Mastering the Master A studio legend details the crucial final step in the recording process Between the final mix and the finished record lies a mysterious final step: mastering. But what is it? Why is it important? Is it necessary? In fact, mastering is vital to the recording process. Imagine having to lunge for the volume knob every time a new song came on the radio, each with a vastly different sound level. Or, consider why your favorite music... 

Art of the Pickup Get the inside scoop on picking the perfect pickup The key to a guitarist’s tone is the pickup—the unassuming device sitting underneath guitar strings that translates vibrations into sweet melodies and sonic fury. In fact, few pieces of gear have a greater impact on a guitar’s tone—and there are seemingly endless varieties to choose from. Some players soar with the stock units that came with their guitars, while others experiment... 

Pedal Power Guitar master Joe Bonamassa shoots from the hip about selecting the right effects pedal For a guitarist on a quest for the ultimate pedalboard setup, the sheer number of options can make any search downright bewildering. There’s a seemingly endless supply of cutting-edge digital varieties guaranteed to pack entire guitar rigs into a single pedal. But there are also plenty of vintage classics and even hand-built boutique rarities to... 

Open Rec Discover the essentials for creating a stellar home recording studio Over the past few decades, the home studio has gone from a novelty to an extravagance to a staple of modern recording. Today nearly anyone can capture pro-studio results without ever leaving their home. In fact, much of the music we hear every day began in repurposed basements or spare bedrooms. But with new production gear hitting the streets daily, outfitting a recording... 

Road Hazards From the glory of a spectacular show to the appreciation of screaming fans, there’s plenty of glamour to be found onstage. But after the last chord’s played and the show’s wrapped, a rather unglamorous process begins—load-out. But then again, what could be more vital than protecting your instruments and gear from the rigors of the road as they’re transported from gig to gig? Whether you’re a pro who relies on roadies or a... 

POSITIVE APP-TITUDE Discover what today’s mobile music-making apps can do for you Few technologies have revolutionized how musicians write, practice, perform and record music than Apple’s iOS platform. Since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010, software developers have harnessed the power of portable devices, creating a myriad of new and exciting creative paths for musicians. With thousands of apps to choose from and... 

RICK HALL The creator of the Muscle Shoals sound reveals the secrets to his success By Michael Gallant Muscle Shoals was ground zero in the ’60 and ’70s for a wide range of artists—Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James and many more—who recorded some of their biggest hits in this tiny town in northeastern Alabama. The potent, soulful vibe that emerged had such an impact that it became known as the Muscle Shoals sound. And the man at... 

DALE WATSON Stubbornly authentic, the country outlaw remains true to his roots Maverick Dale Watson Freely acknowledges his music isn’t for everybody—and he’s perfectly fine with that. “I don’t think we appeal to the audience that likes current country music,” he says. “That’s just not our audience. Merle Haggard was once asked how he felt about his music not being played on the radio, and he said, ‘I’m glad they don’t play... 

String Theory Everything you need to know about finding the perfect guitar From B.B. King’s soaring vibrato to Jimmy Page’s heavy riffs and Tom Morello’s pulverizing solos, the electric guitar has formed the very foundation of rock and modern music for more than a half-century. But before you’re ready to extend the legacy of these six-string legends, you’ll need the right instrument. And selecting an electric guitar is no easy process,... 

Toontrack releases a new collection of Country Guitar Tones for EZmix 2 Toontrack released Country Guitars EZmix Pack, a new expansion for its widely popular multi-effect mix tool EZmix 2. This is the first release of Toontrack’s ongoing Country Month, a month-long celebration in February 2016 of all things country music-related. The Country Guitars EZmix Pack presents a diverse collection of settings for all walks of vintage and modern electric... 

TOONTRACK ANNOUNCES COUNTRY MONTH Swedish drum sampler pioneers Toontrack announced today that they will be presenting the company’s first-ever theme month centered around country music in February. The month will include four new releases, all of which will be announced weekly throughout the month. In addition to this and several other efforts, Toontrack will be hosting a player based on customers’ songs. Individual tracks will be selected weekly... 

