10 Practical Tips For Recording Amazing Guitars
Amazing guitar tones start with the player. Recording a great song with a good player is always key, but there are other elements that contribute to amazing guitars tones. Read the post.
hardware
Bigsby’s Old School Vibe Still Resonate
No matter what you call it, ‘whammy bar,’ ‘trem bar,’ or whatever, there’s only one (IMHO anyway) that’s stood the test of time for over half a century and remained the arbiter of cool: the Bigsby. Exuding an old-school vibe that still resonates today, the Bigsby Vibrato adds classic functionality to many an electric guitar. Read more…
The Chapman Stick – Versatile, Unique, and Portable
Moving a new, alternative instrument into the mainstream is a truly arduous task. Most attempts, in fact, will fail. It is not surprising that in over 35 years on the market that the Chapman Stick® is not yet a household name. It took the saxophone over 100 years to achieve that mark. Yet, The Stick® has made steady gains. No one who has seen it, it seems, ever forgets it! Read more…
In Search of Vintage Gear
There are some astounding values placed on vintage instruments and recording equipment these days.
A 1958 Stratocaster in excellent condition, for example, may fetch as much as $25,000. Vintage recording devices from bygone years may also be valued at $10,000 or more for the most coveted items, such as rare German tube mics or broadcast limiters. For the vast majority of people, these prices put items like this out of consideration. Read more…
Do You Need a Direct Box for Home Recording?
Virtually all of today’s home recording digital audio interfaces allow easy connection of microphones as well as various high impedance sound sources such as an electric guitar, bass or keyboard. But are you really getting the best possible sound quality plugging your instrument directly into these interfaces? This month we’ll do a test recording of bass guitar using a typical digital audio home recording interface, and then add a direct box into the equation to see what difference, if any, such a device makes in the quality of the sound. Read more…
Drum Tuning Advice for Recording and Gigs
Step 1: New Heads
There is nothing like a new drum head to give you great tone to work with. I prefer the sound I get from thinner heads such as Remo’s Diplomat, FD and Thin/FD lines. The disadvantage to thinner heads is that they tend to wear out quickly. A general-duty head, such as Remo’s Ambassador line, will last longer and, if new, should sound nearly as good. For recording purposes, avoid heavy-duty heads, such as Remo’s Emperor, PinStripe, PowerStroke, and the Black, Clear or White Dot series. These are all great heads, but they are designed more for live performance and tend to constrict the sound, making it a bit flat sounding instead of bright and exciting. Read more…