TapperMike

Wow. Digging your little friends there. Thanks for sharing the pics. Re ibby (Ibanez) I've had a few in the past and ...they weren't my cup of tea. Re Jackson. Back in the 80's I always wanted a Jackson or Charvel but I never bit Re Peavey. I had one I really really liked back in early 91 and then I fell victim to a burglary where most of my prized guitars and a few amps I was at a gig when it happened so at least all were not lost Godin -- Go Dan I've got other Godin's as well. The LR Baggs is still my prized Godin This is what it sounds like. The Baggs version came before the acoustcaster and later multilac versions from godin. It sounds nothing like a tele or most acoustic electrics or for that matter later godin acoustic electrics.

I am really hating working with my camera. No matter what I do I can't get a sharp focus. Anyway, This is my Michael Kelly Phoenix Vibe The image doesn't due justice to the trans black

Here's my Godin L.R.Baggs I kick myself everyday for putting a GK3 on it then taking it off then putting it on again.

Gary to the rescue. Impressive collection. I want to introduce mine one at a time to stretch out the thread a little longer. Mine aren't top of the line like yours are. What's the Rick? Is that a 60th anniversary strat I'm looking at?

Love Is All Around -Sonny Curtis (The Mary Tyler Moore Show)

@Gary I hope so. Nice collection of Gibsons you've got there. Making me miss my LP's Baseman.... Have no idea. Looks like an early yamaha. The one Carlos Santana used after the SG and Before the PRS

<edited> that was a lousy pick of my Tele <edit> Here's my Godin Freeway Your Turn

It really boils down to seven words.

As many prolly know... I'm a regular at kvr. It's the only place I trust for freeware and the first place I look when considering payware. Many places become very unscrupulous. The only thing that really ticks me about kvr's plug in search is going through the form. Yes it will save you from a bazillion useless products but you have to use the form wisely. http://www.kvraudio.com/q.php

Even the big name expensive keyboard workstations are a pain for setting up and recalling loops. Most are designed around performance. You have to go deep deep into the editing features just to get things like recalling loops.

Well yeah there used to be things like Emu Command stations. I had one. It had a lot of great sounds in it and some gawd awful loops. One cup of coffee ruined it for good. It's actually a bit of a pain to get a handle on with the small display area for scrolling through sounds and or patterns and or other stuff.

Try loading one of the virtual instruments into a track. Simply click on a virtual instrument and drag it onto the track view then start hitting keys. If the track/object is highlighted on the track view then it means that track is active. If you arm the track and hit the record button it should record. If it's not making a sound it could be the midi settings not accepting the midi channel. In general most daws default to omni (all 16 channels) for midi input per track, so you don't have to worry about which midi channel your device is sending on....In general. Sometimes they specify to receive on channel 1 or allow you to assign which channel is used to receive the midi signal. I only had S1 for two weeks and I can't recall it's details for how it sets up channel receive. You might want to discuss that over at the presonus forums.

I can't stress this enough. If you can't work ableton live without a controller it's not worth getting a controller for live. Ableton live is not your average Daw. It didn't come easy for me and it may not come easy for you. First watch a bunch of "ableton live basics videos https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ableton+live+basics Then download a trial of the program and go through those same basics till you know how to import clips, create loops etc etc. You don't "need" to purchase the full version of ableton live if you buy launchpad new from a retailer (online) or locally. Ableton "Live Lite" will be included. I'm currently running live lite 8.(something) I got live lite 6 with something I bought and have been given free updates through the years.

Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar

If you didn't get the dvd with the drivers... The first thing you need to do is get the drivers.... http://us.novationmusic.com/support/product-downloads?product=Launchpad%20S If you didn't go as far as to select the program to receive the device you have to do that after you have the drivers With some devices it requires more then just plugging something into a usb. If you are able to use launchpad in a simple straightforward host such as ...Cantible lite - http://www.cantabilesoftware.com/download/ Then it may be the way S1 is setup to handle midi input. For that I would suggest you post at the presonus forums. http://forums.presonus.com/forums/list.page While evaluating S1 I chose not to buy it for a few reasons. (have to upgrade to use third party vst's) I can recall some issues with S1 not working with my midi device. I can't recall how I fixed it. So... use the presonus forum

Launchpad is really designed for FL and Ableton live.

