Bad Gear - The Notorious Beat Thang

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/ audiopilz
Chapters:
00:00 Intro tune
01:29 The Notorious Beat Thang
03:06 Overview
06:10 Hate
06:31 Jam 1
07:22 Jam 2
08:19 Finale
08:52 Verdict
Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about Beat Kangz Beat Thang. Is this mysterious sampling groove box and design masterpiece the long-awaited Akai MPC Killer???

[@AudioPilz]

Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel* Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz

[@sokkpupptz]

😆😆 thanks @jovanka probably slightly more 'almost sexual' than whatever the simpson dudes were looking at and this hunk of junk xx

[@Schwa_Iska]

This was truly a gift. Thank you! I remember that marketing and it was... something.

[@jaymakak]

Does anyone know where to get the o.s. or firmware to get one of these working(PC, not Mac)? Mine won't boot after a system reset.

[@AudioPilz]

@Polo Polo close;) Austrian born and raised...

[@fredscallietsoundman9701]

I'm in.

[@badloop]

Only time I have seen this device actually in use, was in LA and a homeless man was making music on this thing in an alley, I'm not even kidding. Apparently the battery was quite good on it.

[@AudioPilz]

Wow! The one in mine still holds for 3 h

[@lolatu4402]

LMAO

[@NegativeReferral]

@@AudioPilz I wish I could say the same about my iPad from 2014

[@nuckelanmainsack4419]

Ahh I see the backstory of hustle and flow

[@leewightman8619]

Should have bought it of him

[@menhirmike]

This thing looks like it should've been part of every single pimp my ride car if it was released 10 years prior.

[@AudioPilz]

I want a low rider with this thing on the dashboard

[@charliebanga1560]

🤣😂🤣👌🏼

[@apoclypse]

Interestingly they planned to released grillz you could buy for the device. Yeah that was a thing.

[@PHeMoX]

@@apoclypse Yes, true fact. I remember that.

[@Aeduo]

If it was made 5 years later, those LEDs would be fully programmable RGB, but require an app that only works in windows 7 to disable its default rainbow mode.

[@AudioPilz]

😂😂😂

[@kevinwhite6176]

hey, my new logitech keyboard has a mac control app! I'm actually a bit shocked, since Corsair does not have a Mac control app for that.

[@RodBeauvex]

I see you too bought a cheap keyboard from Wal-Mart.

[@Aeduo]

@@kevinwhite6176 I use Linux so I had to program my own keyboard control app. :D

[@MrTableDesk]

I've got a theory that the more dated a device's patches sound, the more likely that it's going to pop off 30 years later.

[@AudioPilz]

A sample pack of it would be enough;)

[@samyar]

I agree with this theory.. 30 years exact

[@scurvyswine]

Same with clothes

[@samyar]

@@scurvyswine that was my first clue...how in the 90s..everyone was obcessed with the 60s..then in the 90s ..70s pants came back...2010s..80s got fashionable

[@ccricers]

I remember around 2005 buying a Korg DW-8000 for cheap and it arrived DOA. Now they're even more expensive to find because of the synthwave craze.

[@brianrainsfordmarshall2692]

I really admire the Beat Thang crew, they were nobodies who just went for it and didn't quite get there.

[@AudioPilz]

Same here. Big respect!!!

[@Diddddu]

@@AudioPilz Could of been a solid unit it did. What Akai and NI is doing now with the software hybrid the beat thang also does where it becomes a full controller for the software.

[@ferguswaveforms]

Yeah they were really ambitious and ahead of their time in many ways. It looks like it was pushing the tech of the day to absolute limits. I wonder where the Beat Kangs are now??

[@0e0]

i followed that story so closely at the time...it was awesome to watch it unfold

[@brianrainsfordmarshall2692]

@@ferguswaveforms I think a couple of them are still in the industry in some capacity. I know one of them is working with iCon Pro Audio. Also, as far as I can tell, one of them may be serving time for murdering their boyfriend. 😱

[@bsmith4185]

i saw one of these in a used electronics store labelled "As Seen on Bad Gear" and that alone made me probably more tempted than i should have been to get it

[@TheOnlyCathyCat]

They put mid-2000's rap cliches into a box and wondered why no one really wanted it.

