Kevin-M

1 hour ago, PierM said:

Sorry I dont get it.

Just do a full backup and put it on sell. In the meanwhile, keep using it. Then, the same day it's sold, grab the money and buy a rack.

Seems way less hassle than squeeze a boat anchor into a cigar box. 

 

How do I know? because I did the same, in the same situation. Worked fine. :)

I think this option makes the most sense.  You’ll probably spend far too much effort (and possibly money) trying to get that to fit when the rack Helix already does.

23 hours ago, cruisinon2 said:

 

"If you nail together two things that have never been nailed together before, some schmuck will buy it from you" - George Carlin...;)

 

 

 

Adding the word ‘Limited’ will also ensure you sell all of those things.  :-)

32 minutes ago, miguelassaf said:

Almost 4 months is a long time to release a working version for a core OS in the marketplace (Big SUR). This is not acceptable for a company that has such a good quality product.

Big Sur is a pretty significant update, and was pretty quick behind Catalina

I’m still wondering if this is an actual forthcoming product, or not. I think the form factor of the current Stomp is perfect as is...just my opinion, though.

3 hours ago, HonestOpinion said:

 

I agree, the ability to identify and separate the processing for each string through a mono pickup in real time with minimal lag is definitely coming. My main point over the next few paragraphs though, intended more in the spirit of a suggestion to guitar manufacturers rather than a rant, is we need to move to hex pickups as the norm. Modern processors just have the capacity to work far better with them.

 

Don't get me wrong, I welcome having polyphony that works with all my mono pickups guitars but it is legitimate to ask, why do we even need it, other than as a bridge for older legacy guitars. We have hex technology now. Hex pickups and cables can be produced relatively cheaply and for everyone outside of the coil-wind cork sniffers(some legitimate sniffing going on there) are essentially a standard pickup with six wires connected to the poles instead of having them bridged. Pickup technology has been strangely calcified for decades now. Adoption of new tech for the guitar has dramatically accelerated  in the past decade or more with the arrival and development of, at long last, convincing modeling and digital processing. Modern digital modeling is in some respects akin to what CGI enabled film companies to do; rendering spectacles that simply weren't possible prior to its development.

 

The other components feeding modelers, namely the guitar, now have to adapt as well. We have the hardware and algorithms that can vary things like the pitch, level, envelope, applied effects, etc. of each string individually yet pickup technology still lags behind unnecessarily hamstringing processors . Arguably the current modeling/processing technology works best when the signal for each string is provided separately yet we still have primarily mono pickups. At least on the guitars most people prefer. Hex pickups remain a specialty item that require either a guitar manufactured with one(not many made) or a klugey after market solution such as a Roland GK pickup. Why is that? Long after we have developed the ability to track and process six discrete channels in our processors we still provide monophonic pickups as the standard.

 

I believe that if six channels(or seven or eight depending on the guitar) were the norm there would be benefits to having the channels separated even if you did not use any guitar "synthy" or poly type effects(but you would want to). As a matter of fact poly would become the standard with mono being a "legacy" effect. A few examples: Your strings' levels could be adjusted on the fly so that high and low strings blended together better taking Fletcher-Munson into account and able to adapt and customize the differences between for example high and low string levels after they leave the pickup. Individual strings could have sustain or compression applied to keep them ringing or damping more in sync.  Alternate tunings would be readily and instantly available on any guitar.  Individual EQ could be applied to each string(a little to fiddly for many I know but could be very useful in a studio setting or for acoustic guitar tracks). With hex pickups different strings can easily be processed by different effect or even amp/cab blocks. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.

 

The possibilities are endless and some have been implemented in hex guitar synth systems but not explored nearly as comprehensively as they could be.  Partly due to the fact that this technology is still "exotic" to many players and consequently device manufacturers when, with the modelers now available, it could be part of a standard setup. Look at almost any other area in technology, networking being particularly analogous. Adding more "pipes" for data almost always results in gains in performance, expands the uses possible for the technology, and drives innovative future software development. Having this as a standard would have long since pushed modeling companies to  leverage and develop the multitude of creative things that can be done with six discrete channels to play with instead of one. Instead this is still primarily the domain of the guitar synth where we have barely scratched the surface. Easy enough to provide hex pickups on every guitar with an optional switch for monophonic for those who prefer the old standard.  Some might see that as opting for a modem over your fiber optic connection though. 

 

If hexaphonic pickups became the standard I would not be surprised to also see some very interesting six channel amps and effects and even surround sound systems and monitors would be developed as well. Gonna require a fat wallet for those.

 

As I believe someone else here commented all you have to do is look over at your keyboardist's rig. Those who tickle the ivories have enjoyed polyphony and multi-timbral devices as a standard for decades now while the guitar still treats it like an oddity.  Important to note btw, that it is not just about polyphonic but multi-timbral options as well. Not to beat a dead drum but why, long after we have developed the ability to process each of those channels/strings separately, are we still providing a conveyance(the pickup) with only one channel when our source(our guitar's strings) has six? 

I’m a long time user of Roland/Boss guitar/synth modeling gear and love it, but the simplest response is that guitarists haven’t taken to it that readily and it’s been poorly marketed. Also, the external pickup ‘wart’ is fugly and there aren’t enough Roland-ready options out there.

