EQ Magazine - October 2008 - (Page 57)

STOMP IO (CONTINUED) once. Not possible: X-Gear has a “StompIO” switch, and the controller talks only to the one that’s selected. However, you can control the other instances with StompIO’s traditional MIDI control if you have a MIDI interface—while not as powerful as full StompIO control, it gets the job done. Another MIDI-based application is using the MIDI out controls in the studio to control, for example, transport functions with the footswitches. Aside from that admittedly rare application, any guitarist who carts gear between stage and studio will embrace StompIO. It’s already making inroads with pros (Stefan Lessard of the Dave Matthews Band uses it onstage for bass, as does P.O.D.—and Nine Inch Nails used it for recording “The Slip”). The whole AmpliTube/X-Gear/ StompIO system is brilliantly thought out, and moves the concept of virtual guitar setups up another notch. ONSTAGE SEQUENCING/SOFTWARE The die was cast when Ableton introduced Live, and laptops became both powerful and less expensive: Music software, formerly part of the studio’s domain, started to gravitate toward the stage. Live doesn’t have a monopoly on the genre—I’ve seen musicians use Sony Acid onstage, as well as Cakewalk’s Project5 and other programs—but it has set the standard for software that crosses the stage/studio line. Programs from the earliest days of personal computers, like Laurie Spiegel’s Music Mouse, Dr. T’s Fingers, and Intelligent Music’s M and Jam Factory, were clearly designed for performance but were also studio-friendly. However, Live incorporated two views—Session and Arranger—that might as well as been labeled “Stage” and “Studio” views. Over the years, Live has beefed up the studio end of things, incorporating DAW-type features like a configurable mixer, video window, and MIDI recording. On the other hand Propellerhead Software’s Reason, which was mostly designed for the studio (actually, it pretty much virtualized a studio) yet was still used live, has incorporated more features that make it suitable for onstage use—particularly the Combinator mode that allows splits and layerings if you want to use Reason as a keyboard rack. It also pumped up support for hardware controllers (good news for realtime control fans) and sped up the browsing process, while remaining pretty laptop-friendly. Hot Tips for Windows Laptops On Stage • With Windows machines, go Start > Run > Msconfig. Go to the “Startup” tab, and uncheck everything you don’t need (if you use Microsoft Office, make sure Fast Find is unchecked). When in doubt, feel free to delete: If Windows really needs something, it will load what it needs automatically. • You really don’t want your computer scanning its hard drive when you’re onstage, so turn off System Restore: Right-click on My Computer, select “Properties,” click on “System Restore,” and check “Turn off System Restore on all drives.” • In the same spirit, turn off Disk Indexing. Double-click on My Computer, right-click on a drive, select “Properties,” and in the “General” tab, uncheck “Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching.” DIGIDESIGN TRANSFUSER PRICE: $295 STRENGTHS: Ergonomically combines multiple modules into a single instrument. Lots of “hooks” for hardware controllers. Lack of “hiccupping” when making changes is perfect for live use. Cost-effective. Useful bundled content. Very CPU-friendly. LIMITATIONS: Works only with Pro Tools. Closed system (e.g., can’t host (CONTINUED) plug-ins). Requires iLok. www.eqmag.com OCTOBER 2008 EQ 57 http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - October 2008

EQ Magazine - October 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Smashing Pumpkins Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Cakewalk Sonar 7 Steinberg Cubase 4 Studio Meets Stage Gear for the Studio and Stage Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - October 2008

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