Making Music

[Dr. Gonzo]

I got to work from home today because the office is being fumigated and as a result, I've been working with a guitar on my lap all day. And I've FINALLY figured out how to make the 6505+ sound good at low volumes - pretty easy fix too. Just put the pre-gain knob waaaay higher than I normally would and keep the volume a bit lower than I normally would and all of a sudden I'm getting the tone I wanted.

Very fucking happy with this news.

[Guest]

I've been wanting to make song covers but I can't sing to save my life. I hear its impossible to improve as well   

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, Grizzly21 said:

I've been wanting to make song covers but I can't sing to save my life. I hear its impossible to improve as well   

If that were true there'd be no such thing as vocal coaches, mate

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

If that were true there'd be no such thing as vocal coaches, mate

Will have to do more research then. I'll PM you one of these days about this, I have a lot of curiousities.

[Mel81x+]

22 hours ago, Grizzly21 said:

I've been wanting to make song covers but I can't sing to save my life. I hear its impossible to improve as well   

As @Dr. Gonzo said thats not entirely true. Your vocal chords are like any other part of your body where practice and time automatically overcome some of the deficiencies we have on day one or week one. Having said that there is a limit to what you're capable of doing as well and understanding that is where you can actually make song covers but perhaps not with the same range as the original and in lower/higher keys. 

Watch this video it kind of encapsulates how they train vocal chords to do much more.

 

[Guest]

Downloaded FL Studio. Time to experiment with this...

[Mel81x+]

26 minutes ago, Grizzly21 said:

Downloaded FL Studio. Time to experiment with this...

Heard that this integrates much better with stuff like the MIDI KB from Akai which is dirt-cheap really and allows for some fantastic looping. This isn't to say you couldn't just plug your phone into the DAW and do just as much.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Heard that this integrates much better with stuff like the MIDI KB from Akai which is dirt-cheap really and allows for some fantastic looping. This isn't to say you couldn't just plug your phone into the DAW and do just as much.

I've managed to make the Lambada as a simple tune on the software. I'm so proud of myself  

[Dr. Gonzo]

I was just gifted a Boss Katana 50 because my fiancé has told me I'm not to play the 6505+ at home anymore  I suppose my "hey this sounds alright and the volume isn't too loud" solution to the 6505+ was still too loud for normal people I won't be able to fuck around with it until I'm back home... but I'll definitely be putting it through it's paces in trying to get some good heavy tones out of it.

[Mel81x+]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I was just gifted a Boss Katana 50 because my fiancé has told me I'm not to play the 6505+ at home anymore  I suppose my "hey this sounds alright and the volume isn't too loud" solution to the 6505+ was still too loud for normal people I won't be able to fuck around with it until I'm back home... but I'll definitely be putting it through it's paces in trying to get some good heavy tones out of it.

There's only one reply to this post. Tasty.

[Dr. Gonzo]

it’s uh bigger than I thought it’d be. I haven’t really done much with it, like plug it into the computer and used the tone studio or anything. But I plugged it in and gave it a whirl at the lowest wattage setting (but with the master volume flat out ). Sounds pretty fucking good tbh - really versatile. For a modeling amp it doesn’t really try to actually model other amps, imo, it’s different amp channels/voicing (I’m gonna call them channels and what Boss calls the amp’s channels are more like presets) all cover a wide array of tones. I got tones I liked from each channel. I’m not sure which I like best right now.

[Mel81x+]

1 hour ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

it’s uh bigger than I thought it’d be. I haven’t really done much with it, like plug it into the computer and used the tone studio or anything. But I plugged it in and gave it a whirl at the lowest wattage setting (but with the master volume flat out ). Sounds pretty fucking good tbh - really versatile. For a modeling amp it doesn’t really try to actually model other amps, imo, it’s different amp channels/voicing (I’m gonna call them channels and what Boss calls the amp’s channels are more like presets) all cover a wide array of tones. I got tones I liked from each channel. I’m not sure which I like best right now.

I am guessing the fiance pre-tested it before giving it you haha. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

8 hours ago, Mel81x said:

I am guessing the fiance pre-tested it before giving it you haha. 

Well it’s weird, in the manual it recommends having the master volume flat out and limiting the volume with the ordinary volume knob... so basically the opposite of how those knobs operate on every other amp.

