Peterson Body Beat

[peterbright]

I have one of these on the way. Anyone have any suggestions on its best use?

[Steve Clark]

No idea. Subscribe for your review once it arrives. Its an intriguing piece of gear.

[peterbright]

It has arrived. I'm at work so I just briefly took it out of the box, inserted the 9 volt battery that came with it, inserted the "vibrator" & adjusted it to 120 bpm, eighth notes & accent on the first beat. Adjustment was straight forward...just cycle through the modes. The vibration is much stronger than I imagined it would be. I think that this could be really great. My plan is to hook the main unit to my strap. The cord for the vibrator is long enough that you really have some options of where you place the main unit and the vibrator.

[Steve Clark]

Originally Posted by peterbright

The cord for the vibrator is long enough that you really have some options of where you place the main unit and the vibrator.

[peterbright]

Really...but not there.

[saxofunk]

Extremely cool. I hate chirps and it's hard to hear a traditional 'nome with a sax in your head. I use a mono earplug, AM radio style, in an old clicky Franz metronome.

[peterbright]

I've tried an in the ear metronome (called a metrognome) but it wasn't for me. Hard to change settings quickly and not nearly as loud as I would have liked.

[MarkTAW]

Thinking about getting one of these myself - may have to drop by my local guitar store to see if they have one tomorrow.

Originally Posted by peterbright

adjusted it to 120 bpm, eighth notes & accent on the first beat.

Not that I'll have your answer by the time I leave the house, but does this mean that the accents have a different type of pulse? Do the non-accented beats have no pulse & the beat length determines the length of the pulse or...?

I checked the manual on Peterson's website (albeit, before I formed this question) and didn't see anything about it.

[beatinventor]

Hey guys, glad you are curious about the Body Beat. I am the inventor and would love to answer any questions regarding the unit. The strong pulse represents downbeats of measures and groupings of subdivisions of beat. I wanted this difference so you will always know where the measure is and where the basic beat is.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by peterbright

The cord for the vibrator is long enough that you really have some options of where you place the main unit and the vibrator.

This could make music even MORE fun.

[CharlesHartman]

Originally Posted by peterbright

It has arrived. I'm at work so I just briefly took it out of the box, inserted the 9 volt battery that came with it, inserted the "vibrator" & adjusted it to 120 bpm, eighth notes & accent on the first beat. Adjustment was straight forward...just cycle through the modes. The vibration is much stronger than I imagined it would be. I think that this could be really great. My plan is to hook the main unit to my strap. The cord for the vibrator is long enough that you really have some options of where you place the main unit and the vibrator.

A little clarification here would be great! What's inserted where? Is there any cleaning required? Would you share it with a friend? What kind of strap? Your favorite location for the main unit? Your favorite location for the vibrator?

Ok, I'll stop now...

Originally Posted by beatinventor

Hey guys, glad you are curious about the Body Beat. I am the inventor and would love to answer any questions regarding the unit. The strong pulse represents downbeats of measures and groupings of subdivisions of beat. I wanted this difference so you will always know where the measure is and where the basic beat is.

Thanks for joining us here! Seriously!

I actually am interested in this product.

For musical reasons...

No, really.

I will be checking to see if my local dealer (Alpha Music in Virginia Beach, VA) will be carrying these. I've had some occasions where this would be great for keeping my tempo up during a live session.



And the innuendo's just keep on coming...

[beatinventor]

Hey Charles, thanks for the welcome and I want to remind everyone that we ask you "use the Body Beat responsibly" because there is a limited warranty. In all seriousness, if anyone has any questions, I would be happy to answer them.

[PCR]

Just got back from SA with my new BB.

I gotta say; it's pretty cool. I played with it for a while in the store and used it for a couple minutes before getting back to work.

Random initial thoughts:
- Like the two different vibes (new measure).
- Batton strobe takes a little getting used to (but you wont' usually see it anyways).
- Like the strong vibe. It's suprising how easy it is to lock in on the beat.
- Would like a sliding power button instead of the push button.
- Would like a Tap In beat.
- Would like a back light (low priority)
- Would like a variable strength control (I'm sure my non-musician wife would second that...had to throw that in).
- For price point...should be built a little sturdier (and smaller). The plastic feels a little cheap. Will probably not out last my '78 Strat. The unit itself is a little larger and thicker than a pack of cards. About a 1/3 smaller would be perfect.

Overall, I liked the concept. It's hard to describe how easy it was to lock in on the beat, without getting distracted by trying to listen for the tick. It's just very natural.

It's a good investment for the rythmically challenged; like myself.

Just my opinion.


Okay, it absolutely needs one more feature: it needs a 1/3 triplet (sic) for blues beat. The value of this just plumetted. My cheap Korg and Boss has this pattern, and it's the pattern that I use the most.
This may get returned.

[Peaved]

Thanks, Peter.

I've added this to my wish list on Musician's Friend.

