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BeatBuddy Manual

Changelogs

3.8.0 “The MIDI Maestro Support Update”

•

Updated Half / Double time algorithm

Resets on stop

Waits for the End Of Measure to change while Mute Pause is activated –

this keeps the BeatBuddy in time with other devices

•

Displays Half / Double time on screen when activated

•

Made next part midi message (CC:112) enabled by default

(this is crucial for

the BeatBuddy to work properly with the Aeros).

•

Added enter / exit folder midi message

(CC:118, value=1-127)

•

Added scroll up / down commands for songs and folders lists 

(CC:119,

value=0 scrolls down, value=1 scrolls up)

•

Made song and folder list menu big font when scrolling with MIDI commands for

easier visibility

•

Selects song currently highlighted in the song menu if no action after 8 seconds

•

Added Midi sync clock setting (Playing not paused):

this turns off MIDI clock

when paused

•

Fixes

Fixed start message always being sent when count-in was activated

Fixed midi next part not sent when midi merge activated

3.6.0 “The Bug Zapper"

•

Fixed count-in color style and behavior

•

Fixed Headphone volume random display

•

Fixed Missing Audio bug:

this was a bug that cause certain drum sounds not to

be played in rare cases.

•

Stability improvement to memory management

(That were done while

looking for the memory corruption problem in the missing audio bug)

•

Midi Time signature:

Added check to make sure the values sent are valid, to

prevent errors in MIDI files causing errors in the MIDI sync

•

Prevent default song tempo / drumset if those were set by MIDI 500ms

before:

So if you choose a song with certain settings through MIDI, the BB won’t

override those settings.

3.5.0

•

Fixed Missing Audio bug

Missing audio bug was caused by memory corruption during file loading.

An invalid library configuration seems to be the issue. (Disabled word

access in ff.c to solve the issue)

Summary of Contents for BeatBuddy

Page 1: ...Manual Firmware 3 9 9 BEATBUDDY ...

Page 2: ...ddy The firmware version appears on the second line and as of the writing of this manual it is 3 9 9 We periodically release new firmware updates so please check the link below to verify that you have the latest version Don t have the latest firmware Download it here https singularsound com contact For the complete changelog of firmware improvements see the end of this manual Important note about ...

Page 3: ...BeatBuddy Manager Software 16 6 Settings 17 I Sleep Mode 17 II Footswitch 17 III Main Pedal 19 IV Audio Settings 20 V Font Size 21 VI Sobriety 21 VII About BeatBuddy 21 VIII Restore Default Settings 21 7 MIDI and the BeatBuddy 22 8 Technical Support 39 9 Technical Specifications 40 10 Warranty 41 11 Changelog 42 ...

Page 4: ... play on an instrument The drum sets on the BeatBuddy are collections libraries of WAV sound files which are recordings of the actual drum sounds The MIDI files trigger the WAV files in the drum sets That is how the BeatBuddy is able to play any beat any time signature using any drum set at different tempo settings to get a completely different sound Whenever possible the BeatBuddy s drum sets and...

Page 5: ...eatBuddy is not a traditional drum machine Drum machines have traditionally been used to create beats The BeatBuddy is a performance tool and cannot be used to create beats New beats can be created on the many beat creation software programs available such as Guitar Pro Cubase ProTools GarageBand Ableton EZ Drummer etc and loaded onto the BeatBuddy with the BeatBuddy Manager Software available as ...

Page 6: ...ough Amps to power the BeatBuddy add up all of the Amps that your other pedals require usually written on the bottom of the pedal Remember 1000 mA milliAmps 1 0 A Amps and add 0 3 Amps for the BeatBuddy s requirement If this total is more Amps than your power supply can produce for example the total of all of your pedals plus the BeatBuddy is 2 5 Amps but your power supply can only produce 2 0 Amp...

Page 7: ...ll produce sound The input jacks are there in case you want to put both the BeatBuddy and your instrument signals into the same speaker without the need for a mixer The BeatBuddy will combine any signal it receives in the input jacks with the signal it produces The main volume knob just controls the level of the signal the BeatBuddy produces the beats not the signal it receives from the input jack...

Page 8: ...tereo or guitar amplifier if it has one Many electric guitar amps are not full range speakers they clip off the higher frequencies so they muffle the BeatBuddy s sound Acoustic guitar and keyboard amps are full range If you re not sure if your amp is full range listen to the BeatBuddy on high quality headphones to compare If there is a noticeable difference in the audio then connecting it to a hig...

