BeatBuddy Drum Machine Basic Connection to Nord Keyboards
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- čas přidán 15. 03. 2024
- In this video, I demonstrate the Nord Stage 4 with the BeatBuddy, a pedal-based drum machine, synced with the keyboard's arpeggiator and synths in a 7/8 time signature. The pedal's footswitch enables hands-free control for transitions and tempo adjustments, positioned conveniently near the keyboard. The setup includes various inputs and outputs for audio integration, with optional MIDI connectivity for synchronization. Additionally, the BeatBuddy's output can be merged with the keyboard's for live performances, offering a compact solution without the need for extra equipment.
🔗 Link to the BeatBuddy: amzn.to/4cXLqmx
🔗 Audio Cable out from BeatBuddy: 1/8" male stereo to 2 1/4" male stereo: amzn.to/3L3dnga
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Thanks Marc. Control both my BB & Nord via via OnSong thru wireless MIDI adapters … never thought to use the stereo plugs into monitor - great idea. Thanks as always.
@Schembre Happy this helped Bob!
Thank you for sharing such a great video 🎹Thanks for the detailed explanation 😉👍️
@lijiashu Glad you like the video! Thanks for your comment.
I bought one after seeing your first video about the Beat Buddy! It’s a mainstay on my guitar pedal board now
@eugenebird5498 Hello Eugene! Yes, I use mine often as well. It makes for a great practice metronome too (far more exciting than a traditional metronome)
Awesome video!! Thanks for this tutorial!
@SingularSoundOfficial Happy to do it. The BB is used almost daily over here... It's so great to jam with.
Great information, thanks
@nelsonramos208 Glad it was helpful Nelson!
Hi Marc, long time 🙂
I've been using the BB for a few years now, but never got to explore the MIDI functionality and how it can help me enhance the sounds coming out of my Nord through MIDI. Would love a more in-depth video on that subject.
A dream would be to have the NS3 song mode control the pattern output by the BB. Right now I have to manually set it before every song.
10x 🙏
@KidCrippler Yes, it has been a long time! Nice to hear from you! That's a great idea for a video, and something I'd like to do on my end. I can tell you that you would likely use the Extern option and have it auto-load a Program Change. Based on that, you'd drive the pedal to switch to a given program that you specifically map. The reverse of this concept is explained a bit here: czcams.com/video/Ydto6HcME74/video.htmlfeature=shared (but in reverse). You will need the MSB and LSB numbers in order to tackle this as well (which is why I direct you to the concept in the linked video here in this comment).
FYI, if I were to do this video, I would likely put it in the Pro course online and perhaps also on my Patreon page too perhaps. Truth be told, when I make a video like this, it tends to invite a bunch of tech support for individuals, which is why I make it available in one of the paid programs as time is not on my side these days and it's getting harder and harder to get to all the CZcams comments and questions... I use the BB almost daily at this point - it's a great practice tool. 🎶 Thanks for stopping by!
cool!!
Thanks for watching!
Programs like Song Book Pro and OnSong can send midi command to the Beat Buddy to select a particular beat (called a song on Beat Buddy). The Nord should be able to do that too, from a program in its list. If someone had a group of customized programs they had set up as a set list for a performance, they could include the Beat Buddy midi command for each song. Have you had time to investigate that? That would make a great video for Nord users. I have a NE6 and Beat Buddy but haven’t gotten around to trying to do a set list yet.
@DavidEllis-rw1of David, this has become a repeated request from people (to change the BeatBuddy patterns by way of a program change). I've added this on my list of possible topics to explore. Thanks for your comments/support!
Can you please make a video on “At the Door” by The Strokes? The climax has a great keyboard solo and pad outro that I would love to be able to play on my nord stage 3.
