Small rant. can you relate?

[LaceSensor]

Ok I need to get something off my chest and I dont know why and I dont have anywhere else to write this.

Today, Boss released (with the typical these days simultaneous bowel opening on all socials/YT of every influencer known to man hyping up a pedal) the new version of their "Slicer" effect. So whats my problem?

My problem, irrational as it is, is that now we have all these people getting hyped over an effect and a set of features that for the most part have not changed. Also I am seeing people blabbing massively about how this pedal and the effect it produces is a creative wonderland that its generating song idea after song idea. Ive read the manual, and other than a few more banks and patches, plus some kind of online extra patch download facility, the features are the same. The control parameters are the same. The stereo options are the same, albeit now much harder to change (involves setting multiple knobs to specific positions and powering up and down etc...). The only benefit other than more patches and some online swap outs seems to be the dubious point of it being smaller.

So again why am I pissed off?
Well ive had a SL-20 since forever (they came out in 2008) and it was an amazing pedal to own. I stuck a Digitech space station in front of it on the synth swell patches and literally wrote songs off it. I even actually had a band and played it live! Its pissing me off now that an ignored gem is now suddenly everyones must have flavour of the week. "You had me at midi clock"...erm the original had midi. It also had a in built looper recorder which this doesnt have, and the secondary footswitch was also tap tempo of course, which is <trust me (bro)> *essential* for live use unless you are synched to midi, which I wasnt ever.

I guess my answer is I am depressed that my music and band went nowhere, and only about a hundred people ever heard them, as the band (for spurious reasons) only actually played those songs with the SL-20 live once...Im totally embittered by this hype around it. Noone gave a fuck about slicers last week and now everyone wants one, and I see these paid shills as pretty yawn-worthy and personally I pretty much distrust youtube demos dumped on day of release.

Rant over.

Subtext. Work is proving challenging, my dads just out of cancer surgery (which went well, thankfully), and the world is in constant turmoil. It seems the SL-2 releasse was the straw that broke this camels back.

Peace. Lace.

[harryklippton]

I can relate in that I have gear that I like, which I bought on the cheap when no one cared that has now become very sought after and expensive. 

I guess I can relate to having a shit week too. Hope things start looking up and your dad recovers too

[jimilee]

I'd never even heard about one until today. It's cool and all, but what I was more impressed with is boss released a new pedal.

Sorry about your dad, but I'm happy to hear things went well..


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[gordo]

I feel you.  The world is pretty much upside down these days but as you said, the "real" portion of it is hopeful.  Sounds like you have a lot on your plate.

This is the new advertising/hype machine and we may as well get used to it.  I'm keeping a close watch to see if anyone is selling pcb's for a bullshit detector.  This industry is now so saturated that they're recycling old ideas that didn't set the world on fire and trying to spin them to a new generation of buyers that have a much different take on what music is (or even was).

[LaceSensor]

I appreciate its marketing but I just dont buy into the enthusiasm, and personally I am calling bullshit on a niche product.
Slicer isnt a universal appeal product like a flavour of the month TGP wet dream overdrive

[gordo]

Totally agree but I think it's a case of "run it up the flagpole and see who salutes" for the target audience and I'm finding the bulk of the YouTubers and their ilk to be little more than corporate cheerleaders.  If that's how they're making a living they'll pitch the shit out of anything.

[LaceSensor]

Totally agree but I think it's a case of "run it up the flagpole and see who salutes" for the target audience and I'm finding the bulk of the YouTubers and their ilk to be little more than corporate cheerleaders.  If that's how they're making a living they'll pitch the shit out of anything.

yah some of them make 4 figs per video and thats just to make it, then bank off the views.

[jessenator]

lost my reply from last night ... YT is a barren hellscape, and it's just unimaginable just how toxic it all is on the inside.

YT influencer culture is a rampant cancer. Not only in its vapidity and script-reading-levels bullshit artistry "reviewing," but IMO it's a symptom of a larger problem—all the same it's obscene. Gordo you said it well with your analogy. "We gotta put out something new! Gotta stay relevant! because what will the other popular kids think if we falter?"  Techbro execs have brought high school culture into the money machine. Now the up-and-coming gen is sucked into it, even in a time of economic uncertainty, it's all that matters: make money at all costs. All costs.

I really do feel you on the band and music front. (Though our front-man did try to break us in ...by getting us into a battle of the bands for a $1mil loan reality show  : P )

It's rather unfortunate and unfair that talented individuals don't get the time of day because they "don't fit the mold" or whatever other reason might exist.

In my rather unremarkable city, there used to be two main music venues. One (which was also a record shop by day) would let almost anyone play—ANYONE—as long as there was a minimum of like 10 people guaranteed to show up. The other would actually have bigger names come and play on their tours. You had to get an invite to play the second venue. No matter how many bands you'd share gig nights with, how many late night drinks, the minute they got in, your invite never came. Not even so much as a returned email or phone call.

Sadly that "All Are Welcome" venue and record shop is long gone (and I have no idea if the exclusive boutique-named place even takes local acts at all anymore...) only to be replaced with a rotating cast of small businesses who also can't afford the lease prices they charge on the grand "main street" of the city.

[Aleph Null]

I guess my answer is I am depressed that my music and band went nowhere, and only about a hundred people ever heard them, as the band (for spurious reasons) only actually played those songs with the SL-20 live once...

It's easy to equate greatness with notoriety—I struggle with this at least. But it's entirely possible to be great and for no one else to notice. I'm sure that live performance kicked ass! It's a shame more people didn't get to enjoy it. But that doesn't mean it wasn't great.

[LaceSensor]

I guess my answer is I am depressed that my music and band went nowhere, and only about a hundred people ever heard them, as the band (for spurious reasons) only actually played those songs with the SL-20 live once...

It's easy to equate greatness with notoriety—I struggle with this at least. But it's entirely possible to be great and for no one else to notice. I'm sure that live performance kicked ass! It's a shame more people didn't get to enjoy it. But that doesn't mean it wasn't great.

We were actually good. I say that with as much objectivity and little ego as possible. If I didnt think we were good I wouldnt have done it.
Appreciate your nice comment, dude.

[Thewintersoldier]

I hope everything is good with your dad. I also hate when your hidden gem suddenly becomes popular and everyone wants it.

[LaceSensor]

Cheers man

Actually hes already home. Which is miraculous. Everything went better than expected (!)

Just to add to my thoughts, isnt it wierd how theres not a negative review of anything anymore?
On this point, a couple years late to the party I borrowed a friends Hologram "MicroCosm" the go to ethereal pedal-writes-songs-for-you device
You would think this would be right up my street but multiple things left me cold, not even tepid enough to buy one hoping it self-warmed somehow.
I shared my thoughts on a popular opinion sharing site, and was shot down royally and downvoted hard.
Dont go against the populist movements, folks.

Last rant here, funny how Thorpy found some BC108s and magically thinks it makes a big muff with a fancy EQ worth £30 or so more. Eash. And guess what everyone loves it! Maybe I need to try one, lol.