December backing track

Thanks for the nice words and all. I am working to finish my solo today. Also, yeh.. there is annoying intonation issues with my guitar that I've never been able to properly fix, even after taking to a proper tech at the guitar shop.

If it wasn't for this trip to China I am doing this year, I probably would have bought that Ibanez Prestige guitar I have been looking at for about 12 months now. Sadly all of my guitars are not the best, they're just what I could afford at the time and upgraded with pickups and stuff so I have to make do.

Hi guys- when is the deadline for submissions? I've reinstalled Gearbox after receiving an email about an update from Line 6- I can't seem to get my Toneport or StealthPlug to work when I need to. I'm having latency issues with the TonePort; I'm getting more tones out of the TonePort than the StealthPlug, and can't seem to get any of my pedals to work through the Stealth. It's driving me crazy.

Wriggler and Light- thanks for your input re: recording. Yes, Wriggler, I was loading the BT through Amplitude (as I did with last month's solo), but I don't know what the problem is. I've yet to try loading it through Audacity, but will give it a try.

I do have half-decent recording software, at least for my purposes- Abletone Light, Traktion, and something else- the stuff that came with the TonePort and StealthPlug; I just haven't had the time to properly use it.

With the holidays and all, I simply haven't had the time, to play anything. However, I'd like to try to lay something down by tomorrow evening (Sun). It's Sat. morning here right now, and I have a full plate ahead of me for the day. I have some ideas, but everytime I try to record, something goes wrong. It's maddening.

Yeh well.. it's not like we're submitting for final exams here.. hehe.. but if there's no cut-off day for submissions then we could spend forever getting something together, myself included. So with the amount of downtime spent over the Christmas and New Year's period, let's push it out till the end of this week..

How does that sound?

Ok so here's my final submission.. still not quite what I was hoping but I have lost my creative juices for the time being with regards to this song.. just can't do anything more with it.. it sounds a little too same-y throughout to me.. but that could just be me, who has recorded it a billion times..

Went for a different flavour of tone on this one, hope you like it.. it's more of a Satch/Vai tone than my previous Hendrix tones.

Right Click and Save As.. (or left click to listen in browser)

Or you can always go to my Blog (the link is below) where I have a player and all my previous GT Solos as well as this one.

This is my first and probably final submission. Can't get anything to work. TonePort crapped out on me, and I don't have the energy to spend the time trying to get it to work. Everything bites on this- tone, timing, you name it. Just wanted to participate so this thread doesn't die. It is what it is, lol. Never should have touched the whammy bar.

Ouch

Yeh.. I actually got out the whammy bar for this one but quickly took it off again.. it just doesn't work for me :)

Well, there's kind of a funny reason why I even used the wham bar. I was using my Brian Moore i91- there's no scratch guard, and the strings are kind of high off the body, and I normally like to anchor my pinky on the face of the guitar. It was too uncomfortable on the Moore, so I rested the palm of my hand on the wham bar...then I dropped my pick about a minute into the tune. I just kept going figuring I was just trying to find a groove; I finger-picked the rest, that's why the solo is more legato- more pull-offs, etc. As far as the tone- that's not distortion, it's line noise. For the life of me, I couldn't get the sound any cleaner, and I had the drive setting all the way down. I've come to the conclusion the usb ports on my laptop are worn-out; anything I plug in feels "jiggly", and I'm always losing my connection to any peripheral. Maybe I'll load GearBox into my desktop, but that's a real pita, as all the updates are incremental- you have to apply one patch after another to get up to date. Well, maybe tonight, or I'll give it another go on my laptop. If not, well, it is what it is. Someday I'll learn how to use the recording software I have. I was lucky to have discovered how to clip off a tune in Audacity- the first few minutes was just me noodling around before I hit the record button. Actually, there were a few licks I liked that I played, and I'm not even sure if I can duplicate them- I normally just play on first takes and go where my fingers take me, find a theme or something, then shape the solo. 'Tween dropping my pick, and trying to keep up with the BT, I was just kind of on automatic; but that whammy, lol. Without it, it might have been pretty ok, except for near the end, where I just got kinda lost. Still, I'd hate to see this thread die, so, whatever, lol.

