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Metronome Strobe Light

5StringPocket

5StringPocket

Supporting Member
Jan 11, 2006
4,386
4,954
Texas
#1
I'm not the first to bring this up but I haven't seen a solution so here goes...
The band I'm rehearsing with needs to play with more consistent tempo to tighten up and improve our groove. Not everyone has the discipline of playing with an IEM click track, so I wanted to trying triggering an LED strobe with my Beat Buddy in our practice space to lock everyone in to the tempo of each song. The Beat Buddy has a 1/8" headphone out, two 1/4" analog outs, and a PS/2 midi IO port. Most LED strobe lights I've seen have an audio (mic) input trigger and a DMX controller input.
https://singularsound-publicly-down...BeatBuddy+Manual+(Firmware+4.1.3)_PRINTER.pdf

What is the most straightforward way to have the Beat Buddy drive the strobe light?
1. Convert a 1/4" audio out, which works as an instrument input to an amp, to mic level and replace the microphone in the strobe circuit with a jack to accept this mic level signal. Would this require a line level to mic level conversion?
2. Use a Midi to DMX converter so that midi notes from the Beat Buddy can turn the strobe on/off as dictated by the tempo control.
MIDI to DMX- Easy MIDI to DMX usb converter. Opensource!
3. Some other method I haven't considered.
 
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#2
I've thought about this type of thing before and never came up with a viable solution. As you know, playing to a click is a difficult skill to acquire for a lot of people, whether it's an audible click or a strobe. Is your issue counting in at the wrong tempo, or maintaining a consistent meter throughout the song? Or both? My band has a problem counting in at the correct tempo. In rehearsal, the drummer connects his iPhone to the mixer and uses a BPM app to preview a few seconds of the tempo before counting into the song – he's pretty good about internalizing and maintaining a consistent meter – and hearing it first gets him to focus better. Then it's up to the band to lock in with the drummer. We are trying to work out a way to incorporate this at gigs without it being a distraction or delay between songs. Simply rehearsing this way helps us learn/remember the song at the correct tempo. In my other band, the drummer uses an app called liveBPM to monitor her meter throughout the song. At a glance, she can see if we are getting off track.
 
#3
Bullitt5135 said:
I've thought about this type of thing before and never came up with a viable solution. As you know, playing to a click is a difficult skill to acquire for a lot of people, whether it's an audible click or a strobe. Is your issue counting in at the wrong tempo, or maintaining a consistent meter throughout the song? Or both? My band has a problem counting in at the correct tempo. In rehearsal, the drummer connects his iPhone to the mixer and uses a BPM app to preview a few seconds of the tempo before counting into the song – he's pretty good about internalizing and maintaining a consistent meter – and hearing it first gets him to focus better. Then it's up to the band to lock in with the drummer. We are trying to work out a way to incorporate this at gigs without it being a distraction or delay between songs. Simply rehearsing this way helps us learn/remember the song at the correct tempo. In my other band, the drummer uses an app called liveBPM to monitor her meter throughout the song. At a glance, she can see if we are getting off track.
Click to expand...
Both counting in and maintaining. The drummer needs it most but everyone needs to be on the same page. I'm used to having an IEM click to follow but only one other player in our band does and with all the sound going on, I think a light that everyone can see would be easier to follow. I know there is a way to implement this but am looking for a solution to put into practice.
 
#5
Maybe check out the Soundbrenner app? You might be able to sync everybody’s device to flash at the same time. I have yet to find a strobe light you can plug an audio cable into.

I was messing around with creating 16-beat click tracks on GarageBand for each of our songs and loading the songs into iTunes (Apple Music) so I could arrange set lists. We use IEMs. Drummer starts the click track and counts everybody in. After 16 beats, the click stops so it’s not a distraction. It helps us come in at the right tempo, but it’s still on the drummer to keep steady. We found it impossible for everyone to play to the click throughout the song.
 
#6
Sync to the drummer. Even if the tempo meanders some, it still sounds better if the band is synchronized than if everyone is trying to chase some other reference. It's part of the drummer's job to maintain a steadyish tempo.

All you need is for the drummer to have a metronome that can be set to silent that has an indicator light. He can watch the LEDs or lights between songs to synchronize his internal clock to the next tempo required.

The Boss DB-88 and a similar Tama metronome even have cymbol-stand-threads built in so the drummer can mount them on a stand for exactly this purpose.

(and for live performance, the least technological solution is often the most reliable).
 
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#7
Bullitt5135 said:
Maybe check out the Soundbrenner app? You might be able to sync everybody’s device to flash at the same time. I have yet to find a strobe light you can plug an audio cable into.

I was messing around with creating 16-beat click tracks on GarageBand for each of our songs and loading the songs into iTunes (Apple Music) so I could arrange set lists. We use IEMs. Drummer starts the click track and counts everybody in. After 16 beats, the click stops so it’s not a distraction. It helps us come in at the right tempo, but it’s still on the drummer to keep steady. We found it impossible for everyone to play to the click throughout the song.
Click to expand...
Everybody doesn't have a device so I was looking for a single light which could be seen by everyone. The problem is our drummer struggles to maintain a steady tempo. I haven't found a strobe light you can plug an audio cable in directly which is why I think it might have to be through an interface as mentioned in the original post.
 
