EZ Drummer 3 Pre-Order NOW LIVE!

[Twaddle]

16 hours ago, PavlovsCat said:

I'm just counting on all of you BFD3 users to make sure you let us know when the plugin is stable. It's rather clear that it's not at this point. When it is, if they still have an upgrade deal from BFD Eco, I'm definitely going to get it. Until then, I'm out. SD is my go to and AD2 is my second choice. I realize it's really subjective. I fell in love with the sound of a couple of the SD expansions years ago -- that reminded me of the way I used to tune my drums. AD2 sounds really processed to me, nothing like what a well tuned drum kit sounds like when you're playing it and BFD just didn't sound all that exciting to my ears and similar to the way I liked to tune my drums (I played drums semi professionally for many years until I had an injury that stopped me from playing). But if BFD ever gets its tech issues worked out, and I can still pick it up for $100USD or less with upgrade pricing, I'm definitely getting it. Until then, I'm looking forward to the SD4 upgrade and hoping that Toontrack will offer SD4 upgrade pricing for SD2 customers as they have offered upgrade pricing to ezDrummer 1 customers. 

It very almost is rock solid now and the most common issue has been with the licence manager.
There is an update being tested as I speak that should hopefully fix. The other issue has been with their server and not the licence manager itself.
It was never ready for release but I think most of the issues a drawing to a close.

Most of us aren't keen on the new licensing structure, currently the LM will need to log in to your account to reauthorise the software and libraries every 90 days.                

For people who prefer to keep their DAWs off-line that's been a major headache. I'm against the whole thing on principle but since my DAW is on-line it should be fine when it works properly and it will run the LM in the background.

 

Steve

Edited April 7, 2022 by Twaddle

[Bapu]

2 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

-- like the eSoundz Neil Peart kit -- 

Please any BFD3 users, please weigh in on whether you think this is a decent time for me to get the upgrade to BFD3 or if there are still major problems with the plugin.

I never got the eSoundz linbs to work because according to eSoundz CS they need to get the hooks from InMusic/BFD3. I would think may never happen.

Same with any non-BFD expansions too (Chocolate Audio  and one or two more IIRC).

TBH I upgraded but have not done a deep dive into the usage of this version vs the old BFD3 which I owned.

[simon]

11 minutes ago, Twaddle said:

It very almost is rock solid now and the most common issue has been with the licence manager.
There is an update being tested as I speak that should hopefully fix. The other issue has been with their server and not the licence manager itself.
It was never ready for release but I think most of the issues a drawing to a close.

Most of us aren't keen on the new licensing structure, currently the LM will need to log in to your account to reauthorise the software and libraries every 90 days.                

For people who prefer to keep their DAWs off-line that's been a major headache. I'm against the whole thing on principle but since my DAW is on-line it should be fine when it works properly and it will run the LM in the background.

 

Steve

hi Steve

I recognise you from the BFD forums and the FXP forums before that - I remember you saying you'd never tried any of the other main competitors to BFD so I think we should bear that in mind.

I know you are a BFD beta tester but I fear you have a very rosy view of the current state of BFD although we do agree on one thing....

Quote

Most of us aren't keen on the new licensing structure

but lots of us also don't like the glacially slow progress on the bug fixing - the lack of new content - the poor communication (zero!) from support - the lack of VST3 or M1 support - the random disabling of our PAID FOR software mid project.........shall I go on ?

I'm really sorry to be so unfriendly but as somebody that owns most of the BFD content it frustrates and annoys me what has happened to it.

[simon]

27 minutes ago, PavlovsCat said:

the demos of BFD3 easily sound good enough to justify spending $49USD

yes - it's worth spending $49  - despite what I said in my previous replies

[Tim Smith]

26 minutes ago, Twaddle said:

It very almost is rock solid now and the most common issue has been with the licence manager.
There is an update being tested as I speak that should hopefully fix. The other issue has been with their server and not the licence manager itself.
It was never ready for release but I think most of the issues a drawing to a close.

Most of us aren't keen on the new licensing structure, currently the LM will need to log in to your account to reauthorise the software and libraries every 90 days.                

