Singular Sound’s revamped drum generator offers top‑quality sound and flexible playback options.
Like its predecessor, the BeatBuddy 2 from Singular Sound is essentially a drum machine in a pedal, and it’s designed to support your live performance — but it also makes a far more friendly alternative to a metronome for practise or recording purposes. It’s available in two versions: the full‑fat BeatBuddy 2 (which I’ll abbreviate to BB2) that’s reviewed here, and the more keenly priced BeatBuddy Mini 2 (BBM2). The latter, of course, forgoes some of the full version’s features, and I’ve written more about that model in the separate box.
Among the headline new features in the BB2 are ‘HD’ drum kits — a definite step up in quality from the original. Singular Sound have also created a ‘song matching’ tool, that the user can use to search for famous songs and discover what beat and tempo should work. That can be found at https://songmatcher.singularsound.com, and note that songs that are listed as compatible with the BB1 will also work for the BB2. The BB2’s output is stereo, and for best sound quality the pedal should be connected to a full‑range, flat‑response system such as a PA system or keyboard amp. It will still work in mono if plugged into a guitar amp, but of course the sound quality will be affected by the amp’s own character.
Overview
Physically, the BB2 looks rather imposing: while it comes in a compact pedal format, it’s solid and chunky enough to remain stable on the floor during use. It’s operated by two domed footswitches, three turn/push encoders (these select the drum set, tempo and volume), and another multifunction encoder comprising a Tap button surrounded by a left/right, up/down ring. Pressing Tap brings up Tap Tempo mode, but it’s also used as an Enter button when using the directional pads to select functions, including the genre, tempo, content menu, and song folder.
A large colour LCD displays the selected kit, tempo, time signature and other useful information. The status for Intro/Outro, Drum Fill and Transition is also displayed clearly, with a moving block display that indicates the progress of the beat, and good use is made of colour to show intros, outros, main beat, transitions and so on. The switches recognise press, multiple press and hold gestures, which means you can do things like call up an outro part on the fly, allowing for the kind of leeway in live performance that a pre‑recorded backing track can’t give you.
As the footswitches can handle multiple functions, the display also tells you what will happen if either footswitch is pressed. For example, if you hold down the left footswitch to bring in a transition fill, the word Transition appears in the display. Likewise, if you do a double‑press, the display changes to Outro and the background colour changes to red leaving you in no doubt as to what is happening.
The cast metal case has various jack connections on either side. On the right are two Multiswitch footswitch/expression pedal jacks, plus left (mono) and right inputs that allow a mono or stereo signal to pass through the pedal unaffected by its volume control (which governs only the level of the generated drum parts). This is useful if you don’t have a separate mixer. Note that the user must set the type of accessory being used with the Multiswitch jacks in the Multiswitch settings menu, which is accessed by pressing the drum set and tempo knobs down at the same time. On the left side, you’ll find left (mono) and right output jacks, along with a quarter‑inch TRS headphone output jack.
The BeatBuddy 2 has stereo output on quarter‑inch jacks, as well as a headphone output, and there’s support for external footswitches that can access any parameter for more direct control during a performance.On the rear, there’s an input for a 9V, centre‑negative PSU (a 500mA power supply is included). There are also five‑pin MIDI in and out sockets here, as well as an SD card slot. A 4GB SD card is included and all the drum kits, beats and settings are stored on this, so it must be inserted before the pedal will work. If the SD card is lost or damaged, or you want to keep a backup, the content can be downloaded to a fresh card from the support section of the Singular Sound website.
The way that the BB2 works is that the SD card stores two categories of content: the sampled drum kits themselves, and the Song files. Songs are made up from MIDI files that are organised into separate song sections. Drum sets use a WAV file format, and these are triggered by the Song MIDI files. Using the web‑based BeatBuddy Manager software, users can create their own songs, design new beats and import their own drum sounds. BeatBuddy 2 can also be used as a drum sound module using MIDI from a drum pad controller or similar, and MIDI files of beats created using DAW software can also be imported. The majority of BeatBuddy 2’s drum sets comply with General MIDI mapping.
