It has taken only a couple days to get to grips with my new BeatBuddy. There are lots of good bits and very few bad bits. It’s unfortunate that some folks have had technical issues with the SD card etc, I was lucky, all of it worked 100% first time, out of the box with just a few seconds needed to load different kits. I think the main issue when using it “live” is to think ahead despite playing and singing at the same time (phew!) By anticipating what it will do at the next pedal hit, you can get a pretty good result, so no random hits on the buttons! I used a Yamaha RX 100 drum effect for many years, alas eaten when times got hard. The main difference is that machine required finger tip control between chord twanging on my guitar, with practise, not many folks even noticed that. With BeatBuddy, it’s all in the feet! the only downside is dropping to the deck between songs to make adjustments. I will keep “the chat” going while the “operator changes reels” crouching behind the mic stand. This idea might be useful; I have grouped my songs into similar tempos, cutting down on changes that need to be made to BeatBuddy before continuing with the next song. I am considering using it with my right foot shoeless and sockless that I might be able to adjust it with my toes. Not much hope for that so I will need to stay organised and know what’s coming next, cos if I don’t tell her in advance, she will just carry on doing her thing, who needs to hear Cotton Eyed Joe in waltz time ?
I giggled when I read up to the ‘sockless’ part. Your ability to twist knobs with your toes is superb! 
Depending on what one might need to reach down and change, the optional dual foot switch has reduced my bending down somewhat. One can set the BB up so that a tap of the toe on the optional switch while the unit is stopped automatically selects the next song in the Playlist. This coupled with pre-arranging the song list in the order I want to perform the songs and pre-programming the song list with the appropriate tempi and drum kit has eliminated almost all of my need for reaching down to adjust knobs in the middle of a live performance.
Now that IS interesting…I haven’t got that far yet. Thank you for that Solid Gold Tip
If I can just work out how to do this …"pre-programming the song list with the appropriate tempo and drum kit"… things will be seriously easier!
This is actually quite straight forward. Just use the BB Manager software. It is a little cumbersome to use, but it allows you to create your own folder of songs, place them in the order you prefer, modify the component parts of a song, change the tempo, change the drum kit, as well as other things. This can all be tested right on your computer before writing you set list back to the BB. Search this forum. There is documentation and tips on how to use this to personalize your BB contents.
My video tutorials should help as well - there is even a draft manual that is for the next version of the manager software and the original manual details how to program an external footswitch. There are very few videos which show the BB by itself, most are using an external footswitch to control it.
Excellent advice! thank you. I now have a new folder on my BB “Show1” listing the medleys I intend to perform. Still searching for how to assign the BB extra footswitch to change to the next selection…mmm…I’m trying to get more brain cells onto the task.
A blinding flash of light, the penny drops and I realise that it’s the other button on the footswitch that changes to the next song. (giggles) Finally, I have it. Now all I have to do is practise the changes. Thank you so much for all this good information and assistance.
See p. 7 of the “Meet The Beat Buddy” manual. I am pretty sure it is the default setting for the right foot switch, but if yours is not set that way, it explains how to change the switch function settings using the dials.
Great! Glad you got it sorted! Have fun!
Don’t miss checking guitar stu’s files 
Thinking ahead is good… I don’t trust myself so I created my own symbols for each pedal function that indicate what to do next, for example a push on the pedal is an ! in LARGE RED font. My entire songbook is annotated with my symbols for each function right over the word where the chords might be. That way I see what’s coming up to remind me. I tend to follow my song book even on songs I’ve known for years… because I can sometimes, in the middle of a song, draw a blank on lyrics I know like my own name. So… the BIG red cymbals stand out in my song book and provide good reminders for songs that have a lot of pedal pushes, or places where a pedal operation is critical.
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I’ve worked with my book for 8 months and the symbols are second nature now… and they work well. Especially on songs you may only do from time to time.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]I also edit my routines on an on-going basis. As I practice, I keep BB manager open and continuously refine the beats and edit my songbook symbols where needed.[/FONT]
I like the symbols idea.
Who knows, maybe one day the BeatBuddy could even show them on the screen?
All of us pickers that have been at it for a while always adjust their knobs with their toes. I do it in my stocking feet. I play that way all the time. I always took my shoes or boots off on stage. I remember making up a special pedal with a vertical roll knob (roll it with your toe) in it to adjust the echo amount of my Guild Copycat. I wish I had than one back. I have a looper with an oversize knob on it for the track volume that I borrowed from an MXR phase 90 pedal. It works great. Musicians will always figure out something that works for them. If you take a piece of foam rubber, cut a slot in it to fit over a knob and cut it to length, it works great for adjusting knobs with your toes. Beats the heck out of bending down. Of course, it helps to have perfect balance when your standing on the other foot.
Sincerely, Fingerstyle.
I have all my music on my iPad with OnSong and AirTurn Pedals. By adding the BeatBuddy, it all works well after lots of practice, but I no longer am able to sit on a stool. I have put what I want to do with the Beat Buddy pedal on the song, at the appropriate place, so I can see the change coming and be ready at the right time. If I hit a song that sounded really good in my mind the night before when I am doing my set list but I know that it is not going to go over with the crowd, then I can easily bypass that song. (Like when a group of Jehova’s Witnesses show up, I can bypass “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw”, and move right into “Angel From Montgomery”.o_O
LMAO. That is so funny and so true Jim. You made my day. Thanks for sharing. BTW - How do you like the app for keeping your music on the iPad? Have thought a lot about that. Cheers!
When I was younger, I was able to learn the Gettysbug Address in two nights for a school presentation, but nowadays, I can stay right on the song and not have memory lapses. I also do a lot of Mariachi music and found it very difficult to completely memorize some of those songs, but with the iPad it works really well and I can stay right in the groove, and can see difficult places coming up. I am careful not to just read songs off of the screen but it is small, stays out of the way, and is a real help to my performances.
I use a small android tablet to display my lyric/chord cheat sheets. It eliminates the anxiety of forgetting that first word in the 2nd verse that you have sung 1000 times!