More Dumble than Dumble!

[Structo]

Speaking of cool effects.
When I saw Robben Ford last week, the opening act was interesting. (The Campbell Brothers)
The guitarist had some kind of multi-effects unit and used a pretty convincing piano patch.
Of course half of the battle is playing or phrasing the notes like the instrument you are imitating.

My wife was looking around and asked me, where's the piano.
So I would say he succeeded.

[vibratoking]

Sure it wasn't a midi guitar setup instead of a multi effects box? Playing keyboard on a midi equipped guitar is difficult for the reasons that you stated, Tom.

Edited to replace the word guitar with keyboard

[LeftyStrat]

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?

I finally remembered. Tinsley Ellis. Nice guy.

[Structo]

Sure it wasn't a midi guitar setup instead of a multi effects box? Playing guitar on a midi equipped guitar is difficult for the reasons that you stated, Tom.

Heck I don't know for sure but he had what looked like a little multi FX box with a volume/ expression pedal on it.
The guy could play too but it was kind of funny because he was a big guy and he played sitting down.
But when it came time for him to play a little lead work, he stood up.

The other two brothers played steel guitars.
One regular and one pedal steel.

[Mark]

http://www.blackstaramps.co.uk/products ... 046L6.html

This is exactly what I'm talking about.

[LeftyStrat]

For anyone interested in exploring this more. The Arduino platform has an enormous number of pluses:

- Programmable in higher level languages. 'Processing', its native language is pretty much C++.

- Cheap, about thirty bucks US for the development platform. The IDE is free.

- On board regulator that can handle unregulated voltages from 6-20v.

- 8 or more analog inputs with 1024 bits resolution.

- Multiple analog outputs in the form of PWM (resolution unfortunately only 256).

- SPI interface.

- Daughterboards, known as 'Shields' to do everything from Ethernet to WiFi, as well as other forms of wireless com.

- And for Max, they have excellent repeatability, better than a Stradivarius, whose tone might be affected by temperature, humidity, or room acoustics. A one is always a one, and a zero is always a zero . Well that's not completely true, since 1/3*3=.999999999999999999.

[John_P_WI]

LeftyStrat,

WOW, I have had a number of channel switching amps in mind but could never wrap my head around the logic needed for the switching / muting / multiple MV's and power scaling etc. That little module looks like the bees knees. They even have a smaller "nano" that might fit on a chassis side wall. Cool.

I think I will have to order one and play with it over the Holidays. Been out of engineering school way too long, time to learn something new I guess.

Using a voltage divider ladder (multiple resistors and momentary switches (like the "potentiometer" example, a guy could use a 3 wire foot switch for the switching, now to figure out how to simply illuminate LED's on the foot switch.

There are so many other things that could be done with that module too.

Good stuff.

John