Decisions Decisions... Plz Halp!

No no no, you misunderstand what I mean by "portable." I mean "Can fit everything in the Steinberger gigbag pouch" portable. This is not for pro recording. This is not for high quality. This is for "I have a riff in my head I need to get down lest I forget it before I get home or the spouse gets off" recording.

Literally fieldwork type stuff. We're talking Bandlab Link Analog Mini, the tiny thing that'll fit in a woman's jeans pocket (cause, ya know, women's jeans don't have functional pockets, that's the joke if anyone don't get it). Something that I plug my guitar in one side, my phone in the other, and it does the DAC thing quick dirty and cheap.

The tiny portable pedalboard is because I'll want something close to what my normal sound is. I've found some cheap pedals on Amazon (all sub-£20) I'm going to try out for that. I can hook'n'loop 'em all on a strip and have a second tiny bag for them if they won't fit in the gigbag pouch. They should, though. If my maths is right (it usually is). Point is, everything should fit in the one bag, and I should be able to carry it all to work with me in that one bag.

That's the idea, anyway.

I know these words but they make no sense in this order....

Cheap chinese wireless trans/ rec will save needing to carry a cable. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33015174887.html?src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=494-037-6276&isdl=y&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&aff_platform=google&aff_short_key=UneMJZVf&&albagn=888888&albcp=9437580887&albag=98363632680&trgt=296904914040&crea=en33015174887&netw=u&device=c&albpg=296904914040&albpd=en33015174887&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4f35BRDBARIsAPePBHy0eRXRrLJQwZlkcOXonSafIATHUS8w-79xLcCDXpyhm33qJMlO0-EaAqzeEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Tel, a wireless setup is a great idea. Not one I'd thought of, either. Will have to do some research on it. I know Stevie T. was touting the Nux wireless, Mary Spender (I am totally NOT in love with her... Wait, what do you mean you didn't ask that?) was hawking for Boss, and Ammoon makes one that's got a woodgrain finish that runs on the 5.4Ghz band. So that'd be something to do the legwork on here soon, methinks.

Jim, which words specifically, and I'll try and rearrange them lol

Not to make your decision harder, but I did find this:

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/StratLEBP--fender-limited-edition-paisley-stratocaster-black-paisley

Doesn't really make it any harder. Not really a fan if I'm being honest. And what ended up happening was my ADHD kicked in and now I've got the Collision Devices Black Hole Symmetry, and I've got an EART Headless guitar on the way rather than the Harley Benton, and I'll probably end up with one of those 6+4 Headless Double Necks you see on DHGate and feeBay before I end up with the amp...

Because I've kind of went full-blown "I want headless instruments. Because synthwave. Because reasons."

Yeah, I know. Weird. But the story of how I ended up getting the EART is fascinating.

So I was a member of this Facebook group (not anymore), and this dude posted up a Lotus Strat knockoff. Now, I'm a huge fan of Lotus guitars. Like major. He gave a story about some hard luck whatever, and he needed dosh fast, right? So I'm like "Hey, [spouse]? This dood needs help. Can I?" and the spouse was all like "Yeah, sure! Helping people is great!" and so I message the guy, right?

A day passes.

Then two.

Nothing. Zilch. Noodle.

So here I am, primed and ready to get a Lotus guitar, but I've been rockblocked (hehe, geddit?). So I go on Reverb, and I find a Lotus LP copy (I can't ever play Authentic, because Mark Agnesi will break my legs if I show the headstock in a video), but it's not got any pics of the neck. So I message the seller, and I'm like "Hey guy, I'm ready to buy. But I need some pics, or it didn't happen, right?" A day goes by. Then another.

Nothing. Zilch. Nudist.

Well now I'm just angry. I've been rockblocked twice by people that just don't reply. And the spouse has OK'd my acquiring another guitar.

My buddy (we'll call him) Bob just happened to bring up in Discord that same day "Hey, Ash, remember those weird .strandberg knockoffs we were looking at? Those were cool."

