Review: Peterson BodyBeat BB-1 Pulsing Metronome
I am very impressed with the concept behind this particular metronome and felt that it deserved a little discussion here on our website. This is not your ordinary metronome.
Sure, it has plenty of standard features that I am sure you are already used to, such as very simple controls and accurate tones. Peterson's BodyBeat emits a vibrating pulse which will allow you to "feel" the beat through a handy clip. While this might sound pretty boring, it is far from that. (review continued below...)
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I am used to playing my guitar and amp at loud volumes, however, when practicing to a beat, I would have to reduce the volume in order to hear the faithful click of the metronome.
Not anymore.
By using vibrations, I can jam out at any volume and stay in time by relying on the vibration. This will work wonders for drummers, who often have a very hard time following a click while playing at loud volumes.
Additionally, this technology will do wonders in the recording studio, where high volumes are the norm while recording. All in all, I am pretty anxious to get my hands on the BodyBeat BB-1 Pulsing Metronome and give Peterson extra points for originality.
Peterson BodyBeat BB-1 Pulsing Metronome Specifications:
- Dimensions: 3.78 (96mm) x 2.84 (72mm) x 1.21 (30.6mm)
- Weight: 0.3lbs / 136g
- Power: Single 9V Battery
- Limited Warranty: 1 Year From Date Of Purchase
- US Patent #'s 7,268,290, 7,285,101
Peterson BodyBeat BB-1 Pulsing Metronome Features:
- Feel the beat from the vibration clip.
- Internalize the accent and subdivisions.
- Suitable for all musicians.
- Audible and visual modes included.
- A440 reference tone is also featured.
Nice Article! Thanx…
My expectations were really high and as soon as this little gadget was available I ordered it for the same reasons you mentioned above: practicing with a loud amp or playing the drums with a metronome was always a problem if you are not interested in killing your hear ability with a nasty headphone-clip.
So I waited for rhythmical salvation delivered by Peterson.
And I REALLY was disappointed:
- The Vibration Clip must be belted really tight to your body! If you just clip it under your sleeve or on your collar etc., as advised in the manual, the impulse delivered by the Clip is VERY imprecise. That´s because of the range that a slightly close collar will allow the clip to vibrate. I tried wristbrands and chest straps on several postions, because of the fact that neuronal impulses are transmitted the fastest on your backbone – but always with lacking success… No tight rhythmic information, just a wishy-washy vibration!!! The unclearance of the beat is only raised by using the beat-accents or the subdivisions…
- Another problem: if you play really loud, the sound from your amp produces at a point mechanical vibration in your own body that REALLY struggles with the impulsing Vibration Clip. After a few minutes of playing, you get completely lost in confusion, even if you play through a VERY well known tune…
- I finally tried it to do my practicing schedule with the Vibration Clip really tight belted on my wrist with delivered an acceptable transfer of the beats. After working more than an hour with the BodyBeat I really freaked out: the monotonous impulse (even set at different tempi) was like a voodo drum that beams me into a trance-like, but VERY uncomfortable state where no concentration or focused practicing was possible anymore!!! I needed more than three hours to regenerate from that beggary…
- Used without the revolutionary VibeClip the Peterson BodyBeat isn´t worth the money: every low-cost metronome can do the same – a silent and annoying click-sound, poor subdivision features, standard tempo-range from 40-216bpm and a not modifiable 440Hz tuning note put all together in a cheap plastic shell…
Hopes were high and the disappointment was even higher… Sorry for that!!!
I hate to desillusion you: the BodyBeat features a really revolutional IDEA – but when it comes down to it the realization failed… There are definitely more wise ways to spend your hard earned money!!!
May The Groove Be With You!!!
The Allmighty Guru
Addenum:
“Imprecise Vibration” means, that the impulse given by the VibeClip is to long (around 100ms) and its attack is too indifferent: you never know exactly if you are ON the beat or not cause you never FEEL it exactly… A slight movement that shifts the BodyBeat a little bit and everything feels completely different!
For a basic rhythmic orientation the BodyBeat might be okay, but I play a lot of studio jobs and with the habitual use of loops and sequencers in modern productions the difference between good or bad timing is obviously heard by the difference of 10 milliseconds!!! And getting your groove in shape in such microtimic dimensions is absolutely not possible with that Peterson Tool!!!
Practicing with a precise, dry metronome click is shurely a more suitable way of getting an exact feedback of your rhythmic ability by ear…
Sad but true!
By the way: After three days of extensive testing the BodyBeat I´ve sent it back to my trader … For the money I bought a weaving loom! It makes me groove more than the BodyBeat!
The Allmighty Guru