gear giveaway

Author Archive

History and Construction of The Drums – Part 1

The following video is the first of a three-part segment on vintage drums. The interview was shot at Steve Maxwell Vintage and Custom Drum Shop on 48th Street in Manhattan with store manager and vintage drum expert Jess Birch. This segment covers "History and Construction." Keep an eye out for…Click on the title for more

History and Construction of The Drums – Part 1

Vinyl Plugin by iZotope

Any engineer looking for a Lo-Fi tool to add to their bag of tricks at a retro price should check out iZotope’s Vinyl plugin. As the name suggests, it simulates the unique sonic characteristics imparted by a variety of record players. With lots of parameters to tweak and plenty of…Click on the title for more

Vinyl Plugin by iZotope

Pedal Review: Rocktron Deep Blue Chorus Pedal

There are numerous chorus pedals on the market today, and with so many options available, it can seem overwhelming trying to determine the best one for your needs. There is definitely no best chorus pedal, but there are multiple great ones to choose from, and if you ask five different players…Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: Rocktron Deep Blue Chorus Pedal

Pedal Review: Hardwire RV-7 Reverb

The Hardwire line of Guitar Effect Pedals is made with the touring musician in mind. They are solidly built and full of useful extras (see upcoming full review of the full set for details). The promotional materials for the company's reverb pedal RV-7 regularly and enthusiastically tout Hardwire’s partnership with…Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: Hardwire RV-7 Reverb

Music Players’ review of Addictive Drums Adrenaline 1.5

One of the greatest challenges facing musicians recording in project studios is capturing great drum sounds. And while drum machines have come a long way since their early ‘80s Roland and Linn beginnings, the last several years have seen the release of very impressive virtual drummer products for computer-based studios.…Click on the title for more

Music Players’ review of Addictive Drums Adrenaline 1.5

Pedal Review: Fulltone GT-500

Every effect manufacturer, from tiny boutique companies to huge multinational conglomerates, makes at least one distortion pedal. So when Fulltone announced the GT500, my first question was: "why?" Why are they competing with their own product line--which already contains some great distortions, overdrives, and fuzzes--in a market that could already…Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: Fulltone GT-500

EV PL-80a – live Mic for soft voiced singers

A dynamic microphone designed for live performance use, the Electro-Voice PL80a is a fantastic sounding mic that delivers world-class performance at a price that every musician can afford. We began testing the mic before we had any idea of its price, and almost everyone who spent time using it thought…Click on the title for more

EV PL-80a – live Mic for soft voiced singers

Recording The Beatles – Book Review

There are Beatles fans and there are Beatles fans, but there’s a particular kind of Beatles fan that is unique – that is, the recording engineer geek Beatles fan. Many people (almost everybody) loves the songs, but few of us actually worship the way the songs sound. And even fewer…Click on the title for more

Recording The Beatles – Book Review

BOSS VE-20 Vocal Processor Review

I've been getting a lot of pressure from the singer in my band to hook him up with effects for his vocals lately. I've been reluctant to put together a vocal effects system for him because of the usually kludgey nature of adding effects to live vocals: running a mic…Click on the title for more

BOSS VE-20 Vocal Processor Review

The Filmosound Specialist Guitar Amp from At Mars Amps

A couple months ago I mentioned a new amp maker, At Mars Amplification. ( http://atmarsamps.com) At Mars is a boutique guitar amp maker out of Minnesota. Their flagship product is the “Filmosound” amp. “Filmosound” was the branding on the audio amplifiers from vintage Bell & Howell film projectors. At Mars…Click on the title for more

The Filmosound Specialist Guitar Amp from At Mars Amps

Abbey Road Plugins – RS124 Compressor

The latest addition to the Abbey Road Plugins lineup is the RS124 compressor. The RS124 was a compressor that Abbey Road was known to make great use of throughout the 60’s, and it was considered to be an integral part of their drum sound on many famous recordings. Many of…Click on the title for more

Abbey Road Plugins – RS124 Compressor

Choosing the right Recording Studio

To the aspiring rock-star who is blissfully unfamiliar with the recording studio, music is undoubtedly a lot of fun – until the idea of recording materializes. This natural transition from a general and “liquid” perception of a live sound to a “solid” and set in stone recording often proves to…Click on the title for more

Choosing the right Recording Studio