A lot of stuff to chew on, including a number of strategies for
combining amps w/an EDP I'd not even considered.
The most intriguing was using a pedal to create a loop, like the Radial Tonebone. I think, however, that the most useful for the purposes of an EDP (unless you're using a lot of other effects) might be the
Xotic X-Blender. That creates a blendable parallel loop with a bit of boost & EQ, which sounds ideal. However, I don't know (yet) how the EDP would react or interact set to 100% wet output, then using the X-blender as the mix knob. While I do adjust output volume via expression pedal, I rarely touch the mix knob.
The Radial option seems tempting, as do some of the Barge Concepts (
http://www.bargeconcepts.com/) offerings. The VBjr is only $105...but I'm wondering how well these will work. The Radial seems to have a preamp in there to blend in a truly parallel loop, but I'm not clear if that's the case with the VBjr, so the best case scenario would be one wherein I could blend 50% wet & 50% dry, but never, say, 100% dry with a variable amount of wet (which, I think, it what the Xotic does.)
Anyone have any experience with any of these guys?
One comment I want to
respond to:
On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 8:27 AM, Chris Sewell
<midifriedchicken@comcast.net> wrote:
Won't that sound like 2 guitars running through an old tube amp? That never sounds good to me. Again, this is where a laptop setup excels. Set correctly, your audience will never know the difference.
I almost put in my email specifically not to suggest a laptop setup, knowing full well I'd get such a suggestion. The truth is, I've considered it, and, at some point, it might be the right choice. Not currently, based on my goals.
Yes, it will sound like 2 (or more) guitars running through a guitar amp. Somewhat, anyway. That's intentional. There were also several comments made about distorting the EDP's output signal. That's not an issue for me, either. When I run through a tweed Deluxe (for example) I use the touch sensivity of the amp not only to effect the dry signal, but the wet signal, as well, so that the loopage can be varied from clean to overdriven, just like the dry signal. Being able to adjust the gain characteristics of my guitar using only the volume knob is one of the big attractions for me in using a good amp; being able to do so independantly and in a parallel fashion with the loopage is one of the main attractions of looping through same for me.
Just different aesthetic, ends, really.
--
Zak Kramer
Crazyquilt Arts & Music
http://www.crazyquiltarts.com/