It should be obvious that this approach allows the BB2 to play beats at any tempo without compromising the audio quality, but it’s also worth pointing out that it makes it possible to play back the same sounds in any time signature — something you can’t really do with audio loops. On board are 15 drum kits spanning 24 genres, each offering numerous variations along with intro, outro and fills. Apparently, the BB2 can read the SD card from the BB1, which could be handy if you’re upgrading, but it won’t work the other way around. While the drum rhythms may not rival high‑end sample libraries for nuance, I have to say that the sound quality is excellent, and everything sits well in a live performance context. If a PA feed is not available, it still sounds surprisingly solid when played through a guitar amplifier, though it’s definitely worth playing it through a decent PA/keyboard speaker system if at all possible.
The Buddy System
A press/click on the Volume encoder toggles its turn action between controlling the main output volume and the headphone volume. And once you can hear what you’re doing, it only takes a little practice to get used to triggering fills and (with a double‑press), outros, or switching song sections. Indeed, because whatever you trigger happens at the start of the next bar or phrase, I find it rather easier than using many loopers (where accurate timing is essential).
That will be all many users require — and there’s an argument for keeping it simple — but to cater for those who want more control there’s an optional Superswitch floor unit, whose six domed footswitches can give you direct access to all the key functions. This allows for things like hands‑free triggering of accents, moving to the next or previous part, doubling or halving the tempo, and navigating the song folder. And if six extra switches seems like overkill, there’s also a two‑footswitch option.
Choosing a drum kit is straightforward: you just use the Drum Set knob to scroll through the options, then press the encoder to load it, which takes just a few seconds. Pressing and holding will save that kit as the default for the current song. The tempo can be set using the Tempo knob or by using Tap Tempo mode, and the BB2 can also sync to MIDI Clock. As the controls are moved the display automatically switches to the appropriate readout until the adjustment stops. And since I mentioned tempo, a feature unique to the BB2 is the ability to connect an expression pedal for control of volume, tempo and playing dynamics, for a more convincing ‘performance’.
Once a suitable drum kit, beat and tempo have been selected, the display shows large blocks tracking across the screen to match the set tempo, providing a good visual cue to get you off to a tight start. If you stay with the default settings, pushing the left footswitch plays an optional intro, followed by the Part 1 beat. Tap again to get a fill, which will vary each time. Holding down the switch initiates a transition beat, and when released the song moves on to its next part. A double‑tap ends the song, which may have an optional outro fill just to round things off. Pushing the right footswitch plays Part 1 without an intro, and pressing it again puts the machine into pause mode. Press again and you unpause. Using external switches does make it easier to navigate the song folder and play accented hits and so on, but by no means are they essential; I could do everything I needed with the BB2 alone.
One big advantage of the full‑fat model over the Mini is that with the former, the BeatBuddy Manager web app facilitates the organisation and editing of drum parts and also allows the use of content purchased from the Beat Boutique library (www.singularsound.com/pages/beat-boutique) or downloaded from the user forum. You can also create your own rhythms and drum sets from there. In case your current browser doesn’t play nicely with BeatBuddy Manager (Apple’s Safari is not officially supported), I can confirm that Google Chrome worked on my Mac, and other listed supported browsers for Mac and Windows include Microsoft Edge, Opera and Vivaldi, so there are plenty of options.
The software editor makes it a breeze to edit songs, playlists and sounds on the SD card, though there’s no direct connection to the pedal from your computer.
Note that unlike some other products, there’s no USB connectivity, so to use the editor software you must remove the SD card and place it in a card reader connected to your computer. BeatBuddy Manager can be used to create or edit a project, which can then be exported or sync’ed to the SD card. The card is then replaced in the pedal — so while a direct USB connection might be desirable there’s really not that much to it. BeatBuddy Manager includes a virtual BB2 pedal, which allows you to audition your projects before returning the card to the pedal. To avoid messing up the files on your SD card, you can copy the whole card to your computer and then work on the copy, before copying your work back onto the SD card.