[@AudioPilz]

Well, I wanted it;)

[@rorz999]

You could say the same about the Akai XR-20, but people still bought that!

[@auxbergine3249]

Bro I remember the Beat Thang at the 2009 NAMM... My friend David and I were laughing at the name so hard, and they had all these "expo girls" walking around with Beat Thang men's t-shirts on, I literally went to every single one of those girls and begged for a shirt, and was rejected... Then at the very last minute, we were leaving the booth and I hear this lady yell at me, "Ey!!!" And she gave me a Beat Thang t-shirt. It was hella big though, I think it ended up in the Salvation Army

[@AudioPilz]

Damn, I want a Beat Thang shirt!!!

[@Hainbach]

Thanks for covering this! I had almost forgotten it existed.

[@AudioPilz]

Not sure if it was meant to be rediscovered;)

[@DocBolus]

Can't tell if that was sarcasm!!!

[@mattb154]

What a blast from the past! I remember reading about this Thang way back. Honestly, just from a tech startup point of view, they managed to not only get actual units built and released, but even turn out a pretty legit product. That's better than 95% of tech concepts.

[@AudioPilz]

Agreed! Not bad in acquiring capital too;)

[@gammaphonic]

My god, I remember a sales rep coming into our store to try to get us to stock this. He was trying his best, bless him.

[@AudioPilz]

I assume you stock piled a bunch;)

[@Dante1981Music]

What an amazing piece of early 2000s PC stuffed into a TRON-esque box. Wow. So glad you were able to get a hold of one.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, that was quite a challenge...

[@eugenecanady5452]

@@AudioPilz i found a VST version last year and have played around with that a bit. might be easier for some folks.

[@orchestratedpassage9468]

Should have been Sam or Kevin Flynn's breast plate

[@squeakD]

@@eugenecanady5452 Can you still get the VST version? I’d love to get it back.

[@vstpluginsonicxtc]

@@AudioPilz Great show as always! You have excellent skills and keep the episodes coming. I was at the NAMM show with Dave Smith (he was leaving the Reality software synth company [where I contracted to design some sound packs] and he was starting Dave Smiths Instruments in Northern California, Beat Thang was well received. But in my opinion industry insiders were not very supportive and the new company had immediate difficulty securing reliable supply chains for units to be sold (this explains the high cost for the time). They were planning on a newer version with independent outs, new software, etc. but could not make it work. To me it was a classic little fish up against barracudas and sharks.

[@GooWorldOrder]

I remember playing with this thing at guitar center as a tween, and even then being like "yeah something is off about this" lol

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, this thing is weird!!!

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

@@AudioPilz The name is the first clue :P

[@dylanleroysynth]

Wow this is pretty obscure. I’ve never seen this device before. Interesting design for sure. Looks like it designed by people who make gaming PC’s.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, it's got Alienware all over it

[@WarrenWortham]

I owned two of them. To be honest this could have been a true top of the food chain machine. It had disk streaming. Tons of storage capacity with instant access to your entire sound and sample library with zero Load time. The user interface to create simple patterns to complete songs was so easy that my children at ages 4 and 5 were creating on it albeit not great songs. Lol. The one but totally disastrous issue it had was instability. The units were incredibly buggy and I worked with the units creators to resolve the issues and some of them told me that they’d been deliberately sabotaged. I may still have some videos of myself and my kids creating on it. The companion app way back then was already doing what Akai and NI only recently begun. You could also control the hardware wirelessly from the Beat Thang app with an iPad. I had a video of that also that I will try and locate and upload.

[@zwicker5585]

I got so many ads for this when I wanted to first “how to make rap beats” ahahahs

[@zwicker5585]

@@WarrenWortham could you explain how they were sabotaging them?

[@WarrenWortham]

@@zwicker5585 From what some of the guys explained they started off with a Zoom and created a hip hop drum machine for that company which led to them developing their very own with backing financially from a real estate developer. From there i guess they attracted attention from some of the giants in the music tech industry but refused to sell their idea and attempted to stay independent. I guess signing over their property angered the financial backer and allegedly the backer cut a side deal to cut off the funding which led to them losing the development technicians, production process and etc… So when the os needed work to fix the constant crashes, freezes etc… they no longer had any funds to hire well versed techs to address the issues. What’s crazy is if they could have remained indie and funded to address the buggy os this company would have leaped frogged over all other competition and stood alone still. I’ve never experienced a product come out the gate in iteration 1 packed with every practical, advanced and future to come features yet simple and practical to use and loaded with so many very incredible samples and sounds.

