Beat Buddy and Looper General Questions

Hi there,

I’ve just read a very long post on here about using the beatbuddy with the boss rc-300 which has raised as many questions as it’s answered so starting another thread here to try gain some clarity.

Here’s an example of one of my songs I did at home in my studio, that I’m looking to do solo live, until the band turns up!

www.soundcloud.com/mastengregory/this-is-the-time

Basically drums, guitar, keys, vocals

And I’m looking for best combo of Beat Buddy and looper for the job. I’ve got it down to Beat Buddy or Beat Buddy mini with Boss RC-300. I’ve ruled out the Boomerang as i need to store the choruses.

So before I go out and spend some money, could you please listen to the song and then tell me whether doing it and such like will be possible with just me, a beat buddy and a looper. I need to be able to loop guitar & keys simultaneously as some of my songs I can’t sing and play at the same time.

Some questions:

  1. For the example song above I get the way you’d say start the beat buddy, play the keys intro, loop it, then add rhythm guitar, loop it, start singing, then how the hell do you switch to a chorus. Do you have to have the keys and guitar parts saved and then hit 2 pedals to activate, then when you switch back to verse you trigger the parts you played earlier? Sounds like a nightmare, is it all easier than it sounds with a bit of practice?

  2. Would I need the full Beat Buddy or would the Mini do the job? i dont intend to have much variation in the beats, just need something that sounds the business and is easy to use.

  3. What about the rc-300 playing nicely with the beat buddy i.e. midi sync issues. I’ve read a very long post on here somewhere about it but tbh cant figure out whether it’ll work or not for my songs. Seems best way is to make rc-300 master and Beat Buddy slave?

I know this’ mostly about the rc-300 not the Beat Buddy, but Boss don’t seems to have a user forum

Thanks in advance

Masten

I haven’t messed with loopers, but as a solo act, I have been trying to push the boundaries of what the pedal can do. Right now, I play live with it as my drummer and bass player. Recently, I’ve been able to make it also my rhythm guitar player! Next up is seeing if i can make it do keys. I also made a nice Mellotron kit! I believe you cant use the Mini for these types of things though.

Hi there. Ok thanks. You mean you can use the beatBuddy to store, play and loop more than just beats?

Yes! Since you can customize the drum kits, Guitar Stu on this forum got the idea of adding bass samples to the kit. With some careful constructing, I have created a ton of songs that are both drums and bass. You just have to download the special “with bass” drumkit…

Here is my stuff:
http://mybeatbuddy.com/forum/index.php?resources/authors/aashideacon.2902/

A few others like Guitar Stu, Phil, and others, are also creating songs like this.

Be aware that the Boss RC 300 is a “Midi Sync Desaster” (and you will need Midi sync to get it right…) I`ve had the 50 and the300 and both failed to sync with BB either as Master as also as Slave… You can read more in the thread below.
http://mybeatbuddy.com/forum/index.php?threads/beat-buddy-loopers-midi-sync.82/page-2#post-1257

Hey Dennis, yeah that is the thread I read. Nightmare! why can’t they make it work - its ridiculous.

I need a looper, not to be a ‘looper’ artist, but just to get something going playing my songs live until I find a band. I don’t have to use a BB, could just import drum loops as wav files from my DAW

Could you have a listen here please to one of my songs: https://soundcloud.com/mastengregory/these-are-the-dreams-we-have, and tell me if I could do a working live version with an rc-300. WIth a bb the looper just needs to do guitar, keys and bass or synth. Without bb, using looper for drums can drop the bass/synth

And if not an rc-300, what would you recommend for that? I like the rc-300 cos of the effects and obviously being able to import song parts. Can’t find anyhting else that coud do it.

Many thanks

Masten

Hi Masten. Some users on this forum have success with the Pigtronix Infinity Looper. It doesn’t have all the effects of the RC-300 but you can save and recall the loops as presets and it seems to play well with midi. Expensive, though.

Good luck on your quest and on finding your band.

Im using my looper the same way, most of the time. Of course you can loop the drums with RC too, I had also good experiences with BOSS DR880, but only as SLAVE. I never tried to loop the drums, so I dont know about dropping the bass/synth… But you wont be able to sync BB and RC (AFAIK), I tried it a long time unsuccessful. And BeatBuddy enlarged my possibilitys enormous. I (like you) needed possibility to store what Ive done (so the Boomerang was no option), and since I heard the Pigtronix extended the storage space from 9 songs to 49 (there is always one song space, that can not be stored, you have to store it in another place, called “blank canvas”) I decided to sell both RCs and then bought 2 Infinitys and a Midi Controller (only two tracks per song was not enough). Now I merged BBs Midi out with Controllers Midi out going in both Infinitys Midi in and have the feeling I can do what I want:);) Only Controlling BB and Infinitys together could be improved… So Im waiting for a BB update thatll give me full Midi controll!

BTW you can store your songs parts and import them bck to Infinity in Infinity application…(for PC)

Some users had also success with the VOICELIVE 3, that I also tried, but I prefer the Pig-Looper…

Hi Dennis, what midi controller are you using?

