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Boutique Pedal News: Black Cat, Chicago Stompworks, Unusual Signals, El Rey Effects.

Here are some quick news from some of the smaller boutique manufacturers out there: Chicago Stompworks is now shipping the FAT BALD GUY (pictured) - it's a Big Muff "V3" clone with all of that hyper-fuzz and insane bottom end that your ears will instantly be familiar with! Check out the soundclip on their ebay page.
Black Cat Pedals is almost ready for their OD-Boost. Next week they will be sending out the announcement via their newsletter, check out the picture below and a rave (p)review here.
Cincinnati based El Rey Effects announced that due to popular demand, the Winston Churchill version of the Chicago Typewriter is now available as a limited run! Only 10 of these tremolo pedals will be available at this link.
Countdown continues on the Unusual Signals Double Dip Fuzz! After at least 2 weeks and 15 revisions in design, the small Kentucky based company has the PCB ready to go. This is a milestone for Unusual Signals after a long road full of discovery, learning, and evolving.
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Boutique Pedal News: Black Cat, Chicago Stompworks, Unusual Signals, El Rey Effects.

Celestial Shore and the Recording process

Looking for a change of scenery to work on a new project, multi-instrumentalist Sam Owens left Brooklyn for the west coast and what he describes as his “beachy sanctuary”. Setting up in Los Angeles, the result of months of work was California Eden, a dazzling four track set of pretty harmonies, shimmering guitar licks and touches of experimentation that owes much to the sun-kissed city it was recorded in. With friends filling out the sound, Owen’s EP was released under the moniker of Celestial Shore, and as a fully-functioning band, the group are gathering pace, playing several shows and preparing to release their first album.n is the best feeling. I can't wait to put out this full length.... Click on the title for more

Celestial Shore and the Recording process

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