Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Something Like the Whizzer (Neil Young)
- Thread starter Hotblack
- Start date
It is interesting but somehow I don't see it making much of an impact other than with those that are into technology for the sake of having it.
I always liked the concept of the whizzer, motorizing manual pots, but it really was a hack. Retrofits for analog pots with midi control have been available. Either a motor is attached to the pot shaft like in the whizzer or more often a motorized pot was installed inside the amp. The cost has come way down on motorized pots. The demand was never really there for musical instrument amps, perhaps due to the cost.
The industry has moved beyond that type of interface. Today, in a new design, a micro controller (a small dedicated computer) in the amp would be used with an wifi interface to a computer or pad to digitally control pot settings. This approach changes how things were done in the past with an array of knobs. A number of boxes just have power switches, control is remote and allows for programmed automation.
Work stations for automated control are common in studios. High end recording consoles have had automation for many years with computer interfaces that allow you to take a snapshot of all the settings and store them for later recall or to program automated changes as a song is played against time code. Products that use iPads as the control surface in lower end mixers with integrated digital effects is also available. Mackie has this for example. Even CD and DAT recorders dating back to the 1980's and TV sets have remotes that control motorized or digital volume levels.
I always liked the concept of the whizzer, motorizing manual pots, but it really was a hack. Retrofits for analog pots with midi control have been available. Either a motor is attached to the pot shaft like in the whizzer or more often a motorized pot was installed inside the amp. The cost has come way down on motorized pots. The demand was never really there for musical instrument amps, perhaps due to the cost.
The industry has moved beyond that type of interface. Today, in a new design, a micro controller (a small dedicated computer) in the amp would be used with an wifi interface to a computer or pad to digitally control pot settings. This approach changes how things were done in the past with an array of knobs. A number of boxes just have power switches, control is remote and allows for programmed automation.
Work stations for automated control are common in studios. High end recording consoles have had automation for many years with computer interfaces that allow you to take a snapshot of all the settings and store them for later recall or to program automated changes as a song is played against time code. Products that use iPads as the control surface in lower end mixers with integrated digital effects is also available. Mackie has this for example. Even CD and DAT recorders dating back to the 1980's and TV sets have remotes that control motorized or digital volume levels.
I guess I don't really see the need for this product.
Any player I know (including me) already uses different pedals to cascade sounds (boost signals) or volume pedals to control volume.
Any player I know (including me) already uses different pedals to cascade sounds (boost signals) or volume pedals to control volume.