[@Gluttonite]

Love how you made the DVD hit both corners!

[@AudioPilz]

OCD triggered;)

[@cooloutbeats]

Although I didn't work on it, I know two of the Beat Kang guys. I agree, the story of the BT would make a good documentary. Fun fact #1: I remember one of them saying they actually pitched a prototype to Akai, but they turned it down, fully aware they planned on incorporating many of the concepts and features into Akai products later. The Akai XR20 was the first example (blue neon LED styling, hip-hop oriented presets and patterns). Then of course having a sampling drum machine built around small computer with a color screen, built-in battery, USB midi, etc. sounds an awful like the newer MPCs. Fun fact #2: The Beat Thang runs on Linux and can actually load Linux audio plug-ins. At one point they have to remove stuff because they violated some freeware plugin developers by putting their code in a commercial product. Fun fact #3: It was never meant to be serious 'pro' audio gear. It looked over-the-top and gaudy from the beginning...and that was on purpose. They were trying to tap into the 'rich kid hobbyist' side of the market. That's why it was sold in a consumer electronic store like Best Buy. Trying do for hip-hop fans what Teenage Engineering did for hipsters (lol). For sure it didn't work, but when you look at it from that perspective, all the marketing and online beef kinda makes sense. They were trying to troll their way to success. I could go on and on, but none of this is really my story to tell.

[@Yotrymp]

Occam's Razor: they weren't trolling, they just made a garbage product and thought it was amazing (which is why it sold for way too much). They could have easily made it flashier, especially for such an insane price.

[@boombap6007]

I don't thnik Akai stolen or borrowed anyting, there's nothing on Beat Thang that wasn't on MPCs already and akai was doing bright LEDs way before 2010-11. I mean, I get why they would like to think that but, like, come on xD

[@Farmatique]

Hmm...this piece of gear is too expensive as a "musical toy from the consumer electronics store", imho

[@Yotrymp]

@@Farmatique Indeed. OP is just coping.

[@cooloutbeats]

@@boombap6007 Your timeline is way off. The BT was originally announced in 2009 and they pitched it to various manufacturers before getting investment money and starting their own company. I actually went to the release block party that year and saw some early run units. they had been working on it for years, The Akai XR20 was definitely ripped from those meetings and in concept very similar to what the Beat Thang developers had done with earlier with the Zoom Streetboxx.

[@uk_carnage]

The quote from Ian Macolm in Jurassic Park springs to mind... “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.” Great video as always 👍

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!! Wise words!!!

[@64north20west]

I've said it before. This dude does his homework. Period. No other instrument has a channel that goes the extra mile to diss stuff. Not accordions. Not tubas. No one else. They got a lot of catching up to do.

[@AudioPilz]

Word!!! (Thanks;)

[@DowntownDigitalUK]

Never allowed myself to dream about this one. Awesome bad gear find

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, that was quite a lucky find

[@AgonalRhythm]

Okay, but that intro tune sounds rad AF with this Also I need a super cut of every time you use a "tiiiiiime strrrrech"

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, we had two time stretches back to back;)

[@odiroot]

I can't get over how outdated it looks. It's like all late 90's/early 2000's boomboxes distilled into one device. At least it's sturdy!

[@AudioPilz]

You can't kill that thang;)

[@eddievanheinous666]

If it was glowing lime green it could have been a Roland box =D

[@patrikknoerr9777]

By "outdated" you mean "cool tron-ish".

[@rashodlewis2918]

I agree. The unit has a out of date look.

[@REAL6]

Outdated? It still looks cool as hell.

