BeatBuddy intermittently won’t play drum set instrument #1 .wav file

BeatBuddy Help, Questions and Bugs
1

The Beatbuddy I’m using is loaded with firmware version 4.1.6. The files/drum set I have issue with work fine on BeatBuddy Manager, so I don’t think my computer or tools used are relevant for this.

Description:
I’ve created some of my own .drm files for the BeatBuddy but have noticed that the .wav file in location #1 of the .drm intermittently does not play.
On investigation I’ve discovered that if the BeatBuddy is set to the relevant track which uses the drum kit when powering on the BeatBuddy (i.e. the BeatBuddy was last powered down when that song was selected) then the instrument at location #1 plays as expected. However, if the BeatBuddy is set to a different song/drum set at power down followed by power on then the instrument in location #1 does not play as required when that song/drum kit is subsequently selected and played. All other instruments appear fine.

Investigation:
I’ve replicated the issue by using a .drm file from the forum ( Rock & Rick Bass 0-31) along with a simple test midi file which steps through the bass notes from 1-31. All instruments play correctly except instrument #1 (same behaviour as above) if the song/drum file have to be selected after power up. Again, it worked correctly if the beatbuddy was last powered down when that song was selected and powers back on to that song/drum set.

Of course, instrument #1 is less commonly used as drum only drum sets tend to use instruments in higher locations. For those who have generated drum files with other instruments such as bass guitar, location #1 corresponds to note C#1, which is lower than the normal usage range. Thus this a bit of a corner case. I have a work around for now which is not to use location #1.

2

Thank you for reaching out!

Could you please record a video of the issue, include the steps you’ve taken, and send it along with the files you’re using to support@singularsound.com so we can help troubleshoot the problem? Thank you!

3

Hi Daniel,

Thanks for your message.

As requested, I’ve emailed through a video along with midi and drum set files which demonstrate the issue.

Hope this helps
Keith

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4

Given that few if any users have reported similar symptoms, I’ve been thinking about possible causes. As you pointed out, this seems to rule out issues with the BeatBuddy Manager (BBM) or the BeatBuddy (BB) pedal and would point to a more likely culprit being your C#1 wav file. As I work through the possible sources of your issue, I’m trying to rule out any other variables, so just hang in there while we walk through those variables.

Are you allowing the drum set to fully load in the BeatBuddy (BB) pedal before tapping to start? Reason I ask is because I notice that some drum sets seem to take as long as 4 seconds to completely load. This is particularly noticeable on the class 4 SDHC cards. The class 10 cards load a little more quickly.

This makes sense as the drum set will most likely be loaded from cached pedal memory.

This most likely points to something different with the C#1 wav file.

  • are you using a Mac and Logic Pro X or GarageBand to craft your wav file and if so, did you strip the metadata from the file before importing it into the BBM drum set? Tag Stripper or NCH Signal work very well to strip the metadata.
  • did you use the supported wav file types:
    • .Wav (PCM Format)
    • 24 bit or 16 bit (16 bit recommended as it allows the use of more samples)
    • 44.1kHz sample rate?
  • what about your drum set instrument details settings for C#1? Are they appropriate for the type i.e., Percussion vs Non-percussion?
  • does using a different wav file in the C#1 instrument slot have the same effect? If it does, this might be an indicator of a problem with your wav file.

Anyway, please let us know the source of the problem and what you did to fix the issue, whether it’s Support or any other user, (Phil_Flood, the acknowledged forum guru of drum sets).

BTW, even though you are still using the no longer supported BBM, you might find pp51-57 of the BeatBuddy Manager Online Manual (Firmware 1.5.4) helpful for building drum sets along with some good tips. It might even tempt you to give the BBMO a trial run. :sunglasses:

5

If the instrument #1 is a C#1 bass file, there is a good likelihood that the wav file itself is bad. Why? Well, when I create dum sets with notes lower than E-1, depending on the source, I have to create those using a pitch shifter plug-in. I may have forgotten to then properly convert the wav file to the tag stripped BB format. In that case, it would not play. So, if you are using a kit I built, it would be best to identify the kit(s). I could then check those for issues.

6

Hi,

Many thanks for looking at this issue. Please see my responses below:

Q. just hang in there while we walk through those variables.
A. Understood. No problem

Q. Are you allowing the drum set to fully load in the BeatBuddy (BB) pedal before tapping to start? Reason I ask is because I notice that some drum sets seem to take as long as 4 seconds to completely load. This is particularly noticeable on the class 4 SDHC cards. The class 10 cards load a little more quickly.

A. Yes, I experimented with wait times before pressing play, but without resolving the issue.

Q. are you using a Mac and Logic Pro X or GarageBand to craft your wav file and if so, did you strip the metadata from the file before importing it into the BBM drum set? Tag Stripper or NCH Signal work very well to strip the metadata.
A. I’m using Logic Pro X to create the wav files. Yes, I stripped out the meta data using Tag Stripper

Q. did you use the supported wav file types:
• .Wav (PCM Format)
• 24 bit or 16 bit (16 bit recommended as it allows the use of more samples)
• 44.1kHz sample rate?