But when I first gave it a go it was still loud as fuck 

[Mel81x+]

14 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Well it’s weird, in the manual it recommends having the master volume flat out and limiting the volume with the ordinary volume knob... so basically the opposite of how those knobs operate on every other amp.

But when I first gave it a go it was still loud as fuck 

Once you've had time to figure it all out let me know how it is as I am in the market for an amp for my guitars and I was considering a Katana 100.

[Dr. Gonzo]

10 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Once you've had time to figure it all out let me know how it is as I am in the market for an amp for my guitars and I was considering a Katana 100.

I’m really impressed with the Katana 50 - I see why the entire Katana series comes so highly recommended.

I basically spent all day fucking around with it. Playing at bedroom volumes, then going to my mate’s for jamming (it keeps up with a drummer in 50 watt mode with the stock speaker, seriously impressed with that) - tested out the software for hours too (which is cool, it’s like a stripped down version of the Boss GT-1000 software; but still plenty complex).

I will say the stock presets are absolutely a steaming pile of shit and once I figured out the software I made my own 4 presets of common tones I like to use and quickly replaced them. That’s not a complaint though, it’s really rare on anything like this that I like the stock presets. They’re always shit in every product tbh 

It’s hard not to recommend the Katana to anyone looking for an amp tbh. Is it the best sounding amp? Nah, it’s not a valve amp and solid state hasn’t caught up yet (I think it will soon though). But does it sound great? Oh yeah, it most definitely sounds great.

And because it’s made by Boss, pedal making legends, it takes pedals so fucking great. Which imo most solid state amps I’ve tries are a bit finicky with some pedals - so that’s nice to see.

For the price it’s a seriously impressive unit. Like unbelievably impressive tbh, I wish these existed when I was a kid. And cheap combo amp usually sound bad because of shit circuitry or shit speakers, with the Katana you’re definitely not getting that.

I’ve only got one complaint: there is no effects loop on the Katana 50 - if you’re getting the 100 that’s not an issue.

But yeah, I see why these are so highly recommended. It really is a jack of all trades option for guitar players - a wide array of tones in an amp that can be used in a variety of ways.

I’m seriously impressed with it, if you want an amp that can be used in a shitload of practical applications I think it’s the best option for the money. Because it’s seriously cheap for all it can do and how good it sounds (again, tonally it’s very similar to the GT-1000, but with less effects, amp models, and the software’s a bit limited... but it’s about a grand less dear). The only way I wouldn’t recommend it is if someone wants a super particular tone - like if I wanted a Marshall Plexi tone, I can get close with the Boss tone studio with lots of tweaking... but a Plexi or a Plexi clone will (obviously) be a better amp choice.

Tl;dr - I’m seriously impressed with it, it’s not the best sounding amp I’ve ever used/owned... but it sounds great and is so versatile in so many ways. Even though it’s not perfect, I’d have to give it a 10/10 considering my fiancé paid just over $200USD for an amp that can do so much

[Mel81x+]

55 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Tl;dr - I’m seriously impressed with it, it’s not the best sounding amp I’ve ever used/owned... but it sounds great and is so versatile in so many ways. Even though it’s not perfect, I’d have to give it a 10/10 considering my fiancé paid just over $200USD for an amp that can do so much

when the time comes I am just going to step into a store and see if I can play with one before I finally make a decision but I have heard so many good things about these amps its probably going to do well.

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 18/08/2019 at 08:21, Mel81x said:

when the time comes I am just going to step into a store and see if I can play with one before I finally make a decision but I have heard so many good things about these amps its probably going to do well.

Do stores let you bring in your own pedal boards? I've never actually tried doing that... but I think what surprised me most about it was how well it can take pedals. Most solid state combo amps are totally shit at taking pedals over the effects built into it.

[Mel81x+]

14 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Do stores let you bring in your own pedal boards? I've never actually tried doing that... but I think what surprised me most about it was how well it can take pedals. Most solid state combo amps are totally shit at taking pedals over the effects built into it.

Well this one would considering its right next to the studio but I've never actually done anything like that which is odd. I just go in, pick a guitar I want to test it with generally a Telecaster and then try stuff out. Mind you I have only been testing acoustic guitars out lately so my knowledge on amps in the opposite direction has deteriorated severely as a result.

[Mel81x+]

The most shocking thing has happened today. My old NS2 from Boss died ... then I spent almost 30 minutes trying to figure out which pedal was causing the noise and I genuinely believed the TCE distortion pedal was making all the noise as I never once even thought the Boss would go bad. These things happen so im told.