HI Marc: thanks for another very useful video. I have a BB and NS4, but never tried to sync them with midi, though I have a song in mind where this would be necessary. When I connect BB-midi-out to NS4-midi-in, what "exactly" does the BB send out? I guess its a sync pulse for every note in the BB-time signature. So, in 7/8, it would sent 7 pulses per measure. Is that correct? Cheers, Pierre
@pierrejolicoeur3139 Hello Pierre. So, I don't think it's that scientific. I believe the clock simply sends out pulses at a regular interval, and the Nord keyboard latches onto that pulse. Time signatures don't really play a part on the MIDI side per se. The time signatures are introduced only when setting the divisions of the arpeggiator on the Nord side of things.
So for example, if you have 7/8 coming out of the BB and you have 8 steps with your pattern arpeggiator from the Nord, it would take 7 times around until they match up together on the downbeat. But, to further complicate things, the BB usually has patterns that span two or more measures which means it will take even longer for the pattern downbeats to match. So, I think you can get away with this "sounding decent" so long as you don't have a really pronounced custom pattern happening from the Nord.
@@MyKeysToMusicI did a bit of reading (a bit...) and apparently by midi standard, 24 pulses are sent out for every beat. This would explain how changing the number of beats per minute on the sync master would tell the sync slaves to stay synchronized (though, not in terms of musical time signatures, as you point out, but in terms of basic rate).
@@pierrejolicoeur3139 Thanks for the explanation here. I think you articulated that better than I did and it makes sense! I really need to put more videos out on the BB. There is a lot of untapped potential there and not a lot of support on the advanced features of this little pedal.
Marc: Thanks for the great review. Im starting to record again, and need a new drum machine. Does it contain standard drum sounds, and can I use it with my Electro 6?
@mikeapaluccisr Hi Mike! The BeatBuddy contains standard drum sounds (i.e., sounds that sound like a traditional drum kit). And yes, it will work with your Electro 6. Although there is no "Master Clock" aspect with your NE6 to worry about, you can still wire it to the monitor input for the simple sound setup if you'd like.
*Here are the pros and cons of using the BeatBuddy versus a standard drum machine.*
(BB = BeatBuddy)
Pros:
1) The BB is a "pedal," so it's easy to transition between song parts and provides realistic-sounding fills when pressed along with stop and start.
2) It sounds like real drums, and there are several kits to choose from. They pride themselves on the "sound" of the kits, and I think that is a well-deserved opinion.
3) The BB is probably better for a one-man/woman band situation than a traditional drum machine because it's designed to transition hands-free.
4) The software can program entire songs (measure by measure); however, this can be tedious and requires a computer with beats stored on an SD card. (Unique measures can't be programmed on the unit itself). I see this feature as both a pro and a con.
5) It's excellent for rehearsal (to replace a metronome). Because the drums sound "real," you think that you've got your own on-demand drummer sitting in the room with you. Many of today's drum machines, by contrast, go out of their way to sound "unique or synthetic," which may be in vogue, but to my ears, I prefer traditional-sounding drums and not modern synthesized ones.
6) With the BB, there are many kits to choose from, including techno kits, world sounds, jazz, Latin, etc. There are many varieties to choose from, all sampled from real instruments and not synthesized sounds.
Cons:
1) Standard drum machines make it super simple to "create your own beat on the fly" because they are typically laid out on a 16-beat or 32-beat grid. You can put the kick, snare, HH, and extras exactly where you want them and turn them on and off on the fly while the beat is playing. This allows you to be instantly creative with your beats if you are the type of person that likes to have full control over the beat as it loops through measure by measure. This is NOT possible with the BB. Once you start a beat pattern with the BB, you typically stick with it for the duration of the song and changing from kit to kit or style to style mid-song will be very abrupt. If you are going to create a truly custom beat, you have to do that on the computer using their software and not on the unit itself.
2) If you're looking for that authentic "Roland TR 808 sound" from the 80s that many artists crave, the BB is not your machine.
3) If you're looking for "synthetic" synthesizer-based sounds for your kit with control over the gate, frequency cutoff, and other various effects, the BB is not your machine.
4) Because the BB is a pedal, it can be unusual/awkward to have it poised as a desktop piece of hardware. The form factor is more foot than hand. However, I do use my hand and keep the BB nearby most of the time. I may have mentioned in the above video that the BB can used with an external footswitch while you keep the main unit at arm's length. So, in that scenario, the form factor isn't too bad.
