Anderton
kennywtelejazz
Anderton
kennywtelejazz
my apologies if I'm coming off like I'm doing a humble brag …that is not my intent …..
Doesn't come off that way at all. I think people appreciate insights into what makes "stars" real people.
BTW about audio-to-MIDI conversion...I've been doing it with Gibson's FBX, which has hex pickups so each string goes into its own track. This really helps with reliability.
thanks Craig
now you have me very interested in your Gibson FBX .I looked it up on The Gibson web page .
That Firebird seems very versitile and I happen to like the way it looks ....that guitar appears to be so ahead of the loop it may be a true game changer ...
How does it work ? are we talking 6 totally independent outputs that you have total control of every aspect ?
inquiring minds are asking over here ….
The only guitar that I have ever played that had a hexaphonic pick up for audio was the Kramer Ripley
if my memory serves me correctly , this may have been a stereo out put guitar only with control of volume and panning for each of the 6 strings . in mono I think it may of performed as a regular guitar .
Kenny
The FBX was released several years ago and was very polarizing. Like you, I thought it looked cool but a lot of guitar players hated the look. Gibson came out with a Les Paul version called the LPX which had the same electronics. But both guitars were very expensive at a time when the economy was in its worst shape. It was one of those products where the stars were not in alignment.
That said, I love the FBX. It wasn't the first Gibson guitar with hex outputs but somehow they figured out how to minimize string crosstalk more than with any other hex guitar I've played. Fundamentally, the FBX has a mono output that carries the signal with the onboard effects (one of the reasons many players got it was so they could have the same sound in studio as on stage, and not have to carry a pedalboard - the Bluetooth footpedals are really slick). The hex outputs are designed for use with computer recording. The FBX comes with a 48kHz audio interface that breaks the output from the stereo cable (which multiplexes signals) into six separate outputs that appear like standard audio interface outputs in your computer. So from there, I use amp sim software to do individual processing for each string.
If you look around you can find some pretty good deals on the FBX. It's still supported, as a matter of fact there was a Windows 8.1 update for the Editor just a couple months ago and there's a product specialist who's dedicated to helping users. The only issue with the update is that the software includes a "lick library" so you can play pre-recorded licks through the editor while you tweak sounds. However, it depends on some Windows component that changed in Windows 8 so the licks library no longer works. Everything else works fine, including tuning editing, effects editing, patch library, etc.
I hesitate to recommend it without qualification because it's an ambitious and complex guitar. However, that means it's right up my alley . I love the thing. I did much of the sound design for the presets, and shortly after it was introduced, an FBX with serial number 006 showed up at my door as Henry's way of saying thanks. The FBX experience furthered my relationship with Gibson, and is part of the reason why I'm with the company now. So I guess it also had something to do with Cakewalk now being part of Gibson
I didn't realize that the FBX had an audio interface that worked in conjunction with proprietary software that you could bring into a DAW . Those type of options sound super flexible ...WOW …..
I'm pretty impressed and very interested in the possibilitys of what that type versatility / flexibility can bring to the table sonically for a guitarist .
thank you so much for going into such great detail Craig
I had no idea how advanced the Gibson FXB / hex system truly was …
I think that is absolutely fantastic that Henry gave you your FBX
that is excellent ….he must be a really good guy to do that.
when it comes to some of the polarizing issues I saw online regarding "Gibson " and some of the more popular "hey everybody lets take a shark bite on Gibson Guitar topics " I had to step away and not take that bait
I used to play on Vintage ES 335's w PAF's , ES 175's and Les Pauls …
in 1981 I sold my 57 Reissue Black Beauty Les Paul …then I wound up spending 31 long years with out a Gibson guitar at all...
I feel very lucky to have my 2012 Gibson R8 Les Paul VOS….it is absolutely the best guitar I have ever owned period...
the story behind my R 8 Les is a friend of mine played a trick on me …
my friend wanted me to go along with them to a music store and hang out while they shopped around for flutes
once we were in the music store , my friend said while we are here , let me hear how you sound on what you think is your dream guitar …
The shop was Beacock Music a Gibson Dealer , they knew me very well so they let me play anything I wanted no questions asked …
I kept going back to the same R 8 …the R 9 was very nice also , so were a couple of others Les Pauls but I had already bonded w the R 8 …
when I was done I didn't think much of it , i thought i was just doing a little guitar demo for a friend ...
my friend told me they were gonna pick up some sheet music and I went outside to have a cig and a cup of coffee .
when I came back in my friend was paying for some sheet music , then I said goodbye to the sales staff and we left
I had no idea that my friend had purchased the R 8 for me on the spot and left it in the store .
a few days later my friend called me up and told me they wanted to go back to the store and pick up a flute they had checked out the last time we were there ….
we got to the store and I saw a brown Gibson Lifton guitar case on top of the counter and it had the R 8 I had played in it...
I looked over at the store manager Wayne and saw that he was crying I said how come your crying Wayne ?...
he told me that the guitar was for me and that that my friend had bought it for me the last time i was in the store .
he had never played a part in such a elaborate secret before ...and that he was full of emotion over how the situation had played out ..
he gave me a hug , my friend gave me a hug , I started holding my new Gibson R 8 , then a few of us in the store decided to play a few choruses of Misty silently using only our eyes and our hearts
that's the story on how my R 8 came into my life ..
I'm very blessed to have a friend that would do something that loving for me ...
it is my feeling , that it is always a very strong positive confirmation / reinforcement that you are doing something right somewheres in your life and music when a Great guitar comes into your life as a gift
Kenny
post edited by kennywtelejazz - 2014/09/21 00:33:52