Page 9: ...ass drum will cause the guitar to tremolo or waver a bit to the beat While some people love this effect if you would like to reduce it lower the Bass Low setting on your amp MIDI Connection What is MIDI Sync It is the transfer of MIDI Clock between two devices allowing them to become synchronized to the same time reference The BeatBuddy can send and or receive MIDI Clock MIDI time signature and MI...

Page 10: ...9 How to plug in BeatBuddy Manual A typical configuration using both the IN and the OUT ports on the MIDI Sync Breakout cable at once Beatbuddy set to MIDI Merge see Section 8 MIDI and the BeatBuddy ...

Page 11: ...the MIDI Sync Breakout Cable s routing of MIDI data from the PS 2 connector to both the IN and Out Port A graphical representation of the PS 2 connector circuit These images are for all you tech nerds all the normal people can skip this schematics page ...

Page 12: ...are 4 beats in the measure and so there are 4 movements to cross the screen If the time signature is 5 4 then there are 5 movements etc A small dark square in the bottom of the screen tells you what measure within a drum phrase you re in Just like when a real drummer plays each measure won t sound exactly the same Visual Display The BeatBuddy uses a first of its kind visual display to show you wha...

Page 13: ...re using The BeatBuddy is compatible with standard momentary or latching dual footswitches which have a single TRS Stereo output one switch is connected to the Left channel and the other to the Right It is NOT compatible with ABY switches Make sure that the footswitch is connected to the BeatBuddy with a stereo Tip Ring Sleeve TRS cable and that the cable is plugged in all the way If your cable ha...

Page 14: ...empo knobs down at the same time to enter the Settings menu Select Footswitch and then Footswitch Detector and follow instructions The BeatBuddy will save your settings so you only have to use the Footswitch Detector again if you use a different footswitch For videos tutorials on how to use the BeatBuddy CLICK HERE ...

Page 15: ...to simulate a drummer doing a swell as the song ends with a big finale Stepping on both the Pause and Accent hit footswitches at the same time stops the drums with a crash cymbal sound if the accent hit is a crash cymbal a nice effect While paused unpause with a fill by pressing the main BeatBuddy pedal instead of using the footswitch to unpause with the regular main beat This adds a dramatic flou...

Page 16: ...in BeatBuddy pedal You can load a rimshot sound ba dum tss or the sound of applause into the first accent hit of a song through the BeatBuddy Manager software and use it as comedic relief in a show You can add a WAV file of any sound to the EFFECTS folder in your BeatBuddy SD card and select that file as a Global Accent Hit Then it will play that sound in any song when you trigger an accent hit wi...

Page 17: ...rt guide to the BeatBuddy Manager Click HERE For tutorial videos on how to use the BeatBuddy Manager Click HERE Professionally produced additional beats and drum sets can be purchased and downloaded from the BeatBuddy Premium Content online Library at https library mybeatbuddy com and free user created songs and drumsets from the forum at https forum singularsound com Re arrange the content on the...

Page 18: ...ng any knob button or the main pedal As of version 3 9 9 the BeatBuddy can be awoken from Sleep Mode by sending the BeatBuddy MIDI commands II Footswitch Footswitch Detector Detects the type of footswitch that is plugged into the BeatBuddy Use this whenever using a new footswitch with the BeatBuddy or if your footswitch doesn t seem to be working correctly such as if it only works every other pres...

Page 19: ... paused No Action Nothing happens when pressed Accent Hit Triggers a single sound that is set for the song part that is currently playing If a song is not playing it will play the accent hit of the first song part in the song Note You can set a Global Accent Hit in the settings read below Pause Unpause Pauses and Unpauses the beat Tap Tempo Sets the Tempo beats per minute BPM to the speed that the...

Page 20: ... tap Please Note When Disabled a tap during the outro fill will cancel the outro fill and continue playing the current song part o Enable Disable Default Tempo When enabled it will automatically load the saved tempo for each song However if you know the tempo of a song you want to play and are searching for the best beat select Disable so the tempo doesn t change every time you change the song Tip...

Page 21: ...his manual MIDI and the BeatBuddy Cue Fill Period Controls when the fill is triggered after the pedal is pressed Please note that even when set on Immediately if you press the pedal in the last half beat of the measure it will play the fill in the next measure because it s very unlikely that you want less than a half beat fill so you probably pressed it too early o Immediately o Next Half Beat o N...

