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MY BEAT BUDDY IS HERE!

#201
Hasbeen & Mosfed... if I weren't a gentleman, I'd tell you both to "Gate Stoffed"...

No Snow in Hong Kong... One plank or two, I'm Missing BIG TIME Blackcomb/Whistler; the Van trifecta of Grouse Mtn, Cypress, and Seymour, not to mention road trips to Big White, Fernie, Marmot Basin, Sunshine... dipping south of the 49th to hit Mt Baker...

Sure there's flights to Korea and Japan, even the Himalayas... but who can afford that?

Lemon snowcones, guys? I made them myself...
 
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#202
theLimeyBrit said:
They've said that building your own drum kit is a feature that's going to be there from the outset, so this *should* be possible from day 1.
Click to expand...

Theoretically, yes. Exactly. Will have to wait to see the software to see how practical it will be for doing that. Even if possible, I expect it to be at least a little clunky to do, as it isn't the primary or intended purpose... no reason to expect differently.

But I am a little bummed that when I check out the contents of the SD card, all of the good stuff (kits, songs, etc) is wrapped up in binary data files... unless unpacking/repacking them is a simple process, I'm not going to be able to bypass the supplied software to do that sort of thing directly, and I'm not seeing any of the editable XML files David said would be there on the card.

So at first glance, it may not be as open under the hood as I'd hoped & expected. The Jamman is easy... all plain text, XML, & wav files, right there for the tweaking. I've never looked at or even seen the software for that thing, didn't need it. And I've heard that it sucked (buggy), anyway. :)

Side note... I hooked up the three button footswitch for the Jamman stuff (FS3X) on a whim, and it worked great. Works differently depending on which buttons you step on during the auto-config, but if choosing the far left as left, and the middle as "right", they work fine. Plus the third button ends up acting as "both at the same time", which is nifty. Have your accent (like a cymbal) hit right as you pause, and again when unpausing, for example. Sweet.
 
#203
makohund said:
...all of the good stuff (kits, songs, etc) is wrapped up in binary data files...
Click to expand...
That's disappointing but not surprising I suppose.
So we'll still have to see what functionality comes with the support software.
Still - I've spent most of my career decoding, debugging, and reverse-engineering protocols and data structures.
Be nice if there were a developer's guide at some point but I am not holding my breath. Didn't see any kind of uber-restrictive EULA as I have so frequently come to expect, so maybe there is hope.

I pretty much got out of "recreational computing" a long time ago, but a new project might be fun.
Just what I'd need - one more thing to distract me from practicing ;-)
 
#204
ArtechnikA said:
That's disappointing but not surprising I suppose.
So we'll still have to see what functionality comes with the support software.
Still - I've spent most of my career decoding, debugging, and reverse-engineering protocols and data structures.
Be nice if there were a developer's guide at some point but I am not holding my breath. Didn't see any kind of uber-restrictive EULA as I have so frequently come to expect, so maybe there is hope.

I pretty much got out of "recreational computing" a long time ago, but a new project might be fun.
Just what I'd need - one more thing to distract me from practicing ;-)
Click to expand...

Might just be for performance reasons. Outside of those files there are some obvious human language to short & unique code mappings (file & folder structure), but "what maps to what" is right there in plain CSVs... looks like "make it faster, and unique so nothing collides" stuff to me. Can see original path & folder names in the DRM & BBS files with a Hex editor, so doesn't seem like anything is being intentionally obfuscated. There might just be a simple trick to it, to duplicate the pack/unpack the software does.

Yeah, got a new toy. Gotta use & abuse it. :)

The Jamman Stereo is sweet as a sample playback machine for live use... intros, sound effects, interludes, etc. Also for for practicing along with tunes for a setlist without fussing around hooking up separate equipment (as long as I can do without ffwd/rwd within songs... just like a real take). I ended up using it for that stuff more than as a looper. But it is huge, and has goofy power requirements. I want my beat buddy to take over that job too, as well as do the drum thing, since both are FRFR tasks anyway, the hardware is perfect for it, and all it takes in software is a far simpler combination of the same basic functions it is already doing. I can't think of a better thing to add to it, that it is easily capable of! :)
 
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#205
Anybody here hook their BB up through a Boomerang yet? I got the midi cable a couple of days ago and it's female, as are the inputs on the Boomerang. Am I the first and only to notice that? Are the midi inputs on the other midi devices male?

I managed to find a midi cable that was male/male and hooked it up according to directions... but I got nuthin. Might just as well have tied a string to the 2 boxes. Now I haven't a clue if the problem is with the BB, the Boomerang, or one of the 2 cables :/. Help? I would really like to use the 2 of these together.
 
#206
Joe Nerve said:
Anybody here hook their BB up through a Boomerang yet? I got the midi cable a couple of days ago and it's female, as are the inputs on the Boomerang. Am I the first and only to notice that? Are the midi inputs on the other midi devices male?

I managed to find a midi cable that was male/male and hooked it up according to directions... but I got nuthin. Might just as well have tied a string to the 2 boxes. Now I haven't a clue if the problem is with the BB, the Boomerang, or one of the 2 cables :/. Help? I would really like to use the 2 of these together.
Click to expand...

In general MIDI ports on devices are female, while the the cables are male/male. At least, that's been my experience.

There is an "IN" and "OUT" for each device, though some only have "IN." You should run your cable Beat Buddy "OUT" to Boomerang "IN."

I got it successfully working on my Infinity Looper. Works great.
 
#207
Adamixoye said:
In general MIDI ports on devices are female, while the the cables are male/male. At least, that's been my experience.

