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"Black Box" effects pedals thread / a way forward?


Danhedonia

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Black Box plea

 

The iStomp and Neunaber Slate threads have prompted some here to wonder about the potential for a "Black Box" digital effects solution.  Hoping this thread can start some thought perhaps give us insight into what might work and how.

 

The idea is fairly basic: have an open-source platform where anyone can program digital effects at a building-block level, and then upload those creations the cloud for download to a 'black box' type of floor box.

 

Thoughts/suggestions:

* Has to be open-source; the attractiveness is in the potential for having everyone around the world contribute their imagination and coding skills to develop new sounds.  

* Mfrs could sell different box configurations; you'd need certain minimums for controls, but maybe have the possibility for a few things like expression pedals, etc. to be added/subtracted.

* Has to have two levels of functionality: patch adjustment AND component-level tweakability so guys like V (and one would hope, Brian Neunaber, and ...) could create really interesting pedals, not just spin the dials to make patches.  BUT I would also want to be able to just spin the dials and make patches, and exchange them with others in a way that is user-friendly.

* You'd hope to find a way to monetize those new virtual pedals.  An online marketplace, so V could get $8.99 (or whatever) from me and others as he came up with cool new downloads.

* Similarly, provide for some sort of decent if minimal online community (like HCFX without the colossal screw ups).

 

If that kind of business model were followed, I see the opportunities as:

1. Selling inexpensive but useful software interfaces for the source code/coding.  

2. A rich mine of user data.  Yeah, sorry, this is $ these days.

3. The ability to sell very nice download/host boxes.  The iStomp is $39; the Slate is $239.  There MUST be a middle ground?  

 

I feel like this will be 'the next big thing' in effects ... the opening up of the platforms.  It's like multitrack recording - at one point a scarce and expensive tool of professional musicians.  Now, basically free to all. Analog effects sound too good to go away - but digital needs to move to a different model.

 

Anyone?

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I sometimes program what I need in C-Sound, which has been around for a long time. I got into it in the mid-90s at Berklee.

You should look into it, as it pretty much allows you to code whatever you would like and there are tons of resources available.

 

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