Chapter 3: Virtual assistance, the next generation.
Though Rabbit R1 can connect with multiple LLMs and spit out the answers to your question, its superpower is that it can do actions through its LAM. As you read this, humans are training Rabbit’s Large Action Model on many major services that have a web portal. In conjunction with a garden-variety browser, Rabbit can also follow you in doing a task on the web and then do it for you the next time. (Though it’s likely Teach mode will not be ready at launch.) At this stage of Rabbit’s development we’re dealing with simple, but very useful tasks, like “Deliver my favorite pizza”. But when company founder Jesse Lyu held Rabbit’s camera up to the fridge and told Rabbit to give him a recipe based on what he had in there, it’s easy to see that the LAM will be an aid to problem solving based on our individual needs.
Though I’m sometimes an early adopter, I shunned AI. But Jesse Lyu did a keynote on Rabbit R1 and I bought one before he stopped talking. Because it’s cute? Or useful? Actually, I got in because the Rabbit and its Large Action Model are a gravitational shift. Rabbit went down a hole that the industry didn’t realize was there and has AI and smartphone companies panicking right now and rapidly reacting to adopt a similar model.
YouTube is full of pedal demos by pro players who get paid by (or get free products from) pedal companies. These players create best-case scenario videos for unique pedals and make them sound great, but the little boxes are often a disappointment when you plug them in at home. That’s where this series of articles comes in. I bought the Mastro Valvola LEM at full price and didn’t get paid by the company for reviewing it. (And they’re gone now.) Even when I’d love to write sonnets for this thing, I’ll do my best to hide my giddy enthusiasm and give you an honest take on LEM so you can evaluate whether or not it’s for you.
What is LEM?
Mastro Valvola’s LEM (Lysergic Emotions Module) may be a multihead, digital delay. Or it may be a musical circus on acid. Its eight programs use forward, reverse, pitch shift, bitcrush, filters, vibrato and/or glitch to create harmonious, rhythmic delays. You play something and something that sounds nothing like it comes out.
Hologram Chroma Console: Why would I buy this pedal?
A realistic view.
I too love the pedal demos where you witness exactly what a box can do in the hands of a paid pro. But what about you and me? We buy pedals based on those demos, but are often disappointed when we can’t get that box to sound anything close to what we saw in the video. Or we discover what looked like simple-to-use ain’t so simple. Chroma Console is definitely one of those pedals. Since I bought the Chroma Console and am not being paid by Hologram, hopefully I’ll present it here in a realistic light to help you determine if it’s for you or not.
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