I can’t be bending over repeatedly to adjust the BB during a performance. One option appears to place it on a shelf on the mic stand that I can easily reach. Can I then control it with a Sungular Sound foot switch? What about with another midi foot pedal. Finally, if my artist is set, can I store the songs in a folder and simply advance through them using the BB?
You’re absolutely right—bending over to operate the BeatBuddy (BB) during a performance is a pain and should be avoided if possible. Let’s go through your options and questions clearly:
1. Placing the BB on a Mic Stand Shelf
Yes, placing your BeatBuddy on a mic stand shelf (like the Pedaltrain Nano on a Quicklok or On-Stage tray, or a purpose-built tray) is a great idea. You can:
- Easily see the screen and monitor where you are in a song.
- Reach the rotary knobs for volume, tempo, etc.
- Keep the floor space tidy for your feet and footswitches.
2. Controlling the BeatBuddy with a Singular Sound Footswitch
Yes. The Singular Sound Footswitch+ (or FS+) works perfectly with the BB and gives you two assignable buttons. You can configure them to do things like:
- Pause/unpause
- Trigger accent hits
- Advance to next song or folder
- Start outro
- Scroll through song parts
Setup is in the BB pedal settings menu under Footswitch Settings.
3. Controlling the BeatBuddy with Another MIDI Foot Pedal
Also yes! If you’re using something like:
- MIDI Maestro (Singular Sound)
- Morningstar MC3/MC6
- Line 6 FBV via MIDI
- Any MIDI foot controller with programmable CC or PC messages
…you can control almost every function of the BeatBuddy, such as:
- Start/Stop song
- Scroll through songs or folders
- Trigger fills or transitions
- Go to next song, etc.
You’ll need a MIDI cable and MIDI adapter if your controller is 5-pin and your BB is using the Singular Sound MIDI Sync Adapter Cable.
4. Advancing Through Songs Within a Folder
Yes, you can advance through songs in a folder, especially when your Artist and Genre are set.
- Use the footswitch or MIDI controller to go to the next song.
- Keep your set organized and flowing smoothly.
Pro Tip: You can name songs with numbers like:
01 - Song A
02 - Song B
03 - Song C
…to make it clear and quick to scroll through in order.
Summary of Your Ideal Setup:
| Task | Best Tool |
|---|---|
| Hands-free BB control | Footswitch+ or MIDI Controller |
| Visual and knob access | Mount BB on mic stand tray |
| Advance through setlist | Store songs in custom folder |
| Full flexibility | Use MIDI Maestro or similar |
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That is a tremendous wealth of information and exactly what I was looking for. I’m pretty new to using the BB and I want to incorporate it into my solo gigs. I use Songbook Pro on my iPad to manage my setlists and have annotated each song sheet with the BB settings I would like to use. So if I could use the SS foot switch to mimic the function of the BB pedal that would be ideal. Sounds like the way to go for me.
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I first saw the BB used live this way. I velcroed mine to my stand and used long cables for the fs plus and then MM until I built a board.