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Amazing story Ted. Thanks for sharing. When you
decide to go all laptop, you can come to Boise, and we can spend a day building
your system. I'll basically be your consultant and help you get the sounds you
want, recommend software, etc. We would have to talk beforehand so that you
could get your software purchased or downloaded beforehand.
Some of the reasons you state for having to move
away from a large rack system are exactly my own. After back surgery last
December, things down there still aren't the same, and I even hurt it again
lifting my Mesa Boogie Mark I for my jazz gig a month ago. That was the straw
that broke the camel's back...heh heh...to play on words here. I sold the
Boogie, bought a light Roland Cube 30, and now I can go to a looping gig
with just my guitar, notebook, and Behringer MIDI controller...nothing
else. And I save my back and other appendages, muscles, etc from further
damage. I have a backup rack on the side with a Looperlative,
two Boss VF1s, and a Fireworx it it...but the chances of me using it are
very slim...I may use it just a few times a year out of guilt. Who knows,
I may sell it some day as a package deal. If someone made me an offer, I may
just take it out of compulsion.
Kris
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, July 22, 2006 9:40
AM
Subject: Re: Sample sound clip from my
notebook computer system
Hi there Kris,
Wow! That list of plug-ins is really
impressive. The sound clip is too.
Quite a variety of spacey oddball noises
that one could get quite
creative with. I love it! I am envious to the
point of drooling on myself
. . . heheh . . . almost. It's all really
kinda funny/ironic to me personally
how this laptop thing has developed .
. . and is still waaaaaay out
of reach for me.
WARNING: old
geezer fish-story about the "one that got away" follows.
A dozen years
ago, when I lived in Santa Barbara and worked for
Seymour Duncan, I had
some friends who worked in some big "think
tank" type research centers for
a couple of HUGE firms there. I'm talking
about really bright guys, mind
you. Anywho, one good friend there
was listening to me complain about
schlepping my big rack around
to gigs over beer or something and I
predicted that someday all of
this stuff would reside in software on a
laptop and all I'd need for
a gig was a guitar, some cables, a laptop and
a bank of MIDI pedals
to control it with -- and I'd just play through the
house PA and stage
monitors. I hoped I lived long enough to see
it.
Well, this friend happened to actually work with computers,
programming,
A.I., and digital signal processing on a project for the
Department of Defense.
He hadn't told me that before because, technically,
it was all classified stuff
having something to do with "electronic
counter-measures" or something.
Anywho, he said (a dozen years ago) that it
was totally possible THEN
in terms of what his computers could do.
Commercially available
consumer -level computers would soon
follow.
Later, he got a few of his work friends together for a little
demonstration
at his house where he had me haul in all my gear,
demonstrate how it
worked, and talk to them about the musical equipment
industry -- or
at least what I knew about the guitar-oriented end of it as
an "insider"
already working in the marketing end of it. At the end of the
demo they
were all nodding their heads in agreement that such a scheme was
not
only possible and viable . . . but probably inevitable too. Oh happy
day!!!
They were all still young-ish middle aged guys and they though
it would
be a great way to escape the world of "building a better bomb for
the
Pentagon" and do something positive and creative with their
lives.
Well, life happens. While they were all still scheming about this
little
hobby-horse, one guy's wife got pregnant. Another went through a
nasty
divorce, another guy (my friend) got transferred to Boston (of all
places).
It never went any further than that . . . talking and thinking
about it
. . . and dreaming of the day. I did some GUI sketches . . .that's
all.
Now, it's apparent, that the day is actually here and I have too
much money
and experience tied up in hardware . . . and my now ancient
back is really
killing me. I never told you. But, I injured my elbow too in
Boise lifting my rack
during load-out. It's didn't hurt all that much at
the time. But it got worse
and worse over the next month or so to the point
that I had to go in to
the Doctor and get a cortisone shot directly in the
elbow for "tennis elbow"
a couple of weeks ago. The old body is simply
falling apart.
Anyway, I digress, laptop technology is finally here, I
need it desperately
and I cannot afford it. That's the irony. Life
happens.
Like I said, your list of plug-ins (and the sound they make)
are very impressive.
I am practically soiling myself over them as it is.
You're going to have to
set me down and give me a serious demo at the next
gig in Boise at the end
of August. So . . . there is just one more reason
for me to look forward to
it.
Peace,
Ted
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