Solid State and Digital Technology Progression

[rhythmcaster]

Originally Posted by Justinvs

And, just tossing this out there, when is some smart cookie going to invent a touch-screen control panel for an amp? The younger generation is being raised and educated on icons, not knobs. Just saying... <G>

Justin

They already have, an iPad with Ampkit or one of the other programs. I've begun using one and while I'm still figuring it out, I like it.

[StephaninMelb]

As mentioned above an Apple iPad can be used as an guitar preamp with touch screen controls....

Here is a small sample of cool amp modelling stuff you can do with an iPad:


IK Multimedia AmpliTube iRig Features:

• Compact 1/4" female input jack to 1/8" female output jack audio interface adapter
• Instrument interface adapter works with AmpliTube for iPhone software
• Works on iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad
• Headphone/Amp/Powered Speaker Out
• Connect electric guitar and bass

AmpliTube
Available for both the iPhone and iPad, IK Multimedia brought its amp and effects modeling software from the Mac to Apple’s iOS devices. IK did a great job with the software, giving guitarists great tone. You can also buy the iRig adapter (sold separately) from IK’s website.

Garage Band for the iPad
The weirdest / coolest part of the app, has the opportunity to be your iPad guitar modelling amp. Plug in iRig adapter and the iPad will produce the sound of “classic amps and effects pedals.”

[StephaninMelb]

It will eventually go the way of the portable touch screen computer acting as a preamp with DI (Direct Interface) output. Plug into a power amp or PA system and away you go...

[Stewart Ward]

Originally Posted by StephaninMelb

It will eventually go the way of the portable touch screen computer acting as a preamp with DI (Direct Interface) output. Plug into a power amp or PA system and away you go...

Well, that's it then! It only took 103 post and here we are... at the end of guitar amps... be they tube, SS or modelling.

The King is dead... long live the King... iPad53!

[Warm Gums]

I had a intersting experience last evening.
I stop by the local mall for dinner, set up on the edge of the food court is a display by one of the cell phone providers for a new Samusung mini tablet, as part of this promotion, there is a guy with a A/E and a small pa belting out cover songs. I assume that this is to demonstrate the live music abilities of said device. The sound wasn't great, and the performer was frankly bad and so I was thinking oh we're not quite there yet..

Later I was on the upper level and could look down on the stage, little tablet on a stand?
Nope...HUGE..(10-12 pedals) analog rig. It's not about the gear it's what you do with it.
And it not about "getting it" most people who use non tube technology, are fully aware of tubes, what they bring to the table and for multiple reasons choose not to use them, or limit their use to certiant situations. In my case, due to physical limitiations I no longer wish to heave heavy amps of any type around, I also am no longer in a financial position to purchase , store and maintain multiple tube amps,and most of the venues I play can not guarantee the security of a amp, so to entrust them with something expensive would be folly. Please respect my situation and choices.

[Arbiter]

I love tube tone (still record with it sometimes) but I'm 46 now and my back is not having any part of it. I've managed to make peace with my old school Fender M80, best clean tone ever. A few pedals and I'm golden.

My bass rig has been solid-state since day one. I bought an old Ampeg V-4B a few years back, it sounds great but there is no way I'd ever haul something like that out to a gig. My cabinets are heavy enough as it is.

[Warm Gums]

So I pulled out the i pad and i rig connector, that I have..
Previous to this I had done a little experimentation, but not too much serious work, i decided to see what I could do in a hour...

One hour latter( must be said in the style of Sponge Bob voice over)
I have the rhythm tracks for three tunes layed down, using the provided DR
( i just used the presets) on to the provided recorder. I can export them to Audacity, and lay down some leads etc.
If I had gone with tape or direct to Audacity it would have taken me a hour to set up..

This is seriously cool....and given the gear and room I have it sounds better with far less effort.

[Tonemonkey]

I went into Denmark St, London, today. Plugged a 70 Tele into a Matchless Chieftain ............. sounded awesome, got 8 or 9 distinct tele tones with the controls on the guitar .......... rich tones .......... I must be a freakin dinosaur.

...man, it sounded good ......... even with me on it.

Should have just brought a laptop to plug the guitar into.

[CoolBlueGlow]

O.K. I thought it was over the top obvious, but apparently not... So to be perfectly clear - my post with a list of vintage tube amps I was "selling" for five and ten dollars each was a JOKE, o.k?

I was trying to make the point that the market prices for vintage tube amps continues to validate their viability.

Sorry. If I've offended anyone or broke some obscure rule, I apologize.


oh, and NO - my 1963 Vibroverb is NOT for sale for any price, especially $12.00.


CBG
:-)

[rhythmcaster]

Originally Posted by CoolBlueGlow

oh, and NO - my 1963 Vibroverb is NOT for sale for any price, especially $12.00.


