Posts tagged with "ISSUE NO26"

KORG MS-20 MINI

KORG MS-20 MINI ’70S ANALOG FOR THE FUTURE There have been several iterations of the Korg MS-20 since its debut in 1978, but none as innovative as the MS-20 Mini. At first glance, the size reduction of more than 85 percent is the most obvious new feature of this reissue. Despite its smaller size, the MS-20 Mini offers up the same sweet oscillators as the original, flavored by first-generation filtering, ring modulation and other true-to-original... 

RMI BASSWITCH IQ DI

RMI BASSWITCH IQ DI THE ULTIMATE BASS RIG The RMI Basswitch IQ DI is the ultimate centerpiece to any working bass rig. This unassuming box includes an A/B switcher in front of a killer preamp, EQ, dual effects loop, and DI. The preamp section is bolstered by a Lehle LTMZ transformer for phenomenally faithful amplification that will thrill any hardcore tone freak. The semi-parametric four-band equalizer provides incredible tone-shaping flexibility,... 

PULSE TECHNIQUES PULTEC EQP-1A3

PULSE TECHNIQUES PULTEC EQP-1A3 NOTHING COMPARES TO THE ORIGINAL There are dozens of semi-successful Pultec-style EQ clones, but nothing compares to the genuine Pulse Techniques equalizer. Meticulously recreating the original Pultec EQP-1A component by component (often having to manufacture his own replacement parts), company president Steve Jackson revived the original Pulse Techniques model to perfection. Now available in the U.S., the Pultec EQP-1A3... 

BOCK AUDIO IFET

BOCK AUDIO IFET IDEAL VINTAGE AND MODERN TONE The perfect choice for space-challenged studios with a limited budget for quality condenser mics, the Bock Audio iFet more than legitimizes the reputation of this relatively small microphone maker. Wielding two discrete Class A amplification signal paths, the iFet delivers ideal instrument and vocal sound. In V mode, the iFet closely resembles the warm vintage vocal microphones that defined the hit recordings... 

GRETSCH G9240 Alligator Biscuit Cone Roundneck

GRETSCH G9240 Alligator Biscuit Cone Roundneck BLUESY BISCUIT BITE Reaching back to their roots, the G9240 Alligator Biscuit Cone Roundneck revives one of Gretsch’s classic guitars. A 99 percent pure aluminum, hand-spun Ampli-Sonic biscuit resonator cone set in a laminated mahogany top offers this gorgeous instrument its raspy, swampy, lo-fi blues sound. The resonator cone also provides a ton of natural acoustic projection and volume. It nicely... 

SONY DWZB30GB

SONY DWZB30GB WIRELESS FOR TONE PURISTS The Sony DWZB30GB digital instrument wireless system provides total freedom for guitar and bass players without sacrificing tone. In fact, its 24-bit digital signal wireless transmission is so pure Sony added a configurable cable tone function to provide realistic guitar-cable frequency loss emulation. Operating in the uncluttered 2.4 GHz frequency range, the DWZB30GB is virtually immune to traditional radio... 

KALA U-BASS

KALA U-BASS DOUBLE-BASS SOUND IN A UKE BODY The remarkably affordable travel-sized acoustic Kala U-Bass manages to pack warm and woody double-bass sound into an instrument that can fit—case and all—into the overhead compartment of an airplane. Tonewoods range from exotic mahogany to brighter spruce-topped models. They all feature Kala’s proprietary polyurethane strings, which are the key to U-Bass’ extremely short-scale extra-deep tone. A... 

TAMA SILVERSTAR HYPER-DRIVE

TAMA SILVERSTAR HYPER-DRIVE KILLER PROJECTION & TONE The limited edition Tama Silverstar Hyper-Drive drum kit is an excellent choice for live and session work. Like the rest of Tama’s Silverstar lineup, the affordable kit features all-birch shells, offering a naturally warm and slightly dark fundamental tone that lends impact to recordings. To balance this tone, Tama chose their shallower Hyper-Drive sizing for the toms, which provides extra... 

HAMMOND SK1

HAMMOND SK1 ORGAN PERFECTION FOR KEYBOARDISTS There are plenty of fine keyboards with passable organ sounds, but only a few organs with good auxiliary instrument sounds. Among them, the Hammond SK1 stands alone. Built around the sound of the world-famous B-3 tonewheel organ, the SK1 features real drawbars that provide tactile control any organist demands. Loaded with impressive emulations of Rhodes and Wurlitzer EPs, Clavinets, Farf combos, church... 

