From ccmacdon@rogers.com Thu Jan 23 08:18:31 2014
Subject:Re: Tony Monaco show was awesome!

Peter,

I would agree, that most of the newer clones are getting to the point that they all sound pretty good.. I would be happy playing almost any of the current crop of clones. However, that doesn't mean that we don't have preferences with respect to the sound that WE are looking for and certain aspects of the sound different clones.. Some have the C/V that I like (early model) and some don't... some have an overdrive that I prefer, and others I'm not really fussy about. We all have a particular "sound" that we're looking for and I think that we're still at the point that we those of us who are fussy (and that's most of us) have a particular favourite clone that seems to better capture the sound we're looking for. However, now the focus seems to be less on creating an authentic sound (because they all sound good) and more on being able to recreate a broader set of sounds to attract more of us who have various different sounds we're looking for. So now the focus seems to be on ways to get "that" sound.. different/custom tonewheel sets for example, adjustable C/V rate and depth etc. I see on the newest HS update for the SK products includes more C/V parameters.. that's a good thing because that's a common complaint of the SK. I understand that the new OS update for the Mojo will have the ability to tweak the matching transformer settings (I've never seen that in any clone yet). So YES most clones are sounding pretty good, and they're continuing to get better at creating the broader set of sounds that we're all looking for.

You pointed out the controls of the Mojo and I think that your criticism is a bit harsh.. I think you get used to where the controls are on whatever instrument you plan. The presets are well lit and there are led's for most important controls. HOWEVER, I tend to think that you've touched on a very important point.. the controls/layout/user interface are going to become the important differentiators in the future. Again, now that every clone sounds great, how do you differentiate? Well I think providing a great look and feel for keyboards and controls are going to make the difference in future models of clones. I don't mean that every clone has to have a B3 style interface.. because that's not what I need.. I quite like the Mojo interface.. it's got 2 sets of drawbars and the right controls for my liking (yes I do agree that they could be easier to see/read).

So now that they all sound great, I think the focus should be on the interface, controls, feel of the keyboard, controller functions.

Craig

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