nickgrooves's forum posts 170

Dude ... I just watched the clip for fun ... I think you misunderstood what he is saying. Just before the clip starts (rewind a sec) he says "oh wait actually before that happens ... one side goes to the pedals and the amp, the other goes to the compressor" dude he is splitting the signal BEFORE it gets distorted and in his pedal chain. He's splitting it straight out of his guitar.

That's how it sounds to me, anyway. And it makes way more sense.

I think a better question is ... why not just click the distortion off? Isn't that a helluva lot easier?

The only pedal I know that will do what you are describing is the Voodoo Labs "Sparkle Drive" series. It's basically a pedal that splits your signal into two channels, one dirty and one clean, and then lets you blend them together. It's actually quite beautiful and magical and makes it a LOT easier to get certain guitar tones (like instead of having 2-3 amps on stage for dirty/clean blend). I don't own one, but I've had my eye on it for a while. There are tons of demo vids on YouTube ;)

The real magic in that song is the bassist's right hand. Reminds me of my classical guitar days at university. Look at those fingers fly! As for the loop/delayed sound ... well he is crouched down and the pitch shifts so I'm guessing he is turning a knob on his analog delay pedal to shift the pitch. I don't want to give away too much of the magic LOL but if you turn the delay pedal knobs while you play cool things will happen.

Also, putting this out there ... I've always felt some of the best guitar (ok, and bass) sounds of all time happened by accident because someone was trying to replicate another player's sound and didn't have the formula. Trial and error, to their best ability, yielded something new and fresh. This is an important piece of the process IMHO. If we all did things exactly the same it wouldn't be cool and - because I know you agree but maybe just maybe haven't considered this bit - if you know the exact recipe then it's harder to stray and find happy accidents.

Well, it looks like there is a top row and bottom row (on the right board, where your signal begins)? So my first question is how exactly does your signal flow?

My signal path begins with guitar > tuner > wah > OD > comp. But that right board seems to have a lot more on it. Three expression pedals (including the digitech whammy)? I've got a volume pedal so I can dig that, but I'm curious what is your third expression pedal controlling? one of the delays? and if so, why not have it next to the delay pedal?

Looks very neat and orderly and perfect in a Tetris manner but hard to solidify my opinion about signal flow without knowing (1) which pedals are true bypass, (2) which have buffers if any, and (3) can the smaller right board stand alone on its own for smaller gigs or do you HAVE to use both all the time?

I will also leave you with this thought .... I did not see any A/B boxes ... I (and many notable players) like to have a couple A/B switches on my board so when I'm not using all those fancy delays/phasers/etc. I can switch them out of my signal path. Saves tone, in theory.

Yeah, it's pretty fortunate. And I recently learned that there's an overhaul of the downtown area (which is already kinda great) in the works, so this could really blow up into something big. For now though it's just a humble little space where I work on songwriting, booking gigs, teaching some lessons, practicing scales and etudes.

You are welcomed to visit any time! :)

Sweet! That would be really awesome. Message me before you make them, I need to change one of those 10-footers into a few [smaller] patch cables for my pedal board. I know the extra soldering and connectors may translate into a higher price but it's needed.

The leather jacket worn by Brad Pitt in "Fight Club" is definitely on here and should not be

Case in point.

Wow. I'm shocked that little s#t "music producer" has a $15.8 million house. Who the *** has paid him so much? Is T-Bone Burnett his alter ego?

Right on, brutha! :P

UPDATE: First, thanks Jimbo for a helpful reply.

