Live Rig?

Started by Tek2425, May 11, 2013, 09:00:53 AM

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Tek2425

Has anyone had a chance to consider a live FTP rig? Amp, cabinet, routing etc... Pros / cons...
If it ain't broke, tweak it til it is...

shawnb-fgn

I'm now experimenting with the FTP with a laptop (ASUS Ultrabook, Win7 & i7) and an interface (Scarlett 2i4).   This rig is the size & weight of two small books.  For now, I'm running the FTP bundle alone; I'll invest in more VSTs once I'm comfortable with the rig. 

In this configuration I'm feeding our PA, which is an ancient Mackie 12 channel mixer, a QSC RMX amp & a couple JBL JRX112s (which I hate, but they work for now...).  This PA is not portable.  If I were to take this on the road, I'd get myself a pair of powered speakers. 

I want to work in a pedal unit, haven't done that yet.   I may just bring my FC-300 and RC-300, just because, as a guitarist, I have a compulsion to drag bags of gear around... 

I'm a hobbyist.  I hang out with a group of friends most Friday nights & we blow out the work week with some cathartic madness!  We're a jam band - the simpler the chord progression the better...  We are blessed to have four exceedingly good drummers who take turns; since we share the rehearsal space with a band, there are TWO FULL KITS in the room and they've taken to pairing up a lot lately. 

So I've gotta be able to be loud enough to be heard above TWO drummers.  I insist on being very, very clean, even at that volume, and I'm happy to say this configuration works. 
Dogmatic attachment to the supposed merits of a particular structure hinders the search for an appropriate structure.
- Fripp

Tek2425

Thanks Shawnb,
     Everybody knows more gear is better gear  ;D
Sounds like you have it working good. I'm kind of old school, new to midi guitar and even the simplest explaination is appreciated. So far I gather that I should avoid using a regular guitar amp and opt for a power amp and speaker (although I do have an old Jazz Chorus 120 that might not be too bad)...
    I, too, am a hobbyist and I do some soundtrack stuff (check out my website ;) www.teksounds.com ) but I love to get together with the "old band" friends and jam.
     I thought I might pick up an FCB1010 and try to set up a pedal also. I've read some pretty good stuff about it with the uno update.
     Anyway, very interesting, thanks for the info... Tek
If it ain't broke, tweak it til it is...

shawnb-fgn

#3
Yes, given that the FTP runs synths, with wide frequency demands, you don't want to run that thru a guitar amp.  You need to find "FRFR" (full-range flat-response) amplification somewhere.  If you don't have access to a mixing board & PA, then I'd recommend looking at powered speakers that are out there. 

For getting started, if your PC is hooked up to a stereo system, that works!

There is nothing preventing you from running your normal guitar cable to your normal guitar FX and amp as well.  The ONLY downside to this is that your guitar/mix/synth switch doesn't work, and, you know, who cares? 

At the moment, I'm enjoying the Amplitube sounds.  So I'm running the guitar thru the FTP software (and my PA) as well. 

Dogmatic attachment to the supposed merits of a particular structure hinders the search for an appropriate structure.
- Fripp

Germanicus-fgn

I'm trying to configure a live rig for the FTP.

Currently trying out :
JTV69 with FTP. JTV feeds a Pod HD500 for Guitar sounds.

Using a Roland FC300 (midi foot controller) into my laptop via an M-audio Uno midi line.
The Laptop is a Dell Inspiron 1520 with 4 gigs ram. Using an external 7200 rpm drive to run sample libraries.
Im running Cantabile Performer as the Host for Kontakt 5, M-Tron Pro and Toontrack EZkeys.
FTP booted up in mono mode.

Im currently configuring the FC300 to control patch changes and Volume.

Im trying not to use Fishman's controller app, as i've found it to be unstable.
For the laptop audio interface im trying to use the Pod HD500 but not sure yet how stable the driver is. If its not, ill use a Focusrite Forte.

The questions regarding pro/con is whether this is worth all the hassle of a much more complex setup taking into account the associated risks (of both damage to laptop and the risk of software issues live). The alternative is to just use a gr55, which is built for stage usage and has everything self contained while being extremely easy to configure (comparatively). Getting the tripleplay to do what I want (volume, patch changes, and various alternate tunings across different songs) in conjunction with a foot pedal, is a much more time consuming endeavor and susceptible to crashes.

Very happy with Cantabile so far. It has a midi learn mode that makes configuration much easier.

Roland VG99
Pod HD500
JTV69, Variax 600 and 700 Acoustic
Traynor k4

www.steamtheory.com

shawnb-fgn

Wow, Cantabile looks awesome.   Looks like it has a few things I'd like in the FTP app - MIDI clock, etc. 
Dogmatic attachment to the supposed merits of a particular structure hinders the search for an appropriate structure.
- Fripp

Tek2425

#6
     Yeah Shawnb, now I have everything hooked up through my stereo running to my JBL 4411's, which are great for recording, but I would like something with more clarity at higher volumes. (Like you said, I don't want to sacrifice cleaness for volume)
     Thanks Germanicus, sounds like you have a really nice "system" going there...  I agree, the GR55 is a simpler solution, but I've had so many issues with latency, ghost notes and tracking... maybe I need to do some more tweaking on it. But at this point, the FTP just feels better. Maybe it's pilot error, not sure.
Anyone have opinions on speaker / amp for live performance?  (Roland KC-550, QSC K8, K10, Mackie DLM8...)
If it ain't broke, tweak it til it is...

Elantric-fgn

I currently use a pair of EV ELX112P

the Yamaha equivalent gets good ratings too, and QSC K12
. . . the future ain't what it used to be . . .

Jay-fgn

I'm using a Bose L1 Model II and it's working good... 

Is anyone using any hardware synths with the FTP and if so what are using and how are you setting it up.  I have been tweaking some new samples [ Pedal Steels etc.] and I believe it's going to work good live other than slow loading of a new patch in midstream. 

Jay

Tek2425

Thanks for all the input everyone. One thing that I'm stll not quite clear on (now remember I'm pretty new to this fancy midi guitar stuff, I'm an old schooler) How do most people run their output from computer to amp/PA? I mean the physical connection... I have an M Audio Delta 66 OmniStudio w/ breakout box on my desktop pc where I normally play/record. Maybe the monitor out or record out... Thanks for your patience, Tek
If it ain't broke, tweak it til it is...

Elantric-fgn

I feed the output from my Sound card to a stereo DI box to PA
. . . the future ain't what it used to be . . .

ZenSonic-fgn

Using a GR55/Line 6 M13 combo for live performance...works great but is a bit bulky...once I can find a way to change tunings on the fly with a FTP and IPad I may bite. Thank you trail blazers......I'll settle in a bit later.