My favorite High Tech Guitar Rig, of all I've seen

[girevik]

Probably out of reach for most of us - not the most portable rig I reckon and I'm afraid to ask the total price, but nevertheless I love the concept and what little I've seen/heard so far of the execution:

 

http://www.patmetheny.com/orchestrioninfo/

 

Introductory video:

 

[YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

[mygolfcart123]

 

 

 

Great for studio, but unless you have a small army of roadies? Not very practical for the road shows.

 

Cool video and the first time I have ever seen acoustic instruments actually being controlled from a guitar.

 

But I will stick with my virtual instruments on my MIDI guitar rig. It may not be the real thing, but then again I am not a millionaire either. Not to mention I would be going crazy trying to figure all that stuff out!

 

What I have is close enough for me.

[asb]

I totally respect Pat for commissioning that army of instruments and envisioning a really cool way of making music happen.

But yeah, my VG99 + synths is about the only way I can make some of that happen. I don't have the budget of Mr. Metheny unfortunately.

[girevik]

Yes, this is a lot like the Stalacpipe Organ in Luray Caverns (Virginia), the 3-story high grand piano in Germany, etc.

 

Practical? Hell no!

 

Unique? Yes!

 

I use a VG-99 and can MIDI up my guitar to my rompler or other thing to play samples too. But triggering physical objects via MIDI-controlled solenoids is so freaking cool to me. I'm odd like that.

 

There have been threads here before about "What is the ultimate high tech guitar rig?". For me, this is it. It doesn't matter that I'll never have my own guitar-controlled Orchestrion. Just like I'll never have a Stalacpipe Organ in my basement for obvious reasons but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate it.

 

Metheny is touring with this beast and I intend to catch a show in my area. Tour dates are on the Orchestrion page that I linked and I can't wait to hear the CD.

[BryanMichael]

Absolutely stunningly cool.

[aliensporebomb]

To actually bring all of that onstage and ON TOUR invites certain technological disaster failure. I really want to see it in person.

 

I'd pay extra to have him do a show and tell after the concert.

 

Yeah, all I can do is guitar->vg99->midi-out->synths for guitar, hex guitar

and live synths. That's enough technological potential disaster for the likes

of me.

 

I can't afford the Metheny crazy insane setup like that nor could I figure out

what broke when one of the solenoids failed to trigger.

 

The EPK has a thing where he's playing single note runs and it's picking it

up INSTANTLY on the mechanical devices, really, really cool! A dream.

[elantric]

I like this one

[yeartwo]

This is overwhelming, in a good way.

[girevik]

I like this one Ahead in the sand (Frith, Cover By Paolo Angeli)

 

 

As it turns out, Pat Metheny met up with Paolo Angeli, and got from him the idea of an acoustic guitar with a solenoid inside.

 

I just saw the Orchestrion live last night. The Youtube videos cannot do it enough justice. There is nothing like seeing all those robot instruments playing live, with Metheny triggering phrases and/or individual notes on those robots via Ableton Live scenes. The triggering was done by an Axon AX-50 on guitar, and lots and lots of footpedals, strategically placed all over the stage. He also had a Moog Taurus 3 but it was impossible to determine exactly how he was using it.