CUTTING THE CORD

CUTTING THE CORD Wireless sound offers freedom to roam the stage,but is it the right option for you? Anyone who’s caught a major live act in the last decade has seen and heard wireless technology in action. From stage-diving rock stars to tightly choreographed pop groups, wireless mics and instrument systems have redefined the live music experience. Long gone are the days of performers tethered to the stage with restricting cords. But is wireless... 

CHAKA KHAN

CHAKA KHAN HAD ONLY RECENTLY ACHIEVED stardom when photographer Norman Seeff shot this session for Rufus’ 1974 album, Rufusized. “I was living in my studio in Los Angeles,” Seeff recalls. “She began rolling around on my bed like a teenage girl—barefoot, wiggling her big toe at me. It was fun, creative and free.” The session was the first of several Seeff shot with the R&B legend, whose talent was entwined with a fragile temperament.... 

PARAMORE

PARAMORE A GAME CHANGE Now a trio, Paramore bounces back from turmoil with a cathartic, creative new set By Russell Hall Sometimes it’s true: What doesn’t destroy you makes you stronger. Just ask Paramore. Two years ago, with mainstream success firmly in their grasp, two key members of the pop-rock group walked away. Remaining members—singer Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis and guitarist Taylor York—were roiled by the defection, unsure... 

GREG KURSTIN

GREG KURSTIN Blazing his own trail from jazz scholar to pop hit-maker By Michael Gallant He’s produced a bevy of wildly successful artists including Kelly Clarkson, Pink, Ke$ha, Tegan and Sara, James Blunt, Dido and the Shins. But Greg Kurstin came to his hit-making career through an unconventional route—as a student of jazz piano. “I loved arranging songs and finding different voicings for chords,” says Kurstin, who studied at New York’s... 

THE BAND PERRY

THE BAND PERRY Guidance from a production guru yields a meticulously crafted album   After the success of the Band Perry’s 2010 debut album and multiplatinum smash “If I Die Young,” the family band was uncertain about their follow-up record, Pioneer. So the country trio trekked to Malibu, Calif., to hone their songs with the man they called the Song Doctor, producer Rick Rubin—and hone they did. “Every song we wrote, we rewrote again and... 

PAUL WILLIAMS

PAUL WILLIAMS The once-ubiquitous songwriter returns to stage, screen—and Capitol Hill Paul Williams became wildly successful for penning romantic 1970s hits including “We’ve Only Just Begun,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song” and “Evergreen.” But behind the scenes Paul Williams battled demons of addiction. “I did 48 Tonight shows,” he says. “I remember six.” Goodbye, Johnny Carson; hello, Betty Ford. Today, more than 20 years clean... 

ALICE IN CHAINS

ALICE IN CHAINS Setting the musical bar high and releasing no album before its time      In July 2011, Alice in Chains frontman Jerry Cantrell began working on the band’s new record, but the process proved too painful—not artistically but physically. The guitarist was experiencing severe shoulder pain and underwent surgery to remove bone deposits. A nightmarish scenario for any guitar player, Cantrell wrote it off as an occupational hazard.... 

STEPHEN STILLS

STEPHEN STILLS His career at 60 years and counting, an icon looks back—and forward By Jeff Tamarkin Even at 82 tracks packed onto four CDs, Carry On, the new Stephen Stills retrospective boxed set, barely scratches the surface of one of rock’s most iconic careers. After all, how can one afternoon’s listening encapsulate a half-century of creativity? We first heard Stills in 1966 with Buffalo Springfield (“For What It’s Worth” remains... 

BOZ SCAGGS

BOZ SCAGGS  The genre-blending genius takes on classic songs in a historic studio  By Jeff Tamarkin Play Boz Scaggs’ 44-year-old debut album, his 1976 multiplatinum megahit Silk Degrees, or his pair of standards records from the past decade, and one constant emerges from his music: He remains true to his vision, finding that sweet spot where R&B, pop, jazz, blues and rock intersect and then customizing it. Scaggs’ attention to detail, level... 