[@nowavecharles]

2006-2012 in a box is pretty wild when you say it out loud. It truly was a little moment though. Tons of Korg Triton-esque string sounds, strange virtual analog "retro 80s," synth leads and basses, rappers/MCs being featured on pop tracks in the equivalent of a bridge section, aggressive sidechaining, etc on everything. It's funny how when you're a silly 8 year old you dismiss it all but end up missing it as an adult lol. Great video once again!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@JaseOn]

The only synthtuber out there whos videos make me feel like what I own is just enough, thanks Pilz

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️

[@rorz999]

You finally did it! The Beat Thang! You absolute mad lad. Conceptually, I think this thing was ahead of its time, just a shame about the execution

[@AudioPilz]

I would really want one of these that was actually great;)

[@thedrummachinist7579]

This thing has a definite punchiness and presence to it that I was NOT EXPECTING. That you for being pertinacious enough to find one of these finally!

[@AudioPilz]

It definitely punches but leaves little room for further treatment

[@dumafuji]

Holy god. Classic bad gear episode. That banger track is sublime and the video edits were great. Truly legendary bad gear. That RZA video is also classic.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@flavanoid1525]

Exercising to your vids is where its at. Always gets me mad hype, never breaks my rhythm!

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!!! Happy to hear that!!!

[@johanblondelle]

That Blockbuster DVD segment at the end was absolutely EPIC :-)

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@PJXay]

Ah yes I love how the genres that you make up always some how go along with what you actually made

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@mrz80]

I need to put up a SmugMug gallery of all the screenshots of all the genres so that people can read and understand the magnificence of Bad Gear :D

[@paco_peor4771]

Omg! I was thinking about this machine the other day! And wondered if you would make a vid on it! 🤯🤯🤯🤯

[@AudioPilz]

It was about time!!!

[@theglurgle]

I only recently found this channel, this series is amazing! Your production quality and the consistency and effort of every video is criminally underrated! Should be so many more subs.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!! Working on it!!!

[@BurstupTV]

I own two of those and had a lot of fun with them, making dozens of tunes sitting in cafés, trains and parks. Compared to a modern device it now seems awkward to use, but back in 2012, the Beat Thang had many features that no other sampler offered, such as two SD card slots, USB, two headphone sockets etc. Underrated gear imho, but of course nowadays it makes more sense to go for an MPC Live II or SP-404 MkII.

[@AudioPilz]

The feature set was indeed impressive!

[@wighttoan]

I scored one for $260cad last winter and love the Thang. I'm using it for more downtempo, psuedo-industrial stuff like SCORN.

[@AudioPilz]

Certainly works great in these genres

[@herbwesley4625]

Want to sell your beat Thang

[@BxCx666]

Wow! I was always curious about this device! It was very promising on the launch, but soon suddenly vanished from everywhere and nobody seems to have it, so I've never had a chance to put my hands on it. Thanks for this episode.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@alexhooks1131]

Loved this video AudioPilz, I laughed the whole way through.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@sweetgoose64]

I've never seen a thumbnail and thought "what the fuck?" before. Edit: End track totally gave me windows xp cereal box CD ROM game vibes

[@AudioPilz]

Plenty of WTF with this one

[@jamesantoine4318]

great job keep it up you are the best may god bless you and your family

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@andreschato]

Loved today's finale! Always great videos!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@driescapon1273]

Another great vid! second jam slapped. Killing it Florian

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!!!

[@JakePalumbo]

So glad to see this monstrosity on here!! I was given a Beat Thang in December by one of my studio clients. I had heard the Bad Gear Legend of this machine for years. When I powered it on I was surprised at how easy it was to navigate & honestly FUN to make beats on. What is not fun however, is that I can't get more than 3-4 tracks into a pattern before the unit makes a stuttering dubstep sound & then shuts itself off LOL. I am told a firmware reinstall will fix the issue, but I have searched the internet far & wide & cannot find a valid download link for the Firmware yet. The search continues...

[@AudioPilz]

It's rather easy to use but you run into limitations so quickly. There's a link on archive.org

[@djldjldjl]

@@AudioPilz i have recently come into possession of one of these and this is not quite the case - it appears that the downloads on internet archive rely on a server to download additional data which is no longer available, unless i am mistaken

[@chadpescod-realtor3308]

You are many levels of awesome. Thank you for being alive. I saw a beat thang last year on kijiji for $400. I had to pass. Looked like a promising machine when it first came out but it was an unproven company and technology which made me and probably a lot of other buyers hesitant. Hard to compete with mpcs. I live in Toronto and have access to a huge used gear market. I've seen almost everything on kijiji and Facebook. If you want me to keep an eye out for anything let me know. I can ship it over to you.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!! Highly appreciated!!!

