audio question

[FuSoYa]

Would it be possible to say, if you had a laptop running protools, and you had every effects plugin available for it (that you were able to get free from various warez sites or whatever) to route a live signal through your laptop, through protools with all those plugins enabled, out of your laptop into your amp onstage-

thereby making your computer your effects rack?


is that possible? would it sound good? because it would be like having a zillion effects for free, as long as you already had protools and a laptop. right?

 

[chupe666]

Hey, toby- ever go on http://www.harmonycentral.com ?
They have forums for all sorts of recording, guitar, effects, amps, etc. shit, and might have good input for that.

I've known people who just plug in to the pro tools session and use the effects for recording purposes without using an amp; that's how Neil recorded his solo for the end of Dark Fields on our new one. But for live purposes, I have no idea. I'd think you could potentially run from the pro tools session into a PA, using whatever distortion/fx you find, but to a guitar amp, I have no idea if the sound would be great. It seems like it'd work, but I've never tried it.

 

[xfer]

Toby, isn't that what the bassist from Khanate does?

 

[FuSoYa]

nah, james plotkin (khanate) went direct into his amp. The laptop he was using was on a separate channel, he was using it as a sampler.

I haven't checked out harmony central... are those the type of people that would jump down my throat if they thought i didn't know what i was talking about, i.e. if i used the wrong terminology? I hate audio snobs.

 

[chupe666]

Nah, it's pretty much a wide variety of levels there. Most of the people are real cool and will answer your questions. Actually, I posted about this already there cuz i got curious. So they'll jump down my throat. Only 1 person even looked at it so far (2 including myself).

 

[FuSoYa]

yeehe! let me know what they say!

 

[chupe666]

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127248

 

[FuSoYa]

cool, though he didn't mention anything about the sound really, except for this:

I think you would be better off with an amp farm type plugin for your tones

I imagine the difference wouldn't be much unlike having an fx loop on your amp as opposed to say, inputting to the in of an RP-1 and going from the RP-1's out to your amp. Not having a loop would make the sound flatter and noticably more digital-sounding. Although, with something really versatile, such as pro-tools, you could probably use this digtal noticability to make some really crazy sounds.

case in point, the Khanate song "Skin Coat" - right as the second half of the song kind of starts.. the "I crawl inside a human shield sh shh shhh" part.

How the hell did they get that tone? It sounds so shit but soooo good at the same time.

 

[chupe666]

Ok, that's like the only Khanate mp3 I have, and I just listened to that part (~5:10 mark). That tone is pretty weird; sounds like a shitty cord with a short in it, and someone playing around with it while he plays. I totally love weird sounds like that.

I still have to get this fucking disc. Maybe I'll go to Metal Haven again and see if they got it in yet. Either that or another Candlemass reissue.

 

[Nagle]

I was a little disappointed with Metal Haven when I went there on tour. They didn't seem to have all that much stuff I like and I had all of that stuff. I left that place with nothing but a Tony MacAlpine Lp. I found that Reckless had a surprising amount of metal stuff as well as a good classical section and I was quite surprised since on the surface it seems like an indie/punk store. Nobody really came to our show either.

Gripes aside, I love Chicago.

 

[FalseTodd]

The only problem I could think of would be latency, so if you don't have a problem with your tones coming out of the PA 20 milliseconds or whatever after you played them, then I guess it would work.

I know you'd be using a mac, and wouldn't have exactly this problem, I'd sure hate to blue-screen in the middle of a show.

 

[chupe666]

Originally posted by Nagle
I was a little disappointed with Metal Haven when I went there on tour. They didn't seem to have all that much stuff I like and I had all of that stuff. I left that place with nothing but a Tony MacAlpine Lp. I found that Reckless had a surprising amount of metal stuff as well as a good classical section and I was quite surprised since on the surface it seems like an indie/punk store. Nobody really came to our show either.

Gripes aside, I love Chicago.

Metal Haven usually is the best at getting all the new releases, and it's a good place to dig around and check out stuff you've been thinking about getting. They may not have everything you're looking for, but the guys are willing to look for it for you and get it. It just may not be there when you drop in.

Reckless is definitely an awesome store. I spend more time there than at Metal Haven (hanging out not included) since they cover all types of music. They have so much shit, and it all changes by the day. Reckless' metal selection boomed a few years back before Metal Haven opened, and they've been decent ever since.

 

[chupe666]

Originally posted by FalseTodd
The only problem I could think of would be latency, so if you don't have a problem with your tones coming out of the PA 20 milliseconds or whatever after you played them, then I guess it would work.

I know you'd be using a mac, and wouldn't have exactly this problem, I'd sure hate to blue-screen in the middle of a show.

No shit. I have enough problems with 9volt batteries and cables fritzing without worrying about a potentially unstable laptop.

 

[FrostGiant]

I posted this in a recording forum, here's the reply:

"Great big no...all kinds of latency."