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Joined:
January 2006
Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | So, when using a sequencer for the drums and you're 10 minutes into a blues number and turn to the drumer for his or ad lib solo, everybody stands around looking at the rack? |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4816
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Years back, when all this stuff first started to come out, I saw an excellent duo use it all to best effect. Keyboard player and guitar utilizing synths and programmed drums.
The drum machine was on a solid looking stand in front of the guitar player and he would stop playing and play the drum machine with his fingers for drum solos. (like in The Walk Of Life)
Most importantly, they were personality plus performers. Looking like they were having a great time with each other and the audience. The dance floor was packed all night and people were phoning their friends...(okay, maybe it was just me) to come hear them.
Like Cheap Trick sang; Everything works, if you let it! |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12750
Location: Boise, Idaho | A 1976 Legend just sold on ebay for $305. Looked to be in good shape, but probably didn't get much interest because it wasn't AE. A shame that many people don't know that Ovation makes guitars that sound great without having to plug them in. |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Mark, have you ever played a 1970's Legend? With the VT whatever bracing, they are not very good guitars. $305 was about right for it.
Once you get into the 1980's Legends, which have the A bracing, well, then you're talking a whole different animal... a great sounding guitar acoustically.... |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | "I'm also getting an Ovation Legend, because I like them so much."
-- Mark Knopfler, Guitar Player, July 1979
From the same interview:
"At the present time, Ovation is making some guitars for me. They're building two custom acoustic Adamas guitars, a 12-string and a 6-string. They have quite an amazing sound, and have a graphite and birch veneer composition top, very thin and very strong, a feature quite different from the Ovations that I’ve come to know. I just asked Ovation to simplify them a bit here and there, because they struck me as being too fancy." |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Those guitars for Knopfler were the basis for the Adamas II's.
As to the Legend, you don't know if he liked them because he could plug them in....
I admit that I'm biased based upon my experience. I've got a Jim Croce dvd and he and his player are playing a Legend and a Balladeer, mic'd, and they sound good. My 78 Legend just sounds crappy..... |
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Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | The Adamii built for Knopfler were the basis for the Adamas II's.
I've just never played a 1970's VT braced Ovation that I thought sounded good acoustically. But here's a 1978 Legend that's on the 'bay
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-1978-OVATION-LEGEND-ACOUS-ELEC-MINT-w-H...
where the seller is asking over $1200. I hope he get it, but he probably won't. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Plus's and Minus's to playing against a sequence. On one hand we definitely did not have a drum solo. That could be either plus or minus depending on your thoughts. However there were some amazing positives that can really spoil a player. Aside from the obvious consistent timing, having the guitar, bass and PA vocal effects automatically switch on the note made for some tight tunes. Having a B3 sound help fill out a lead while the "real" keys player is playing piano parts was awesome. Being able to rehearse anytime with or without the other players was nice. Arrangements didn't change on the fly. I must say some of my favorite parts were probably listening to the bass solo and having these little subtle and tasteful effects, and percussions accent what he was doing, again, right on the note/beat.
My favorite setup is really a full group, Bass, Lead, Drums and Keys with a sequence running also. The drummer would be in charge of the sequences, and he had the click in the headset. Not having to worry about lighting cues or switching effects was great. Auto-muting of mics and instruments in between tunes, or during when appropriate, and being able to have an assortment of percussive and synth effects, just once in awhile, drop in, in perfect time was great. Of course if the sequence fails, no real harm. The tune(s) just end up being not as "enhanced" as they would have been.
Like anything else, it's all easy to over do and that's the trick. If someone really notices there is a sequence going, then in my opinion it's overdone.
Certain music lends itself to sequences, and a lot does not. I have seen some amazing one man bands tho where you really got so sucked into the vocal and guitar performance that you didn't even really notice the "full sound" that was coming from the sequence. On the other hand, I have seen some horrid performances where you kinda wonder why anyone is on the stage at all. I mean you CAN sequence Vocal tracks... and that borders on why not just play the CD. |
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OT - Too much technology??