EVE

EVE After a decade of changes, the rapper turns up the intensity on a new set  In the 11 years since her last album, Eve has been rather busy. She released singles, made guest appearances on more than a dozen tracks for other artists, had her own sitcom, appeared in the two Barbershop films, and launched a fashion line. But Lip Lock, her long-awaited return, wasn’t a snap decision. “It’s been a bit of journey. I’ve been trying to put out... 

SPIN DOCTORS

SPIN DOCTORS   The alt-rockers revisit their blues roots and reinvent their sound   While touring in England behind the 2011 release of Pocket Full of Kryptonite: 20th Anniversary Edition, the Spin Doctors made a discovery: Their future lay in their past. Before the band hit the charts in the early ’90s with peppy, poppy alt-rock tunes such as “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” “Two Princes” and “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues,” their stock... 

PATTY GRIFFIN

PATTY GRIFFIN The beloved singer-songwriter crafts a melodic tribute to her father “When I was younger, I could dive headfirst into writing about things like I knew a lot about them,” says Patty Griffin. She pauses, then laughs, “Now I realize I don’t know anything about anything.” Considering the singer-songwriter’s poetic and revealing lyrics have led artists like Emmylou Harris and the Dixie Chicks to record her material, many would... 

TALIB KWELI

TALIB KWELI Proving labels can’t confine or define him on   his latest project  Talib Kweli has a well-earned reputation for being a smart, socially and politically aware lyricist. But with Prisoner of Conscious, his fifth solo album, Kweli is hoping to show he’s in touch with his emotional side. “Just calling the album Prisoner of Conscious,” says the rapper. “I don’t see myself as a prisoner of conscience, so I set out to make an... 

ADAM ANT

ADAM ANT The former U.K. chart-topper gets back into the swing of performing     Creatively speaking, Adam Ant has soared over the mountaintops and stumbled on the valley’s floor. Clinically diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003, he had fallen off the radar eight years earlier, after the release of Wonderful. He eventually battled through the disease to release Adam Ant Is the BlueBlack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner’s Daughter, his first studio... 

KIM RICHEY

KIM RICHEY On her latest effort, the acclaimed singer-songwriter highlights harmonies    Kim Richey has been on the move—Colorado, Boston, Washington, South America, Europe and London, where she spent three years. She returned to Nashville for the third time last summer to make her new album, Thorn in My Heart. Richey’s first venture to Music City after college included a stint as a cook at the famed Bluebird Café where she glimpsed singer-songwriters... 

TRIAD-ORBIT MIC STANDS

TRIAD-ORBIT MIC STANDS Standing apart from the crowd When we saw the Triad-Orbit mic stands at AES, we knew they were going to be a game changer for both recording and live-sound engineers. This modular stand system is made from the highest quality materials, providing extreme placement flexibility and stability. The mechanical limitations of the average mic stand require the entire stand to be moved into position. Conversely, Triad-Orbit stands feature... 

DANGEROUS MUSIC SOURCE

DANGEROUS MUSIC SOURCE Mojo for your monitors  While recording enthusiasts gleefully scarf up pricey mics and compressors, they often skimp on what may be the single most valuable piece of gear in their signal chain—the monitor controller. People often forget that every mic they place, note they play, and track they mix hinges on the ability to accurately hear the audio. With a staggering array of configurations and ganging capacity, the Dangerous... 

RADIAL STAGEBUG SB-1 ACTIVE ACOUSTIC DI

RADIAL STAGEBUG SB-1 ACTIVE ACOUSTIC DI Tiny DI with big features Although the Radial Engineering SB-1 is small enough to fit in your guitar case, the company didn’t skimp on features or durability. Built specifically with acoustic guitar in mind, this phantom-powered DI features a phase button for feedback cancellation you can control onstage and a switchable -15dB pad for high-output active electronics. A parallel quarter-inch jack complements... 

DW COLLECTOR’S SERIES CONCRETE SNARE DRUMS

DW COLLECTOR’S SERIES CONCRETE SNARE DRUMS Killer sound cannon DW Drums has built an all-star roster of endorsers by crafting a line of drums as versatile as they are roadworthy. The 5.5×14” and 6.5×14” Concrete Snare Drums are the latest addition to the DW Collector’s Series, and they’re more than worthy of the DW badge. We were especially blown away by the outstanding textures, tone and dynamic range the 5.5” model delivered.... 
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