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BFD 3 is the software acoustic drum studio behind the BFD 3.5 Black Friday deal, which takes 82% off to $35 with the offer ending Nov 25, 2026.
The maker calls BFD 3.5 the third generation of its flagship drum plugin, with a redesigned engine and a new mixer and sound browser. It is built for realistic acoustic drums that sound release-ready.
The core library has 51 kits and 60 mix-ready preset kits with customised parameters, articulations and effects. The library was recorded by engineers including Andrew Scheps, Rail Jon Rogut and John Emrich.
The maker says the library is meant to give a diverse range of drum sounds straight out of the box.
The Drum Editor has Tech, Model and Mic sections. You can dampen and tune drums, build custom mic perspectives and adjust pitch velocity per drum.
A new Mics control sets multi-mic level per channel and attenuation for each mic. A Microphone Inspector panel is new in this release.
The modelling covers tom resonance and bleed, which the maker says glues the kit together. It changes with the tuning of whichever drums you combine, which the maker says samples alone cannot do.
Improved dynamics matching runs across drums, and a swell algorithm handles cymbal washes. The maker says these also apply to your existing BFD libraries and future expansion packs if you are upgrading.
The built-in Groove section holds performances by session drummers, plus pattern editing and creation tools. You can pick drum rudiments and paint your own parts.
The internal mixer has DCAM-modelled compression, filtering, EQ and algorithmic reverbs. An external signal can act as a compression sidechain source.
The AIR effects include AIR Compressor, AIR Spring Reverb, AIR Tube Drive and AIR Transient. Use them as inserts or sends, with plenty of AUX channels.
You can hide multiple drums and ambient mics for a simpler mix. Channels route to discrete outputs for other plugins or outboard gear. Multi-channel audio exports straight to disk, and grooves export by drag and drop.
This release adds Apple Silicon AAX support and cross-platform VST3 support. The GUI has new icons, colours and clearer fonts.
Yes. The BFD 3.5 Black Friday deal takes 82% off, bringing the drum plugin to $35, and the offer ends Nov 25, 2026.
The core library has 51 kits and 60 mix-ready preset kits. You also get 82 Groove Palettes, dozens of individual grooves and 48 audio effects, 13 of them AIR Music Tech effects.
It supports VST3 across platforms. It also adds Apple Silicon AAX support. It runs on Windows 10 version 1909 and above, and macOS 12 Monterey and above, including Mac M1 and M2 ARM chips.
Yes. Each channel can be sent out on its own separate output, so you can run it through other plugins or hardware effects. It also exports multi-channel audio directly to disk, and grooves export by drag and drop.
Prices and end dates are checked at publishing time and can change, so confirm them at the store before you buy.