BFD Player is a free drum program for Mac and PC, and the simplest way to enjoy the power of BFD. In this article, we look at how to get started with this wonderfully detailed virtual drum instrument.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Registration
BFD Player is currently available to all users for free. In order to obtain BFD player, first, register your product by logging into your account at www.alesis.com (If you have not already made one, please make a profile first.)
Once logged in, click on your name in the upper right-hand corner and choose Register New Product as seen below:
Next, be sure to choose the correct product, and enter your serial exactly as it is written on your device after the (21), followed by 15 digits with no spaces. Then click Register My Product.
Once the product has been successfully registered, you will be brought to My Products. This can also be found by clicking your name in the top right-hand corner and clicking See All Your Product Registrations.
The product that has been registered should now be displayed on the screen.
Download the Program
Next, download the program. Currently, kits that are accompanied by BFD Player also receive a free library called Dark Mahogany. BFD Player also comes with a 5GB core library, but it is still important to download and install Dark Mahogany after you have installed BFD Player.
These downloads will be found as they are below:
BFD Player is a free instrument, but the content will need to be authorized using your new inMusic Profile.
This will be covered later in the article, for now, download the correct version of BFD Player for your operating system.
This will be downloaded to your system's Downloads folder by default.
Once the file has been located, double-click to run it. Note: that you may be asked if you would like to allow this program to make changes to your system, click yes. Mac users may be asked to allow third-party developer access and/or enter their password depending on system settings, this is normal.
You will be prompted to connect your Nitro Max Kit to your computer.Once you have done so, click Redeem Software. Once it has verified the connection to your Kit, the Software will be automatically added to your inMusic Account!
Once installation is finished, you will see this:
Ensure that BFD Player, the BFD Player Core Library, and BFD Player Dark Mahogany Now, the BFD Player can be installed. Navigate to the My Software tab of the inMusic Software Manager, where you will see that the BFD Player and Core Library have begun installing automatically. The Core Library installer is significantly larger, so please allow some time for this to install. Once downloaded, click Install and follow the prompts on screen.
When installing the Core Library, you will be prompted to choose a file location to save this library to. The default location can be found in /Documents/BFD Drums.
Installing the Content
Next, download and install the content, Dark Mahogany. Navigate to the My Expansions tab of the inMusic Software Center. Dark Mahogany will already be on this page, so click Install. You will again be prompted to choose an installation location, the default of which is the same as the Core Library.
Authorizing the Content
Once the installation is completed, launch BFD Player.
You will be prompted to Log in to your inMusic Profile. Click the button and follow the prompts.
Once logged in, BFD Player will request access to your inMusic Profile. Click Accept
After processing, you will be redirected to BFD Player, and asked to confirm your authorization of Dark Mahogany.
Next, a confirmation will appear showing that the Sound Pack or Expansion has been authorized. All currently installed libraries will be listed in the lefthand column.
Double-click on a preset to load it.
E-Kit Mapping
If you plan to use an Electronic Drum Kit in conjunction with BFD Player, a number of mappings are available for users to select from.
Selecting the appropriate mapping suited to your kit will allow you to ensure the desired voice is triggered correctly in the software.
First, locate and select the drop-down menu from BFD Player:
Hover your mouse cursor over 'Engine' > 'Keymap' followed by selecting your desired mapping file
What if my mapping isn't listed?
Many e-Kits will utilise a General MIDI (Mapping) - If your kit is not listed, navigate to your drum module and enable General MIDI (GM) MIDI; these steps differ for every manufacturer so be sure to review the manual for your drum module.
Select 'General MIDI' from the mapping drop-down list.
Once specified on your drum module & BFD Player, you should receive 1:1 mapping with your e-Kit & BFD Player.