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Topic: Laptop on stage? |
Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2013 1:12 am |
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I've played with singers who do this to have lyrics at hand, but never saw a steel player use it,. Possibly as an effects controller of some type?? This is from the official video for Chris Janson's "Better I Don't."
Dan |
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Chris Caruso
From:
Merrimack, NH USA
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Bob Cox
From:
Buckeye State
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Posted 21 Apr 2013 7:00 am
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Tony Prior
From:
Charlotte NC
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Posted 21 Apr 2013 8:42 am
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well he certainly can't look at it while playing..
Maybe a setlist...
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years
CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website |
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Ken Byng
From:
Southampton, England
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Posted 21 Apr 2013 8:57 am
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On a big show I will take my notepad (mini laptop) because I can keep a list of the program and the charts. This is especially useful to reduce the amount of paper I have to keep onstage. The notepad is small and discreet.
_________________
Show Pro D10 - amber (8+6), MSA D10 Legend XL Signature - redburst (9+6), Sho-Bud Pro 111 Custom (8+6), Emmons black Push-Pull D10 (8+5), Zum D10 (8x8), Hudson pedal resonator. Telonics TCA-500, Webb 614-E, |
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Miguel Saldana
From:
San Antonio, Texas
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Posted 21 Apr 2013 8:13 pm
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| I haven't watched the full video to get a better look, but it appears that the pedal steel might be hooked up to the computer. Perhaps he is running effects or modeling software on the computer. |
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John Roche
From:
England
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 2:44 am
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| Maybe it's his tuner, I use my tablet on stage as a tuner using Clear Tune.Big display easy to read.. |
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John Roche
From:
England
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 2:49 am
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| Maybe it's his tuner, I use my tablet on stage as a tuner using Clear Tune.Big display easy to read.. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 2:57 am
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I know I'll sound like a Luddite, but having so much technology around me on stage would diminish the musical experience for me. I spend way too much time on my laptop, so I am not computer averse, but when I'm sitting behind my steel, a different part of my brain kicks in (or maybe that's just Chris Caruso whacking me on the back of the head with the key-head of his bass for hitting another clam  ), and it is a distinctly deeper and more pleasurable feeling than I associate with being on the computer (excepting my time on the Forum, of course  .
To be clear, I'm not knocking those who are comfortable with computers, pedal boards, etc. on stage; if it feels right, more power to you. Just not for me.
Dan |
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Lane Gray
From:
Topeka, KS
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 4:24 am
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Dan, on a couple occasions my smartphone has rescued a song. The band either wanted to do a song or we got a request for a song that we knew well enough to play, but not well enough to sing. But Mr Google knew the lyrics, and I sang them off the screen.
And it's my tuner.
And once, the frontman was talking about the Dooley/Dula-Foster-Grayson affair, and I looked it up: it turns out the gig was on the very anniversary of Tom's hanging.
_________________
2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 4:37 am
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Okay, Lane, ya got me there: I too use my Iphone (Cleartune) as a tuner these days. But it goes in my pocket while we're playing. A vocal trio I play with lately often rehearses holding their smart phones up to read lyrics (I find this very strange, but amusing).
As I said, more power to those who are comfortable using computers and such during performance. Great tools for sure.
Dan |
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Howard Steinberg
From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 4:38 am
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I keep a large number of fake/real books on an iPad. I bring the iPad on jazz gigs primarily and have a bazillion charts at my disposal. I work with a bass player who does the same thing. Easy to keep organized and find tunes quickly. Also there is an app called I Real book that is a very stripped down, sort of band in a box. This program gives you a ton of standards (chord charts only) that are transposable. So many tunes...so little to carry.
_________________
Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar. |
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Dan Beller-McKenna
From:
Durham, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 4:44 am
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| Somehow the IPad on a stand doesn't feel the same to me as a laptop running effects or for looking things up on line. I could imagine using it that way, Howard. |
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Gary Reed
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 5:47 am
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Howard
Does I Real Book have a large collection of country and gospel tunes?
Can we create our own songs and organize them in personal folder/ file? |
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Walter Killam
From:
Nebraska, USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 5:48 am
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I use a Music Pad Pro as a primary unit with leads out to 2 other video monitors (1 on each side of the stage, & 1 for the drummer), for the stage front units I built monitor cabinets that look like speakers so it's not as obvious that we are using them.
We hardly ever need the charts, after we work up the songs in rehearsal, but it really cuts down on time between songs, I can hit the footswitch to toggle the next song on the setlist while we are finishing up the current song, and there's hardly ever any of the "uhhhh what do you wanna play now" stuff!
_________________
Mostly junque with a few knick-knacks that I really can't do without! |
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Howard Steinberg
From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 6:10 am
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Hey Gary - I real book charts are what has been posted in forums by people who have created them and made available to other users. I've never looked for country or gospel tunes, but would guess, given the amount of stuff available, that there would be some.
My recollection is once you buy the app ($8.00) you can get to the forums to download songs.
_________________
Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar. |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 3:54 pm
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I got the impression he was driving a modeling preamp with it, POD XT or the like; it's where he keeps his knobs  |
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Gary Reed
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Posted 22 Apr 2013 7:40 pm
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Howard,
Thanks, I got the program. For playback purposes it comes up short on provided styles, but for displaying chords it's great. Easily create our own sheets. |
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Howard Steinberg
From:
St. Petersburg, Florida , USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2013 2:20 am
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Ii'm pretty certain that there are a bunch of additional styles for this program that you purchase. I haven't acquired them as I only use the program or the transposable charts.
_________________
Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar. |
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David Mason
From:
Cambridge, MD, USA
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Posted 23 Apr 2013 12:43 pm
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Hero guitarist John McLaughlin has been playing through a laptop for many, many years. There are a lot of virtual amp programs available, as well as a whole range of studio-quality processing & effects. The main reason he gave for it was the airlines - after having had a few fortunes-worth of high grade amplifiers busted up by airlines (with the typical difficulties in convincing them why you insured them in the first place) he just made the leap. He had been onboard with guitar synths and digital recording from the very start so it wasn't like going straight from one system entirely over to another. It's definitely on the increase, even some of the metal bands who's only real income is from touring these days are moving that way too.
For what it's worth, in my opinion McLaughlin's tone has ranged from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again many, many times over his career - he may be among the last of the generation who believed that learning to sound like yourself was more important than learning to sound like everyone else. And I'm pretty sure the digital/analog divide has been at least part of "ridiculous" - but he can make it sound great, too. And if you were to get serious about it, you absolutely can call up Sweetwater Music and order up a laptop with all the trimmings, ready to go - but I wouldn't dump the Twin Reverb just yet! 
I've been thinking on buying Peavey's "Revalver" amp modeler program just to see what I can see, it at least sounds like you don't need a programming background to have fun: http://www.peavey.com/products/revalver/
Compooters-for-Dummies-R-US.... |
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chris ivey
From:
california (deceased)
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Posted 23 Apr 2013 4:09 pm
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| maybe some other steel player is phoning in the parts from a remote location. it can happen, you know. |
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Jay Fagerlie
From:
Lotus, California, USA
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Posted 24 Apr 2013 4:07 am
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David,
If you are looking for a amp simulator that's above the rest, try Rack Rock from brainworx
http://www.brainworx-music.de/en/plugins/bx_rockrack
Although mainly for higher gain tones, the clean tones are equally great.
Great 'touch' on this simulator.
IMHO better than (Because I have used them all):
Amplitube
Revalver
Any POD unit
Guitar Rig
Jay |
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