It seems I gave out the wrong impression in my initial post. I am leasing a commercial studio office space (renting, in a way) so it's not like this is an apartment or surrounded by residential living quarters. And, I moved in late August, so I'm already there now with Persian rug on the floor and piano in the corner. Guitar amps under the window along the wall. It's coming along ... slowly but surely I'll get there. For the past two years, I had been renting a lessons studio at a local guitar shop (in which I taught lessons twice weekly). I decided at the end of July that I couldn't put up with the owner any longer, so I left and opened my own spot down the street. So it's not like this was an optional transition; I needed a new place to teach those lessons. The upside is huge, and I can use the space for whatever (and whenever) I want. The primary concern upon moving in was "how do I teach piano and guitar lessons in here without disturbing the businesses next door." But as it turns out, they don't care. Either they are vacant during my teaching hours, or they can't hear it, or it just doesn't bother them. But it's been over a month and I have had ZERO complaints. And since most of them go home around 5 PM, evening band practices are in theory totally fine. I doubt that will happen though. More likely, I'll do my recording in the evenings when there's no ambient noise (my room shares walls with the hallway and stairs so during the day there's actually a bit of noise pollution coming IN ... which can be frustrating).

I'm totally out of my depth here, but I always felt the best part about drums was you could buy one piece at a time. Buy one awesome cymbal, at a time, instead of a whole set of mediocre cymbals, and (1) you won't have to replace them when your skills improve and (2) they'll have better resale value should you ever decide to stop playing (but we hope that doesn't happen!). So if I were you I would get the best mapex or whatever brand of kick drum you can afford, the best snare or two (lots of my drummer friends have multiple snares) the best hi-hat, etc. one at a time until you have an awesome kit.

I like to think this also yields a better player, because you are forced to focus on playing on a smaller amount of pieces. The best drummers I know can make a simple 3-pc Jazz kit sound like a 7-pc kit by hitting the snare and hi-hat various ways. It's kind of amazing.

Druid? Funny, she doesn't look Druish ...

For the record, I think this is a great thing. I also thought the hands were funny, which is why I added them to my EB. All that having been said, if you are going to delete these items, I think you should also delete "artists" like actors and TV personalities who have no musical talent whatsoever. I think I saw a chef on here once, can't be certain. I think I saw Carson Daily. He might be acceptable, I'm on the fence about him. The leather jacket worn by Brad Pitt in "Fight Club" is definitely on here and should not be ... LOL

I don't, yet ... but I can make it for you. Not trying to solicit, really. I'm pretty busy. But this is what I do on the side when I'm not gigging. I make charts and arrangements for bands and students. If you're interested lemme know. Price depends on how detailed you want it to be.

So how do we search the Forum for past thread topics? to avoid duplicate threads?

Nobody? really?

Put another way ....

How did you isolate your apartment's jam room from the neighbors?

Your logic is good, and I have heard what you said. TalkBass is extremely useful. I have visited and gleaned answers a few times over the years ... after doing a Google search and having TalkBass appear in the search results.

I used to think active pickups on guitars (not bass guitars) were weird and tacky. Don't know why, perhaps the advertisements in Guitar Player magazine and the endorsing artists just weren't my cup of tea so I got bias against the technology ... really can't say. But I could care less now. They are just magnets dude. The soul comes from your hands.

Hi gang. The good news is that I'm moving into my new studio office suite today! And I'm going to have a mega cool, vibey Würlitzer Studio piano. And none of my walls are common (no adjacent neighbors. And nobody above me, either. But one of my walls is on the stairwell and another is the common hallway wall. So ... I'm thinking of ways to insulate my room from sound (escaping). Here's what I have so far:

• thick, plush Persian rug for the floor (hardwood; there is a tenant below me)

• carpet over plywood? between the piano and the wall - any advice on this? better baffle methods?

• I have heard people put cork over their doors ... does this work? better methods? waste of time? My door is a really heavy, solid hardwood carpenter-style door (actually the prettiest feature of the room next to the giant, vintage 1950s window).

Welcoming any and all advice and comments. I lived in an apartment in college, but never had any sound issues. So this is all very new to me. Thanks ~Nick

PS: I have had FOH engineers use plexiglass / polymer baffles at some of my gigs, and in recording studios the carpeted divider walls for isolating mics, but I've never built one ... so tips please

His voice and his vocal timing really sell the song for me.

Voice is an instrument, too ;)

It was only the first episode ... watch a couple more before you judge too harshly LOL

Haha so in other words when people completely ignore the question you're asking?

Yes, that is one of my pet peeves. But specifically, when I ask a question about model "A" and someone says "oh yeah I have model "B" and it works great."

Yep that sums it up.