Well, here's another. I couldn't help but think of ZZ Top for some reason, so here it is. I think I kept slippin' in and out of A Major and E Minor pentatonic- I'll let Light or equator figure it out. Sound over-driven, but whatever. Oh, I figured out what's wrong with my TonePort: it is the usb connection. I have to just get it in just right, and not move anything.

Oh, Wriggler- thanks for the tip in loading the BT thrugh Audacity.


:::Song deleted by the authorities due to the danger to animals and young children!::::

Dunno if I can get another out, or just let this be.


OMG, I just realized I played something for a squaredance!

Originally Posted by: light487Ok so here's my final submission.. still not quite what I was hoping but I have lost my creative juices for the time being with regards to this song.. just can't do anything more with it.. it sounds a little too same-y throughout to me.. but that could just be me, who has recorded it a billion times..

Went for a different flavour of tone on this one, hope you like it.. it's more of a Satch/Vai tone than my previous Hendrix tones.

Right Click and Save As.. (or left click to listen in browser)

Or you can always go to my Blog (the link is below) where I have a player and all my previous GT Solos as well as this one.

Very nicely done Light. Enjoyed it a lot.

Originally Posted by: SilimtaoWell, here's another. I couldn't help but think of ZZ Top for some reason, so here it is. I think I kept slippin' in and out of A Major and E Minor pentatonic- I'll let Light or equator figure it out. Sound over-driven, but whatever. Oh, I figured out what's wrong with my TonePort: it is the usb connection. I have to just get it in just right, and not move anything.

Oh, Wriggler- thanks for the tip in loading the BT thrugh Audacity.


Zpaq

Dunno if I can get another out, or just let this be.

Hey Slim - way to hang in there. Can't imagine the frustration you must be having with your gear, most would have given up by now. I actually like your "Ouch" take better......recording issues aside, your playing was more suited to the backing track...a good rock feel to it. Too bad you couldnt just scrap the toneport thing and get a PC with a conventional soundcard....you can pick up an m-audio 24 bit card in Toronto for less than a hundred bucks....along with Audacity, recordings a no-brainer.

Mpaq - kind of interesting observation there... I thought both Light and Silimtao's first takes were 'better' in that the playing was free-er and more fluid. I found that with the 'Ouch' song I could kind of tune out the noise and hear some really good stuff there.

I also feel for Silimtao, struggling trying to get sound of the gear instead of playing sucks.

But what impressed me was that you keep trying, thats what it's about!

Originally Posted by: mpaqHey Slim - way to hang in there. Can't imagine the frustration you must be having with your gear, most would have given up by now. I actually like your "Ouch" take better......recording issues aside, your playing was more suited to the backing track...a good rock feel to it. Too bad you couldnt just scrap the toneport thing and get a PC with a conventional soundcard....you can pick up an m-audio 24 bit card in Toronto for less than a hundred bucks....along with Audacity, recordings a no-brainer.[/QUOTE]



[QUOTE=WrigglerUk]Mpaq - kind of interesting observation there... I thought both Light and Silimtao's first takes were 'better' in that the playing was free-er and more fluid. I found that with the 'Ouch' song I could kind of tune out the noise and hear some really good stuff there.

I also feel for Silimtao, struggling trying to get sound of the gear instead of playing sucks.

But what impressed me was that you keep trying, thats what it's about!

Thanks for the generous and encouraging words guys. I had to delete "Zpaq"- I heard for the third time just before leaving work today, and I literally cringed! I should have known better than to have started messing with the track well after midnight last nite. After uninstalling GearBox, and applying the updates, etc, I was able to hear a clear sound when I had the usb connection just right, so I decided to go for another one. When it was done, I just uploaded it, listened to it for the 2nd time and called it a night. Hearing it again....gaaaaaa! All I could picture was a couple of people do-si-do-ing at a square dance! (Not that there's anything wrong with square-dances).

