It's meant to be played loud

Well for today, a "problem" which every guitarist encounters, sooner or later. The problem of the "problem" is, it is not a problem for us. It's mostly viewed as a problem by others, same-space-shares surrounding us. It's the loudness. (Still can't see why this should be a problem..).

But anyways, it is as following: You have a great amplifier with a big box. It's in the technology of an tube amp that it sounds (much) better at high volumes. Because then the tubes get hot in their working point. And also the typical, searched, tube-sound is mostly a result of high volume.

Since 100W or even 120W are really loud, it is an impertinence, as people are saying, for longer practicing-periods. There must be some kind of a solution for both, the guitarist who needs (yeah really) the desired sound and the environment, which isn't that fancy about your sound anyways.

A quite simple and practicable solution are so called load-box. Or attenuators. A simple circurit designed to simulate a speaker and convert the most part of the Amplifier-Output-Power into heat. I guess this is a horrible process for green-people. But it's the sad truth. (Anyways even without such a load between the amp and the box, about 50% of the power are already lost in the amplifier mostly notable as heat. This has to do with power adaption.)

I also purchased lately such a load-box, which I wish to present here a bit. It's the Jettenuator from Jet City (Jettenuator), a quite inexpensive device for it's possibilities.

On the front, there are two knobs, the big for the "soaked power" and the small one for the volume of the Line Output. If you put the big one to "9" it has fewest effect, turn it to "0" and you'll hear almost nothing coming out the speaker output. But a bit more to this further down this post.

It is visible in the picture, that you can connect every usual impedance (4, 8 and 16 Ohm's). This makes the device very universal. Further there are three Outputs, a speaker out, line out and MicSim Out.

You can connect any box to the box out, without the need of a matching impedance (so it's said in a YouTube video from Jet City). This is also very handy, since you can use the attenuator as an impedance matching device.

The line out speaks for it self i guess. Note, you don't have to connect a box, you could use the attenuator as a stand-alone device. So if you're cold and freezing you could heat with it haha.

The MicSim can be connected diretly into a recording interface or mixer console. It uses XLR connectors. This Output will, as indicated in the name, simulate a guitar box. Also a nice idea, i use it for example as "second microphone". My Tascam has two XLR Inputs, so one is for a real mic in front of a real box, and the other input goes to the MicSim. In this simple way you've got a varied sound in one take.

A little bit to the downsides of this products.
First of all, it affects your sound, even when you have the big knob on "9". It says in the manual that, due to the circurit design, it always has a damping of -3dB. Well dosen't sound much, and also your impression won't be that much, but -3dB in Power means it's a reduction of 50%. Well this is in a way the idea of such a load-box, but it would be much nicer if the box had somekind of "true bypass". Because as soon as it is in the line, it will affect your sound.

To the sound in general, my impression is the sound loses some of it "directness" and is not so aggressive anymore. As far as i can tell by looking in the box through the cooling slits, only power resistors are used. I guess that's not a problem regarding the price of the box and the other features it offers. 
BUT in general you can't simulate a box (which is the goal of an attenuator in the end) only with resistors. A real speaker lives from the impedance and capacity it has. Also it is an impedance-load, in short, it changes it "resistance" with the frequency. So if you regard a speaker only as a simple resistor (same resistance for every frequency) you'll be disappointed with the output (well if you're a little bit audiophile..). Anyways, I claim that I can hear it's "only" resistance in the box. The direct sound coming from the MicSim is quite usuable, no doubt, but it is also very sterile and especially the highs are harsh. So you have to work on your tone.

ANYWAYS, it makes it possible to get the "tube sound" at reasonable volume levels, so what do you want more? It is not a studio-equipment piece, never meant to be, and thus is also explaining the price. 

I like this little guy for my uses. Fun fact: it really can get hot, very usuable to warm your hands ;-)

(Maybe i should add some recorded sounds for comparison?)

Year 2015

The year 2015, a little update..

Well it's been a long time since i wrote here a new entry. So, were am I now?

First of all, especially regarding my last post here, i quit my job on the 1. October last year. And until today, i didn't regret my decision. 
It began by reducing my employment to 80%, meaning i had a day per week free. This was also a good decision but not really a solution. After working exactly two years for the company, i went on to get more out of my time. Not only working and gradually hating each new day ;-)

The plans were to see the world, together with Julia. So we made a trip in the south-western USA, going for the national parks there. Our trip was about 4 weeks long. I guess i'll write more of that in other posts. 
Here it's just as an overview.

After the USA, we went for 3 weeks to Thailand. Since then i've been mostly alone for me, time for reading, thinking and playing guitar.

So that's my place in the world for the moment. 

