Boston goes 100% analog on latest Hyperspace Tour

Started by GuitarBuilder, June 04, 2017, 08:14:36 PM

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GuitarBuilder

I'll be going to the show in about a week and can't wait to hear what Tom Scholz is talking about in this interview:

http://wzlx.cbslocal.com/2017/06/02/tom-scholz-on-boston-concerts-everything-is-analog/

The analog vs digital argument will likely go on forever, but I for one can definitely hear the difference and will go with analog whenever possible.
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

sixeight

Quote"We are pure analog, we are probably the only big production, live act that you can see and hear in complete analog, everything is analog,"

Having all analog delays and reverb is a challenge. Using analog speaker processing for the main PA system is a night.

And using an analog lighting system is boring. But he did mention see and hear... :D

chrish

#2
Quote from: sixeight on June 05, 2017, 12:27:02 AM
Having all analog delays and reverb is a challenge. Using analog speaker processing for the main PA system is a night.

And using an analog lighting system is boring. But he did mention see and hear... :D
one of my most pleasant memories is being part of an analogue lighting system when I was taking theater craft classes in college. There were about six of us up in the rafters directing spotlights on Q's from the director.  :) we were doing a production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

The Orchestra pit guitar musician for the show was my instructor for a classical guitar course that I was taking. He was rocking out and everything was analog and it sounded and it looked great.

Flash Forward to today and we are fixated on bright shiny objects. ;D

GuitarBuilder

Quote from: sixeight on June 05, 2017, 12:27:02 AM
Having all analog delays and reverb is a challenge. Using analog speaker processing for the main PA system is a night.

And using an analog lighting system is boring. But he did mention see and hear... :D

If you were to hear Tom's analog designs (SR&D Rockman), as well as Echoplex, Binson, and Fender, you would have a different opinion.  The reviews of the show this year are very positive.
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

Elantric

#4
Quoteone of my most pleasant memories is being part of an analogue lighting system when I was taking theater craft classes in college.

I can counter one of my most unpleasant memories was performing on bandstands and stages that employed  old generation dimmer stage lighting systems with my touring rock band back in the 1970' s 

The problem was My Guitar rig would go into hyper hum mode Everytime the stage lights were being dimmed down  because of excessive noise introduced on the AC Mains power line from the cheap stage light dimmers 

That was part of the reason recording studios would employ costly low noise light dimming systems

chrish

#5
Quote from: Elantric on June 05, 2017, 10:33:59 AM
I can counter one of my most unpleasant memories was performing on bandstands and stages that employed  old generation dimmer stage lighting systems with my touring rock band back in the 1970' s 

The problem was My Guitar rig would go into hyper hum mode Everytime the stage lights were being dimmed down  because of excessive noise introduced on the AC Mians power line from the cheap stage light dimmers 

That was part of the reason recording studios would employ costly low noise light dimming systems
I hope you weren't still using that tube amp parted out from your home stereo system. Just kidding of course.

I'd be interested to know what amp you were using back then and if you still have it?

The first lighting system that I cobbled together, when I was in high school and playing  kids parties, was    some of those colored patio flood lights stuck inside round cardboard potato chip containers which served as the lighting hoods. Lucky I didn't burn the place down. ;)

Elantric

#6
QuoteI'd be interested to know what amp you were using back then and if you still have it?

Yes I still have the complete rig


Rocket 88 was a band I helped put together in LA in the late 70's with Bruce Bossert, a bass player who had recently moved to LA with a nearly finished album from his Nashville band "the Kick band" that broke up months earlier. I called my buddy Jeff Jeff Naideau ‎ who became our singer/ keyboard player, and then we went thru stream of 4 drummers as we toured the southwest US 1977-1979 - performing 1 set of originals and 3 sets of covers, booked into the college bar circuit. The band lasted about 3 years, eventually imploded when Bruce headed to Nashville for Christmas and never returned, despite 3 months of pre booked gigs awaiting in California. Since we spent most of our time out on the road, we became immune to the LA punk explosion that was happening around us. I suppose the conflict within the band was style - Jeff and I wanted more New Orleans / Lowell George "Little Feat" grooves - while the rest of the band wanted to be a big hair band : Ratt / Poison.

On this recording, our last drummer Ray Love, replaced Bobby Blotzer - who departed  to join Ratt.