Page 22: ...itions and accent hits VII About BeatBuddy Unique BeatBuddy ID number and current firmware version IV Audio Settings Drum Output The BeatBuddy produces stereo audio If you want the BeatBuddy to play back in true stereo set this to stereo If you would like the signal to summate into mono and for both inputs to be sent to both outputs set this to mono This affects the headphone output as well o Mono...

Page 23: ...Sync Breakout cable and a standard 5 pin male to male MIDI cable both sold separately o On the left side of the BeatBuddy there is a MIDI Sync port A special MIDI Sync breakout cable is required to convert the BeatBuddy s PS 2 MIDI Sync port into 2 standard full size 5 pin MIDI ports for MIDI IN and MIDI OUT You will also need at least one standard 5 pin MIDI cable to connect the MIDI Sync Cable t...

Page 24: ...with the sync o You have full control of which commands BeatBuddy sends and reacts to in the MIDI settings as explained later in this section Pause during MIDI Sync When using MIDI Sync the BeatBuddy s pause feature can operate in two modes Normal Pause and Mute Pause o Normal Pause When the BeatBuddy is paused MIDI Stop command is sent by the BeatBuddy through the MIDI OUT port to stop all synced...

Page 25: ...ry function drum fill transition outro tap tempo skip to different song parts out of order more accent hits better tempo controls etc o So we have created a special CC MIDI command for practically every function the BeatBuddy has so you can control the BeatBuddy from another device We recommend our universal MIDI foot controller the MIDI Maestro It comes with a built in BeatBuddy mode for easy plu...

Page 26: ... is are sending them o Channels 1 16 available The default is OMNI ALL which means the BeatBuddy listens to all MIDI channels Note On o Enable When the BeatBuddy receives MIDI notes it will play the corresponding sounds on the BeatBuddy drum sets This is very useful if you want to play an electronic drum set but hear the high quality BeatBuddy sounds Connect the electronic drum set s MIDI OUT to t...

Page 27: ...CC 108 value 0 100 When enabled the Mixer volume main volume knob that controls only the drum sound volume can be controlled by sending the MIDI message with a value ranging from 0 to 100 If disabled the BeatBuddy ignores all mixer volume commands it receives This parameter can be set to work with INC DEC commands read how in Tempo Control Enable Disable o HP Vol CC 109 value 0 100 When enabled He...

Page 28: ...e it receives Enable Disable o Transition CC 113 Enable The BeatBuddy will trigger a transition when a custom transition message is received You can select which part to go to after the transition by setting the value of the command to the index of the part you want to jump The transition will continue playing in a loop until the value is changed to 0 o Value 1 Part 1 o Value 2 Part 2 o Value 3 Pa...

Page 29: ...way to enter Tap Tempo mode hands free if you have an external device that can send this command Sending out this command multiple times is like tapping out the tempo with the pedal When disabled BeatBuddy ignores this command Enable Disable o Enter Exit Folder CC 118 any value When enabled receiving this command enters the selected folder If disabled this command will be ignored Enable Disable o ...

Page 30: ... channel that your external device is receiving them Default is channel 1 Please Note Sync Clock Start and Stop are MIDI SysEx System Exclusive Real Time Commands This means that they are sent on all channels regardless of what the MIDI Out Channel is set to Sync o Always On BeatBuddy always sends out the MIDI tempo clock even when it is not playing This is useful for when you want your MIDI tempo...

Page 31: ...nless Start setting is disabled or Mute Pause option is selected Stop o Pause Only BeatBuddy sends out the MIDI Stop command when BeatBuddy has been paused o Pause and End BeatBuddy sends out the MIDI Stop command when BeatBuddy has been paused and when the outro ends o End Only BeatBuddy sends out the MIDI Stop command only when the outro ends o Disable BeatBuddy never sends out the MIDI Stop com...

Page 32: ...s is useful for the Aeros Loop Studio so that it can sync the internal time signature with the BeatBuddy s even as the time signature changes The Aeros can only change time signature before recording o If disabled the BeatBuddy does not send out the Time Signature information Some devices get confused and don t operate properly when they receive this signal Enable Disable o Remember time Signature...

Page 33: ... command o The order of the folders songs are sorted by the BeatBuddy Manager The order of the folders songs corresponds to the number used by the MIDI messages 1 This means that Program Change PC Message must have a value of 0 to select the first song in the menu We know this is confusing but MIDI was designed by computer nerds not normal people like us and computer nerds like to start with 0 ins...

