I’ve enjoyed Strum Machine with my mandolin and guitar, but haven’t used it much with fiddle. My iPad speakers were ok with mandolin or guitar, but just were hard to hear with fiddle. I’ve meant to try with bigger speakers but never seemed to find the time till this week.
I was setting up an area for some friends to jam when I saw my pretty good sized Bluetooth speaker (an HK Onyx Studio). I connected my iPhone via Bluetooth and grabbed my fiddle. SO fun now!
(My next thought is to connect to my small PA - two QSC K12’s - but the speakers and mixer don’t have Bluetooth, so not as convenient to connect and control Strum Machine.)
NOT an earth shattering post, but had to share with folks who might be interested, lol. (My wife isn’t interested.)
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Originally posted by DougBrock
(My next thought is to connect to my small PA - two QSC K12’s - but
NOT an earth shattering post, but had to share with folks who might be interested, lol. (My wife isn’t interested.)
Strum machine sounds like great fun! If I didn't have multitrack, I'd probably get that too. I've heard good stuff about it. ENJOY!
Being a lonely, mostly by myself OT fiddler these past 12 years dunno what I would have done without SM. Luke Abbott has done much to improve this app over the years to the point it's about as close as a feller' can get to having a real live gitbox buddy to play with.
Doug - Last time I checked, for 30 or 40 dollars you can buy Bluetooth receivers that would plug into your mixer (or any audio device) and allow it to receive BT.
Might want to be careful though. I've heard wives can be a good bit more expensive.
How does it compare to Band in a Box?
I have a few year old copy of Band in a Box which is could enough to have something to keep rhythm with and keep track of where in a chord progression. The MIDI instruments sound cheesy but are good enough.
I just hate the subscription models for SW now-a-days so I don't know if I'd want something else. Yeah, I paid a bit for my BiaB license but now I can use it for a few minutes, forget about it for a year, and start using it again.
Does Strum Machine allow output a track to an audio file? I'd give it a try if I can produce some five-minute audio files.
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Originally posted by groundhogpeggyStrum machine sounds like great fun! If I didn't have multitrack, I'd probably get that too. I've heard good stuff about it. ENJOY!
I have multitracking but Strum Machine is still a valuable tool. Easy to throw down chord structure and quickly change tempo or key whenever you want.
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Originally posted by DougDDoug - Last time I checked, for 30 or 40 dollars you can buy Bluetooth receivers that would plug into your mixer (or any audio device) and allow it to receive BT.
Might want to be careful though. I've heard wives can be a good bit more expensive.
Yes, I've seen the Bluetooth receivers. Might be in my future!
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Originally posted by learn2turnHow does it compare to Band in a Box?
I have a few year old copy of Band in a Box which is could enough to have something to keep rhythm with and keep track of where in a chord progression. The MIDI instruments sound cheesy but are good enough.
I just hate the subscription models for SW now-a-days so I don't know if I'd want something else. Yeah, I paid a bit for my BiaB license but now I can use it for a few minutes, forget about it for a year, and start using it again.
Does Strum Machine allow output a track to an audio file? I'd give it a try if I can produce some five-minute audio files.
I have BIAB and it can go far beyond what Strum Machine can do, but BIAB can be SO complicated and full packages are very expensive. That being said, I recommend both!
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Originally posted by DougBrockquote:
Originally posted by learn2turnHow does it compare to Band in a Box?
I have a few year old copy of Band in a Box which is could enough to have something to keep rhythm with and keep track of where in a chord progression. The MIDI instruments sound cheesy but are good enough.
I just hate the subscription models for SW now-a-days so I don't know if I'd want something else. Yeah, I paid a bit for my BiaB license but now I can use it for a few minutes, forget about it for a year, and start using it again.
Does Strum Machine allow output a track to an audio file? I'd give it a try if I can produce some five-minute audio files.I have BIAB and it can go far beyond what Strum Machine can do, but BIAB can be SO complicated and full packages are very expensive. That being said, I recommend both!
