Buy your BeatBuddy now! 

The Power of a Drum Machine, the Simplicity of a Pedal

Convenient: Plugs right in with your other pedals to play a drum beat through your amp or PA. 

Hands-free control

• Insert fills

• Transition from verse to chorus

• Add accent hits (e.g. cymbal crashes or hand claps)
• Pause/unpause beats with second footswitch, while song is playing

• Advance to next song with second footswitch, when no song is playing

Professional-grade sound

• Meticulously sampled drums at full dynamic range

• Advanced algorithms generate realistic natural beats

"...a dream come true for one-man band singer-songwriters."
-- MusicRadar.com

“a genius idea… the simple hands-free drum machine guitar players have been waiting for.”
-- Gizmodo

"The BeatBuddy is something I can use for my solo gigs – of which I do at least 100-150 a year. It’s the one thing that I have been missing..."
-- GuitarGear.org

"I don't think I've ever seen such amazing support for a guitar related product... incredible! ...definitely looks like a lot of fun!"
-- Guitarnoize.com

"Accurate timing and a solid sense of rhythm is requisite for any musician. The BeatBuddy is the perfect solution and its a blast to work (and play) with! We're thrilled to introduce it to our student body." 
-- Brad Wendkos, Founder TrueFire.com The leading online educational resource for guitarists

                    

1.8" Color LCD display 

Pre-loaded with:

• 10 unique drum sets

• 200+ songs (verse/chorus beat progressions) in a wide range of musical styles
• Computer software to load your own beats and drum sets
  

Adjust tempo with:

• A turn of a knob

• Tap tempo with a button or footswitch

MIDI Sync: Integrate with MIDI based loopers and effects in your rig.

Headphones Jack: For jamming without disturbing the neighbors!

Full stereo sound 

Beautiful strong construction made from anodized aluminum. 

Built for tough live performance environments.

Connects with standard mini USB cable.

Expand memory with standard SD card.

Completely customizable with included computer interface software:

• Load your own beats and drum sets

• Uses standard MIDI and WAV files

• Add additional song parts (verse, chorus, bridge, fills etc.)

New beats and drum sets to be available for download on regular basis.  We will be producing both free and premium content packages

User Forum on our site will allow all BeatBuddies to share their beats and drum sets!  The BeatBuddy is not just a pedal -- it's a platform.

"Well designed and intuitive"
-- MusicRadar

1. Press pedal to start beat

2. Press again to add a fill. Different fills are played each time to create a live drummer sound

3. Hold pedal down to begin transition beat

4. Release pedal to end transition and go to next song part (e.g. verse to chorus)

5. Use footswitch (mono) to add accent hits. Accent hits are customized to the song part (e.g. hand claps for verse, cymbal crashes for chorus)

6. Use second footswitch (stereo) to pause/unpause beat.

7. Press pedal twice to stop beat with ending fill.

Here's what you get when you support this campaign. Just select your perk from the sidebar at the top  right of this page.

Bonus from our Partners:

The best drum machine is only as good as the content on it.  We have partnered with GoranGrooves Studio, a world-class drum recording service in Miami to create content for the BeatBuddy.  The sound samples are recorded and processed with meticulous care using top of the line equipment, drums and percussion.   The MIDI beats are not quantized and each drum is multi-sampled at various dynamic levels for ultra-realistic natural sound.

We are including general beats from a wide range of styles as well as the beats to specific songs.

We would like to hear your requests for musical styles or specific songs and drum sets you'd like to come pre-loaded on your BeatBuddy!  Please post them on our Facebook page.

Our first BeatBuddy Artist Demo:

BeatBuddy tutorial: Content navigation + dual footswitch functions

BeatBuddy feature demo: Tempo control

Check out this video of our process of creating the BeatBuddy's drum sets:

More videos coming soon!

David Packouz, Founder & CEO

Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist based in Miami Beach.  A serial entrepreneur, he has founded numerous successful businesses ranging from electronics import to government contracting to smartphone app development. The BeatBuddy is the culmination of his passion for invention and music.

Goran Rista, Director of Content

Founder of GoranGrooves, a world-class online recording service based in Miami. He is an accomplished session drummer and audio engineer. A pioneer of the online recording studio, he is dedicated to providing the highest quality professional music recording & mixing services to the music community world-wide.

