Any thoughts re: BFD3 vs Superior Drummer?

I'm getting good results with Addictive Drums 2, but I've always had a dislike of some parts of it's gui...

In particular, the gain/pan controls for cymbals.

BFD I know handles them more to my liking and I remember leaning towards it before Cakewalk gave us AD... Being eternally broke these days, I got along, but I suddenly find myself able to change this. Too bad I don't remember why I preferred BFD back then.

Any thoughts woukd be helpful...

Thanks...

Superior drummer 3 user here  - I only have an old version of BDF but Superior Drummer is far far better - I have addictive drums / slate / too many others to remember but now I have Superior Drummer 3 with my favorite progressive factory, I am not using anything else! It's so easy and sounds great.
Nigel
 

Trust me!!! Superior Drummer 3 has changed the game. Nothing else comes close. I had BFD. Now deleted. I still tinker around with AD 2 just to throw something down fast.
Superior 3 rules supreme on all my serious projects but it does have a steep learning curve if you just started out. I used SD2 since it was released so getting a handle on 3 was not so bad.

Yes, FXpansion does have libraries for BFD3. Sonic Reality also has some. I bought the Vinny Appice kit and it's awesome.

I also have them pretty much any major drum VSTi. Long time BFD user and I love the expansion packs (especially the Platinum Samples ones. ) One important thing for me is that BFD hasn't been updated much recently. Since they were puchased by Roli, not much has been going on the BFD front. Forums are quiet there. Bums me out because I always loved BFD. There was a new snare expansion kit released the other day though. Toontrack consistently update their products which i like. Even though the gap from SD2 - SD3 was long, SD 2 was updated regularly. SD3 song builder and MIDI groove finder is very useful.

I have SD2. Used to use it a lot before I had BFD3. Hardly touched it since. SD3 is OTT for my needs - I'd have to get another HD just to be able to install it all. That plus Toontrack's "upgrade now or else" stance has really turned me off of them as a company to deal with.
 
Between Addictive Drums 1&2, BFD3 and the drum instruments in Komplete I figure I should be able to get something that sounds reasonable.
 
 

I have 2 versions of Slate and Superior Drummer 3. Between the Slate, AD 2 and SD3 there is NO comparison, SD3 slays the other two. There are a few things I wish I could change and much I need to learn but it’s taken my recordings next level. I’m about to do an album with some guys where we are either going to record midi drums via Roland TD 20 or mic drums to get clean tracks for replacing. The sounds are just that good.

Not a BFD user here, but after watching others use it, BFD seems a little quicker and less fussy to set up and tweak to a good sound.
 
I am a longtime Superior Drummer user, going all the way back to Drumkit from Hell, its distant ancestor. Obviously, I'm very happy with it. However, I don't automatically recommend it to everyone.
 
SD3 is more configurable than anything else out there, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your style of usage (if you want to get up and running and sounding good fast with minimal effort, check out Steven Slate Drums).
 
SD3 has lots of expansions but they are more expensive than BFD's.
 
As noted above, SD3 is HUGE, by far the biggest sample library I have. I do not run it from an SSD, and it can take quite awhile to load.
 
SD3 has features you may never use. It has its own sequencer, but I've never used it. It has a great drum-replacement feature that I've used only a handful of times. It has gobs of effects, many of which I've never used. 
 
Bottom line is I'd say SD3 is for people who are really serious about their sequenced drums, who take their time tweaking sounds, and want no limitations. Although I fall into that category, I realize that not everyone does. Some just want to build a serviceable drum track quickly and then move on to the fun stuff, whether that's playing your guitar or singing or programming synthesizers.

I think if you want help creating drum tracks, SD3 is for you. If you want to create your own drum tracks, BFD3 (or even SSD4/5) will get you there. I personally enjoy creating my drum tracks from scratch and I like the control I can get over the drums in BFD3. The add on kits are pretty spectacular.
 
Dan

Easy Drummer 2 is on sale at $89, may be cheaper if you dig.
Gives you a "quick taste" of what ToonTracks is all about.
I tried to install Eco once and couldn't get it working.

I have heard good convincing mixes done using the old drummer in Cakewalk. Others have used things I couldn't imagine would have yielded the kind of results they had. My point being that deep drum editing isn't always necessary
especially in basic rock/pop mixes. You can probably do what you need to do with what you have already. If you don't think so then ask yourself what you will need to reach that level.
I have all of the BFD line. Maibnly use BFD 3. They have always worked the best for me. I think the main idea is to know what you want to do and have that workflow streamlined and not get caught up in too many details.
In how many major label recordings do you listen for the type of bass drum, snare, cymbals? It is possible to have a killer drum mix that detracts from the total tune. It might sound wonderful stand alone. After you get it in the mix it doesn't sound right. For me, it's usually a bass drum that has punch. A snare that has the perfect amount of shimmer, the cymbals and rides sound like magic, mainly it's about the drummer and the groove. You get that right and the rest is secondary. JMO. Hard to go wrong with any of the new offerings, they will all get you there and probably much further than you want to go.

Wow!

Thanks gang!

I appreciate all the input. Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but I forgot... 🎸

I've been using AD2 except for my kick which I run separately in SessionDrummer 3. I'm not happy with any of the AD2 kicks I got. It bothers me that all their demos use processed kits instead of the raw samples... Do eithe BFD/SD allow us to hear raw kits before purchasing?

I don't typically do any processing within AD2 as I prefer the fx I have in CbB...

I play/program most of my drums, but sometimes I will use a 4-8 bar pattern as a starting point, so i don't need midi grooves within it too much, but they can be handy.

Most of AD2 is "ok", but I'm uncomfortable with how it handles it's cymbals and i find many of the widgets difficult to adjust.

I much prefer BFD3's gui than AD2. I seem to remember when I researched them years back I was strongly moved toward BFD over SD, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with some other things right now.

Thanks again!

gmon72
I also have them pretty much any major drum VSTi. Long time BFD user and I love the expansion packs (especially the Platinum Samples ones. ) One important thing for me is that BFD hasn't been updated much recently. Since they were puchased by Roli, not much has been going on the BFD front. Forums are quiet there. Bums me out because I always loved BFD. 

 
There is a thread that started recently on KVR where Fxpansion is asking what you'd like to see in BFD, so it appears they are moving toward developing it more.