If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

[Inkstained]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

While you guys were mocking my soul's distress, I went ahead and unlimbered my wallet for the pedal. :fingersx:

I have *no idea* what a real Bassman sounds like, and I've played the Boss for less than two hours. There's a real digital sheen there -- or what I imagine is a digital sheen -- especially with the bright input. And the on high-gain settings, the overdrive gets kind of splatty, but I could say that of my analog Blues Driver.

But so far, so good. It comes across as a highly refined overdrive that, dialed in right, gives my amp a "bigger, more 3-D" sound. The clean sounds are more bouncy, which I didn't expect with something that aimed for a tweed experience.

I'm not regretting the purchase.

Thanks for all the input. On the web, there is no more thoughtful a group of guys than you.

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

Have a line on a used Boss FBM-1 pedal for $70. I'm thinking about it.

I'm looking at it as an overdrive, most emphatically *not* as a magic box that will turn any amp in front of it into a late '50s tweed covered Fender 4 X 10. No pedal can do that.

But if I look at it as an overdrive, that means it's a COSM {shudder} overdrive.

Are there rules against that? Somewhere? Like here?

More like the soulless undead

 

[Aceman]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

And regarding "who recorded" with digital? Way freaking more guys than we will ever know. That's who.

You have NO idea what actually went down in that studio if you were not in the room running the board. But i guarantee it was far more than you'll ever hear about. Yeah, the guitard player might say "It was really straight in the amp and a couple mikes near/far"

The engineer and producer will follow with "Then we took pro tools and ran the direct out signal through the AMp X software, and simmed a couple of old school marshalls but connected it to bass cabs. We then ran the actual mic signal through a POD stompbox - the TS-9 one and then...." Finally "we dropped the original signal back in the mix and the Guitard player thought it was fantastic. the 32 band digital eq really let us get the perfect blend to stand out."

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

As is evidenced by the fact that you even asked that question, your soul is obviously dead already.

 

[glassman]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

I see nothing wrong with a digital overdrive if it accomplishes what you want it to.

Plus, once that digital signal goes through a decent analog amp, there isn't the slightest trace of a digital signal at the output. If the amp is tube, your tech can "slow down" the first stage response to remove all digital character at the front end...if it really bothers you.

 

[BrianS.]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

There's a real digital sheen there

This will be unnoticeable once you've played it a while and your soul becomes completely dead.

You see, using digital technology is like any other sin, it eats away at your soul, little by little. You'll know that your soul is completely gone when MP3s sound good to you and you find yourself plugging your guitar right into your computer.

I say throw the pedal away, go cut a switch and give yourself a good 20 lashings, and then plug into a marshall or Fender Deluxe Reverb and play some 60s or 70s era classic rock for a good 2 hours or so. That should set your soul right.

Best,

 

[saladin]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

It comes across as a highly refined overdrive that, dialed in right, gives my amp a "bigger, more 3-D" sound.

That 3-D comment is spot on with the Power Drive as well. I've never heard any analog box be able to do that.


+It ain't real rock'n'roll unless you sell your soul!

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

As long as you sound good through it, your soul is not zapped.

Off:

The engineer and producer will follow with "Then we took pro tools and ran the direct out signal through the AMp X software, and simmed a couple of old school marshalls but connected it to bass cabs. We then ran the actual mic signal through a POD stompbox - the TS-9 one and then...." Finally "we dropped the original signal back in the mix and the Guitard player thought it was fantastic. the 32 band digital eq really let us get the perfect blend to stand out."

Exactly so.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

This will be unnoticeable once you've played it a while and your soul becomes completely dead.

You see, using digital technology is like any other sin, it eats away at your soul, little by little. You'll know that your soul is completely gone when MP3s sound good to you and you find yourself plugging your guitar right into your computer.

I say throw the pedal away, go cut a switch and give yourself a good 20 lashings, and then plug into a marshall or Fender Deluxe Reverb and play some 60s or 70s era classic rock for a good 2 hours or so. That should set your soul right.

Best,

:laugh2:

 

[jumble jumble]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

I love when people talk about how digital kills tone, then link you to an example of great tone... as an mp3.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

Mp-3 sucks in an unpleasent way
Why is it that tech always seems to be the way to the starry skies??
Music is not dependant on tech, it is based on how you do it(play, communicate and all that blah blah endless discussions ad naseum)!

Use what ever you connect with, if not, cut the dratted thing off

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

I love when people talk about how digital kills tone, then link you to an example of great tone... as an mp3.

Let's have it .ogg then. It sucks a little different, perhaps more pleasant way. Or standard redbook 44.1KHz 16bit .wav dithering that is already a serious bottleneck lawnmower of sound quality itself. But why bother? half of the populace listens to your stuff via laptop speakers or i-whatever earphones anyway

 

[jumble jumble]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

Well yes, mp3 sucks. Compared to CD, right? Which is better than digital because... oh wait, never mind.

EDIT: in before "CD isn't as good as vinyl" - it's been shown to be indistinguishable in blind testing.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

CD suck dongles too....
Oh well.....
Who cares anymore....hehe

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

EDIT: in before "CD isn't as good as vinyl" - it's been shown to be indistinguishable in blind testing.

Between a 96KHz/24bit source material mixed down with analogue gear into a tape and a CD after dithering, you will

 

[everdrone]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

hope not, I have been using digital overdrive or amp sims for most/all of my recordingz :banana: I bet most could not tell which recording is which, an axefx2 or a real amp. but fuzz pedals = never heard digital sound like an awesome fuzz pedal into a real heavy rock amp!

I had a boss me30 for my first amp 13 years ago which was a jcm800 2203 and it sounded horrible! between the need to crank that amp and the hissing digital distortion, it was nasty in a bad way

 

[Inkstained]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

This will be unnoticeable once you've played it a while and your soul becomes completely dead.

This is completely reassuring. Thank you. I play guitar to deaden my soul, so rock on.

 

[BrianS.]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

No problem. I practice and record with a Boss Micro BR once in a while, but my main rig is tubes, plus I like to listen to vinyl, so I have to do the 20 lashings bit to atone for my occasional digital sin and keep my soul on an even keel.

 

[Frankly]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

Electricity is the Devil's Play-Doh. Plan accordingly.

Thank you.

 

[Hellion]

Re: If I buy a digital overdrive, is my soul dead?

"All this machinery making modern music can still be open hearted, not so coldly charted,
it's really just a question of your honesty, yeah, your honesty..."

A real musician can make music with any and all appropriate equipment. Pay no attention to anyone that tells you otherwise.