JoeCo has announced the launch of BandMate, a new 24-channel backing track player for live performance playback that’s housed in a 1U package designed to replay multichannel audio material alongside MIDI data for the control and update of MIDI equipment such as effects pedals and lighting controllers. It will be showcased at the 2024 NAMM Show at the Anaheim Convention Center at booth 16016.
“There is a definite requirement from musicians for a live assist playback device that they can trust more than a laptop,” says JoeCo managing director Joe Bull. “We created BandMate to be a flexible solution that will give musicians a robust device they can rely on gig after gig, which is simple to use and easy to control.”
BandMate uses a setlist to organize the playback for a gig. This playlist automatically loads up the next song so musicians can focus on their performance rather than the technology. Playback can be controlled and triggered via the front panel, a footswitch, MIDI command or the Remote app. Audio and MIDI data as well as playlists are stored on a local USB memory stick.
As well as the 24 individual balanced outputs to drive a stage box or mixing console, BandMate can also send outputs 23 and 24 to an unbalanced stereo TRS jack. This provides a mixed output from the box to work with small, individual PA systems. The outputs include protection circuitry against inadvertent phantom power damaging the electronics while an earth lift switch separates the system chassis ground from the signal output screen ground to help with eliminating earth loops. Each channel has a front panel LED display to show that an audio track is present and indicate when there is signal present.
The front of the device has a large LCD display which shows the playlist, the current song name and playback time and the next song. The playlist and song can be selected using the multifunction rotary control which also accesses the menus for setup and configuration.
Supporting BandMate via Bluetooth is the BandMate Remote app. Available for iOS and Android devices, it can be used to create, edit, save and load playlists, and it can also select a song, start playback, pause, false start, skip songs and alter the output levels or mix. The app has been designed to work in either landscape or portrait mode and while control is only through one device, it will allow other band members with the app on their device to view BandMate Remote.
The BandMate Loader app runs on MacOS and Windows machines, and has two core elements designed to help ensure a gig runs smoothly – Track Loader makes it easy to organize the source files needed for each song, whilst Playlist Editor organises the prepared songs into setlists for the gig. BandMate Loader will copy the source wav files onto a USB stick in an organized filing structure and create the files that BandMate requires to output the correct sound on each channel for that song.