A. Yes, I’m using .wav PCM Format at 44.1kHz. I’m using 24bit but OK, I’ll consider 16 bit in future.

Q. what about your drum set instrument details settings for C#1? Are they appropriate for the type i.e., Percussion vs Non-percussion
A. No. I didn’t know about this setting. The wav file is of backing vocals for a chorus and instrument type was left unchanged (as percussion) when I created the drum set. What effect does this have?

Q. does using a different wav file in the C#1 instrument slot have the same effect? If it does, this might be an indicator of a problem with your wav file.
A. Yes, sort of. I did this by trying a completely different drum set created by another user which has bass guitar in location C#1. I tried it with a test midi file to step though the notes (supplied in my email). It displayed the same problem behaviour as with my drum file. Incidentally, I’ve since check this drum set and the bass note on C#1 IS set to non-percussion yet still has the problem described.
The wav file with the problem from my original song behaves when moved to a location other than C#1 (after about 20 plays so far).

Q. BTW, even though you are still using the no longer supported BBM, you might find pp51-57 of the BeatBuddy Manager Online Manual (Firmware 1.5.4) helpful for building drum sets along with some good tips. It might even tempt you to give the BBMO a trial run.

A. Thank you and I’m intending to at some point in the near future. Not just yet brave enough while I have a setup that works and some gigs coming up.

Cheers
Keith

7

Hi Phil,

Many thanks for also commenting on this.

The original problem was on a kit I created myself with a backing vocal .wav in location C#1. My work around is to move it away from this location and I haven’t experienced an issue since (touch wood).
I did recreate the problem on the Rock & Rick Bass 0-31 kit with a midi file that just chromatically steps through each bass note . The thing is, the C#1 consistently works or does not work, depending on how you enter the song. Note C1 always works on this file. So I personally doubting it’s an issue with the wav files.

Cheers
Keith

8

Regarding the difference of percussion v non percussion. A vocal sample should be set as non-percussion. If it is set as percussion, it will always play to its full length rather than being stopped at the end of the midi note. You want that with a cymbal, but not with a trumpet, for example.

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9

Thank you Phil - that matches what I’ve observed with the vocal clips but didn’t know why.

Cheers

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10

Thank you for sharing—according to the video, this looks like a bug.

To troubleshoot, could you please try the same process using the new BBMO beta version? It might help resolve the issue.

11

Hello all.

Kind of resurrecting this thread, because I am having exactly the same issue and, without finding this thread first, I have done mainly the same troubleshooting steps as @Keith_Marshall.

I found about this issue while playing LIVE (as it always seems to happen, he, he)! I was playing back a song and there was a noticeable silence where a bass note should be playing. I suspected the song have gotten corrupted, or an after-effect of recent misbehaviors of BBMO, and went looking for a solution back at home. Found it was the C#1 note, it was not playing as expected (and I knew, in the past, this song has worked flawlessly). After much trial and error, and searching these forums, at last I came upon this thread. So, not to repeat everything, these are my issues, and new findings:

1- Let the drumset fully load, does not change the issue.

2- Tried with different samples from different drum sets that ”apparently” were working as expected, no change.

3- Turning the BB on with the song already loaded, the song plays FINE. Turning the BB on with another song with another drum set, the song reproduces the issue of not playing the C#1 note.

THIS ARE my “NEW” FINDINGS:

For the sake of explanation, let’s say my issue was discovered in a song that uses the 4th drum set (alphabetically) in my drumset list (not that I think it matters, but helps me explain…)

When turning the BB on with this song and drumset loaded, the song plays perfectly (like the findings of @Keith_Marshall), but if I change the drumset, the C#1 note will not play while using drumsets 1, 3, 5, etc., but C#1 will play ok in drum sets 2 and 4 (original drumset of the song), etc. If I turn the BB on in any other drum set, the reverse will happen, drum sets 1 and 3 will play C#1 fine, drum sets 2 and 4 won’t.

It is like, depending on which drum set was selected when turning the BB on, the C#1 will play in one drum set and won’t play in the next, consecutively.

This even happens in consecutive drum sets which are modifications of the same original drum set. Let’s say I created 4 variations of “Bass and BETTER STRINGS XLR”, adding some piano in one drumset, some flute in other, etc. The bass samples are exactly the same for each. But the problem reproduces, plays in one, does not play in the next, plays in the 3rd, does not play in the 4th, and so on.

Can’t move the sample to another place, since, in this case, it is the C#1 note, not a backing vocal or other sound….

So, I would assume that this means that this problem is not a sample issue, or an individual corruption, but maybe a cache or something? May anyone of the respected experts of this forum help me sort this out?

Thanks in advance!

Luis

12

Which version of the BB firmware are you using? This might help the developers narrow the issue down.

13

Firmware 4.1.7

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14

I’m not aware the issue ever got resolved since I raised it, unfortunately. I now avoid using that location for my custom drum kits and consequently have not had an issue since.

Moving your C# to another location (which is a bit untidy) or using one of the many drum kits with the bass at locations #60+ might give you a short term work around, which I’m sure you’ve considered already.

Hope that Singular Sound can resolve the root cause soon.

Keith

15

Thanks for the update!

And to you, @persist and all the others BB users here, Happy New Year!

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