How to record a pickup to a computer?

[David Schwab]

I am very interested in this issue as I am just beginning to get into building pickups primarily for use in steel guitars. Can somebody tell me what a POD is? Simple stuff like Radar I understand but this has me stumped.

The Pod is an amp simulator and effects unit from Line 6

Line 6 - POD Family

[Possum]

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Well they sound kinda like a generic amp, a little stiff sounding, they do that kind of thing ok. I still wouldn't demo pickups that way, not mine anyway. I do have a sound clip on my site a guy did for me with one of my tele pickups and it sounds good, too good, I have to explain to customers that they probably won't get that tone out of an amp and warn them it was done through studio amp emulation software.

PODs are so dangerous that the government made a documentary film called INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. these red bean shaped things fell out of the sky with little Line6 logos on them. People thought they were cute and took them home where they grew into these plants that started making these big PODs. It was mostly musicians that took them home. While the musicians slept their bodies were being digitally emulated in the rapidly growing PODs. Then suddenly the real musicians disappeared and their lives were taken over by digital copies. These musicians sold all their gear and bought Guitar Hero air guitars and started playing Lawrence Welk Polka music. They engaged in Ebay feeding frenzies buying up every Muzak music compilation album ever released, and lived solely on white bread and Twinkies. Don't be fooled, IT CAN HAPPEN HERE!!! BTW I saw David Schwab eating a Twinkie yesterday.....

[Possum]

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From the Office of Homeland Security, I rest my case......

[Joe Gwinn]

From the Office of Homeland Security, I rest my case......

Heavy Metal for sure, with bone-grinding crunch.

[David Schwab]

BTW I saw David Schwab eating a Twinkie yesterday.....

I haven't had a twinkie in years, but I ate an Oreo today. You know the filling in both was originally LARD! I try to stay away from that stuff.

I agree that most amp modelers are somewhat stiff sounding. I think their dynamic range is much less than a real amp, so everything happens sooner.

However, I gotta say that the Digidesign Eleven sounds like a real amp.

[Possum]

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I should sell this JStation on Ebay, everytime I drag it out I get bored with it real fast.....
OREOS!!!! OH NOOOOOOOO................ oh, ok, they were organic right?

[David Schwab]

I should sell this JStation on Ebay, everytime I drag it out I get bored with it real fast.....
OREOS!!!! OH NOOOOOOOO................ oh, ok, they were organic right?

No, they were plain old Oreos. Most of everything else we eat is healthy. We have a Whole Foods walking distance from us.

I wanted to buy a J-Station right before they stopped making them. They had one setup at Guitar Center, but it didn't have any power going to it. I ended up getting a Korg Pandora because it was in my budget at the time. I just needed something to run my guitar through for recording at home. The Korg is OK, but it's not an amp simulator, more a bunch of effects with speaker a speaker emulator. The Roland mixer I bought without even knowing it had amp sims. I knew it had effects and distortion and stuff for guitar, but I bought a refurb and it had a really poor xeroxed manual and the part about the effects was missing. So it was a pleasant surprise when I discovered what it could do, a few years after I bought it!

I like its sound so much that I've thought of using it as a stage amp plugged into a power amp! I suppose one of Roland's pedals would do the same thing.

[Possum]

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They still make them, do a google search, let me dig mine out and see if I have all the parts, pretty sure I do, I think the firmware is updatable but this is an early one from the 90's, probably one of the first models. On ebay they go for anywhere from $40 to $140, not quite sure what the differences in price mean....

[David Schwab]

They still list them on the Johnson site, but I can't find a new one listed anywhere on the 'Net. Even on the Johnson site the last FAQ question is from 2002. I had read in GuitarPlayer that they stopped making them to focus on amplifiers.

I see them going pretty cheap on eBay.

[Possum]

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Well there's one going for $135 so far but its new.....

[belwar]

Well, I took the plung and started to call around for some good gear today. I was able to get my hands on some really good gear all by trading. Woot! no cash out of pocket!

Cables:
Solid Cables Brand - Dynamic Arc Ultra - 12 Ft, Low capacitance, Ultra Pure Copper.
Evidence Audio - Lyric HG Cables - 6ft, Low Capacitance.

Mics:
Neumann TLM49
Peluso 2247 SE
Peluso P28
Shure SM57.

I figure that will give me a good base to get good mic recordings off the amps. I'll probably get a digital recorder as well - Since I don't own a MAC. I want to get a Ribbon Mic too, but I havent found anyone willing to trade yet.

b.

[David Schwab]

Let me know how you like the Evidence Audio cable. They look interesting. I had a Monster for about 20 years, and when it started getting noisy I threw it out and got a Spectraflex. They sound the same to me. But then all my basses are active.

[greenfingers]

Elixir cables is where it's at for me at the moment. Very good, a bit expensive though.

[belwar]

Let me know how you like the Evidence Audio cable. They look interesting. I had a Monster for about 20 years, and when it started getting noisy I threw it out and got a Spectraflex. They sound the same to me. But then all my basses are active.

They arrived in the mail today. 2 x 6 foot custom lengths. VERY nice cable. I wont be able to hear them until sunday. Every room is noisy until then. Also scored a Neuman U87 Today. I think im done collecting mics. :/

[David Schwab]

Also scored a Neuman U87 Today. I think im done collecting mics. :/

Hey I have a Russian mic I'll trade you for that piece of junk!