More Dumble than Dumble!

[husky]

I think you're on the right track with the MIDI switching. So many guys use digital delay effects so this is obviously the next step.

Does the Hedgehog change pot settings etc?

If HAD was smart he would have done this himself, still it is a good amp thus far.

Just out of curiosity Husky, who are you?

No it just does all the switches, relays, loops etc Pots are a different story but could be done just not in keeping everything true to form.
It is programable from the front of the amp or the pedalboard, bidirectional. Or you can just unplug the footswitch and use midi.

[husky]

D'oh, so John Suhr posts here, I didn't think he was into such forums, as I didn't think they'd shed much light for him?

live and learn.

LOL, you would be surprised to find out the people who lurk on forums and will never tell you who they are.
The day you think you know it all or cant learn from people is the day you dont know shit. I learn from everyone and everything just like everyone else and I have to wipe my ass as well. Basically though I like talking about and living what I do. I also like sharing experiences and helping when I can

[Structo]

And I for one am glad you post here, John.

My first desire is to learn all I can and help others.

I think it will be a sad day when vacuum tube electronics completely disappear.

I will never forget plugging back into a tube amp after many years of not owning one.
Ahhh, there it is, that sound.

[LeftyStrat]

I'm not sure, if you don't confuse the fact that you personally may not like to use computers and computer interfaces to create music with the fact that computers and computer interfaces generally aren't musical instruments.

And IMO Jimi first of all stands for an open mind.

Forgive me if I am having problems understanding what you are stating.

It can't be that I "personally may not like to use computers and computer interfaces to create music," since as I stated earlier, I'm a professional programmer (and have been for twenty five years). There's a good chance that some of your MIDI gear uses the BSD-licensed parser I wrote in the eighties. I'm quite happy using programs like Logic, and languages like SuperCollider, as well as Max/MSP and it's free cousin Pure Data.

Almost two decades ago I was using programs like CSound, with my first completely MIDI guitar system included a JMP-1, Roland GR-50, and a MIDI and audio patch bay I designed and built, into what was essentially a stereo PA system (Bose-901 cabs).

And the second statement, "the fact that computers and computer interfaces generally aren't musical instruments" is not quite true. A MIDI keyboard or controller attached to a computer doing the sound generation is most definitely an instrument, and any performance on that instrument can only convey the nuances of the controller that are communicable via MIDI.

The last statement "And IMO Jimi first of all stands for an open mind," I assume suggests I don't have one.

I don't really know what to say, so I'll let this picture speak for me.

[LeftyStrat]

John,

I'll echo what Tom said. Your insight and experience, as well as the insight and experience of others on this board are of great value to me. It's what makes TAG special.

[M Fowler]

Ditto I am glad we have people like John joining TAG and answering questions. The help one receives on this forum is amazing, what a resource.

I love my tube amps but for 7 years I used a Roland GR33 midi pedal in my band playing organ, piano, sax, flute, and other odd sounds. I got damn good at a Hammond B3 sound not so good with the others due to lag time even though I would painstakingly set the sensitivity of each string and go through the set-ups. It made a four piece band sound fuller.

Mark

[LeftyStrat]

I love my tube amps but for 7 years I used a Roland GR33 midi pedal in my band playing organ, piano, sax, flute, and other odd sounds. I got damn good at a Hammond B3 sound not so good with the others due to lag time even though I would painstakingly set the sensitivity of each string and go through the set-ups. It made a four piece band sound fuller.

Mark

Same here with the GR-50. I think of it as a great learning experience. I wanted to do piano and sax on my guitar. I eventually learned to play guitar in a "piano style," but never quite got the sax thing going. It makes you realize there is more to imitating an instrument than just the sound.

I remember talking to a somewhat famous guitarist whose name escapes me now who used a Leslie (but comped like a B3 player) and told me people would come up and accuse him of using a pre-recorded backing track, because he was so good at the playing style of a B3 player and they didn't see an organ player on stage (with his three piece band).

Damn, sucks getting old, he was a great southern blues guitarist. Does Tillman ring a bell?

[M Fowler]

I used the breathy sax setting for songs like "Turn the Page" and bamboo flute? setting for "can't you see". Can't remember the actual name of the flute. The pedal is still in my road boxes from last gig.

For the B3 effect I added distortion just like an old organ would of had. What I couldn't get more of was a good Leslie effect. I never did find a pedal that I wanted for the rotating speaker effect. Every gig people would be looking around for the other instruments.

I was playing first show before the main band went on later at Rio Salado Brewery Tempe, Arizona in 2005 and the guys from the main band thought my piano playing was the best and I thought it was lagging terribly.

Mark

[vibratoking]

Love that Jimi pic. It's good to know that a Line 6 was his secret weapon.

[Max]

Forgive me if I am having problems understanding what you are stating.

Your opinion:

Computers are great at repeatability. Repeatability is great for sucky music.

My opinion:

There isn't something like "sucky music". What "sucks" is only a matter of personal subjective taste and no objective character of a certain kind of music.

A musical instrument - like a computer with an appropriate interface - that is "great at repeatebility" is great whenever a musician want's this "repeatabilty" to create the kind of music he choses to create.

If the music of a musician "sucks" or not is only depending on the personal taste of the listener and has nothing to do with the fact, if the instrument this musician uses is especially "great at repeatability" or less "great at repeatability".

So IMO your statement "Repeatability is great for sucky music" is a prejudice and IMO all prejudices are in contradiction to open-mindness.

Cheers,

Max

[Mark]

Hi Max

I'm not sure posting Pat Metheny proved your point. I just not into him, I listen and think he should be writing sound tracks for movies. Sorry, it's just not my thing.

As far as MIDI goes, I think keyboard players have given MIDI a bad rap, I don't know about the US, but in Australia they have been referred to as the librarians of sound.

I think the Soldano thing with the moving pots is a great idea that should have become more common place. Mind you moving pots is more of a boutique thing. It could quickly turn into a disaster for Fender, Peavey, and Marshall as I doubt (rightly or wrongly) that the workforce used to build amps have the skills to deal with production issues arising from this technology.

I think valves will be around while there is demand for them, but the valve amps have to continue do what they do well and interface with the new toys in a changing world.

[Max]

I'm not sure posting Pat Metheny proved your point.

Mark, IMO his use of the Orchestrion as a matter of fact is a perfect example for the use of the "great at repeatability" character of some musical instruments buy some musicians.

If somene likes or dislikes the music he creates with his Orchestrion IMO is a completely different topic and IMO only a matter of personal taste. And IMO it makes not much sense anyway to argue in a rational way about personal taste - simply because it is personal.

So I've pointed out that the chain of association:

computer = repeatability - repeatabilty = sucky music

is only a judgement of personal subjective taste and no scientific objective judgement concerning the objective suitability of computers and computer interfaces as musical instruments.

All the best,

Max

[LeftyStrat]

So I've pointed out that the chain of association:

computer = repeatability - repeatabilty = sucky music

Which is not what I said. "Repeatability is great for sucky music" is not equal to all repeatability results in sucky music.

And if you never heard sucky music, you've obviously never been to a Karaoke bar.

[BobW]

Love that Jimi pic. It's good to know that a Line 6 was his secret weapon.

Vibratoking, I"ll assume you were joking, since LINE 6 was not available back then, and DSP technology was non existent. Although the pic is a cool looking fake.

[vibratoking]

OK, I thought it was obvious I was joking.