[@jeffblack8911]

You finally did it!! I’ve been waiting on this one. I think I may have commented on you doing this in the past! 👍

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@ThomasDotCodes]

Wow, what a blast from the past. I haven't even thought about this thing in such a long time. It is WAY smaller than I expected.

[@AudioPilz]

It's massive tho!!!

[@maxadocious]

OH MY GOD HE DID IT the Beat Thang!!!! this is gonna be hard to top for real very interesting to learn the history here. Fascinating; IMO it's unfortunate that it wasn't successful, would have been cool to have another company out there making bad gear.

[@AudioPilz]

The epitome of Bad Gear

[@HenryHearse]

Just grabbed one of these, it's actually a pretty fun machine!

[@DangerousDevilOfficial]

I actually own one of these. Still have the box, all the paperwork, everything. I also have the software version on one of my laptops still. The design of the physical unit is very, very good. Made of good, solid materials. The biggest issue on my book, is the name. It was never taken seriously because of the name. With a different name and some later revisions, this could have been a super awesome tool. I have no plan to ever get rid of mine. Which is still mint…

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, so much potential!!!

[@h2o1969]

WooHoo, it's FRIDAY!!! I think this thing looks Cool AF. Of course I love Tron. It would look great on my shelf, or on top of my gear rack at a show.

[@AudioPilz]

TGIF!!!

[@TheManInCommand]

I used to want one of these so bad. I used to have the software, but wanted the hardware. The creators were good guys, very approachable, and it was ahead of it's time without the proper backing to make develop it to it's full potential.

[@AudioPilz]

I would have loved to see a more finished version of it too!

[@quadcam24v]

I'd love to hear it with a set of soft, hipster samples loaded into it. Lo-Fi Thang Beats to relax/study to.

[@AudioPilz]

The sampling section is actually really powerful!!!

[@talideon]

I think this might be the first Bad Gear episode about a pair of trainers that somebody glued together and put in the box upside down.

[@AudioPilz]

The box is super sturdy tho

[@ChrisWickland]

I always love watching your videos. Great job. Keep em coming. Love the humour mixed with a technical overview of the product. You should do a spoof episode on a fisher price toy that would be ironically funny and entertaining 😄

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!! Have you seen the Casio Rapman episode?

[@scottstowinsky8712]

The RZA video with him making a beat with this thing made me so sad the first time I seen it…lol

[@AudioPilz]

I found it pretty funny. He obviously didn't give a damn

[@jaxager]

Y'all should check out Wuh Had Happened Was. The channel gives the history of synth gear and the guy that does the channel is cool as hell. He does a video on this Thang.

[@AudioPilz]

Love his channel!!!

[@jaxager]

And if anyone is doing a search, they should probably add the name of the channel which is Dyreck Productions... It'll make it a lot easier to find it.

[@cooptrol]

recommended!

[@oraz.]

that guy is the man

[@dkmu6]

I just saw a picture of this machine on my fb feed a few days ago. And you made this vdo!

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, that one's a weird piece of gear

[@melvindoctor3916]

you featured a couple pieces of gear that i own but for some reason i was compelled to comment about the BEAT THANG i had the software version. think i paid about $100 bucks...i havent used it in years, but i definitely made some hot joints on it....i loved the fact that i could import my drums into it...didnt realize the hardware version was so small, i thought it would be bigger....anyway...big ups from america ...im huge fan of the channel

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!!! I've yet to try the software version, got a "backup copy" here;)

[@josvelema2362]

I saw the 'jam' with RZA once , thought they were trolling. I have the streetboxx sb246 from zoom btw , also a good piece of bad gear to review I would say ;)

[@AudioPilz]

I'd love to have that Zoom thing but no one actually hates it;)

[@eddievanheinous666]

Googling this little box now - I'm intrigued

[@xisotopex]

@@AudioPilz people actually like it?

[@Lost_Dutchman]

@@AudioPilz SB-246 Streetboxx is good gear.