Bugger me, man. I snatched it. It was supposed to be here on Saturday, because Amazon said "order in the next 23 hours and 15 minutes and get it by Saturday!" well that was a lie. But because they lied I have a tenner on my account now. I'm going to put it towards a cheap effect pedal like a Rowin or summat like that.

And that's the story of why I have an EART on the way here instead of an amp. And why I'll probably get one of those DHGate/feeBay headless 6+4 Guitars.

Because ADHD and rockblock and all that rot.

And now you know. The rest. Of the story.

Because I've kind of went full-blown "I want headless instruments. Because synthwave. Because reasons."

I think they're more of a prop in the 80s tradition... I mean, the only guy I can think of who actually played a steinberger is Reeves Gabrels when he was with tin machine.

Sting and Geddy Lee both played a Steinberger L2 Bass. David Gilmour played a Steinberger I'm unsure of the model when he was with Kate Bush on Running Up That Hill. Eddie Van Halen had a Steinberger GL-T2 done up in his stripes. Alan Holdsworth played one for a bit. David Bowie was not only photographed with one in the 80s, he kept using it as recently as 2013.

That's just off the top of my head.

I wouldn't call them a prop with a list of players like that.

They're also a bloody perfect traveling guitar.

Now, though, the headless guitar craze is taking over. Keisel and .strandberg are the first two that come to mind, and they're being played by musicians like Plini, Yvette Young, Sarah Longfield, Stevie T., Kmac2021, and suchlike.

Also, having just received my .strandberg knockoff a few hours ago, it's NICE. I like it a lot.

those aren't synth based acts except maybe kate bush at times... but point taken, I guess a few greatpeople and also the guy from rush used them.

Oh I wasn't specifically speaking to synth-based acts using headless guitars. Just that they fit well in a synthwave aesthetic.

But to that end: Allan Holdsworth is the dude that did entire albums of him play the Synthaxe. While I'd not call that synthwave, I would call that synth-based.

Take it you're not a Rush fan? Your loss. And yeah, Rush used a few MIDI triggered synths fairly frequently. Geddy actually had a pretty nice setup going on for that at one point.

https://www.cygnus-x1.net/links/rush/images/books/keyboard-09.1984/keyboard-09.1984-0.jpg

So, uh... Yeah. Again, not synth-based but heavy usage.

The Police were also pretty heavy into synths during the mid-80s, so much so Andy argued with Sting about the lead on Spirits in the Material World and if it should be synth or guitar.

Pink Floyd is straight up Prog. They're as heavy users of synth as guitar. It blends very nicely. They are Pink Floyd.

Really the only two on the list that don't do heavy synth usage is Van Halen and Bowie--and even they dabbled in the 80s, even if it wasn't front and center/equal parts as it was with most of the others I've listed.

we can't talk about EVH's oberheim usage, we can't

I was just saying that what folks now know as synth wave is derived from a really non-rock tradition all the way back to kraftwerk... those guys like early human league or john foxx or whoever weren't really using guitars at all apart from cabaret voltaire to make dalek noises.... but I do LIKE all the aforementioned acts except for Rush, yes. But they're prog bands for sure. Apart from Van Halen who is, well, Van Halen.... and Bowie of course who is BOWIE all caps. The synth pop and synth wave music that those terms refer to are pretty guitar-less except Gary Neuman pretty much until the late 80s and early 90s when you start gettingyour Heaven 17s and Tears for Fears, Depeche Mode starts using guitar a little and then you ministry and NIN bring guitar into industrial again where it had been pretty absent since the 70s with gristle and Neubauten, although it was also pretty unrecognizable as guitar, not unlike cabaret voltaire's aforementioned dalek noises. What am I on about? I have no idea anymore!

the picture of geddy shows an oberheim 4 or 8 voice (looks like an 8 given the hugeness but without counting the SEM modules I don't want to say and I don't want to count past 4, I'm a musician) and is pre-MIDI

also, don't forget that Wyld Stallyns were given Steinbergers by Rufus at the end of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure.

