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NAMM News: Blue Reactor Mic, Eventide Space Reverb

New product news from NAMM 2011: A uniquely-styled multi-pattern condenser from Blue Microphones, and the latest addition to the Eventide stompbox line. Blue’s new mic, the Reactor, will be available this coming spring for $499 retail. While the mic body could double as a hockey puck, the large diaphragm condenser capsule should look familiar: it’s based on the design of the B6 capsule from Blue’s bottle series microphones. The Reactor features an LED backlit polar pattern selector, and a head that swivels 90 degrees for use in X/Y or Mid/Side applications. “Reactor unites an innovative pattern selection method with a swiveling capsule head for precise positioning. Featuring Blue’s premium condenser capsule and proprietary pre-amp circuit, Reactor allows for noiseless live switching between the three distinct patterns (cardioid, omni or bi-directional). “Reactor takes microphone technology and design to the next level, combining Blue’s high-quality sound capture with intuitive pattern switching and physical microphone design,” said John Maier, CEO of Blue Microphones. “With Reactor, we are excited to offer multiple patterns and high-end audio capture to a wider audience, along with making mulitple mic setups more accessible.” Space is the new reverb stompbox from Eventide, boasting 12 of the company’s signature reverb […]... Click on the title for more

NAMM News: Blue Reactor Mic, Eventide Space Reverb

Blues Writer An iPhone App for Songwriters

A new App in the iTunes store called Blues Writer, is designed to help songwriters with the creative process. When stumped for a verse, you can double click and select a word from Schirmers Complete Rhyming Dictionary, which includes over 96,000 rhymes. The built in Instrumental tracks help put a structure to a song and lyrics in context, or you can select a track from your iTunes library. The song can then be shared online or sent to friends and band mates from the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. This could inspire people to get creative during down time like waiting for the train, and possibly even encourage folk musicians to write more originals, (rather than relying on covering songs in the public domain)! The content is built in so no internet connection is needed for it to work. Then you can upload the tracks to Soundcloud to the growing community of tracks supporting the app. Rumor is that there are some great bands recording tracks for Blues Writer. It’s catching on as being good to have for writing music while on tour. Freestyle is another app released by Musicroom.com which uses a similar engine, but for the creation of […]... Click on the title for more

Blues Writer An iPhone App for Songwriters

Bucktone Effects debuts with Black Powder Pedal

New pedalmaker Bucktone Effects is officially on the scene, and shipping its inaugural product, the Black Powder. This distortion/overdrive pedal allows you to break up and compress your signal, while affording you control over the tone of the resulting sound. In addition to gain and volume knobs, the Black Powder has a three-way compression setting, with the compression becoming more noticeable as you crank up the gain. The girth knob adds some hair to the distortion, and as you turn it clockwise it emphasizes the mids and highs, and removes low end. The hi-cut control rolls off the highs anywhere from 5kHz to 800Hz, while a tight switch will firm up the low end of the signal when engaged. On a pursuit for perfect tone, owner Caleb Buck went from modifying his own pedals, to doing mods and custom builds for other musicians, and finally designing the Black Powder and founding Bucktone. The pedal was designed as a transparent overdrive that wouldn’t drastically alter the tone that guitarists work so hard to achieve. Committed to producing a dependable product, Caleb takes care of quality control personally: “I myself build every one of these pedals by hand here in Southwest Missouri. […]... Click on the title for more

