October 2003

SOURCE: VETTAVILLe.NL

Variax - Introduction... 30-10-2003

Line 6 has been working for some years now and was moving strongly due to the suc ccesful ampsimulations or modeling. To put it in other words to digitally recreate the original amps en get this captured in software (and hardware). This means to digitise the orginal sound, the way the original amps knobs effect eachother, the way the channels of the amp interact with an overdriven amp etc...

Besides modeling amps, the next (logical) step would be to try to model guitars. That's how the story of Variax starts. During the change of the last century (2000) Pete Celi (Line 6 design engineer) got the 'go ahead' to look at the possibllities to creat a guitar that could model other guitars. De Line 6 Variax is the worlds first modeling guitar. The first guitar that re-creates the sound of different electric and acoustic guitars. This is all done in one single natural looking-, playable guitar.De diffrent models, 26 in total, are ealiy accesable through the selectorswitch and 5 way switch as you are used to on Stratocaster type guitars.

Six people have worked on it during the last 3 years. In the beginning a tremelo-arm was considered but later was decided not to place this on the first Variax type. This first generation Variax (that was just called Variax) are now know as the Variax 500 series. Now in October 2003 is a new series, called the Variax 700, added to the salesportfolio. The 700 series do have the tremelo. The original idea was to make a set-neck instrument, later on Line 6 rejected this idea because they liked the idea that users should be able to put another neck on it if so desired.

The instrument itself is rather pratical, the way this Variax guitarcollection looks and feels has a bit of a retro-look. Playablillity & comfort are obvious. When you look at the guitar then it looks like something's missing... Varaix guitars don't use magnetic pick-up's. That's what you probebly miss.Pete Celi, Line 6 senior design engineer, says: "The Variax is a base design is a good solidbody with a stiff neck, which mechanically and acoustically performs just like a custom strat."

The modeling process itself explained: "Well, first, we put a low-level signal into the guitar that we're modelling to measure the pickups' impedance at a given frequency," explains Celi. The information is loaded into a software program that evaluates, and recreates, the circuit's performance. Numerous parameters are evaluated.

For example, there's the magnetic aspect, "the distortion that's introduced by the proximity of the string to the pickup's magnet. This proximity alters the magnetic field, and as you move the pickup away from the string you lose volume and high-end." Then there's the position of the pickup on the guitar: "depending on the position means you're altering the frequency response of the string's output." By carrying out this investigation, Celi believes, "all the nuances of the pickup should be replicated if you've done this carefully."

 The body resonance of the guitar is another evaluation, obviously more applicable to semi and full body acoustics than a solidbody guitar. "With an analyser and impact hammer we evaluate the different responses of a guitar body," Celi explains.

As the information is amassed, it's assembled into the software program, which in reality is a number of processing blocks that will create the final model. Each and every parameter can be tweaked: "individual string volume, sharpness of the frequency peak, etc." For an electric model it's a little easier. The designers are 'listening' and trying to emulate the signal that emanates from the jack socket output. An acoustic presents more problems: "Listening to an acoustic model, the body resonance is obviously fundamental to the overall sound."

To give you some idea of the intricacy of this process, initially each string is evaluated and passes through more than 10 individual processing blocks, each containing a little piece of Line 6's modelling secret. Then the tweaks become global: pickup response, body resonance and numerous other elements are adjusted here until the sound is perfected.

All frequencies are measured with an analyser during the modellingprocess and captured in the mentioned software. This software is loaded into each of the six strat-like saddles that can be adjusted in height....

and intonation.

This is being done to have no latency during the switch to differend models. each string of every modelled instrument is recreated in this way. Creating a model is one thing, but how it's voiced by Variax is another. The strings' vibration and character are picked up by the hexaphonic piezo pickups. That information is then altered by the selected model. "There's no triggering," explains Celi. "We're taking the natural string vibration and dynamically altering it."

The bridge itself is the LR Baggs X-bridge with a modified flexible PCB hook-up cable, "to maintain as full a response as possible." During the design-fase of Variax the question was asked: What pick-up shouldwe use? "Initially it was, What kind of pickup should we use?" says project manager Dave Fruehling, who leads the engineering team. "We looked at optical, piezo and magnetic. We came to the conclusion that piezo had more information; magnetic loses stuff - it's easier to take away than add."

"We learnt a lot about modelling,"It's interesting. You see, an amp is just a circuit, but the electric guitar is a circuit plus its actual physical properties." says design engineer Dave Fruehling.

