When we first tested out Singular Sound’s original BeatBuddy, we were really impressed with the product and had a lot of fun with it. So when presented with the chance to review its baby brother, the BeatBuddy Mini, we were interested to see what Singular Sound was offering with its new pedal at such a dramatically reduced price.

The BeatBuddy Mini is a reliable drummer that you can strap to your pedal rack—it will never miss a beat (or rehearsal), and like its older brother, it gives you real-time control of the beat, allowing you to insert fills, transition from verse to chorus and back again, bring in accents and breaks, and more, all with the tap of your foot. There is a built-in metronome to help you keep time and improve your rhythm, and it is still compatible with the original BeatBuddy Footswitch.

At 4.4 x 2.3 x 1.3 inches, it is definitely smaller than the original BeatBuddy’s 3.7 x 6.2 x 2.5 inches. Naturally, you do lose some of the elements that made the original BeatBuddy unique: for example, you can’t download additional content, it is not compatible with USB, and there is no SD card or MIDI Sync. There is not a headphone jack either. There are still plenty of options regarding songs and genres (100 songs in 21 genres), but this is definitely less than the original BeatBuddy’s 200 songs, and there are now only two fills per song. The sound has also been reduced from 24-bit resolution stereo sound to 16-bit mono sound and the visual display is now monochrome instead of full colour.

All in all, we found the BeatBuddy Mini to be a much simpler machine, focusing on playing along with a drum beat without overcomplicating things. Although the functions are reduced, this does not reduce the enjoyment and the more simplistic setup, and the affordable price is sure to make it even more appealing than the original.

The only thing really lacking was the ability to add additional songs. Without the option of expanding, the BeatBuddy Mini becomes a bit limited, but for the low price and awesome remaining functions, we are willing to be forgiving and accept it into our instrumental accessories flock with open arms.  RRP $149

For Latest Price Click Below

Buy now

4.3 out of 5

Pros

High quality 16-bit sound

100 songs included

Give you real time control over the beat

Good value for money

Cons

Not compatible with USB, SD cards, MIDI or headphones

No upgrade or additional information options

For more information, please visit www.mybeatbuddy.com