Folk artist John McCutcheon told us about his love for his Boss VF-1 multi-effects processor.
John McCutcheon: My Boss VF-1 multi-effects processor. Why this one? I travel with an armada of 6 different instruments (guitar/banjo/hammer dulcimer/fiddle/autoharp/and sometimes 12-string or fretless banjo), many of which sound crews have never dealt with or even heard. So, as a matter of self-defense at festivals, I started taking more control over my sound, from stage.
The VF-1 is a half-rack multi-effects processor that allows me to store unique EQ's and effects for each instrument...sometimes even multiple settings for the same instrument. Everything is EQ'ed and effected relative to the 6-string guitar (something that most sound people have experience with) so, a single soundcheck covers a half-dozen instruments. Especially at festivals, when there is little more than a line-check before performance, it's a life saver. And, not incidentally, doing sound at a festival is an impossible and thankless job. My intention is to get the sound I want and, at the same time, make the sound engineer sound like a genius.
My Boss VF-1, no longer available, so my road manager and I regularly stalk Ebay and Reverb so we can stockpile used units for when they're necessary.
John McCutcheon's album Field of Stars is out now.
Photo by Eric Petersen
The post John McCutcheon Can't Do Without His Boss VF-1 Multi-Effects Processor first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.