Amplitube 2 Jimi Hendrix RELEASED this month!!!

[stag]

The Stomp IO will be cools.

Better not to hold my breath i guess, uh?

[A3ntar]

The Stomp IO will be cools.

but what if we had already midi controllers????

Use the VST AT2 inside of Console ( http://www.console.jp ) and like this you will have a midi in easily.

You _dont have_ to use the standalone you know.

Hoping that IKMM will fix this issue and all the issues everyone reported in 2.2

[Sascha Franck]

I'm gonna jump in here on the "Stomp I/O will be cool" comment.
The correct statement would be: It's as worse as it could get.
I'm sorry, but the idea of having an audio interface RIGHT ON THE STAGE is extremely stupid.
Have you ever plugged a USB audio device out and back in while the application using it was running? If not, try it. The *least* thing you'll have to do is to restart the application, no matter which OS you're using. The worst thing being your computer going slightly havoc so you may have to reboot.

Alright, now have a look at that Stomp I/O connection panel over here:
http://www.amplitube.com/Main.html?prod_StompIO.php
Does it look like a sturdy, super duper road ready USB socket?
NO F***NG WAY!
It's looking *exactly* like the cheap ass consumer USB sockets you find on your printers and whatever. Most likely it's soldered directly to the circuit board and there's no cable lock or whatsoever either.
And then, think about it again: Where is this unit supposed to be placed? Yeah, correct, it's supposed to live where the action takes place. There's (hopefully) smashing drummers, pumping basses, your feet stepping onto it like an elephant (we all know the live game, do we?) and ideally people entering the stage for some stage diving fun.
Do you *really* want your sound central to be placed just there?

And before you start jumping on me: I own GR2 and the Rig Kontrol 2 already. Just recently I took it with me to a session for the first time. Needless to tell you what happened, but I'll do so anyways. While I was switching presets, the USB connection got lose (even if I sort of cable locked it). Great fun. No sound anymore at all.
Each and every of you folks playing live regularly will have experienced this at some point in time. Your cable slips out of your pedal board input. Bad enough, still not *that* bad. You just plug it back in and there you go. As said, not so with USB. You plug it back in, walk to your laptop, restart the application, reload your setup and then it might be back up working. Nothing *any* even remotely professional player could ever afford.

Add to all this that USB cables (at least when using them for an audio device) support a max. length of 5 meters only. Now consider that with those rather stiff cables you need around 1 meter to properly "lock" it on the pedal board (or are you planning to use Stomp I/O without a pedal board case?!? Good luck then...) and another meter to safely lock it on the computer side of the path (there's *always* someone stumbling over cables, do you really want your laptop to be involved in that?). That's leaving you with 3 (or max. 4) meters of distance between your pedal device and your laptop. Certainly enough for that open air stage...
Ahhh, yeah, I hear you! You can still use a buffered USB cable for longer cable runs. Cool. A tiny little thingy lying around directly on the stage, powered by some cable as tiny. Just what the "let's build a heavy duty live rig" doctor ordered.

And let's add another thing: Once your Stomp I/O breaks, you're losing your entire setup, simply because Amplitube is lame enough not to be MIDI controllable.

I'm sorry, but that Stomp I/O thing (and it applies to Rig Kontrol in a similar way) is absolutely nothing any professional would ever want to use.

The solution would be a separated audio interface with an additional (make that proprietary, if you want) controller not used for any audio data but as a controller only. That way you could have everything stored safely in some rack - probably even along with some wireless receiver, so not a single sound carrying cable would run over the stage, let alone a USB one.
Another solution would be proper MIDI support, but of course an interactive (thus proprietary) controller would offer better tweakability.

Anyways, apart from the occasional theatre job or so I will *never ever* use any of these things live, as long as the companies are so utterly lame as not to even think about stuff such as the USB socket issue.

[diverdee]

Very valid criticisms there Sascha.

[SuperFly76]

Very valid criticisms there Sascha.

I agree!

I am very impressed with Amplitube 2 and have been enjoying the demo for the last 4 days and will be upgrading from AT1 asap. But I am unimpressed with the foot controller, especially the fact that it has an audio interface. I have been looking at the behringer FCB1010 midi controller. Is there a way to control Amplitube 2 with it? Tracktion 2 is my main host but I haven't delved into it's midi mapping functions yet as I haven't had the need to so far.

[Sascha Franck]

I have been looking at the behringer FCB1010 midi controller. Is there a way to control Amplitube 2 with it? Tracktion 2 is my main host but I haven't delved into it's midi mapping functions yet as I haven't had the need to so far.