Page 34: ...trol multiple parameters on the BeatBuddy using an MSB sequence which is usually a series of 3 commands 2 CC commands and one PC This can be used to control tempo any other parameter or multiple parameters at once Currently we re only using it to control tempo but we follow the MIDI Standard protocol to leave room for further control in the future Because of this capability for multiple parameter ...

Page 35: ...ction system where you have dedicated CC commands to represent the MSB CC 0 and LSB CC 32 there are no dedicated CC commands for Tempo So we use the NRPN Register Non Registered Parameter Number which is a general purpose MSB CC 99 and LSB CC 98 All that means is that you can control multiple parameters on the BeatBuddy using an MSB sequence which is usually a series of 3 commands 2 CC commands an...

Page 36: ... register Clears the NRPN LSB register Steps with a are optional if the only value control by Inc Dec is the Tempo By default the Beatbuddy will increment decrement the tempo when receiving a INC DEC message Steps to Decrement Tempo Steps CC Value 1 2 3 4 5 CC 99 106 CC 98 107 CC 97 1 CC 99 127 CC 98 127 Details Set the NRPN MSB register to Tempo MSB Set the NRPN LSB register to Tempo LSB Decremen...

Page 37: ... only when receiving the LSB message o So the order of the message should be 1 MSB value 2 LSB value o Don t forget the value of the Tempo can only be set with both MSB CC 106 and LSB CC 107 Here are a few examples of Midi message combinations MSB CC 106 Tempo 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 LSB CC 107 25 40 127 0 25 50 0 44 45 40 40 127 128 153 178 256 300 300 Note Remember the BeatBuddy s tempo range is from ...

Page 38: ...phone Volume Triggers an accent hit with a volume from the value 0 mute to 100 original recorded volume to 127 amplified more than the original recorded volume Pause Unpause the current song 0 Unpause 1 Pause 1 Toggle between pause and unpause CC 117 CC 118 CC 119 1 127 0 127 0 1 Triggers a drum fill Starts song transition Selects the next part value 0 Finish transition at next measure value 1 32 ...

Page 39: ...en BB outro ends and when paused can be modified in BB settings Time Signature is sent by BeatBuddy whenever a song is loaded and at the 1 of every measure as a Sysex midi message All values in hex 2 4 F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 02 02 18 08 F7 3 4 F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 03 02 18 08 F7 4 4 F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 04 02 18 08 F7 5 4 F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 05 02 18 08 F7 3 8 F0 7F 7F 03 02 04 03 03 18 08 F7 6 8 F0 7F 7F 03 0...

Page 40: ...ave been corrupted this happens on rare occasions and you should delete all of the files from the SD card and reload your saved Project with the BeatBuddy Manager or the SD Card backup files which have the Default Content that came with your BeatBuddy The SD Card backup files and the BeatBuddy Manager Software is available at https singularsound com contact If you re having trouble fixing any prob...

Page 41: ...ive Output Impedance 26 ohms Input Impedance 1Meg ohms Max Input Level 3 5 dBu Signal to Noise 95 dB typical D A 24 bits 44 1 kHz Frequency Response 20Hz to 20 kHz Inputs 2 x 1 4 Outputs 2 x 1 4 L mono R 1 x 1 8 headphones MIDI I O PS 2 MIDI Sync Port breakout cable required USB 1 x Type Mini B Other I O 1 x 1 4 TRS external footswitch ...

Page 42: ...have you send the BeatBuddy in for servicing The warranty remains valid only if the serial number on the unit is not defaced or removed It does not cover damage due to misuse unauthorized tampering accident or neglect To validate your warranty please register your BeatBuddy within 30 days of purchase at singularsound com warranty Thanks for reading the manual If there is anything you don t underst...

Page 43: ...pause for Stop Song and Transition with tap action using the Main Pedal New Settings o New Mono Stereo Setting for drum mix This is useful if you don t have a stereo sound system you can set the drums to mono to hear the BeatBuddy s summed signal Found in the Audio Settings Folder Mono Stereo setting only affects the BeatBuddy s own signal in both the Main and Headphone outputs It does not affect ...

Page 44: ... Aeros synced with the time signature on the BeatBuddy Aeros song must be blank for the time signature to be changed Added MIDI CC Inc Dec for Headphones CC 109 and Mix CC 108 main volume Display volume changes Headphones and Mix when changing them with MIDI Fixed bug where Next Part CC 102 command did not follow the BeatBuddy s set MIDI Out channel Set MIDI merge as default MIDI Out value Use MID...

