BeatBuddy BETA Plugin
Quickstart Guide

Welcome to your new favorite e-drummer, the BeatBuddy Plugin. This plugin is an emulator of the BeatBuddy’s round-robin, multi-velocity playback and can load any BeatBuddy DRM drum set file.
Find our official Drum Set and MIDI File Library here: https://www.singularsound.com/pages/premium-library Check out the Hardware version of the BeatBuddy on our website!

How to use

The BeatBuddy plugin features a full-on mixer that shows all of the names of the instruments, the associated MIDI note, and gives you the ability to mute, solo, and/or adjust the levels to your liking. The entire drum set can also be muted, and the master level can be adjusted.
Edit your drum sets using the free BeatBuddy Manager Online, or create your own!
How to Set the Drum Directory folder

1. Click the Set Drum directory Button on the plugin
   a. If the button is greyed out and cannot be clicked, you do not have access to the full plugin, please reach out to support@singularsound.com for more assistance
2. Choose a folder that has DRM files inside of it
   a. This can be any folder OR you can use the DRUMSETS folder inside of an existing BeatBuddy Project. We suggest using a folder that you will not move and is saved to your computer.
3. Hit enter on your keyboard or confirm using your File Browser pop-up window
4. Use any drum set in the folder by selecting from the dropdown list on the right-hand side of the plugin

How to Use the Plug In to Play Your DRM

1. Create a Stereo instrument track in your DAW. This is a track that can use virtual instruments and MIDI files
   a. Another method would be to create a stereo Auxiliary track with the plug in loaded and a MIDI file that is sending MIDI notes to the MIDI node of the Auxiliary track. There are a lot of videos showing how to do this in specific DAWs on YouTube.
2. Write MIDI notes, import MIDI files, or record MIDI from a MIDI instrument into your DAW’s track
3. The instrument that corresponds to the used MIDI notes will play back just as they would on the real BeatBuddy.
   a. Edit the level of the instrument and drum set using the plug in mixer and master fader.

BeatBuddy Manager Online
Create or edit drum sets using the BeatBuddy Manager Online application. There you can tweak what samples are used, the instruments, and all of the drum settings that affect how the DRM file plays back. You can even start your own drum set from scratch. Limitless creative possibilities at your fingertips!
Use Cases

• Hear the Drum Set in your DAW as it will play back on the BeatBuddy
  o Makes editing MIDI files in your DAW much easier to use later on your BeatBuddy (hardware version).
  o No more guessing on velocities and avoids the need for using the BeatBuddy Manager to edit or create MIDI files on a large scale, just use the editor to refine as you package your content.
• Produce your songs with the famous BeatBuddy sounds
  o Instantly humanize your MIDI track without needing to spend a bunch of time editing MIDI files. The BeatBuddy’s famous round-robin algorithm will take care of the human element.
  o Mix your drum set in the plugin mixer or create multiple instances with individual instruments soloed on each instance. Freeze and commit these tracks as .wav files to mix and produce further using your DAW.
  o No added noise of using the Hardware version
  o Works in any sample rate or bit depth
  o Sounds like you gave your MIDI file to a real drummer!
• Large free access to treasure trove of content available on the Singular Sound Forum
  o Access 10 years of user generated DRM files
• Edit all of the content quickly using the BeatBuddy Manager Online application
  o Tweak or create your own drum sets starting with our own library of sounds or import your own!

What it isn’t

• This is not a sequencer plugin, it can only play MIDI notes that are fed to it by a MIDI track or by using a MIDI pad/keyboard to trigger the instruments.
• The MIDI/pad must be connected to your computer and be read by your DAW to work
• This is not a standalone app, you must use a DAW to load it

Supported Formats
The BeatBuddy plugin can be found as:

• VST3
  o VST3i in Reaper
• AU
• AAX
  This version was built and tested for:
• Mac ARM (M1, M2, M3), MAC Intel (Sonoma [14.3.1] and Catalina [10.15.7]), Windows 10 and 11
• Ableton 11, Ableton 12, Reaper, Pro Tools, and Logic
  o BeatBuddy Plugin sometimes does not show as a VST3i when using Reaper on ARM Macs (M1, M2, M3, etc), this is a Reaper bug.

Anatomy

1. BeatBuddy Icon – Shows playing versus idle states, no other audio or interactive function
2. The Master Channel – This has the master controls for the plugin, affecting all instruments identically
3. Master Fader – Controls the master output level of the drum set, add up to +4dB of gain
4. Master Meter – Peak/Avg digital meter that measures the master output level of the BeatBuddy plugin
5. Master Mute – Mutes the entire plugin
6.  Select Drum Set Directory – Chooses the folder that will house the drum set files (.drm)
7. Drum Selector – Chooses the drum set from the list of folders found in your Drum Set Directory folder using a dropdown.ent ID – Instrument name and note name
8. Collapse/Open Mixer button – Opens/collapses the mixer
9. The Mixer – A collection of all the instruments inside the Drum Set separated into individual channels that can be set and edited independently. An ‘instrument’ refers to the group of samples meant to be played by one specific note on the keyboard/midi file.
10. Instrument ID – Instrument name and note name
11. Instrument Fader – Sets the volume of the instrument. No gain can be added, only removed.
12. Instrument Meter – Peak/Avg digital meter that measures the output level of an individual instrument plugin
13. One-shot button – Plays the instrument one time at value 100 velocity, good for checking audio and testing that the plugin is set up in DAW correctly.
14. Mute – Mutes the individual instrument. More than one instrument can be muted at once, if an instrument is both muted and soloed it will not be heard.
15. Solo – Soloes the individual instrument. More than one instrument can be soloed at once, if an instrument is both muted and soloed it will not be heard.
16. Master Fader Gain – Shows the master fader’s gain level which is set by moving the master fader
17. Master Output Level – Shows the master output level in dB(FS)
18. Track Fader Gain – Shows the track fader’s gain level which is set by moving the Master Fader
19. Track Output Level – Shows the track’s output level in dB(FS)

Afterword
This BeatBuddy Plugin is a way to easily produce using the BeatBuddy audio engine without the added noise of using cables, no need to add any gain to reach pro level, plus instant conversion to all supported sample rates and bit rates. Not to mention easy conversion to an audio file in your DAW.
Using the BeatBuddy plugin alongside an editor, you can hear back your edits while you’re working on your midi files in a much more powerful ecosystem. No more guessing about what your DRM is going to sound like or having to export and re-import after plugging your SD back into the BeatBuddy. Now you can do it all on your computer seamlessly by going back and forth on the plugin and to the drum editor. You can mix the sounds, adjust them and even load them back into the BeatBuddy DRM using the editor. You can even load that DRM back in the BeatBuddy plugin again. An endless cycle of creativity. Enjoy your new favorite drum plugin!
Changelog
0.0.9 Changelog

• Added AAX and AU Support
• Added logo and branding to plugin design
• Added display for peak volumes and fader levels
• Allowed for vertical resizing and scrolling for smaller monitors and resolutions
• Added default configuration for Ableton Live 12

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed bug where instrument list could not handle all 128 MIDI notes
• Fixed crash when multiple plugin instances were open at the same time
• Fixed issue where drumset changes would affect other plugin instances
• Fixed Windows (PC) issue where files and folders would not display when browsing for drumsets
  Known Bug:
• The Plugin AU version crashes on Catalina if using Ableton 11, just use the VST3 instead

Documents / Resources

SINGULAR SOUND BeatBuddy BETA Plugin [pdf] User Guide BeatBuddy BETA Plugin, BETA Plugin, Plugin

References

• User Manual