Re: TC's G-Force

[Dpcoffin@aol.com]

In response to the recent announcements about this processor, i wrote the
attached letter to TCElectronics. For what it's worth, I offer a copy here,
hoping to stimulate, perhaps, some interesting debate, and, of course, to
encourage anyone else to add their 2 monitary units to the mail that TC's 
R&D
folks get to read!

From:          Dpcoffin@aol.com
Date:          Wed, 30 Apr 1997 12:11:44 -0400 (EDT)
To:            warrenw@tcelectronic.com
Subject:       G-Force

Greetings, and thanks for posting the news about your new processor; can't
wait to hear more about it. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind if I 
share
a few rambling thoughts on the subject of guitar processing (think of this 
as
a one-person focus group, from someone who lives and breathes guitar
processing):

IMHO, the current coolest processors are the VG-8, which I have, and the
GTR4000, which I can't afford, and which I'm not sure would be worth it if 
I
could. Its appeal is the complete modularity, and the DEEP, complex ways 
you
can mix and control the various modules. My concern is that I'm afraid I'm
bored with traditional FX!

The VG-8 has revealed that REALLY innovative processing these days goes way
beyond the trad. delay, pitch, dynamics and modulation FX we all know, into
realms of total sound modification (I'm not a tech type, so my terminology 
is
probably not really on target...apologies), using modelling to change the
wave forms, the envelopes, and the filtering of each sonic event. I also 
have
a Vortex, which I like in principle (it tries to push the envelope), but it
has actually made me even more leary of processors that just use 
traditional,
mostly delay-based fx, even in very in creative ways, since I find myself
mostly bypassing it! (If editing and storage were easier, I'd probably love
it by now.) My only other processor is a DP-4 which I love for its 
flexibilty
and the sheer number of algorithims. I'll probably next buy a GT-5, for its
ring modulator, Humanizer, slow gear, and acoustic simulator, all of which
seem to change the actual character of the sound, as well as for the preamp
and distortion modelling. (My basic rig is all-tube.)

Now I know that few other processors are using modelling (altho if reverb
isn't a type of modelling, what is it?), and don't have access to Roland's
hex pickup to get at individual strings, but, besides clarity and quality,
what I'M looking for in a processor is presets and algorithims (whether 
they
use modelling or not) that unlock sonic possibilities that I probably
wouldn't discover on my own, especially anything that responds dynamically 
to
my playing, allowing me to transform the instrument I love to play into
something new. The traditional areas I seem to find the most provocative 
for
guitar sound design (besides preamp, power amp, and speaker EQ and 
distortion
FX, either from the real things, or from emulations) are, in order of
usefulness: EQ, more EQ, pitch, delay, digital distortion (used sparingly),
and dynamics, plus I almost always use at least a little reverb. 

The areas that seem way under-explored in all the processors that I see
coming out are: compression and limiting as sound manglers, rather than as
just precautionary devices; envelope control (as in the slow gear); really
extreme filtering (for synth-like sound shaping); and LONG delay 
times--which
brings up the other most-critical and missing processing area, in my view:
LOOPING! I'm really tempted by the PCM-80 simply because you can add ram to
provide up to 42 sec. of very-tweakable STEREO delay. But this seems a very
expensive way to get that capability. I would buy the 
more-versatile-seeming
MPX-1 tomorrow if its delay time were expandable. I URGE you to see that 
ram
expansion or a STEREO sampling option is part of the G-Force when it 
actually
appears.

Other important features for me include:
Redundant effects, so I can place EQ and other things in more than one spot
in a chain;
Easy patch swapping and re-ordering, plus LOTs of storage space for MY
patches, either in ram or on some kind of cheap media;
Multiple mod destinations (sounds like you're on to that one);
A moveable FX loop, for patching in other processors (STEREO and/or digital
would be nice!);
a few things that I've never even considered, like the arpeggiator on the
MPX-1.

Well, hope you've managed to read this far in my ramble; sorry to have been
so long winded, but believe me when I say that announcements of new guitar
processors are among the most exciting events in my musical oddessy these
days; I hope TC will make their real thing less disappointing than the 
others
I've seen so far.

Eagerly awaiting more detail! 

David Coffin


=====================================================

Reply:

Dear David,
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I will forward your email
to our R&D and Sales/Marketing departments in Risskov, Denmark.
When I have more specifics on the G-Force I will be posting them on 
AOL and the Internet. If you want me to send you a G-Force brochure
when they are available, email me your mailing address.

Warren Weinberg
TC Electronic US Inc.

TC Electronic Inc.
Postal: 790-H Hampshire Rd.
Address: Westlake Village, CA 91361
Tel: 805-373-1828
Fax: 805-379-2648
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Email: WarrenW@tcelectronic.com (Warren Weinberg)
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WWW: http://tcelectronic.com