I bought a Beat Bug

kettles

kettles

Gold Member
And it's a nifty little gadget. Used it on a covers gig on the weekend and my tempo saw a huge improvement. I will post up a better overview at some stage with my experiences with it.

Does anyone else use one, and have you tried using a different trigger with it? The one it comes with is a little inconvenient to use. I'd like to know how well a Roland or ddrum trigger (or others) works, as they are easier to clip to the snare and I wouldn't mind something a little more sensitive.

http://www.luglock.com/tempometers.htm
 
Hmm, interesting concept, not a whole lot of info on what they do, do they just measure your speed so you can work at keeping it constant? Or can you ser a BPM and it shows where you are while playing in relation to that?
 
It basically works like the tap function on a metronome. Except instead of tapping a button, it goes off your snare hits via a trigger. Will give a better run down when I get time. As an example, if I know that a song is supposed to be 100bpm, then the beat bug should display 50. If it's more or less, then my tempo is off.
 
I've gone through one BEAT BUG, two TEMPO-REF's (had it reconditioned) and two GROOVE GUIDE's (had it reconditioned after I wore it out also).

DDRUM triggers work great, I use a small(er) old drumKat trigger, better than either unit supplies.

The GROOVE GUIDE is higher quality and can withstand road abuse better than the LT stuff.

If you have the money i would suggest starting there, or just say its worth the extra money to 'start' there (with GROOVE GUIDE).
 

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Hi Lesismore,
I am thinking of getting a beat bug. Not to crazy about their sensor and wire setup on the snare. Will any ddrum trigger work? Will the ddrum sensor and cable fit the beat bug? I checked out groove guide they are out of stock,
Thanks 2B
 
I have their other product - the tempo ref. It just sits on the snare itself, and gives me a bpm count. It's a little pricy, but an effective tool. I have found that sometimes I can slow down slightly while I'm listening for a cue coming from the other guys in the band.

It's different from a metronome, because the metronome once started you are tied to it. If the singer waits a second before singing a line during a break, you're off the beat. The tempo ref picks up on the fly whenever you are playing. I like mine, although I've hit it accidentally while playing. The bad is you can't use it very easily to get your timing for count in's, and the controls are hard to figure out.
 
Hi, Thanks for the info, if I decide to pull the trigger I am going to go with the Beat Bug, I don't need the metronome function. I will use it to monitor myself during the gig only as a reference. I think I will connect it to a DDRUM trigger and use an adaptor to the Beat Bug. Should work?
 

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2bsticks said:
Hi Lesismore,
I am thinking of getting a beat bug. Not to crazy about their sensor and wire setup on the snare. Will any ddrum trigger work? Will the ddrum sensor and cable fit the beat bug? I checked out groove guide they are out of stock,
Thanks 2B
Click to expand...

DDRUM trigger is 1/4" in, my TEMPO REF is mini plug, BEAT BUG is probably the same.

You can always get adaptor plugs.

GROOVE GUIDE is all 1/4" which makes huge a difference with the durability issues of BEAT and TEMPO REF.

These KAT triggers work well, I've used them in the past. You should be able to get $20-25 ea for them on ebay, this is a good deal actually.
 
Cant find a price on that Groove Guide...anyone know?

F
 
I've been using the "Live BPM"app on my i-pad for the last 8 months or so. Not perfect, but it does a good job and it was free...... Terry
 
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