For many of us, the New Year marks a time of self betterment (Is that a word?) or new beginnings. In the New Year we resolve to change something we feel needs change and for some, this includes weight loss, kicking a smoking habit, better financial management etc. In some cases, us musicians resolve to advance our skills or even drive our business of music higher than previous years. Any resolution you make will typically not be easy, which is why we only choose one but I’d like to purpose a secondary resolution to you this New Year. It’s not even really a second resolution, more of a resolution helper. I purpose that when you feel the urge to over-spend, over-eat or smoke, pick up a guitar, bass, mandolin or sit behind a drum set to rock-out and watch as your urges melt away with music. Cheers to you and Happy New Year from your friend at GearBlog and American Musical Supply!
-Ryan
Archive for December, 2008
New Years Resolutions Made Easier with Music
12/31/2008New Gear Coming to American Musical Supply
12/31/2008
You may know this from previous posts that I love to talk about new products. So, here you go, allow me to stun you with the Fender Road Worn 50s Precision Electric Bass Guitar with Gigbag. Get yourself a brand new vintage bass! I know, it sounds weird to say aloud but seriously, it is built using the exact specs of the 50s P-bass with the same formula nitrocellulose lacquer. This throaty tone machine features an alder body with a bolt-on maple neck. The 34 inch scale is perfect for all styles. Fender Road Worn features a distressed body, neck, and hardware creating the look of a road-toted workhorse. As a fan of Fender Precision basses, I dig it. Click the link above for more information!
-Ryan
Portable PA for Under $1000 Bucks!
12/30/2008If you own a restaurant or coffee show and want to bring the beauty of live musical performance to your floor for your guests, 
I’ve got the perfect sound system to meet and in some cases exceed your needs. You can never be too prepared however you can under plan and not have enough juice for the job. There are many size options for PA systems that fall into the portable range and this one would fall right in the middle. Not too big, not too small but just right.
In the area of food service, you want to provide an atmosphere that is both comfortable and entertaining. If it’s too comfortable, your guests may get bored but if you provide them some music, such as a live performance from a pianist or jazz trio, now you’re talking fancy supper restaurant. The AMS Behringer Portable PA System will give you the power and versatility to cater to any and all types of musical groups. Included with the package are two Audio-Technica ST90MKII dynamic mics, two Music People boom mic stands and cables. The package also features two Behringer B1220 Pro Eurolive 12 inch speakers and the great sounding Behringer PMP1280S powered mixer. Oh and lets not forget a pair of speaker stands and cables to finish the system off. It’s literally ready right out of the box. Trust me; you’ll have plenty of power to work with.
-Ryan
Studio Quality Drums without the Studio
12/30/2008
I’ve had a lot of questions from fellow drummers regarding the best ways to record drums and different drum mic techniques. I’ve outlined the ways I prefer to mic and record drums in a previous entry titled “Upcoming Recording Session.” Granted, my techniques may vary a bit from other engineers and I’m fine with that. As recording engineers, we need to find the techniques which work best for us as individuals not for somebody else. So, to answer the question that I’ve heard so many times, “How do I get professional sounding drums in my project studio?” If you don’t have a bunch of cash to spend on high quality preamps, converters and computer recording equipment, check out the amazing FXPansion BFD2 Drum Instrument Software. Keep in mid here that you will likely need a drum set controller of some kind such as the Alesis USB Pro Drum Kit or if you already have an electronic drum set or pad with midi out, the Alesis Trigger IO will suffice.
The BFD2 software is just as dynamic and expressive as the real this without the headaches of microphone positioning, dynamic processing, gating etc. All of that stuff has been done for you by the professionals at FXPansion. Click the above link to BFD2 and scroll to the bottom of the page to view videos outlining the process of making one of the finest pieces of drum software available.
-Ryan
Studio Monitor Quality Versus Quantity
12/29/2008
I’ve covered numerous topics under the recording umbrella and its definitely one of my favorite topics but I haven’t really gone into detail about studio monitors. I’d like to discuss some things about one in particular, the Dynaudio BM12A Powered Studio Monitor. If you clicked the link, I know what you’re thinking, “Those are expensive!” Am I right? Well, these definitely aren’t cheap but do you really want to listen to your mixes on cheap, far-from-accurate studio monitors? I don’t.
I’m of the mind that is you spend a little more dough on your monitors which happens to be the final step in delivering audio to your ears, the payoff will be substantial. The reason I feel spending a little more up front for studio monitors is this, you will spend less time comparing the mix on other speakers for continuity and therefore save yourself valuable labor hours. It really is quite simple; spend a little more, save a lot. In time, you will have actually paid for the monitors with the money you save by cutting down on mixing time.
Not only do these monitors sound great right out of the box, they also have switchable EQ contour filters and high-pass filters for use with subwoofers. The 100 watt internal amplifier delivers tons of volume to the 8 inch neodymium woofer while the separate 50 watt tweeter amp gives you plenty of volume for the detailed highs. For those who really push their monitors for high-level listening, thermal amplifier protection has been built right in so you won’t need to worry about overdriving them to destruction. Bang for your buck, you got it!
-Ryan
Learn or Re-Learn Guitar with Technology
12/29/2008
You all may know where I stand on the Guitar Hero and Rock Band topic and my last couple posts were centered around the kids and teaching them music. Now, I want to clue you all in to a product that in my eyes will get kids off to the races as far as learning guitar and also help older folks like me get back into the game. It’s a cool software application and it’s called eMedia Guitar Master Software.
Now, I’ve played guitar for a long time but I always go through lapses of not playing at all. Then, once I pick up the guitar again, it is almost as if I am 13 again and still learning basics. I forget all the cool improvisational things I mastered during my previous stint of playing that I swore I wouldn’t. It’s a little frustrating. The Guitar Master Software is packed full of exercises and lessons to get you on or back on the horse!
-Ryan