Jeff Naideau ‎joined Wang Chung

I got a day gig at Valley Arts Guitar

http://www.lovedrums.com/audio/Rocket88/

Our drummer prior to Bobby was Jerry Hertig - who prior to joining our band, was in the same band as Adrian Belew when Frank Zappa discovered him performing in a St Louis Bar band.

Prior to Rocket 88 I played in bands with Cliff Martinez, who later went on to play with Captain Beefheart, The Dickies, Red Hot Chile Peppers - Cliff currently resides in NYC - and composes film scores for Stephen Soderberg. ( Sex, Lies, Videotape, Traffic)


The recording above was recorded from the balcony overlooking the dance floor by a 1977 Sony Boombox with internal stereo Mics - facing the stage - capturing exactly what the crowd heard. 


Our PA was a pair of self powered Altec Lansing 15" bi-amp cabs, a Heil 10 channel mix board. I'm bouncing between a '61 Strat and a '73 Les Paul into a Orange Squeezer - occasional MXR Distortion +, Electric Mistress flanger into a 1966 Vox AC 30 head feeding a Altair Power Attenuator into a dummy load. the Line out of the ALtair feeds a modified Ampeg V4 100 watt head driving a 4 x 12 Ampeg V2 cab  - this Ampeg head had essentially 2 footcontrolled relays - to enable 2 different  master volumes - so I could boost the volume for solos - and not change my "tone" - the V4 preamp fed a Univox tape Echo, which fed an Ampeg VT40 60 watt 4x10 amp - which was  strictly used as an echo return amp. I was happy with my sound - but I doubt I would lug that big of  rig today.

For example  - yesterday my Boomer Surf Band I played a 2 hour gig on Pismo Beach with my Jazzmaster or DiPinto Galaxie IV  feeding a pedal board with a genuine 1964 Fender Tube Reverb >Barber Tone Press compressor,> Boss LS-2 ( as a clean boost),  Line 6 Echo Park, into a Roland Cube 80XL  set on a Fender Blackface setting Cube-80XL Line out> Palmer PDI-09 > PA .  Got rave reviews for  my tone.


But hey Ive been at this a while - 80% is still in your fingers and your own attitude, and ability to find the groove, and stay out of other peoples way when they are singing or soloing.   
Lots of stories -best left for my spinal tap biography - currently being written.

sixeight

QuoteIf you were to hear Tom's analog designs (SR&D Rockman), as well as Echoplex, Binson, and Fender, you would have a different opinion.  The reviews of the show this year are very positive.

Analog delays are tape delay or bucket brigade delay. Those are the ones I know of. And AFAIK they suffer from signal loss, which is fine for a guitar effect, but not for time alignment of a PA system. But school me if there are better ways.

Elantric

#8


A full 100% all analog stage and  100% all analog stage PA

Grateful Dead 1974



Good article
http://www.prosoundweb.com/channels/live-sound/re_p_files_the_grateful_dead_a_continual_development_of_concert_sound/2/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alembic_Inc

Its a small world as I grew up 1963-1969 with Geoff Gould (Alembic, Modulus Graphite) as my neighbor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modulus_Guitars
http://www.ggould.com/home.html

Kevin M

Great musicians will give a great performance regardless of their choice of analog or digital equipment.

admin

Quote from: Kevin M on June 06, 2017, 10:56:22 AM
Great musicians will give a great performance regardless of their choice of analog or digital equipment.


Majiken

Zappa on a bicycle 1963!!!!! It just doesn't get any better than that  :D
Take what you need, put back a bit more, leave the place behind you better than it was before :-)

www.majiken.rocks

chrish

Quote"Yes I still have the complete rig "

I figured that you probably had that set up still.

I always regretted that I sold my 60's Fender Twin Reverb and Gibson Les Paul Custom, along with a univox tape delay, back in 1979. Now I just keep everything because the digital gear I have isn't worth much on the used Market.


vtgearhead

Still kicking myself for selling my 1971 Marshall 1987 head, '53 Telecaster and a number of other items from my early career.

shannonrichards

That was a bad move on your part I guess. By the way have you looked in to your guitar as possible investment by leveraging the appreciation of certain models?

aliensporebomb

Sure wish I had picked up some vintage gear when I was young enough to have expendable income but I was always about high tech hex pickup insanity until later when I started writing some surf stuff.
My music projects online at http://www.aliensporebomb.com/

GK Devices:  Roland VG-99, Boss GP-10, Boss SY-1000.

shannonrichards

Well we all had the time when we need to do our thing in shoestring.