Recording with Beat Buddy

I am a relative newbie to recording and have been playing for about 1.5 years.

Right now I record the drum track first then record the guitar track as the drums from the Beat Buddy will take on the effects of my amp.

I am looking for a way to do both at the same time without the Beat Buddy being affected by the amp. I want to be be able to record “live” while I am playing and using the Beat Buddy

I use my computer to record with Abelton.

Would a USB interface be able to do this?

Thanks for any ideas and help!!

It depends on what you are wanting to achieve and what quality. You dont exolain how you are doing it currently but I assume you are using the line in on your PC, do you have a mixer? If you have a stereo input you could record left channel BB, right channel guitar using a spitter which would give you a mono track. If you want good quality then you will need an A/D converter (often USB) - but as I say, without more information it would be difficult without writting an assay to answer your question.

I record to my computer through my Fender Mustang II V2 amp through the USB out into Abelton software.

When I want to record just the Beat Buddy I plug it into my amp through the mono out on the Beat Budday, turn off all effects and record the drum track for however long I need.

I then unplug the Beat Buddy and plug in my guitar. I then add another aduio track to my Abelton Project and record to that track while the Beat Buddy track plays, I then can just export to a wave file and I have complete track, if I want to add another guitar track I can and I can use the software to push one guitar to the right and one to the left for stereo while keeping the Beat Buddy track centered.

I do not sing so I am just interested in recording instrumentals right now.

I want decent quality on the playback end of things. I do not have a mixer or a D/A converter.

I was thinking there would be something I could plug my Beat Buddy into to bypass the amp and plug my guitar into that I could then plug into my computer that would allow me to record simultaneously while I am playing.

You should be able to connect BB headphone out to mic in on the PC and record. I don’t know if Abelton can record the mic input and USB input from the guitar at the same time. A mixer with USB output would solve the simultaneous recording issue.

No Abelton can’t do that. I will look into a inexpensive mixer. Would a USB audio interface do the same thing as a mixer. Sorry very new to recording.

Would something like this work…

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AudioBox22

A small mixer with USB output sounds like the best solution for your recording needs, as you’ll be doing the mixing within Ableton after you’ve recorded your tracks.
The BeatBuddy is an excellent tool for recording solo instrumental work…I just released an EP yesterday that features the BeatBuddy on 4 of the 6 tracks, and I think the quality of the drum sounds is fine - you can hear it in the song previews on the Amazon page here: (http://www.amazon.com/Drive-Music-Bob-Vincent/dp/B00RWKBNN4/ref=sr_1_8?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1420636874&sr=1-8&keywords=drive+in+music)
By isolating the BeatBuddy tracks from your amp, you can apply whatever FX you choose to use on your guitar tracks without having them effect your drum tracks, so you can play along as you record.
Best of luck with your recording!

Yes, this will get the BeatBuddy tracks into Ableton…do be careful setting your levels, as you’ll have to set both the interface and the BeatBuddy volume to get a good level, and you don’t want any clipping in your track.

I like a USB mixer, more features, more inputs. A compressor (included in this mixer) would be nice for BB recording. And its the first piece of your future PA system, just add a powered speaker some day. Not particularly this mixer, but like it.
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Q802USB

That seems really nice but since trying to just learn Abelton is confusing enough wouldn’t this add another step I would not need as I can use Abelton to mix the sound…correct?

Another option would be a digital muti-track recorder. They’re basically mixers with the ability to record and playback multiple tracks simultaneously. For somewhere in the range of $100, you can plug the BB into one channel, your guitar into another, throw some headphones on and you’re good to go. If you want to work with the tracks further, you can export the individual wav files to your computer.

This would be a good idea if I didn’t have hearing aids, makes it tough to wear headphones, thanks for the help though

Some good advice. It all boils down to - you need some sort of method to record at least - at least - two tracks simultaneously and separately. Thus the USB mixer does more than just ‘mix’. It converts analog to digital and feeds the individual tracks to your recording device. You’re not duplicating your software or adding a step. You are putting in the missing link that almost all software has - the interface between your instrument(s) and your computer.

Personally, I use a Zoom R24 recorder (can record 8-tracks simultaneously) and then do a simple transfer of the WAV files into my computer mixing software (Cubase; Garageband). The reasons I do are twofold - for songwriting, I like the looping capability of the Zoom recorder and can crank out a simple two or three structured-parts song very quickly and easily without having to record a bunch of ‘takes’ to get a whole track right. Secondly, the onboard mics on the Zoom are some of the best I’ve encountered onboard a recorder. I rarely pull out a mic to plug in because it’s just faster and easier to simply hit ‘record’. I guess there’s a third reason too - the Zoom is really small, portable, and can be battery-operated. I can take it and record literally anywhere without having to bother with much set up.

1 Like

You will want a USB audio interface for the BeatBuddy and then use the USB output from the amp for the guitar.
There are a number of USB Audio interfaces to choose from e.g Behringer UCA202 you would just need the correct adapter.

WOW, appreciate all the replies and help. I will sift through all this more later and figure out what to do, but a small USB mixer sounds like the way to go for me, nothing to elaborate or expensive as I am just starting out in recording. Haven’t even gotten into the Beat Buddy software side yet.

Both the Behringer and the Presonus give you two simultaneous (guitar and Beat Buddy) inputs by USB to the PC.

As the owner/operator of a project studio for the past 10 years I’m no t sure where you are going with this. Are you looking to make a “live” recording or are you trying to make something more like a studio cut?

If your looking for a LIVE recording (not remastering after the fact) why not just get a good field recorder and a couple of decent quality mics? If your looking to make a demo tape then the compact units that sell for around $200 do an amazing job when used properly. I’ve used tracks from those units that when brought into my studio were indistinguishable from studio tracks, aside from the quality of the room, mics, or effects.

I think it requires understanding what you will be using the recording for (practice feedback, demo, CD sales). A good CD of your stuff can add measurably to your evenings income.

When I said “live” i meant recording me and the beat buddy at the same time. I will be doing this mainly right now just to practice playing with the BB, recording it and listening to improve myself. I just dont want the BB to have the effects of my amp applied to it. And I don’t want to have to record the BB first then me second. I want to get used to using the transition fills, the footswitch etc. while I am playing. Just instrumental stuff, I can’t sing!!

If you have an output (line out) from your amp you can plug that into the input of the BeatBuddy and plug its main outputs into you PC or audio interface.

I also use Ableton. I go into my computer via either an Akai EIE pro which has 4 inputs audio inputs and a midi input or a Line 6 Tone port which also has 4 inputs. Both are connected to the computer via USB ports. I can plug my guitar and Beat Buddy directly into the interfaces and assign them to different tracks in Ableton. The drivers for each of these interfaces are loaded onto your computer so that it knows what it is talking to and it keeps things simple.

A mixer will do what you want, I think, but you’ll probably end up with all audio on one track so make sure your levels are right beforehand.