chris loeffler

The EHX Mel9 (mellowtron) is AMAZING when blended in at 25-30% to create synth pads for acoustic or electric parts. Mayhaps we create an "unintentional" use thread?

I'm jealous. I did a trade for web work in exchange for a small studio worth of Artnovion (https://www.artnovion.com/categories/1-pro-audio-studio), and ended up lending most of it to my dad as life with little ones ended up taking priority over my man cave. I joke I'm too chaotic at the moment to not throw everything together when I want to perform/record, but I suspect that's just rationalization. Having a tuned in room with a repeatable rig is undoubtedly unfettering for you in terms on exploring creativity!

I was thinking about that. A few years ago. my oldest was considering a non-traditional middle school and I pitched them (because it's all about what you'll contribute) on being a music teacher. When their question of "What sort of curriculum would you want and what songs?" I immediately replied, "The students get to decide that". Even for a progressive school they were taken aback. After the initial shock, they offered me a full-time gig, which I had to pass on because *gestures to mortgage*. Those who seek traditional education for the arts will find it, and for many (most?), it's creating the unstructured space to say "What do you want to accomplish and I will build structure around that" that I believe is the most conducive to growing a creative person.

Agreed. There is a shared spark that happens with some people. I have had more than one neighbor say 'Hey, that looks like nice guitar you gave my kid... what do I owe you!' and my response is always the same. 'You owe me nothing, and take that money and buy your kid lessons'. I now have many young men and women that can play circles around me and It fills my heart with joy. My path would have been very different if I didn"t have a young dad who always had an instrument (late 70"s Les Paul) around and didn"t insist on music lessons as part of earning my keep. I am nowhere near where aspirations are, but I wouldn"t be me without music. Keep on paying it forward. Just tonight my kids circled round the amp for some synth madness, and while I wouldn"t say they necessarily cared about what I was playing, they all had inspiration afterward to one-up me. And they will. And it will be the proudest day of my life.

So... new house?

I bought a MM120 for a steal to play stoner rock riffs through on a whim. I keep blowing the KT88s?!? I need to admit it, but I think it makes me love the amp more.

Hmmm.. I"m not going to discount the 10-20% that is the difference between being happy or feeling like I was dialing it in. I think I realized two things... I didn"t realize how rich 90"s rack gear was AND I didn"t spend enough time with such a buffet to dial in my sound. I am not making a commitment to not being a self-indulgent audio priss, and I do acknowledge my family that loves music but doesn"t play it sees past the 'issues' with audio and mix and hears a song they just like (or don"t). I just want to rationalize buying 'inspiration in a box' and not realizing it is sitting in my tertiary rig (rack unit, ADA preamp, Alesis Quad, and Marshall 9200). Maybe I should just play music? Bar is still open for hours on the West Coast, and last time I went to NO the cabana towels were one-use only as the joint wasn"t reputable.

So... I have overly invested in 'quirky' Reverb effects over the last year and realized that the Quadraverb I own (Er, was given) from the mid-90"s seems to do all those things. How the heck did guitar players lose their way, in your view? Too complicated?

Dear Tony, I will be squatting in your new digs shortly. In all seriousness, I too am new (again) here and can think of nothing better for mental health than finding a place for our passions. I had a rough wake up call recently about how I valued myself as a contributor to capitalism and how little power that gave me when capitalism didn"t agree, as opposed to how I would have felt had I invested in myself. So here we are, with more gear than The Beatles had to make Abbey Road and infinite opportunity. Please share your recordings!

I think everyone with a heart loves music, but how do you, as musicians, share the love of music creation with your family? My wife is an incredibly talented vocalist with no aspirations to learn gear nor theory, so arguably she is the perfect bandmate! That said, what are opportunities you have created for your children to carry forth the music mantle?

I think it will be hard in the short term to create the experience of having an in-person instructor who exposes you to new ideas based on your passions. Having used several of the instructional apps and websites, I can"t really say I found one I enjoyed. I agree with the prior recommendation; follow your interest for now and google YouTube videos around the songs and theory you want to learn. Things will get back to normal someday, and we can have time in the same room where we create a personal connection and get the guided mentorship that is the old normal.

I learned that a year or so before my wife met we were literally within ten feet of each other at two concerts. So... we didn"t meet because of music, but I can"t help but think back to those two events and realize I was likely noticing my future wife.

One thing that"s true for me is I will buy a new 'weird' pedal and then realize after the honeymoon that the Midiverb I had in the mid-90"s already did that.

I gave my review unit of the H9 to my dad to review. I always wondered about that one, but jeez... it"s my dad. Dude put up with me for 18+ years, least I could do was hook him up with something that brought him happiness. https://www.harmonycentral.com/expert-reviews/effects/eventide-h9-max-guitar-multieffects-r386/

gave away $3k of guitars this month to friends and family. I certainly could have used the money, but the feeling was way better to pay it forward and I imagined how I would have felt a certain age to have been given a real Guitar. Now, I only have guitars I play, and I know I have put tools out into the world and might have inspired a few people. Easy to sleep at night!

... That you have lusted over for years but never pulled the trigger on? For me, it has been the Frostwave since 2000 and am Analogman Sunlion. Both are way beyond my price range in the early 00"s and I knew I was going to use them in a prominent for for music. That said, finally pulled the trigger on a low-gain Sunlion after 20 years.

Um... have you MET DB? I feel like we must be talking about two different individuals ;-)

Because I come from the dirty world of Marketing (for music, I promise!), I would argue that a small but fervent group of people is more valuable than a flash in the pan influencer. Once upon a time, I was providing content to Craig Anderton for a book about effects. While things got weird with HC and derailed that, I felt every day that I had no business providing Craig F"ing Anderton content about effects, and learned a valuable lesson from him he was wise enough to not be explicit about... it is passion and energy that drives us, and it is passion and energy that creates momentum. I may never know enough about technology to eclipse CA, but he had the sageness to know before I did that he was grooming a new generation, warts and all, to carry on the torch. Today, I plugged in a Keeley Synth-1 and annoyed my children as I recreated some of my favorite prog songs I had no business butchering. It was glorious, and the non-teens danced. As a teenager, I remember being overly self conscious and when my dad bought me my first software. There was a glissando that"s felt so smooth I put my headphones on and pretended I was Keith Emerson for 15 minutes. When I turned around, I saw my dad smiling, which I took as mockery at that fragile age and stormed away embarrassed. It took years for me to realize and tell my dad how my own self-consciousness had eclipsed the fact that he was expressing pride in my enthusiasm for music. I share this because I want my introduction to this site to be one of passion and vulnerability, the keys to art and the antithesis of the rockstar image. Every piece of gear I choose fills me with unbridled joy and gives me insight into the potential of me. We are blessed and I look forward to being a part of a group that shares my belief that gear makes us better and unlocks and inspires.

I have had a chance to demo nearly everyone at trade shows, and I would say... worth it. I can"t speak to individual preferences, but the quality of those I have played is stunning, and costs less than a boutique recreation. If you want 'that sound' but more refined, they have nailed it. That said, if you hated the DM2 don"t think it will change your mind.

I am another Harmony Central ex-pat. Dave invited me to join the party and talk gear. My first truth is I had to emotionally distance myself from what we were allowed to do for the last 10 years in that forum, but short of my daughters there is nothing that brings me greater pleasure than guitar, bass, and keyboard gear. I appreciate your anticipated warm welcome I can"t wait to waste hours every day arguing over things the crowd will never hear.