A renewed vigor
So I have dial-up at my place, which means that youtube just flat out doesn't work. I've been researching this pedal for a little more than a week or so, and have decided to purchase it. For what I'm doing, it's pretty much the holy grail of guitar pedals. It's a 45 minute ordeal for me to load a three minute video so I'm only going to give you the one example. I've seen a few videos of what it can do, but you can get a pretty good idea of what it does here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5sIKH5y5qU
Nevermind all the gearhead jargon, but the bottom line is that my main deterrent in doing a "one dude & a guitar" thing in a live setting, be it an open mic or a legitimate paid gig has been that there isn't much you can do with the sound, and I think it's kind of boring. But for those of you familiar with the kind of music I do (which sounds NOTHING like that dude), I feel like you might be able to appreciate the possibilities this pedal opens up for me. I'm really big on vocal harmonies, and the thing not only has BUILT IN ALGORITHMS to determine aesthetically pleasing intervals both above and below my own vocals to play harmonies at, but it's based on not a single pre-programmed key that I'm locked into, but the actual chord I'm playing on my guitar! Which frees me up to play any chord in any key with any voicing, and in any style that I want and still be able to count on an interesting sonic palate behind me in real time.
So I think I'm going to do it.
I found the pedal at an online shop on eBay that sells it for $215, which is a pretty fucking great deal in my opinion considering everything it does. I've also got my eyes on a new electric/acoustic guitar I found on craigslist (It's lucky I did because the ad for it expired like TWO HOURS after I found it.) I'm taking a look at it on Sunday. He listed it at $350, and if the action and tone are up to snuff, it'll be a bargain, too. (I've been using the same acoustic guitar for the last SEVEN YEARS, and personally, I think it's time to take it out behind the barn.)
So what else do I need? I guess I should finally spring for a mic stand and I guess a decent guitar amp wouldn't hurt. And I could be out playing open mics in Brattleboro like two weeks after that, once I've got a good feel for the pedal and have a decent set list together.
I'm really excited, and although it's not an ideal situation for me, it's something that I think I can be legitimately happy with until I manage to get some people together to play with. And I think that this could be a great way to get out there and "network" as they say. At the very least, if I'm up on stage doing this crazy thing, people will say, "Man! That guy's doing some crazy thing!" and maybe they'll know a guy who knows a guy.
Who knows? Not me, but I might as well go for it.
*EDIT* 2:36am
Oh, I almost forgot about the cute little Radiohead cover on their website. It's on a little music player on the left hand side. It's only like 53? seconds long or something, but it's a good example of what the pedal can do for an 'indie' sound. Check out the vibrato from 0:12-0:15! Totally lush. Also check out the chord changes during the chorus at the end, and how the vocal harmonies are tastefully within key, yet sonically beneficial to the melody. This thing apparently doesn't miss a beat. (Literally!)
*/EDIT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5sIKH5y5qU
Nevermind all the gearhead jargon, but the bottom line is that my main deterrent in doing a "one dude & a guitar" thing in a live setting, be it an open mic or a legitimate paid gig has been that there isn't much you can do with the sound, and I think it's kind of boring. But for those of you familiar with the kind of music I do (which sounds NOTHING like that dude), I feel like you might be able to appreciate the possibilities this pedal opens up for me. I'm really big on vocal harmonies, and the thing not only has BUILT IN ALGORITHMS to determine aesthetically pleasing intervals both above and below my own vocals to play harmonies at, but it's based on not a single pre-programmed key that I'm locked into, but the actual chord I'm playing on my guitar! Which frees me up to play any chord in any key with any voicing, and in any style that I want and still be able to count on an interesting sonic palate behind me in real time.
So I think I'm going to do it.
I found the pedal at an online shop on eBay that sells it for $215, which is a pretty fucking great deal in my opinion considering everything it does. I've also got my eyes on a new electric/acoustic guitar I found on craigslist (It's lucky I did because the ad for it expired like TWO HOURS after I found it.) I'm taking a look at it on Sunday. He listed it at $350, and if the action and tone are up to snuff, it'll be a bargain, too. (I've been using the same acoustic guitar for the last SEVEN YEARS, and personally, I think it's time to take it out behind the barn.)
So what else do I need? I guess I should finally spring for a mic stand and I guess a decent guitar amp wouldn't hurt. And I could be out playing open mics in Brattleboro like two weeks after that, once I've got a good feel for the pedal and have a decent set list together.
I'm really excited, and although it's not an ideal situation for me, it's something that I think I can be legitimately happy with until I manage to get some people together to play with. And I think that this could be a great way to get out there and "network" as they say. At the very least, if I'm up on stage doing this crazy thing, people will say, "Man! That guy's doing some crazy thing!" and maybe they'll know a guy who knows a guy.
Who knows? Not me, but I might as well go for it.
*EDIT* 2:36am
Oh, I almost forgot about the cute little Radiohead cover on their website. It's on a little music player on the left hand side. It's only like 53? seconds long or something, but it's a good example of what the pedal can do for an 'indie' sound. Check out the vibrato from 0:12-0:15! Totally lush. Also check out the chord changes during the chorus at the end, and how the vocal harmonies are tastefully within key, yet sonically beneficial to the melody. This thing apparently doesn't miss a beat. (Literally!)
*/EDIT