Oh i've almost forgot to introduce my new "friend", one of the most useful things while traveling, my new poket knife:

There are not only disadvantages

with working..

So everyday you know what you have to do.. your time is limited, egro valuable.. and so on...

and also you're getting money.. mostly


money it self is not a good thing, in my opinion. But it's the same with quite everything in your life, it depends what you are doing with it.

In my case, for example, i used it to buy a new guitar.
Well i want to make clear, this was not a purchase of "because i can". This would by luxury, so no, not my thing.

My other guitar is a beautyful piece, and i like it very much. But somehow i came to some limits with playing it. It starts to hurt in my arms, so i wanted something new to try and to make this better.

Long speech.. where's the Guitar?

There it is.. beautyful isn't it?
A Jackson KV6, made in the US.

It looks quite similar as my old one.. well the reason is, i already liked it back than, so no need to conquer new land.

Funny remark, a year or more ago, i already wrote about a jackson guitar.. and my conclusion was not really flattering, but also not bad.. so now i'm back with a jackson haha..

First of all, this is a very fine guitar in every way and really worth the money. It is for the heavier kind of music, oh surprise, and it really has the look, the feeling and the sound for this.

For the sound i'll make an other entry, also describing technical details.

An other detail i like about this guitar, is the minimalism; there's one poti for volume and one three-way switch. Fine. More is not needed haha.

Since it's a signature series, there's the "T" from the "Trivium" Logo.. well i don't really know trivium, i listend lately a bit because of the guitar.. but i don't care about this. It's also not bad looking, so it's just there and that's ok in my view.

Switzerland

With the polls from last sunday, switzerland showed how the "people" really thinks..

The EU-Consultant from the US was right with "Fuck the EU".

The louder the class politique screams the more it is clear that this was a step in the correct direction.

It is time to revise aberration of many years and politicans in europe.

They don't get it, it is a war of cultures, it is about identity, roots and "being". 

Fuck their stupid ideas and ideologies of a united europe, with so much multi-kulti. It will not work.

Guess what

I am back

Well almost one and a half year since my last post.. i don't know i forgot about this blog.

There was a time i just didn't have the drive to write anything.. so instead of posting bullshit and force me to be creative, i just let it go.. 
And somehow it went into oblivion.. 

Anyways, the time moved fast, many things changed.

So for example, to continue with the ending of my last post;

I found really fast and easy a good job haha. It needed me only to send one application to find a empolyer who could offer me an interesting position.

Since October 2012 i'm developping electrical drives. My job is to develop software for microcontrollers. 

In my private live, i finally got to know somebody closer, whom i admired for a long time from a certain distance.
We are now happy together for almost one year. Since we share the common passion of travelling, we traveled a lot. And we do want to travel a lot more.

So in late summer / autumn i guess there will be again a change in my life. But this time it is chosen by me that way.

All this working day in day out.. well for some time, i can bear it. But there must also be other times again.. and they shall come, otherwise i'll go crazy..

I want to be free, and live life in an exciting way, and this is somehow not possible with a steady (good) job in an office.

Sure i learned much, but i also suppressed many parts of my freedom. This will not go well forever, so let's go back to the other side.

And maybe, i'll be more often back here to post about anything interessting.

Bethlehem

A week ago, i was in Trier, south-west germany at the border to luxemburg.
We were there for a concert form the band "Bethlehem".

It was about a 5-6 hour drive, but it's a very nice route.. the landscape is very beautiful there!

It was my last weekend as a "free man". The next monday i started my new job.

Fast

Two weeks ago, at the end of August, i finished my Bachelor-Thesis. I think i made a good job.. but i'm still waiting for the grades.

Anyway, last wednesday i already had an jobinterview... i t was very interesting and the company offers a very comfortable work-climate.. 

yesterday i received the contract.. haha.. 

i'm starting on the first of october... finally a new chapter in live

Traveling

i think that's so far the year i traveled most.
most time, it was only for a weekend but still..

two friends and me were looking for more excitement outside switzerland.. since we don't really like the people here and here aren't really good concerts, our favorite destination is germany

it all begun in february when we headed to Bruchsal and Speyer, both times concerts.. next time we wen't to erfurt.. i don't think i can remember all occasions and the order but who cares.. the trip to freiburg was nice too.. last big thing was a small festival in austria and partying with friends over there.
mannheim also, mainz quite often for personal reasons..
nürnberg... yeah i guess that's all.. more or less
a concert in rodalben, near pirmasens, was also on the plan.

some small journeys, only to visit an old ruin or something, were between them.

in my opinion, traveling is one of the most valuable thing a free human can do.. so let's hope we can get some more destinations

