designer looking for answers.......

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designer looking for answers.......
Topic Started: Jan 20 2009, 03:01 PM (223 Views)
hoborobo	Jan 20 2009, 03:01 PM Post #1
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #9,155 Joined: January 20, 2009	i'm a designer thats looking at guitar effects and trying to find a new way of interacting with effects units. I as a guitarist would like to have an expression pedal/expressive way of changing effects but i feel like i have to buy certain pedals and/or units to get this, which might not match what sound i want to use. I also dislike the fact that an expression pedal can only alter one effect at a time (usually). Again I also prefer stompboxes to multi effects units because of price and simplicity when compared to a big multi-effects units. what i'd like to know is your opinion on the matter! 1) Do you prefer stompboxes or multi-effect/software (eg. pod/guitar rig) and why? 2) Do you feel like you want to have expressive control of these things?how much control do you want to have? The idea im currently looking at is a stompbox/dedicated effects unit (or a device you would add to a stompbox) that has all the normal settings/parameters etc. All of these settings can be altered wirelessly via a seperate expression unit, which is currently a whammy bar style unit that has a rotating top. so the rotating bar device is replacing the expression pedal. does this sound like something useful? The idea is that the unit would give some sort of force feedback, even just simple spring resistance to improve how it feels to use! Any thoughts/comments/criticisms you have on the subject would be very much appreciated! If you've seen something that does something similar to this then say! I'm really trying to make something which guitarists would want to use,so any input is much appreciated! Cheers Gibran



monwobobbo	Jan 20 2009, 08:04 PM Post #2
Posts: 1,032 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	being an old fart i tend to like stomp boxes better. i haven't really used an expression pedal so its tough for me to comment on that. the whang bar style thing sounds interesting but how would you know what settings you are on? personally i tend to go for simplicity. i only use a couple of fx often (distortion pedal and wha) and then use a little delay for solos and perhaps a phaser for specific purposes. i'm a firm believer in having a solid basic guitar tone that doesn't rely on tons of fx (like the VH brown sound) and letting the fingers do the talking.
	and now for something completely different


hoborobo	Jan 22 2009, 02:36 PM Post #3
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #9,155 Joined: January 20, 2009	thanks alot for replying How would you know what settings you were on? do you mean how do you know what level you've gotten to while you're changing the setting? the idea is you would have your dials like on a normal stompbox pedal and that you would stand on the dial to switch control to the whammy bar unit. The dial would light up on top to indicate that you've switched control to the whammy bar unit. There would also be circular lighting around the dial to indicate the current level of the unit. does that help? ill make a wee sketch and attach it soon to give a better idea of what im saying. cheers Gibran



monwobobbo	Jan 22 2009, 03:22 PM Post #4
Posts: 1,032 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	ok i think i understand. also would this be a sepeate whammy bar than one that you may have on your guitar? it there were tow then that would be kinda cluncky control wise. if its just one then you wouldn't be able to use both functions at once which would limit some players.
	and now for something completely different


hoborobo	Jan 27 2009, 01:10 PM Post #5
Newbie Posts: 4 Group: Members Member #9,155 Joined: January 20, 2009	yeah, very true. i guess maybe it would be better to have something less like a whammy bar and more like (but not exactly like) the paddle type system you have in guitar hero controllers?with obvious design differences.it should be clearly not a whammy bar is the point.... in some ways though, i think the kind of people that would want to use this device (altering effects settings and the like) wouldn't be using a whammy bar. obviously wouldn't want to restrict players, but the majority of guitarists i see in general public don't use whammy bars. i guess maybe people that are into dragon force/heavy metal might want to use alot of effects AND a whammy bar. do you agree?



monwobobbo	Jan 27 2009, 03:33 PM Post #6
Posts: 1,032 Group: Moderator Member #8,625 Joined: June 23, 2008	hmm.... don't know what kind of music you've been checking out but here in the states there are whammy bars everywhere. yeah metal guys use the bar frequently but so do players of other styles of music. i'm not sure how practical your idea would be anyways as trying to change parameters in real time and play would be a bit of a chore. pedels usually have the expression atachment for this purpose leaving you to play the guitar and use your foot to change things. perhaps if you were sitting or standing still playing jazz it might work but ofr a rock guitar player running around i'm not to sure.
	and now for something completely different


voodoorider	Jan 27 2009, 06:35 PM Post #7
Garry Posts: 673 Group: Members Member #8,964 Joined: November 3, 2008	Yeah i'm with Monwo on this! I think it's a nice idea but not quite convienient enough.. what about some kinda finger wheel tucked under the bridge somehow that you can adjust with your pinky?
	Guitars: PRS CU 22 R/W neck \| Organic Classic \| Heritage H-150 \| Fender Eric Clapton Strat \| Fender Deluxe Ash strat, scalloped \| 2001 USA std Telecaster \| 2008 USA std Telecaster \| 1996 Gibson Les Paul standard \| PRS Santana SE \| Maverick X1 \| Epiphone SG \| Freshman FA400J Amps: Orange Rockerverb 50 \| Mesa Boogie Electradyne \| Traynor YCV40T \| VOX AD60VT \| Fender Pro 185 \| Zoom Fire 15


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