I play bass with two colleagues on lead and rhythm guitar. I program all our drums as OP on Sonar/Cakewalk then import into BBManager to create the .song file. All we get are compliments as to how tight we are with our playing. All the work I’m doing it this way has its problems as a slight mistake with the arrangement by the vocalist and we’re all out of sync except the drummer lol.
1 Like
I played in a duo with prerecorded tracks for a couple years. Definitely fielded a few negative comments. Never about the sound, only about the process. Sometimes my wife would be in the audience and she’d catch some mild comments about “karaoke” and stuff like that.
It’s going to happen and there’s nothing you can do about it. People got opinions. I just took note that the venues kept having us back, we were entertaining, our list of venues was expanding and we got paid. (then came COVID)
I’ll say this … drum backing tracks draw the most notice without a doubt. I said I was playing in a duo, and that was true half of the time. When we had a bigger show (I mean physically a bigger stage) we also played with a drummer, in which case the only backing track was the bass guitar. It was the same track that we used in the duo, we just muted the drums because we had them live. No one to my knowledge EVER said anything about there not being a bass player on stage. Man, bass players get the shaft. LOL.
2 Likes
That’s because, for most of the audience, a guitar is a guitar is a guitar. Bass or otherwise.
That, and the average person doesn’t even hear the bass until you remove it. 
3 Likes
There are times I wish a drummer would just operate my BB 
. I get so focused on my awesome guitar work, I forget to double tap, instead , I’ll single tap to end the track.
I was buying a very popular looper (rhymes with Schmoss) from the music shop in Athens, Ga, and the sales dude was being kind of vague in his approach. Turns out he’s a gigging drummer. After a few laughs, he was very helpful. I asked him to put me in touch with a drummer and bass player to gig with. Apparently they were all involved with other local bands.
I’m not sure requires more concentration… operating all the pedals, AND a backing track on iPad, AND running the sound board, or working with 3 more egos 
:
1 Like
The egos are harder to manage. And the schedules are a nightmare.
What I’ve discovered is that, when getting things to work automagically, MIDI is your friend. I have had my Beat Buddy triggering harmony devices and loopers, and, although those have kinda gone by the wayside, mine still uses MIDI to run the light show. Waldo is a smart little gaffer (see what I did there?).
2 Likes
Without even being on a stage in front of an audience (still gearing up for that), I have had two kinds of responses from musicians who drop in to learn how to set up and operate performance and recording gear. One guy looked at my pedal board and mixer and without even hearing anything said flatly: “They say if you can’t perform without effects and all of that technology then you are probably not very good.” I just laughed because I have heard him perform with some antique equipment and it was not that good.
Another performing musician who is looking for a drum machine, has a looper that he never uses - prefers to drop the bass notes and rythm on guitar while doing the solo, said: “How did you do that?” …after I had just explained to him what I had done to prepare my song list so that it preloads the beat on song selection. He is not ‘technically inclined’ so will probably choose a drum machine which he also will not use.
What can you do?
In my book, having the best all around sound for the songs being played is the goal. That means a low frequency melody known as bass, a beat, some rhythm and good vocals (with occasional harmony on the vocals). I would let the complainers complain because the music speaks for itself. I agree that letting the aucience in on what is going on is a good idea. It can probably be done in an entertaining manner.
1 Like
This one ticks me off, so there’s a bit of a rant to follow…
I watched a local self-identified “big shot in the local music scene” harangue a friend of mine AT THE FRIEND’S GIG(!!!), shaming him for buying his dream-guitar vintage Fender P-Bass in shell pink, telling him about how tone is in the fingers and how people who waste money on expensive gear are obviously not that talented. He went on to put the gears to him for being in a cover band instead of being a “proper musician.”
This from a guy who owns two custom-ordered Sadowskis and plays through a PJB rig that set him back about $10k (of his wife’s money, it turns out).
My buddy was all but in tears over this, because that night was his P-Bass’s debut and he had a lot emotionally (and financially) invested in it. I couldn’t take it anymore. I stepped in and asked idiot-boy what gear he played through. “Gear doesn’t matter,” he said. “And yet, you just said quality gear was the hallmark of the poor performer. Wanna share with us your stage rig?”
Shockingly, he declined.
I turned to my buddy and asked him what his gig schedule was in the next month. He listed off five gigs with two bands. When I asked the other idiot, he said he had nothing scheduled for about two months, “…but we did just do a big showcase three weeks ago.” Oh? What’d that pay?
I’ll give you a hint. Rule 7 of being in a band is: It’s not a “showcase,” it’s a “gig that doesn’t pay.”
Everyone is entitled to make their own choices, I respect that; I just rail against people who use them to make other people feel bad about their choices. Especially when the haters have no idea what the heck they’re talking about.
EPILOGUE: My buddy sells cars for a living. So does idiot-boy. The difference is, my buddy still plays in a band, but idiot-boy’s wife got all his gear in the divorce.
2 Likes
EPILOGUE: My buddy sells cars for a living. So does idiot-boy. The difference is, my buddy still plays in a band, but idiot-boy’s wife got all his gear in the divorce.
Karma is indeed a bitch… as they say. (re. idiot boy losing his gear to his ex wife). The bright side for him is that even without his gear he still has his great talent… need I say more?
2 Likes
Get in contact with his ex and buy it from her. 
2 Likes
More n more big acts are using them due to the amount of videos put up on you tube by punters, bands want to sound big and close to the recording now as poss without hiring choirs n orchestras, percussionists, brass etc. Live, fans don’t analyse, whereas a vid can be replayed again n again highlighting any imperfection.
No idea what you’re saying
Yes I have had the occasional negative maybe more along the lines of some people prefer a raw sound ie no drum beats
But ive seen a friend’s duo use it exclusively and its great. But they keep the volume in the mix down so you just hear it in the background and they’re amped up
I use it alot with electric guitar as it lets me relax on the rythym and enables me to play lead
I like the user generated beats with bass
One day I would like to be able to make my own
Haven’t been able to get my head around that yet
Another option is if you are solo consider mixing it up
I would use a stomp box with some more acoustic style songs
And the beatbuddy for heavier electric stuff
But at open mics your only getting a few songs so suit yourself
Also like others its hard to find a decent drummer anyway
The other point I’d make is you have to find the right heats to match the song your doing and this can take time experimenting
Having a mismatched beat isn’t going to sound good.
Also using the transitions and fills helps to give the beatbuddy more of a live feel
I use beat buddy as a drummer only. I play guitar and sing and my bass player does back up vocals. I’ve only had problems one time and that was because someone put a cotton candy machine on the same circuit we were using. whenever someone turned the cotton candy machine on the beatbuddy would pause about 1 second. after a few stops we figured it out and moved it to another circuit. man that sucked, we both looked at each other like wtf! things went fine after that. we do a lot of parties and play from ray Charles and hermans hermits to Motley Crue and poison. you gotta cover a lot of genres to please a crowd from 8 to 80. love the beatbuddy.
4 Likes
Ha, made me laugh. The cotton candy machine on the same circuit, you can’t make that up…was it a Chucky Cheese? Thanks, for the funny story…