For people who prefer to keep their DAWs off-line that's been a major headache. I'm against the whole thing on principle but since my DAW is on-line it should be fine when it works properly and it will run the LM in the background.

 

Steve

I realize there was a buyout of Fxpansion. For this I don't believe any of those who worked so hard to make such a fantastic drum program should be held accountable for what has happened unless they were also owners. 

Sorry to hear about the way the new license manager works. I think it's tragic when the amount of trust a company puts in it's customer base demands something like this. Once again, I know it wasn't you if you were somehow involved in the company's products. I would have personally rather had a simple ilok setup over this. It's probably sign in time for me again as it's probably been three months since I used it.

If they don't wake up soon they are going to loose their entire customer base IMHO.

[Twaddle]

31 minutes ago, simon said:

hi Steve

I recognise you from the BFD forums and the FXP forums before that - I remember you saying you'd never tried any of the other main competitors to BFD so I think we should bear that in mind.

I know you are a BFD beta tester but I fear you have a very rosy view of the current state of BFD although we do agree on one thing....

but lots of us also don't like the glacially slow progress on the bug fixing - the lack of new content - the poor communication (zero!) from support - the lack of VST3 or M1 support - the random disabling of our PAID FOR software mid project.........shall I go on ?

I'm really sorry to be so unfriendly but as somebody that owns most of the BFD content it frustrates and annoys me what has happened to it.

I have Addictive Drums and EZdrummer 2 now as well as a the free SSD but just don't have SD2 or SD3 which are the nearest things to BFD3.

I get what you're saying and for the most part I agree. I'm PC user so M1 support isn't an issue for me and I'm not clued up enough about the gains of VST3 to know how badly I need it but VST2 works.

I really hope inbrands live up to Drew's expectations and the reason there's been so little development in with \BFD3 and its expansion packs was completely down to ROLI just happy to let BFD3 rot. Had there been the right backing and a larger devs team we'd probably all be moaning about BFD4 by now.

Like I said, "Most of us aren't keen on the new licensing structure". and that includes me but it shouldn't be random.

The reauthorisation period is currently at 90 days and I hope I'm not breaking any NDA in saying this but the new LM has a 90 day countdown timer on it so if you're off-line you will know how long you have before you need to reauthorise.

The communication I agree is often very bad or at least it seems to be pot luck. Anyone on the forum would think Drew single-handedly does everything by himself. He certainly deserves a good holiday.

 

Steve

Edited April 7, 2022 by Twaddle

[Twaddle]

18 minutes ago, Tim Smith said:

Sorry to hear about the way the new license manager works.

Although like everyone else, I am opposed to the principle of having to prove ownership every 90 days of something I paid for, the actual process of re-licensing should be something that happens without our knowing. This is ow they would like it to work but as Drew had said on the forum, it was nowhere near ready to go public and even when/if all the bugs in the LM itself are fixed, issues with the server can still leave BFD3 owners up sht creek without their proverbial paddle.

 

Steve

[Cecelius2]

Regarding BDF3,  --  Is the 49$ upgrade from Eco to BDF3 still available? 

If they get the bugs fixed, I would upgrade, but have not yet because of the negative discussions.

 

BTW, I will definitely upgrade EZD2 to EZD3.  Getting the extra 7 drum sets alone will justify it for me.

C2

[PavlovsCat]

10 minutes ago, Cecelius2 said:

Regarding BDF3,  --  Is the 49$ upgrade from Eco to BDF3 still available? 

If they get the bugs fixed, I would upgrade, but have not yet because of the negative discussions.

 

BTW, I will definitely upgrade EZD2 to EZD3.  Getting the extra 7 drum sets alone will justify it for me.

C2

The BFD website shows the upgrade deal for $49 USD is still available when you enter your serial number. I own the first version of ezDrummer -- which I really liked -- and I own SD2, so I've contemplated getting the ezDrummer3 upgrade IN ADDITION to upgrading to SD4 when it's released but am thinking I'll save the money. That's an invitation for someone to try to persuade me I need both! Hahaha. 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by PavlovsCat

[smde]

I am looking for an application that could provide automatic backing tracks and chord transcriptions as done by Apple Music Memos App. Do you think EZ Drummer 3 can do it? Do you know of any other application that can do it?

