John Hendow

I am interested in using my iPad (and iPhone) as a controller surface for music applications and hardware. Most of my equipment can be controlled via either MIDI or USB. My preference is always USB over MIDI, and for live use I prefer bluetooth. Some equipment manufacturers do not provide USB for music equipment at all, defaulting to MIDI as the standard. I’m especially baffled by the omission of USB from my Line6 M13 and M9 processors; my Line6 XTLive is several years older and has full USB implementation *plus* a great GUI editor. I hope there will be a update to these devices eventually.

I’d like to be able to use the iPad with my M13 in the following ways:

• Connected via bluetooth (USB would be a good for home, but live, I want fewer cables).
• As an editor / librarian.
• As an external secondary display for live use. It should show patch configuration and be usable as a teleprompter for notes, a lead sheet or set list.
• As a control surface for live use. I frequently wish I could make a quick tweak to my settings without having to get down on my hands and knees, and twiddle dials on the dark stage.

As a company that seems to be most “in the lead” on music / computer interfaces for this kind of gear, I’m surprised Line6 hasn’t already done this.  I had hoped some kind of announcement would be made at summer NAMM, but alas. Hey Line6, you should pay me as a consultant! Make this stuff happen please.

On Thursday 7/21, The Dudley Manlove Quartet performed an outdoor show at Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood. This is both an unusual weekday evening for us to perform, and an unusual venue. The stage was outdoors near the South side of the mall, situated on patio that is sloped to help water drain away from the mall entrance. As a result, everything on the stage had a peculiar forward lean. I arrived early to scout the performance area. Once I was set up I ran through some scales to warm up. A few young skaters wandered by and one of them yelled “IRON MAN!” which I happily obliged him by playing. I found him later and asked why he had requested that song. His response: “because Ozzy fricking rules!”  Difficult logic to refute.

Once the rest of the band arrived we were set up and ready for action pretty quickly. It was a bit chilly playing outdoors. One might expect a late-July outdoor gig to be warm, but this *is* the Pacific Northwest. It’s a bit of a challenge to keep a guitar in tune when it’s cold outdoors, and I had to tune a few times each set as the instrument reached a stable temperature. This is the second gig we’ve done since I pulled the buffer pedal from my pedalboard. I expected it would provide a quiet signal boost but it seems to be injecting significant RFI into my signal path… it sounds like I’m getting a radio signal. I haven’t attempted to troubleshoot the device and it’s currently sitting on the bench in my garage. Since removing it I’ve noticed my rig is much quieter.

I’m still on the hunt for a Boogie Lonestar, but the Fender is doing a great job of delivering the goods. Overall, another successful outing for the band, and certainly a memorable one as mall gigs go…

On Saturday July 9 the 1 Uppers performed at Darrel’s Tavern in Shoreline. We were part of a 4-band bill and had the opportunity to hear a lot of great music. It’s always enjoyable to get together with other musicians in our style and spend the evening happily twanging away. One of the highlights of this gig was being in a local bar that has such a loyal clientele; it’s rather like the “Cheers” vibe where everyone seems to have an assigned bar stool.

Before the gig I got together with my friends Frank and Chris, and we did what any reasonable trio of guitar geeks would do: went guitar shopping and beer drinking. By the time we drifted back to the venue for load-in, it was getting crowded in the parking lot and people were staking out the favorite tables for the show. My good friend David arrived and joined us for beer and chatter.

The gig went very well. I feel that the 1 Uppers are increasingly tight and musically aware of each other. For a six-piece band we’re getting pretty good at leaving space for each other in the mix.

I think we got it. My local shop tech has been up to his elbows in my Fender Twin on a few occasions now, and I believe we’ve narrowed down the issue to the plate resistors. Go figure. After a month of battling intermittent gremlins, it turns out to be a $1 part.