Back in 2019 I sat down with my computer and decided to start working out the file formats of the BeatBuddy project. I thought it would be cool to have a mobile app that allowed me to control the BeatBuddy in every way.
That exploration faded into the background and became one of those 80% complete projects that are so famous. I even had a demonstration video on YouTube last year
Rather than a MIDI controller where you have to tell it what to send, this app loads up meta data from your BeatBuddy project and then becomes a complete remote control for the pedal.
Itās great for:
Searching for and loading songs
Changing tempo while practicing
Starting at or jumping to specific sections (it knows exactly how many sections each song has) The biggest win is I can control my BeatBuddy without bending over
The app also has virtual playlists (it does support pedal playlists)
Virtual playlists allow you to have the same BB song with different names, tempos, and drum sets.
This has been a long time in the making and a lot of effort to produce something of quality. I also want to be able to support it and develop it further so it is a paid app.
I hope it will be something of value to you, find out more at https://bbff.rocks
I think this sounds great. However, itās a little steep for something you canāt try out first.
Have you considered adding a 7 day trial mode or something along those lines? I think it may well be worth the cost, but Iād like to be able to verify that first.
Thanks @josborn777
I appreciate your concerns but unfortunately things like trials are non trivial in mobile apps.
Iāve included a demonstration video on the site and you can also see it live in action here: BBFF 1.1 App Review Video - YouTube
Thanks for your note @Eric12.
I would agree with you if I was selling something that appealed to a mass market. The price Iām selling this at is not even an hour of my standard development time. The market here is tiny (not only those with a BeatBuddy, but those who also have a MIDI adapter and likely a Bluetooth connection to their device) and I want to be able to support what I sell.
This is a product for those who want control of their BeatBuddy from their phone With respect, not for those who simply find the idea interesting.
Thank you for your interest.
Sorry for the newb question, but how do you connect your phone to the BB?
I looked at the demonstration video and saw a MIDI connector plugged into the BB, but what follows?
I have a MIDI connector and a Yamaha MD-BT01 which connects to my phone via Bluetooth
I also have an iRig MIDI 2 which connects to the phone via USB. Both work on Apple or Android devices.
Nice job Andrew. Youāve put a lot of time into this and even your website is well done. But I must also agree with others that the price tag is way too high. Phone apps just donāt sell at such high prices unfortunately.
This is something Singular Sound should have developed. They have not been able to even fully develop or finish their own phone apps (Midi Maestro controller) and users are still waiting for many features that were initially advertised for the Aeros that will probably never arrive now. I think users like myself who have owned Singular Sound products for quite some time now realize that the futur of SS is limited because they are not investing in development time and their products do not deliver what they are advertised for. (That doesnāt mean they do not offer too a great many users features that they are happy with, but I as a great many others, bought the Aeros for features that were advertised and never delivered and O have grown weary).
I would not invest 45 usd in software for my BB today. Under 10 usd I probably would although itās a fairly high amount for a phone app that is not fully independent of hardware that is not sufficiently supported by the original manufacturer.
Maybe you should try and sell your app to SS? They could then find some way to propose it to the BB community as a paying (at a much cheaper cost) or free app to demonstrate their intention to continue development on their productsā¦. Unfortunately if they donāt have enough ressources to develop features that were advertised on the box of their hardware, it is likely they do not have enough money to offer you much either for your workā¦
I have no doubt it took a lot of time and effort to get your apps created and into the respected app stores.
For me, the price is way out of line. Especially considering what it delivers. I really am not trying to be disrespectful to you or your hard work. But I wouldnāt pay more than $5 for it because there isnāt much value added for me. I canāt even imagine what an app would have to offer for me to pay seven times that amount.
I hope SS purchases the app from you and offers it for free to their customers.
Develope a BB Manager that does what we need and Iād pony up the cash. This looks cool but i wouldnāt use it in performance and it wouldnāt do what I expect manager should. These suggestions may sting a bitā¦ but itās information directly from the front line demographic target. Best of luck!
Thanks for your feedback. No disrespect taken. I appreciate you letting me know you donāt see the value. Clearly there is a price/value discrepancy for some people. I do find it interesting how someone (me in this case) might see the value of putting in many hours to create something and others donāt see enough value when it comes to spending moneyāI guess thatās capitalism at work.
