Re: Reflections on right brain/left brain approaches to gear

[Mark Sottilaro <sine@zerocrossing.net>]

On Thursday, September 26, 2002, at 04:58  PM, S V G wrote:

>
>      After just posting that last bit on the FCB1010 MIDI pedal, I 
> started ruminating a bit on the
> process that I go through as a musician in developing a relationship 
> to my gear.

I used to totally be a "stomp box guy" until I started playing/singing 
in a pop band.  I quickly realized that the "dance" I had to do to go 
from a clean chorus sound to a heavily distorted lead sound with delay 
was too much to deal with.  I ended up buying my first rack mounted 
multi effects processor then.  My lack of money caused me to sell my 
stomp boxes to buy the ART SGX2000.  I guess it was OK, and it did, in 
fact, do things that my current boxes don't do, but I missed my boxes 
when ever I was home alone just playing or doing some loose improv 
stuff with friends.  I still do!

On the other hand, I don't miss the noise and large floor board the 
stomp boxes are famous for.  It's all a trade off for sure.  I couldn't 
do what I need to do with stomp boxes anymore.  Most had no easy way to 
control settings with your foot.  Unless you bought an expensive 
router, you were stuck with the configuration you set up unless you 
were  going to start pulling cables in the middle of a show.  Now I 
have stuff that does all this in software.  I press a foot switch and 
I've got a new amp, and a half a dozen stomp boxes all configured 
exactly as I like, AND I can control any of the parameters with a 
pedal.  That's right *ANY* parameter.  Often multiple parameters at a 
time with one pedal.  Try that with a bunch of stomp boxes.  WHERE IS 
YOUR GOD NOW?

And some multi effects processors are for sure better than others.  My 
Digitech 2120 SUCKS to program, though I now know it intimately.  I 
wouldn't have designed it the way they did.  Judging by the new stuff 
Digitech is putting out (GNX line) they wouldn't either.  All their new 
stuff uses a "matrix" editor, like the EDP and AdrenaLinn.  This makes 
it way easier to program on the fly, even with a tiny LED display.  
Electrix got it right, but I think the world is going toward better UI 
in the world of audio gear.  It can only get better!

My advise is to spend some time getting to know your clunky Roland 
interfaces.  Once you start understanding their nature, it will all get 
a lot easier.  It just takes some time.

Mark Sottilaro