Rock and roll is an adventure. Anyone who says otherwise can take it up with Christian Schauf, singer/guitarist of Minneapolis rock band Catchpenny. His story includes more action than a summer blockbuster, and a soundtrack that’s as good.

By Christian Schauf (Catchpenny)

My guess is that anyone reading this blog shares a lot of similarities with me and my band. We're musicians. We record. We tour. We practice. We fight. We celebrate. We play big shows that make you believe that the next one is the big one, only to be followed by shows that make you wonder if anyone in the world cares. In an industry like this, it's pretty easy to get discouraged.

When reality is this harsh, you find something to hold onto. For my band, we've always felt that the best thing we could do is play our hearts out, leave nothing to regret, and help as many people along the way as we can.

For years we've worked with non-profits and played plenty of charity gigs and benefits. But we had to put our money where our mouths were when, in August 2008, we were invited to fly to Iraq and perform for the troops.

FAR AND AWAY

Along the way we faced incoming fire, spent time in bunkers, had pop-shots taken at our convoys, enjoyed an accidental scenic tour of lovely downtown Sadr City, and even had the honor of someone shooting a surface-to-air missile at our C-130 Hercules aircraft one sunny afternoon over Mosul. But we also met thousands of brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving our country. To say it was a humbling, rewarding, life-changing experience is a huge understatement. 

On our first tour we learned that of the 300-plus bases across the country, only a few were getting bands. The reason is simple: the only way to get a band and all of its gear into one of these bases is by fixed-wing flight (airplanes), and there are only a few functional landing strips in Iraq. 

It just didn't seem right to us that the troops way out in the desert, the ones who needed entertainment the most, were getting it the least. And we aimed to change that. We went back to Minneapolis and developed a completely self-contained PA system that would fit into a Black Hawk helicopter, thus allowing us to drop into bases previously unreachable. I won't go into the technical details, but this leads me to why I'm writing this blog for Line 6.

A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR FRIENDS

In our self-contained  PA system we use three POD® xt Live multi-effect pedals exclusively, and we've used them for over three years. They've been through hundreds of shows. They've faced 30-below-zero weather on drives through North Dakota, gigs in the snow at Colorado ski resorts, sweaty beer-filled bar gigs in Chicago, hot and humid shows in Mexico, and now over 120 shows in intense desert heat and sandstorms. They’ve suffered their share of scrapes and dents from falling out of choppers, off stages, and just about anything you can imagine, but they still work like the day we bought them. We always carry an extra, just in case one decides to give up on us, but at this point, that just hasn't happened.

In addition, the sounds are incredibly accurate. Almost every time we play someone comes up and says, “I never thought you could get tones that pure out of a pedal board.” As we started connecting other groups with the opportunity to travel overseas, using a POD® became a requirement and a necessity. Many have returned to the states only to leave their amps in the basement, pick up their own POD, and hit the road.

I'm not getting paid to write any of this. I'm not a person who would shamelessly plug a product I didn't believe in. But I can honestly say that these POD xt Lives have surpassed every expectation we've had of them. If your story is like ours, you need to seriously consider adding a POD to your arsenal.

EIGHT AIN’T ENOUGH

We flew to the Middle East eight times in 2009, playing over 120 shows across the war-torn countries of Iraq and Kuwait. As far as we can tell, that's way more shows than anyone has ever played inside a war zone. Someone needs to call the Guinness Book of World Records. Seriously. 

If you're up for an adventure, let me know. Maybe we can get you overseas for the trip (or eight) of a lifetime.

                     Catchpenny onstage with three POD xt Lives and a few new fans.

Zelda Main Theme: metalkrapo has put together quite a creative video using the Variax and a POD X3 Live.  It builds slowly in the beginning but the ending is worth the wait.  Complete annotations are provided explaining the gear he used and the process for building the live loops.

If you liked the video, let him know in the comments section here.

Want your video featured on the Line 6 blog?  Post your videos on YouTube with the tag: "line6vidclip".

We'll post our favorites on this blog.

Reamping is a technique that allows you to capture a dry (unprocessed) guitar signal so that later, if you decide you want to change your tone, you can alter the signal processing without having to replay the guitar parts. There are a few ways to reamp guitar tracks. In this article, I will go over two different methods: one using a DI (Direct Insertion) box, and one using a POD Studio interface (UX1, UX2, or UX8 will work).

I don't know about you, but for me, personally, I get red-light syndrome whenever I step foot into a professional recording studio. Producers and engineers just make me nervous. So I usually record dry guitar takes in the comfort of my own home, bring them to the studio, and then run them through one of the nice amps in the studio. Even if you do perform your guitar parts in the studio, it's still a good idea to hang on to the dry signal just in case you want to change the tone later on.

How do you reamp? Like I mentioned, there are a few different ways to achieve reamping. You can use a DI box, which will split the signal without changing the impedance. Send a copy of the signal from the DI box to your amplifier, and one directly into your recording device. (You probably want to mute the track you're sending the dry signal to, because it's not very pleasant sounding.)