[Dr. Gonzo]

32 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

The most shocking thing has happened today. My old NS2 from Boss died ... then I spent almost 30 minutes trying to figure out which pedal was causing the noise and I genuinely believed the TCE distortion pedal was making all the noise as I never once even thought the Boss would go bad. These things happen so im told.

Holy shit how old is it? I've never had a Boss pedal die.

I've heard the EXH Silencer is arguably better than the NS-2 (which is the noise suppressor I've always used)… and it's a bit cheaper. And it's a noise suppressor rather than a noise gate, which I prefer.

[Mel81x+]

10 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Holy shit how old is it? I've never had a Boss pedal die.

I've heard the EXH Silencer is arguably better than the NS-2 (which is the noise suppressor I've always used)… and it's a bit cheaper. And it's a noise suppressor rather than a noise gate, which I prefer.

Its over 10yrs old so it was bound to die eventually. It's a hand me down and eventhough its taken a beating over the years its worked flawlessly. I am going to take it to someone to see if they can fix it but I am planning for the worst-case scenario.

[Dr. Gonzo]

So I think I’m extra shit at soloing. And today I’ve basically just spent trying to go over shit really slowly with a metronome trying to not be as shit at guitar.

It is so fucking frustrating. I’ve made progress. But not a whole lot of progress. And I’ve had the time to put in a lot of effort and it just feels so slow going.

Should probably work on something else and come back to it. But oh my fucking god I just want to keep powering through and show my stupid fucking fingers that I am going to not be shit at soloing.

Also playing slowly just because I’m shit at a particular part; but I can’t play normal speed at the parts I have nailed because that fucks up my ability to play the shit I struggle at.... so fucking annoying.

And I know that once I figure everything out it’ll make it all worth it. But holy shit I’ve spent a day on one solo.

Damn you Marty Friedman!

[Mel81x+]

2 hours ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

So I think I’m extra shit at soloing. And today I’ve basically just spent trying to go over shit really slowly with a metronome trying to not be as shit at guitar.

It is so fucking frustrating. I’ve made progress. But not a whole lot of progress. And I’ve had the time to put in a lot of effort and it just feels so slow going.

Should probably work on something else and come back to it. But oh my fucking god I just want to keep powering through and show my stupid fucking fingers that I am going to not be shit at soloing.

Also playing slowly just because I’m shit at a particular part; but I can’t play normal speed at the parts I have nailed because that fucks up my ability to play the shit I struggle at.... so fucking annoying.

And I know that once I figure everything out it’ll make it all worth it. But holy shit I’ve spent a day on one solo.

Damn you Marty Friedman!

I know the feeling. Sometimes I think i have the timing down just right then I’ll play along with a metronome before a jam and I’ll find out I am missing beats. Normally it doesn’t matter if everyone is in sync but omg does it eat at you when you think I have to speed up here or slow down in a place I cant. 

I find that the best thing to do, long term, is to always have a metronome running in my head and over time I have learned how to play along with the timing. This of course goes completely out the window when playing with others who don’t do the same but the first step is to always play by yourself. 

[Mel81x+]

For anyone that is interested in improving their timing and understanding time signatures and their importance in playing music and evoking emotion or just because you want to improve you technique and need something as the backbone to gauge your progress go out and get this app for your tablet or phone called “Complete Rhythm Trainer”. 

Once you progress past the easy stuff like 4/4 and 3/4 then you start to understand why things make so much sense in music when it comes to composing and sharing your compositions with other people. Also, its really good if you’re playing with other musicians because it gives you the baseline to play together and figure stuff out and even add improvisations without breaking each other’s stride.

[Dr. Gonzo]

On 03/09/2019 at 23:32, Mel81x said:

For anyone that is interested in improving their timing and understanding time signatures and their importance in playing music and evoking emotion or just because you want to improve you technique and need something as the backbone to gauge your progress go out and get this app for your tablet or phone called “Complete Rhythm Trainer”. 

Once you progress past the easy stuff like 4/4 and 3/4 then you start to understand why things make so much sense in music when it comes to composing and sharing your compositions with other people. Also, its really good if you’re playing with other musicians because it gives you the baseline to play together and figure stuff out and even add improvisations without breaking each other’s stride.

Cool, thanks for the tip