The polyphonic effects is a great addition to an already great platform. I think we’re at the beginning of poly stuff that currently requires a hex pickup to implement. I believe in the next 10 years even a tuning like DADGAD will be possible without the need for a hex pickup.  This is really exciting stuff, in my opinion.

Helix Native is a really nice plugin....definitely a bargain if you’re looking to get a new Stomp vs a gently used one. 

1 hour ago, themetallikid said:

it amazes me how many people miss that step when its so clearly outlined.

Even more amazing are the levels of arrogance some people have in responding to questions, while not contributing any help at all.

I’m not sure if there is, but since you have multiple banks on the MC6, you could just move up or down in its banks and have specific Stomp presets on a given MC6 bank. 

I’ve heard Catalina is the first release that requires full 64 bit drivers throughout. If you upgraded to Catalina from an older version, perhaps there’s some older 32 bit driver hanging around still yet? Just a wild guess; I’m still on High Sierra

The HX Stomp is a great little box. Even with the current 6 block limit, the two amp patch is doable. If your effect needs aren’t that great, you can pan each amp and add a slight delay before one of them to get a really nice, full sound. 

18 hours ago, arkieboy said:

Since the thread has topped out again, I should report that I've had a SY1000 since they came to the UK.

 

Its brilliant.

 

I created this track almost entirely with the 'wave synth' of the SY1000 - the OSC synth was used for the one sound with portmanteau.  The only thing that wasn't the SY was the drums.  The wave synth uses harmonic restructuring - and I wouldn't doubt all sorts of other black magic - to change the sound of a guitar string into a traditional analogue synthesiser without delay, using the guitar string's own envelope instead of a traditional ADSR.  As such its incredibly expressive and connected to your fingers.

'Astronauts' was used as a theme tune to an episode of the BBC TV science programme 'Horizon' called 'Space for Man' in the late 70s. Track is composed by Peter Howell of the BBC Radiophonic workshop, and was a 'B' side to the single version of the revised Doctor Who theme tune from that time.

If you're worried that in places it sounds slightly thin, that's because I'm emulating ARP Odyssey sounds - the Odyssey is famously zingy, and cuts through complex mixes in a way a Moog would find difficult.  The dynamic synth can be very fat if you need it to be.
 

 

Very nice! I own an SY-1000 as well, and have been blown away by its synth capabilities. The GK pickup part of the equation turns a lot of guitarists away, but it opens up the door to a lot of possibilities. 

I absolutely love Linux, but gave up years ago trying to get all my music gear working happily under it.  So much easier under Mac or Win. More power to you, though!

The send/return not taking up a block would be pretty awesome. Fingers crossed that can be pulled off. 

5 hours ago, Havukruunu said:

Hello,

 

Thanks for your answer! Why using the Stomp + the native? 

For dual paths.  I was loosely (very loosely) mimicking Adam Jones’ setup. 

You might consider adding Helix Native to your toolbox and use it in dual paths with your Stomp. I’ve done that and also added a Diezel VH4 distortion pedal to the Native path (going into a fairly clean Marshall amp in Native) while running through a high gain amp in the Stomp

From MOTU doc:

Foot switch input

Connect a standard foot pedal switch (sold separately) for hands-free talkback or punch-in while recording. Or map the pedal to any keystroke function in your host software.

I don’t think that can be used for foot switch control of a Native effect. Probably best to go with a MIDI pedal board

I think this just goes back to buying the right tool for the right job. I shouldn’t buy a hammer with the expectation that it perform as a sledgehammer....best to buy the sledgehammer instead. 

2 hours ago, codamedia said:

It's hard to beat the combo of a Variax and Helix... even my older generation Variax comes in handy, the newer models even more so. 

 

That said... it should be stated that a Roland GK Pickup and "capable" Roland/Boss processor (EG: GP-10) also has the ability to process strings individually, and can do a decent 12 string emulation. The cost of such a setup is likely comparable to a Variax and would require another bulky piece of gear (Roland/Boss processor) to integrate into your existing setup. 
 

If going the Roland/GK pickup route and interested in synths at all,  take a look at the SY-1000.  I just received mine last Friday and am blown away by it .

1.  Lots of ways around the 6 block limitation via effects loop 

2.  Send output to an external reverb, eliminating the need for a reverb block

3.  Make a purchase based on a product’s current capabilities, not its theoretical potential

On 1/3/2020 at 9:08 PM, jcharles110 said:

Thanks so much for the feedback. I'm going to go ahead and pick one up soon. 

You won’t regret it. I can’t think of a better modeler/fx unit in this compact size. 

I’ve used a Raspberry Pi before (for another device) in order to support USB MIDI connectivity. 

+1 on the Helix Native suggestion...a no-brainer purchase if you purchased a Stomp. 

Have you you looked at the gear Alex Lifeson used on the Rush songs you’re interested in? Might be a good place to start if the models are there in the Stomp. 

So, we’ve learned that the power supply will very very likely not cause you any harm unless you decide to open it up and lick it repeatedly. :-)

1 minute ago, HonestOpinion said:

 With that said I would say that unless you open up and lick your power supply on a daily basis the chance of getting cancer from a million other carcinogens in the environment or random mutation is infinitely higher.

Then, the warning referenced by OP is useless at best - and, one could argue, wasted ink