Lunch Report For Thursday, December 19, 2013

[Boogie Bill]

Lunch is a ham sandwich, with coffee.

Tech Thursday....

Paper or plastic? Who's using a high-tech PDA these days to keep their life on track? Do you keep your life on track with your phone, IPAD, or a Window or Android tablet?

Or are you old school, using a Franklin Convey or Day Runner paper planner? Write your dates and appointments on a desk or wall calendar?

I use a Franklin Convey planner, and rarely use my phone's calendar as a reminder.

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How has tech affected your music life?

Got you music loaded on an iPod or your phone, or do you still love the sound of vinyl?

Do you record on a computer using Pro Tools etc., or are you still using your TEAC or FOSTEX recorder?

Have you joined the ranks of amp modelling players, or still hanging onto those little glowing bottles?

Got a Gibson Robot guitar? A Variax? Anybody still tuning with a tuning fork or pitch-pipe?

Is your pedalboard an all in one digital masterpiece? Are you using any of the programmable pedals like TC's Tone Print? Or using your iPad as a pedalboard interface? Or are you analog all the way?

Tell us how tech is affecting your music.

Bill

[Boogie Bill]

A quick G&L question...

G&Ls come with 10-46 strings. I prefer 9-42s on these longer scale guitars, so it's a hassle to do a setup.

What gauge do you use on your G&Ls.? Is 10-46 the right gauge from the factory for most players?

Bill

[Philby]

Hi Bill,

Good questions today!

G&L question: I have 4 G&L's. For some inexplicable reason, a couple are 'stiff' and hard to bend, the other 2 are 'slinky' and easy to bend. I put 9's on the stiff ones and 10's on the slinky ones.

PDA: I use my Android phone to organize my life, and there's an Android tablet at home for the same purpose. I can't remember the last time I wrote anything down on paper. I lose paper as soon as I've made any note. I secretly envy my wife's new Nokia Windows 8 phone. It seems far better designed than my Android stuff, with a more intuitive user interface, though the Android devices are probably more flexible.

Music tech: I record straight into my PC using Cakewalk Sonar X2 software. If I've got time I prefer to mike up an amp, but most of the time the guitar signal goes in via a Yamaha DG Stomp amp modeller. I struggle to tell the difference between mic'd and modelled tones in the context of a fully mixed song. Nothing beats the exhilaration of playing through a just-breaking-up amp though, IMO. I don't have much of a pedal board - just an overdrive and digital delay. I've got Guitar Rig on my PC and it's OK for giggles, but it seems to lack the touch sensitivity of a real amp. BUT....mix a GR signal into a real song and you simply can't tell you're listening to a modelled signal. An interesting thing I've noticed is that MFD pickups retain far more of their tone when running through modelling gear, compared with alnico pickups. The big MFD's on my ASAT Special really stay together in situations where the alnicos go mushy and lose definition. I've got a Boss Digital Tuner lying around somewhere for tuning up, but the tuner app on my phone gets the most use these days.

[darwinohm]

Ist G&L question on strings. I like 10-46s. Some of my telecasters came with 9s and they are a bit to rubbery for me. I do bend strings but prefer the 10s. That is the only size I use on the G&Ls. As Phil mentioned I have a couple of G&Ls that have stiffer trems and I am not sure why. I assumed it was the difference in springs as they all have the same number of springs.

I use an old fashioned small appointment book to organize my life which doesn't need organizing like it used to. I don't text, no camera in my phone and I am not looking for more.I totally understand the need for these high tech rigs for the people who are working. A lot of musicians are using the tablets today but I couldn't see one very well on stage.

I am a fan of guitar technology but looked at the Robot, the VG and the Variax and none of them did it for me. I did a Roland GR 20 and that is slick. We use it in the band a lot. Steve, our lead player bought it from me. I also prefer a programmable Tone Lab for recording. I have a CyberTwin SE but don't use it much. I prefer my tube amp with reverb.

I was researching the recording tools in 2007 thinking I would spend 6 to 7 hundred buck for a recording setup. The more I researched it and knowing that I would want to upgrade sooner than later I decided to bite the bullet and go with a Mac, Digirack002 and ProTools SE. That was about a $3000 investment with the monitors. Iam sure that I saved some money on doing that upfront as used recording gear is like used computers, not worth much. The learning curve is huge but I only record and am not into music production which is what most of the current recording software tools are designed for.

Tech has had a significant impact on how I do things. I have used a good wireless guitar system for 3 years. Have a current PA system and a good bass amp. I now have the guitars I like. We are using good equipment and it has drawbacks. It take an hour and a half to set everything up to do a sound check. If only we could walk in and just plug in.
I actually started doing all this after I was 62 and finally had the limited resources to make it happen. Couldn't happen while we were raising the family. Being young and rich would have been great but it would not have been as much fun getting there! Thanks for taking it today Bill -- Darwin

[Sprinter 92]

Write your dates and appointments on a desk or wall calendar?

I still write everything on a calendar.



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

How has tech affected your music life?

The only tech items I have are a Peterson VS-II virtual strobe tuner and a Snark clip on tuner.

