Comments on: Guitarist Robert Fripp Scores Windows Vista, the Soundtrack

By: John

John — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 15:29:21 +0000

Lets see with what pleasurable tone can the legenedary guitarists comes up. The XP tones are shrill but not pleasurable to ears.

By: rolandreinke

rolandreinke — Sat, 07 Jan 2006 11:56:02 +0000

I, too, find Fripp one of the most inspiring guitarists. I just got a DVD of KC’s early 80s performance at Alabamahalle in Munich — incredible band! I love Tony Levin….

By: johnsrude

johnsrude — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 23:20:57 +0000

You’re welcome Dennnis. I think the “delay” in tracking would be due to Fripp having the volume pedal up. Using a volume pedal to fade in a tone is good you’re building harmonic structures in loops because then the loops doesn’t capture the attack.

For drones on the Echoplex Digital Pro (EDP) you start a loop that’s a second or less long. Then you overdub tones, fading each one with the volume pedal.

When you’re ready to play over the drone, then you use the EDP’s “Multiply” function to multiply the loops in real-time while you play the line.

Fripp’s probably doing something similiar with the delays.

Cheers,
Kevin
The Nettles

By: alfonso.el.sabio

alfonso.el.sabio — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 19:27:30 +0000

Hey, Kevin, thanks a ton for the comments AND the link!

I’ve got a GR-1 coming in next week, and while I don’t have the Eventides and the TCs, I do have a small rack of Lexicon gear I’ve been cobbling together.

One of the things that bugged me about the video was the he seemed to be having tracking problems when he would start a sequence up…almost as if he hadn’t triggered a pedal or something…but there was a definite “ping” as he hit the strings and then a lag before those beautifull bell tones would start up. That was what prompted the question about his rig.

Ta,

Dennis
http://usrslashsbin.angrek.com/audio/

By: johnsrude

johnsrude — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:24:12 +0000

After posting the above, I found the following about Fripp’s “Soundscaping” rig at:
http://www.elephant-talk.com/gigs/frip9712.htm

“…Fripp then got his guitar and played for an
hour and a half or so. The music was pretty dark and spooky – a lot of
piano and bell sounds along with the standard soundscape-tone. I got a
good look at his gear. His pedals from (his) left to right: Roland GR-30
Guitar synth, Roland GR-1 Guitar synth, a couple of volume pedals, Digitec
Whammy II, Rocktron controller, three more volume pedals, foot controllers
for rack units. Rack (top to bottom): Pair of Eventide Ultra Harmonizers,
TC Electronics processor, two Roland GP 100s, four (yes four!) TC
electronics 64 second delays, some processor in between the delays,
amplifier. After a while, Fripp stopped the loop (it had been one constant
loop, although parts were deleted and added along the way)…”

Cheers,
Kevin
The Nettles

By: johnsrude

johnsrude — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 23:14:11 +0000

Now, now, children, be nice. It is true that Fripp may be his own best caricature but he did invent a new vocabulary for electric guitar as well as for looping. There’s very few people in the world that can lay claim to either of those accomplishments.

I also was disappointed in the video not to get a glimpse of Fripp’s looper. I was wondering if he was using an Echoplex Digital Pro and a Roland GR-33 guitar synth together with the Fernandes Sustainer on the Les Paul.

If you’re interested in emulating the sound but don’t want to lay out a lot of cash you could look at one of the Frippertronics plugins that are out there. or go to Loopers Delight. Or maybe just hook a couple of Revox reel-to-reels together.
:grin

Cheers,
Kevin
http://www.TheNettles.com
The Nettles

By: alfonso.el.sabio

alfonso.el.sabio — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 22:41:02 +0000

I don’t suppose anyone involved in this venture happened to make a note of the gear he was using to create this new masterpiece (I only mean that semi-sarcastically, as I sit here writing this with my G5 Mac…8-}…). You know, that stack of signal processors and delays right there next to him.

I was struck by the delay between his intonation and the response of the processors, so I was wondering what the rig was…

By: pokeintheitunes

pokeintheitunes — Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:48:34 +0000

I went to see King Crimson in the early 80s at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. Whilst waiting to get in we noticed Mr Fripp flouncing up and down outside the entrance. My girlfriend at the time decided to ask him for an autograph. In his best Dorset accent he replied:
“I only sign my own work…” :roll
On hearing this, I scrambled round for a dog turd, but how come you can never find one when you really NEED one? Great guitarist, grate personality.