[Heath Row]

8 hours ago, Bapu said:

What drum VST is the absolute best?
 

BFD3, hands down.

I have owned them all, sold SD2, SD3 and EZD2 and all my EZX's and SDX's, AD2, about 3 months after SD3 release, they just never got used, never touched SD3 after the initial look around honeymoon period.

[Heath Row]

5 hours ago, Bapu said:

I never got the eSoundz linbs to work because according to eSoundz CS they need to get the hooks from InMusic/BFD3. I would think may never happen.

Same with any non-BFD expansions too (Chocolate Audio  and one or two more IIRC).

TBH I upgraded but have not done a deep dive into the usage of this version vs the old BFD3 which I owned.

eSoundz, I've got their entire catalog and they all work fine, same goes with Chocolate Audio, and most likely "the one or two more"?

I find it pretty much Rock Solid, If they make me sign in again every 3 months, I don't mind, it's a small price to pay to have the best.?

Edited April 7, 2022 by Heath Row

[Marc Cormier]

I love BFD3 and am part of the test group, too, but what I'm looking for these days is great sound and ease of use.  EZDrummer 3 gets me excited more than a new update to my favorite drum program that just sounds good.  If it doesn't help me create - as inspiring as it sounds - it's less helpful to me.  Especially if either source passes in the mix anyway.  I'm not a purist, and IMHO BFD3 sounds better than SD3 on its own and is incredibly detailed, but I get from point A to somewhere near the finish line a lot quicker with SD3, with less dinking around with MIDI maps, previewing clip upon clip upon clip, etc.  If BFD3 had tap-to-find, for instance, I'd use it a ton more.

I remember the day I was finally able to buy BFD3...I felt like I'd "arrived" and would still feel that way today if SD3 hadn't "arrived" since then.  Conversely, if they would just sample some real - I mean REAL - hard hitting snares with discernible rim shots like the Tama Bell Brass in BFD3, I would also be a lot happier with SD3.  Why are they so timid with some of their snare samples???? 

Has anyone used BFD3 samples in SD3?  It looks simple enough - just haven't taken the time to try.

[Heath Row]

32 minutes ago, Marc Cormier said:

Has anyone used BFD3 samples in SD3?

Heresy!!!

[Fleer]

1 hour ago, Heath Row said:

Hearsay!!!

Fixed dat for ya

[LAGinz]

Objection overruled!

[simon]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I'd be interested to learn what SD3 kits are they comparing to BFD3 kits when they say BFD3 is 'better' or 'more realistic' ?

I think I've got all the SDX and lots of the EZX and quite a lot of BFD1/2/3 kits plus some platinum samples one so I'm very familiar with both.

The latest SDX such as Hansa or Fields of Rock or Legacy or Decades or Orchestral Percussion are better than any of the BFD3 ones (IMO) - obviously there is a huge price difference too.

Are people comparing BFD3 with older SD kits ?

Let's also not forget that edrum support in SD3 is so much better than BFD3 (again IMO).    Ultimately, of course, they both sound amazing and I really hope that BFD get their act together, despite InMusic.

[Tim Smith]

17 hours ago, lovemm said:

I am looking for an application that could provide automatic backing tracks and chord transcriptions as done by Apple Music Memos App. Do you think EZ Drummer 3 can do it? Do you know of any other application that can do it?

EZ Drummer is only drums of course and it plays midi lines mapped to the kits in it. Drums can be tuned but not usually transposed. It sounds to me like you just need to put together a midi composition in Cakewalk. In that domain you can tune any instrument in it at random, mix the midi to decent instruments and you're done. Any similar drum kit, including the one in Cakewalk can be set into such a composition.

We don't say that Apple word around here very often.

7 hours ago, simon said:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I'd be interested to learn what SD3 kits are they comparing to BFD3 kits when they say BFD3 is 'better' or 'more realistic' ?

