Distortion & Other Guitar Pedals

A YouTube SHORT scheduled for 8:30AM Japan time Saturday 23rd May, on rating the guitar pedals we still have. I sold my Chorus, Delay and Compressor when I started using a PC based recording production system. Those are applied in the DAW now using Vallhala DSP and other plug-ins.  

Mostly using the POD EXPRESS BLACK at the moment. I don’t use any delay or the other effects in any of my patches for it. Just Amplifiers with and without Cabinets.  If no cabinet I use an IR in the DAW for more variety. 

I updated my last blog about the Sound Messe Osaka 2026 during the week, so don’t need to add more about that. But there were many pedals, and I didn’t try any of them. A guy I met at the evening event is a PEDALBOARD COLLECTOR & GUITARIST, it says on the name card he gave me in exchange for my stickers. A huge collection by the look of it some 2m x 3m when laid out on the floor! The only pedals I have been interested in for many years have been distortion, and am happy enough with the options I have now, and don’t need more.

Last year I did this water color storybook version of my Sound Messe Osaka 2025 experience:

It has had 11 views. I do like the look and character design and have considered doing a Sound Messe Osaka 2026 version of my day. The lack of views isn't a discouragement. 

Rick Beato first interviewed Billy Corgan a few years ago and that was when I heard SMASHING PUMPKIN's tracks like Jelly Belly for the first time. I then bought some 3 of their albums. I only got the Orange BIG MUFF some time after that and used it for a few things, then decided I prefer distortion over that kind of fuzz.

The music in this comic, rock I guess, in this short is only 55 seconds long. It has a break in the center, to change the feeling when the synth melody comes in and so not feel as repetitive.

All the stats I have on views is that that this is still far too long, and most bale at 2~ 5 seconds and 18 seconds is the limit for the current POPCORN BRAINED mass population. 

But who cares about what morons want?

Thing is, 55 seconds is still a really short piece of music that isn’t just an intro theme and not that satisfying to only be used in a short.  But even for this short thing, this is like 8 versions after the quick comic I made with it and posted to X a few days ago.  The more I listen , the more I find wrong with it and need to fix it.  Loose all perspective on it.

I could come back and make it longer with additional sections and lyrics. We will see how I feel.

Had wanted this to be heavier and more METAL, but that didn’t happen. Maybe next time. Thing is that isn’t the type of thing that is particularly popular to throw on a SHORT, so am conflicted to not reduce a possible audience even more.  

Other Things

It took me the week to recover from last Saturday’s Sound Messe Osaka 2026. Not sure I am over it even today. Glad I didn’t catch any nasty lurgies, so that was good, even as the percentage of mask wearers is way down now in such a crowded space.  

There are still lots of daily X posts of the demos, products and the happenings taken there. Exhausting following them all.  Just gets too much for me.

FB reminded me of an old comic strip I tried:

1)THE UNIVERSE IS A VAST PLACE…

2)LIFE IS EVERYWHERE. EVEN IF MUCH IS JUST AN ORGANIC OOZE CREEPING ALONG THE ROCKS.

3)JUST THING, WE EVOLVED FROM SOMETHING LIKE THIS…

4)AND IN A GALACTIC EYE BLINK, THESE GUYS WILL DEVELOP SOCIAL MEDIA AND BE MOANING AT EACH OTHER…

1)宇宙は広大だ…

2)生命は至る所に存在する。たとえその多くが、岩の上を這い回る有機物のドロドロした塊に過ぎないとしても。

3)考えてみれば、私たちもこんなものから進化したんだ…

4)そして、銀河の瞬きほどの短い時間のうちに、こいつらはソーシャルメディアを発明して、互いに愚痴り合うようになるだろう…

 

John Carpenter and Band have a HORROR Metal Album and matching Graphic Novel Coming out in August. Love the sound of the current track:   

I have bought 3 of their previous albums and need to add this.

Was planning to go to the opening session Friday morning of THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU. I hadn’t seen any of the streaming TV, so watched a  "YouTube catch up on Mando before seeing the movie" and the endless repeating "set out/ get double crossed/ get captured/ battle / escape/ rescued" with cute baby Yoda got really dull for me. Star Wars setting, Western Tropes and a powerful cute 50 year old baby. 

I didn't care to see it after that, or at least bother to get to a cinema for it. It gets reviewed as 2 TV episodes run together, the last one being dull.  

I didn’t bother to see the last 2 AVATAR movies either. Just don’t care about some things...

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