Singular Sound BeatBuddy

I had been looking around for a while for a small, easy to use drum machine. As a guitarist, I needed something I could use in my studio for backing, but also take along to band practise etc. if our drummer didn’t show, or sometimes working on guitar parts with our other guitarist.

I didn’t want to waste time getting into programming drum loops, and a lot of drum machines seemed to be designed for drummers, or people that wanted to spend the time creating loops.

I saw the Beat Buddy, and it is ideal. It’s aimed at musicians who want an easy to use device to provide drum backing. It can sit on the pedal board (put it last in the chain), or can go into a P.A. or monitors, which is what I do (sounds better through FRFR speakers). It’s controlled like a pedal, and if you can dial up a drum style (rock, punk, blues, metal, etc.), put in the tempo and you’re off, so easy to get something quick going, and there are loads of styles, kits and patterns to choose from. There’s a 4Gb SD card included to store the data.

The sounds are real recorded drum kits, so they sound ‘real’ and don’t sound digital or artificially processed.

One touch of the pedal will start the loop, with an intro section followed by the main pattern. Pressing the pedal once will insert a fill, this will synch to the pattern being played so if you hit it a bit early or late it will compensate, so you don’t have to be exact. Press again twice and the outro pattern will play. There’s a colour coded display which will indicate which part is playing.

If you get the additional footswitch you can get another 2 functions, to add additional cymbal crashes, and to pause the drums completely.

This is how I’m using it, but I’m only scratching the surface. There is software included to create drum patterns, or amend any existing ones, the pedal attaches to PC via USB. Also there is an online community who have written drum tracks for many songs, these are available to download and store on the pedal.

So it’s easy to get started with, but you have complete control of the patterns if you need it.

I use mine all the time in various scenarios, it’s very versatile and sounds great.

Bought the pedal to use in a soft rock/blues guitar & bass trio. Previously tried Alesis, Korg, and Digitech devices, but this one works best for me. To get the best out of it I use it with the 3-button footswitch, and run into a small PA with a sub-woofer. The latter is important if you want to get the thump of the kick drum even at low volume. I find the 3-button pedal essential for live use to scroll thru setlist & pause functions, it would be even better if it could control stop/start with a single hit.(that would also allow the BB unit to be kept within hands reach)
PROS:
Very good clear display (important when it's on the floor!)
Great realistic sound
Good rhythms
Easy hands-on control for quick change to tempo etc
CONS:
High price
Editing Software is difficult to manage, esp for Mac, but they are working to improve that I believe
Better integrated 3-fn pedal needed

This pedal has revolutionised the way I jam and reherse at home. It has also completey changed the way I write and demo songs. Those are all the obvious pro's. The build quality is relatively good and the controls are easy and intuitive. Another crucial pro is that the online community around the pedal is growing and very supportive etc. it will only get better.

As for the Cons:
Its expensive
Its chunky
Its accompanying software is not good...

Given that its the first generation of Beatbuddys its safe to say they will only get better but despite the cost, I'm very happy with my purchase, consider buying an addition footswictch to get more functionality out of it but do your own research on that bit.

(P.S. Check my review on the accompanying footswitch)

This thing is genius!

Finally - I have an easy to use drum machine to support myself live and can pack into my pedal board with no fuss.

The MIDI in/out cable is definitely worth it too - I can now sync my betabuddy to a midi clock (which syncs other pedals), and then connect my looper to the beatbuddy. So everything is synced in perfect time.

This thing is easy to use, and the user forums are helpful. I am limited by my own creativity, rather than anything technological. This means that this pedal will stretch me and help me improve as a musician. Result!

I seriously recommend purchasing this pedal, also with its accessories. I have had it for only a few months, but I am still delighted with it