Soundbrenner Pulse Review
As you know, hearing loss is almost ubiquitous amongst drummers. Check out my article in DRUM! Magazine and/or download a PDF from Anatomy of Drumming for more an hearing loss. One of the sneakier causes of hearing loss is the constant click of a metronome. The constant click adds wear and tear on your ears – especially when you start raising the volume of the click to hear it better over the loud drums. This is where the Soundbrenner Pulse comes in. Soundbrenner has made a metronome that vibrates instead of clicks. They sent me one to try out and review.
Originally designed to strap around your wrist like a watch, Soundbrenner now provides a longer strap so you can put it around your upper arm or leg as well. They also sell a super long one that allows you to strap it to your chest. You can control the click directly from the watch with tap functions and by turning a dial to adjust the click, or through a handy app for your phone.
It took me about two days to get used to. At first, I was absolutely terrible. I made my peace with the click a few years back, and now I enjoy using it. However, the just couldn’t find a balance using the Soundbrenner at first. I was chasing it all over, worse than I can ever remember being. Discouraged, I set it down after a few minutes, and came back the next day, and had the same results.
Two days later was a totally different story. Somehow I’d figured out how to feel the buzz as a musical pulse overnight, and when I tried it the third day it was easy and natural. Not only that, but I felt like it was actually easier to use the Soundbrenner than it was a traditional click. It seemed to me that feeling for the pulse on my wrist.I really love this because, well, I haven’t used a metronome much in a while. Instead, I’ll program in a syncopated line into a step sequencer, and play along to it. This provides a level of customization that a metronome will never match, as I can select what rhythms to put in to support whatever it is I’m working on, and because I prefer to just feel the implied pulse instead of a constant, unpleasant click. The Soundbrenner helps to provide that feeling. I’m glad I stuck with it because now I totally dig it. I can honestly say it is a joy to use. It beats a traditional click, hands down.
There are only two drawbacks. First, it is slightly more awkward to use than a traditional quartz metronome, with the easy, labelled dial. The Soundbrenner works just fine, and the app is easy, but the Pulse itself somehow doesn’t display the tempo, so it is hard to know exactly what tempo you are at without using the app. The second drawback is that it is harder to hear whether something is ahead or behind the beat. However, if I’m trying to hear the placement of a note, I know I’m in trouble. It is something that I should feel instead, and that brings me back the the second best thing about the Soundbrenner: that it supports a musical frame of mind by requiring that you feel for the time instead of listen to it. The best thing, though, is the reason for its existence: it saves your ears and as a musician, they need as much saving as they can get.
Soundbrenner Pulse
As you know, hearing loss is almost ubiquitous amongst drummers. Check out my article in DRUM! Magazine and/or download a PDF from Anatomy of Drumming for more an hearing loss. One of the sneakier causes of hearing loss is the constant click of a metronome. The constant click adds wear and tear on your ears – especially when you start raising the volume of the click to hear it better over the loud drums. This is where the Soundbrenner Pulse comes in. Soundbrenner has made a metronome that vibrates instead of clicks. They sent me one to try out and review.
Originally designed to strap around your wrist like a watch, Soundbrenner now provides a longer strap so you can put it around your upper arm or leg as well. They also sell a super long one that allows you to strap it to your chest. You can control the click directly from the watch with tap functions and by turning a dial to adjust the click, or through a handy app for your phone.
It took me about two days to get used to. At first, I was absolutely terrible. I made my peace with the click a few years back, and now I enjoy using it. However, the just couldn’t find a balance using the Soundbrenner at first. I was chasing it all over, worse than I can ever remember being. Discouraged, I set it down after a few minutes, and came back the next day, and had the same results.
Two days later was a totally different story. Somehow I’d figured out how to feel the buzz as a musical pulse overnight, and when I tried it the third day it was easy and natural. Not only that, but I felt like it was actually easier to use the Soundbrenner than it was a traditional click. It seemed to me that feeling for the pulse on my wrist.I really love this because, well, I haven’t used a metronome much in a while. Instead, I’ll program in a syncopated line into a step sequencer, and play along to it. This provides a level of customization that a metronome will never match, as I can select what rhythms to put in to support whatever it is I’m working on, and because I prefer to just feel the implied pulse instead of a constant, unpleasant click. The Soundbrenner helps to provide that feeling. I’m glad I stuck with it because now I totally dig it. I can honestly say it is a joy to use. It beats a traditional click, hands down.
There are only two drawbacks. First, it is slightly more awkward to use than a traditional quartz metronome, with the easy, labelled dial. The Soundbrenner works just fine, and the app is easy, but the Pulse itself somehow doesn’t display the tempo, so it is hard to know exactly what tempo you are at without using the app. The second drawback is that it is harder to hear whether something is ahead or behind the beat. However, if I’m trying to hear the placement of a note, I know I’m in trouble. It is something that I should feel instead, and that brings me back the the second best thing about the Soundbrenner: that it supports a musical frame of mind by requiring that you feel for the time instead of listen to it. The best thing, though, is the reason for its existence: it saves your ears and as a musician, they need as much saving as they can get.
The Soundbrenner Pulse wearable metronome saves the ears and promotes a musical mindset.
The Soundbrenner Pulse wearable metronome saves the ears and promotes a musical mindset.
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