Living

near a lake at this time is.. not the best thing..


there's an invasion of midges in my room.. i hate them so much!
this stupid annoying sound of them flying around.. SSIIIIII


ahh


but there's hope
my brave litte friend

good hunting






maybe some noticed, but i'm not that active at the moment.. i'm in the middle of my bachelor-thesis so i don't have much time to make some interesting (implying any have been) blog-entries...


but when time will come, i'll work on it!

call to power

it's so hot here.. i can't stand it... so no going outside for me...


what are the alternatives?


old pc-games!


anyone knows that one?

my father bought it me when it was released.. it was the only game he liked me to play.. but since i was young i wasn't able to get really in touch with this kind of gameplay.. it seemed to boring for me..


but today, i really like it.. now i see, how clever it is!


really a great time-"wasting"-tool, since i played 4h straight without realizing haha.. well at least it's not so hot anymore... 


maybe i'll keep you in touch with my new world :P

Nice

so today i was a billionaire... 

it says "200'000'000'000 Mark" the old currency of germany

well, who knows, maybe the same thing happens with the euro?

i sure do hope so.. 

worst idea ever, the whole euro-thing

i give you

UBER METAL

so there's an other distortion pedal.. from line6 obviously

i got it from a friend who said, he dosen't need it anymore.. and i'm always curious for new sound..

first of all, some years ago i first "met" line6 in form of an spider line6 amp.. it was a combo with 2x12" speakers and pretty loud.. line 6 is known for being somekind of pioneer in amp modulation.. the fuck? 

with new DSP (digital signal processor) you just can simulate different amps with digital methods.. because of that, you're able to have many different sounds for cheap money.. but the down-side is the digital-sound.. you'll hear the difference, it's mostly like you've covered the speaker box with thick carpet.. 

the über-metal comes with 3 different distortion-types "metal", "pulverize" and "insane"

you could guess, the distortion get's heavier from left to right.. (the "insane" was also on my line6 spider amp)

also there are 3 possible settings for a noise-gate (you know that stuff which suppresses noises and humming and feedback..) 

along with that, and 3-band equalizer and a scoop-knob..

well.. that's the point.. scooping.. 

this scooping is only for the mid frequenzies, you select with the one knob with frequenz and than you can scoop it out.. OUT.. MID FREQUENZIES OUT

on a guitar? seriously? 

the guitar is THE mid-freq-range-instrument in the band.. drums are low and high freq. bass guitar is low.. so the middle is only for the guitar... 

that's why some beginner-band have some really shitty sound, because a guitar alone sounds much nicer with much high and lows and less mids.. but only when you're alone..

in a band you have to take the middles, it will make a huge difference otherwise the whole thing sounds thin and flat..

along with the name "über metal" and this function i guess you know who'll buy this pedal.. i think you'll won't find it in a studio

but the pedal it self sounds quite good.. you've got many options to play.. still i wouldn't change it with my metal-zone.. because   the sound is not that dynamic.. also i think it is not so transparent.. well how to explain.. i think you'll have to listen  either way...

so in conclusion, fun pedal to play around, but not for serious matters... 

Some Distortion

Ever listend to metal? 

If so, you surely are familiar with it's sound.. heavy distortion..

there are some ways to produce a sound.. one way is to overdrive your amplifier by setting all the volume to it's maximum.. it will result in some warm distortion used mostly in hard rock music.. 

big disadvantage, you'll have to play on maximum... well makes practicing in the night a bad habit..

and maybe it's not enough distortion for your taste..

so there are some circurits which solve these problems.. since i'm graduating soon as an electrical engineer i could explain it to you.. :P

basicly, you take a diode to produce hard clipping by rectifing.. or overdrive an OP-Amp 

so you'll have a maximum distortion at a low volume.. and this kind of sound is harsh, cold brutal.. just right for metal.. there are many characteristics for a distortion, with some EQ and circuit design there are so many ways

back in my beginning days, i already knew i'll need a maximum of distrotion.. it's also a question of money.. there are super high-end amplifiers with the best distortion.. but they are about 2000-3000€

so an other way, buying effect-pedals.. those sweet little boxes you'll see on stage in front of nearly every guitarist..

it isn't the same like a blasting amp but it's the closets you'll get without that much money.. 

since there are many many fabricats, you have to test.. there is no pedal for everything.. 

my choice since i've got a guitar is the Metal-Zone MT-2 from Boss.. well boss has an outstanding quality and also fair prices.. and this pedal is quite everything i want.. just play a little with the settings and you'll always find a matching sound!