I think I've got all the SDX and lots of the EZX and quite a lot of BFD1/2/3 kits plus some platinum samples one so I'm very familiar with both.

The latest SDX such as Hansa or Fields of Rock or Legacy or Decades or Orchestral Percussion are better than any of the BFD3 ones (IMO) - obviously there is a huge price difference too.

Are people comparing BFD3 with older SD kits ?

Let's also not forget that edrum support in SD3 is so much better than BFD3 (again IMO).    Ultimately, of course, they both sound amazing and I really hope that BFD get their act together, despite InMusic.

I'm feel confident in saying they are both just fine. I haven't heard all of the sample paks for either BFD 3 or SD3. I can only say that BFD3 had some amazing samples right out of the box and I could make them anything I wanted to make them. I had no need to really look at anything else.  I'll probably roll with the new LM even though I hate it. The BIG thing with BFD3 is probably lack of VST3. Cubase won't scan VST 2, neither will Ableton. Sure I could still throw it in UNIFY and probably make it work but if you don't have it that's another 79.00. Those coders need to get cracking on a VST3 version of BFD3 IMHO.

One benefit to Cakewalk is they haven't ditched VST2..............yet.

Toontrack had a program that will remap drums from other programs. I don't believe they have done much with it for a long time or if you can still get it. I have it. It's called EZplayer pro. It had midi map wrapper for different formats, say if you wanted to buy 3rd party midi loops mapped to another drum kit. 

It will be interesting to see if EZDrummer 3 has any flexibility in deciding if you want to change the assignments.

Most DAWS will let you build your own drum maps as well.

 

 

[PavlovsCat]

7 hours ago, simon said:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I'd be interested to learn what SD3 kits are they comparing to BFD3 kits when they say BFD3 is 'better' or 'more realistic' ?

I think I've got all the SDX and lots of the EZX and quite a lot of BFD1/2/3 kits plus some platinum samples one so I'm very familiar with both.

The latest SDX such as Hansa or Fields of Rock or Legacy or Decades or Orchestral Percussion are better than any of the BFD3 ones (IMO) - obviously there is a huge price difference too.

Are people comparing BFD3 with older SD kits ?

Let's also not forget that edrum support in SD3 is so much better than BFD3 (again IMO).    Ultimately, of course, they both sound amazing and I really hope that BFD get their act together, despite InMusic.

I was ready to order the BFD3 upgrade when I got a message from a friend -- a very talented musician -- who I had shot off a message to about this. He told me that he finds both AD2 and SD3 superior to BFD3 in terms of ease of use and preset quality/quantity. He told me that he felt he spent too much time working to make presets on BFD3 and it had issues, so he eventually deleted it from his hard drive. That gave me pause. Beyond all of the tech problems with BFD3, it's been nearly a decade since it came out (2013,  right?). I still would consider BFD, but I think I'll wait and see if there's a BFD4 and check out what that's like. 

As for the discussion on the sound of the kits, that's incredibly subjective. But I love Toontrack's kits better than anything I've heard from BFD, orAD2 (which I own) or any of the others (one of the developers of a popular drum library is a friend, but candidly, those drums just aren't a fit for the sounds I'm after). That's not an assertion that I believe it's going to be the same for everyone. If someone else prefers BFD3 over the others, that's great. I think it sounds very good. One thing my friend wasn't sure of was if the latest version of BFD3 had more presets. He said that was an area where, at the point he deleted BFD from his hard drive, he said BFD3 was very weak. And, candidly, he's great at creating presets and I regularly use presets he's made for AD2. 

 

Edited April 8, 2022 by PavlovsCat

[abacab]

17 hours ago, lovemm said:

I am looking for an application that could provide automatic backing tracks and chord transcriptions as done by Apple Music Memos App. Do you think EZ Drummer 3 can do it? Do you know of any other application that can do it?

Have you had a look at Band in a Box yet? It's neither free or cheap, but can do what you ask. It also comes as a DAW plugin version now, so you can drop it on a track, pick any style you prefer, and enter you chord progression.

https://www.bandinabox.com/