BBMVC = BeatBuddy MIDI Volume Control. A massively over engineered solution to an almost non existent problem (But I just like making stuff!).
Here’s a demo:
This uses a standard keyboard style volume control pedal (A Yamaha FC7 in my case because I had one doing nothing) to set the volume of the main mix on my BeatBuddy drum pedal by converting the signal from the FC7 into the MIDI CC commands the BeatBuddy needs.
It also has a MIDI pass through function so that you can continue to use any existing MIDI setup with the BeatBuddy.
When no volume pedal is plugged into the unit it just acts as a MIDI pass though. When a pedal is plugged in you can enable the unit by pressing the switch at which point it will control the BeatBuddy volume via the volume pedal. When the unit is disabled (LED off), it just acts as a MIDI pass through so if you happen to knock the volume pedal it will not affect the BeatBudy volume.
There’s also a calibration mode which is entered by holding the switch down for five seconds that allows you to configure the unit to the minimum and maximum values the volume pedal sends out. The calibration settings are saved in the unit so you really only have to do that once.
There’s a couple of things that need tweaking on it. It really needs it’s own 7 segment LED display to show the volume setting it is sending as it’s hard to see on the BeatBuddy screen and I really need to add some circuitry to boost the MIDI out signal. As it stands it’s not powerful enough to drive a midi signal over a long midi cable (spec says up to 50 ft) but I believe I can do that with just a transistor and a couple of resistors so that should be a simple mod. The 7 segment LED display is a little more complex but not rocket science. The hard part is cramming all the parts onto a small circuit board.
I have no intention of making these things but I am planning on releasing the design for the hardware and the code at some point (maybe after I do those mods above, or at least the midi signal bit). I might also do a basic design for a circuit board for the interface part itself that people can get fabricated to make construction easier.
I know no one seems to care but I did update the software recently. In the original design the full range of motion on the pedal would adjust the volume from 0 to 100% but it made the pedal far too sensitive so I’ve changed it so that the full range of pedal travel only changes the volume from a minimum to a maximum value, say 70% to 100% (both values are configurable) so it makes the foot pedal far less sensitive.
love it! I really want to find some longer connectors for my bb, so i can hang it on my mic stand instead of bending over EVERY SINGLE time! Does anyone know where to find an extension for the midi cable i bought from BB?
Why can’t you just use a regular midi cable? If you need to connect two cables together, just use a female gender changer. Max length according to the midi std is 50 ft though without some sort of additional technology to transmit over longer distances.
If you need a MALE gender changer like this: http://www.tritekelectronics.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/AD_LGC_D5MM_4bba86e7c06b6.jpg
Google “Pan Pacific AD-LGC-D5MM”