Well even that one won't replace an real amp.. but it's still the best, in my opinion and for my use, distortion pedal you'll find.. over years yet

i got mine in 2003, and over 9 years of heavy use (heavy metal - heavy use haha) there weren't any problems.. i never had to repair it.. and you can imagine, stomping on such sweet little thing with combat boots isn't for every device.. so, good job Boss, i fucking love you for this one!

i'll present some other pedals sooner or later.. but the first one is always for your loved ones!

Concert

As i announced about two weeks ago, last saturday (19 of may) we, well my second band "Demons of Decay", played our first concert in this new line up.


It was a small nice club in a small nice village not far from my home.. We were the support band for "the Uprising", a befriended thrash metal band from an other village!


i guess about 30-40 people were attending, quite many for such a small concert in such a small location


we had really great fun and everything went as planned.. some mistakes were made during performing, but who cares.. it looked like the audience enjoyed it, that's what's counts!


i've found 3 cell-phone-made videos yet.. 

yeah some funny angle to film haha


the PA was somehow too small, it was almost overdriving all the time.. so next time, we'll bring a bigger sound system, for a more brutal sound!

images

i found some pictures i made over the time 
it's around my place so maybe you'll enjoy them too

standing on the frozen lake picturing my village

rehearsal room stories

i've seen many rehearsal rooms so far.. and most time you can tell what kind of "musicians" are practising in a certain kind of rehearsal room


when there's a fridge, a sofa, a big table and so an, most time the guys are pretty chilled.. 
it's always a mess in the room, nobody feels obligated to take out the trash or what ever.. you'll find many objects from the street (like a cone) in there, because it was once funny to steal it


they are happy to play about 6-7 songs pretty well, to make shows about 4-5x in a year in a not too big distance (about 20-30km)
for most time their rehearsals are more like chilling with best friends.. the music isn't the real deal, everyone is looking for the beer after... and smoking different stuff.. they nearly always bring their girlfriends or some other kind of good friends with them.. 
so making music is about 1/3 of the time and hanging around about 2/3
needless to say, they aren't very productive but still can have high potential, if only they take it more serious
best for a relaxed evening when you want to get down


some other kind is a rather big room, with some sofas, no fan-merchandise, equipped with the important things (amps, PA, good drumkit but no "extraordinary" stuff)
only small, normal amounts (for musicians) of trash
the room serves it's only purpose, to practice the stuff.. not really to create stuff, it's just there to meet to learn playing together as a whole band.. normally every one is well prepared, knows his parts and is on time.. 
the sofas are there for resting and sleep, because most time such bands a spread over a huge region and it takes some hours to drive for some members.. they do this, because they take it serious, they are eager and want to get somewhere
those people normally know what they want and their thinking is based on effectiveness but they also can make party AFTER rehearsal, which can take 4-5h


an other kind of room is "the talented guy's room"
it's a clean tidy and bright room with sound absorbing walls.. there's much money in it because everything has to be right.. you'll find there every kind of instrument, keyboard, drums, guitars, basses, some special percussion things and so on.. a good PA, a mixing console, a Mac Computer.. it's a room without any sofas or fridge.. maybe some fanstuff like a poster but in a small amount.. this room is used to create music and to practice straight forward.. there's no hanging around and chances are good you're not allowed to smoke or drink softdrinks (because of the sugar -> sticky stuff) 
it's big enough for a band to rehearsal, but there isn't space for any comfort or hanging around..
those guys are really into music and they usually play a lots of instrument and take it serious.. but they also are very fast butt-hurt if you don't appreciate they work they way they like to.. or if you're better on an instrument..
good guy's to work with, great success and a good future! 
but not always the easy-going-personality, they often have some issues (mostly with them self)


i spend much time in my younger years (around 19-20 haha) with good friends in a rather big room.. it was a shelter for civilians in a case of nuclear attack or somekind of natural desaster.. you'll find such rooms in every house in switzerland..
we could use it for free, the city gave it to us with the condition we must be able to clear the room within 24h if necessary.. well no problem..
we put much work in it, to make it sound absorbing (with this egg-container-like-stuff) and decorated it well.. 
today i would describe it as an fan-rehearsal-room.. we had MANY posters of our idols and played only songs from them together.. we didn't want to have an own band, we just wanted to play songs we liked.. our equipment was sufficient, no PA because no singing..
we had a fridge, nice sofa and really hard parties in there.. smoking allowed... we took care of the trash..
a real good freetime place for young people who likes music and play instruments!

and last a picture of our (my main band's) most recent room.. it's a bunker from WW2 

long time no talk

no, not a new guitar or anything

i'm just busy working on my bachelor in electrical engineering.. sooo.. 

and yes, little traveling, visited a concert of the mighty "Verdunkeln" in Mannheim on Friday.. i guess many visitors didn't even know, which interessting person (in history of german black metal) were live on stage

i used the opportunity to check the city a bit.. nice food, nice weather (thunderstorm, yeah) nice clubs.. would go back again!

