The Steel Guitar Forum

Has anybody had any experience with this unit as a "learning tool?.. I have read the reviews by some purchasers..and they run hot and cold re: this thing.. the concept of slowing a CD down to 1/2 speed..and learning the lick..seems great to me..but the product reviews..aren't that exciting.. Anybody out there have any ideas or experience with this unit? for this stumbling novice player..Thanks.

I own one in new condition and if you'd like to buy it from me you can. I do not use it anymore since my ability to cop fast licks has grown alot. The Tascam unit needs to be operated correctly. Alot of people have problems reading and understanding instructions. Many units were sent back for defects but it was purly operator's fault. It takes some playing with to get used to. Good unit for learning.

I use mine almost everyday. The only way I'd get rid of it would be to upgrade to the Mark II.

I use one of these regularly and find it very handy for practicng with CDs.
This previous thread has some simpler user instructions and a good review of its operation. http://steelguitarforum.com/Forum11/HTML/004917.html <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Garry Vanderlinde on 03 December 2005 at 11:34 PM.]</p></FONT>

You can also take them to practice to help catch things somone may have missed in learning a song!

I have one and I don't use it all the time but when I need to hear a lick that is hard to figure out it works incredibly well. When I slow it down a couple of notches it still plays clear. When you slow it way down it gets alittle scratChy but you can still hear it okay. It is an amazing tool for hard to get licks..... <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Ron Sodos on 02 December 2005 at 10:46 AM.]</p></FONT>

All good points! I own one and I use it for one thing...to slow recordings down I'm trying to learn AND playing along with rhythm tracks for songs I'm working on that I can't play full speed.

I'd suggest a computer-based software solution like The Amazing Slowdowner from Roni Music. Works flawlessly, you can drag and drop MP3s on it, slow down/speed up, keep the pitch, modify the pitch etc. Available for PC or Mac. There are others too. Price is about $40 last time I checked.

I like the CDGT-1 a lot, especially the fact that you can slow the song down as little or as much as you like (within reason, naturally) without changing pitch, OR change the pitch a semitone at a time without changing tempo (this is how the MkII works, not sure about the original version).

If I want to cover a song that's on a CD, it is very convenient to try out different keys this way to find one that fits my limited vocal range.

Downsides: Quality suffers at extreme tempo changes, and the headphone amp is weak, so sensitive headphones are a must.

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´75 Emmons p/p D10 8+4, '96 Emmons Legrande II D10 8+5, ca '72 AWH Custom D10 8+3, Peavey Nashville 1000

Bill, will it work on a CD if you just pop it into the CDROM drive on your computer ?? Software is the way to go if it will do the same as the Tascam unit.

I like the idea of the Tascam because I could drag it up to the mountain place without my computer...

Question, though - does it work with mp3's? I can't find any info on that at the Tascam website.

I had to bite the bullet..and I bought the Tascan Trainer, this PM...I fooled around with it and it seems to work fine. HOWEVER..those instruction were written by the same guy who wrote the instruction for my VCR..that I stil can't get to stop flashing "12:00".
Thanks to Gary..I pulled up his posting of Feb.2004..will use them instead.. Gary you are absolutely right...wow..somebody. spent a lot of sleepless night dreaming how to clutter pages with usless text..wow..same information as Gary has on a page and a half. (Gary you missed your calling)
Hey..thanks to everybody who wrote in and sent the comments along..Much appreciated.
dick<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Richard E. Lee on 14 December 2005 at 06:29 PM.]</p></FONT>

Reviving this to re-ask:

Does it work with mp3's??

Jim, all i could find is that it plays all CDs and 3in CDs.
Roger

That's all the catalogg info I could find. I was hoping somebody had one who could lt us know.

For Jim Sliff;
I have copied MP3s from my computer to a CD and played and slowed them down on a Tascam GT1 OK. Fidelity was not as good as from a bought CD, but I could learn licks OK. Suggestion: put some of your favorite MP3s on a CD and take the CD to your nearest Guitar Center store. (maybe you should call first and ask if they have demo model you can use).
For Richard E. Lee;
Thanks for the kind comments. I used to write repair manuals for Atlas Rocket parts when they were at final factory assembly or on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral. Wish I was half as good at playing pedal steel.
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I'm no electronic wizard though. See my new post on "distortion".

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Gary Ulinskas
MSA S-12 + Walker mono


<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gary Ulinskas on 28 December 2005 at 07:31 AM.]</p></FONT><font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gary Ulinskas on 28 December 2005 at 09:04 AM.]</p></FONT>

Thanks Gary - that's exactly the info I was looking for. I figured they would be reduced in fidelity if they played at all, but I wouldn't buy one unless it DID play mp3's - a lot of the stuff I want to study is off live recordings, clinics and such that are not commercial releases.