Page 45: ...still being processed even if Start Beat is set to Press Fixed broken polyphony algorithm on player Fixed bug where cue fill settings were affecting playback Added special rule to support PC messages if CC messages are disabled Handle triple tap timing the same as main pedal when MIDI controller and or External Footswitch is emulating the main pedal Allow users to see help text even if option is d...

Page 46: ...s turns off MIDI clock when paused Fixes o Fixed start message always being sent when count in was activated o Fixed midi next part not sent when midi merge activated 3 6 0 The Bug Zapper Fixed count in color style and behavior Fixed Headphone volume random display Fixed Missing Audio bug this was a bug that cause certain drum sounds not to be played in rare cases Stability improvement to memory m...

Page 47: ...he main focuses of this update was to improve the visibility of key information at a glance We really wanted to increase the pedal s visual feedback during a live performance With this in mind we performed a complete visual overhaul of the BeatBuddy s graphical interface Here s what s changed 1 Added measure marker Useful for knowing when a fill or transition is more than one measure long as well ...

Page 48: ...p mode 4 Prevented useless bpm tempo page popups 2 7 0 Implemented Double Half time But needs to be changed to be triggered EOM 2 6 0 Added Enabled Disable Outro part setting option Round TAP tempo to avoid not integer BPM Add Tempo control with custom CC message o CC 80 for increment o CC 81 for decrement o The increment size follow the value of the command Adjusted the TAP tempo speed to the cur...

Page 49: ...the parents who don t want to explain this little joke to their kids Settings Sobriety Hide Sobriety Option Use the Footswitch as the Main Pedal Many of you would like to have the BeatBuddy up at table top or keyboard height so you can choose songs without bending down You can now set one of the footswitches to act like the Main Pedal Settings Footswitch Function Main pedal o Please Note If the fo...

Page 50: ...measure because it s very unlikely that you want less than a half beat of fill so you probably pressed it too early Settings Main Pedal Cue Fill MIDI Command Change When unpausing with drum fill by tapping the main pedal the MIDI Start message is sent after the completion of the fill and the main loop begins This means that the looper only begins playback after the fill is complete which is a more...

Page 51: ...sible characters in help text menus 2 0 0 1 9 6 Automatic Tempo By Part Feature o New option in menu o Can configure intro main parts outros tempo in the BB Manager Added MIDI ID feature o Can switch between MIDI IDs and Folder Ordering when selecting song folder drum sets via MIDI Fixed MIDI merge sync bug 1 9 4 Added Non Percussion Instrument handling Added autopilot modification Fixed release b...

Page 52: ...ed Wrapping text of custom Accent hit list 1 9 0 Custom Font Size Automatic Large font size when entering Folder Song selection window with the footswitch Hide Sobriety Feature option Custom Accent Hit selector menu Select between Default and Global special effect source The Global list include all the project Accent Hit with their real name Custom wavs added in the EFFECTS folder the name can be ...

Page 53: ... Tap tempo glitch that could happen if someone presses the two footswitches in tap tempo mode at the same time or sends two tap tempo command to fast The BeatBuddy now rejects any tap tempo request if the delay between the previous one is less than 120ms This will fix the glitches that forced the BPM to 300 instantly Added new option in the Midi Sync out menu Midi Sync message can now be sent only...

Page 54: ... Disabled sending the custom Next Part Midi message CC102 Some user had problem with their timeline Removing the Next Part Message will fix the problem Added a new option in the MIDI OUT menu to enable disable the time signature midi message I think this message could be badly interpreted by MIDI devices since it s a MIDI EX message and implementation may differ from one product to another 1 7 4 F...

Page 55: ...us bug 1 4 0 Fixed not working Disabled default tempo Fixed Scrolling through menu options doesn t loop Made default cue fill period 100 Improved transition fill flow algorithm Re ordered Main Pedal settings menu 1 3 0 BB now supports external midi instruments Default drumset set when pressing Drumset Encoder New settings menu o Changed the default pedal type to Momentary Normally Off o Added defa...

Page 56: ...angelogs Added 0 and 100 in the cue fill period o At 0 when the pedal is press the drum fill transition always trigger immediately o At 100 the player always wait until the next bar before launching the drum fill transition ...

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