"Alternate uses" of gear - how do you use stuff?

[ashcat_lt]

I've been known to use a DAT machine for a distortion pedal. The guys in Sportsguitar used old (analog) cassette machines to much the same end.

I'm currently using my Fostex D2424LV as much for AD/DA into Sonar as actual tracking.

I love to plug a mic into the front input on my Roland GI-10 and just put it up somewhere in the room. It sort of just decides what it thinks is the most important note in the mix and creates melodies therefrom. In fact, if I'm doing the right drugs with the right people I'll just set that up in the room and make it play a piano sound. We get this weird piano accompaniment to our lives which for some reason reminds me of Mr. Rogers...

Oh! The end of my song "No Words" (the only song on the album with lyrics) has a track that was a George Carlin cassette run through the GI-10, recorded to MIDI, slightly quantized and forced into a key by way of diatonic transposition. Played through an upright bass sample, and turned out really cool!

Pretty sure I've mentioned it here at least twice, but... I have numerous times run various guitars and other instruments into the trigger inputs on the back of my D4. With sustained input signals it does this rapid retrigger thing which can be tweaked by way of the various gate/attack/release/crosstalk controls. Kicks and low toms come out sounding like motorcycles revving along to the dynamics of the performance. Cymbals through the proper effects will add this incredible sheen of noise.

I'm sure I'll come up with something else, but I'm going to bed now.

[Seamonster]

I love to plug a mic into the front input on my Roland GI-10 and just put it up somewhere in the room. ...
I have numerous times run various guitars and other instruments into the trigger inputs on the back of my D4.

Ashcat, thanks for reminding me about that use of the GI-10 -- years ago in an improvising duo we used one in the same semi-random way, to create a third "player" that we'd interact with. Now I'm working with a few groups that might find it fun and useful to be generating that semi-random MIDI stream while we track other things in the room. Back when, we used a 57 into the GI-10; now I'm thinking it may be fun to use a PZM to "sample" the whole room. And these days there are more interesting sounds that can be triggered by MIDI.

Where I am now, you can hear the sound of surf in the distance. I'll have to try setting up the GI-10 to interpret that source. But what MIDI sound to map it to?! Possibilities.

The trick with the guitar into the DM trigger inputs sounds great. Will try it soon.

I'd love to hear that MIDI bass'd George Carlin thing.

Hoagie

[calaverasgrandes]

Another one, I like to use old cassette decks for all kinds of things. I started off by popping them open and wiring the transport motor to the headphone jack. Then a simple footswitch would start and stop whatever cassettes I had in them. Made for a poor mans sampler. With the added benefit of a wind up and slowing down kind of lurching sound.

I also have been know to press tape decks into service as headphones amps.
Using DBX noise reduction without decoding is an interesting version of compression. Only good for hip hop/electronic music though.
If you can get an effectron to just the right settings it can do a fascimile of a reverb.
I've also been known to put tater tots on pizza.

[RefD]

i have a brushed aluminum Technics tape deck from around '82 that has Dolby B and C and DBX Type I...and a pair of fairly hot mic pres with hi Z inputs that make for some great DI fuzz guitar when turned up all the way.

the sexay fluorescent display is just a bonus, imo.

oh yah, and it still functions perfectly as a prosumer cassette deck cos it was cared for in a "real" studio since it was new until it was gifted to me in early 2002.

[caffiend2049]

Sony made several varieties of portable 2 head consumer grade reel recorders in (I'm guessing) the early '70's. Often the word "tapecorder" is part of the name. They have two inputs, almost always hi Z. They have output amps and speakers in them. Frequently one channel goes to one speaker, and one channel goes to the other. These things make bitchin' low wattage guitar amps. The one I have even has external speaker outputs, so I can plug it into a 2x12. They're solid state, but they break up in totally cool ways. Sounds vaguely germanium transistor-ish, the break up...

I got one of those!! and yes....they are cool for a variety of applications.
Mine's a TC-377 and I've used it as a delay and an amp as you've described....the transistor breakup is pretty sweet!!
You can actually change the length of delay by altering the length or cord....coming from the tape out back to the tape in -
Also cool to fly a mix out to it and slam it to get that nice tape compression and then send it back to the compy.
If you're feeling kooky you can pull some hand-flanging action too....WAY better than a plugin!

The best part is that the tapecorder was literally a find. It was the only item in my storage space at one of my old apartments....wrapped up in a plastic shopping bag in the corner.
The transport is getting a little skittish so it's probably due for a tuneup....but then I've had it for 12 years. I think it is a '73 vintage.

[NarxistDan]

Moving a mic around in front of a speaker for filtering
didj + 57 for filter
El cheapo cassete machine with an omni mic with a ludicrous, glacially slow limiter for distortion.
DBX 163x for dynamics control
Sometimes I move the record back and forth in time instead of just letting it play...variations on that theme...

[RefD]

i love the sig, DanTheNarc!

[kayagum]

Actually, my all time favorite alternate use:

http://guitargeek.com/rigview/43/

Now I know why I kept my PortaOne around for something useful.....

[thieves]

Actually, my all time favorite alternate use:

http://guitargeek.com/rigview/43/

Now I know why I kept my PortaOne around for something useful.....

wow, that's a really fun looking setup. really makes sense after hearing those early medicine records

[vvv]

Eh, my Mesa Mark IIB is a hella bass amp.

The afore-mentioned dbx163X makes a nice bass DI.

And I sometimes use a butter knife to play slide.

[thieves]

oh, i've used a circuit-bent toy keyboard as a mic... didn't really use any of the bent elements to do this except the aftermarket 1/4" out.... i run it through a lot of laptop effects and can yell into it and process the sound.

[dave watkins]

not an insanely alternate use, but just the same... i found an old speaker cabinet from a califone record player in my practice/project studio space. it's rated at 4 ohms and 10 watts i think. and decided it was the perfect candidate to plug a vale junior into, and indeed it is amazing. so for anyone that has a low wattage tube amp or 2, a caliphone speaker will get you a pretty distinct and very recordable sound.

[kung_fu_elvis]

Mid 60's era Silvertone semi-hollow electric guitar ran through distortion, delay, phaser, used as a microphone.

[Shane Michael Rose]

i have a little 6 channel mixer that i was using for a mono spring, but the distrotions caused by all of the gain stages to do so sound AMAZING. im going to do a demo for my new blog.

i often reamp my reverb returns through my room with an Alesis monitor 1. much more natural than the actual verb. perfect for digi piano.

i use an empty bass cab as a gobo.

[calaverasgrandes]

When I was doing a lot more midi stuff I would run the kick of my HR16b out to my Alesis Microverb (the old 1/3 rack kind). I'd put the verb on a medium long setting and drive the hell out of it into the red. It would actually get a 808-ish kind of drivey boom going with enough drive. Sometimes with a microlimiter in front of the verb for more gain.