Digitech Trio+ Band Creator

[Platefire]

I've got one of these on the way. I've been a big user of the Digitech JamMan and have had my eye on the Trio pedal since they came out last year. Here in Feb 16 they came out with the upgrade to the Trio with the Trio plus. After watching videos of the operation of this thing I could no longer forgo holding back. They have added some nice bells and whistles that makes it very flexible. I know before long there will be a version 3, but I got to jump in now:>)

I do love to jam and this looks like this will be great for that and I think a great tool to write and create. So I'm looking forward! Platefire

BTW-Here is a link to the best demo of the Trio+ I've found. The guy is kind of obnoxious but does a very complete coverage of all the features. He also is a great picker with a lot of great equipment. This is one hour and 10 minuets---so probably only for serious Trio+ inquirers.

! No longer available

[Platefire]

Got the Trio+ in today. Gave it an initial test doing something real simple "Marshal Tucker's---Can't you see"

Selected "Country", punched the Band  button in learn mode, laid down the A, G, D rhythm cords and hit Band button again and it started playing. The drums was pretty straight forward country with a solid snare hit.
The bass was really synthesized sounding kinda jumping around a lot. Only Bass and Drums at this point but the bass was following the A,G, D progression.

It really needed a rhythm guitar part bad, so I tried the looper first time playing the cords and got nothing. So
I hit the looper again and noticed the light was very lite amber looking and turned red for recording at the beginning of the loop. So I tired it again hitting the looper button just prior to the start of the cord progression and as it turned red for recording I started playing again and hit the Looper button again at the end of the progression and there it was---a nice full sounding Band cord progression.

What surprised me!!! after I played the rhythm guitar on the looper the bass and drums adjusted automatically to better fit my groove. The bass smoothed out playing a more traditional bass line, plus the synth type tone disappeared and sounded more like a real bass Guitar. Also the drums shifted to an alternating snare rim tap one loop round and solid snare hit the next. Very much more appropriate for what I needed. I switched through the different drum styles while it was running and found one with a constant rim tap(good for country verse) and one with a solid snare hit(good for country chorus). Drums also added rolls prior to going into next loop cord progression.

So my first try I got just what I was hoping for! Of course it was very simple and it remains to be seen how it will process more complicated cord progressions and arrangements.

The sequencer will allow you to put 5 separate parts per song sequenced in any order you want or you can use the optional foot-switch to switch between parts in real time live as needed. This would be great if the crowd was responding real great to a particular song and instead of stopping, go to a chorus of 1st verse again.

One of the problems is it can only hold 12 songs per memory card with 5 parts(intro/verse/chorus/bridge/ending) per song. You could use the 5 parts for separate unrelated loops x 12 songs would be 60 loops possible. My JamMan can hold 100---so there is a song limitation there if you require all the separate parts! I'm thinking one thing I can do is build songs on the Trio with the automatic drum and bass parts---that saves a lot of time normally required for programming drum machines and recording bass----and record my finished Trio arrangement from the Trio to the JamMan.  Use the Trio for building songs and JamMan for performing them. Well that's what I'm thinking anyway, we'll see!

I will post my progress with it. If anyone else had one and wants to share, please feel welcome. Platefire
http://digitech.com/en-US/products/trio

 

[Platefire]

I can't believe no one is interested in this pedal or using it. It's Irresistible IMHO. This is not a guitar effect,  it's a band at your command. If you haven't got a bass player and a drummer following you around just waiting for you to jam so they can do their stuff---well then this is them, they are here! Platefire

[jojokeo]

I have the first one that came out. I like using it with my looper for several advantages especially since I can record one or two tracks with the looper and have rhythm guitars along with the bass & drums. Or I can silence the drums and use the looper's drums. If you like these then try throwing in a Beat Buddy 

[Platefire]

Well I'm glad you chimed in! This is some great stuff here IMHO. Don't understand the lack of enthusiasm about it here.

I would be interested in how you using your looper/hookup with it. I have a JamMan looper. Even though I have the Trio+ version with looper, l came close to buying the original Trio because I thought I might could use it with my looper but wasn't for sure it would work?  Platefire

[jojokeo]

I've got the original one without the looper and extra stuff. But it helps to have it plugged in before the Trio by recording the rhythm track along with a beat to keep you on time. Then when the Trio learns you already have this first part done the way you want and on time. The Trio learns well this way. Then you can choose your Trio drum and bass patterns and have the rhythm track (or more - several rhythm tracks) all going while you have fun adding fills or soloing. Besides just being fun and developing timing or licks, this helps me for practicing parts of songs away from my band so I'm not taking time away during practice or rehearsal, and if I want to craft a more clever solo than what I might in a normal improvised one. There's always several ways to accomplish something but this is one of the quicker/easier ways to do it, for myself anyway.

[pompeiisneaks]

I've never ever liked loopers, I have such a hard time getting the loop right and not making it sound like someone turned the suck nob to 11 :)

My TC Electronic Flashback X4 delay has a looper, and I've played with that as well as others, I really suck at them.

~Phil

[Platefire]

Well I guess loopers are not for everybody or everybody would get them. I've got the original full size JamMan and the latter full size Stereo JamMàn. So guess I'm a looper nut

Thanks for the info on your looper hookup to the Trio. Makes sense that would be good way to teach the Trio part more accurately. Plus once you build a song on the Trio with all the parts, you could hook the Looper up behind the Trio and save the complete arrangement to the Looper if you wanted to save it. Platefire

[jojokeo]

Plus once you build a song on the Trio with all the parts, you could hook the Looper up behind the Trio and save the complete arrangement to the Looper if you wanted to save it. Platefire

Yes, and it would be pretty easy to record this directly into Audacity as well for saving it to a computer - just in case you either lose it somehow on your looper or for the convenience of playing a computer file back, saving it as a .mp3 and other ways to hear a playback and practice to in these other formats or create a portfolio of backing tracks for yourself (for you and the wife for example).

[Platefire]

I'm looking forward when I get back home and can hook the Trio up to my PA and the wife and I can play these new songs I created while in  NC. Got 20 songs on it now. Platefire

[Platefire]

Just as a follow-up on the T+ activity. I have been using the T+ as a creation tool to build songs with intro, verse, chorus, bridge and endings and mixing it down to the JamMan to use that as the performance tool.
It's no substitute for good live musicians to work with, but about the next best thing. I got use to playing with a band over the years, so I need human beings or at least my robot band. Platefire

[nandrewjackson]

Trio from digitech is pretty darn nice. I used to have the first version,  got rid of it after a couple years, I have the new one now (with looper).


Much better than practicing with a metronome .