FXpansion has announced the release of BFD Heavy, a BFD2 expansion pack containing a pair of immaculately recorded Yamaha birch drumkits, supplied with a set of presets perfect for heavy rock, metal and other styles that require powerful, weighty drums.
The Recording Custom is the kit that signalled Yamaha’s arrival as one of the dominant forces in the world of drumming. This all-time classic birch kit comprises 2 powerful kicks, played with felt and wood beaters, alongside 4 toms featuring superb attack and sustain, and played with sticks. The Birch Custom Absolute, meanwhile, is the culmination of Yamaha’s 25 years of experience in crafting birch shells. Offering a great alternative to maple, birch shells feature excellent mid and low end, with a sharp and vibrant attack. The 5 toms are played with sticks and mallets, while the kick is provided in wood and felt beater versions.
A bonus ‘lite’ Yamaha Jimmy Chamberlin signature snare is provided to complement the kits. This steel-shell snare is provided in 4 versions played with sticks and mallets, with the snare strainer on and off. Full-detail versions of this snare are available in the Yamaha Signature Snares vol.2 expansion pack.
BFD Heavy’s expressive articulations include rim shots and rim clicks on the Birch Custom Absolute toms, while the bonus snare kit-pieces feature half-edge samples for expressive programming and electronic drums positional sensing support. The recording sessions took place at Omega Studios in Maryland, USA, using premium mics and preamps by Neumann, ATI, Neve, API and Violet, amongst others. Recording conditions were identical to those for other Yamaha-based downloadable expansions and the BFD Jazz & Funk, Percussion, B.O.M.B. and JEX libraries. BFD Heavy is also designed to sound great with BFD2’s built-in sounds as well as with BFD-compatible libraries recorded in other locations.
BFD Heavy features
- Low-cost, download-only expansion pack for BFD2
- 3 Kicks played with felt and wood beaters
- 9 Toms variously played with sticks and mallets
- Bonus snare with strainer on and off, played with sticks and mallets
BFD Heavy is available to purchase for all registered BFD2 users, priced at £35 GBP, €49 EUR / $70 USD.