Not familiar with Tracktion, but IMO the best host for live stuff is Energy XT, as it allows for virtually any routing and patching (both MIDI- and audiowise) to be done *and* controlled by whatever source.
Another thing to consider might be Forte's Brainspawn, but I'm not familiar with it at all - it's looking great though, seems a bit more straight forward for live useage than EXT, but the latter will defenitely offer more flexibility.
Then there's also NIs Kore, but a) it's more or less aiming at keyboarders and b) it's rather expensive for such a task.

I'd give Energy XT a try (the demo is fully funtional, only "load disabled").

[SuperFly76]

I've been eyeing Energy XT for a while now. A lot of the users in the Raw Materials forum swear by using both Tracktion and XT together. If I end up picking up the foot controller then that will probably be the final selling point for me concerning XT.

[stag]

I don't know from the picture... i can tell it's not build like a VG-88, but it seems quite standart quality among controllers,
Sure they are not going to ask more than 250 euros for a controller without a single pedal on it. Well the behringer thing costs less than 150 euros has two pedals and connects directly to the wall wart.

I never gigged without spare backup line and guitars, i think they could well being the replacemments to AT2 gear as well or else, two laptops, two AT2 thingies, 2 or 3 guitars at least.
I don't see much diference bettwen a fried valve and fried RAM, shit happens.

[Sascha Franck]

stag, all points taken. But compare the likeliness of a super cheap consumer USB socket to break compared to the chances of tubes being blown.
I am playing tube amps since almost 25 years by now, and I've only experienced a blown tube once. And of course I had a backup tube with me, so all was back up and running after 5 minutes. Try that with a broken circuit board mounted USB socket...

[multree]

oh and bring a spare guitarist in case the main one loses one of his (or both) arms....

just kiddin' - I always hated USB connections cuz they are built so cheaply and I wouldn't use a computer on stage ever but that's just me... for homestudio productions though there's nothing better than AT2 imo (at least for now) I could finish (if I could ever finish) a whole album with just BFD (JnF & Percussion), AT2 and the MTron

AT2 is superb for vocal treatment and other things besides being a Guitar/Bass FX

[stag]

A good USB connection on a thing that aims pro standart quality is mandatory.

It's quite hard for me to see but if you say so it could be a mess. This thing is supposed to be toss around, beer spilled and... ahem... stomped on every day.

So it better be roughed enough.

[aMUSEd]

I hate USB - particularly how Windows randomly forgets that you have installed a driver for an app and can't find it - I find it very unreliable and certainly not "plug and play" as it was touted to be. This sometimes hapens even if you just change to a different port as well. I can imagine the chaos this could cause on stage. I'm sure it could cause someone to go all Pete Townsend on their Laptop.

[Sascha Franck]

A good USB connection on a thing that aims pro standart quality is mandatory.

Well, of course.
But then, look at that Stomp I/O back. Does that even remotely look like a "good" connection? It's just looking like each and every 15 cent USB socket and I fail to see it offering anything to fix your cables with properly.
As you said, this thing will probably see beers spilled over it.

As said, you're gonna have to think about your laptop anyways (a rack caddy might be a nice idea in case you're not using a Macbook - those can't be closed without the damn thing going into standby mode, how lame...), so why not use a very small audio interface and an additional controller only pedal?
This is how I would do it as a company, and this is also how I will be doing it for my live setup. But unfortunately I won't be able to use any Stomp I/O, Rig Kontrol or whatever thing offering a direct link. I'm gonna have to use some MIDI controller and fool around like mad with controller assignments and the likes. Simply because the developers of those stompbox-audiointerfaces NEVER even spent a SINGLE thought about live musician's needs.

Really, aren't such things making you all wonder?
It's some "let's just do it" attitude coming from people that obviously aren't into any actual live playing at all.
Great concept, but realized as bad as it could get.

[frequency_algorithm]

A good USB connection on a thing that aims pro standart quality is mandatory.

Simply because the developers of those stompbox-audiointerfaces NEVER even spent a SINGLE thought about live musician's needs.

Where is YOUR audio interface that you've made that THINKS ABOUT LIVE MUSICIANS NEEDS? If you want it why don't you make it yourself?

It's good to be humble you know. It's good to be humble, its good to be humble.

[Sascha Franck]

Where is YOUR audio interface that you've made that THINKS ABOUT LIVE MUSICIANS NEEDS? If you want it why don't you make it yourself?

What in the world has this got to do with the issue?
Do you really think that we don't have a right to criticise anything just because we're not able to build things on our own?
So, I can't complain about a guitar as long as I can't build one myself?
Or, I can't complain about a plugin because I'm not able to program one myself?

I'm sorry, but that was a totally non-sensical comment of yours.