Line 6 m9 or m13- Tempo Synch

Can any confirm that the mybeatbuddy can send a tempo synch signal directly to the line 6 m9 or m13 guitar effects so the delays etc… synch with the tempo on mybeatbuddy? I am considering purchasing one if it works. If so how would I run the midi from the Mybeatbuddy to the midi in in the M9 or M13? Would I go midi out from MBB to the Line 6 in or vica versa. I am also synching a boomerang 3 already with MBB which works perfectly.

I don’t have any of the pedals you wish, but a quick check on their website showed that m9 has MIDI In and Out. That’s all that is necessary to at least be able to MIDI Sync in theory. (Note, that while more expensive Boss loopers do have MIDI In and Out, they suck at it miserably).

As a general rule, when synchronizing with BeatBuddy, you would usually employ MIDI In of the device to receive tempo, and MIDI Out only if you need to chain this tempo to somewhere else. Like, for example you may do:

BeatBuddy > Boomerang III > m9, or
BeatBuddy > m9 > Boomerang III,
(where MIDI In > MIDI Out : MIDI In of previous device connected to MIDI Out of the next)

I’ve found some nasty critical responses for the device while making a simple google search - http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-1220250.html. Apparently, m13 has a noticeable delay when switching channels! Additionally, m9 has a noticeable delay when switching scenes! I wonder how it affects MIDI sync.

It would be great to hear comments from someone who actually owns m9 or m13.

I’ve yet to do anything with this, but I’ll just report in as someone who

  • has an M13 and intends to do the whole BB-MIDI-looper thing;
  • knows nothing about actually using any kind of MIDI stuff at present;
  • just got a MIDI cable today.

MIDI seems to be something of a mystical art…rather surprising for a standard that has been around for…at least 20 years that I know off. (edit 1983)

I find it strange that companies like Roland don’t seem to care enough to make their MIDI fully compliant with a known standard which would greatly enhance their ability to work with the various bits of gear music nuts tend to collect.

Anyway my RC-300 is still not really proving to be very useful…I have asked Roland Tech for more info, but don’t expect to get any. Since I know there are some issues with some of the BB’s songs I’ve not really tried that hard, since it maybe that nothing I do will matter, I will wait and see if someone else more knowledgeable comes up with something

Hopefully trying my TC-Helicon gear out tonight so will report on that.

I have ordered a Line 6 M9 to test. Presently I am having great success with mybeatbuddy midi out to Boomerang 3 Midi in where Mybeatbuddy is the master.

My hope is that I would then go midi out to midi in on the line 6 M9 so my delays and modulation temp synchs with MBB and Boomerang. I will report my findings once I receive my M9.

If this works, I’m putting my backup M9 on my acoustic board to replace chorus, delay and lead boost and add another function. Compression, reverb, something unusual. Master tap tempo.

But if I don’t use the BB on every song, and I wouldn’t, might it be best to use the M9 tap tempo the be the master? That would also free up the BB footswitch for other functions…

Great point but i think I read that the M9 can only receive midi temp signal but it cannot send. I think that is on their forum. But if it can it makes sense.

Actually what I was thinking to free up another button on the attached MBB footswitch is to attach a volume pedal. That way I can quickly take the volume all the way down to mimic pause. Then I can program the pause button for tap tempo as master. I wonder if that will work. HAte to have another large volume pedal but I really need the accent and pause for my set up and am also really needing tap tempo. Any suggestions.

That would be a bummer about the M9. Someone else requested a change to the firmware to have the BB send tap tempo to other devices before the BB is started. That would at least allow control over tap tempo on the slave devices on a song I’m not using the BB. If it’s possible to have a “song” without any beats, or something like a metronome with the volume set to zero inside the song (not bending down to change the knob), that might be a workaround as well.

I gave up the accent to try out the pedal, but I can see where having it will really make it sound better. But tap tempo and pause while playing are necessary for me too.

It seems to me that if the volume pedal you suggest is controlling the output volume of the beat buddy after the BB 1/4" output, then the tempo would still head downstream to your M9 and looper and they wouldn’t stop when you “pause” the BB. I’d like to see an option within each song to have the BB pause tell your looper / m9 to pause or to have the BB pause and let your looper keep going.

Final thought for now, is there is simple tiny midi tap tempo footswitch on the market? Essentially something like an add on footswitch to control a delay pedal like a DD5, but one that sends a midi tempo command.

Oh yes I forgot to mention I am running MBB directly into a 2nd channel on my PA. Actually works well on a 2 channel amp too with a clean channel. In an effect chain you are right the volume pedal option for MBB would not work.

I don’t know if this will work with the M9 as it’s not listed, but easy enough to find out. But if they have one that will work with the BB, it could be plugged into the midi in jack to control tap tempo (hopefully when the BB is off and when playing).

http://www.loopersparadise.de/en/pro.php?p=1191

This is too sophisticated for me to understand at this point, but this Logidy UM13 3 button footswitch will send simple midi commands via USB and includes an expression pedal input. I wonder if it would work with the BB and replace the 2 button footswitch?

[Advertisement-like part of the post removed by… Guess who? :P]

When I saw the short demo video on their site, M9 has both MIDI In and MIDI Out ports. Most likely what they mean on the forums that it cannot generate MIDI messages, not that it cannot retransmit received MIDI messages from MIDI In to its MIDI Out.

Why? I’m not selling anything. I quoted the Logidy website as to the functions, linked to the information so people who understand these things could look at it and maybe tell us whether it might work with a BB. My link to Amazon was only to show what this would cost. All helpful and useful information.

We do not advertise side projects here no matter you are selling or not.
If you believe some specific product can be paired with the BeatBuddy, you could use 1-2 sentences besides a link to their main website. No need to copy-paste everything. Those who are interested can go read the website themselves.

It is perfectly acceptable to verify the compatibility of some third party devices with the BeatBuddy. Requesting verification with more than half a page advertisement text just screams wrong for me. You can see me saying all over the place, that Boomerang III sync’s perfectly with the BeatBuddy. But nowhere will you find me citing its user manual here.

You don’t have cite the user manual because we know it works. We don’t know if this works.

Update: I got my Line 6 M9 yesterday and tested the midi sync and it worked perfectly. My set up: Mybeatbuddy midi out to Midi in on Boomerang 3, Midi out on Boomerang 3 to Midi In on Line 6 M9. The clocks stay in synch perfectly on the boomerang and M9 and all my delays and modulations are in synch with MBB. I can Tap Tempo MBB and everything synchs to that tempo. I am one happy camper.

To answer a question from a bit earlier in the thread, my understanding is that the M5 is similar to the M9 and M13 in its MIDI capabilities, and you can definitely do tempo in, but it will not pass anything thru to the out. It sounds like that’s what people are getting.

I have an M13 and BB. they do not midi sync for looping. Running BB master and M13 slave it looks like the tempo light changes to BB tempo but I haven’t done a serious test on the sound.