I got my first taste of virtual reality this Christmas when my family got me a Samsung Gear VR. WOW. VR is going to change the world - for better and for worse. Without me getting on my soapbox about the end of an era, let me tell you one cool thing I liked that I would like to see in a VR app.
 
I downloaded a Joan Jett app that lets you download like 5 songs from a concert. The 3rd VR camera is set up on stage right next to her. You can look at her as though you were standing next to hear, and just watch exactly what she plays on guitar - very cool. But then look out at the audience and WOW that is cool. I want to learn a few of her songs just so I can pretend the audience is listening to me when I play. And THAT's the app I want. A virtual audience that will react appropriately to my guitar wankings. To be virtually on a big stage and people rocking out to my playing in real-time.
 
sign me up.
 
And I don't want any of those bored people that are there just for the headliner and don't deserve their up-front tickets either! :)

Problem is that every single audience member will also be wearing those VR glasses while looking at you, but seeing Bowie or Presley. Interesting philosophical conundrum.

Not me. I'm going to write the app. I'll enjoy the app more than any of the users.

There's a virtual writing app for that.

Fleer
Problem is that every single audience member will also be wearing those VR glasses while looking at you, but seeing Bowie or Presley. Interesting philosophical conundrum.

Nope - that audience will be virtually simulated. :)
 
I can see the options screen now:
 
1. Audience has camera phones yes/no
2. Allow camera phones as lighters for ballads yes/no
3. Allow audience members to have caps on their water bottles yes/no
4. Realistic bored young dates of wealthy guys in the front row yes/no
5. List bands that you want to see on concert tee shirts of audience members ___________
6. List bands that you DO NOT want to see on concert tee shirts of audience members (blank will assume you meant Justin Beiber)
7. Average age of audience members ___
8. Crowd surfing yes/no
9. % of crowd on psychedelics ___
10. % chance someone will yell "freebird!" ___
 
 

Thinking back on some of the impacts of technology on music, pre and post tape era. Advances open new doors for expression, but not without drawbacks. Advances going forward will overall benefit since evolution is the Law, but some collateral damage is part of the equation.
 
Some may remember the advent of MIDI and the war with Roland to get their DCB language accepted. Same cocky battle Protools did with RTAS.  Protools flipped off vst format and stuck with RTAS since they were Protools, ruled he universe and only RTAS will prevail. Went to hell in a handbasket when the musical world called their bluff and Steinberg’s vst format took front stage.
 
Roland did the same thing and banked on DCB to wipe out MIDI. Synths like the Juno 6 were outfitted with DCB announcing the death of MIDI. Bad call. MIDI took front stage and it must have been a bitter pill for Roland to have to sell hardware to convert DCB to MIDI. I have one of the old bugged conversion boxes.
 
MIDI blew everyone away. Crap, you didn’t even have to play anything right or at full speed. Make a mistake, correct it. Can’t figure out a note, go smoke a joint and figure it out later. Then the arp…
 
Read an article that the full blown acceptance of MIDI was carved in stone with the Michael Jackson Thriller tour. Seems the keyboard players showed up with hangovers and couldn’t play anything right. They had dumped such a budget into the tour that everything had to be as close to perfect as possible, or at least controlled. They did all the keyboard tracks in MIDI and then just had to dress up the players, put them behind the keyboards and let them dance around pretending to play. Computer doing everything behind the scenes.
 
Some may remember also the contest on the 40’th anniversary of the Sgt Pepper’s album. Can’t remember who got involved, but some professional heavy weights. Task was to recreate the album with one catch. They had to use only the equipment available at the time, tape 4 track and a couple floor stomps.
 
One group eventually did it after multiple failures, and everyone else tanked.
 
Retrospect analysis was that we became too soft in our reliance on technology to replace a lack of ability. The old school musicians had to have their focus and skills in order to do a complete track once through. 21^st century dudes are used to screwing up after a couple measures and going back to correct notes and errors. Can slop through a 3 minute track and go back to surgically repair the carnage. Hit a sour note, replace it. Sing off key, pitch correct it.
 
Not ****ing about the good old days, just an observance of the give and take payoffs. Seems like we go two steps forward and create a step backward.
 
Emailed all your respected advice to my grandson, and he sends his thanks. Says however I didn’t get his message straight. He was going over effects. Flange, phase, comp, EQ and the rest of the traditionals. He was asking if there is an effect or effects that were missing that he could invent and program for us. Avant concepts. May take a few years, but he is taking requests.
 
John

Any affective effect will do. Call it the Affector.

Okay Fleer, the kid is calling you on this one. Wants to know what an affective effect is. He is okay with the Affector name and assumes it will be an audio plugin. He said he is still within, though transitioning out of the phase of requiring adult guidance, and needs seasoned advice "from old people". Still wanting to know what is missing in the vst arsenal. Cool perspective the more I think about it. And the approach out of the mouth of babes.
 
Was visiting with his Mom for a few days and observing me use my best 4 letter vocabulary struggling with a compressor. I was asked what are the effects that were making me so mad and we had a good run down on everything we expect in a DAW, and the concept of third party plugins.
 
Question still unresolved (and has to be resolved if any of us are going to get his help...)
 
Are there effects outside of the traditional comps and eq's and the like that we would like to have, that we can't get anywhere. What do we dream of as far as an unexplored effect that we don't have yet.
 
He said that if we can give him a better description, when he graduates from engineering school (only about a 10 year wait. Will fly in the blinking of an eye.) The kid will design the plugin and give it to all of us for free. It gets better still. After our talk about DRM strangulation and why I was cursing PACE, he said that he will issue the plug with no authorization blocks, and upgrades for life will be free.
 
What else can we ask for...
 
John

JohnKenn
What else can we ask for...
 
John

Whirled Peas.

ouch...
 
Whirled Peas... Was a parting mantra for over 12000 of us mechanics working in the Boeing aircraft plant before we all got laid off onto the streets. Sick inside joke at the time, although our wives and kids with stomachs to be fed didn't see the humor.
 
We got to do better than this. A young, impressionable, naive, idealistic virgin mind is trustingly looking toward us petrified dinosaurs for parting inspiration before we croak and can get out of their way.