Yesterday, I introduced the BeatBuddy, a new “drum machine in a pedal” pedal. I’m still excited about this new offering, and have been chomping at the bit to share more information with you.
Well… I just received an email from David Packouz, the BeatBuddy’s inventor, and he said he just released his IndieGoGo promo video. Once you watch it, you’ll be able to see for yourself why I’m so excited about this new and upcoming product. Check it out:
Here are some major features of the BeatBuddy:
- Produces 24-bit sound
- Has a MIDI-sync port! This is huge if you use a looper that has MIDI-sync.(I’m in the market for one right now)
- 10 drumsets and over 200 preset songs
- Fully customizable via USB port
- SD card port for extra storage
That’s just a few of the features that have gotten me so excited. I see lots of gear released every year, but most of it doesn’t really move me mainly because they’re vamps on the same or similar theme. Or, even if they are totally cool, lots of times I don’t have a particular application for them. A good example of this are envelope filters. I dig them, but I’ve never had the chance to apply one. On the other hand, the BeatBuddy is something I can use for my solo gigs – of which I do at least 100-150 a year. For me, it’s the one thing that I have been missing, and have been trying to figure out how best to employ some rhythm.
As you will have seen in the video, they’re campaigning for some financial support to get their production off the ground. I don’t know the details for what you get for a particular funding amount, but for me, this is something I’m definitely going to try to contribute to.
Guitar Gear 
That’s really impressive. It’s the way that a drum machine should work and not just be usable to someone with endless patience and a knack for these things. I hope they get this thing into full production. It looks like a winner to me.
Totally agree. I’ve actually tried using a drum machine in my solo gigs, and it is a pain in the ass, so I stopped using it after a couple of times. That this will give you opening and closing riffs, plus allow you to add fills and stabs mid-song is incredible!
This sounds like a great idea that is very promising! Unfortunately there hasn’t yet been enough information (at least for me) to have confidence that this would meet my music performance needs and therefore merit my investment. For example, how does one change from a Rock beat to a Country beat to a Blues beat conveniently during a live performance? Can a set list be arranged in sequence? What are the actual steps that one goes through to use the included software to create new songs (drum patterns?), with or without a sequencer or midi device, that can be loaded onto the pedal for quick retrieval and use in a performance? Hopefully some additional information, perhaps an owner’s manual, will be forthcoming in the near future.
How much trouble is it to program this new device?
From what I could tell from the instructional video, editing the loops is VERY easy. But until I get my hands on one, I can’t say for sure.
Excellent receipe Mark, we were instantly brought back to the Vegan brunch event!