My avatar - BabyZ (ztar model) I just posted this elsewhere Me and my ztar videos- https://www.youtube.com/user/Frets200 My website (which needs updating) having to do mostly with techiques and approaches to ztar playing - http://tappermike.com And Starr Labs site (makers of the ztar) http://starrlabs.com

How talented is this guitarist? How tech savvy? How much time and money is he willing to invest? There is a company that will build a double neck standard guitar and starr labs clipper if you have enough money. I have a love hate relationship with ableton live. While I love the possibilities I hate the realities of dealing with the program. The reason why there are so many after the fact timing fix features is because it's got some horrible timing to begin with and....For each non ableton live plug in you use the latency doubles..Nonetheless Ableton live is the defacto standard and you don't need to get the full version. Many third party companies provide a "lite" version with a limited amount of midi and audio channels. Live operates on ... key mapping Midi can send and receive on up to 32 channels (16 stereo channels) Not all devices can acknowledge left right as different signals) So even if you have 16 channels you can designate one channel for key mapping start/stop this can be done scene or track wise. A track can have more then one instrument or loop. So rows are "scenes" Columns are "tracks" Playing around in this type of environment is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. It took me forever to figure out all of this stuff I should have spent more time watching videos on how to use live. Yes one can simply mouse click on a computer to activate loops but that becomes very difficult in a live situation. Ableton Live is a very very cpu intense program. It's not going to work on an ipad. There are several after market products that are durable for working the session view in a grid layout. You don't have to invest in a starr labs clipper However I would caution against trying to use these "mpc' type pad controls for actually trying to record with. Most are not velocity sensitive and those that are usually have a very bad response to velocity. Things like aftertouch/expression go straight out the window. Nanopads are more responsive however lack feature sets and you'll be spending long hours trying to key map them with live. So now we have something else to cover... Are you going to use prefabricated loops or are you going to make your own for your music? Playing with prefabricated loops is hours of fun in isolation. However it's not conducive for working in a band. Especially a live band that has to pay bills. Even if you have the right tempo /time signature and key that doesn't mean a loop is going to jive with what your band has already put together. You'll go through library after library of loops trying to find something that might or could fit. If you try to do that collectively in a band setting it's likely everyone is going to get frustrated rather quickly. When I work in this type of environment I'm flexible. Often times I'll re-write my parts so they jive with the loops. Sometimes it works...Sometimes it doesn't. I've got the time and am willing to take it but some others might not. Writing/recording your own loops. Some guitarists can migrate to playing the keys. Not me. There are several pitch to voltage converters on the market as there have been for several years. I think they all suck. I say that having played "guitar synths" since the first (pre midi) ones hit the market. :Latency can be anywhere from 33 ms and up on these devices and any latency you have with your computer / daw can increase that value. It is rarely an organic experience. Look how stiff he is playing and it's still kicking in at over 60ms It gets worse when he tries to use the triple shot for guitar rig. This is supposed to be a professional video under ideal situations using the most cutting edge technology for pitch to midi conversion. To me that's pathetic. I've been spoiled by my stars over the years. A ztar into a dedicated synth/workstation has 1ms delay same as keyboard to keyboard. A ztar via usb has a 3ms delay Which isn't noticeable at all. I've been playing ztars for years now. I've also tried the fistman triple play in a store and was highly unimpressed. I've also played a yourock which was a complete disaster and a yamaha EZ EG which was plagued with so many problems it's not worth getting into in this thread. For me the solution was simple... Ztar. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i12EenJT-WrqieRlUcDQg Playing the ztar has changed my total approach to music and techique Tapping on a guitar used to be a mainstay technique for me. Playing a ztar has opened up new approaches to tapping that aren't possible on a standard guitar. I'm less inclined to tap on a guitar as I have been in the past. However tapping on a ztar accounts for 90% of my ztar playing now. It's not that I cant "knock and roll" on the baby z or pick on my z6 it's simply that tapping (either or both hands) is much more fun. While it doesn't have the pretty lights of a star clipper I can still key map on the ztar using zones just like any ableton live controller and still have plenty of space left over to play something on top. (yes it was a little work for me to figure out key mapping) @600 plus shipping a baby z is a great way for a guitarist to get into the world of midi and have an instrument that isn't a throw away. http://www.starrlabs.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59_60&product_id=50 Even though it does look plasticy (not really it's a carbon fiber material) It's quite durable. Neither the yourock nor the yamaha ez eg lasted the first six months and they were full of problems from the get go. A buddy of mine Les Fradkin uses a Z7. Often during live performance he just uses his ztar live on stage for guitar parts via plugins, as well as other midi instruments and uses it to control live all in one.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4u24Rs-_aTCCZneX8D5AmA There is an adaption period when moving to a ztar. Shorter for a logarithmic (rubber strings) then a standard (plastic buttons) and it varies with the person.

