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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

Recording Hacks review of SE Gemini II

We had an SE Electronics Gemini II in for testing earlier this year. We checked it out on vocals, nylon and steel-stringed acoustic guitar, drums, and more. Here's what we think about it. The Gemini II is remarkable for its topology — it is one of a handful of dual-tube condenser…Click on the title for more

Recording Hacks review of SE Gemini II

DigiTech Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo

Hardwire has generated quite some buzz recently with their high quality, sturdy lineup of stomp boxes, including a Reverb unit that employs venerated Lexicon algorithms. The manufacturer has recently released a new addition to this set, the TR-7. This is a true stereo tremolo, rotary, and vibrato pedal, offering effects…Click on the title for more

DigiTech Hardwire TR-7 Tremolo

Oldies but Goldies: BBE Freq Booster

The now discontinued BBE Freq Boost is an interesting proposition for the vintage crowd: How far will you go to recreate the sound of the 1960s and 1970s? First a little background: The Freq Boost is a treble booster, which is essentially a precursor to the now-ubiquitous overdrive pedal. Guitarists…Click on the title for more

Oldies but Goldies: BBE Freq Booster

BBE’s D82 Sonic Maximizer plugin

Though not as popular as compressors, maximizers (sometimes called exciters or enhancers) are many engineers' "secret weapon" for adding extra pop and sizzle or smoothing out rough-edged tracks. For those familiar with studio compressors, BBE is to maximizers as DBX is to compressors: affordable and dependable. BBE's D82 Sonic Maximizer…Click on the title for more

BBE’s D82 Sonic Maximizer plugin