KVR Audio

P220ST · Post by **P220ST** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:32 pm

I have Ableton Live 6.0.x +/- slaved to Cubase Studio inside a decent enough DAW (see below).

I play a few instruments. Unfortunately guitar isn't one of them. Electric Violin is my newest endeavor after 20+ years of classical training on the acoustic version. Needless to say a few habits need be set aside, some new ones learned, but anyway . . . the fq range of a violin is in the ballpark of a guitar's.

I've been listening to cuts here and there and on M-Audio's website (Roger Linn) re their Black-Box and am intrigued by the little thing. It's going for $199 US and some retailers are throwing in a modest pedal as a freebie. OK, I don't have Pro-Tools and likely won't in the near future, but the box does come with USB out.

Has anyone ever plugged an eViolin into one of these? It just looks like more fun than a barrel of monkeys and I'm curious if anyone has any 1st (2nd or 3rd) hand experience using an instrument other than a guitar and how that experience went?

-P220ST

HARDWARE
CoolerMaster WaveMaster TAC-T01 Mid-Tower, Intel D975XBX2KR Bad Axe 2 Mobo, Intel® Core™2 Duo 2.4GHz E6600, Corsair 4GB [2(2 x 1GB kit)] 5300 DDR2 SDRAM, NVidia 8600GTS Graphics, PreSonus Firebox Firewire audio interface/sound card recording system, 4 Seagate 320GB 7200.10 16MB cache HDDs. Seagate External 750GB Backup.

C00kie · Post by **C00kie** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:53 pm

Well, since it takes both mic and instrument inputs it will probably work happily with your e-violin. Looks like a fun device, either with or without a PC (big bonus!) Eat your heart out, Jean-Luc Ponty!

The specs of the AD/DA converters don't look stellar, but I'm sure it performs much better than the Boss ME-10 digital guitar effects processor I have at home collecting dust.

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 4:30 pm

I have a friend who uses it for that purpose with some pretty cool results. I think that she has had to modify the presets to her taste but that can be said about anything. I think most of the presets are guitar or bass specific but they can be tweaked and there are some special FX presets that sound really cool on violin right out of the box.

P220ST · Post by **P220ST** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:21 pm

COOkie and justin3am, thanks for the input. I do appreciate it. COOkie, you're right about the specs, but heck, for $200 US, it's pretty reasonable, or so me thinks.

justin3am - good to hear re your friend's positive experience. Knowing me, I'll tweak it because I was the kid in the neighborhood who took lawn-mowers apart for fun. Then couldn't put them together quite right, incurring the occasional wrath of a neighborhood adult.

Like I inferred, it just looked like fun and that's pretty much all I'm lookin' for in terms of output. When Sir Richard Branson takes me to lunch because his newest record company cannot live without the zeal of my creative output, I'll be sure and drop 8 bars in there right off the black-box into my debut single release, you know, as a nod to all the little people who expressed faith in me on the way up.

But for now, I have to go do our discount fabric house in the industrial district of town to get some burlap to cover the Owens-Corning fiberglass that basically are my bass traps before I frame them in 1x4 inch pine boards - the natural look.

-P220ST

P220ST · Post by **P220ST** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:32 pm

BTW, justin3am - is that when you go to bed, get up or both like me. I have the world's most annoying case of insomnia.

This morning: paying bills at 3am. Hence, I like your name.

-P220ST

justin3am · Post by **justin3am** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 5:41 pm

Though it is normaly when I go to bed (even if I have to wake up at 7 a.m. for work) it's the moniker under which I perform and distribute music.

glokraw · Post by **glokraw** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 5:34 pm

P220ST wrote:BTW, justin3am - is that when you go to bed, get up or both like me. I have the world's most annoying case of insomnia.

This morning: paying bills at 3am. Hence, I like your name.

-P220ST

You may also consider the IK Stealthplug, guitar/bass/line-in usb interface at $99 max, has Amplitube2 LE for guitar sounds

http://www.stealthplug.com/Main.php?prod-SP.php

and a generous software bundle. Ampltube2 LE gets nice reviews, (they are pricing this bundle to entice future upgrades

)

And try eating turkey (dark meat) about
45 minutes before your desired sleep time, for the insomnia.

Cheers

Weird Black Box (M-Audio) question