What are you using as a splitter? My Suggestion

For the Love of Money - The O'jays

Eddie Cochran http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/under-investigation-eddie-cochran/23141 Sales had diminished over the years till Brian Setzer revived them.

Rhythmic modes - http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=350171&p=4929994&hilit=Rhythmic+modes#p4929994 Guide Tones - http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=323416&p=4587240&hilit=guide+tones#p4587240 There is another thread where I list about a good dozen instructional video's which demonstrate guide tones by various well recognized guitarists but that's another story all together. Modes in general - http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=410147&start=15 Charlie Parker's musical legacy http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=347317&p=4907737&hilit=parker#p4907737 Parker literally changed the rules of jazz http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_parker#Bebop His approach to theory was widely adapted by Bebop players more so then Miles Davis who is credited more for the bebop movement. The concepts of parker's theory have spread throughout the musical landscape. Conosance, Dissonance and Reharmonization - http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=99&t=392408&hilit=dissonance%E2%80%A6&start=45 I'm not simply a jazz buff. I studied jazz theory at a jazz school taught by jazz instructors who also made a living playing jazz professionally. Most of my detractors did not go that route they studied classical theory in a classical setting with classical constructs. They reject out of hand any references that are not within their narrow scope of understanding. In the early days of kvr there were more of my type around however the classicalists would beat them down with dogma till the point where the other jazz enthusiasts simply left kvr never to return.

I'm going to chime back in on this subject. I know people who have not advanced musically because they are so obsessed with theory they think they can get by just by reading about it. Then the moment of truth arrives when they have to actually play something and... nothing is there because they failed to develop technique or a sense of personal timing. These individuals usually will only play when they "think" they are writing or recording. Because they haven't developed a sense of "self" through their fingers or for that matter even the slightest amount of mastery they hack their way through,,,listen to the playback and blame it on theory. Several years ago I started teaching "Concepts of Popular Music" in a different forum. I explained how popular music and chord progressions arose and why they were different then classical treatments. I provided sheet music of songs and demonstrated the why's and where for. Bear in mind that I have been a professional guitar teacher studio and stage performer as well as songwriter. The classicalists at the forum rejected it outright even though the evidence in popular songs was presented and it matched my lesson plan. I even had to go so far as to find videos of more famous musicians explaining the same concept in the same manner and the classicalists still wouldn't back down from their 16th century understanding of music theory. The novices where quite intrigued with what I had to offer. Yet very few took that knowledge to the next step of applying that knowledge. Those that did apply themselves to the approached I'd laid out moved on. Others even years and years after my initial posting who read and responded to the thread learned nothing. They learned nothing because they applied nothing and they still come back with the same questions they've had in the past. It has lead to much disillusionment for me. Some people use lack of theory as a crutch for lack of musical development simply because they refuse to apply themselves. And so long as they do they will be forever stopping themselves from fulfilling their musical potential. Finding your "voice" doesn't require years and years of knowledge. It does require that you apply yourself to your instrument on a regular basis (practice) People with very limited musical knowledge yet full of self confidence and a true desire to apply themselves generally have a more rewarding experience writing/performing/improvising then those who don't respect the craft to develop playing abilities. It is near impossible to not be influenced by other musicians on the road to musical self discovery. My favorite quote from Clapton ever reads something like "I loved SRV"s playing..... But only after he stopped trying to play like Albert King and started playing like Stevie Ray Vaughan" Clapton himself mimicked much of King's playing style in his early years as well. It's doubtful either would have reached the heights in popularity they did without King's playing style as a roadmap. In many ways technique/style supersedes theoretical knowledge. Theory is not an end to a means and it's certainly not a be all end all. There are several theories (because music is about art and craft more then science) Not all theories are applicable in all situations. And mostly important theory or lack thereof is not a valid excuse for developing technique.