Trouble Shooting

Why don't I hear any sound?
If you are trying to play on the built-in speaker, one obvious problem might be that you have BeatPad set to play the pattern to MIDI. Select "MIDI Preferences" from the options menu and un-check the MIDI checkbox. Also be aware that the drums will not play on the built-in speaker, only the melodic pattern. Be sure that the mutes are not all set for the current melodic pattern (row of boxes near bottom of screen) or that the entire melodic pattern isn't muted (box next to the melodic icon in the lower left corner.

If you are trying to play the pattern to a MIDI system or device, make sure that MIDI is CHECKED in the "MIDI Preferences" screen. Also check that the connection is good, that the other hardware is turned on, and that it is properly set to receive MIDI data from an external source (if using a serial connection on the external hardware make sure it is set to "mac"... sometimes other settings will work, but they can also cause problems). Check the mutes as described above and the manual that came with your MIDI hardware. If everything seems okay, try stoppping BeatPad, turning off the MIDI device, then on again and hit "play" again in BeatPad.

I've got a stuck note!
This is almost impossible to do on the built in speaker, even with faulty software, so BeatPad shouldn't give you any problems here. When using MIDI, BeatPad should always generate a NoteOff command for every NoteOn, but strange things can sometimes happen with MIDI (if you accidently pull a cable out it's pretty easy to get a stuck note). If you have a note that just keeps on playing, first try playing through the pattern... the next time it gets to that step, BeatPad will generate a new NoteOff and that should fix the problem. If this still doesn't work there is a "All MIDI Notes Off" command in the Options menu. Not all MIDI hardware pays attention to this special command, but it might work for you. If not, you can turn your hardware off and then on again to clear the note.

How do I save my pattern?
BeatPad works on songs "in place" in the memory of your Palm device. This saves time and memory required to create a "working copy" the way a desktop computer does when it copies a file from the hard drive to the RAM. This means that patterns are ALWAYS saved as you are working on them. If you want to keep an old version of a pattern it is very easy to make a copy of the pattern. When you do you will be able to work on the copy without changing the original.

Sometimes I get strange pauses?
There are a few reasons that the Palm OS or another application can briefly interrupt BeatPad's playback. Luckily all of these should be fixable or avoidable. See our page about timing for more details about what might be causing these gliches.

Why can't I hear the drums?
The Palm Computing platform is not yet designed to handle complex or multiple sound output. This means that without additional MIDI hardware BeatPad will only be able to play a single melodic pattern, and not play all the layered drum instruments on the built-in speaker. Palm Computing does have plans to improve the sound of their popular platform, but they are working to improve many different aspects of the device, and it may take a while.

Contacting miniMusic
Please let us know if you experiance any problems or have any questions that this documentation doesn't answer. You can e-mail us at support@minimusic.com and we will get back to you as soon as possible (usually within a couple days). Be sure to tell us what version of the Palm OS you are using and what model (Palm Pilot Pro, Palm IIIxe, Visor, Palm VII, etc.).


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