Importing Samples into BFD3

BFD3 allows you to import mono or stereo .WAV files to create single-articulation Drums, which can have multiple velocity layers.

The following caveats apply with the Sample Import function:

•There can be only 1 articulation in the imported Drum. It can be either one amplitude-scaled sample, or multiple velocity layers.

•Imported Drums only produce sound in the direct bus. There is no facility for multiple microphones or ambience channels. It is possible to add space to imported sounds by using BFD3's reverb effects.

•Only 1 channel is active for the imported Drum in the mixer, regardless of which Kit-Piece slot is used, unless it is loaded into the kick1 or snare1 slots.

•Samples can be mono or stereo, but you cannot use a combination of mono and stereo samples in the same imported Drum.

In order to create a Drum from a set of one or more samples, you must open the Sample Import panel using the Import samples... function in the Drum Browser Options menu.

Import settings

Destination

Select a Content Location to which to save the imported samples as a Drum.

Imported sounds stream in the same way as other sounds in BFD3, so the path must be one of the locations set up in the BFD3 Content Locations panel.

Choose the Drum type (Class) from this drop-down menu. The Drum can be classified as a Kick, Snare, Tom, Cymbal or Percussion Drum. Hihats are not an available option because they would require more than one articulation.

If you require imported hihats, create separate Drums for open and closed samples with a Percussion classification. Load each of these into Percussion slots, then use the Key Map page to layer the relevant hihat articulations with those of the imported Drums. It is advised to save the session as a Preset in order to use it again in future if required.

Add Layer(s)

Click this button to add a sample. Any mono or stereo WAV file can be selected, but it must be at a sample rate of 44.1kHz, at a bit depth of either 16 or 24 bit.

If only one sample is specified, BFD3 automatically scales the amplitude of the imported Drum with incoming Groove/MIDI event velocity.

If 2 or more samples are specified, they are split proportionally across the velocity range. Any additional mplitude scaling must be applied manually with the Range control after the Drum has been loaded.