Hi LA Dave!
Try using the two bongos and/or the two maracas for an “up” and a “down” shake on the tambourine and shaker:
- Use two sets of samples
A) A stronger, louder sample; set this to one channel with a higher midi intensity (IE: Maraca double, random 105 to 115))
B) And a softer, quieter sample set the next channel with a lower midi intensity (IE: Maraca single, random 95 to 105) - Alternate the two for the “out and back” of shakers and tambourines. Sounds a little odd in the Beat Maker but turns out stellar through the actual Beat Buddy pedal!
- Slow versus fast
A) For slower, longer beats keep the intensities closer together, otherwise the quieter one will fade too far down the sonic spectrum
B) For faster, shorter beats you can spread the intensities out as there is less dead space to fill
NOTES:
That’s all the schtuff I can think of to get you started! I was a drummer until 2009 when I switched to guitar, so I should have some cred there!
I can tell you from my time “in the back” that the Beat Buddy is by far the most useful beat tool I’ve tried (and I’ve tried them all!!) If you aren’t getting an organic, real-drummer feel from the Beat Buddy look at the setups and make sure you understand what they are all set to. (IE: The lead-in time for fills is SUPER important!)
Lastly, I built my own kits to leave the standard ones alone in case the Beat Buddy folks make changes that require those kits.
These kits required me to buy some samples that are copyrighted so I cannot post them…
If this was helpful to you, you might want to like our Facebook and YouTube (Deaf Bunnys Band); we’ve only got really old posts/videos because I couldn’t find a drummer who measured up! Those vids we all taken within 6 months of us buying those instruments! Then got too busy to post!..
ROKKON!
Pete "PAZ"nokas