Now for the POD Studio method. All POD Studio USB recording interfaces include a version of Ableton® Live Lite and POD Farm™ plug-in. The only other things you will need are a computer, a guitar, a guitar amplifier, and a microphone. Run a cable from your guitar to the guitar input in your POD Studio interface. Open up Ableton Live Lite, or your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) of choice. Create an audio track and insert an instance of POD Farm plug-in. Record some wicked guitar noodling.

Now disable or remove POD Farm plug-in. Make sure the output of your guitar track is set to one of the analog outs of your POD Studio interface, and run a quarter-inch cable from the interface to your amplifier. Mute the other tracks in your session or route them to a different output (unless you really want to send your whole mix through your amp – who knows, it might sound cool). Set up a microphone in front of the amp and run it into a mic input in the POD Studio interface. MAKE SURE that you're not sending the output of the record-enabled track back out to the amp. Just to be safe, turn down the volumes of the track and the amp. Press play in the DAW. Now gradually turn up the volumes. Remember, ears are a gift. Now hit record and you should be good to go.

Reamping can be done with instruments other than guitar. Vocals, violin, and keyboards can sound really cool through a distorted amplifier.

Have fun!

Nothing will test your meddle (and your gear) like a few months on the road with Creed, Staind, Hoobastank, and Saliva. In a production of that magnitude, there’s no room for error. Matt recounts how he and the boys pulled it off.

By Matt (Like A Storm)

THE CALL

Touring arenas and amphitheatres in the US with Creed was mind-blowing. It was an absolute dream come true for us – a band all the way from Auckland, New Zealand.

When we got the call about the tour, we had only two weeks until our first show in Pittsburgh, PA. We had played our fair share of clubs, but this was a whole new level for us – sharing the stage every night with Creed, and also Staind, Hoobastank, and Saliva.

THE TOUR

The scale of production of the tour was incredible – like nothing I had ever seen before. The sheer number of crew members, the precision with which the show had to run, and of course the thousands of fans watching every night meant that our setup had to be as quick and painless as possible.

With this “throw and go” situation in such a high-pressure environment, the reliability and simplicity of our guitar rigs was a major factor.

THE EASE

This is where our Line 6 gear really came to the party. We didn't have time to troubleshoot countless old cables, untangle pedal boards, or any of the usual pre-gig fun you might enjoy at a club. Our Vetta™ II heads and cabs were rolled onstage, our sound guy took the signal from the direct outs, and we were literally ready to rock. No mics, no hassle.

The amps were given a quick line check from our guitar tech, and then left on standby for the first riff of our opening song, “Chemical Infatuation”. We never even set foot onstage until show time.

Plus, the amps delivered the same kickass tones, every single night – no temperamental knobs or vintage wiring to throw you a curveball mid-set in front of thousands of people.

THE TONE

Initially we were drawn to Line 6 amps because of their monstrous tones and incredible effects, little did we know it would become the secret weapon of our arena shows. Every night we walked out onstage confident in our guitar sounds, and able to focus on the main thing – the show.

Our Vetta II heads and cabs were amazing for this simple and reliable setup. And the onboard effects, powered floorboard, built in tuner, and programmable presets allowed us to have a “one stop shop” no bigger than a standard 4x12 speaker cabinet road-case.

THE END

In the electric and high-pressure environment that is an arena tour, we relied on our Vetta II rigs to deliver night after night. Our show was better every night for having gear that not only gave us monstrous tones and a vast array of effects, but was also reliable and quick to setup.

         Powered by Line 6: Matt on stage with Like A Storm.

Pay no attention to the pedal behind the curtain!  The M9 Stompbox Modeler has been unleashed on the world for a few months now and you've posted some interesting videos showcasing how to put this gizmo to use.

M9 Tutorial: studio1087 does a great job of explaining some of the subtle operation steps that make the M9 as easy to use as a typical stompbox.

Particle Verb. Ambient Guitar Heaven: badbrad demonstrates the sonic bliss encompassed in the particle verb effect.

Ambient Looping Demo: Walking in the footsteps of Brian Eno himself, mynameizbrian conjures up ambient soundscapes...and he apparently had just pulled it out of the box.

How do you use the M9 and other Line 6 gear?

Do you have a unique way of working Line 6 gear into your rig or an otherworldly sound that the community needs to know how to create?  Post your videos on YouTube with the tag: "line6vidclip".

We'll post our favorites from time to time on this blog.

By Loren Gold

When he’s not music-directing Hilary Duff, composing TV soundtracks, or keeping contestants moving on Dancing With The Stars, Los Angeles-based keyboardist Loren Gold is working with the Who for the Super Bowl XLIV halftime show, one of the most anticipated musical events of the year. Loren’s setup isn’t complete without its newest addition, M9 Stompbox Modeler. (See below for a few of his settings.)

For the start of Roger Daltrey’s “Use It Or Lose It Tour,” I added the new M9 Stompbox Modeler to my rig. Working with so many guitarists over the years, you can't help but notice how everyone has at least one Line 6 stompbox pedal in their arsenal. As a keyboardist, I wanted to share in the experience. M9 is a perfect solution, covering all of the effects I need in a single, portable device.

