tatudbassman Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 Does anyone have any "real" reviews, on the BT1? One of the forums got me thinking ("toughest riff?), and I can't start out as fast practicing some of those riffs...like 16th's @ 150 bpm. The BT1 will slow down 50% without changing the pitch or key. Help. Vince "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted November 25, 2004 Share Posted November 25, 2004 I have one and I love it. It really helps. You can set loop points in a song as well, and have it loop that section over and over. You can reduce the tempo without changing the key, change the key without reducing the tempo, or change both. You can enhance (boost) the existing bass line (actually, all low frequencies), or almost eliminate it. The on-board effects stink in my humble opinion, and it eats batteries for breakfast (definitely get the power adapter). I use it quite a lot for learning 3-5 new tunes for church each week. That said, I can see room for improvement (or room for a competitor to introduce an even better product). It would be nice if there were some way to do a better job of enhancing and removing the current bass line, if that's possible. Also, a way to record your bass line, play it back and listen to it (even if it's just a few minutes of flash memory based recording) would be nice. It could use more head-room...the active output from my bass will cause it to distort if I set the input level too high. More output level into the headphones would be a plus also. HTH, Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruiser_dup2 Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I think this has been discussed here before (or maybe it was on some other Forum I visit) but you might look at a program called SlowGold. It does a lot of the same things as the Tascam, and some things that the Tascam doesn't do. For instance, you can store the slowed-down track, you can see a graphical display of the wave file, you can change the pitch without changing the tempo (great for learning songs where the original is out of tune, or not in your key), you can attach a lyric file to the song. A pretty nice program for the money. You can download a demo for free, or the full program costs about $50. The demo has most of the functions of the full program, but you can't store anything and it "expires" after a certain time (IIRC). There are other programs out there that do a lot of the same things. Bruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Eldon Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 Working in the accessories department of GC, I got to try one of these out, and can honestly say that it's a pretty useful tool for someone who wants to learn, or just get better chops. They're pretty cool. http://www.purevolume.com/seaneldon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahuna855 Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 i have one, i like it "I'm thinkin' we should let bump answer this one... Prepare to don Nomex!" -social critic "When I install my cannons, I'm totally going to blast their asses back to the 16th century; Black Beard style" -bumpcity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wally Malone Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I have one as well and agree with the points Dave Sisk made. There can be a problem if the CD is recorded hot and you have a bass with a weak signal. I solved that problem by using my RC-20 looper to boost my signal or I wouldn't in some instances been able to hear the bass above the tracks. Wally I have basses to play, places to be and good music to make! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whacked Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I have one and like it. and like others mentioned, it has lots of room for improvement but still a good tool. and yea, get the power adapter or it'll suck you dry buying batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatudbassman Posted November 26, 2004 Author Share Posted November 26, 2004 Thanks! Ya'll are great. For the price I thought it might be pretty good (for me). My "other" as the good computer, and the power "thing" I hadn't thought of yet. I have a back-up AC adapter for my pedal board, and use one on my "walkman" (Great thinking!). Thanks Again, later. Vince "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I do the same thing with the Pandora. Of course you need an external CD player into the stereo input. I like having the drum patterns on the Pandora but you could download a software drum machine and run it into the Tascam via it's stereo input. I'd like a review on the effects on the Tascam if anyone wants to put one up. 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...
Mike H. Posted November 26, 2004 Share Posted November 26, 2004 I've got one. It's easily one of the best $150 I've spent. I use it to practice all the time. It's not as good as the Marantz/Superscope PSD unit, but it's 1/4 the price also. It also offers a better preamp (in my opinion) than the Superscope (no "farting out") and sounds smooth through headphones. It's also got a tuner, effects, and other stuff you can use as well. It's really handy especially when I want/need to practice and my wife and little boy are in bed for the night. The only down-side is that you have to buy the AC adaptor separately. It's $20, and you need it anyway. http://www.identity5.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 Originally posted by lug: I'd like a review on the effects on the Tascam if anyone wants to put one up.Here ya go: the effects are essentially useless. They are great at making a good bass sound bad, and a bad bass sound worse. I don't even bother using any of the effects. You might want to use them for personal preference or something, but I wouldn't think of using them live or putting them on tape. HTH, Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatudbassman Posted November 27, 2004 Author Share Posted November 27, 2004 Thanks again, Dave/everyone. I'm not really interested in the effects, and it's good to know. I'm just thinking of slowing down the "licks"...so I can work up to speed. Both my basses are passive but, my jazz "4" has hot p/u's...it will probably be fine (hope). Christmas????? Vince "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lug Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 Originally posted by Dave Sisk: Originally posted by lug: I'd like a review on the effects on the Tascam if anyone wants to put one up.Here ya go: the effects are essentially useless. They are great at making a good bass sound bad, and a bad bass sound worse. I don't even bother using any of the effects. You might want to use them for personal preference or something, but I wouldn't think of using them live or putting them on tape. HTH, DaveThanks for the info, Dave. 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...
getz out Posted November 27, 2004 Share Posted November 27, 2004 If you're running Windows XP and have the newer versions of Windows Media Player, you can also slow down songs without altering pitch. Windows Media Player is free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatudbassman Posted November 28, 2004 Author Share Posted November 28, 2004 Man, you guys are full of it (INFO). Thanks Vince "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 Originally posted by tatudbassman: Thanks again, Dave/everyone. I'm not really interested in the effects, and it's good to know. I'm just thinking of slowing down the "licks"...so I can work up to speed. Both my basses are passive but, my jazz "4" has hot p/u's...it will probably be fine (hope). Christmas?????Actually, you'll find that being able to loop licks is just as valuable as being able to slow them down...moreso after you've figured out a particular lick and are attempting to get it up to tempo. When you slow the licks down, it sounds "funny"...the best analogy I can think of is that it sounds like an old movie looks when you slow it down. On the old movie, you start to see individual frames because they don't go by fast enough. With audio, you start to hear individual "frames" (samples) because they don't go by fast enough. The bass enhancement really helps in the really slowed down mode...I find that the lows actually distort with the enhanced setting, and although this sounds like crap, it makes the bass line much easier to pick out from the surrounding sonic material. My thought is that bad-sounding and slowed down is still better than not slowed down (in some very fast riffs), so there ya go... The effects per se do nothing to help or hurt this capability. Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted November 29, 2004 Share Posted November 29, 2004 It has been discussed at least once before. I'll take it on advisement that there is a distinct possibility that the seach feature is ... inadequate. Bought one when they first came out (since I am not taking lessons, I need all the help I can get). I like the thing. Helped me quite a bit getting through some of those lines that Geezer played over the solos. Speed change and looping features are top notch, not wild about the effects package. My pedals are much better than the effects on the BT-1. Don't use the key shift very often, since I'm not playing with a guitarist who also doubles as a random key generator. The bass supress and enhance are ok, but in this world of high technology I was hoping for a little more ... smarts? Maybe the headphones would provide better sound than the speakers. I am using a pair of powered Sonys from an old computer for output and I am disappointed at the amount of gain. I image you would probably find a good set of headphones more useful than speakers. Now if we could channel that through an amp ... The switches on the side of the thing are a little fragile, so take care when porting the thing. In general, I think it's great for learning those stubborn riffs. You know, Tascam has a voice trainer out now? Karioke to go! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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