[Kevinlane]

No tap tempo????????

beatinventor, I would strongly suggest looking into this.

[beatinventor]

Hi all,

I am currently looking at several future embodiments for the Body Beat and the inclussion of a tap function is high on my list. Thanks for the feedbackand keep it coming.

Chris

[luki]

I just got mine today @ GC. I have been testing it for a while and a good way to learn how to use it is by matching it to beats on studio recorded material. Funny how the pros get off time sometimes,hmmm, mixers take note, careful with the cut and paste. I am surprised by lack of illumination on the screen. I think it needs it.

[jaik]

I just bought mine, love it, I thought of this years ago and had been waiting for someone to make one. so thank you to "Beatinventor" & DOT Music for getting Peterson to make this. I don't buy knick knack accessories, this is a great tool. It works really well and is much less distracting and easier to follow than a click or beep that can get lost in all the sound i am making. But I really think it neeeeeeeds tap tempo, the physical nature of this metronome begs for it. Even having just blown $100 I would buy another for the tap tempo alone. It really should have an AC option, even if its not included, just a standard 9v wallwart type input capability, batteries are wasteful and this kind of item is usually used by someone who is stationary. Also the power button can be turned on by accident in a pocket or case, recess that thing or make it a switch, that's common sense. Another beef is that I shouldn't have to toggle through the MODE button just to change the tempo, the up-down buttons should default to that, those kinds of changes often have to be done on the fly, the mode button to access that is kind of ridiculous.

But really I highly recommend this metronome, it is really easy to follow and just works better than any other metronome i've ever used. I think this is the best thing to happen to metronomes since electricity and I really hope enough of these sell to prompt Peterson to release a BB2 with the upgraded features, I would spend a few more $ on that

Another thing that would be really really useful would be a jack to add a start/stop footswitch, if this had a 2 button footswitch with tap-tempo on one side and start/stop on the other, it would sell for double the price easily, that would be sooooooo useful

So please

1. TAP TEMPO
2. AC capability
3. recessed power switch
4. tempo change buttons should default without the mode button
5. an LED flasher wouldn't hurt, neither would backlight
6. make it sturdier
7. footswitchable start/stop & tap-tempo would make this thing sell like hotcakes.

I would go straight out and buy the BodyBeat v2 at a much higher price with these new features

http://myspace.com/jaikwillis

[LyleRyan]

I've been using the BodyBeat for a week now, mostly with acoustic instruments, and I do buy into the concept of physical sensation as a metronome pathway to the brain. I think it will be very useful, so thanks to Chris (beatinventor) for the new gizmo.

Tap Tempo would certainly be nice, as others have said.

A shorter duration on each vibration would also be appreciated. On my audio metronomes, I always prefer a nice crisp "wood block" sound, and avoid the ones with too wide a "beep".

But most of all, I'd like the volume control to control the amplitude of the vibration. I almost feel sore after a while, and would appreciate being able to turn the vibration down some. I've tried placing the vibrating module outside my clothing for less contact with the body, which is a workaround, but that just makes it louder.

...Lyle

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by jaik

I just bought mine, love it, I thought of this years ago and had been waiting for someone to make one. so thank you to "Beatinventor" & DOT Music for getting Peterson to make this. I don't buy knick knack accessories, this is a great tool. It works really well and is much less distracting and easier to follow than a click or beep that can get lost in all the sound i am making. But I really think it neeeeeeeds tap tempo, the physical nature of this metronome begs for it. Even having just blown $100 I would buy another for the tap tempo alone. It really should have an AC option, even if its not included, just a standard 9v wallwart type input capability, batteries are wasteful and this kind of item is usually used by someone who is stationary. Also the power button can be turned on by accident in a pocket or case, recess that thing or make it a switch, that's common sense. Another beef is that I shouldn't have to toggle through the MODE button just to change the tempo, the up-down buttons should default to that, those kinds of changes often have to be done on the fly, the mode button to access that is kind of ridiculous.

But really I highly recommend this metronome, it is really easy to follow and just works better than any other metronome i've ever used. I think this is the best thing to happen to metronomes since electricity and I really hope enough of these sell to prompt Peterson to release a BB2 with the upgraded features, I would spend a few more $ on that

Another thing that would be really really useful would be a jack to add a start/stop footswitch, if this had a 2 button footswitch with tap-tempo on one side and start/stop on the other, it would sell for double the price easily, that would be sooooooo useful

So please

1. TAP TEMPO
2. AC capability
3. recessed power switch
4. tempo change buttons should default without the mode button
5. an LED flasher wouldn't hurt, neither would backlight
6. make it sturdier
7. footswitchable start/stop & tap-tempo would make this thing sell like hotcakes.

I would go straight out and buy the BodyBeat v2 at a much higher price with these new features

http://myspace.com/jaikwillis

Here you go. Version 2.

http://www.petersontuners.com/index.cfm?category=163