PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Off-Topic Fishman Triple Play Guitar Synth

Last Tuesday evening I attended a clinic on the Fishman Triple Play given at Sam Ash music in Atlanta by guitarist Jennifer Batten (ex-Michael Jackson, ex-Jeff Beck). (This clinic is being given around the country, so watch for it in your area.) Jennifer is a master of the guitar and her effects, which included a Digitech RP-1000 multieffects floor pedal, the Whammy bender pedal, and the Triple Play. I can't imagine anyone better to have demonstrated this gear. FYI, she was running everything on a MacBook Air, but there are versions for PC and, I believe, Linux.

I went in thinking that the Fishman was simply a hardware unit. Instead, I discovered that it is a complete environment consisting of the pickup, a wireless USB receiver, and a software suite including over 10 Gb of samples and synth patches, mostly from IK Multimedia (more about that later).

The hardware consists of a low-profile transmitter attached via the strap peg OR a magnetic plate, so it could be transferred from guitar to guitar, and a hex pickup which installs near the bridge, as is typical of all such units. It in no way interferes with playing. There is also a USB receiver (which she called a dongle, but isn't) which goes into any available port on your computer. She said it was a little large and could block an adjacent port, so she used a short USB extension cable.

Latency is in the 3 msec range, and thus virtually inaudible to the average player. Jennifer can play as fast as anyone I know of--I'm thinking John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola here--and there was absolutely no glitching or delay. It was simply the best performance from a guitar-driven synth I have ever heard, including hardware-based systems.

The software suite is a double-edged blessing. It would be nice to be able to purchase the pickup without the software, but you can't. The package retails for $400, but I think this is reasonable for what you get. (It was offered for $349 that evening only, so if you want one and can attend the clinic, there's a potential savings for you.) As I said earlier, the suite consists of products largely from IK Multimedia. That's products, plural. Each much be registered separately, which can be an issue, judging from stories I have heard here and elsewhere. It occurred to me to wonder what would happen if your system somehow "lost" the registration before or during a performance, but I didn't ask.

That said, the sounds are amazing. There are both natural and synthetic versions of many, such as horns and strings. Of the natural strings, Jennifer said "you can practically smell the rosin." The interface is logical and comprehensive. You can layer up to four sounds at once. The fretboard can be divided into four segments for different instruments or effects. And you can dig as deep into the synth sounds as you like.

Bottom line: If there was any way I could have afforded it, I would have walked out of there with it—and I already own a Roland 13-pin system. The wireless aspect has the huge advantage of eliminating a cumbersome and fragile cable.

There is a program included which will transcribe your playing for you, and pretty accurately, according to Jennifer. This is an obvious advantage to anyone wanting to provide charts or notation to a publisher or group.

She also demoed the Digitech Trio--and was aware that it was driven by Band-in-a-Box. I was impressed by this also. I had imagined a tinny, stiff-sounding box, but it was nothing of the sort. It learns from your input, is simple to use, and has incredible sound. If I didn't already have BIAB, I would definitely consider one of these.

HTH,

Richard