Bucktone Effects debuts with Black Powder Pedal

3 new pedals from T-Rex

Danish pedalmaker T-Rex Engineering is kicking off the new year with three new guitar pedals which we are looking forward to meet “in person” at the NAMM convention. Facelifts have been given to their Twister Chorus/Flanger and Reptile Delay pedals, and their affordable Tonebug line now includes a sustainer. The Twister 2 ($369) can be used as either a Chorus or a Flanger, with adjustable depth, rate, and a tone control that dials back the high frequencies. The Regen knob controls the amount of feedback when using the Flanger, and there’s also a gain knob on the side of the unit that allows you to avoid overdrive distortion. A nice feature to have when recording in the studio is the optional stereo output. The unit has had a hardware and software update for this version, which promises a greater tonal range and more vintage-sounding chorus effect. The Reptile 2 Delay ($369) has also been given some new features, namely a tap tempo button and more controls in the ‘flutter’ section. Borrowing from the signature sound of the popular T-Rex Replica pedal, the Reptile has enough adjustability to create a variety of delay effects – from a classic slap-back, to big and bold repeats, or […]... Click on the title for more

3 new pedals from T-Rex

Prizes for The Deli Year End Local Polls!

Here is the list of prizes that our sponsors of The Deli Year End Polls for Emerging Artists are providing for the winners: 10 copies of PreSonus Studio One 1.3 DAW – Full Review here Every now and again, a product sneaks up on the audio public in a way that makes discovering its graces all the more significant. Studio One Pro from PreSonus is one such product. A virtual powerhouse audio editor, Studio One Pro delivers and outshines its competition by leaps and bounds while remaining intuitive, simple and affordable. – Read the Delicious Audio review of Studio Pro here. 5 copies of SoundToys Echo Boy Plug In – full review here. Echoboy is the flagship processor in the SoundToys Native Effects Bundle and doesn’t disappoint in its wide array of uses. This plug-in alone boasts over 30 different built-in echo styles with instant access to a wide variety of classic delay and echo boxes including EchoPlex, Space Echo, Memory Man, DM-2, and the TelRay oilcan delay. The most remarkable thing about EchoBoy is simply how unique each of their delay styles sound and how strikingly similar they are to the hardware that they are meant to emulate. – Read […]... Click on the title for more

Prizes for The Deli Year End Local Polls!

Audio Repair with iZotope RX 2

iZotope has released the latest version of their audio repair toolkit, with some new features and tools included to help you remove hum, hiss, pops, and any other unwanted noise from your audio. RX 2 and RX 2 Advanced both function as standalone editors, as well as a collection of plugins for your DAW. While the first iteration of the program impressed reviewers from Mix Magazine and got high ratings from Musicradar.com, the RX 2 package – with its updated algorithms and features – is attracting new praise. Sonic Scoop test drives the RX 2 package in four scenarios with audio samples here. They test out how the improved Declick and new Decrackle modules work on vinyl recordings, as well as the ability to select audio using freehand for quicker editing. While the tools don’t always erase all traces of hiss or clipping, RX 2 is still a powerful and useful program according to Markkus Rovito: “For sure, one of the more seemingly magical RX 2 functions is the seamless removal not only of clicks and noise, but of entire isolated sounds. In the studio, this might mean taking out an unfortunate cell phone ring during the perfect take or […]... Click on the title for more

Audio Repair with iZotope RX 2

Rupert Neve, AMS Neve, and Daking 500 series modules

Three venerable audio companies have each introduced their first 500 series modules. Rupert Neve Designs announced the 517 Pre/DI/Comp (pictured above), AMS Neve released their historic 1073 in a lunchbox compatible format as the 1073LB, and Daking now has the Mic Pre 500. Rupert Neve’s 517 unit is a preamp, compressor, and DI in one (based on the Portico 5017 Pre), and its versatility provides numerous occasions to be used. The 517 offers compression at a fixed 2:1 ratio with auto makeup gain, so you only adjust the threshold to alter the level of compression achieved. While the unit has a mono output, you can use it to sum two sources together by sending one signal to the mic input and one to the DI. A blend control adjusts the mix between the two sources, while the Vari-phase control can be used to minimize the phase difference between the signals. This makes it useful for recording a guitar amp and DI together, with the benefit of compression on both channels ($950 list). If you’ve been in a pro studio any time within the past 40 years you may recognize the red gain knob on the unit below. The often replicated […]... Click on the title for more

