I am trying to load a midi file as a main part onto my beatbuddy by using the BB Manager.
The configuration of the file is like below.
｜4/4｜4/4｜4/4｜2/4｜4/4｜
After synchronized, my BB plays like below.
｜4/4｜4/4｜4/4｜2/4｜4/4｜2/4 rest｜
I don’t want the last bar of silence！
What should I do for it ?
Doesn’t it look like what you encountered ?
Let me tell you more detail.
The problem that I am facing right now has nothing to do with the midi sync timing or intro specific.
I guess it has something to do with bar length recognition algorithm of the BeatBuddy’s midi data player.
I made a midi file that has 5 bars like below and downloaded the file to my BeatBuddy with the BB Manager software.
｜4/4｜4/4｜4/4｜2/4｜4/4｜
Then I disconnect my BeatBuddy from my PC and play it repeatedly.
The drum beat sounds like below.
｜4/4｜4/4｜4/4｜2/4｜4/4｜2/4 no sound｜4/4｜4/4｜4/4｜2/4｜4/4｜2/4 no sound｜ … repeat
It seems my BeatBuddy is trying make the phrase a multiple of 4/4 bar that results in the 2/4 silence at the end.
What do you think ?
Is there any countermeasure for it ?
Tasuku, I do not have an access to my BeatBuddy currently, but I will test the case you are describing when I am at home (in approximately 6.5 hours from now). In the mean time, can you upload the MIDI pattern file you are using, or I can test this with my own pattern with your requested specs?
Tasuku, the behaviour you are describing is totally incorrect and is likely a bug in the software/firmware. As I was just able to reproduce the problem in manager software version 1.3.2 using the following MIDI file
[Done!]I’ve reported this important sub-topic to be moved into a separate thread, as I am not a moderator myself anymore.
You can upload small files (up to 15 Mb currently) directly to the forum now, simply look for the Options | Upload Attachments box under the blue buttons of Save Draft, Preview and Submit.
But in this case this is simply not necessary, as the bug is confirmed now. We’ll probably have to wait for software fixes now as I don’t have the source code to fix that for you
But something is wrong !
Now I cannot duplicate the problem using my file.
I uploaded two files, please try them.
I saw once the BB showed Time sig. like 127/16 or something !!!
But I reload a new midi file by BB manager, it never happens again !
Very funny. It seems unstable.
You’re absolutely right, there’s a bug or bugs around here !
Well, Tasuku, I feel this was more a political decision with me having a (probably really) offensive nickname, and as this is (probably) against the forum rules, let all others view this as an example to be civil here. As for that leaked firmware, please don’t let it bother you. If that has been the case, I would have been long banned lol! So don’t consider me retired yet!
But returning to our main topic… OMG, what horrible software did you use to come up with those MIDI files?! :shock: Are they really intended to have 16 tracks with all of them being empty except track 10, containing actual drums? :o
I feel like you may be confusing MIDI track number with MIDI channel number. A file can have only one track (that is assigned channel number 10) for BeatBuddy manager software to successfully “eat” it! In theory, a MIDI file can even have several tracks with channel number 10… But that’s not the question.
I actually cannot parse your files properly. Both them appear like they have exactly 6 4/4 bars with bar number 1 and 4 with incorrect length of 4.052 (instead of 4). There are definitely NO signs of a time measure being changed inside these MIDI files!
The problem still holds though. Worth saying, that the preview RC version of manager software I am having (v. 1.3.3) also reproduces the problem. Virtual Machine beat indicator acts simply as if there is no transition to 2/4. All bars are rendered as if they are 4/4.
Thanks a lot for your explanation and sorry a lot for my poor understanding of midi format.
Your comment is very informative and I should learn more !
But still I am glad the bottom line seems that the firmware does not treat 2/4 bar as 2/4 bar but 4/4 bar.
Not understanding something is absolutely normal. Failing to admit that, pretending you know everything isn’t
Hope this bug gets fixed.
As a workaround, I’ve also tried very artificial time signatures, like combining everything into one bar, like 4/4 + 4/4 + 4/4 + 2/4 + 4/4 = 18/4 bar. But I’ve also got very mixed feelings with it when I tried to use fills and transitions.
I feel software should get polished a lot more in this direction.
I see that this issue has been discussed at length here, and I will add to the discussion by giving an additional explanation causing this slight complication:
The reason there is a rest at the end is that you cannot mix time signatures in the same loop. So a 4/4 loop has to be 4/4 for all bars, you can’t have a 2/4 bar. We did this to make the playback of MIDI loops much more reliable. We noticed that many MIDI editors have a glitch that adds in ‘ghost notes’ in strange places, which causes the timing to go way off unless this rule is implemented. We’re looking at other possible solutions to this issue to allow you to use mixed time signatures in the same loop, but unfortunately this is the way it works for now.
This has reminded me of a couple of songs we play but haven’t tried with the beatbuddy and these have a similar change one is 6/8 all the song apart from the bridge that has one bar of 3/4. It sounds right but I am assuming if I try to reproduce this in the beatbuddy it will not work?
You can have different song parts (verse, chorus, bridge, etc) as different time signatures. You cannot have different time signature within different measures of the same song part.
For the time being, many users can be saved with this tentative solution !
I hope eventually this solution will be replaced with a real solution that allows mixed time signature.
I hope BeatBuddy’s software development team would accept this customer’s request !
So don’t consider me retired yet!