For this tour, the M9 sits on top of my Hammond™ XK-3, which is routed to a Leslie™ 122. Distortion, delay, flanger – it's all there. The cool thing is that whenever someone walks by my rig, they see this small effects box within arms reach and say, “Hey, what's that?” I offer up all the buttons and let them start pushing away while I riff on the organ. Needless to say, a few people are picking one up at tour’s end.

My top reasons for using M9:

•    The box. Ability to mix and match sounds from all of the Line 6 pedals. 
•    The portability. I can put the M9 right on my keyboard for a show, and put it in my backpack when I'm done.
•   The sound quality. The same sounds guitarists have been using for  years.

Right now I'm backstage in Ontario, Canada, about to hit the stage – so that's all for now!

      Roger, Roger! Loren Gold is ready to rock with Roger Daltrey and M9 Stompbox Modeler.

Loren’s M9 settings for a few signature songs:

“My Generation”
Tube Drive – Driveat 15%; Bass, Mid, Treble at default settings

“Boris The Spider”
Tube Drive – Drive at 50%; Bass, Mid, Treble at default settings

“Who's Gonna Walk On Water”
Tube Drive – Drive at 25%; Bass, Mid, Treble at default settings
Script Phase – Set to 20% to make it kinda watery, which fits the song
(Set to about 60/40 in favor of Tube Drive)

“Naked Eye”
Tube Drive – Drive at 20%; Bass, Mid, Treble at default settings

“Cache Cache”
Tube Echo (default settings), just for delay

Want more? Read what guitarist and Adrian Belew collaborator Saul Zonana has to say about M9 Stompbox Modeler.

By Line6Piper

Line6Piper (aka Matt Piper) teaches you how to play your guitar through Reason’s Malström synthesizer. Matt is the in-house Propellerhead Product Specialist at Line 6, and the author of the acclaimed instructional guide, Reason 4 Ignite.

Although Propellerhead Reason (by itself) only records MIDI information and does not record live audio, two of its synths (Malström and Thor) actually have audio inputs. Before Propellerhead Record came along, the only things you could connect to those inputs were the outputs of other Reason devices. Record allows you to connect a microphone, guitar, or other live audio source to the synthesizer audio inputs.

The video tutorial below will show you how to route your guitar through the Malström’s filters, and make some pretty interesting sounds while you’re at it! However, you will not hear the Malström’s oscillator section (the part of the synth that normally produces its basic tone). To trigger the oscillators, you would need a guitar with a synthesizer pickup. In that case, you would simply be using the guitar as a MIDI controller (instead of a MIDI keyboard), and you wouldn’t get to hear the actual tone of the guitar through the synth filters. If you follow the steps in the tutorial, your guitar will actually take the place of the Malström’s tone-producing oscillators.

What I have provided in the video is just an example. I hope it will inspire you to experiment, and come up with all sorts of unique sounds!

I've created a ready-to-load patch based on this tutorial, with a few added control features. To download it, please click below.

Download "Malstrummer" Patch

By Line6Piper

Line6Piper (aka Matt Piper) explains how a vocoder works, and teaches you how you can use Propellerhead Record + Reason to vocode with your guitar! Matt is the in-house Propellerhead Product Specialist at Line 6, and the author of the acclaimed instructional guide, Reason 4 Ignite.

I have always been attracted to the sound of a vocoder. I remember the first time I heard “Let’s Groove” by Earth Wind & Fire, the first time I witnessed the shiny metal Cylons on the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, and the first time I heard “Mr. Roboto” by Styx. Although vocoding is a relatively old technology, it still seems like magic (and so much fun) every time I hear it – or especially when I see someone doing it.

Vocoding was developed in the 1930’s for encoding speech for encrypted transmission (voice + encoder = vocoder). Here’s how it works (in its common musical application): A human voice is split into separate frequency bands. The ever-changing levels of these bands are used to continuously equalize (filter) audio signal from a synthesizer.  So the “shape” of the human voice signal is applied to the synthesizer signal. The audio signal from the synthesizer is called the carrier signal, and the voice signal is called the modulator signal, because it modulates (modifies) the carrier signal.

A human voice is split into separate frequency bands.

Propellerhead Reason has included a virtual vocoder for some time, but since Reason has no audio input, only previously recorded signals could be vocoded. However, by using Reason together with Propellerhead Record, live vocoding is possible! And you don’t have to use a synthesizer if you don’t want to – you can use an electric guitar instead! Although we have all heard famous recordings that feature use of a talk box (Peter Frampton’s “Do You Feel Like We Do,” Joe Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way”), I have personally never heard a guitar used for vocoding before. But that’s exactly what the following video is going to teach you how to do!

Technical notes about the video: You will notice I added a compressor to the vocal signal. I did this to provide a smooth, consistent audio signal for the vocoder’s modulator input. The compressor decreases the difference in signal level between the loudest and softest audio passages. The effect is subtle and the step is optional. Also, your ears may detect that I added some reverb, but I did not include that step in the video.

Download Files

Need to vocode right away? Download the setups used in the video! To download Record setups for vocoding with guitar, vocoding with Thor, as well as the "Boogie on Down" Thor patch used in the video, click here!