Sylvain Ainsley, Director of Engineering

With 15 years of experience in electronics engineering and extensive knowledge of the latest technologies, he is responsible for designing the architecture and oversees the whole project so that every aspect comes together flawlessly.

Guillaume Frigon, Software Designer

With 7 years of experience in software and firmware development, he has worked on a wide range of graphical user interfaces (GUI) for the medical, broadcast and fitness industry. He is designing the song manager computer interface software.

Matthieu Ippersiel, Software Designer

With deep knowledge of embedded systems and high level mobile applications, he has been involved in various fields of technology such as medical, remote security and consumer applications. He is designing the software & user interface for the drum set creator.

Frédéric Paquet-Roy, Hardware Designer

An expert on analogue and digital electronic circuits, he has been involved in the design of many complex systems from aeronautics to high tech consumer products. Frederic designed the BeatBuddy's analogue audio circuits.

Marc-Andre Filion, Hardware Designer

With over 10 years of experience in electronic design, he has worked on many complex projects including mother board design for industrial computers and high speed communication interfaces. He designed the BeatBuddy's digital circuitry.

Olivier Bacon, Firmware Designer

With extensive experience in embedded applications, audio processing, and firmware designs, he designed the embedded firmware for the screen, switch, nobs, audio playback and mixing.

Jim Tremblay, Firmware Designer

Involved in wide range of product design projects from security to access controls to manufacturing, he has extensive knowledge of embedded systems, graphical user interfaces and production specs. He designed the BeatBuddy's firmware low-level peripheral access and the frame buffer manager for the user interface.

Daniel Tasse, Mechanical Engineer

Holds multiple object design patents, worked at Canadian Voice Data Switching, as supervisor of the printed and electromechanical circuit design department. He designed the BeatBuddy's enclosure.

We have completed all pre-production hardware engineering and we have a fully functional prototype.  

Currently we're working on:

• Refining the computer interface software
• Tweaking the firmware to make the BeatBuddy sound even better! 
• Creating content: beats, drum sets
• Tooling

We will soon begin the process of:

• Getting product certifications
• Materials procurement
• Production
• Building the user forum

1. GENERAL
2. FUNCTIONAL
3. TECHNICAL
4. DELIVERY

I see the Indiegogo campaign has ended. Is it too late to pre-order a BeatBuddy?

Not yet. We’re still accepting pre-orders on our website. The BeatBuddy will be $349 in stores this August, but you can still get $100 off by pre-ordering a BeatBuddy for $249 here: http://myBeatBuddy.com/pre-order

I supported the Indiegogo campaign, but I forgot to add international shipping. What do I do?

No problem. Just pay for the shipping on our site.

I play acoustic guitar/cello/trumpet... can I still use the BeatBuddy?

Absolutely! The BeatBuddy does not need an instrument to be plugged into it for it to work.  Just plug the BeatBuddy into your PA or use the standard 3.5mm heaphones jack to plug it into the AUX jack of your home stereo system -- it works with any speaker.

Won't my other effects make the drums sound bad?

The BeatBuddy should be placed at the end of your effects chain so the effects do not change the BeatBuddy's sound.  If you have effects on your amplifier, that will change the BeatBuddy's sound.  The BeatBuddy sounds best when played through a neutral speaker system.

When will the BeatBuddy be in retail stores?

We expect to have retail distribution in the USA by August 2014 (international distribution has not yet been set) -- Indiegogo supporters will get the BeatBuddy months before it's even in stores.

Don't you feel bad about putting drummers out of business?

We will never put drummers out of business.  You will never see Metallica replace Lars Ulrich with a BeatBuddy.  The BeatBuddy just allows musicians to play with realistic drums -- it's perfect for solo artists doing small gigs, practice sessions when a drummer isn't available, late at night when drums would wake the neighbors, and it's a great songwriting partner that won't get tired of the song you're working on!  Even drummers can make great use of the BeatBuddy to improve their timing -- it's a lot more fun to use than a metronome!  Goran will be making a demo video of all the ways drummers can use the BeatBuddy.

What accessories come with the BeatBuddy?

