Marshall
AD2 is brilliant for quick and easy, and to be honest, I've got it set up with separate outputs as a track template and that's why I use it. I've owned BFD3 for years, but despite asking for help on this lovely forum, I still don't know how to set up the separate outputs in Sonar, so it is gathering cobwebs.

A massive thing in AD2's favour is the ability to audition different patterns without actually loading anything into your project.

Audition and tweak (i.e. mute kit pieces, change velocity ranges, etc.) without loading into a project.

bitflipper
Most drum libraries fall into one of two categories: do-it-yourself or ready-to-wear. Superior Drummer is in the former, BFD the latter. Neither category is better at all things. Superior can give you exactly the sound you're after, but it'll make you work for it. BFD takes less effort, but unless you have the budget for lots of expansions you may sometimes find yourself settling for "close enough".

 
I would mostly agree with this, except that you can definitely get to BFD's raw samples if that's what you want to work with. Just load a kit instead of a preset and you can adjust everything manually, with or without FX.
 

bitflipper
But if I was looking to add a Category 2 turnkey drum library, I'd seriously consider Steven Slate Drums. Although not as tweakable as Superior, it's one of the easiest libraries to quickly and effortlessly get good results with. Plus at $149 it's a steal - less than the price of one Superior Drummer expansion - and you get 100 kits. 

These are quite good as well. Having SSD4 and BFD3 though, I can honestly say I reach for BFD more often.
 
Regards,
Dan

dcumpian

I would mostly agree with this, except that you can definitely get to BFD's raw samples if that's what you want to work with. Just load a kit instead of a preset and you can adjust everything manually, with or without FX.

I am just really getting to grips with BFD3 after finally sorting out the mono and stereo routings in Sonar (its easy, I was just missing the obvious)

I am sure I saw somewhere how you vary the mix of the ambient channels and even reposition the mics but I can't remember where. ( in a dream??). Ideally I would like to get the overheads and room mics out on different Sonar tracks. I must read the manual.

Glyn Barnes

dcumpian

I would mostly agree with this, except that you can definitely get to BFD's raw samples if that's what you want to work with. Just load a kit instead of a preset and you can adjust everything manually, with or without FX.

I am just really getting to grips with BFD3 after finally sorting out the mono and stereo routings in Sonar (its easy, I was just missing the obvious)

I am sure I saw somewhere how you vary the mix of the ambient channels and even reposition the mics but I can't remember where. ( in a dream??). Ideally I would like to get the overheads and room mics out on different Sonar tracks. I must read the manual.

It's a lot to take in: https://www.fxpansion.com/webmanuals/bfd3/operationmanual/index.html?drum_editor.htm
 
Regards,
Dan

Glyn Barnes

dcumpian

I would mostly agree with this, except that you can definitely get to BFD's raw samples if that's what you want to work with. Just load a kit instead of a preset and you can adjust everything manually, with or without FX.

I am just really getting to grips with BFD3 after finally sorting out the mono and stereo routings in Sonar (its easy, I was just missing the obvious)

I am sure I saw somewhere how you vary the mix of the ambient channels and even reposition the mics but I can't remember where. ( in a dream??). Ideally I would like to get the overheads and room mics out on different Sonar tracks. I must read the manual.

Glyn,
 
I've tried posting a link to the "Operations Manual", but I think Cakewalk's anti-spam software is eating the posts. Just run this search in Google:
 
"bfd3 mic positions"
 
The first link should be what you want...
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Glyn BarnesI am sure I saw somewhere how you vary the mix of the ambient channels and even reposition the mics but I can't remember where. ( in a dream??). Ideally I would like to get the overheads and room mics out on different Sonar tracks. I must read the manual.

 
If you expand the ambient channels using the little square with an arrow next to the fx power button, (or the arrow on the ambient master channel) then hit the "tweaks" button you'll see that the overhead, room and ambient channels have, "width" and "distance" knobs below. The mono, and comp channels just have. "distance" and NOT width dials.
 
Steve

twaddle

Glyn BarnesI am sure I saw somewhere how you vary the mix of the ambient channels and even reposition the mics but I can't remember where. ( in a dream??). Ideally I would like to get the overheads and room mics out on different Sonar tracks. I must read the manual.

 
If you expand the ambient channels using the little square with an arrow next to the fx power button, (or the arrow on the ambient master channel then hit the "tweaks" button you'll see that the overheard, rood and ambient channels have, "width" and "distance" knobs below. The mono, and comp channels just have. "distance" and NOT width dials.
 
Steve

Thanks, I knew I had seen it somewhere!

bitflipper
Most drum libraries fall into one of two categories: do-it-yourself or ready-to-wear. Superior Drummer is in the former, BFD the latter. Neither category is better at all things. Superior can give you exactly the sound you're after, but it'll make you work for it. BFD takes less effort, but unless you have the budget for lots of expansions you may sometimes find yourself settling for "close enough".
 
As a longtime Superior Drummer user, I have learned how to get good results with it. However, it's still a bit of a PIA due to its philosophy of modeling real-world drum mixing. I don't have any additional kits for it because they're pricey, so if I need an alternate snare, for example, I turn to Kontakt libraries. (There are many inexpensive drum samples out there, both full kits and individual drums from the likes of Drumwerks for 4 to 20 dollars). Many users would find my approach archaic, klunky and obtuse, especially if they have no experience mixing real drums. It works for me, though.
 
But if I was looking to add a Category 2 turnkey drum library, I'd seriously consider Steven Slate Drums. Although not as tweakable as Superior, it's one of the easiest libraries to quickly and effortlessly get good results with. Plus at $149 it's a steal - less than the price of one Superior Drummer expansion - and you get 100 kits.

I'll give a plus one to Bit's recommendation for Steven Slate.  I have an embarrassing number or options I've picked up over the years, but added Slate to the mix about 6 months ago and find that it is a great sounding kit right out of the box.  I added the CLA expansion as well.  Both were on sale when I picked them up, and it was a real bargain considering the mileage I have gotten out of them these past few months.  I'll still use BFD3 now and then, but that is mostly when I pull up an old project that I want to revamp a bit, and the drums are already programmed with that.

I find that it's not about the Virtual Drums, it's about the Virtual Drummer!
 
gabo

One potential advantage (or disadvantage if you suffer from GAS) of BFD3 is the availability of third party kits.