#8
MoireBass said:
Sync to the drummer. Even if the tempo meanders some, it still sounds better if the band is synchronized than if everyone is trying to chase some other reference. It's part of the drummer's job to maintain a steadyish tempo.

All you need is for the drummer to have a metronome that can be set to silent that has an indicator light. He can watch the LEDs or lights between songs to synchronize his internal clock to the next tempo required.

The Boss DB-88 and a similar Tama metronome even have cymbol-stand-threads built in so the drummer can mount them on a stand for exactly this purpose.

(and for live performance, the least technological solution is often the most reliable).
Click to expand...
I agree with this if you have a solid drummer. Unfortunately our drummer is too busy with other obligations to spend the time it takes to master the set so I'm trying to find a way to help work around this.

I had him download a metronome app with a flashing ring which can be mounted on one of his stands but it doesn't seem to be enough.

At church, everyone has click and tracks in their IEMs. The drummer there starts and stops these and everyone syncs so our timing is tight.
 
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#10
5StringPocket said:
I'm not the first to bring this up but I haven't seen a solution so here goes...
The band I'm rehearsing with needs to play with more consistent tempo to tighten up and improve our groove. Not everyone has the discipline of playing with an IEM click track, so I wanted to trying triggering an LED strobe with my Beat Buddy in our practice space to lock everyone in to the tempo of each song. The Beat Buddy has a 1/8" headphone out, two 1/4" analog outs, and a PS/2 midi IO port. Most LED strobe lights I've seen have an audio (mic) input trigger and a DMX controller input.
https://singularsound-publicly-down...BeatBuddy+Manual+(Firmware+4.1.3)_PRINTER.pdf

What is the most straightforward way to have the Beat Buddy drive the strobe light?
1. Convert a 1/4" audio out, which works as an instrument input to an amp, to mic level and replace the microphone in the strobe circuit with a jack to accept this mic level signal. Would this require a line level to mic level conversion?
2. Use a Midi to DMX converter so that midi notes from the Beat Buddy can turn the strobe on/off as dictated by the tempo control.
MIDI to DMX- Easy MIDI to DMX usb converter. Opensource!
3. Some other method I haven't considered.
Click to expand...

Don't forget to change the name of the band to "Epileptic Attack."
 
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#11
5StringPocket said:
I'm not the first to bring this up but I haven't seen a solution so here goes...
The band I'm rehearsing with needs to play with more consistent tempo to tighten up and improve our groove. Not everyone has the discipline of playing with an IEM click track,
Click to expand...

A strobe light is an idea, but fundamentally the reason your band isn't playing in time is due to a combination of not listening and discipline. A click track is the most direct way to fixing the issue (it's audible cues, which is what good musicians should play off of) - if they won't listen, you have a problem, whether or not the light works. You can't really perform with a strobe metronome (it'll drive the audience nuts), but you can perform with a click track.

The reason some folks have a hard time with playing to a click isn't that they're "too good" for it - it's that they just don't have a solid sense of timing. Those with a solid sense of timing can play with a click with relative ease - it's fundamentally no different than playing with a drummer with a solid sense of timing. I play a lot of gigs with click tracks (in my world it's a requirement), and I've never met a musician with solid timing that had issues playing with a click. When you play with a click, if you're on the beat, your attack and the click will be simultaneous, and you actually don't hear it. We call it "burying the click".

Anyway, the point is, if your band has folks that can't play with a click, it's a problem that only time and practice might solve (it's not guaranteed that they will get there) - they have to put the work in to at least try to get there. If they won't, you have musicians that don't have a good sense of timing. That's a problem - the one skill that all musicians absolutely have to have is a good sense of timing.
 
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#14
5StringPocket said:
I agree with this if you have a solid drummer. Unfortunately our drummer is too busy with other obligations to spend the time it takes to master the set so I'm trying to find a way to help work around this.
Click to expand...

Just saw this part... Your drummer has gotta step up and do his part. If us bass players spend countless hours on our 1-5's, he can learn how to keep time.

I will say, I've seen the difference the LiveBPM app can make. It is not a metronome, it displays the tempo of the music it hears. In my dad band, the drummer couldn't keep time for nothing, it was very frustrating. I got him a phone mount for a bicycle and he mounted it on a cymbal stand and downloaded the app. He tried it once, liked it, but then refused to use it for a few months. A little nudging and some small suggestions along the way and he started using it again. It made a big difference.

Good luck.
 
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#18
I think some of us are being a bit too anal about this topic.

We're not talking about laying tracks here, it's live in a bar/club, and what might bother us might not even be noticeable to the folks out there.

I've experienced some tempo sins that made me shake my head, but nobody else noticed a thing, and the band kept getting booked and rebooked.

I'd honestly rather play in a decent band and have fun than with some tempo-nazi band. :D
 
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