lug Posted July 6, 2001 Share Posted July 6, 2001 Originally posted by badfish: Right now I have my eye on the Korg Toneworks for bass. But I got a couple of questions for anyone who uses it. Is there a footpedal controller for the little box? And my other question is are they worth the 200 dollar price tag? Thanks in advance -Fish There are two toneworks bass boxes from korg - AX1B and PX3B (Pandora). the AX1B has a footpetal but I have never heard one. The pandora does not have that option but is one of the neatest effects boxes you can get, definitly worth the money. The effects are better than expected, the built in drum patterns are great, its an excellent headphone amp, and the sampler lets you grab up to 16 seconds and slow it down to 25% speed. It lets me figure out passages much faster than I used to. The only downside is that you can't easly switch effects in the middle of a song. You have to program what you want in order in advance and step through. It gives you 50 spots for your own settings. You can also go between effects/bypass at the push of a button. All in all, I really think this is one of the best bang for the bucks out there. You can stop now -jeremyc STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badfish Posted July 9, 2001 Share Posted July 9, 2001 Thanks a ton for the info, I am going to check one out tomorrow in the very least it sounds linke an awsome practice tool and I dont think you can put a value on that. Ill try to find the one with the footpedal and let you know if it sounds any good. Have fun -Fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emjazz Posted July 14, 2001 Share Posted July 14, 2001 Everyone that hears my bass sound when I play out comments on how incredible it is. My secret? Definately the NE-1 by Yamaha. No, I'm not Nathan East but the little box with his name on it is definately the best purchase I have ever made. It allows me to sound incredible no matter what I plug into. I never think about my sound when I play anymore, it's always there. I don't go anywhere without it. To hear what your instrument sounds like with it and then without it is no less than astonishing. I will be the first to admit that it really doesn't have alot of usable sounds, but the one's that are in there are simply incredible. At around $69.00, can you really go wrong? My second favorite purchase? My Bergantino 1/12 cabinets. The convenience of the two 1/12's is ideal but most importantly, the sound is just magnificent. They are simply the most musical cabinets that I have ever heard. Check out Jim Bergantino's web site at www.bergantino.com. Everyone needs to hear these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted July 14, 2001 Share Posted July 14, 2001 I just got an EBS MultiDrive pedal. It is great. 2 knobs and a 3 way switch. Everything from a warm tube to full distortion. Easy to use, and seems really durable. Check one out if you have been looking for a really nice bass overdrive/distortion. I've tried a bunch of others and nothing compares to this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted July 16, 2001 Author Share Posted July 16, 2001 Well, in the quest for my ultimate solo bass rig, I've picked up a few new things. One is the Boss Loop Station. This pedal blows away the Boomerang in terms of sound quality and features. You can save 11 loops in memory so it acts as a sample player too. It has over 5 minutes of total memory. It can do a center cancel when recording from a CD, revrse loops, live reverse mode. All sorts of things, it cost me around $270. I also picked up a Zoom RT123 drum/bass machine. It has great sounds, though not as editable as my old Roland Dr660. The factory presets are okay, there's some cool "modern" stuff like techno, ambient, house, hip-hop etc that I'm not that in tune with, so I can get new ideas for grooves from that. It has plenty of user program space so I'm putting in my own grooves that I like as well. It has decent bass sounds, and while I don't need them, the presets have given me some ideas for new grooves. It's very small, and it's only $150! I remember when the Linn Drum came out..... Next, I'm trying out the Boss VF-1 effects unit. I saw Alain Caron and Michael Manring using it this month, so I thought it would be worth checking out. It's a stand alone version of the VFb-1 effects card I have in my Roland VS880. The sound quality is excellent, 24 bit A/D and D/A conversion, 30 bit internal processing. It has great modeling stuff for guitar and bass, excellent reverbs, chorus, delays, pitch shifting, harmonizer, mic modeling, vocoders...yeesh! It's loaded. While not a total plug and play item, it's not that hard to get around. However, if I do indeed buy it, it looks like I'll realy need a midi controller board to get the most out of it for live work. The Leslie simulator is awesome! I've been searching for a good one for quite awhile, and this is it. It has so many parameters to tweak that you can really nail the sound and tailor it to your axe. I recorded a loop of me doing my walking bass/chord thing with the drum machine swingin' away and it sounds like Jimmy Smith (well, maybe Jimmy Smith on a bad day!). So, I'm pretty sure this piece is the next item for "the system". An amazing deal for around $370. I was inspired by seeing Michael Manring, Steve Lawson and Gary Willis doing their respective solo gigs. I think I can come up with some cool stuff on my own with the right setup. So, I'm on my way to a lucrative career as a solo bass player! Hope I can at least earn back all the $$ I'm spending on the rig! ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Lawson Posted July 16, 2001 Share Posted July 16, 2001 Ed, have you been able to MIDI up the drum machine, or are you looping the drum track as well? I've kinda shy'd away from drum machines, due to the need for more forethought... anything that requires proper rehearsing is far to complex to have in my solo set... ) The VF1 is a great box - i'm sure that if I didn't have the MPX-G2, I'd have got one by now (though once you've had Lexicon reverbs, it's hard to go back... ) that's great that you've found a place to play already! The thing that first solidified my solo idea was having a gig booked before i had any material - I soon found the motivation to write the stuff for a full set... ) I'm really looking forward to hearing your stuff... on the theme of Leslie simulators, you might want to let Todd Johnson know about the VF1, as he's been looking for a good one for ages. Though if his hammond sounds get any cooler, he's going to get sued by the organ players union... ) I'll have to get you listed on the solo bass network pages soon... cheers Steve www.steve-lawson.co.uk StevieLand - go on, you know you want to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted July 18, 2001 Author Share Posted July 18, 2001 Steve, I'll tell Todd for sure, this Leslie simulator really rocks! I think I'm going to need a midi controller pedal though to get the most out of the VF1 for performance. Arranging the patches in sequences and using an up/down footswitch arrangement would be most inconvenient. I need to have random access, expression pedal and bypass, so...another purchase is on the way I guess. But soon I will be reaping the rewards of the lucrative solo bass market that has afforded you your fabulous villa in the south of France, the Bentley, the London Townhouse, the Lear Jet....yes, all this will be mine too ah-ha! http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif I just use the drum machine in my intial loop then shut it off via foot switch. The Loop Station does have a tap tempo thing for creating loops, but no clock out or midi, too bad. I set up a basic groove and lay down my bass line. ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted July 21, 2001 Share Posted July 21, 2001 Ed, I've been thinking about looping for a while now. I'm glad I waited, the RC-20 seems the way to go. In the last post you said you use a drum machine in your first loop. Can you plug both your bass and the drum machine into the RC-20? I haven't had a chance to try the RC-20 yet, the store I shop at is out, as soon as they come in there gone. Got to see Steve Lawson, Michael Manring, Max Valentino in Big Sur. Had a great time even though it was cold, didn't know it was an outdoor gig and had a rented car for the night and left my layers in my regular vehicle. It was great to meet Steve in person after communicating with him by email for some time now. I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H. Posted July 22, 2001 Share Posted July 22, 2001 I've got to get the new Boss AW-3. It's got this killer "humanizer" effect that's just squirly enough to find a use somewhere. It's got a decent envelope filter in it too. Plus I've been toying with getting the new EBS bass overdrive. Huge tone out of this little buzz box. http://www.identity5.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 22, 2001 Share Posted July 22, 2001 Virtual Modeling is the cornerstone of todays gadgets. My favorite is the simply amazing ZOOM PS-02 portable multi-track recorder. It has models to accomodate all instruments including vocals. I must say, i think my voice sounds really good through the built-in mic. This is THE answer for any singer/songwriter on low funds or with little space to work with. At the very least it can serve as a sketch pad for song ideas while out in your car, traveling on a train, at work, anywhere. Never will you have to worry about forgetting that inspiration. At it's best it is quite the home demo machine. And for only $300. Plus you need a bigger SM card + reader for storage. Figure another $100. I see Korg is releasing one this Fall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted July 23, 2001 Author Share Posted July 23, 2001 Wally, I'm running my basses and the drum machine through a Behringer MX602A board, into a Boss VF1 effects unit, THEN into the RC20. This way I can record the bass with effects and the drum machine for my loops. It's a bunch of stuff to deal with, but it works. ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Poff Posted July 24, 2001 Share Posted July 24, 2001 Ed, Have you tried the rotary simulator in the VF-1. Not a real leslie but surely closer than Zoom chorus. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Friedland Posted July 25, 2001 Author Share Posted July 25, 2001 Yes! It rocks! ------------------ www.edfriedland.com www.edfriedland.com The Bass Whisperer Bass Whisperer TV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted July 25, 2001 Share Posted July 25, 2001 Thanks Ed, I'm still checking some things out. Played through a TC Electronics M-One effects processor. Liked what I heard but had to leave for a rehearsal and didn't get enough time to check it out thoroughly. Has anyone tried this unit? Still waiting for the Boss RC-20 to come in and give it a try as well. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted July 27, 2001 Share Posted July 27, 2001 Today the RC-20 came in to the store I shop. Had a hard time trying it out in the store, lot of guitar players with fuzz tones trying out amps, so I bought it and took it home. What a lot of fun. Didn't get the effects unit or the drum machine yet, but spent a little time with the loop station. Played through the chords, basslines and melodies on my Alembic six-string for Autumn Leaves, How High the Moon, Days of Wine and Roses, All Blues, Black Orpheus, Well You Needn't, Bluesette and Four. Looks like it's time to get Ed's improvisation book and work on solos. I got loop! I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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