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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Interesting.
To add to your sound capture, I used a sound meter app on my iPhone (admittedly not an industry-approved measuring device) to compare the foot-switch-when-clicked decibel readings from each pedal. The pedals were all on a carpeted floor and I sampled each at waist-level height. I used the average sound reading of 6 taps per pedal. I also sampled a couple of other non-Singular Sound pedals for additional comparison. The ambient sound-level in a reasonably quiet room measured ~31db. The sound would probably be louder on hard surface floors and maybe even louder if on elevated stands.
BeatBuddy (BB) 41db
Aeros 46db compared to Infinity 43db
Maestro 54db compared to another MIDI control board 38db
As the Maestro had the loudest sound levels, I removed the bottom plate and placed a piece of foam inside the case and tested it again and the sound level was slightly lower at 52db.
I think you can expect similar results but they will be driven by pedal placement and number of cycles each foot switch has on it. All pedals except the Aeros and Maestro have many foot switch cycles on them. You can draw your own conclusions.
Interesting to know your decibel ratings. That inspired me to take my own readings, using the Octave RTA iOS app with my iPhone X’s internal mic. I held the iPhone at waist height, just as you did. The graph not only shows how the ambient sound (in color) and the increase in decibels when a switch on the Aeros is actuated by a foot wearing a soft, felt slipper (see gray shaded area), but also the frequency distribution of the sound produced by the Aeros. As you can see, there is a huge jump up in decibels, especially in the mid- to lower-treble frequencies (from roughly 1,000 to 10,000 Hz, with the most prominent peak around 4,000 Hz). I wish Singular Sound had chosen to use some kind of rubbery, soft-mounted, non-intrusive switches or at least wasted a little thought and effort on dampening the unit properly on the inside so as to reduce its internal reverb.
I just received my second footswitch. It is noisy like the first one, so I put some foam inside to dampen the sound. Didn’t do much. The switches seem a bit cheap. creaky and too loud. Looking into replacing them. $49 is pretty steep for what they are.
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Agree. If we’re being told that these footswitches are no louder than comparable footswitches, then those other footswitches must be loud as well. BOSS FS-6 or FS-7 might be better options. I have a couple of FS-5U’s and they are virtually silent.
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Yup, I use the FS-5U too…the BB footswitch clacking noise is crappy when doing dinner gigs etc. In a loud environment no one cares…wedding ceremonies and such it is an issue.
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I use a FS-6 dual foot switch. It IS absolutely silent, works perfect, but…
It needs an internal 9V battery to work and has no on-off-switch. No external power supply.
So for deactivation you have to pull out the stereo-cable.
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FS-5U user here for the BB that I got used cheap. Also have a few other DIY home built footswitches for other gear.
Like most people in this thread I love the BeatBuddy but have got increasingly frustrated with the lack of development for the BB Manager - in particular copy & paste for songs is just a basic for any half-decent software.
I would also like to see a search function - it takes me ages to find a specific song in my growing number of different setlists. And how about having one song that appears in more than one setlist but only needs to be edited once…?
Please please stop giving us over-optimistic promises and get on with upgrading the BB Manager to a reasonable standard.
Every time I receive an email telling me about a different product it just increases my frustration with the existing software.
ps As for the separate pedal - it is noisy and for me the buttons are too close together to use safely without looking down at them. I’ve replaced it with two separate tap switches it with two separate silent switches (Muslady Mosky tap switch from Amazon) joined by a 6inch or so piece of timber which works way better for me.
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I regrettably have to agree with pretty much all of Robin’s post. Right down to the Footswitch+ buttons being so close (too noisy, also) that I returned it and set up 2 separate footswitches instead so I could space them far enough apart. It’s the attention to details and timely correction of problems that’s been lagging with the products. Love the BB, email support is always quick to respond, but actual solutions do not come quick enough. I’m hanging in there because I believe you’re doing the best you can and you will come up with those solutions, but I’d sure love it if you could do it faster!
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Have said the same in almost the same words…seems so long ago. We can not imagine playing without BB after 5(?) years.
Maybe especially cruel for those with Macs used to intuitive computer behavior like search and drag-n-drop (so clearly needed). One comment struck me, especially after so many years using BB, which I whole-heartedly support. “Having one song that appears in more than one setlist but only needs to be edited once…?” Any change is a nightmare. I have a master list and try to export-import as needed but I’m sure I miss things.
Robin - Mosky shows a dual switch (9.3 cm long). That seems a direct replacement for $22 USD? I don’t always hear it since we are quite electric but some quiet moments the clicks are quite audible - picked up by the mic I think.
I use this as well. I purchased a 9-volt battery connector to a center negative 9-volt converter (under $10). I drilled a hole in the back of the FS-6 and I can now plug mine in using my 1 spot. You could just cut a small hole in the bottom of the battery door and have the converter stick out of the unit that way – I just liked the cleaner look of having it plug directly into the body like the instrument cable. The only “issue” is that it’s a bit close to the stereo plug, but it works.