Yes, Strum Machine can easily make an mp3 file. I used to use BIAB but it was expensive and the interface was ridiculous. For what most of us want to do I think Strum Machine is better. I has a 2 week trial period so if you're afraid to pay for something you might not use you can just try it. And make a bunch of mp3 files while you're at it.
Strum Machine has been an invaluable practice tool for me. It allows me to work on my timing more than anything. While I mostly use it at home on my PC, I also love that I can take it with me on my phone. I have a Bose Soundlink Micro speaker that comes with a handy built-in silicone strap I attach to my case handle. This set-up accompanies me on most of my hikes out through Kanawha State Forest. There are times when I just feel like playing solo fiddle while I'm out there, but it's nice to have the "backup band" option if I'm in the mood for it.
For those of you who already use Strum Machine, and play Old-Time, there is a great resource of tunes you can import from Tater Joe's.
Here is the link: http://www.taterjoes.com/StrumMachine/
Just scroll down and you will see the tunes listed by key and you can import and save them to your account.
Here is a pic of the speaker I described above attached to my case handle. It also easily attaches to the handlebars of a motorcycle or mountain bike!
Edited by - rosinhead on 05/06/2024 06:06:08
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Originally posted by DougDDoug - Last time I checked, for 30 or 40 dollars you can buy Bluetooth receivers that would plug into your mixer (or any audio device) and allow it to receive BT.
Might want to be careful though. I've heard wives can be a good bit more expensive.
I bought a Bluetooth transmitter/receiver for $26. Connected to my PA mixer and now I have the option to use the PA with Strum Machine! :)
Model is "1Mii." Has two inputs, so I can quickly switch between my iPad or my iPhone. Only connected and tested the two inputs, but will see if there are issues with audio quality or losing BT connection. Only time will tell.
I'm just using this for practice and not performances, so I don't have a high bar to be satisfied with this relatively inexpensive product. If I were using it for performance, there are pricier options that might have better performance. One highly recommended model was $189 Audioengine B1 HiFi Bluetooth Receiver with 24 bit DAC.
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Originally posted by rosinhead
For those of you who already use Strum Machine, and play Old-Time, there is a great resource of tunes you can import from Tater Joe's.
Here is the link: http://www.taterjoes.com/StrumMachine/
For any of you who use my fiddletunes.net page, all tunes there are also linked to Strum Machine.
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Originally posted by Brian Woodquote:
Originally posted by rosinhead
For those of you who already use Strum Machine, and play Old-Time, there is a great resource of tunes you can import from Tater Joe's.
Here is the link: http://www.taterjoes.com/StrumMachine/
For any of you who use my fiddletunes.net page, all tunes there are also linked to Strum Machine.
Thanks, Brian! I did not know that. Nice to have some new tunes to add to the list.
Hey, can any one post a sample track generated by strum machine? (or through it on a shared drive.) I'd like to hear how it sounds. I don't want to do the free subscribe yet as I'm recovering from and injury and not currently playing.
-l2t
(Technically I'm not a fiddler; I play mando. But I'm considering taking up fiddle when I get over repetitive stress in my picking hand. So I'm lurking on this forum and doing reading to learn more about fiddle.)
What I do is I use headphones and connect to to my phone. I dont use strum machine though, just youtube videos whatever I can find. Then I can both hear myself play and hear the video and it works really well. But I do find that when I remove the headphones my playing is unpleasently rough. (You cant really hear exactly how hard your pressing with the sound up)
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Originally posted by learn2turnHey, can any one post a sample track generated by strum machine? (or through it on a shared drive.) I'd like to hear how it sounds. I don't want to do the free subscribe yet as I'm recovering from and injury and not currently playing.
-l2t
(Technically I'm not a fiddler; I play mando. But I'm considering taking up fiddle when I get over repetitive stress in my picking hand. So I'm lurking on this forum and doing reading to learn more about fiddle.)
For the purposes of a play along track, essentially a metrognome with pitch, that's way better than what I get out of BiaB. When I start playing again, I'm going to at least check out the free memberships and gen tracks for my most common dozen tunes in a few speeds (of course with players now being able to shift playback without pitch change, lots of speeds isn't a necessity any more).
