Tonedexter/IR question/ new product

[zeeway]

A question for you gurus...isn't it possible to take a wavemap made with a really good guitar/good pickup/good mike and make a modest guitar sound like a much, much better guitar?

If this is the case, I would think there is a market for a preamp that has one or more wavemaps built it, to color the amplified sound of a $200 guitar and make it sounds like a $2000 guitar.

Yes or no?

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by zeeway

A question for you gurus...isn't it possible to take a wavemap made with a really good guitar/good pickup/good mike and make a modest guitar sound like a much, much better guitar?

If this is the case, I would think there is a market for a preamp that has one or more wavemaps built it, to color the amplified sound of a $200 guitar and make it sounds like a $2000 guitar.

Yes or no?

Yes, but you need to have the same pickup in both guitars. And, it needs to be isolated to the string sounds. Different pickups that pickup more body sounds would lead to a less transferable wavemap. That said, it still might sound interesting.

[Cuki79]

It is the idea behind Fishman Image Casting (acoustasonic Tele, Martin Retro) or the ew acoustasonic telecaster and Strat.

[Doug Young]

This has been the idea of a number of products - Momma Bear, even the Fishman Aura. Both come (or came, in MB's case) with various "good" guitar settings that you can apply to your own. Also check out the demo on ToneDexter's site of using a wavemap created with a full classical guitar and applying it to a Yamaha Silent Practice guitar - basically a guitar with "no" sound at all.

But I think in general, the problem when playing live is not to make a $200 guitar sound like a $2000 guitar, it's to make a $100 pickup that offers only a resemblance to any guitar sound like even a half-decent acoustic. I think you might be surprised at how much better a $200 guitar trained with ToneDexter, with even a budget mic could sound, compared to the raw pickup.

But in any case, since ToneDexter allows you to save and load wavemaps, all that's needed for the "product" you describe would be for people to post wavemaps made with various guitars so you can load them and see if they apply to your guitar. I'm somewhat surprised we haven't seen that yet.

[Cuki79]

Originally Posted by Doug Young

I'm somewhat surprised we haven't seen that yet.

Jon Fields and I are working on that! We have more than 20 IRs in our free database with various pickups (Fishman, K&K, Amulet, HFN...), I will try to make Some Gibson and Taylor from which we are lacking before we release it on AGF.

By the way can you please send recordings (mic+pickup) of Dazzo equipped guitar you have?

We have no Dazzo IR yet.

Cheers,
Cuki

[jonfields45]

When I play a great guitar it is sitting in my lap in a just right room with sound coming from all around me. The sound that a directional microphone records 8 inches from the neck body joint is a great target to improve a pickup and in the right circumstances amplification, but not the sound I'm hearing when I'm having that experience with a great guitar.

I question whether it is worth the trouble with an already great guitar to try to mix and match IRs, or even a lesser guitar. As Doug points out an IR does some real magic with an entry level guitar and pickup.

However looking at the demand for my IR generator which I let people download, run, and own, I am certain the biggest obstacle to a custom IR at home is the DAW, audio interface, and microphone (not downloading and running Octave as I've been asked for recorded samples to run through the IR generator). That won't be solved when 2048 length IR loaders are inexpensive pedals.

BTW, I've come full circle at home and am using Audacity with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo. I started with Audacity which had problems using the audio drivers with my Soundcraft mixer (which I later determined was poor work on Harmon's part) and my HX Stomp. I spent $70 on Reaper which handled all my drivers, but is so feature rich it is a bear for me to use. So my advice to other beginners would be to buy a decent bottom of the line audio interface (Behringer comes to mind) and use the easier free Audacity DAW. Also the Solo is USB powered which also cuts down on the mess setting things up.

But when that $100 2048 IR pedal comes into being a library of IRs will be very handy. Cuki kindly mentions my name but he is doing all the heavy lifting!