BFD

About BFD

BFD was created in 2003 by FXpansion, a London music software developer founded by Angus Hewlett. It was the first virtual instrument to attempt full emulation of a real acoustic drum kit's depth, and it set a new standard for sampled drums. In 2020, inMusic Brands acquired BFD along with the entire engineering team. The platform is now developed under inMusic, which also owns Akai Professional, Alesis, Moog, and Denon DJ. BFD ships as BFD3, the full flagship sampler, and BFD Player, a free version that runs the same expansion packs. The catalog includes multi-channel, multi-mic recordings of acoustic kits with detailed articulations and in-depth per-piece mixing. BFD1, BFD2, and BFD3 have each won an Electronic Musician Editors' Choice Award.

BFD3 and BFD Player

BFD3 is the flagship drum production environment. It loads deeply sampled acoustic kits with multiple mic positions per drum, individual articulation control, and a full mixer inside the plugin. You can blend room mics, overheads, and close mics to taste, then process each channel with onboard EQ, compression, and effects. BFD Player is the free version. It runs all the same expansion packs but with a simplified interface and fewer mixing options. Both work as VST, AU, and AAX plugins. If you need total control over drum sound, BFD3 delivers. If you want fast results with less routing, BFD Player gets you there.

Expansion Packs

BFD's expansion catalog is one of the largest in virtual drums. Each pack samples a specific kit, snare collection, or artist setup. BFD Jazz Noir and BFD Jazz Maple cover vintage jazz kits with brushes and sticks. BFD Dunnett Ti samples a set of hand-made prototype titanium drums by builder Ronn Dunnett, recorded at Omega Studios. BFD Cocktail Kit, BFD Crush, and BFD Dark Farm target indie, lo-fi, and alternative rock tones. BFD Wooden Snares and BFD Metal Snares give you deep libraries of individual drums for layering or replacement. Every expansion integrates directly into BFD3 or BFD Player, so you can mix and match pieces across packs.

Shop BFD at Blackout Audio

BFD gives you the most detailed acoustic drum sampling available in software form. The expansion library covers jazz, rock, metal, pop, and experimental setups, all recorded with multiple mics and full articulation sets. Free shipping on orders over $199 across Canada. Browse the full BFD catalog online and contact the team with questions about compatibility or workflow.