Great product but shitty software support.
Imagine if the Beatbuddy software was 2019 compliant? That would be so awesome.
Since they refuse to update it then we are stuck with 3rd party tools to build midi tracks then import into BB.
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Hi could you elaborate on what you mean there? Just curious.
When the BeatBuddy (BB) was created, it was designed for working exclusively with beats—not one-press songs with multi-instrumentation. As the user-based concept for using one-press formatted songs continued to evolve, the BB was never able to keep up due to the hardware limitations of the pedal i.e., limited memory to be able to process larger drum sets and etc. The MIDI Editor was not a part of the original design framework and was grafted onto the software. It was never intended for anything other than the lightest of duties.
Can’t speak for Rockindaddy or others but here’s my compilation of what users have been asking for on the BeatBuddy Manager (BBM). I’m sure I’ve missed some features but here goes:
- Fix the performance issues and bugs.
- Make the BBM leverage the Windows and Mac OS basic functions e.g., drag and drop, cut, copy and paste, ability to select a range of notes and perform bulk processes.
- Create mobile versions for iOS and Android.
- Add capabilities to the BBM such as reverb, fast forward and rewind, true pause and resume from the point of where it was paused.
- Ability to manage the pedal and remote foot switch settings from preferences built into the BBM.
- Manage MIDI.
- Improve the MIDI Editor. There are 2 trains of thought. 1) expects a MIDI Editor with all the features of a DAW and 2) prefers to do away with the MIDI Editor.
- MIDI 2 is coming off the drawing board and into broader public awareness so that future compatibility with MIDI 2 will also probably be expected.
- Compliance with accessibility for visually impaired standards.
- Improved documentation that shows how to integrate the BBM with the AEROS and Maestro.
- Updated screen resolution processing under Windows 10 (high DPI).
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Hi Dave, more than 3 weeks now and Midi Maestro is set to ship, so is the firmware update due soon (which hopefully squashes the bug with the output of transition messages)? Or is it still 2-3 weeks? 
Just to have to functionality that is current.
@Tim_Gaved yes, new BeatBuddy firmware is out with your requested bug fix to the transition command while in MIDI Merge 
Great! Now back on to the BB Manager maybe? 
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A long and varied list, indeed, and I understand how difficult it must be for you at Singular Sound to cut a straight path through that while satisfying a good part of your customers.
As an intensive user of the BBM and its MIDI editor I would say that delivering -at least for starters- the items mentioned on the second bullet will hugely improve the functionality of the manager and will immediately satisfy most users -hands up, anyone?
These improvements fall under the category of Basic Editing Features (select/copy/cut&paste specific notes, drag&drop, multiple selection of events for bulk processing -like note velocity changes, previewing instrument sounds, randomization of select MIDI parameters, etc.)
Lastly, and needless to mention, fixing the bugs that are and might/would be inevitably present.
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That’s great, but are you going to update to add support for Aeros. Need to be able to send program changes.
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Finally got around to trying this out, and you’ve only half fixed the bug. Transition messages are now transmitted when in Midi Merge mode, which is great but they are still only transmitted on Channel 1, ignoring the output channel setting. Not a show stopper but annoying nevertheless. Please make sure this is (still) on your list of bugs.
Thanks
Tim
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Here’s the thing about BB manager - No one expects it to be anything other than what it was intended to be: an interface for organizing songs for the beloved BeatBuddy pedal. People understand this, and they know they need to use other apps to create or edit midi files, that is, if they want to get anything done effectively. The real problem with BB Manager v 1.65 is that it is slow and tends to crash or require a restart because it gets confused about a file location even though you’ve pointed the BB Manager right to it.
If people were only making a few changes to a project, they might live with this stuff - they shouldn’t have to, but they might/could. But when you sit down for extensive session for reorganizing songs, folders, drum sets - or creating a new project from scratch - BB Manager v 1.65 sucks every last drop of joy out of life. That’s the real issue.
Also, @DavidPackouz, @Offbeat is not the 1st to comment about the noise your footswitch makes. I emailed @AnthonySostre back on Aug 4, 2018 saying I had returned mine because it was too noisy for quieter applications. I mention this partly so that @Offbeat doesn’t thinks he’s the only one dissatisfied with it. If you decide to keep using those particular switches, spray the inside of the box with some kind of dampening material and charge an extra few dollars to cover the costs?
Before I wrap this, let me say that I have the MIDI Maestro on order and I’m very much I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it. So in the name of that famous BB roadie, ‘Keep Codin’!’ <-- See what I did there? 
