Operation Manual

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10. THE BEATKEEPER™ - The Beatkeeper™ automatically tracks beats based upon a combination of
frequencies and rhythm patterns in the music. It shows BPM in the display and outputs 4-count (a.k.a.
one measure) information about the music in a marching bar graph. The left bar represents the beat of
the music playing on the left (deck A), while the right bar represents the beat of the music playing on
the right (deck B). The middle bar will light up blue when the downbeats of the music playing on both
decks occur at the same time. However, please note that in order for the two songs to mix well
together, the downbeats should not only line up now and then, but should occur simultaneously over a
continuous period of time.
The Bar Graph: Most dance music and rock is set up in 4 beat increments called
measures. The bottom LED represents the 1
st
beat or “Down Beat”. Occasionally this
may not be correct or you may wish to reset it. To reset the downbeat on either deck
simply tap the TAP button at the new downbeat location as the music is playing or while
paused.
DECK CONTROLS (A AND B)
The DDS features two independent decks.
These decks are used for controlling
playback. The two decks feature identical
controls, so we will use Deck A as our
example (shown on the right).
The controls for each deck are as follows:
1. PLAY/STUTTER – Pressing this button
starts the music loaded on the
corresponding deck. A cue point is set
at the current position and the music
begins playing. Pressing this button
while the unit is playing will restart the
song from the cue point, which can be
used to create a "stutter" effect.
Please note: The DDS uses instant
start for tracks with silent or near-silent
lead-ins. Such tracks automatically cue
to the start of the audio passage when
loaded to a deck. You can search or
freewheel back into the silent passage if
you wish to do so.
2. PAUSE – Stops the music playing on the corresponding deck. If you press and hold the PAUSE button
down for 1 second while paused, you will go back to the beginning of the track.
3. CUE – Returns and pauses the music at the last set Cue Point. The Cue Point is the last place where
PLAY/STUTTER was pressed or the start of the track, if it has not yet been pressed. You can audition
the music, starting at the Cue Point, by pressing and holding down the CUE button again – the music
will play for as long as the button is held down and once the button is released, will jump back and
pause at the Cue Point. You can also easily edit the cue point by spinning the jog wheel to a new
position while paused. As you spin the jog wheel, the music will sound. By stopping the jog wheel and
pressing PLAY, a new Cue Point is set.
Rotate to new cue point
Press
“PAUSE” Press “PLAY/STUTTER” Press “CUE”
Returns and pauses at new Cue Point
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