"If I Stay," was the name I think. A little cheesy but actually better than most I've seen. And a ton of music. The protagonist is a cellist, her father was in a metal band, and her boyfriend has an Indie rock band.

So why this desire to grow the forum? It's just a little bonus thing on the side, right? Maybe I'm alone, but I would focus efforts on the gear database, layout, navigation, and SEO. My 2¢

Sometimes I feel we just need to post things that have no place of their own. Post those things here.

OK so, I just finished watching a really depressing movie, and now all I can think about is my buddy Scott who is battling cancer in a pretty serious way. Scott is a real music lover. He doesn't just enjoy it passively, as even I am sometimes guilty of doing. Scott goes to concerts all the time and really listens. He's the kind of fan who reads the autobiographies, buys extra copies of the DVD and gifts them to friends, and plays in amateur bands because he just wants to rock out. No aspirations of fame or stardom. He could care less. He just loves to play and feel. I have been inspired by him so many times over the years. He used to play guitar a lot, and really wasn't too bad. I'd say intermediate level and not a bad improviser over the Blues. But at some point he got handed a bass and never looked back. He still has a nice assortment of guitars on the stand but he really took to the bass. Maybe because it felt simpler, maybe because his band needed a bassist and he wanted to be a member of the club. I don't know but I'm not sure it matters. I don't know how much longer Scott is going to be with us, but I do know that I'll never forget the times we jammed at his house and the smile on his face when the band falls into a tight groove.

But that Citizen Kane slow clap ...

It's all in his face. See this one just doesn't work

http://media.giphy.com/media/xTiTnC5cMmUx9bfWYU/giphy.gif

Agreed. It doesn't even match the headstock ... in the photo they provided as evidence! LOL Also, the fret markers look slightly different. Josh's guitar seems to have wider bars on the higher frets.

That does sound like a fun game. I love team play games, or rather, playing games with a teammate (like a 3-player game but doubles / with six people).

https://youtu.be/Xxl8WzFynF4

Wow, that was pretty awesome. Also, I like how easily and quickly YouTube videos embed on this website. Twitter, too but I learned that the hard way; attempted to censor an expletive with an ampersand (@) and when I posted my comment someone's Twitter post showed up ...

WHEN YOU POST A THREAD ASKING FOR REVIEWS OF A PRODUCT (SAY, A PIECE OF RACK GEAR) AND PEOPLE RESPOND WITH "I HAVE A [different model number] AND IT WORKS GREAT!" .......................

.........................................................

Sorry, I had to get that off my chest.

That said, the best overdrive ever is an amp that's the right size for your gig cranked up through a quality speaker. I would recommend that if your amp is just a little too loud that you spend money on a well-voiced low-efficiency speaker like Weber's Derek Trucks models. Then go to 11!

This. In fact, in the Blues circuit (sorry it's on my mind from another thread) the current trend is tiny wattage amps cranked (because most juke joints aren't large enough to handle a stack or even a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe). So you get the tiny head, or 5-watt combo, or a larger amp with attenuator (yes?).

BUT ... I personally love my Seymour Duncan twin tube classic. I've gotten tons of compliments and zero critiques, except from Tube Screamer fans, whose opinions I don't really value. Sorry TS fans just being honest.

edit: But I don't take my pedal board with the Seymour Duncan to small juke joints. When I want a really good boost to send that tiny amp over the top for some clean OD then I just bring my axe and my Boss feedbacker-booster (I don't remember the model number but it's on my Equipboard).

What ever happened to the old blues that was like s.r.v, b.b king, muddy waters, etc... How come there is no one like that signed today.

I'm still trying to figure out how Vaughan qualified as "old" ... Did you mean Elmore James? or T-Bone Walker? or Blind Lemon Jefferson? As Robben Ford once put it (by the way, you should really listen to him) ... "How deep in the Blues do you want to go?"

Check out Alligator Records, Blind Pig Records, and all winners of the W.C. Handy award (yes, this list includes Keb' Mo' aka Kevin Moore, one of my faves, who has also won THREE GRAMMYs ...)