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Yes, yes, yes,… and yes! Especially this:
Make the BBM leverage the Windows and Mac OS basic functions e.g., drag and drop, cut, copy and paste, ability to select a range of notes and perform bulk processes.
There are some others in that list I hadn’t thought of but I sure do like them.
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I disagree. Most people initially expect the software that comes with the pedal will be sufficient for also editing beats. See the number of emails on here that start “I can’t get the Midi editor to do …” followed by replies from the old hands saying “You need to use (fill in name of favourite DAW)”. In hindsight it would probably have been better not to have included a Midi Editor at all, rather than include one which is only just usable. (That said some people do succeed in using it to create fairly complex patterns).
Tim
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The built-in MIDI editor? Yep, putting that in there was more a of mistake than anything. It’s a rudimentary chunk of software that falls squarely in the ‘better than nothing’ category. The point is that BB Manager is falling down on the most basic needs of all users because it is slow and crashes, and doesn’t work the way most good software does - things like cut and paste, drag and drop, the fact that you have to actually play the song for a second or two when you change the drum set assigned to it, just to name a few. But sure, if they want to put a full-fledged MIDI editor in there, I’m all for it. I think that’d be great. Maybe they’ll add reverb effects; I’d really like that as well. Right now, though, the core function, user interface, and user experience of BB Manager needs significant and long overdue improvement.
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Thanks for your moral support on the switch loudness issue. 
I was indeed feeling a bit alone and left in the dark being told here - by the maker - that “nobody else has complained about that”, as if to say “Offbeat, the very loud switch noises you are hearing with your own good ears are not really there, and if they are, then there’s something wrong with you taking exception to them.” 
Sure, if most users are in loud stage settings or running backing tracks or playing electric guitars, yeah, then the noises will not be discernible. But there are also other solo and duo acoustic musicians performing in intimate (living room, small coffee house) settings where noise is an issue. Especially easily avoidable noise! As you pointed out, spraying the inside of the housing with sound-damping material might have helped, as would having some kind of rubber gasket at the base of each switch. Looping simply shouldn’t call (unnecessary) attention to itself. Boss got it right. Boomerang, too. Why not Singular Sound? A looper should blend into one’s (acoustic) performance as imperceptively as possible. The current design choice made on switches by SS shows lack of love for users not playing in loud bands. The same lack of love appears to be behind the buggy, unfinished, missing-feature software on the Aeros upon its regular market release. Just as for the BB, Aeros buyers end up being beta testers. Not good. Anyhow, thanks for helping me feel a little less alone. By the way: I’m waiting for the Midi Maestro (pre-ordered months ago), and it will surely have exactly the same loud switches on it, but that will be less of an issue when used with a loudish BB signal. Still, it would be cool of SS could experiment with making the MM’s switches less loud before shipping, and then carry the lessons learned over to future Aeros units.
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My initial impression of the Maestro switches are that they are quite quiet. In comparison to the AEROS, the AEROS switches seem to be the quietest followed by the Maestro—which have a slightly “springy” sound when being pressed (but no obtrusive “clicks”)—and then the BeatBuddy main pedal switch, which is the loudest relative to the other two pedals.
Interesting you find the Aeros switches to be the quietest of the bunch. Can sound files be uploaded to this post? If so, I’ll record the sound of my Aeros switches.
TBH, I never noticed the BeatBuddy made much noise, probably because, by comparison, the foot switch makes a popping/snapping sound when you step on it - kinda like a tiny little elf with a tiny silver hammer tapping on a tiny and hollow silver box. To be precise.
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Sound files can be uploaded as long as they’re zipped and meet the maximum size limitation. If they’re large files, you can upload to your Dropbox or other cloud-based account and post the link here.
I’ll also caveat that my observation above was based solely on my interaction with the 3 pedals. I like to play loud music so maybe I’m not as sensitive to the volume of the sound the switches make. When I tested, it was in the quiet of my music room this morning.
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Switches_Aeros.zip (989.1 KB) To objectify my statements about how annoyingly loud the switches on my Aeros are, here’s an MP3 I recorded as a simple voice memo on my iPhone X. I held the phone at chest height (standing behind the Aeros) and then again a foot above the unit and right up next to the switch. As you can hear, there is a loud switch accuation noise followed by a twangy, echoey reverb tail caused by the housing, itself. If this is acceptable for a looper, then I guess I’m the wrong buyer and need to return the unit.
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