Rupert Neve, AMS Neve, and Daking 500 series modules

Studer A800 Plugin by Universal Audio

Universal Audio now has a plugin version of the Studer A800 tape machine. With a selection of controls to tweak – from tape speed and tape formula to calibration type, hiss, and hum – you can ‘hit the tape’ as hard as you like, and fine-tune the tone. While it’s a multichannel plugin, the handy ‘gang’ control adjusts any parameter globally, which is nice if you’re running it on every track. The A800 is considered one of the best 2″ recorders ever made, known for its warmth, clarity, and great low-end impact… some people say you can’t beat the real thing, but consider that the plugin version weighs 900lbs less. Sonic Scoop has more: “…the A800 plug-in is a first of its kind product, modeled by UA’s DSP engineers with help from AES magnetic recording expert Jay McKnight over a 12-month period. The plug-in models the entire tape path and circuit electronics of the classic hardware, plus the sounds of four distinct tape formulas.” Link to read the rest of the article on SonicScoop.com. –Mike Bauer... Click on the title for more

Studer A800 Plugin by Universal Audio

a Blue Mic for your iPhone

Blue Microphones has put out the second generation of Mikey ($99 list), a stereo condenser mic built solely for the iPod and iPhone. With the ability to record 44.1kHz/16bit audio to your Apple device with its dual cardioid condenser capsules, Mikey is a high-quality device for field recording, interviews, lectures, or getting some song ideas recorded with minimal fuss. The newest generation features new circuitry for better recording quality, a mini USB port that allows you to charge your iPod during recording, and a 3.5mm stereo input jack which allows you to record audio from another device. Mikey rotates 230 degrees and has seven different locking positions, as well as a three-way sensitivity switch to select the appropriate gain setting for your source. While the Mikey can be used without additional software, Blue has a free recording app called BlueFiRe, which allows you to record at full CD quality and functions with the iPod rightside up or upside down, depending on how the mic is positioned. Paired with Primacoustic’s Telepad ($29 street, pictured below), Blue’s iPod mic makes it easy to sketch out some audio ideas with minimal setup required. While Mikey is only compatible with iPod and iPhone 3G […]... Click on the title for more

a Blue Mic for your iPhone

Digitech JamMan Stereo Looper / Phrase Sampler

The face of live music is constantly evolving and more and more performers are relying on modern technology to stay competitive. Expensive computer based DAW systems are finding their way onto stages accompanying a wide range of artists in almost every genre closing the gap between live performance and studio polish. The Digitech JamMan Stereo Looper / Phrase Sampler provides instrumentalists as well as vocalists with a convenient and affordable way to add loops and backing tracks to their live performances with ease. The JamMan feels sturdy. Its rugged metal enclosure is loaded with both XLR and stereo ¼ inch inputs as well as a stereo aux input making it easy to get any source material loaded for looping or playback. 99 internal memory locations offer up more than 35 minuets of CD quality stereo sound. Get an optional 16GB SDHC card and store a whopping 16 hours of loops accessible via the four sturdy metal foot switches. Still need further storage and organization? With Digitech’s free JamManager software you can organize and store a whole library of loops on your Mac or PC and exchange audio via the JamMan’s built in USB connection. Just load up any combination of […]... Click on the title for more

Digitech JamMan Stereo Looper / Phrase Sampler

History and Construction of The Drums – Part 2

The following video is the second of a three-part segment on vintage drums by Michael Vecchio. 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 part 3 in following posts, and later we will be posting other segments on “Heads and Tuning” and “Cymbals”. Check out part one here.... Click on the title for more

History and Construction of The Drums – Part 2

Tortuga Effects Mai Tai

Tortuga Effects, a one-man guitar pedal designer operating out of Renton, Washington, has been producing some great sounding effects pedals, complete with eye-catching designs.... Click on the title for more

Tortuga Effects Mai Tai