Customer Reviews

Sabine Zipbeat-6000 Digital Metronome

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I generally use a Seiko SQ-50 (ASIN B0002F7GX2) when practicing, but this one has some great features for drummers that the Seiko lacks.

First, for the slower tempos from 40 to 60 beats per minute you can select the beat in two-beat increments versus the four-beat increments that the Seiko is fixed at. From 60 through 72 beats the increments are three-beat, increasing to four-beat from 72 through 120, the range from 126 through 144 is in six-beat increments, increasing to eight-beat increments for the remainder of the range, which stops at 208. While the faster tempo increments have coarser settings than the Seiko (and the Seiko goes to 240 beats), the smaller increments at slower tempos is a plus.

Second, this metronome is LOUD, which is a feature that drummers will appreciate. I also like the ability to set accents to occur anywhere in the two to six beat range. This is another wonderful features for drummers.

It uses both audio and visual clues (a clack and LED lights), and has a headphone jack.

This metronome has won me over. I still use my Seiko, but find myself using this one more and more. If you're a drummer I strongly recommend that you give this one a try.

Well-made, easy-to-use, good 'click' sound rather than electronic 'beep'. Some limitations to be aware of... it's really BIG (does not fit into the neck of my guitar case). The volume is not adjustable (a problem if you're practicing with others around the house). And there's no 'mute' button... you have to switch it off and back on at the end of each run-through.

I have never used a metronome before but needed it for Taiko (Japanese drumming) practice. When I got the product it was easy to use right out of the package. It has this great led light that will help you anticipate your next beat visually as well and provide steady rhythm. The only thing that was a bummer was the free ear-bud stinks. It's a short cord, and doesn't stay together very long. Even though the ear-bud wasn't great, this item is worth every penny.

Reason I bought one: (1) Two of the best professional musicians I know practice regularly with this metronome, (2) the woodblock tick-tock sound of this metronome is, in my opinion, way more musical than the pitched 'beeps' of most other non-mechanical metronomes, and (3) price: it's not feature-laden, but it'll definitely get the job done... kind of like an old Rollieflex camera. .

Plusses: (1) As mentioned above, the wood block click tones are pretty musical and fun to play against, (2) the beat emphasis options are quite useful, (3) at this point in time, this is a pretty "vanilla" version of a digital pulse metronome, but I own a number of real nice metronomes (both mechanical and digital) and this one tends to get used the most, and (4) the earphone jack allows you to run this through any sound system.

Minuses: (1) No volume control...It's pretty loud. Some people (like drummers) prefer that, but if you want it softer, you have to muffle it with tape, or run it thru an external amp with volume control...(2) size: it ain't a credit-card-sized metronome, that's for sure. If you want 'real small' ... this ain't it. (3) Flexibility: This is a classic metronome, not a drum machine.

Other Notes: (1) A few other reviewers complained that it was unreliable in a time-keeping way. I actually ran into that too, but it was completely a function of a dying battery: Upon purchase, I put the "provided" battery into the unit and started it up...I set it to like 150 bpm, and after 10 seconds it sounded like 45 bpm... i.e. totally wrong tempo-wise. I guessed that the battery was DOA, so I bought a new replacement Energizer 9v battery ... and then it immediately worked just fine ( and it is still working great) . (2) If you choose to run this into some sort of amp or sound system: use a "Mic" line input slot rather than a "Line" imput slot, and don't be surprised if it sounds different than the unit's built-in speaker. (3) If you put a piece of tape or two over the built-in speaker to tone down the volume of this unit, it'll cut out like 30%-50% of the volume.

Summary: For some reason, this simple little pile of plastic has a certain positive mojo going for it, IMHO. Just keep the battery fresh and it'll be the sonic and functional equivalent of a hi-quality olde school mechanical metronome.

I've owned the Sabine zipbeat for almost two years. Use the heck out of it and the battery lasts a long time. Beats are steady, loud and accurate. I bought fancier (more $) metronomes, but I always go back to this one. So, I got rid of the others- this one can't be topped.

This metranome is a great choice for anyone who plays an instrument and wants a great metranome for a great price. It has many features like 40 - 200+ beats per minute. Also, there are bright LEDs and many sound choices. If you bought another metranome with all these features it would cost you much more. I highly reccomend this metronome!

This metronome works just fine for a while, but, as some reviewers have noted, it's prone to malfunctioning later on in its life. I've bought two so far (maybe three? I can't even remember now), because after a while it just breaks down... starts beeping erratically, stops beeping, starts picking arbitrary beat values. I think for metronome #3 (or 4), I'll go with someone else.

With two kids into music, we were changing metronome every year. But this is a pretty good metronome, we have been using it for two years! Only complaint is the volumn can not be adjusted. It can get very annoying when it used with Piano. We use a rubber band to wrap around the speaker. In general, this is a good, economic metronome for young music students.

The bpm increases in steps of 4 instead of unit steps, which is a small minus.

Overall, I think its a good deal for the price.

I have been at an university majoring in music education. This metronome has been my faithful servant, always keeping me in time. I think it has a good, solid beat that doesn't get annoying after hours and hours of practice. I would recommend it to anyone.