CBG
:-)

Would you take $13?

[StephaninMelb]

I will match the $13 and throw in $1 for the rest of the pile of goods...

[ballynally2]

remember..they are all still tools. You might be spending too much time sitting in a room figuring out your sound. You should be rehearsing, preferably with others

[gwjensen]

Stephen, how do you connect the Ipad/garage band to a simple amp with just a standard input? Is that even possible, or do you need a more advanced amp with different inputs?

[CoolBlueGlow]

hmm... $13? I'll think on it. Be careful though, posts with prices - even when they are a TOTAL joke - get put in your "I'm a bad TDPRI member" folder. Enough black marks and you get nuked.

:-)

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by gwjensen

Stephen, how do you connect the Ipad/garage band to a simple amp with just a standard input? Is that even possible, or do you need a more advanced amp with different inputs?

I use i rig and if you have a newer amp with RCA line in for i pods etc. you can use a stereo splitter( the instructions show how).. I would think you could also use a standard cord with an mini adaptor ( the "rig" has a mini plug for headphones ) and go into a traditional line in, or even the input of a vintage amp but you would need to then defeat the speaker/cab emulation in the program ..other interfaces should be similar.

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by ballynally2

remember..they are all still tools. You might be spending too much time sitting in a room figuring out your sound. You should be rehearsing, preferably with others

That is one way to make music, I prefer to work alone, no politics, egos, creative differences etc. I also don't have the physical or logistical abilities to entertain others on a regular basis.
Many great albums are one man or basically one man projects, as I said before respect others situations.

[StephaninMelb]

I collect bass (what I play) tracks and songs of any music performance you can imgaine from YouTube with the PC and then feed it into my Fafner II bass amp or one of my tube amps.

I've just use 1 channel of sound out (left or right) on any PC sound card to connect into my Akai G-Drive pedal. Oh you will have to get a RCA to 1/4" converter from most any stereo equipment place or Radio Shack. Then you use a standard male plug 1/4" instrument lead. For the RCA side you just use one side (red or white) as per below picture.

To most people they think of the G-Drive purely as a distortion pedal but it is also as a pre and post 6-band cut / boost equaliser (I don't use the distortion in this setup). So the PC signal is hitting the Akai instead of an amp interface directly. I then keep the PC sound volume towards low side. I use the Akai to cut all vocals and instruments above bass level frequencies. I then adjust the output gain on the Akai. This is then interfaced into one of my amp inputs (Fafner II, TC Electronics RH750 or one of tube amps). What I end up with is a perfect bass backing track. This works for any instrument or I can set the Akai flat and get the full unaltered sound track. Note you can have any pedal in the chain before feeding it into an amp, but the key thing is to have an EQ pedal in the chain taking the higher gain from the PC sound output.

Also reduces risk you will damage an amp with too hi level input gain.
Just keep volume level way down on the PC side. Should be fine for SS or tube amps.

[StephaninMelb]

For iPad there are a number of ways you can get sound output and input into the computer. One is via a Lexicon Omega. This unit connects to the iPad via USB connection. The you would use the 1/4" headphone jack to interface to a EQ pedal. From there straight into an amp. The Omega also can take a guitar input and feed that signal into the iPad.

• Interface devices made for the iPad like Griffin Technology GuitarConnect Pro or IK Multimedia iRig (little interface thingo) or IK Multimedia iRig Stomp (pedal) will provide a 1/4" jack to USB for interfacing your guitar to an iPad.

You then run an amplication like AmpliTube on the iPad. Note that there is a new package called "AmpliTube Fender" that is a joint development between IK Multimedia & Fender and is designed around the Fender amps.

For getting sound out of the iPad there are various interfaces available. One type connects in via the USB interface. Note that as I understand that USB only supports up to 16-bit sound and not 24-bit. This needs to be confirmed. Alternatively the iPad and iPhones have a 30-pin proprietary interface which a number of new interface devices support. You just look for a device that provides stereo RCA (red / white type) outputs. Then as described above use an RCA to 1/4" cheap convertor. There should be inexpensive Chinese made both USB and iPad 30-pin adapters available that work just fine if you don't want to pay for name brand stuff.

[gwjensen]

Thank you, Stephen. Lots of possibilities there to play with. I have an Ipad and Apple laptop. I'll have to check this all out, budget allowing...

[ifallalot]

Originally Posted by Stewart Ward

Well, that's it then! It only took 103 post and here we are... at the end of guitar amps... be they tube, SS or modelling.

The King is dead... long live the King... iPad53!

No matter how cool the iPad Amplitude and GarageBand software is if I had $600 to spend I wouldn't be buying the iPad... I'd be buying a tube amp.

I've started messing around with GarageBand on my MacBook Pro and its pretty fun though