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Author
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Topic: Pedal steel future is digital
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Charles Dempsey
Member From: The Cradle of the Stars.
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posted 18 October 2005 07:17 PM
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I hate to be a wet blanket, but if the future of PSG is digital, then I won't be there.Pedal steel, as it exists now, has three things going against it: 1. Day or Emmons? Pick one, and still there is no standard setup. This intimidates potential players. A new steeler has to be pretty cocky to even think about buying an instrument. 2. PSG makes no acoustic sound. You can't just sit down and play. You've got to plug it in and fire up the amp. Your mobility is limited. 3. A "student" S-10 costs more than some professional Spanish guitars (meaning fretted 6-stringers). If you take this expensive, complicated instrument, add servo motors, endless options and computer control (making it more complicated and expensive), then you're going down a dead end road. OTOH, digital pedal steelers will be a really elite bunch, while it lasts. Just my $0.02,
Charlie |
James Quackenbush
Member From: Pomona, New York, USA
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posted 18 October 2005 07:39 PM
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If you take this expensive, complicated instrument, add servo motors, endless options and computer control (making it more complicated and expensive), then you're going down a dead end road.Charles,
This sounds like today's automobile....
Folks are still driving them, even though they don't understand the technology. .....Jim |
David Doggett
Member From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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posted 18 October 2005 07:43 PM
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At one time, if you wanted to play an organ, you had to go to a church - not very mobile, and not many people could afford one. Now you can get a $200 Casio keyboard and sound like an organ, or any of a dozen other instruments, with drums and rhythm tracks. I gave one to my kids for Christmas. They have played it way more than the $5000 piano that sits in my living room. [This message was edited by David Doggett on 18 October 2005 at 07:47 PM.] |
Mark Fasbender
Member From: Salt Lake City,Utah
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posted 18 October 2005 08:07 PM
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Maybe I missed something but what is wrong with the pedal steel as it is right now? 6 string players have been expanding their horizons consistently over the years and it seems that this is accomplished by increased operator skill, not gadgets and technology. Some of the finest music and other things have come about as a direct result of coping with and in fact embracing limitations. Less can be more and I think the magic is already there just how it is. If it aint broke-dont fix it. However,some may think its broke,then by all means,fix it if you need to.------------------
Got Twang ? Mark
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Jon Zimmerman
Member From: California, USA
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posted 19 October 2005 08:34 PM
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DD, I don't think Mark and I are too far 'out of bounds' on topic.. just the addition of more technology in physical terms is all about 'adding' girth and weight..to a steel guitars body, affecting the resonance, and "complex interactions' of its response, even before the note is picked up and amplified or 'modelled'.
I remember a guy named Phil Baugh--anyone else? He had a good IDEA for changing pitch on an electric six string, but all the cables and outboard mechanism stuff just sucked the original 'tone signature' right out of the guitars body--and it became an exercise in futility--TONE WISE, it no longer sounded like a Tele anymore. Question: how would you add in these sophisticated devices without altering the basic signature of your instrument?
Don't read me wrong here, I'm all for R&D so far as it can be taken to practical limits; there is a fine line between solving a problem, and the creation of more new ones from the wakes and ripples your new "splash" makes in the process. JZ[This message was edited by Jon Zimmerman on 19 October 2005 at 09:35 PM.] |
Jeff Hogsten
Member From: Flatwoods Ky USA
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posted 19 October 2005 09:18 PM
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well this is in the future but I dont know about right around the corner. It may be closer than you think. Mark, you refered to the midi insturments of the past, hold on.I play sax and bought one not long ago along with a yamaha vl70 module, it stinks. Well a fellow up in Ohio with a bussines called patchmen a real musician decided to take a year out of his life and make a new chip.Im going to post a mp3 in a day or two that I did when I first got it which is not nearly as good as I am with it now but if you werent tring to tell if it is fake or not I dont believe you would ever notice.Phyical modeling is the ticket probably not samples but it is going to happen. I can be a tenor player one minue, a alto the next, it has a killer chromatic harp. Now he did a fiddle which is horrible but he thinks it is great but he is a jazz player. go to Gary Garritans site, he just posted a piece he did with his personal orchestra doing part of it and real string section from LA doing part of it a challenged all of the hi tech producers on the forum he is one to tell what part is real and what wasnt, well most of them missed it. Since the workshop came out I have heard some great things from the variax, in a couple of years they are going to have that thing to where you cant tell it from the guitar it models. a friend of mine has one along with a fantastic tele, he is a great player and tells me he has the variax to where he cant tell the difference. I sit in Jimmie Crawfords< the best I ever heard, anyone that has been to his basement knows> basement about 20 years ago and listen to a demonstration of a midi steel. I thought then that the steel is the perfect vehical for a midi controler.I think one of the best things about this is you could double your sound with another insturment.Can you imagine stacking yourself with a violin section, or maybe a electric pieano. I hope Keith can pull off some of the things he is working on because the technology is there, I think there are more steel players than people realize. I started a thread a few months ago to try and get people to write line six about modeling some steel amps, we made some noise but probably not enough, technology is nothing to be afraid of. I love my midi sax but Im not going to throw away my selmer mark six. But I tell you out front through the pa my midi sax is hard to beat and if you are doubling on something else your reed doesnt get dry. If line six nails every guitar it models are people going to start throwing away their teles and les pauls, no, it is something different. We will never replace the old sho buds and emmons but we will have something different. Can you imagine sounding like Emmons on one song and LLoyd on the next and who knows, why someone might even come up with a sound where they sound like themselves.Just my two cents on the subject but dont think it aint gonna happen, its happening now Jeff |
Mark Fasbender
Member From: Salt Lake City,Utah
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posted 19 October 2005 09:49 PM
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Hi JeffGreat Post!!
Lots of good info there. I guess my point was that the steel would turn into something different . Not a bad thing at all,just different. I am sure it would end up having some more varied applications in music. Also not a bad thing. If someone went to all the trouble to use technology to make an instrument that did exactly what the pedal steel already does,that would seem to me to be kinda pointless. I work with all kinds of music for a living as a recording engineer and I have yet to hear an instrument weighed down with excessive technology / interface convey emotion as well as the original human interface version. This may all change over time as it appears is happening,but I am not yet convinced . If someone does this I would love to hear it. The result may be a very cool instrument in its own right.I am not trying to be negative about the possibilities because any time anyone pushes the boat out really far,some great swimming will occur. Creativity is the greatest of human gifts. Get after it guys. ------------------
Got Twang ? Mark
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Jon Zimmerman
Member From: California, USA
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posted 20 October 2005 06:36 PM
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Yeah--the above 2 posts are closer to my feelings about it. Curiosity rules.
Just so long as we don't end up with digital viagra---then I really will go BLIND!  | |
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