Feel The Beat
digitalDrummer|August 2017

In search of a drummer-friendly metronome, Allan Leibowitz gets a feel for a new innovation.

Allan Leibowitz
Feel The Beat

WHILE MANY MODULES have built-in metronomes, these aren’t always easy to use. Nor is a click track necessarily the best approach for all drummers.

Enter Soundbrenner, a wearable smart device that uses vibrations instead of the traditional clicks and sounds.

The device, a successful graduate of the Indiegogo crowd funding platform, made its debut at NAMM last year and is already getting into the hands, or more literally, onto the wrists of some big-name drummers, including a few who have been profiled in digitalDrummer.

The theory is that it’s easier to feel the beat than to hear it while you’re playing. But before we get into that, let’s examine what you get for your $99 with Soundbrenner.

What’s in the box

The Soundbrenner solution consists of a hardware and software package. The hardware, the Soundbrenner Pulse, is like an oversized electronic wristwatch. The Pulse currently ships with a charger unit and a choice of two straps – one for your wrist and the other being a larger strap for use on your forearm, for example. In theory, you could use the hardware as a stand-alone. You can initiate a 4/4 beat by tapping the Pulse three times and then increasing or reducing the tempo with the outer wheel. Simply double-tap to stop or start.

But the companion app, The Metronome by Soundbrenner, really takes the solution to the next level.

Esta historia es de la edición August 2017 de digitalDrummer.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición August 2017 de digitalDrummer.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE DIGITALDRUMMERVer todo
Where There's A Will
digitalDrummer

Where There's A Will

Living Colour drummer Will Calhoun has been widely recognised with accolades like the Buddy Rich Jazz Masters Award to top ratings from major drumming and music publications. This drummers’ drummer embraces electronics as he continues to broaden his musical horizons. He spoke to digitalDrummer editor Allan Leibowitz on a recent tour Down Under.

time-read
9 minutos  |
August 2017
Feel The Beat
digitalDrummer

Feel The Beat

In search of a drummer-friendly metronome, Allan Leibowitz gets a feel for a new innovation.

time-read
4 minutos  |
August 2017
My Monster Kit
digitalDrummer

My Monster Kit

Bobby James from Vancouver, BC, Canada has combined e-drums and DJ gear into his monster kit.

time-read
1 min  |
August 2017
Simmons Pulls The Trigger
digitalDrummer

Simmons Pulls The Trigger

There are plenty of options for external triggers, and now there’s one more. digitalDrummer looks at the new Simmons ST1.

time-read
5 minutos  |
November 2017
Head 2 Head - The Third Wave
digitalDrummer

Head 2 Head - The Third Wave

digitalDrummer continues to put mesh heads under the microscope in our ongoing quest for the quietest, best-feeling playing surface. This month, we add four more tests to our growing catalogue.

time-read
2 minutos  |
November 2017
To Midi Or Not
digitalDrummer

To Midi Or Not

Is MIDI drumming still drumming, or is it removed from the art and skill of percussion? This is something Bill McCarthy has been pondering.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2017
10 Things To Love About SD3
digitalDrummer

10 Things To Love About SD3

Last month’s release of Superior Drummer 3 may be a bit overdue, but was certainly worth the wait. Here are some of the features which make this VST offering a new benchmark.

time-read
3 minutos  |
November 2017
A Bad Case Of Loving E-drums
digitalDrummer

A Bad Case Of Loving E-drums

digitalDrummer’s first edition back in 2010 detailed a case of GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). That was nothing compared to Anthony Nalli’s affliction.

time-read
4 minutos  |
November 2017
digitalDrummer

The 'Original' Simmons Returns

Simmons is back again, with a new kit and a new direction.

time-read
2 minutos  |
August 2017
digitalDrummer

Advanced Trigger Variants

ATV’s long-awaited pad, cymbal and hardware pack is now shipping, giving the fledgling e-drum company a complete offering. Allan Leibowitz tested the aDrums artist kit.

time-read
7 minutos  |
February 2018