The BeatBuddy comes with a power adapter.  The computer interface software will be a free download.  We do not include the footswitch, MIDI or USB cable, as these accessories are widely available, and including these items would increase the price for everybody and not all users wish to use these features.

Do you provide a warranty?

Yes, we provide a standard 1 year manufacturer's warranty against defects.

What type of footswitch does the BeatBuddy use?

The BeatBuddy supports either a single or dual standard latching footswitch.

What does the second footswitch do?

When no song is playing, it moves to the next song in the folder.  While a song is playing it acts as a pause/unpause feature, so you can add drum breaks in the song. (There is also the option to make the second footswitch a dedicated tap tempo input, so you can change the tempo while the song is playing, hands-free.)

Do I have to press the pedal exactly at the beginning of a drum fill or release it exactly at the end of a transition beat?

No.  The BeatBuddy always ends song parts at the end of the bar, keeping you in time.  For example, if you trigger a fill too early, it will start at the right time.  If you trigger it too late, the remainder of the fill plays and ends with the bar, keeping you in time.

Can I have other song parts like a bridge or different verse beat?

Yes.  Different songs have a different number of song parts.  While most songs pre-loaded on the BeatBuddy will just consist of a single verse and chorus, some will have multiple parts.  Users can add and rearrange unlimited song parts (verse, chorus, bridge) through the interface software. All these song parts would play in the order arranged and then loop back to the beginning again.  Each song part has its own accent hit sound and set of fills associated with it.

Do I need to have an intro or outro fill?

No.  If no intro fill is present, the main beat starts immediately.  If no outro fill is present, the song ends at the end of the bar.

Do I need to know how to program beats to use the BeatBuddy?

No.  The BeatBuddy comes with 10 drum sets and 200+ songs and more will be available for download.  We have designed the BeatBuddy to be intuitive and easy to use right out of the box. However, if you do know how to program beats, you can easily load your beats onto the BeatBuddy as MIDI files -- as well as create your own drum sets.

Will the BeatBuddy have beats in my style of music?

We will include a wide range of time signatures and beat styles.  But if you want something specific, please post it on our Facebook page.  We will do our best to accommodate as many Buddies as possible.

Will the power adapter work in my country?

We will do our best to provide everyone with a power adapter that works in your country.  If we cannot, you can use any standard adapter that produces 9V 500mA, center negative power, like most Boss and Digitech pedal adapters.

Is the BeatBuddy true bypass?

There have been multiple definitions associated with the term 'true bypass', so we will tell you what the BeatBuddy does.  The BeatBuddy uses an analog mixer to combine the guitar and drum audio.  It does not digitize the guitar in order to preserve the quality of the guitar's analog sound.  But since the sound passes through an electronic component, if the BeatBuddy is not powered up, the sound will not pass through.

What type of files can I load on the BeatBuddy?

The BeatBuddy uses standard MIDI files for the beats and either 16 or 24 bit WAV files for the drum sets and footswitch accent hits. 

Can I use WAV files as loops instead of MIDI?

As of now, this is not supported, but we plan to add this feature as a software update in the future.

What kind of MIDI port does the BeatBuddy have?

In order to fit both the MIDI IN and OUT ports while still keeping the BeatBuddy in a single pedal format, we use a PS/2 port with a special MIDI Breakout Cable (sold separately) to convert to 5 pin ports.

What MIDI sync functions does the BeatBuddy support?

It has both MIDI IN and OUT -- so it can both control other MIDI devices and be controlled by them. Tempo, start, stop MIDI Sync functions are currently supported. 

What if I move to a different address before you ship the BeatBuddy?

We will confirm all addresses before we ship.

Will you ship to my country?

If you can order electronics from the USA, then we should have no problem delivering to you.

Will you change the value on the customs form so I pay less import taxes?

This is illegal for us to do and we would be fined heavily.  We will not do this.

What are the challenges?  

We are creating something completely new: a musician-friendly drum machine.  Though we have mitigated the associated risks as much as we can, there may be events outside our control that delay manufacturing and shipment.  However, we promise to keep you informed of any issues that may arise as we bring the BeatBuddy to market. Soon musicians everywhere will have great sounding drums a toe tap away.  

Got more questions? Ask us!