Messing Around with the GuitarPort

I mentioned a while back that I have a GuitarPort. It was given to me a couple of years ago as a birthday gift. I've never really done anything with it, mainly because I'm a creature of habit, and so I keep on using my POD 2.0.

The interesting thing about the GuitarPort is that it is based on the new PODxt. It has stereo connections compared to the mono connection in the POD. Although I think the line out is a balanced connection in the POD? I can't remember. Anyway, having a mono line out never bothered me because, after all, the guitar is a mono instrument.

I installed the GuitarPort software again on my main P4 computer, but something is messed up with that computer. The sound kept cutting out. At first I was worried that the GuitarPort was already messed up.

So I installed it on a secondary system and all was fine. My first impression with the GuitarPort is that it sounds really good. You can get a pre-packaged "studio" sound out of it right off the bat. It sounds brighter than the POD. If you look at the frequency graph in Cool Edit or some other audio app, you'll see the response goes all the way to 20khz. In the POD, it cuts off at--I can't remember. But I think that is actually the true response of a guitar pickup. I'm guessing that the GuitarPort processing adds that extra response.

My big beef with the GuitarPort is that those preset names have no meaning to me. Some you can guess, like Big Surf or something. But most of them, I can't figure out, like Out of My Mind. What the heck is that?

You can always create your own presets and name them accordingly, of course, but I'm so lazy I tend to rely on the built in presets and what other people post. You can make whatever presets you like based on a number of different amps, speakers, and effects. But like I said, I'm pretty lazy and hate messing around with that stuff. Which is why I wish they had more descriptive names for their presets.

I'm still debating about whether to use it in recording. I'd have to take the time to learn how to manipulate the sounds. The software they provide, Gearbox, is pretty good and intuitive at letting you select the amp, speaker, and effects. It's just that any time I have a boatload of choices, I get paralyzed. You should see me at the drug store trying to figure out which brand of soap I should buy.

Anyway, here's a recording of the GuitarPort. The first snippet is one of the clean presets. Mr. Clean? Modern Jazz? I can't remember. But the clean sounds are very, very good. I used my Fender Strat for this. The second part uses one of the Heavy Guitar presets. Again, I can't remember the stupid name. But I'm not that impressed with any of the distortion sounds.

Chinese Children's Song

Now's your chance to learn a Chinese children's song. C'mon, you know you want to.


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While you're all doing that, I'm going to watch the season premiere of Lost.

I Like to Watch TV

I've been watching a lot of tv lately, what with the new season and all. So I haven't really done much in the writing department. I always have some kind of excuse.

Here are the shows I watch: Heroes, House, Lost, My Name is Earl, The Office, Smallville, Survivor, Battlestar Galactica, Shark, and probably a few others here and there. I've also been watching Studio 60 because of all the hub bub. But you know what? I think Aaron Sorkin is the most overrated writer today. First of all, this fictional SNL-like show--it's not funny at all. It's stupid. Aaron Sorkin seems to think comedy is based on pompous moralizing. You have these scenes where they're coming up with the most unfunny stuff, and we're supposed to believe that this fictional show is really hip and funny?

He has this preoccupation with the Christian Right. I don't know, but it seems so like twenty years ago.

And what's with all the stupid repetition of lines? Does that make it funny? Does it make it clever? Nope. Sports Night, which was another overrated piece of crap from Sorkin was full of those fake, pretentious dialogue bits.

"She's doing well."

"Yeah? Why can't I wipe well?"

"You should switch toilet paper brands. Seriously, she's doing well."

"She's doing well?"

"She's doing really well."

Nobody talks like that. I could take it if one person in the show talked like that--but EVERYBODY talks the same way! David E. Kelly is another really overrated writer. Is that his name? You know, the guy who did Ally McBeal and Boston Legal. I think. He's overrated.

Oh, I just bought the Open Season soundtrack. It's pretty good. I never thought I'd see Paul Westerberg provide songs for an animated film.