Thanks Jim. I wasnāt trying to develop a replacement BB Manager. My aim was to develop something that gives you complete remote control over the BeatBuddy. I have read many people saying they want a way to find songs and manage songs without having to go to the BB Manager and thatās what Iāve tried to create here. I personally use the app to move around the BeatBuddy very quickly and easily, jump directly to different sections of a song, work with different tempos and drum sets, all without having to load up BB Manager.
The suggestions certainly donāt sting. I appreciate hearing what people view as necessary and what theyāre looking for. Thanks for taking the time to respond with your feedback.
Wow, great work @Andrew13! Thatās a pretty cool idea. Iāve managed to adapt my BB to play without bending over by using the āNorbert hackā to add another foot switch and I use the midi controls in Onsong to switch songs and tempos.
Where I would potentially see use for this app (in my case) would be in practice or testing out of beats Iāve created by switching to specific song parts. Or I suppose if I ever had to create a beat on the fly with multiple parts. However, with a price tag of $45 I just donāt know that Iād find the value in it for only that use case.
Certainly not taking away from your time and effort on the projectā¦ itās great to see someone actually innovating the Singular Sound productsā¦ maybe they could hire you!
Good idea but considering the price and add to that having to purchase other 3rd party devices to make it work, you just priced yourself out of my market. Im also not seeing anything this will do that the beat buddy doesnāt already do. For 100 bucks I can reach down and touch my beat buddy a whole bunch of times, or I can just be smart and mount it to my mic stand.
Interested in what differentiates this app from Mid Designer2 app, which has a Beat Buddy control template, plus the ability to control lots of different midi instruments as well as allowing you to customise your own? Is it just for those who do not wish to learn how to send midi commands?
@andrew13 great work ā I fully get the value of hours work youāve put into it, but others then donāt see enough value to spend the money. Ā£28 spend is not excessive if it fixes an issue someone hasā¦
So, the bit Iām interested in is the Tempo change during a song in a live band situation. You donāt show that bit of the interface in the YouTube Video. Is it a slider or knob? And is it easily accessible?
Background - I play in a 4 piece band (2 vocals, 1 guitar, 1 kybd and me on bass & Sax & beatbuddy). I control BB, PA Mixer (FoH & IEMās) I have an ipad for the PA Mixer software which I can switch between the FoH and In Ear Monitors, I control the BB using standard BB foot switches.
I have dabbled with doing Tempo changes using the time-stretch in LogicPro, but it never gives a smooth transition.
There 5 or 6 numbers we would like to play but they all have tempo shift during the song ā so I would need to be able to switch up the App on the ipad, then during the specific bar/s adjust the tempo, while potentially holding a note on the bassā¦
I already have the BB MIDI breakout cable and CMD WIDI Master units. We use the WIDI to link two keyboards to ForeScore for the 2 vocalists.
So Long post ā but can you do a video of the tempo change mid song.
I am looking at Behringer fcb1010 ā someone posted a clip on the FB Group showing tempo changes, all via a foot switchā¦
The main difference is that BBFF understands your BeatBuddy project. It knows the song names, assigned drum kit (by name), the tempo, as well as how many sections each song has.
This is a failing of Midi Designer and even the MIDI maestro (or any software where you have to send MIDI commands). While each of those can send a MIDI command to go to section 3, they donāt know if there is a section three for the specifically loaded song, BBFF does.
While each of those can send a command to switch to drum kit #5, only BBFF knows that for your project, drum kit #5 is actually the Rock kit.
BBFF eliminates the need for mental hurdles and lets you see and interact with your BeatBuddy from your phone.
This is probably not conducive to tempo change mid song.
The iPhone app has a secret (read being developed) ability to be controlled by a bluetooth pedal (like an Airturn or iRig Blue Turn) and I use that to adjust tempo by 2bpm up and down at a time (currently hard-coded)
When do you tend to change tempo? Would it be linked to a section change ācause that could be something fairly easy to addālinking a tempo to each section.
available for both Apple and Android.
