Singular Sound BeatBuddy Mini 2 Drum Machine Pedal: A Review

I’ve never been much of a pedal person, at least not until 2019 — when I finally secured enough of a collection to warrant a pedal board. Unsurprisingly, I’ve never been much of a metronome fan either (though I know it’s good for me). But when I first laid eyes on the Singular Sound BeatBuddy Mini 2 Drum Machine Pedal, I had a hunch I’d stumbled onto something special – a small pedal with wide variety of beats that would be much more fun to play to than a metronome. So I casually mentioned the pedal to my husband when he asked what I wanted for Christmas.

While my friend Nick, a drummer in my band, reminded me could search up beats on the Internet, I loved the idea of stomping – not searching. I already spend enough time with screens.  

In a nutshell, it blew me away.  

WHAT I LOVE THE MOST

Pre-loaded with nine drum kits, 24 genres, and 200+ styles of beats sampled from professional drummers, the BeatBuddy Mini 2 is more than a step up from a metronome. Yet it’s so easy to use, I didn’t need the instructions.

The pedal delivers on its promise of “16-bit sound” that can be pumped through any sound system or amplifier – including my beloved Fishman and Fender amps. What that means: I can turn the setting to “metal” and it sounds so metal – I just need to turn up the volume of the amp and the pedal! It comes with a power adapter, too, which is awesome.

Notably, the BeatBuddy Mini 2 Drum Machine Pedal is the slightly pared-down, $149 version of the full-size BeatBuddy Drum Machine Pedal, which retails for $349. I appreciated having the starter option because I get overwhelmed by lots of controls and knobs.

[SEE RELATED: ORANGE CRUSH MINI 3-WATT MICRO AMP: A REVIEW]

WHAT I LOVED LESS

It’s hard to find any faults with the Mini 2. It’s fun to play with, easy to use, and equipped with a built-in visual metronome. As one Sweetwater reviewer pointed out, knowing when and how to use the fills and transition from verse to chorus takes practice. That’s no different than using a looper pedal, however.

The only other slight “issue” was with the online sound library. I tested two songs, and while the drum track for “Seven Nation Army” aligns perfectly with that song’s chords, the drum setting paired with “A Boy Named Sue” didn’t sound right. I cover this tune a lot, so perhaps I’ll need to speed up the tempo.

WOULD I BUY AGAIN?

Though this pedal was a gift, I’d buy this again in a heartbeat! It’s way easier to figure out than my Ditto Looper pedal. I’ve only had it for a few weeks, but I’m already using it to write songs in a different way — I hope to post some of those videos very soon!

Marisa Torrieri Bloom is the editor and founder of Rockmommy.