Bad Gear - The Notorious Beat Thang

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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???

[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.

[menhirmike]

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

[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.

[brianrainsfordmarshall]

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

[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.

[mattb]

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.

[DanteMusic]

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.

[auxbergine]

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

[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.

[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.

[Hainbach]

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

[TheOnlyCathyCat]

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

[bsmith]

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

[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

[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.

[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 👍

[Gluttonite]

Love how you made the DVD hit both corners!

[JaseOn]

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

[AgonalRhythm]

Okay, but that intro tune sounds rad AF with this

Also I need a super cut of every time you use a strrrrech"

[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.