I know exactly what I was thinking too when I layed down the solo- I couldn't get ZZ Top out of my head (hence, the title, lol- sorry mpaq), and for some reason, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird"- a song I personally hate from overplay on the radio. I tend to listen to the drums when soloing, and for some reason I kept hearing a cowbell (there wasn't one, was there?). Anyway, I deliberately stayed away double stops, a la ZZ Top, and....I dunno, I was fighting these images and phantom sounds in my head. No, I'm not writing this from an institution, lol- but I best find my groove when I'm not thinking, and just feeling it. I liked my first take better also, but I swear, I couldn't duplicate anything from it, not the feel, the riffs, anything. I just hit a brain-freeze. Well, such is the creative process. But I had to pull the tune. It's the most horrendous thing...I often let my office mates listen to some stuff I play, but when I gave it another listen, I literally shivered. I think I'm going to take some Pepto and lay down for awhile. Gaaaaa!

Yea Slim! Theres a cowbell in there. Gotta have more cowbell!!! :)

The thing i liked about your Ouch track was that it was a ROCK inspiration. I made the backing track to have a raw feel with that distorted rythym although it got somewhat subdued in the compression process. But your track of all the tracks ive heard came closest to what i was thinking when i laid down my solo. You gotta trust your gut sometimes and forget about theory. Sometimes i overthink things, map out the chords and notes within the scales etc etc but usually in the end, i just play whatever sounds right to me without any regard to any particular structure. As i get better perhaps i can harness both, but if i had to choose i will always go with my gut. I think you are the same in that sense...you must be an old guy like me :)

Originally Posted by: mpaqYea Slim! Theres a cowbell in there. Gotta have more cowbell!!! :)

The thing i liked about your Ouch track was that it was a ROCK inspiration. I made the backing track to have a raw feel with that distorted rythym although it got somewhat subdued in the compression process. But your track of all the tracks ive heard came closest to what i was thinking when i laid down my solo. You gotta trust your gut sometimes and forget about theory. Sometimes i overthink things, map out the chords and notes within the scales etc etc but usually in the end, i just play whatever sounds right to me without any regard to any particular structure. As i get better perhaps i can harness both, but if i had to choose i will always go with my gut. I think you are the same in that sense...you must be an old guy like me :)

LOL, so I'm not crazy- I thought I heard a cowbell. Yeah, overthinking definitely gets in the way. My first takes are usually my best, imo. But when it's sloppy, or more often than not, when I have trouble recording, it's trying to duplicate my original feel that things go crazy. Like I've said, I couldn't capture ANYTHING of the first take on my last take. It wasn't so much that I was overthinking anything this time, it was all that stuff in my head getting in the way- total brain-freeze. but I was so happy to be able to get a clear sound out of the TonePort, I just pushed ahead.

Yeah, you're right in saying we're alike in our approach. I normally go where my fingers take me. and yeah, I'm an old guy; don't know what you consider old, but I'm eligible for my AARP card, lol. I was getting back to theory just to find new ideas, different approaches/sounds and stuff. But in the end, I go with my gut.

Well, things are just getting worse hardware wise. When I turned on my desktop this morn to check my email, I got some error message. Haven't figured it out yet. Was thinking of installing the TonePort on my desktop, as i have more usb ports, and they should "grab" the Port's plug better. Now, I either have a dead HD, or who knows what. And my desktop has an Audigy Soundblaster card with an external bay for external recording, like a guitar. I just preferred my laptop because of its portability. I think I'm gonna kill something or someone if anything else goes wrong.

Anyway, you know that "Zpaq", had to be pulled. Be honest- didn't you just picture stereotypical country bumpkins square-dancing or something, lol. Horrendous. I'm still cringing.

So when is the Jan BT coming out? :eek:

Since you deleted Zpak, i dont really remember what it was like now. The mind has a way of blocking out horrific events. :eek: Just kidding, i am certainly in no position to criticize anyone.....and i have no experience with a Toneport connection anyway. I started with a POD as a preamp and it worked great with no issues at all when used with my PC soundcard. (Ive since graduated to a Rocktron Voodoo preamp, but its hooked up the same way (into a mixer) so no issues.) You could pick up a used Pod pretty cheap and use your soundblaster card and have a lot less grief than you are having with your laptop.

My only recording hassle is with VISTA :mad:

btw, the Jan backing track is now posted in a separate thread...a really interesting track this month courtesy of Kevin Taylor