Something
New Under the Sun - or Really, Anywhere!
As regular visitors to this column can attest, product
reviews are integral to many of our (somewhat one-sided) discussions here.
True, it generally leads us into an exploration of a broader topic, concept or
technique, but nothing starts a conversation like a really cool toy, right?
Well gentle
readers, have I got a toy for you.
It's called
the Tx3 ($159 retail) from up-and-comers FM-Jam (www.fm-jam.com).
The Tx3 is
a modeling multi-effects guitar processor that faithfully and realistically
provides an amazing array of tones to satisfy even the most gear-lust afflicted
guitar player.
Amp models
run the gamut from clean and punchy "Fender"-like characteristics to balls-out
"Marshall" squall, with stops at "Vox"s gritty chime and wasp-like psychedelic
garage-fuzz along the way.
The Tx3
also includes a host of editable effects as well, including reverb, chorus,
delay, compression, and notch filtering and almost all of the presets (50
factory, 50 user-definable) include them as an integral part of their sound.
There's even a handy built-in tuner.
Sure, we've
all had some experience with devices of this sort, whether it's the Line6 POD,
or the Adrenalinn, or other models from Digitech and Yamaha, but this baby has
a secret weapon that is so simultaneously simple and ingenious that it should
have all of the manufactures mentioned above slapping their foreheads in
frustrated bemusement: It transmits it signal over an FM band.
"What makes
that so special?" you may be asking.
Think about
it a minute. Look around the room you're in (or if you're outside, just look
around). How many clock radios or stereo tuners or boom boxes or cars with FM
radios are nearby? ANY of them can be turned into an amazing guitar amp RIGHT
NOW.
All one has
to do is plug a guitar into the Tx3, turn on the radio, and tune it to one of
five available frequency bands and voila! You are rockin' in the free world, my
friends.
Lest anyone
get the impression that this is some sort of novelty with limited usability,
let me offer this: I recently used this for a track I recorded for an upcoming
compilation album. It featured 12 different guitar parts, and I used the Tx3
exclusively for all of them. In the words of Sasha Cohen's Borat, "I like - is
nice."
The unit
itself is fairly compact (7î L x 4.5î W x 1.5î D + 3î Antenna) and
extraordinarily easy to hold, due to its light weight and ergonomic,
guitar-like shape. It sits in one hand very comfortably, while freeing up the
other for easily navigating through its parameters via four "bean" buttons (up,
down, left, right) and two "wing" buttons (left and right). The back of the
unit hosts the four AA batteries and a handy "Quick Start" guide.
At the
bottom of the unit, there are jacks for Guitar Input, Stereo Headphone/Line
Out, and DC Power, as well as an Expression Pedal Input and a unique "Mini-Jam"
input for linking up multiple Tx3s for broadcast over the same FM band.
The
two-digit numeric patch display sits in a window located at the top of the
unit's face and is very easy to see, even from several feet away.
Also
located in the display window are the elements of each patch's 24-bit effects
chain. These are, in order: Preset Level, Compressor, Amp Model, Notch Filter,
Noise Gate, Tone (3 band eq), Modulation (chorus, flange, etc.), Delay, Reverb,
Cabinet Models, Expression Pedal and FM Frequency. Each of these elements has a
graphic line that points to one of 12 LEDs arrayed along the bottom of the
display window. As each patch is pulled up, one can quickly see which elements
are in use for a particular patch by whether its corresponding LED is illuminated.
The unit is
powered on by simply inserting your standard quarter-inch guitar cable into the
unit's input. Once you're plugged in, you can either set up your FM radio and
begin "rockcasting," or just plug the output into your recording setup, guitar
amp, or PA. It's the Swiss army knife of guitar processors
The unit
powers up in "Performance" mode and you can quickly preview the large variety
of preset tones by scrolling among then via the left and right "bean" buttons.
Once you've selected a tone you like, further tweaking can be accomplished by
entering the "Edit" mode. Just press a "wing" button.
So, how
does it SOUND, already? You may be asking.
Brilliant!
The amp models are rich and realistic, with a sexy, tactile
response to dynamic playing and guitar volume and each features a very
convincing tonal signature.
The reverb
is featured prominently in most of the patches and with good reason. It simply
sounds great. Easily the closest approximation of integral amp verb I've come
across. Ditto the chorus/flange effects and delay, which are equally dense and
artifact free.
The presets
are intuitively laid out in such a way that it takes little time to find
something cool and usable, with several unexpected but inspiring tonal stops
along the way. Like I said, I've been using this in the studio and at impromptu
jam sessions a lot, and I have not only had a ball with it, but it also just
flat-out sounds wonderful.
Got a kid
who wants to learn to play electric guitar, but are dreading countless deafening
hours of practice? Your fledgling Angus Young can get HUGE tones at volumes
lower than a conference call, or you can even use headphones for silent
operation.
Wish you
could take your guitar to the beach or the mountains or a cornfield or even the
tundra? The Tx3 is completely self-contained, and the FM transmission is
crystal clear in even the most remote locations.
I even used
this with two boom boxes as a vocal PA in a setting that was free of
electricity, and the results were excellent!
FM-Jam's Tx3
sounds incredible, works great, and is more fun than I've had playing guitar in
a very long time. I've also had fun running vocals, drum loops, and keyboards
through its very professional-sound set, extending my musical possibilities
that much further.
Whether
you're doing some country pickin', jazz exploration or straight rockin', I am
confident you'll have as much fun with the FM-Jam as I have, and at this price,
it could be the mother of all musical stocking stuffers!
Sven-Erik Seaholm is an award-winning independent record
producer and recording artist. Find him on the web at svensongs.com, kaspro.com
and myspace.com/svenseaholm