https://perezhilton.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/bill-and-ted-jumping.gif

I was more into this guy as a kid though.... oddly, I wound up with an olympic white strat and marshall plexi rig for years....

https://i1.wp.com/www.everythingaction.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/banzai22.jpg

I see now where our misunderstanding is coming into play. You list Kraftwerk (who are absolutely brilliant by the way) as well as Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode (also brilliant). So you've got a Cold Wave band and two Synth-Pop bands, where I'm using the term "synthwave" as described by Wikipedia to refer to music based off of soundtrack music of the 80s from video games and movies, but is made much more recently.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthwave

So we're talking about the same word but using two different definitions it seems. There's the confusion. Hopefully that clears it up a bit.

Not a lot of musicians are adding guitar into the mix yet, but then again, synthwave (as previously defined) isn't really that fleshed out yet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbikUTwyjjk

Stuff like that.

Parsing error. Data not found. "does not like Rush" failure to compute. ERROR. ERROR. Shutdown eminent! Please insert 2112, A Farewell to Kings, or Hemispheres to continue without damage to system.

see, that video is still synth wave I guess... like in that miami vice sense...

see, that video is still synth wave I guess... like in that miami vice sense...

Yes, exactly! That's what the definition of the genre is. Music inspired, informed, and influenced by the movies, TV, and video games of the 80's (and the artwork. I'm not sure how neon gridlines is supposed to translate to music, but apparently it do?).

So yeah. Anyroad, that's what I'm talking about when I say "synthwave" and I just feel like the headless guitar aesthetic would go really well with it.

And from clicking around on the YouTubes, "New Retro Wave" also seems to apply to the sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FAPzb9mlPk

Stuff like that, only I'm not nearly that good of a guitarist.

Nor am I that good of a synth player.

Still, something to faff about with, aye?

everybody knows neon gridlines equal bad 12 bit digital delay lines... 12 bit multitap delay, like my 80s TOA triple delay

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FAPzb9mlPk

I think I could do that if I still had 80s enough guitar gear but I don't have a jcm800 or a cheesey preamp like the ADA mp1 anymore.

the synth stuff isn't even played, its arpeggiatior and sequencer work. I mean, you really just set up an arpeggiator in latch and hit a key every chord change and sit back and enjoy the easiness. Or better still send it a new note via midi or CV every time you want to change chords. I cna give you abacking track in the amount of time it takes to press record in my studio.... virtually.

I know little and less of synthwork outside of the stuff I've done with MIDI sequencing and the very little bit I've done with my Arturia. So uh, I don't know what "latch" means as related to an arpeggiator (I do know what that is). I don't know how to program anything to change automatically when I change chords on guitar.

I am pretty much new to anything other than analog instruments. Guitar, bass, drums. Outside of my work a few months back in that class I took with Andrew Huang, I have zero experience with synth. So while you could probably churn out a backing track in no time, with me, it'd probably take a few days/weeks.

I'm learning though!

its not rocket science....really. There's stuff I do with synths that IS rocket science.... but not this

sound design is rocket science at a certain level, but using the basic facilities of a good 80s synth? not so much

people, including you, over estimate the technical difficulties.... by the same token lay people assume synths and drums machines just make music for you which is equally inaccurate. If there was a "#1 hit" button on a dx7 we would all push it and get rich.

I mean, give me long enough with it and a user manual, and I'll have it figured out. You've heard (or not, I don't know) what I was able to do after just a week of toying with soft-synths and free sounds from Spitfire Audio. All it takes is time. It's just a matter of being bothered to do it.

Right now, I've found a few arpeggiated settings in Analog Labs 4 what came with the Arturia, basically I just hold down a key and it does all this crazy do de da do da de do da stuff. I assume that's all there is to it? The more complex stuff is going in and tweaking the waveform, LFO, envelope, and all that. HELM comes to mind, where I can play with everything and make it sound like your basic 808 wubza, or I can tweak it enough to sound like a bell ringing.

I'll eventually figure out enough to do something with--but Dennis DeYoung I ain't.