Anyone able to record with BFD All and HW buffers of 128?

[j20056]

I am contemplating purchasing a super fast multiple core machine, as I simply cannot run BFD All succesfully in a recording environment. Specifically, I have been having a few messages with Rail at Platinum Samples, from whom I bought the great sounding Andy Johns drum samples for BFD.
The problem I have on my current setup (PC 3GHz Pentium Duo-Core - 3GB RAM) is that BFD uses 45% of my CPU power, and I must run at 512 buffer size in order not to get the usual "H/W increase buffer size" error message. Unfortunately, 512 buffer size leads to unacceptable latency.
What Rail said is that he runs at 512 buffer size. He also said that many record with say a Roland TD drum module to get the MIDI, but they don't use BFD during recording, only after. During recording, they use the Roland or any other zero-latency drum external module, then do edits and bounces at 512 buffers, wh4en latency is no longer a problem. I really would prefer a low latency BFD based recording process, so my drummer can hear exactly what gets recorded, and ideally at 128 or lower buffer size.
has anyone succesfully integrated BFD in an actual recording, and not just editing work mode at 128 buffers or lower? Is this possible with an Quad or Eight core machine? Is there a machine by a leading manufacturer (sorry, I can't build an Allenstein Quadzilla meachine myself) that could achive top performance of that type?

[Herkimer]

I record BFD All at 128 all the time - even on sessions with other tracks and plug-ins. There are features in BFD that can alleviate some of the strain. You can set the number of samples loaded as well as load them to RAM or not. I usually use 64 samples but don't load to RAM. The midi gets recorded to the track and I usually don't get buffer errors. It's important to note that under these conditions, I am NOT using the separate outs from BFD to record each instrument to its own track. I always do that later at a higher buffer. I'm simply recording midi to the BFD instrument track with the BFD drums sounding through the instrument track. I use an AMD dual core with 2MB ram.

[j20056]

Thanks. I do not load to RAM. The other thing that works great, not as far as CPU usdage, but RAM, is to lower the two buffers in the BFD setup window to 4mb instead of 16mb. My RAM usage went from 1.5gb down to 800mb.
So you make it sound like it's BFD All as opposed to BFD Stereo that is the CPU killer. That's something I can try easily. Have you tried 128 in BFD All mode and it didn't work?
Do you think there is any machine out there that could run BFD All at 128, with other plugins?

[SeedGuy]

My Dual Core Intel 2.13gHz, 3GB Ram runs it, along with Reason Pianos, which is also a RAM hog, a few Xpands!, Hybrids. Once Battery gets used I usually need to put the buffer size up. Battery is one of the most frustrating RAM hungry programs I know.

And once in the mixing stage, the bufer size needs to be high when adding processing, EQ, Reverb etc.

[SeedGuy]

My Dual Core Intel 2.13gHz, 3GB Ram runs it, along with Reason Pianos, which is also a RAM hog, a few Xpands!, Hybrids. Once Battery gets used I usually need to put the buffer size up. Battery is one of the most frustrating RAM hungry programs I know.

And once in the mixing stage, the bufer size needs to be high when adding processing, EQ, Reverb etc.

Also, to use sessions with a few more plug-ins other than just BFD I had to load the session straight from start up. If you don't restart pro tools after each session, I find the RAM usage doesn't get cleared, and so other sessions after won't load up propelry without a Pro Tools restart to 'reset' the RAM usage. Otherwsie BFD struggles to load all the sample for each instrument.