Recording - July 2014 - 43

the TriplePlay application must get that data
from the virtual instrument, which it may not
easily provide. I was fine just spending the
time to familiarize myself with each patch I
loaded through exploration.
Notation with Progression 2
Notion's Progression 2, the included
guitar-friendly notation software application, is a great addition to this purchase; it
lets you create professional scores and
lead sheets to share with bandmates or
students. I had used an earlier version, but
I'm really enjoying the upgrades like the
integrated mixer with amp simulation. It's
a program that's easy to use and that has
helped me get my music across to other
players handily on various occasions.
When using TriplePlay to input notes into
Progression, I was a little confused at first. For
example, I couldn't see why a D bar chord
with its root on the 6th string-which seemed
to track just fine on the TriplePlay app's virtual fretboard-came across as an open D
chord (with root on the 5th string) and three
simultaneous notes on the high E string. Of
course that's not possible; what we see here
is that Progression receives the MIDI data for
the notes you're playing, but no information
as to which sensor (there's one for each
string) is responsible for each note. So I found
that I had to sometimes correct the notation,
but it's still better than other alternatives.

Conclusion
And that idea-that this is a better way
for guitarists to work with a DAW than
other alternatives-is at the core of the
TriplePlay system. My main instrument is the
guitar; up until now, I've always thought
that I've managed to use my keyboard controller just fine with my limited piano chops,
when using virtual instruments and notation
software for composition and tracking. But
this review made me feel like I've suddenly
been given a rude awakening!
What the TriplePlay has done for me is
to open the doors to a vast world of possibilities with the tools I already had and
loved-my guitar and my well-trained
hands on it. I've been able to use virtual
instruments like never before, and I was
stunned to find inspiration and hours of
enjoyment with sounds that I would quickly discard when auditioning with a keyboard controller!
As I mentioned before, one must
remember that TriplePlay and/or the triggered virtual instruments might not track
well when playing certain guitar techniques like bends, slides, trills and palm
muting. But if you're triggering a grand
piano, I doubt you'd expect to hear slides
or tapping! The fact that its ability to track
accurately depends on the player's technique is a great thing to me. This dependence on good technique helps you rec-

ognize and work on any sloppiness when
playing, so it could help make you a better player.
There are thousands of patches out of
the box that one can use to try out different instrumentation with the guitar. This is
fantastic for composing and producing a
demo; you can try out a violin part without having to phone a friend. It's even
possible to trigger drums with the six
strings, but I'll leave that up to the more
adventurous souls!
The available third-party downloads
don't represent the same value to those
who already own Native Instruments,
PreSonus, or IK Multimedia (or other similar) software, so I could see the appeal of
a basic TriplePlay package that only
included the hardware and Fishman
application, with a slightly lower cost to
the consumer. But that's a small quibble,
considering what you're already getting
for your money.
Well done, Fishman! TriplePlay offers
guitarists a great tool that can stimulate
creativity, inspire composers, and please
the most avant-garde soundscape explorers. It's a hit in my book.
Price: $399
More from: Fishman,
www.fishman.com/tripleplay

http://www.fishman.com/tripleplay http://www.greatriverelectronics.com http://www.greatriverelectronics.com

Recording - July 2014

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