FXpansion is a Ltd

LTD

- Business and finance :*Ltd. or Ltd, denotes a business incorporated under the laws of England, Wales, Scotland, Canada, other Commonwealth countries, the Republic of Ireland, Cyprus, Israel and some Anglophone countries in Africa, like Ghana or Nigeria....

 company that produces music software including DCAM: Synth Squad, BFD, GURU and the VST-RTAS and VST-AudioUnit Adapters.

History

FXpansion is a company that develops music software, and was founded in 1999 in London, United Kingdom. Their base of operations from 2005-2009 was in London's inner East End, in the much-parodied media/bar zone of Shoreditch

Shoreditch

Shoreditch is an area of London within the London Borough of Hackney in England. It is a built-up part of the inner city immediately to the north of the City of London, located east-northeast of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...

. In 2008, FXpansion opened a US subsidiary, FXpansion USA Inc, to handle sales and distribution in North America, and a development office in Australia. In 2009, FXpansion relocated their HQ to London's South Bank

South Bank

South Bank is an area of London, England located immediately adjacent to the south side of the River Thames. It forms a long and narrow section of riverside development that is within the London Borough of Lambeth to the border with the London Borough of Southwark and was formerly simply known as...

, which seems to be collecting a lot of noughties-era Shoreditch escapees.

Product history

• 1999
  • VST to DX Adapter, an adapter between the VST
    Virtual Studio Technology
    Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
    
     and DirectX
    DirectX
    Microsoft DirectX is a collection of application programming interfaces for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video, on Microsoft platforms. Originally, the names of these APIs all began with Direct, such as Direct3D, DirectDraw, DirectMusic, DirectPlay,...
    
     audio plugin standards.

• 2000
  • Series One Bundle, a collection of low-cost creative sound effects plug-ins. Series One Bundle was subsequently licensed to Steinberg and in 2002 became part of Cubase VST 5 and Cubase SX.
  • DR-002 and DR-005, a pair of simple drum machines.
  • VST to DX Adapter v2, an updated version of the VST-DX adapter (awarded "Best Utility Software, 2000" by Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician is a monthly magazine published by Penton Media featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians....
    
     magazine)
  • Mysteron, a freeware software synthesizer based on the Theremin
    Theremin
    The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
    
    .

• 2001
  • DR-008, a drum machine with sample playback, synthesis, effects, and triggered-sequencing abilities.
  • VST
    Virtual Studio Technology
    Steinberg's Virtual Studio Technology is an interface for integrating software audio synthesizer and effect plugins with audio editors and hard-disk recording systems. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware with software...
    
     to DXi Adapter v3, an adapter between the DXi and VST2 audio plug-in standards based on VST to DX Adapter. (VST to DXi Adapter was subsequently sold to Cakewalk (company)
    Cakewalk (company)
    Cakewalk, Inc. is a company based in Boston, Massachusetts that develops and sells music production software. The company's best known product is their comprehensive music sequencer named SONAR, which is designed for professional use. SONAR incorporates multi-track recording and editing of both...
    
     in 2003.)

• 2002
  • VST to DXi Adapter v4, an updated version of the VST-DXi adapter.

• 2003
  • VST to AU Adapter, an adapter between the Audio Unit and VST audio plugin standards. (awarded "Best Utility Software, 2003" by Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician is a monthly magazine published by Penton Media featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians....
    
     magazine)
  • VST to RTAS
    Real Time AudioSuite
    Real-Time AudioSuite is a format of audio plug-in developed by Digidesign, currently Avid Technology for their Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools M-Powered systems, although they can be run on Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools TDM systems. RTAS plug-ins use the processing power of the host computer rather than...
    
     Adapter, an adapter between the Digidesign RTAS
    Real Time AudioSuite
    Real-Time AudioSuite is a format of audio plug-in developed by Digidesign, currently Avid Technology for their Pro Tools LE, and Pro Tools M-Powered systems, although they can be run on Pro Tools HD and Pro Tools TDM systems. RTAS plug-ins use the processing power of the host computer rather than...
    
     and VST audio plugin standards.
  • VST to ReWire
    ReWire
    ReWire is a software protocol, jointly developed by Propellerhead and Steinberg, allowing remote control and data transfer among digital audio editing and related software...
    
     Adapter, an adapter between the ReWire and VST audio plugin standards.
  • BFD, a software instrument with a detailed set of multi-mic'ed, multi-velocity layered, and multi-articulated acoustic drum
    Drum
    The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
    
     recordings with an "engineers mixer" interface, and onboard groove sequencer
    Music sequencer
    The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
    
    . (BFD received Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician is a monthly magazine published by Penton Media featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians....
    
     magazine's "Best Drum Software", Remix magazine's "Best Sample Collection", and Computer Music
    Computer Music
    Computer Music is a monthly magazine published in the UK. It covers the topic of creating digital music on a computer. Each issue includes a DVD-ROM with samples, plug-ins, software demos, tutorials, and other content related to the issue.-External links:*...
    
