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Bedroom Monitoring Basics

DIY musicians, who choose NOT to work on their music exclusively in the headphones, often make easily addressable mistakes when setting up their recording equipment: The most common blunder that I see in DIY project studios is monitors placed on a table and facing the recorder’s nipples (or belly). Near field studio monitors are designed to reproduce the sound accurately only at a listening angle close to 90 degrees (i.e. smack in front of them). This is why ideally you want to place them so that each on of your ears face one of them, in particular when you are mixing or looking for the right sound for an instrument you are recording. Your ears should be at the same distance from the respective monitors, or you’ll perceive one side louder than the other one. So the ideal situation is to create an equilateral triangle whose corners are formed by the two speakers and your head, with the monitors rotated and even inclined if necessary so that the tweeter faces your ear.... Click on the title for more

Bedroom Monitoring Basics

Shure introduces guitar receiver/stomp box tuner GLX-D6

At NAMM 2103 Chicago-based manufacturer Shure announced a new, affordable and really unique wireless system for guitarists, the GLX-D6, which is both a powerful transmitter and a reliable stompbox tuner. The GLX-D6 shares with the other Shure new wireless systems the Automatic Frequency Management technology, which – working on 4 different frequencies – guarantees pristine quality without cuts or interference. The GLX-D6 can be placed directly on the pedal board, and has the same features as the table top receiver GLXD-4. The tuner has adjustable pitch and two visual modes to choose from (strobe and needle). It can be conveniently recharged via a regular USB connection – 15 minute of charge will give you 1 ½ hours of power. More info at www.shure.com.... Click on the title for more

Shure introduces guitar receiver/stomp box tuner GLX-D6

Announcing The Austin StompBox Exhibit

Like us on Facebook! - Signup for Email Newsletter - Pics from the NYC 2012 Exhibit

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Announcing The Austin StompBox Exhibit

Get your Vintage Fuzz Tone Right

When you play garage or psych rock you can get away with sloppy drums and vocals (it's lo-fi, baby!), but you better do your homework as far as your distorted guitar tone is concerned. ’60s fuzz pedals are some of the most collected and sought after guitar effects. Due to their use on seminal recordings, they continue to sell for exorbitant prices and inspire numerous reissues and sound-a-likes.... Click on the title for more

Get your Vintage Fuzz Tone Right

Two Noise Making Boxes at NAMM 2013

I'm super into synths and the modular synth culture. I'm going to start slowly introducing synths and noise makers of all sorts into the blog. I feel that modular synths and noise maker boxes are extremely fun and collectible, much like guitar pedals, so here is my first bit of noise making device news. This noise synth box comes to us from the folks at Audible Disease; its called the Infection IN-3 and is described as a wild joystick controlled two oscillator synthesizer guaranteed to please any noise head. You can process the synth sound even further with the other knobs giving you a virtual cornucopia of noise making pleasure center. I highly suggest checking out this video demo.... Click on the title for more

Two Noise Making Boxes at NAMM 2013

Pedal Reviews: FXdoctor Super 8-Bit Fuzz

FXdoctor's Super 8-Bit Fuzzdoes one thing well, and that's creating an unpredictable racket that sounds like a Commodore 64 that’s been dunked in acid. It certainly isn't a pedal you'd ever leave on and can’t be incorporated into a formalized song structure because it isn't designed to do the same thing twice. However, if you're looking for an effect that makes your guitar to sound like an ‘80s video game, your search is over. ... Click on the title for more

Pedal Reviews: FXdoctor Super 8-Bit Fuzz

Recording Drums: Tips and Tricks

We asked 3 top NYC producers to share their opinions about performing and recording drums in the studio - you can find their precious advice here.... Click on the title for more

Recording Drums: Tips and Tricks

Wampler Sovereign

Wampler makes some grandiose claims for its Sovereign distortion pedal ($200). Before you’ve even opened the box, Wampler assures you you’ll soon be bowing down before the new king of crunch. The hyperbole goes on a bit, but after you’ve tried this pedal you’ll happily go along with the joke.... Click on the title for more

Wampler Sovereign

SolidGoldFx’s Electroman Delay

Less than a couple of months after relaunching their Apollo phaser and Stutterbox tremolo pedals, Canadian manufacturers SolidGoldFx have struck again with the new version of the Electroman delay (pictured) and the Surf Rider Deluxe reverb.... Click on the title for more

SolidGoldFx’s Electroman Delay

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.... 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, instruments, effects and even rooms have been losing their spot in the sun in favor of perfect (or nearly so) virtual recreation of themselves – hey but... isn’t this the plot of the “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”?

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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 for the classic metal slide. A non-round surface like a blade can bring out a more “grating” sound by slightly scraping the thicker strings, while plastic round containers will create a more dull sound. Bone slides tame the bright overtones for a moodier tone. Heavy brass slides work better on the acoustic guitar’s “harder” strings, while the softer strings of the electric will require a gentler action and lighter slide. Assuming that you know that when playing in this style you don’t have to press the strings down to touch the neck, bear also in mind that damping the strings behind the slide with the free fingers on your left hand will give you a cleaner tone without too many ringing notes.... Click on the title for more

Slide Guitar Tone Secrets: Pick the Right Material