Poly Effects fully merges Digit and Beebo into one super pedal

Posted on 21/01/2021 by Engadget

The Poly Effects Digit and Beebo are two of the more interesting guitar pedals to come out in the last few years. They feature large touchscreens and incredible depth for designing your own effects and instruments. They’re basically virtual modular s...

Fender packs Mustang tones inside its new personal guitar amplifier

Posted on 13/01/2021 by Engadget

Fender is launching the Mustang Micro, a new personal guitar amplifier that uses tones sourced from Mustang’s range of GTX amps. Like so many personal amps, the box is designed to plug into your guitar, from which you can tee off with wired headphone...

Hologram Electronics Microcosm: A cheat code for making ambient music

Posted on 05/01/2021 by Engadget

Sometimes I come across an effect pedal that almost feels like cheating because it just makes everything sound amazing. Empress Effects’ Reverb and Earthquaker Devices’ Afterneath come to mind. And now, Hologram Electronics’ Microcosm joins that list...

Artificial Intelligence Creates an Infinite Bass Solo

Posted on 27/12/2020 by hite

The pinnacle of human achievement: we’ve finally reached it. What we have here is a never-ending bass solo generated by a recurrent neural network (RNN). It was trained on two hours of bass improvisation by musician Adam Neely. I just listened to four hours straight and my face is officially melted. Free Bird!

Developed by Youtubers DADABOTS (aka CJ Carr and Zack Zukowski), the live-stream provides an infinite fast-paced bass solo that’s sure to impress your bandmates when you pretend it’s actually something you recorded.

Obviously, I just started a jam band and am using this artificial intelligence generated bass as the backbone for all my songs. I just stand on stage and pretend to rock out while the technology does all the work for me. You know, because why do any heavy lifting if you don’t have to?

[via Engadget]

Yamaha’s THR30IIA is a wireless amp for acoustic guitar players

Posted on 28/10/2020 by Engadget

Yamaha is expanding its THR ‘desktop’ amplifier lineup to add a dedicated model for acoustic guitar players. The new 30-watt THR30IIA features two 3.5-inch speakers and the company’s own D-PRE microphone preamp. It comes with three microphone modes —...

Cooper FX Arcades review: Plumbing the depths of lo-fi guitar effects

Posted on 07/10/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

Let’s get one thing out of the way right up front: Yes, the main conceit of the $329 Cooper FX Arcades is a little gimmicky. It’s a guitar pedal into which you stick cards to apply different effects, kinda like a game console. But while the somewhat...

Jamstik Studio is the MIDI guitar you might actually want to use

Posted on 21/09/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

The Jamstik Studio MIDI Guitar is, as the name implies a guitar. But to be clear, if you’re just looking to buy a guitar, there is no reason to get one. It’s serviceable, but nothing special. The mahogany body and rosewood fretboard feel decent enoug...

This self-strumming guitar can shred like no other

Posted on 21/08/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

You’ve probably never seen a guitar quite like this before, or heard one like it either. The Circle Guitar has a built-in sequenced picking motor that allows you to create “sounds, textures and rhythms that would be impossible with a conventional ele...

Beebo is basically a modular synth in guitar pedal form

Posted on 24/07/2020 by Engadget RSS Feed

When I reviewed the ZOIA, I said there was nothing else quite like it on the market. And that’s still largely true, but the Beebo from Poly Effects is at least a close relative. It’s, in theory, a “multi modulation pedal” for your guitar. But, in rea...

This wireless guitar headphone amplifier lets you make music without any strings attached!

Posted on 20/07/2020 by Ruchi Thukral

Musicians, your gear is about to get an upgrade! Say goodbye to the bulky, boxy amplifier and say hello to Jack – a wireless guitar headphone amplifier! This conceptual small pod-sized system offers unlimited tones and effects to truly give you all the tools without the cables. Come out on the other side of 2020 with an album – are you ready?

The set comes with a jack plug transmitter and wireless earbuds that pair with the smartphone app to help you level up your practice sessions. The physical elements of Jack’s system are designed to be intuitive to use with simple tactile controls to keep the focus on playing the guitar and make the experience streamlined as well as cable-free. The jack plug’s touch-capacitive tip switches between the user’s active sound and presets which lets them transition seamlessly between tones mid-song. It has gesture controls on the left and right earbuds that lets the user adjust the volume and track navigation without having to use their phones. “It relies on wireless headphone technology with zero latency, which is only recently achievable, and high-quality digital emulation. But I think it’s doable, or at least very near future!” says Elkington.

Users can build and fine-tune their sound presets with powerful tonal controls, infinite gear combinations, and simulated effects using the Jack app to produce high-quality music without spending as much on accessories. Emulators for real-world guitars, amplifiers, effects pedals, and the distinctive sounds of guitar legends are available for purchase in the in-app store with constant upgrades and additions. Jack is designed to be a smart device that also allows for integration with music streaming services for users to play along to tracks from their own music library and record their practice sessions for self-improvement. Or maybe an insane karaoke night! Jack can help musicians that are just starting out to explore their creativity and for professionals to hold their practice sessions without always having to be plugged into heavy gear. Making great music accessible again!

Designer: Tony Elkington