Donnerstag, 6. Dezember 2012

Besser die perfekte Kopie als ein schlechtes Original!

Unter dieser provokanten Überschrift ein Mini-Essay von Thorsten Scheerer!

I like that Line6 stuff, too. I bought my first Line6 device -a POD I -directly after they started sales in Germany in the 90s. Ironically Klaus-Dieter and me discovered it at the Tube Amp (!) Doctor's store. We saw a little red device there and wondered what it was ... the guys at the store said it's the brand new POD, a revolutionary thing exactly simulating classic tube amp sounds by digital processing.

I couldn't believe, I plugged in, I played some unserious stuff, and it seriously blasted my mind and ears. (Useless to add: I bought the red POD seconds later.) This little device received the Guitar Player's Pick Award back then for its unbelievable ability to digitally simulate legendary tube amp sounds as if they were "real" -and today the POD's a legend itself. I still use it nowadays. The only thing that's different today: I made an upgrade from POD I to POD II by changing the processor a few years ago.
Many guitar players claim that digital simulations of classic tube amps won't sound like the "real" things. Is that true? Well, ask yourself if you are able to make the real amps sound like they should -are you? Yes, that's no problem if you were on stage in a stadium in front of 50.000 people. There you can crank up the volume of a Dual Rectifier, a Marshall stack, or a Fender Twin up to 10 and ride on the most fabulous waves of rock (or whatever your style of music is) ever seen and heard in music history. These legendary amps are like Ferraris: You really need to drive them to really drive them ... however, 99% of us don't play in a stadium, but at home, in small clubs, in rehearsal rooms, in recording studios ... and in these environments most of the time truly good simulations are a better choice than badly performing originals.
Some also say, the sounds of PODs and other devices of that digital kind lack the "warmth", "taste", and "feeling" of the "real" amp sounds ... ever heard one of your guitar heros playing a digitally simulated amp? Well, maybe -but surely you didn't recognize. Keep in mind: "Warmth", "taste", and "feeling" come from your heart and your fingers. They are aspects of your personal hey are aspects of your personal style -not of your amp. In most cases there's a simple trick to add "warmth", "taste", and "feeling" to your guitar playing: You only need to play even more. Because once you can really play, the "real" sound will be right there with you, too -no matter what it's amplified by ... you don't believe it? Give it a try -go out there and simply play! ;-).
Von meinem Freund und Mitmusiker Thorsten Scheerer, mit freundlicher Genehmigung von Facebook kopiert.