2. Follow the on-screen instructions until the ‘Installation Path’ stage appears.

3. Select your BFD folder: this is the

folder which contains the Data
folder in which the sample data
resides. Make sure you select the
BFD folder, and not BFD/Data
or any other folder. If you do not
select the correct folder, the new
sounds will not be available within
BFD. Click Next when you’re
ready to proceed.

4. You now need to specify the
Installation Size: you can specify
the detail level and which Kit­Pieces to install.

• Firstly, select a detail level. BFD

Jazz & Funk Collection can be
installed with one of three detail
levels, determining the maximum
amount of velocity layers (and
consequently affecting the hard
disk space usage) that are
installed for each Kit-Piece on
the DVD.

Higher detail levels have a higher impact on system resources.

Small: a maximum of 20 velocity layers will be installed
Medium: a maximum of 40 velocity layers will be installed
Large: a maximum of 128 velocity layers will be installed

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• Next, deselect the Kit-Pieces which
you do not want to install by clearing
the check-boxes. All Kit-Pieces on the
DVD will be installed with the same
detail level during the installer routine. The info display on the right shows
information about each Kit-Piece and the Hit types it contains. Use the
scroll-bar to scroll through the list.

The installer program calculates disk space requirements dynamically, so
please be patient when selecting and deselecting Kit-Pieces.

Click Next when you’re ready to continue.

HINT: If you would like to install different Kit-Pieces from the same DVD with

different detail levels (for example, using a higher detail level on snares
can be useful), simply re-run the DVD’s installer as many times as
necessary, de-selecting the appropriate Kit-Pieces each time.

5. Enter your BFD Jazz & Funk Collection serial number (located on the inside
front cover of the digipak containing the DVDs). You will only need to enter
your serial for the first DVD you install. Click Next to commence installation.

Installation of each DVD can take quite a while, as a large amount of data
needs to be de-compressed and installed.

To register your copy of BFD Jazz & Funk Collection, or if you experience any

problems during the installation, please consult our support page:

www.fxpansion.com/support

You MUST be registered to receive support. Registering also means we have

a record of your serial if you lose it. Lost serials will NOT be replaced!

Registering also allows you access to the download area, containing free

bonus content such as additional Kit-Pieces.

Recording notes

BFD Jazz & Funk Collection was produced by John Emrich and the engineering
team at Omega Studios, Rockville, Maryland – one of the largest recording and
educational facilities on the US east coast. John’s philosophy when approaching
the recordings was to present a drummer’s perspective. This is reflected in the
different methods of striking the drums (sticks, brushes, mallets, hot rods and
hands) and the introduction of new expressive articulations, such as those in the
brushed snares. The drier recording environment and John’s own methods of
tuning and micing up the drums are also vital elements of the new sounds.

Studio A at Omega was used, which features a Neve VR console and Digidesign
HD 192 interfaces for A/D conversion. No additional processing was applied,
except for subtle compression on the Room and PZM channels. The mic channels
were set up as follows:

• Direct

Kick In: Shure Beta 52 mic through API preamp.
Kick Out: Neumann FET 47 through Focusrite Red preamp.
Snare Top: Shure SM57 through API preamp.
Snare Bottom: Neumann KMi 85 through Focusrite Red preamp.
HiHat: Neumann KMi 85 through Neve console preamp.
Toms: Sennheiser 421 through Neve console preamps.
Cymbals: Neumann KM 185 through Neve console preamps.

• Overhead

Matched Neumann KM184s through Focusrite ISA 115 preamps.

• Room

Neumann U89s through Focusrite Red preamps and SSL G384 stereo compressor. The mics
were placed 20 ft. from the kit, 20 ft. apar t from each other.

• PZM

Crown PZMs through Neve console preamps and compressors. The mics were placed on the
floor, around 20 ft. from the kit and 20 ft. apart from each other.

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Using the new sounds in BFD

Kits and Kit-Pieces

All Kit-Pieces on all DVDs must be installed in order to use the ready-made Kits. If
you’re only installing a selection of Kit-Pieces, you need to compile your own Kits
from the installed Kit-Pieces, something which takes a matter of seconds in BFD.

A note about the new Hit type articulations

Certain Kit-Pieces feature only some of the possible Hit type articulations, or
feature new types of articulations substituted for the conventional BFD Hit types.
With such a large library, the usefulness of the sound had to be balanced against
the extra resources required. Please consult the Kit-Piece listing in this manual, or
the info text displays in the BFD Kit-Piece Selector panels, for details of each Kit­Piece’s Hit types and substitutions.

New expressive possibilities

BFD Jazz & Funk Collection features detail levels much higher than the original
BFD library. With a Large installation, snares go up to around 90 velocity layers,
while kicks and toms have around 40-60. Cymbals and hihats vary between 25
and 40 layers.

Many Kit-Pieces are presented with brush, mallet, rod and hand versions, in
addition to sticks. Some stick versions of snares feature a cross-stick instead
of a sidestick. Meanwhile, brushed snares feature short and long sweeps, as
well as open and closed hits, allowing you to program expressive and accented
brush snare patterns. To overcome long sweeps being cut by the BFD choking
mechanism when another snare Hit type is used, load the brushed snare into an
additional Kit-Piece slot with 2 Hit types available – Toms 4-6, Percussion or any
Cymbal slot. The first two Hit types will be loaded into the additional slot, which will
include the ‘long sweep’ Hit type. Use this additional slot for the long sweep Hit,
and use its main Hit to choke the sweep.

Hyper-detailed hihats and cymbals

The hihats in BFD Jazz & Funk Collection feature extra ¼-open and ¾-open
position Hit types, in addition to the usual closed, ½-open and open positions
found in the original BFD library. Also, brushed versions of a couple of the hihats
are included. Ride cymbals include bell Hits where appropriate. The hihats and
cymbals are captured with more velocity layers than those on the original BFD
library (around 25-40 layers).

Increased RAM overhead

The increased levels of detail in the new sounds cause a significantly higher RAM
overhead compared to the content in the original BFD library. When using smaller
amounts of RAM (768MB to 1GB), you should install BFD Jazz & Funk Collection
with Small or Medium detail levels (see Installation guide for details), or consult
the Performance Tips section in the BFD FAQ for other ways to optimize BFD for
lower memory usage: www.fxpansion.com/product-bfd-userFAQ.php

Using the BFD mixing and damping functions

When using sounds from the Jazz & Funk Collection, we recommend starting with
the direct and overhead channels, and dialling in subtle amounts of the room and
PZM channels to suit your taste. The same is true of any other BFD library when
approaching jazz and funk sounds, which are traditionally dominated by direct and
overhead mic positions as they sound tighter and more intimate. However, don’t
use these guidelines as a rule! A room-only mix might be even nicer for certain
types of jazz sounds, for example. Do make sure you read the BFD manual fully to
learn about the all the mixing functions. It’s also a good idea to acquaint yourself
with the damping controls in BFD, as they can be essential in getting certain types
of sounds.

Many thanks,

The FXpansion team
www.fxpansion.com