Bluetooth Pedals for Sheet Music – Stomp Review

Bluetooth pedals are a staple for gigging musicians, especially for those of us who perform with sheet music on hand. Naturally, we were delighted when our friends at Coda Music Technologies sent us their Stomp pedal to review; as musicians, we’re always thrilled whenever a new gadget arrives at Musicnotes HQ.

First impressions

In hindsight, we should have calmed ourselves when opening the package from Coda so we could have shared with you the unboxing experience in video form, however, we were too eager to start testing the Stomp!

The unboxing experience is enjoyable for a product at this price point, $129.95. The Stomp pedal arrived in a sweet canvas bag, which we took time to enjoy – there’s nothing worse than wrestling with a pair of scissors and plastic packaging – the pedal itself is a looker, and it’s hard to go wrong with black!

Setup

This is where the Stomp comes into its own! Setting up the pedal with our preferred sheet music device, Apple’s iPad Pro, was a breeze, and the colored LEDs on the Stomp let us know that we were ready to go! Opening the Musicnotes app we were able to turn pages immediately, with ease. The Stomp also works with other apps, but of course, we’re partial to our own app. Another impressive feature is that you can use the Stomp to charge your device at the same time.

Here’s a short video from Coda Music’s YouTube channel showing just how easy this is!

Usage

Using the Stomp is intuitive, with just a tap of your foot you can:

• Turn or scroll through the pages on your setlist or sheet music
• Start and stop your metronome
• Trigger backing tracks
• Change slides in PowerPoint or presentation software – we didn’t have any powerpoints on our device to test, however, we think this will be a valuable feature for teachers and students!

What we loved!

• The look! The Stomp’s black finish looks great as a single pedal on the floor, and being black it also blends in well with other pedals on your pedalboard.
• Durability! It’s solid, other page-turners do not feel as well constructed as the Stomp.
• 9V DC power for the pedal and the ability to use external power for our tablet.
• Reliability of the Bluetooth connection.
• Compatibility with a wide range of apps.

Minor grumbles

• The switches can be noisy, which for most will not be an issue; however, if you’re performing solo at a wedding on an acoustic guitar, it can be hard to mask the noise.

Final thoughts

A worthy addition to any musicians gear list! While there are cheaper units out there, we think durability and ease of use make the Stomp a worthwhile purchase; it’s hard to put a price on the peace of mind having reliable devices when performing.

Kudos to the team at Coda Music for making a valuable pedal for those of us who love to go “hands-free”!