Recording - November 2019 - 38

REVIEW

Fishman TriplePlay Connect
MIDI Guitar Pickup System
REVIEW BY ALEX HAWLEY

ishman is best known for making high-end pickups and preamps designed for a wide range of stringed instruments. The original Fishman
TriplePlay© pickup turns any guitar into a wireless MIDI controller,
opening up the possibility for endless sound creation, arranging, and composing, all without ever putting down the guitar.
TriplePlay Connect™ is the latest MIDI guitar pickup from Fishman. It functions similarly to its predecessor; the main difference between the two is the
wired connection and emphasis on iOS compatibility. The primary goal with
the Connect version is to offer the same tracking and overall playability as the
original TriplePlay, but in a more budget-friendly and approachable package.
Even though it's targeted for use with an Apple iPad and the TriplePlay Connect Mobile App, it works with anything that supports USB MIDI. For deeper
compatibility, Fishman offers the FC-1 Floor Controller pedal, which can make
direct (i.e. no computer) connections with MIDI hardware instruments.

Installation Process

As a guitarist, I share your concerns
about safely mounting this on a guitar
body. The installation is non-invasive
and uses double-sided industrial grade
tape. Before you scoff at using industrial
grade tape on the body of your guitar,
know that it's not so sticky that it'll rip
up the finish. Plus, it's a whole lot less
invasive than drilling holes for a new
pickup. I wouldn't suggest mounting it to
raw wood, however, as the installation
leaves behind a bit of sticky residue. On
most guitar finishes, the leftover residue
cleans right up and shouldn't leave behind any evidence of the installation.
There are two mounting options for
the controller. The preferred method of
installation takes advantage of the guitar strap peg with an endpin bracket.
This means that the only double-sided
tape needed on your guitar is for the
pickup. This is the alternative option (if
the endpin bracket is too far away, or
not an option).

TriplePlay Connect Mobile App

The TriplePlay Connect Mobile App
is a creatively inspired tool featuring a
38 RECORDING November 2019

variety of sounds. It also has some fun
and interesting songwriting and music
production tools, so it takes a bit of time
to learn how to navigate.
At the top of the app, there are choices to layer two different sounds. These
sounds can be assigned to play in unison or they can be assigned to different
regions of the neck. For example, you
can assign the low E and A strings to
trigger a bass guitar, while the rest of
the strings trigger a horn section. Or,
you can choose to only trigger sounds
from the 5th fret on, for example. That
way, the guitar will play normally in a
specified range but trigger the MIDI instruments everywhere else.
The other way to set up the app is to use
it the same way a DJ would trigger samples. The Connect app comes with a number of loops and drum samples from NI
and Big Fish and can support any audio
clip and loop imported to iTunes. These
can be triggered by specific notes.
Other features on the app include a
built-in tuner, arpeggiator, auto-chord function, digital effects, and adjustable sensitivity for MIDI input. Digital effects include
modulation, amp simulation, delays, and

Recording - November 2019

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