Have you joined the ranks of amp modelling players, or still hanging onto those little glowing bottles?

I'm a tube snob. No Glass = No Class!

Anybody still tuning with a tuning fork or pitch-pipe?

Nope.

Is your pedalboard an all in one digital masterpiece? Are you using any of the programmable pedals like TC's Tone Print? Or using your iPad as a pedalboard interface? Or are you analog all the way?

I use a few analog pedals.

[Sprinter 92]

A quick G&L question...

G&Ls come with 10-46 strings. I prefer 9-42s on these longer scale guitars, so it's a hassle to do a setup.

What gauge do you use on your G&Ls.? Is 10-46 the right gauge from the factory for most players?

Bill

I use 10-46 on most of my G&L's and a few have 11-48 strings on them. I have a set of flat wounds that I'm going to try out on an Asat Classic semi-hollow. I never use 9-42 gauge strings.

[Fumble fingers]

Whats a calendar ??...lol .... I just tell the wife , she has a photograghic memory on somethings

tech made tuning a guitar easier , have a couple snarks , it's easier pulling music up on the net ,have a Line 6 Floor pod plus and sound looper but use them with ear phones only

I like that saying ... "no glass no class" .... I prefer tubes but I do have one 1971 Kustom Sidewinder SS amp and one Line 6 spider modeling amp (it sucks) good for using like a speaker , plug my computer into it sometimes

snark for tuning no pitch fork and a piano is too big for the house

I made a point of getting analog pedals to go with my " Glass with Class " ...lol


I like 9-42 , 10-46 and 9.5-46 ..... prefer the 9.5's or 10's a tad over the 9's here lately

[sam]

Calendar , organized? What a pipe dream and I use a calendar on my iPhone, computer and keep a good ol marble composition book for quick daily notes At least I have multiple places to remember what I should be doing. As more things go digital I think we will always have written form.

Strings are usually 10's but a few are strung with 9's. The 9's just feel better on a few guitars, maybe it's the neck or just they bend better. I have not used 11's but want to. Will pick up a set and give a try over Christmas vacation.

Technology is creeping on my music. I still have a wall of CD's and a fair amount of vinyl but over the years have converted all to mp3 as a backup. Guitar wise I am still addicted to those bottles, can't go modeling. Guess in the words of Joe Walsh's latest album I'm an Analpg Man. Technology has had a big impact on recording capabilities but I still like a more direct sound. Closet I have to guitar tech stuff is iShred app on my iPad. Fun to screw around with and plug headphones into but the sound is kinda thin.

My board is analog with all the way with a TU 3 tuner, but a TC Electronics Flashback with Tone Print is on the soon to buy list. Am I just getting lazy or is technology making music easier?

Great questions Bill!

[astutzmann]

lunch was soup!! Love the soup this time of year.

Excited as I have a guitar lesson this morning. My teacher is a great guy and he has a new (used) Bad Cat amp so I want to see how he's liking that.

I am automated, apple guy, calendar, contacts, etc etc. I use the new iCloud so all my macs (4) and my iPad and iPhone, all have the same information on them.

I only use paper sometimes when I realize that I have too much on the go so I'll create a long TODO list and then start loping off the items as they get done.

One of the problems with automation, is understanding how it all works. For example, I set up my wife's mac, streamlined all the bookmarks for her, moved her data from her old machine. I was proud that I did this without her complaining (not too much anyway) and once I was done, I moved to my machine and found that iCloud had moved all the bookmarks from her machine to my other machines, meaning I lost most of my bookmarks.............oh well, so be it.

I converted my CDs to itunes, years ago and now, when I buy content, its usually on iTunes. I can't be bothered to go get another record player and start over as I gave my albums away years ago...that was dumb, ha ha.

I'm trying to buy my books on amazon and for the most part, Kindle works pretty good. I only have an iPad for reading which is great inside but not great in the sun...if I read outside (like the beach), its a BOOK, a real BOOK.

I use .10-.48 strings, I like those. I had .9s once and couldn't get used to them. I have .12 on my acoustics.

great questions!

[LeoFThe Champion]

Hey Bill,
For decades I used 12-52. I love that gauge. I always got respect from dudes selling me the strings at the shops:))
My S-500 came with 10-46 soi have stayed with them because it is so perfectly set up, Low and easy with no Buzz.
Thanks
Anthony

[Elwood]

Paper or plastic?

REusable , if I remember. I like pen on paper, I occasionally set an alarm on my crappy phone .

How has tech affected your music life?
Tell us how tech is affecting your music.

I have a Roland VS-880 that is fun, also a roland GI-20 midi converter so I can send midi signals to the keyboard and rack synth(s).
I use an old digi001 still . My mac G4 finally went kaput after 15 years , so I bought another on CL for 40 bucks. Sounds alright for my present purposes. Having good reference monitors has made things even more fun. At night I'll use the AKG K240 headphones.
My rack is all analog except for the last unit , the lexicon mx400 (reverb/chorus etc.)

A quick G&L question...
What gauge do you use on your G&Ls.?

10's these days, heavy bottom.
I like having a few gauges around ; heavy for the workout it gives the finger muscles, light for fine tuning the little muscles.

'member these?