[@Lost_Dutchman]

@@AudioPilz Maybe you could do a good gear or a over-hyped gear episode? I'd surely like that!

[@artvandelay3282]

RZA's demo of this is a timeless classic

[@AudioPilz]

I'd rap to this;)

[@danieklerr]

I've been waiting for this for a while, actually. You've been saying you wanted to review a BeatThang for over a year now, and I've always wondered how the unit would stack up when used by someone without gold teeth. I'm glad I waited, with countless opportunities to pull the trigger. Cheers! Once again, great video.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@cloudwizard7694]

Thank you for making these videos, they are fun and educating.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@L0K3E]

The Beat Thang was the first stand alone sampler that I purchased. It’s not very stable, but still cool in it’s on way. I think that all of the current stand alone samplers took something from this machine and added on it. Like always, good video!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@cl1xor]

I was just about to say i see a lot of the BT features in the SP-16. Even the display looks kinda similar

[@L0K3E]

@@cl1xor Yea, I think so too. The SP-16, the Force (both of which I have), The Mpc Live series; seem to all have been inspired by the IN's/ OUTs and Storage ability of the Beat Thang. I am happy that I never sold it!

[@SirRigbyBaconKaiser]

To quote the Cenobite from Hellraiser: We have such sights (and sounds) to show you. As clearly this is, a working replica of the Lament Configuration.

[@AudioPilz]

It defo hurts af

[@ENZEEVIDS]

i always get a good larf from yer videos bro and nice choons as well!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@nexuzeb79]

I love Audiopilz on hangover, hillarious!

[@AudioPilz]

Cheers!!!

[@mokujinsan9946]

Wicked Show mate. I downloaded a free sample pack from their website. The samples banged, they made my MPC glow neon blue whenever I used them. 😉

[@AudioPilz]

My Digitakt needs no power supply when I use these samples;)

[@Niven42]

No. That's actually the Cesium making it glow blue. You should see a doctor. :(

[@GemmatheCat]

Shameful you don’t have 100K yet. Such quality content.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@elijaminwlc6079]

my god that train clip at 2:17 just instantly brought me back to early youtube, i still remember that video damm

[@AudioPilz]

Vintage memes;)

[@jaynocats6066]

"That was less fun..." Damn this guy is too funny and entertaining, just discovered this morning at 1am and now it's 4am, so I guess I'm addicted. Honesty is reviews is so rare....

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!!!

[@RCAVDH]

7:22 was awesome. Great show!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@ryanholmberg]

You must have been pretty stoked to get your hands on one of these for the show lol

[@AudioPilz]

Hot damn yes!!!

[@Boutsman]

At last! I was waiting for this one! Thanks

[@AudioPilz]

Same here! Thanks for watching!!!

[@the3mu606]

I definitely saw this particular beat thang listed on Reverb 😆 I'm glad you made a video

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️

[@SanplerVarondaro]

excelente video colega saludos desde tijuana

[@AudioPilz]

¡Gracias!

[@blindguitarfox]

When you're a producer but you're still trapped in the Matrix.

[@maxricemusic656]

8:53 THANK YOU FOR MAKING THE DVD VIDEO SYMBOL HIT THE CORNER. THAT WAS AMAZING!!!!

[@AudioPilz]

It needed to be done...

[@markgriffiths5122]

I didn't realise you had been in so many films before. I must watch closer in future.

[@AudioPilz]

My dark Hollywood past;)

[@tyburvandeezo8218]

Jam 2 is really good... it's my favorite thing you've made on this show

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!!!

[@atomicafro]

Finally some actual bad gear.

[@AudioPilz]

I hope it was worth the wait;)

[@Crabby303]

Wow I had never, ever heard of this thing before. Thanks for covering it :)

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@Temporalmixproductions]

I've literally been waiting for this video since I found this channel.

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️

[@ruffiankick]

shout out to everyone who sat thru the RZA's demo video for this thang back in the day LMAO!!!

[@AudioPilz]

I still think it was art

[@XHALE303]

Funny thing is as a gearfreak, i never heard of this thing or thang untill some 2years ago.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, it's super obscure

[@mechasartre3694]

This was the centre of discussion on MPC forums for a good while when I was shopping for what ended up being a 2000XL, best choice I’ve ever made.