Also, did Jimmy quote himself? ;)

edit: Derek Trucks plays a little Blues, and also won the GRAMMY for "best blues album" (in 2010?). The drummer and sax player on that record live here in Atlanta and I just gigged with Mace (sax) yesterday afternoon. Mace also recorded a solo on my last album. If you really like Blues, you should consider moving to Atlanta or at least attending a weekly jam during your next visit.

Never seen one you didnt like eh? :) How about Batman and Robin. Shoemaker batmans are depressingly bad. I've seen prisoners see that it's on TV and decide to go back in their cell and read.

:) wow that's pretty bad. Well it's not my favorite Batman, that's for sure. The one with Mr. Freeze scores even lower on my list. And all the scenes with Bruce Wayne (unmasked George and Val) are really hard to watch [for me]. BUT ... there are things about it that I liked. Mostly, it is Batman. I guess I have a broad spectrum of "like." So yes I like Batman and Robin but I don't love it. I barely ever watch it. I loved the Chris Nolan trilogy. My favorite Batman films to date. Totally different vibe than the Shoemaker films. But then again, if you look at the comics, each Batman film does a pretty good job of echoing the vibe of the comics. That is, there's an equally broad spectrum of Batman in the comics. Campy Batman, realistic Batman, detective Batman, over-the-top cliche Batman ... Tim Burton's Batman and Shoemaker's Batman and Nolan's Batman can all be found in the books.

I got Ticket To Ride [USA] as a gift a couple years ago and instantly loved it, so I bought the Europe version and expansion pack. It's a great game.

The early TMNT figures were awesome! I am not surprised. Beatles and KISS did the same thing, right?

A lot of the specs, like pickups and strings, have their own product listings. This could get too confusing or redundant.

So, apparently I broke some part of Equipboard trying to add my Korg Toneworks DTR-2. I uploaded an image file that was just shy of 100px wide, and got the error message. Mea culpa. I uploaded a second image and got "we are updating our equipment. please check back soon." Now when I search for the DTR-2, it shows up in the search, but when I click on it I get a 404 screen.

Totally. Most practice amps, in my opinion, fall into that category. Great for practicing and for lessons but not for gigs or recording. Unless you want that sound, or you are making a demo for internal band use. But if you are a beginner or a student and your guitar of choice happens to be a lower-end student model guitar, you don't need to waste your money on a high-end amp. The best amp in the world (if one could possibly exist) will not make that Peavey Detonator (my first electric guitar) sound more flattering.

edit: Les Paul Jr.s are NOT low-end student models ....

Actually, this article here on Equipboard ...

http://equipboard.com/posts/analog-vs-digital-delay-oscillation-and-hold

... has tons of Hold function usage in the video. I discovered it yesterday thanks to the EB newsletter.

After I created this thread, I discovered that other one (it had been moved down a bit) and that's exactly what I did. But nobody has responded to my comment so ... we'll see.

Well, this may be blasphemous but I liked Guardians of the Galaxy. There were some things about it I would have changed, but I don't expect any movie to be perfect in every way. Overall I felt it was well acted, entertaining, good plot, well made (great special FX IMO).

But, I also enjoyed Green Lantern. It's possible I will never see a super hero / comic book movie that I don't like. That could just be my weakness. I'm OK with that. I have a hard time watching Spawn, but only because of the poor editing and CGI effects quality. Also, the dialogue was pretty weak.

Kick-Ass and Super are probably my most favorite of all-time "reality" super hero movies. I loved KA one, and I enjoyed KA2 almost as much. Super, with Rainn Wilson, is amazing if you've never seen it. I almost cried. And I laughed almost the whole time.

Predator! Great movie. If we are getting away from DC and Marvel, I must add He-Man, Thundercats, Silverhawks, and TMNT. Of all of those, Thundercats were my favorite. Simple reason: opening theme song was BAD ASS. Really rocked, plus the french horn.

Didn't spend any time at the arcade, really. None close to my house. My friend down the block had a Sega console and I had a Texas Instruments system and the orig Nintendo console for a year or so, but then I kinda got tired of games. Really never been a gamer which is funny because I love board games.