Dan and Mick of That Pedal Show have put together an introduction to using MIDI with guitar pedals.
MIDI is a protocol that – for guitar pedals – allows us to switch presets, control individual settings via a MIDI-enabled expression pedal, and to sync the tempo of multiple pedals together. For pedal boards or signal chains built from several different components, MIDI is an important tool for controlling everything in a live performance without tonnes of tap dancing.
What does that all mean? Watch the video to learn more, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Riff City Guitar and Keeley Electronics have teamed up to launch a new Plexi-voiced pedal. Rabea has one of the handwired versions, and has posted a demo to show us what it sounds like.
If, like me, you’re not in the States, this is going to be a pedal to watch for when it hits the 2nd hand market. It’s exclusive to Riff City Guitar, and the run of hand-wired pedals has already sold out. There’s going to be a run of non-hand-wired pedals too, and these also seem to be exclusive to Riff City Guitar.
Watch the video to hear how good this sounds – and how well it responds to pick dynamics. And then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Thomas Blug – the Stratocaster King of Europe – has been working on the next generation of his all-analogue Amp1 amp-in-a-pedal. He sat down with Henning, and they’ve done a great demo of the new version.
In this video, they compare the Amp1 Mercury with some of the amps from Henning’s collection – by tone matching the Amp1. Thomas dials in the tones while Henning plays.
The results are impressive.
I lost count of how many times Henning either couldn’t tell the difference between the Amp1 and his amps, or when he simply guessed wrong. In the room, he was clearly impressed – and I couldn’t tell the difference when I watched the video either.
Henning also made an important point that’s worth highlighting. In this video, he’s running the Amp1 into the UAD OX. All too often, demos of the Amp1 use the unit’s DI out, and that’s partially responsible for the lack of interest in the Amp1 in the past.
Even if you’re not interested in the Amp1, this video is worth watching just to watch how Thomas dials in each tone he’s matching. Not only a great player, but also great knowledge and understanding too.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Henning’s video.
Walrus Audio’s Luminary V2 Pedal has just launched. Here’s a roundup of the launch day demo videos so far.
As an ex-guitar MIDI synth user, this pedal has really caught my interest. Guitar MIDI currently seems to be in the doldrums. Most manufacturers have pulled out of the market, and the ones that are left haven’t updated their units in a while – which means that they just don’t track as well as something like this.
All these demos showcase great organ sounds. Throw on a shimmer reverb, and I strongly suspect they’ll happily recreate the feel of those orchestral string synth patches of old.
Please head over to YouTube to leave likes and supportive comments if you enjoyed these videos.
Adam and Tom for AStrings have responded to a YouTube comment: does the Boss Katana take drive pedals well?
The Boss Katana is an amp that’ll be on the list of possible amps for home tone fans. It’s very affordable, sounds very good, and is full of digital effects to give you lots of options.
And, when you’re ready to explore different tones, using drive pedals is one way to do so.
So how does the Boss Katana do? Watch the video to find out, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Shane is currently looking at the new-for-2018 Fender pedals, and today he’s looking at the Pugilist Distortion Pedal.
I’ve featured a number of Pugilist demos on the blog now, and one thing I’m struck by is just how different this pedal sounds when it’s running into a Hot Rod Deluxe mk 4 vs just about any other amp. The tones that Danish Pete got out of this pedal convinced me to go and get one for myself. None of the other demos had that impact on me.
Anyway, have a listen to Shane’s demo, and see what you think. And then, as always, please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment.
Mike Hermans has posted his demo of the upcoming Wampler Reflection reverb pedal. Take a listen:
This pedal offers two types of reverb. There’s a classic spring reverb, made famous by those vintage Fender amps, and voiced for those 50s and 60s era tones. Then there’s a big plate reverb, offering those ambient swells and drones.
These are my two favourite reverb tones in one handy box. When I was younger, dark plate reverb was my go-to tone, especially for playing super-clean. Since I got into Les Pauls and more dirty lead tones, I’ve learned that a little bit of spring reverb can go a long way.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed Mike’s video,
Revv Amplification have released their G3 distortion pedal, and a whole bunch of YouTube demos have been released to show us what this thing can do.
Here’s a round-up of the demos.
If that lot doesn’t convince you that this is a high gain metal rhythm and lead pedal, I don’t know what will 🙂
Each video shows us something different, whether it’s running the pedal directly into the effects loop of an amp, high gain rock, baritone tones, or simply how it works in front of a wide range of amps.
Please head over to YouTube to leave likes and supportive comments on all of these videos.
Adam and Tom from AStrings have posted a cracking comparison video. They’ve taken two reverb pedals that are currently in production, but a decade apart in their design, to try and answer the question: does a decade (of progress) make a difference?
https://youtu.be/1uFzs74pEsA
What a wonderful, original idea for a gear demo video!
Have a listen, see which one you think, and then please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment and let them know which pedal you preferred and why.
Henning is working his way through the new Fender pedals, and today he’s published his look at the Santa Ana Overdrive pedal.
Henning makes a great point at the start of this video, and it’s one that hasn’t come up in any of the other demos that I’ve shared so far. The Santa Ana Overdrive needs 130 milliamps of power. That’s more than most power supplies normally offer.
Watch the video for all the other observations – and tones! – that Henning has on this pedal.
Please head over to YouTube to leave a like and a supportive comment if you enjoyed his video.