During the R&D proces of capturing the character of the different modelled guitars, the Line 6 engineers have systematically measured all parts of these guitars and captured it into software. Each factor that adds to the specific guitartone is a part of the complex interaction between vibrating strings, resonance of guitarbodies and magnetic pick-up's and captured. Subsequently Line 6 developped a way to mathematically capture this interaction, this is way we can re-created the same sounds on our own Variax.On the processing power side you could look at the Variax as if you had six Line 6 POD's, that's how much mathematical power is under the Variax's hood to be able to have this kind of natural emulation of the modelled guitars.On the Variax are three knobs, 1 for volume, 1 for tone en and a so called "model selector switch".  On this model select switch are twelve positions. Each position gives you a range of modelled guitars.

These 12 postions are labelled:

T Model, Spank, Lester, Special, R-Billy, Chime, Semi, Jazzbox, Acoustic, Reso

Custom 1 & Custom 2, are banksthat can be 'filled' with the models in Variax

When you made a choice for a certain bank, let;s say Lester, than it's possible to select a type with the 5-way switch. For the Lester bank you can make your choice out of the models based on:

1. Bridge pick-up of a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

2. Bridge pick-up (P-90) of a 1952 Gibson Les Paul "Goldtop"

3. Bridge & neck pick-up of a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

4. Combination of bridge an middle pick-up's of a 1961 Gibson Les Paul Custom

5. Neck pick-up of a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

In this way all different, available guitarmodels become available for the Variax player.

Source: vettaville.nl

Video - Line 6 User Group NL part 1/2... 21-10-2003

Source: vettaville.nl

Video - Line 6 User Group NL part 2/2... 21-10-2003

Line 6 User Group NL 21 Oct 2003  Video 2 - 5,90MB

Source: vettaville.nl

Line 6 Company Story - Part 1... 15-10-2003

Line 6 started the company in 1996, Then it rapidly emerged as a music industry leader in digital modeling technology.

Line 6 hit the ground running in 1996, with the AXYS 212, a stereo combo amp that revalutionized the guitar amplifier market woth the first completly authentic digital models of vintage tube amps.

In 1997, the company introduced Amp Farm, a software plug-in for desktop editing, and the Flextone series of affordable digital guitar amplifiers. The succes of these products established Line 6's position as the primary innovator in this tradion- steeped market.

Continuing research into dgital modeling led to the development of A.I.R.- a proprietary technique for simulating the complex interaction of microphones, speaker cabinets and room acoustics. In 1998, this new technology was introduced in a ground-breaking guitar effect/amp modeling processor called POD. With a collection of amp tones and speaker/microphone/room models, POD changed the way guitarists create and record music, quickly becoming the standard for both direct recording and live performance.

By 1999, with the succes of POD, a complete line of critically accalimed amps for every application and price point, and sales doubling each year, Line 6 was the fifth largest amplifier company in the U.S.

In 2000, Line 6 continued their expansion - and succes. The company was awarded the "Inc. 500" award for being one of the nations fastest-growing companies. Additionally, Line 6 entered the effects processing market with a line of "stomp box" effects pedals for guiatrists, with the DL4, MM4, and DM4 delay, modulation and distortion modelers. Line 6 also introduced other succesful products, including: Bass POD and Bass POD Pro, which bring all of the technology advances of POD to bass players; POD Pro, a rack mount version of POD for live and professional studio applications; and Flextone II, a complete line of digital amplifiers.

True to it's commitment to putting the latetst technology into the hands of musicians, Line 6 has equipped all of it's new product introductions with ToneTransfer, to create a complete product line of internet-enabled digital audio products. Now, Line 6 users can take sounds created in a studio environment and produce them on stage, share sounds with other users, and access nearly a thousand new sounds via Line 6's newly launced ToneTransfer Web Library.

In 2000 the fastest growing company in the music industry, the Line 6 passion for excellence and commitment to the development of new technologies has attracted the industry's best engineers and designers, a formidable noster of artist endorsers, and an active, informed user base - a combination that leaves them well equipped to take on the enviable challenges of continued growth. 

Source: vettaville.nl

Documents - Variax - Electric - Reference Sheet (colour)... 14-10-2003

Variax reference sheet in colour (updated june 2006) made by Batninja (ION Forum member). All modelled guitars in Variax are present at the right switch position.

• Download Variax reference sheet in colour.

Source: Batninja / vettaville.nl

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