*Summary:*
The BB is better suited for musicians looking to do standard songs with drums that sound realistic. The intention is that you will select a standard pattern and have that used throughout the song with an A part and a B part and the occasional fill. Perhaps it's best for working club musicians who play well-defined tunes that don't change from night to night.
It's NOT for the "creative type" musician who wants to experiment and create rhythm tapestries mid-song, building up a tune from a simple click at the beginning to a very complex beat by the end of the song.
Here is a video where I play an entire song with the BB. It will give you an accurate sense of what's possible (and what's not) in a real-world context. If you find that my use of the pedal is precisely what you need, then the BB is probably for you! czcams.com/video/hXM-sbnM54c/video.htmlfeature=shared
Did you start and Stop it with Nord?
With the pedal stopped you push once to start it. Then, while the pedal is on and running, you push twice quickly to stop it.
*The default actions are as follows:*
Pedal Off: One short push to turn on
Pedal On: One short push will provide a fill. (There are typically 3 fills per pattern and they rotate).
Pedal On: One long push to go from A type to B type of pattern. These toggle back and forth with each long push.
Pedal On: Double Press quickly to stop the pedal.
* You have some control over the above, but those are the main default settings for the main pedal.
Hi. Is it possible to connect onsong to nord via usb cable, then nord with beat buddy via midi so that if you change program on onsong it changes program on nord and song on beat buddy?
@josipbosnjak6808 Hey Josip. Yes, this should be possible but only using a Nord Stage keyboard where it has the ability to change a patch of an external device via the Extern option when a program is changed.
*Setup (requires a NS3 or NS4)*
1. Connect an iPad running onsong to your Nord keyboard by way of the USB port. In this example, the iOS device will act as a "MIDI Host." Note you'll need to have the right cable from the USB B (from the Nord) to either Lightening or USB C on the IOS device. You should be able to buy a single cable to do this.
2. Pre-program the Nord Stage keyboard so that your patches use the "Extern" option whereby changing a program on the Nord then sends MIDI commands out to change the Beat Buddy program. You'll be using the traditional 5-pin MIDI cable out to MIDI in on the Beat Buddy.
3. Once onsong sends the program change to the Nord, the Nord then sends a program change to BeatBuddy (by way of the Extern section).
* The above configuration would be a bit unusual and has several limitations. First, it only works with a Nord Stage keyboard requiring the "Extern" feature. A Nord Wave 2, Electro, Grand, Piano or Nord Lead will have no ability to then change the Beat Buddy patch when the Nord program is changed via onsong. Also, for the Nord Stage 4 in particular, turning on the Extern option uses a synth layer, which is then wasted on the BeatBuddy patch change, seeing how you don't need that layer for any other reason. So, this is less than ideal. On the Stage 3 however, the impact is less of an issue because the Extern section is dedicated and doesn't use either of the existing synth layers.
*A more ideal setup would be this:*
Invest in a WIDI (wireless MIDI) setup. Although perhaps a touch more tricky to set up and a touch less reliable than a wired connection, this method would be seen as a more "standard" best practice in the world of MIDI and connections (in my opinion). It works like this:
1. Connect the iPad running onsong to a WIDI device connected to the Nord keyboard.
2. Connect a second WIDI device to the Beat Buddy and ensure that both MIDI devices are on the same network.
3. Program onsong to send two commands when switching songs. For example, the first command would be assigned to switch programs on the Nord on channel 1 (Nord on Global MIDI 1). Then, a second command would go to the Beat Buddy on Channel 2 (MIDI In).
4. Because the BeatBuddy has the ability to assign separate MIDI channels for In and Out, you could still have the BeatBuddy send clock signals out on MIDI channel 1 to be received by the Nord Stage/Wave 2 on channel 1 if you wanted to sync your arpeggiator and delay to the beat/tempo.
