Kaoss Pad in Guitar???

[DLRdelight!]

What do you guys think of this? I recently started getting more into Muse and started looking at their equipment and what not. He uses it at 2:52

[Coyote]

Interesting...

(Although, I have a vague memory of seeing an axe like that before...)

[jhale667]

Definitely interesting. Must admit I kinda like Muse as well, can't think of a song of theirs I've heard and gone "meh". The way he's using it kinda sounds like something Steve Stevens would do...

[chefcraig]

I dunno...it sort of sounds like gimmicky noise maker, to fill out what is essentially a three piece band. Don't get me wrong, I love their albums (Black Holes and Revelations was one of my top 3 picks for album of the decade), but the band's live sound has always been iffy in comparison. In this case, the effect reminds me of Jimmy Page using a theremin in order to add some fireworks to a rather flaccid performance of "Whole Lotta Love" during TSRTS.

[Diamondjimi]

Yeah, some sort of Theramin pad...

[GAR]

WRONG

This is an X-Y hand-position sensing controller for MIDI by Korg alot like the thing Korg ripped the idea from, the Roland D-Beam.

D-BEAM :: Products :: Roland

Wikipedia says the Kaoss came out ten years ago and the D-Beam 3 years before that.

However, I recall an interview in Music and Computers Magazine with DOOM's Bobby Prince talking about his use of the D-Beam.

In recording the sound-effect of Nazi footsoldiers' boots crunching the ground in the game "Wolfenstein" he pitch-shifted sound setting for "Gunshot" by manipulating the data with a D-Beam in MIDI.

If the Kaos can now do this with an onboard A/D converter as a footpedal, theoretically you could refine it to pitchbend and modulate crazier than a standard tremolo..

[Nitro Express]

I put me to sleep and 2/3's of the audience look like they would fuck you up the ass.

[GAR]

Beam controllers are really interesting, because the MIDI language has certain parameters for pitchbending that are less than perfect.

Pitchwheel controllers/modulators are now standard on all keyboards and we take them for granted for frequency modulation.

But this thing is coolest, because you don't have to touch or spin anything to make the effect work!

[twonabomber]

i think it does more than pitchbending, far as i know you can use it to crossfade between patches/sounds or any of the MIDI continuous controllers.

[ZahZoo]

I don't think you can get the necessary parametric equalization using variable frequency modulation in this manner... I'm just sayin...

[GAR]

i think it does more than pitchbending, far as i know you can use it to crossfade between patches/sounds or any of the MIDI continuous controllers.

Yeah if they got A/D converters built-in, the option of an onboard DSP chip from Alesis would allow it to do virtually anything a POD can, too.

But then again, like Zah says the analog signal output is gonna lack depth.