A new feature is Autopilot, which allows for the creation of... customised drum backing tracks for specific songs that still leave the user with the ability to interact with them in real time.
There’s a pleasing emphasis on ‘bread and butter’ rhythms in various genres that are uncomplicated enough to make them practical options in a number of songs. Those genres range from Latin and blues to reggae and soul, with a smattering of world music thrown in too. Rock, pop, ballads and country are all well‑served too. But a new feature for BB2 specifically (but not for the Mini version) is Autopilot, which allows for the creation of what are essentially customised drum backing tracks for specific songs that still leave the user with the ability to interact with them in real time, should the arrangement need to be changed on the fly — for example triggering a fill, pause/unpause to extend a song section, or moving on to the next song part early.
On the included SD card you’ll find a section of Autopilot example song structures based on a handful of well‑known pop songs, and additional Autopilot songs are available for purchase on Singular Sound’s Beat Boutique page. One of the songs included on the SD card is ‘My Generation’ by the Who, which is a song I know well and have played many times. Sure, it might not quite give you Keith Moon’s vibe, but all the breaks and fills are in precisely the right place, and it works rather well.
Verdict
If you want to delve into every nook and cranny of the BeatBuddy 2, the options can get quite deep. But the beauty of the system is that you can use it right out of the box. You just explore the additional features when you need them, and most of the time the pedal guides you through what you need to do anyway. Ideally, I’d have liked the ability to edit or create songs without having to take the SD card out of the pedal (so that the pedal could be left connected to a sound system to audition the changes), but the system works well enough as it is.
For most routine work, the included song rhythms and fills do a perfectly good job without the need to do much other than select a song and a tempo, so operation need not be complicated. Some of the beats may initially strike you as being a little ‘straightforward’, but for me that’s actually a real strength — the opposite of ‘preset zero syndrome’ (where presets are programmed to sound impressive rather than to be useful), this means they can be used to underpin a wide variety of songs without any complicated programming. Similarly, the fills/intros manage to do what’s needed without getting over‑fussy. The sounds themselves are solid and credible too. Well worth checking out.
BeatBuddy Mini 2
The BeatBuddy Mini 2 cuts out what some users might find superfluous to give you a capable drum accompaniment pedal for a rather lower price.The BeatBuddy Mini 2 omits the standard BeatBuddy 2’s MIDI functions, as well as its card slot, HD drum sounds, Autopilot feature and expression pedal‑control of volume, tempo and playing dynamics.
In terms of connectivity, there’s just the power inlet, the main I/O jacks and a footswitch jack. Also worth noting is that the BeatBuddy Mini 2 offers 16‑bit mono audio, whereas the BeatBuddy (whether version 1 or 2) are stereo 24‑bit devices — 16‑bit audio is ample for audio playback, of course (the same as used for CDs), but indicates the use of different components. But while there is a theoretical audio quality difference to consider, the Mini 2 does deliver very respectable sound quality, and if you don’t need the more advanced functionality or the ability to import drum kits, then the Mini 2 may well meet your needs — for a fraction of the price.
Pros
- Robust and stable pedal format.
- Choice of well‑sampled drum kits.
- Comprehensive controllability.
- Manager editor allows content creation on a computer.
- Clear, informative display.
Cons
- No USB means the SD card must be removed to edit content.
Summary
A substantial improvement over the original BeatBuddy, this pedal makes it easy to tailor your drum backing to your live playing or practice needs.
Information
BeatBuddy 2 £459 (discounted to £382 when going to press). Beatbuddy Mini 2 £229 (discounted to £114). Prices exclude VAT and customs duties.
Singular Sound +1 305 809 6698.
BeatBuddy 2 $599 (discounted to $499 when going to press). Beatbuddy Mini 2 $299 (discounted to $149).
Singular Sound +1 305 809 6698.
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