after 15 years, i am really thrilled to have successfully replaced my by-now-vintage setup with GP!
As VISUAL BASSIC Katrin Bethge (overhead projections) and John Eckhardt (bass) create audiovisual situations in real time which balance active composition with self organizing processes. Employing light refracting objects, liquids and everyday materials directly on her analog projector, Katrin Bethge conjures up equally cosmic and microscopic spaces. John Eckhardt’s structured yet always changing live electronic music draws on stylistic influences such as Krautrock, Drone and Dub Techno - a personal language for the bass guitar committed to pulsating low frequencies as well as to spectral soundscaping. Without pre-recorded material, all looping and modulation takes place in real time.
With simple means, visual bassic immerse their audience in an archaic synaesthetic adventure and in their quest for both subtle progression and trance. Over years and dozens of performances, Katrin Bethge and John Eckhardt have created unique modes of interaction and a holistic mutual understanding - operating in high resolution and in several dimensions, yet fragile and magic…
after a long time time working with hardware fx in a dedicated manner, i switched to native instrument’s guitar rig, and was very happy with sound & handling. being a bass guitarist, especially to be able to have both hands free and map and control things easily with my feet led to creative enhancements and a personal workflow.
then, all this beauty, promised to be the most future-proof, was of course discontinued by NI. i resorted to a vintage setup, which still works pretty ok, but relies on an old 2011 macbook running under os8 etc. but i developed a range of indispensable presets that i used in a wide range of professional performance settings, which made me want to stick with it.
long story short, when a colleague pointed my attention to GP, things took a great and significant turn, and i have not looked back. the basis for this change was that i was able to import or rebuild where necessary exactly those guitar rig presets (thanks to this excellent plugins’ continuation). loads of new presets have followed.
my setup fits in a toolbox, which is really rewarding when it comes to travelling by train etc:
macbook m2 / OS ventura
softstep pedal
3 lehle dual expression pedals - one for loop volume, the others mapped depending on the patch
now even with the new GP relayer feature available, i feel set for live electronic performance and recording for some ages to come, and recommend it to a lot of tech geeks that have not heard of GP yet…