* Note that WIDI devices, are powered by their MIDI "Out" port. So both the Nord and the BeatBuddy will be using their "Out" ports as well to power them. Learn more about the basic WIDI connector using my affiliate link: amzn.to/3wTcWOt
⚠ Warning! Setting up wireless MIDI requires extra techie skills and, for some, beyond what they are willing to invest in. Getting these devices updated and connected will take a bit of time and patience, as well as steadfast dedication to learning how it all works if you've never done it before. However, once you arrive at that place, the rewards are plentiful because adding additional wireless devices is available to you using the WIDI platform, and the benefit of not having a bunch of wired MIDI cables running around cannot be understated. But to say that setting up these devices is as easy as plugging in a traditional MIDI cable from A to B is an overreaching statement. Then again, this entire situation is a bit "techie" due to the fact that you are already dealing with LSB/MSB numbers on the Nord and you are attempting to switch two devices simultaneously on separate channels. But like I said, once you get it all connected and working, you'll feel like you've accomplished something special and you'll be excited about the achievement. I was able to learn more about WIDI by watching the tutorials provided by the manufacturer. But it took some time to absorb it and reach the end of the tunnel (and I consider myself very techie). In my case, however, I was connecting 4 Nord keyboards and a computer across two separate WIDI networks - which is a bit extreme.
Good luck!
Thank you man you are the best!!@@MyKeysToMusic
@@josipbosnjak6808 Happy to help!
Hello Mark, My name is Santiago I am from Argentina, I am big fan of your tutorials in CZcams, I don't actually own a Nord Keyboard of my own and I am thincking seriously in buying a Stage 4 and take your course. I write to You because I was wondering if You could help me with something: when I tour with My band we rent a 88 stage 3 and I have all My programs and songs loaded in the Nord sound manager, the problem is that in a few weeks I Will be traveling to spain and there is a venue where they can't get the Stage 3 88 keys and they are offering me a Stage 3 76, I could sacrifice the weight of the keys for one gig, but my real worry is if the 76 Stage 3 Will acept all my programs songs and settings that where Made in a 88 stage 3. If You can help me with this I Will really apreciatte it. However let me tell You that make and amazing and usefull work with your videos. thanks a lot and greetings from the other side of the world
@santiagomoldovan7250 Hello Santiago! Thank you for following me, and yes, if you do ever own a Nord Stage 4, the "Master the Nord Stage 4" course could be a huge benefit. It's nearly complete and loaded with 26 hours of content spanning 125 lessons! It's my best work yet and completely recorded in 4K for the most vivid detail possible. I also use a LOT of song excerpts through many of the lessons so that you can master items in the context of a real-world song scenario. I also make subtitles available in multiple languages where each word in a lesson video transcript is searchable and clickable.
So, regarding your question about the NS3 88 versus 76. The good news is that all of your programs should work just as they do today with the 88 key. When you load up the sounds, double-check that you can perform songs that use splits (especially those that split towards the top or bottom of the keyboard) because now you'll have fewer keys in those outer zones. You'll note that both keyboards have the exact same split point designations. This is designed so that programs can work across all 3 boards; Compact, 76, and 88. What may be more important is to update the OS of the 76 FIRST before loading your programs. In fact, you'll want to update the OS on your main keyboard when you save the programs in the first place. I have seen issues transferring programs and/or backup files if the OS of the keyboard doesn't match or isn't the latest version on both ends.
Also, to minimize issues, be sure to use the latest version of the Nord Sound Manager when transferring your programs, bundles, or backups.
Good luck with your gig!! Feel free to report back with how it all went. 👍
@@MyKeysToMusic thanks a lot Marc, You are awesome.
@@santiagomoldovan7250 Happy to help! And if you are getting serious about the NS4, be sure to what my "considerations" video here if you haven't already czcams.com/video/bhGR5i1ZB7w/video.htmlfeature=shared. It outlines a few big things to be aware of. Also note that because so many people have upgraded from an NS3 to an NS4, I have a dedicated section in my course specifically for those migrating sounds from the NS3 to the NS4 and all the things to be aware of. Although there is no magic wand to make the migration with a click of a button, I have discovered ways to make the labor-intensive process as easy as possible and created a handful of lessons in the course to spotlight that.