Ive been working in pianobars playing keyboards and bass(keyboard) with sequenced drums for many years now. I would love to change this to a more "human-controlled" setup where I can start, stop and fill-in real-time. I have the beatbuddy, but its difficult to controll it since I have to able to choose songs an the fly (not a fixed set list)… and this is impossible without having to bend down to the floor or click through the hole list via footcontroller…
Im thinking of using it with Ableton.
Hopefully I can set the tempo in ableton and also trigger extra loops on top of the beats from the Beatbuddy…?
I am also hoping to trigger drum sounds from Ableton if possible ?
Does anybody know if it will be possible to chance songs on the beat buddy from Ableton also ??
I’m pondering the same thing. Wanting to know more about BB’s capability before I pull the trigger. I’m fine with doing fills live…but want to use Ableton >> Voice Live 3 >>> then to the BB to control Temp and possibly drum kits/genre’s via midi.
I use Ableton as a DAW, but if I understand what you are asking, I’m not thinking it will be necessary. I am relatively new to BB, but here’s the beauty of this thing. I can create my own beats in midi OR use stock ones. Then I can set up songs that allow me to trigger fills, transitions, etc. with the pedal on the fly. There is so much variability, especially if you design your own stuff (which I like to do as I am sort of a perfectionist when it comes to grooves and rhythms. I like some of the stock beats, but not others.
Here is where some kind of additional midi controller might be helpful–changing songs and folders on the fly without having to mess with the pedal on the floor. IF my pedal is in stop mode, I can use the external foot switch to move to the next song on my list. I can also push down both switches to go out to other folders. What I can’t seem to be able to do is select folders and scroll with the foot switch. Others may have ideas about that.
If I understand you, what you would like to do is control everything out of one, central device–in this case a laptop using Ableton as your “manager”…correct? You’d like to use your Helicon device for vocal effects, manage your set lists and control the BB from that central thang? Right? Seems like you could. I’m not sure Ableton would be my go to choice for that. Anyone else?
Kenster - Mark is correct about the versatility of Beat Buddy. Singular has a midi implementation manual posted on its site. It explains what can be controlled via midi.
https://singularsound.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/MIDISettings-NewFirmware1.77.pdf
Also, you can search on the forum for “VL3”. There have been several discussions about using the Voice Live.
It would help to know what your vision is for the Beat Buddy. From what you posted, it seems to me like you want to use the Beat Buddy as a drum module, receiving midi from Ableton. That can be done. There is no “change drum kit” command, per se, but there is a “change song, change folder” command, and you could use that to have blank songs set up with the various drum kits thereby making a “song” change into a drumkit change.
Cool. Sounds like it will do what I need. On songs I sing I want a little more pre-set direction and then on songs i’m just playing guitar I can tap dance on the BB.
My initial vision of the BB is to use to fill between songs for transitions/praise to eventually replace drum tracks we are currently using live.
Kentster…There are a lot of options. I have a few songs that are pretty complicated in that they have stops, build up transitions, breakdown sections, etc. I am always tweaking as I go here as I try to find ways to make things work better, but I have set up extended intros with a build up into the main groove, I have used “fills” as little extended rhythm changes I can trigger, I have programmed complicated transitions and messed with some outros that need something unique. The pedal itself only really allows you the flexibility to stop, start, start into and outros, trigger “fills” (however you want to design them outside of the pedal itself) and transitions. Using the external switch and can stop and start, trigger my own “click” (or in my case I like either kick or open high hat count using my foot on the switch) and when in stop mode, scroll and move to other folders using the foot switch. It’s cool. When you add in the things the BBM software and external midi map programmer gives you, it’s really an incredible music creation device.
One of the things I really like about this pedal though is the flexibility. I’m not a formula player generally and this pedal allows me to extend solos, return to verses and go back to solos, trigger “breakdowns” for sing alongs and crowd participation, etc. It’s an on the fly device and not just a drum machine or a simple backing track. Plus the drum sounds are good. I’ve tried other things that weren’t. I pretty much stick to 3 standard kits and one that I bought and loaded and I program a lot of my own beats, fills and transitions.
Issues I have: I don’t like a lot of the stock beats–especially the blues shuffles and reggae grooves. But they may work with some that aren’t as crazy particular about that stuff as I am. I also think most of the stock fills and transitions are too busy. But again…that’s me. I make my own pretty quick. Issues solved. That said…learning curve is a tad steep. In a few days though I was up and running.
Cool thank you. I hope to use Ableton to create some of my own drum parts as well. Do you use Ableton during live performances ?
I do…and hope to use it to master the tempo for the BB and my VL3
Not currently. I’m using it exclusively for recording and some midi mapping although I have a mix of programs that I use for that now. I’m intrigued by the VL3 though.
do you have bass beats in the bb too ? How do you program your own beats if you are doing a cover song ?