NAMM TEAC AWARDS – Les Paul Award to Don Was CREATIVE & TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT THE  31st ANNUAL NAMM TEC AWARDS    PRESTIGIOUS LES PAUL AWARD PRESENTED TO DON WAS JEFF “SKUNK” BAXTER and RECORD PLANT’S CHRIS STONE AND GARY KELLGREN INDUCTED INTO TEC AWARDS HALL OF FAME   Evening hosted by comedian Sinbad Presenters included: Joe Walsh, Nathan East, Peter Asher, Ed and Rose-Mann Cherney, Sylvia Massy,... 

ADAM FALCON WOKE UP CRYIN’ ADAM FALCON’S ROCK-INFUSED FUNK AND PURE, SOULFUL VOICE RECALL THE MOST HONEST OF ’70S RHYTHM & BLUES, RECALLING THE BEST OF SHUGGIE OTIS, CURTIS MAYFIELD, AND MARVIN GAYE. ” JAZZIZ Magazine  Read More →

 Read More →

 Read More →

Rachael Sage Hanukkah in the Village  Read More →

2015 Hollywood Music in Media Awards The Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) honors music in film, TV, videogames, commercials and trailers. The HMMA nominations have historically been representative of the nominees of key awards shows that are announced months later.  Last year’s Golden Globe nominees for score matched the HMMA’ selections.  Nominees of this year’s HMMA represent visual music from around the world including Spain, Argentina,... 

L.A. Jazz Institute Presents Big Band Concepts: A Jazz Tribute to Frank Sinatra October 29-November 1  A Four Day Jazz Festival   This weekend promises to be incredible! You’ll hear LIVE world-class bands including The Johnny Mandel Big Band The Patrick Williams Orchestra The Frank Capp Juggernaut The Scott Whitfield Big Band The Carl Saunders Be Bop Big Band The Mike Berkowitz Big Band Roger Neumann’s Rather Large Band and even a few... 

Toontrack releases new drum MIDI by Kenny Aronoff Toontrack announced the release of a new drum MIDI title performed by Kenny Aronoff: American Rock MIDI. “It’s a privilege to be able to give our users the experience of working with grooves from one of the most recorded session drummers in music history. Kenny’s performances are both musical, and inspiring – the perfect combination for any sort of production ranging from basic songwriting... 

Toontrack releases new EZdrummer 2 expansion: Post-Rock EZX Today, Toontrack announced the release of the Post-Rock EZX, a new sound library expansion for EZdrummer 2 recorded in Iceland’s iconic Sundlaugin Studios. This marks the fifth EZX since the EZdrummer 2 launch in 2014. About the Post-Rock EZX & the Sundlaugin Studios ”Dramatic. A force of nature. Unpredictable and almost cinematic.” When asked how to put words to the term post-rock,... 

CASIO LAUNCHES NEW CELVIANO GRAND HYBRID DIGITAL PIANO It’s not the real thing, but it’s really, really close. New York City pianist Simone Dinnerstein played to a rapt audience at Lincoln Center recently, and demonstrated the remarkable sound of Casio’s new CELVIANO Grand Hybrid digital piano. Stephen Schmidt could’ve sworn he was seeing and hearing an acoustic concert grand. “Between the sound and the appearance, that’s all I could... 

Allison Moorer AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Amilia Spicer AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Amy McCarley AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Anthony D’Amato AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Baskery AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Brennan Leigh and Noel McKay AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Brothers Comatose AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Brothers Landreth AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Buddy Miller AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Chris Smither and Jim Lauderdale AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Chris Smither AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Chuck Mead AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Eliot Bronson AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Elizabeth Cook AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Ethan Johns AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Falls AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Grace and Tony AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Gregory Alan Isakov AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Griffin House AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Hot Nut Riveters AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Howard Fishman AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Israel Nash AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

James Maddock AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Jenni Alpert AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Jim Lauderdale AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →

Jonah Tolchin AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com        Read More →

Jonny 2 Bags AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014   http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com      Read More →

Kaela Kinney http://www.kaelakinney.com AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 > Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com      Read More →

KATIE COLE http://katiecoleofficial.com AMERICANA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2014 http://americanamusic.org Photography by Jeff Fasano http://www.jefffasano.com  Read More →