    's "Editor's Choice" and "Performance" awards.)

• 2004
  • BFD XFL, an expansion pack for BFD recorded at Eldorado Studios
    Eldorado Recording Studios
    Eldorado Recording Studios is a recording studio in Burbank, California originally established in 1954 at the corner of Hollywood and Vine as a workshop for Johnny Otis...
    
    , LA
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
    
    .
  • BFD 8 Bit Kit, an expansion pack for BFD recorded at 8 Bit Audio, LA
    Los Ángeles
    Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
    
    .

• 2005
  • GURU, a loop manipulating and sequencing virtual drum machine
    Drum machine
    A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
    
     (awarded "Editor's Choice" and "Performance" awards, and Audiofanzine "Innovation Award")
  • BFD Deluxe, an expansion pack for BFD recorded at Electrical Audio, Chicago
    Chicago
    Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
    
    .

• 2006
  • BFD Jazz & Funk, an expansion pack for BFD recorded at Omega Studios, Maryland
    Maryland
    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
    
    .
  • BFD Converter, an audio format converter from several of Toontrack's drum libraries into BFD format.
  • BFD Percussion, an expansion pack for BFD recorded at Omega Studios, Maryland
    Maryland
    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
    
    .
  • Orca, a free subtractive VST synth featuring analogue circuit modeling technology.
  • VST to RTAS Adapter v2, a successor to VST-RTAS designed for Pro Tools
    Pro Tools
    Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
    
     7.
  • VST to AU Adapter v2, an updated version of VST-AU.

• 2007
  • BFD2, a complete rewrite and redesign of BFD, with new recordings made at George Martin's AIR Studios, analogue circuit models of outboard recording hardware, a full onboard sequencer
    Music sequencer
    The music sequencer is a device or computer software to record, edit, play back the music, by handling note and performance information in several forms, typically :...
    
     and more than five times the volume of data in BFD1. BFD2 includes recordings of drum kits formerly owned by John Bonham
    John Bonham
    John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
    
     and Ringo Starr
    Ringo Starr
    Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
    
    . BFD2 received Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician
    Electronic Musician is a monthly magazine published by Penton Media featuring articles on synthesizers, music production and electronic musicians....
    
     magazine's "Best Drum Software" award in 2009.

• 2008
  • BFD Big Orchestral Marching Band (B.O.M.B), an expansion pack for BFD2 recorded at Omega Studios, Maryland
  • BFD Decatoms, an expansion pack for BFD2 featuring a set of 10 Octobans
  • BFD2 8BK, a rerelease of the 8BK expansion pack reformatted for BFD2
  • Japanese Taiko Percussion (with Sonica), a Japanese Taiko ensemble expansion pack for BFD2
  • BFD JEX, an expansion kit for BFD2 featuring a high-end, custom hand-made drum kit from XDrum's Xotica line

• 2009
  • DCAM: Synth Squad, a collection of three modeled synthesizers - Strobe, Amber and Cypher. Also included is Fusor, a semi-modular layering and performance environment for the DCAM synths with a high-quality FX suite, advanced step-sequencer/arpeggiator and flexible modulation. DCAM: Synth Squad has been reviewed in many industry publications and received Future Music's Platinum award and Computer Music
    Computer Music
    Computer Music is a monthly magazine published in the UK. It covers the topic of creating digital music on a computer. Each issue includes a DVD-ROM with samples, plug-ins, software demos, tutorials, and other content related to the issue.-External links:*...
    
    's Performance award.
  • BFD Oak Custom, an expansion kit for BFD2 featuring a high-end Yamaha Oak Custom drum kit and Bamboo snare.
  • BFD Maple Custom Absolute, an expansion kit for BFD2 featuring a high-end Yamaha Maple Custom Absolute drum kit and a Yamaha FHP (fiberglass) snare.
  • BFD Signature Snares Vol.1, an expansion pack for BFD2 featuring five unique snares.

• 2010
  • BFD Eco, an entry-level BFD2-based product
  • BFD Heavy, a BFD Expansion pack oriented towards metal and heavy rock.
  • BFD Jazz Maple, a BFD Expansion pack oriented towards Jazz Fusion.
  • Geist, a more powerful successor to GURU; a loop manipulating and sequencing virtual drum machine
    Drum machine
    A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
    
    

• 2011
  • FXpansion concentrated on releasing free 64 bit updates to their main product lineup: BFD2, Geist, and Synth Squad
  • BFD Sleishman, BFD Titanium (Dunnett) expansion packs for BFD
  • Worked with Zildjian to produce a custom version of BFD Eco focused on Zildjian's catalogue of cymbals, BFD Eco DV (Digital vault).