Frequently Asked Questions about the Beat Thang and Beat Thang Virtual

General Questions

Q. How much is the Beat Thang Virtual?
A. Beat Thang Virtual is $149 USD plus shipping and handling.

Q. How much will the Beat Thang hardware be and when will it hit the streets?
A. The hardware will be $999. The street date is TBA.

Q. Will the Beat Thang Virtual software and the Beat Thang hardware be available for purchase anywhere else besides your website?
A. The software is for sale on www.beatkangz.com right now. We are currently working on distribution worldwide. Details will be updated as they come.

Q. How can I get the latest news on the Beat Thang and the Beat Thang Virtual?
A. Check our website regularly and subscribe to our newsletter. It will have the latest information available. That can also be done from our site www.beatkangz.com

Q. Where can I find all the specs on the Beat Thang Hardware and the Beat Thang Virtual software?
A. At www.beatkangz.com then go to the "Shop"

Q. Are the sounds and beats royalty free? Do I have to credit Beat Kangz if I use their sounds in my track?
A. By installing and running Beat Thang Virtual, the user agrees to a licensing agreement. BKE requires no licensing fees. According to the terms of the agreement, the user is granted a free license to use the sounds and beats in full or in part in their own compositions (but not for resale as part of any sound library). The user does not have to credit Beat Kangz if they are using individual sounds for their own compositions, but if they use an unedited preset beat, then a credit is required.

Q. How can I get the latest Beat Kangz and Beat Thang news?
A. Sign up for our free newsletter! You'll see the signup form/box throughout the site on the left side. It takes about a minute to sign up.

System Compatibility

Q. What are the recommended computer specs to use Beat Thang Virtual?
A. Mac- Intel Mac only, OS X 10.4 or higher, 800 MB free disk space, 512 MB RAM but 1GIG or more is recommended.
PC- Pentium 4, Windows XP SP 2 or Vista 32 and Vista 64, 800 MB free disk space, 512 MB RAM but 512 MB or more is recommended.
Install/Authorization

Q. How do I authorize Beat Thang Virtual?
A. * Install the BTV software from the key. *Generate a license file and send us an email with the license file attached. *Now, we will send you a license. (For detailed instructions see the MAC/PC installation guide that comes with your BTV.)

Q. How many authorized computers can I have running the software?
A. Only 2 computers can be authorized per purchase.

Q. I have gone through the authorization process, when will I get an authentication confirmation.
A. The process takes between 12-48 hours.

Operations

Q. How many tracks do I have in Beat Thang Virtual?
A. Beat Thang Virtual has 8 internal midi tracks and 8 external midi tracks. (The external tracks can be used for external sequencer modules)

Q. Can I use an external USB midi controller with Beat Thang Virtual?
A. Yes, BTV can be triggered by USB midi Controllers.

Q. How many measures can one pattern be in length?
A. 200 bars. Each track can have it's own bar length. So track 1 can be a 4 bar loop, but track 2 can be an 8 bar loop, all the way up to 200 bars. The maximum number of bars is 200.

Q. Can I record real-time in song mode track by track?
A. Song mode is not real-time.......yet.

Q. Will the step sequencer be in an updated version?
A. Yes it will.

Q. Will Beat Thang Virtual work as VST or with ReWire
A. Currently, the BTV does not work as a VST or with ReWire. But, we are working on those for a update soon.

Q. Do the Beat Thangz have note repeat and swing?
A. Yes they do have it!!! They also have a note hold function.

Q. Do the Beat Thang Virtual and the Beat Thang hardware have a piano roll function?
A. No, but an updated version of BTV will have a step sequencer. The Beat Thang hardware will also have a step sequencer.

Trouble Shooting

Q. I have a PC and I have no audio.
A. *Click the "System" function key on the Beat Thang Virtual. *Here you will see your Audio Input/Output options; Direct the audio path to your built in audio device or your Audio interface *If you don’t own an audio interface, then first make sure you download the latest ASIO driver at www.asio4all.com *Now, go to your systems setting in your control panel and make sure your audio output in BTV “System” settings is identical to your audio output in your computer audio device. Make sure that your audio sample rate is set to 44.1k and not 48k.

Q. My PC will not install the software, or freezes half way during the install.
A. If you have an older PC with an older processor, you might have some issues with installation. Recommended platforms are Intel based Macs and PCs

Q. My computer crashes when I try to record.
A. Make sure that the Audio Input of your Beat Thang Virtual is set to the input of your audio sound card or audio interface. (You can find this in the system settings by pushing the “System” function key.)

Q. My program fully installed, but at startup, I get an initialization error “user privileges Insufficient to start a low level driver”.
A. Just reboot your computer. The error is caused by PACE copy protection libraries. Sometimes after the install, the computer does not automatically reboot.

Q. When I try to save a pattern, it is going back to the original pattern.
A. Go back to the system settings and set up a new User Data Path folder. To do that, create a new folder on your desktop labeled “BTVirtual” or something similar. Click the “System” function key on the Beat Thang Virtual. Select the “User Data Path” at the bottom of the menu. Assign your “User Data Path” to the folder that you just created.