[@AudioPilz]

Wise choice!!!

[@ghosty-_k497]

This was my primary beat machine, when I first started as a young’n and I made some bangers on it. I even had a beat website all produced with the beat thang. The first one I got came with malfunction so I had to send it back but they had a live Skype customer service anytime you needed help and once you got the hang of it you could really make some solid music

[@LouisSerieusement]

Damn, that really was a bad gear for once thanks !

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for watching!!!

[@K.KILLORAN]

The lower back tattoo line killed me. I almost spit my coffee out.

[@AudioPilz]

There's another term for it;)

[@blazrodic]

@@AudioPilz Tramp stamp?

[@Bod8998]

Excellent as usual 2nd and 3rd tunes very good

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!!!

[@shaunmadison99]

I literally watch these all day!!!

[@AudioPilz]

❤️❤️❤️❤️Thank you!!!

[@phillytnoize]

Another great episode! With my style of music and aversion to MPC's (nothing against them, just find them a bit boring) The Beat Thang was something I had my eye on but it just got way too many bad reviews. Btw that's a great beat by Rockwilder on that 50 Cent record.

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@beatsmith]

Had one. Wasn't terrible. Made many tracks with it. Sampled sounds. Used my own drums eventually. Only thing that was bad about it was the price... really was ahead of its time if you compare it to the stand-alone mpc/maschine that took a looooong time to come out.

[@AudioPilz]

Didn't the first standalone MPC come out in 1988?

[@beatsmith]

@@AudioPilz the version of mpc that had built in synths, effects and sound packs? No. You can't compare this device to an mpc that only samples and sequences. You can't even compare it to the Renaissance or studio since they weren't standalone 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@Vlfkfnejisjejrjtjrie]

@@beatsmith ASR-X Pro or ASR-10 was ahead of its time, but not this thing. I own both ASRs and wanted badly to have beat thang be a successor, but it seemed too gimmicky.

[@beatsmith]

@@Vlfkfnejisjejrjtjrie Yeah, I had an ASR-X too... I can tell you.. they arent the same. I agree though, the ASR line was ahead of its time. But these are two different products from two different eras. End of the day, whatever gets you the result you need can't really be a "gimmick" can it? 🖖✌👌

[@kenfusion]

I think this was the first time I ever saw "wha had happened wuuuuuz" it made me feel like an explorer of arcane music artifacts , and helped me discover my first "bad gear" episode (after wich , I had to see all of the audiopilz badgear ).

[@AudioPilz]

Love DyReck's channel!!! Thanks!

[@Lhenndyn]

Those blue backlight buttons… could be the design of the next Roland range of gears.

[@AudioPilz]

Oiro;)

[@supercompooper]

It was so mega-hyped

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, simpler times!

[@marzacdev]

Lovely! 😍 I remember well when it drops, wanted to give it a shot but the price tag plus the aesthetic choices made me pass ... Maybe this is why it generally bombed, who knows! Very cool and entertaining video, thanks Florian!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!!!

[@SkyP1e]

I'm so glad you decided to feature this Thang. This toy has always spoken to me but never louder than $200 has. After this reveal I think even $150 is 3.5db louder.

[@AudioPilz]

Money speaks louder than gear (sometimes;)

[@MixologistMilo]

I’ve lived in Nashville for 10 years, now I want one 👌

[@AudioPilz]

Nice!

[@MixologistMilo]

@@AudioPilz despite being garish as it is. Great video 🙏

[@-Deena.]

I don't want one! Finally. Am I cured? 🧡

[@AudioPilz]

No one wants it;)

[@Existence_denied]

true story (audiopilz) i had a Sweetwater Catalogue from 2012 that did feature the BKE beat thang and it's price is was get this 999$ next to a Native instrument mashine that cost less (ouch)

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, it was a tough sell back then (and still is...)

[@Existence_denied]

Even worse the access virus ti2 and the ti2 polar on the previous page was cheaper than beat thang yes you heard me right.

[@connorcraven9671]

YESSSSSSSSSS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS!!!!!

[@AudioPilz]

It was about time

[@partyeffectsdotbiz]

I have been waiting for this day for so long........

[@AudioPilz]

Same here!!!