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Improve Your Recordings: Drums Tips and Secrets

There are a gazillion articles out there about how to record drums, but I’ve always thought that the best possible advice in this regard is not how to record but… what to record. Yes, mic positioning is challenging when recording a drum kit, but even the most sophisticated and flawless…Click on the title for more

Improve Your Recordings: Drums Tips and Secrets

A History of Audio Plug Ins: Invasion of the “Sound Snatchers”

Do you remember the movie “The Crow”? The one where Brandon Lee, after dying (for real) while the film was being shot, was replaced by a computer generated, perfectly realistic image of himself? Something similar happened in the recording field, where old stars of that scene like valves, tape machines,…Click on the title for more

A History of Audio Plug Ins: Invasion of the “Sound Snatchers”

Slide Guitar Tone Secrets: Pick the Right Material

When playing slide guitar, different materials used on your strings will create slightly different tones. If you are after a smooth slide with long, clean sustain, you should try a cut-off bottleneck, which was Ry Cooder’s choice. If you are aiming at something less atmospheric and with more “bite,” go…Click on the title for more

Slide Guitar Tone Secrets: Pick the Right Material

Pedal news: Snark Tuner

Snark Tuners has recently released their first pedal, the SN10 ($59). Building on the success of their popular clip-on instrument tuners, the SN10 is designed for quick and easy tuning on stage or in the studio. Just plug in and strike any note: yellow and red bars will show if…Click on the title for more

Pedal news: Snark Tuner

Pedal News: Mesa Boogie announces 4 overdrive pedals

Mesa/Boogie just announced a new line of overdrive pedals called "Four on the Floor" and consisting of the Tone-Burst, Grid Slammer, Flux-Drive, and Throttle Box, created using the same craftsmanship and quality components from their custom amplifiers. Here's a quick look at them: The Throttle Box is the most aggressive of the bunch, featuring…Click on the title for more

Pedal News: Mesa Boogie announces 4 overdrive pedals

Mooer Hustle Drive

Mooer’s Hustle Drive distortion pedal ($88), packs a surprising amount of versatility into a very small package. Though the Hustle Drive’s footprint is not much bigger than a couple of packs of chewing gum, you’ll find mini-knobs for volume and tone, plus a two-way switch for choosing high-peak or low-peak distortion characteristics, basically…Click on the title for more

Mooer Hustle Drive

Retro Corner: Uni-Vibe

The Uni-Vibe was introduced in the 1960s by Shin-ei, and was intended to emulate the "Doppler sound" of a Leslie speaker. It is a footpedal-operated phaser or phase shifter for creating chorus and vibrato simulations for electric organ or guitar. Despite not being used to recreate the Leslie, it has…Click on the title for more

Retro Corner: Uni-Vibe

Pedal News: GloKnob

It's not too often that I see a product that seems like it actually adds something new, useful and exciting to the drab world of pedal accessories. The GloKnob is an exception to that rule. Ever wanted to automate a pedal knob while in the middle of a solo or…Click on the title for more

Pedal News: GloKnob

Pedal Review: VFE Blues King

For irredeemable tone tweakers, this “low-gain” distortion pedal (it actually has plenty on tap) VFE’s Blues King (street $144) is a Pandora’s box of grind. Built by hand by a small family business out of Pennsylvania, the Blues King has “Buy American” credibility right off the bat. Couple that with…Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: VFE Blues King

Pedal Review: Electro Harmonix Ravish Sitar

Unless you've been living under a rock you have most likely heard the sitar, an Indian instrument which creates a very complex and distinct sound derived by the use of sympathetic strings, a long neck, and gourd chamber. The Ravish Sitar (whose name is probably a play off of the…Click on the title for more

Pedal Review: Electro Harmonix Ravish Sitar

Production Corner: Experimenting with Effect Plug-Ins

Audio Plug In effects give musicians with experimental tendencies a lot of options to play with. Here are a few cool ways to create some original sonics. EVER CHANGING BACKGROUNDS (OR DRUMS) (pictured): Create three or four radically different effect buses featuring several plug ins as inserts, and using your DAW’s…Click on the title for more

Production Corner: Experimenting with Effect Plug-Ins

Pedal Reviews: EHX Crying Tone Wah Pedal

The Wah pedal has long been a staple in rock, funk, r & b and many other styles of music. The concept of the Wah was created by accident by an electrical engineer in the mid 60's who was commissioned to redesign a tube amp as a solid state for…Click on the title for more

Pedal Reviews: EHX Crying Tone Wah Pedal