Gordius little giant… It had to be a controller with “Kemper Integration:D”…
And this one gives me also very extended possibilities
But I think there are also cheaper ones to get satisfaction.

Thanks Dennis

Hi Dennis. Ok, that makes sense, glad you found something that’s all working for you. Sounds like a great solution :slight_smile:

I’d need 2 Inifinitis as well and a BB and effects = £1000 which is over my budget tbh. There’s another problem: I’m just starting out doing my songs live, and with an RC-300 that’s all I’d need. Without it we’re talking 3 effects pedals, 2 loopers and a Beat Buddy. Fills me with dread tbh, not having done a gig yet. I think it’s best I just jump in get an rc-300, use the drums off my daw for 1 track then keys and synth for the other 2 and I’ll play guitar live no looping. Keeps it simple n then I’ll upgrade if/when i find out what is or isn’t working.

Thanks for you help

Masten

I’ve used the RC-300 and the nightmare I had with the MIDI sync (or lack thereof) motivated me to look into loopers. The Infinity and the boomerang are hell expensive and the optional breakout boards aren’t really that optional; you’re very limited without them. So I’ve gone down the path of using my iPad mini and I couldn’t be happier.

Here’s my setup and cost (in Aussie dollars):

Hardware:
Audiobox iTwo Studio (2 channel audio device with MIDI IN/OUT + Headphones + MIC) $300
iPad Mini (You can use your iPhone if you want, I had one of these already so it didn’t cost me anything ) $350
Line 6 FBV Shortboard MKII (Any MIDI compliant floorboard will do, I had this lying around) $350
Camera Connection Kit - $45
Powered USB Hub - $30

Apps:
Jam Up App (Amp + effects) $40
Loopy HD App (seriously good looper) $8
Audiobus App (Tool for routing audio between apps on iOS) $5
Midiflow App (programmable MIDI routing) $8 - I use this to route my floorboard to control different apps with the press of a button

If I could get Beat Buddy as an iPad app, I’d buy it in a heartbeat. There’s nothing the Beat Buddy can do that couldn’t be done as an app on the iPad.

I can make this setup even simpler and drop the USB hub and camera connection kit; I only use those so I can plug in my floorboard as well as the Audiobox. I could just buy a Bluetooth floor board or buy a puc plus (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/puc-plus-universal-bluetooth-midi-interface#/) for my FBV Shortboard. If I did that, the Audiobox iTwo has a port to connect directly to the iPad and it will trickle charge while I’m using it.

Nice. The Puc Plus sure seems like it has some potential.

Okay, you HAVE to tell us how you have this all cobbled together. :slight_smile:

Thanks!

Joe

Hardware-wise, it’s pretty simple; plug everything into the powered USB hub and plug the Beat Buddy MIDI out into the MIDI IN on the Audiobox (this makes Beat Buddy the master MIDI clock, so my looper app stays in sync with whatever Beat Buddy does). I’ll take some photos soon and post it up here and explain how it all fits together.

The tricky part of it all is trying to control everything via the foot controller and every day I’m refining this process. Right now I use the Midiflow app to allow me to cycle through what app my foot controller controls; so I tap a button and it’s controlling my looper (Loopy HD), tap again and it’s controlling my guitar Effects (Jam up). However, I’ve found this quite complicated use so I think I’m gonna simplify it even more and remove the cycling between apps. Maybe I’ll dedicate a few buttons to my looper and some to my amp and effects, no more toggling between the two.

This is actually a big selling point for me to use an iPad over hardware loopers. With the hardware versions they have a very specific workflow and I need to learn to use it. But with the iPad, I can customize how I want to play around what I find intuitive.

Hi, I´m conecting my Beat buddy pedal to a infinity looper and the infinity is recognize the tempo fine but when i´m stop the Beat Buddy the looper is still carry on, i think is something i have to change with my beat buddy. If is in my infinity looper dos you know what i have to change ?

I have a Boss-ES8 looper controller connect to my beat buddy by midi. The BB already recognize the tempo but i want o able to use the stop and go function. How do i know whitch midi channel number is my Beatbuddy and what is the Pc number to start and stop?
Thanks

If Infinity does not react to BB when BB stops, youll probably have to enable Midi Stop in Infinity application ( since I assume it reacts to BB when BB starts ). When it does not react eather Stop or Start I assume Boss ES8 is chained between BB and Infinity and Infinity is using only Boss ES8s Midi Clock (Time) and BB is Master for Boss ES8 (Boss ES8 follows Time of BB) ( so youll have to set Boss ES8 to Midi Merge or Thru)... Or you have Boss ES8 Midi Out connected to BBs Midi In, BBs Out to Infinity, so youll have to set BB to Midi Merge (Youll have to use New FW which isnt officially released yet, so contact BB Support.

To Start/Stop BB there are only Midi Start/Stop Commands awaible. Those are no Program Change (PC) Commands and are allways going out to every Channel (Like Midi Clock (Time)).
Midi PCs are for changing Songs (within the selected Folder) only in new unreleased FW, but works best. Midi CCs for Start, change Song Part, Stop etc. are not released ATM… (But still waiting for…;))