Verdunkeln played fucking awesome, very intense concert, really good sound

at the moment i'm in Mainz, i like the quiteness in this apartement here.. no excuses to not work for my bachelor (except writing blog :P) 

i'll be back home tomorrow.. let's hope i'll find time and new guitars to test them.. 

or something familiar!
 

jackson

new week, new guitar?
or another guitar..

for my second band (demons of decay..) i'm playing usually on a simple jackson guitar.. i even don't know which model it is

we're playing on baritone-tuning, it's 5 steps below standart tuning, death metal has to be very low and heavy 

because i don't want to change the tuning on my main guitar (the ESP one) i've got this non special jackson from my friend.. put some thick strings on it and you can drop the sound

i never was a fan of jackson, i never found the "thing" behind them, even many, especially death metal-guitarists, really like jackson..
many years ago, my best friend also got a jackson and he couldn't imagine a better guitar.. so, maybe i just don't get it

the guitar i'm playing here has really nothing special, it does it's job, not less and not more.. the sound is also.. yeah you can use it, but i couldn't recommand it to someone, because i wouldn't know what to point out, there is nothing to point out

the stringposition is not very nice.. maybe i could make it better, if i want to, but it's sometimes such a frustrating work with this floyd rose... i'm just happy with the fact, that the tuning keeps in tone!

i'm not a real death-metaller, but for this band i try to be, so why not jackson? it does what it should, but i wouldn't get happy with just this guitar 

the beauty of the beast

i can imagine so many wordplays for this picture.. it's about exactly 5 years old

the beauty and the beast for sure :p

today's guitar is a B.C.Rich Beast, NJ-series
since i made plans to learn and play guitar, i always had an eye on guitars from BCRich, they just look so fucking metal.. 

it's the same discussion all the time, so either you love or you hate the shape, most time there is no "inbetween"

with good luck i got this one for the third of the regular price! well i was a happy boy hehe i was wandering through the old city of schaffhausen and suddenly there was a musicshop.. there where only "normal" looking e-guitars and acousticguitars in the window, but i had time and took a look inside


at the very end of the shop, in the last corner, there was this guitar which didn't fit in at all to the sortiment
but naturally it got my full attention and i played with that baby


so the shop owner joined me and it was obvious i had fun with that one.. he told me that they have this guitar since 2004 in stock and it was involved in a fire accident once (no burnings, just smoke and ashes).. there are no customers of him, who'd bought such a guitar.. they stick to the normal ones


now seeing me with this beast he said, if i take it now, i can have it for 500CHF with the bag.. regular priece (at this time) was about 1500CHF, so i didn't hesistate long and took it with me..


still it's for me one of the most beautiful guitars ever!
but there are two mayor disadvantages.. the first one, it's heavy like shit.. (well it's supposed to make heavy metal :P) it will break your back! i think it's about 7kg


and the second negative point (since 2 years) are the strings!
it's a special system, called "speed loader". you don't have to trim the strings, they come already in the right lenght, you just snap them in and you're ready to play.. super fast, super easy


but not very common, so the company decided some time ago to stop producing those strings.. too bad, but i still have many as replacement


the guitar itself has passiv pick-up's from b.c.rich, they sound quite well. it is a real bass monster, the deep tones are quite dominant and give a warm clean sound. the output is not that high (normal for passive pick-up's) so you'll have to turn your gain up to 10 for a brutal distortion sound!


what i like the most about playing this guitar is, how well the neck is made.. the string position is perfect, it's so near the neck but it doesn't touch it where it shouldn't.. it feels really great and you're able to play quite fast with almost no need to use force to press down the string.. it's a dream hehe


i recorded our complete first album with this guitar, it also does not de-tune, even after months not playing.


my producer is very firm with all kind of guitars and even he was impressed how playable this one is.. he always said "die fickt junge, die fickt richtig gut" haha, translate it yourself


even it's not my main-guitar anymore, i'll always love this beast.. 
just look at her

and it really looks great on stage, but there are many people who'll tell you're a poser.. so you have to play good, and show that you can handle a beast and not just carry around :P


oh, girls fancy it ;D

getting warm

today was an awesome day, i was at the rhine with some friends

i'm not a sun-person but i like the fresh air and calmness found there

it's really hard nowadays to find a spot at the river, where are no other around

good thing we'll always find one

spot of today:

u jelly?