Count Bassy Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Having broken my vow of silence (I lasted three months) I thought I might as well pick the collective brains of Bass Chat. I have a Tascam Bass Trainer (MP-BT1), which is great, but it doesn't have any sort of drum machine beyond a basic metronome (useful but dull). I'm therefore on the look out for something which includes a drum machine/patterns. Doesn't need to be too sophisticated or programmable, just needs to knock out a range of basic patterns, but does need to portable and operate without a PC. Sort of thing I'm looking for is the Korg Pandora, or other manufacturer's equivalents. Most of these seem to have no/very limited MP3 'play along facility (as per the Tascam) so I'd probably end up with two devices in my case! I don't really need to record anything, and have little use for effects. Also, regarding the Pandora, I can still get a Pandora 4 for £99, whereas the '5' is more like £190. Obviously the 5 does more, but is it worth almost twice as much? Should I be considering the Pandora Micro? Anyone out there got any experience of such things and able to give me words of wisdom? Thanks in advance, Clive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 iPhone? There's many apps for it that have stonking sounds. if you don't need midi, then could be what you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 [quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1320016904' post='1421414'] iPhone? There's many apps for it that have stonking sounds. if you don't need midi, then could be what you need. [/quote] Thanks for the prompt reply. I don't have an I phone, or know anything about them. Could I plug then bass in and have the drums and bass in the headphones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Something like iRig would allow you to do this. Can be an iPod Touch or an iPhone. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J2Jp2nhTdM&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLAE7BD36A231CC649 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzbass2000 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 DrumTrack8 for the iphone or ipod touch is pretty neat. You can programme basic beats and you get a bunch of different kit sounds - playback is via the iphone or the ipod. The other one i use on a PC (but it's pretty basic looking by todays standards... think of a big spreadsheet) is Drumsite, which will let you programme beats and songs. The free one won't let you store the track you've built, but the paid for one does... and then you output the track to a wav or mp3 and playback using an mp3 player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 [quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1320017525' post='1421423'] Thanks for the prompt reply. I don't have an I phone, or know anything about them. Could I plug then bass in and have the drums and bass in the headphones? [/quote] If you had a iPhone then a iRig would be the way to go but IMO its a bit over the top to buy a iPhone just for this. Owning both a Pandora 4 and a iPhone 4 (with the iRig adaptor) i find the iPhone a bit of a pain for serious practising. There are some very good apps for it, way beyond what the PX4D offers but IME the PX4D is a more solid practice tool. If you have a ipod or mp3 player that plugs straight in and you can play along with it it. You can slow or speed up the mp3's if needed, although the quality suffers quite a bit if you go too far. I've not used the rhythm section much but it does sound like its what your looking for. You can chain patterns together, add fills etc. What you cant do is create your own patterns. The mini looks to be a better option than the PX4D, i was going to replace my PX4D with one a while ago but then i realised i hardly use what i have (sorry, not for sale as it does come in handy). Im happy to lend it to you for a week or so if you wanted to check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 I agree with Dave, unless you're wanting an iPhone, iPad or iPod then something like the Pandora may suit you better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 Thanks for your thoughts so far chaps. Just come across the Tascam GTR1. Seems to be like a MB-BT1, but with a basic drum machine built in as well (and recording and other stuff I don't specifically need), for around £160. Has anybody any experience of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 No experience with that although i have seen it mentioned a few times. There have been a few threads similar to this, might be worth doing a search and see what others use/think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBboy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Something like a Zoom MRS-8 would be great but I think they cost a bit more. Not only is it an 8-track recorder, but it's got a fully programmable drum machine built in with proper pads (like an Alesis SR16 type of thing). It's got effects and all built in too. Not as small as the Pandora I think, but still very portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 31, 2011 Author Share Posted October 31, 2011 (edited) [quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1320063399' post='1421688'] No experience with that although i have seen it mentioned a few times. There have been a few threads similar to this, might be worth doing a search and see what others use/think. [/quote] Dave, I've just done that search and find that I was asking the same question 3 years ago!, when I ended up buying the MP-BT1. The GTR1 was around then it seems, but was £265 at the time - twice the price of the MP-BT1. The GTR-1 can now be got for £160 via Amazon! Clive Edited to say - actually £190 seems to be more typical for the GTR-1, though some are on Amazon at £160 Edited October 31, 2011 by Count Bassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 [quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1320065861' post='1421741'] Dave, I've just done that search and find that I was asking the same question 3 years ago!, when I ended up buying the MP-BT1. The GTR1 was around then it seems, but was £265 at the time - twice the price of the MP-BT1. The GTR-1 can now be got for £160 via Amazon! Clive [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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