There is an "IN" and "OUT" for each device, though some only have "IN." You should run your cable Beat Buddy "OUT" to Boomerang "IN."

I got it successfully working on my Infinity Looper. Works great.
Click to expand...

Did that. I'm familiar with how midi works, it just isn't working here. Nothing. Does your BB cable have 2 male plugs? Or are you using and additional, or different cable?
 
#208
Joe Nerve said:
Did that. I'm familiar with how midi works, it just isn't working here. Nothing. Does your BB cable have 2 male plugs? Or are you using and additional, or different cable?
Click to expand...

Okay, sorry---couldn't remember your MIDI experience, I didn't mean to be condescending or anything.

I am not at home right now but I guess I worded it poorly. Yes, the Beat Buddy "breakout" cable is two female plugs. I used a male/male cable to go from that to my Infinity. It did tempo, start, and stop without a problem. I also received tempo to the Beat Buddy from another source.
 
#212
Joe Nerve said:
Anybody here hook their BB up through a Boomerang yet? I got the midi cable a couple of days ago and it's female, as are the inputs on the Boomerang. Am I the first and only to notice that? Are the midi inputs on the other midi devices male?

I managed to find a midi cable that was male/male and hooked it up according to directions... but I got nuthin. Might just as well have tied a string to the 2 boxes. Now I haven't a clue if the problem is with the BB, the Boomerang, or one of the 2 cables :/. Help? I would really like to use the 2 of these together.
Click to expand...

It worked great with mine. Your Boomerang needs to have the latest software.
You can go to their website for more info on versions and instructions for updating.
http://www.boomerangmusic.com/E156.shtml
 
#215
sunbeast said:
Is your Boomerang firmware up to date? Only the 2 most recent updates are MIDI capable IIRC. They are super easy to update on your own though.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I think people say things like super easy just to frustrate other people, like me, more. Not so super easy.

I went to the boomerang site. Read the directions. Downloaded midi-ox and update file. Hooked up the boomerang to my computer. Again. Nothing. Trouble shot and switched the midi in/out cables. Still nothing. Boomerang doesn't show up in the device section on midi ox. I plugged, unplugged, replugged, reread, and tried everything a couple of times. Not so super easy for me. Might Windows 8 be interfering? I should probably be on the boomerang forum, or maybe just send the pedal to them :/ .
 
#216
Joe Nerve said:
Sometimes I think people say things like super easy just to frustrate other people, like me, more. Not so super easy.

I went to the boomerang site. Read the directions. Downloaded midi-ox and update file. Hooked up the boomerang to my computer. Again. Nothing. Trouble shot and switched the midi in/out cables. Still nothing. Boomerang doesn't show up in the device section on midi ox. I plugged, unplugged, replugged, reread, and tried everything a couple of times. Not so super easy for me. Might Windows 8 be interfering? I should probably be on the boomerang forum, or maybe just send the pedal to them :/ .
Click to expand...
I meant no offense! When I first did an update in my 'Rang years ago I barely even really knew what MIDI was but was able to figure out the update pretty quickly and happened to have a cheapo Edirol guitar interface thing that allowed me to send MIDI files from my computer.

It's been a little while since I did the last update, but as I recall my computer didn't recognize the Boomerang either- it isn't officially a MIDI device until you add the recent software, and even then it is merely a Slave. All you need is a program that can play a MIDI program into the Rang, and to follow the correct power-up/hook-up procedure. You'll know it worked when it gives you the light sequence described in the instructions.
 
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#218
BigBeatNut said:
FRFR ?
Click to expand...

Full Range Flat Response. Basically shorthand for "more like PA, studio monitor, headphones, etc... less like raging Marshall/SVT/etc". Things meant more for music playback, than for highly colored tone generating.

I run a fearful stack, and a Monique... somewhere in between the two extremes. But playback through Monique with knobs at noon is pretty nice, so for practice/jamming this stuff works well after my other pedals and before Monique. At a gig, they're not in the chain at all, they go straight to FOH.
 
#219
Joe Nerve said:
Sometimes I think people say things like super easy just to frustrate other people, like me, more. Not so super easy.

I went to the boomerang site. Read the directions. ......
Click to expand...

I know I never said it was super easy. I just spent almost three hours updating the software on my Boomerang. I tried two different computers, two different interfaces and three different MIDI software programs (including spending $30 for a legit copy of one of them (that I ultimately didn't need)). This was on a Mac.

Finally I reattached everything and set the speed stupid slow. That worked. Hopefully, that was the hard part and getting the 'rang and BB to talk will be easy.
 
#220
Joe Nerve said:
Sometimes I think people say things like super easy just to frustrate other people, like me, more. Not so super easy.

I went to the boomerang site. Read the directions. Downloaded midi-ox and update file. Hooked up the boomerang to my computer. Again. Nothing. Trouble shot and switched the midi in/out cables. Still nothing. Boomerang doesn't show up in the device section on midi ox. I plugged, unplugged, replugged, reread, and tried everything a couple of times. Not so super easy for me. Might Windows 8 be interfering? I should probably be on the boomerang forum, or maybe just send the pedal to them :/ .
Click to expand...
Does your computer have a dedicated MIDI output that can be selected in "Devices" or "Hardware" or anything? Literally setting the MIDI to output to my interface was the most confusing part for me (because my ancient computer uses Vista, which doesn't have MIDI routing built-in and has to be "fixed" to recognize MIDI devices). I would assume MS 8 would have rectified the clumsiness of Vista though!
Also- I just remembered that I used Windows Media Player to play the MIDI file- the only thing I ever use that program for!
 
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