A spur can be thought of as a stabilizer “leg” for a kick drum . Spurs mount to the side of the kick drum and prevent it from rolling back and forth, helping to anchor it into position. Some spurs mount to a bracket on the side of the drum, others telescope from inside the drum. Most drum spurs feature rubber caps on the bottom to help the spur grip and to protect the floor the drum is resting on.
If a song has a fade on the ending, or if instruments/ chords /cymbals ring on at the end of a song, be sure to mute the click before the song ends, so that you don’t get bleed into the audio as it fades to silence.
Purchase a pair of Alesis M1 Active 320USB speakers between September 1 and December 31, 2010, and you’ll receive a free speaker bag, perfect for transporting your M1 Actives from home to the studio or wherever you need to go!
The part of bass drum pedal that actually strikes the drumhead . The beater consists of a shaft that attaches to the pedal and a wood, rubber, felt, metal, resin, or plastic head, which is the part that actually impacts the drumhead. The beater head may be be covered with felt or another material to change the tone of the beater, or it may have different surfaces, which can rotate to strike the head, for different sounds .
Tips on how to choose a double bass drum pedal, from Sweetwater’s own Derek Senestraro. There are lots of great double bass drum pedals on the market today. Just as with a single pedal, there are some things to look at and think through as you are deciding which is best for you. 1. Drive connection — There are several options, with chain drive being the most popular and common today. Chain is durable and will last quite a long time. It does have a different feel, a little less “bouncy” than a strap and very different than a direct drive. Drive connection is a very important parameter contributing to the “feel” of the pedal.
Today Roland and BOSS announced a number of exciting new products! Check these out: Juno Gi — more than 1,300 sounds, friendly operation, light and portable, battery power, and 128-note polyphony. The big news? A built-in 8-track digital recorder with pro guitar effects, that records to a high-capacity SDHC card. AX-Synth Black Sparkle — powerful solo-oriented sounds, ribbon and D BEAM controllers, USB MIDI, long battery life, dedicated V-LINK button for video/visual control, and a gorgeous glass particle UV finish! Octa-Capture — a 10×10 USB 2.0 audio interface with eight VS preamps, 24-bit/96kHz resolution, Auto-Sense for setting preamp levels, low-latency VS streaming driver, and four independent software-controlled mixes for monitors. Supports Mac and PC, under ASIO, WDM or Core Audio. RD-700NX — SuperNATURAL piano technology, with three piano sounds and 30 variations, plus 10 electric piano types with 15 variations. Hundreds of built-in sounds, storage for 100 Live Sets, deluxe PHA III Ivory Feel Keyboard with Escapement, extensive multi-effects, master MIDI control features, and much more. New Cubes — four new Cube amp models join the more than one million Cube amps already in use. The new XL series includes models with 80, 40, 20, or 15 watts, with COSM modeling, built-in effects, independent channels, and much more. The 40-watt and 80-watt models have three footswitchable channels and 80-second Phrase Loopers built in. Plus much more! PS-6 Harmonist — a new BOSS pedal with four intelligent pitch-shift effects and three-voice harmony. Modes include Harmony, Pitch Shifter, and Detune, plus Super Bend for pedal bending effects and 3- and 4-octave ptch sweeps using an optional expression pedal. ST-2 Power Stack — from fat crunch to ultra high-gain distortion, the Power Stack pedal can do it. With Bass, Treble, Level, and Sound controls, this stompbox can create the sound of vintage stacks to modern monsters. If you want the tone of a stack no matter what amp or volume you play at, then this pedal is what you need!
A term used to describe a guitar tone that is semi- distorted , with a lot of punch and presence . Typically crunch tones are used for rhythm sounds.
Guitar multieffects boxes offer a variety of methods for shaping the tone of your signal , such as parametric and graphic equalizers and microphone emulation and amplifier / speaker models. Each of these will provide a different tone and result. Familiarize yourself with the sound of each option your multi-effector offers, then use the best one to achieve the result that you are looking for.
Propellerhead Software has released version 1.5 of Record and version 5 of Reason . These are major upgrades, introducing tons of new features. Among the biggies: Kong Drum Designer — a full-on drum machine/drum synthesizer. Dr. Octo Rex Loop Player — 8-part REX loop player. Neptune — pitch correction and voice synthesizer. Block-based sequencing mode for fast song creation and arrangements. Live sampling A much-expanded Factory Sound Bank.
A speaker cabinet containing a single 15-inch speaker . A 1×15 cabinet typically will feature a closed-back design. A 1×15 cabinet is usually intended for bass guitar use.
Want to instantly reduce the perceived amount of bleed you get from a loud click track in a musician’s headphones when recording? Run the click through an EQ and pull out the high frequencies . The duller, EQ’d click won’t penetrate the phones as well and won’t be as audible in any nearby open microphones .
The latest from our friends at Vienna Symphonic Library is Vienna Instruments PRO, a new sample player featuring Human Performance Control over timing and intonation; super-fast load times; a new GUI design; tuning scales (switchable on the fly); built-in, low-latency reverb; time stretching; eight articulation slots per cell; separate volume and EQ for each matrix; new customization options for workflow, patchhes, and articulations; new browser with search; and a new 128-key keyboard display.
A receptacle or attachment point for connecting a cable, chain, or other rigging system for suspending a speaker from a truss, ceiling, or beam.
Q: Can I ” fly ” my Samson Auro speakers ? It looks like there is a fly point in the top. A: Samson does not recommend flying the Auros by the screw point in the top of the cabinet . The Auro speakers are not designed to be installed via fly points. The screw point on top is intended to provide added stability when using the Auro speakers on wallmount brackets.
Korg has released new software, including M3 Music Workstation/Sampler Editor software version 2.2.1, PS60 Performance Synthesizer system version 1.0.1 Upgrade, and PS60 Editor software version 1.0.2. Visit Korg’s website for complete details and for the free downloads.
A speaker cabinet containing four 10-inch speakers . A 4×10 cabinet may feature either an open-back or a closed-back design. A 4×10 cabinet may be intended for guitar or bass use, depending on the speakers used and the cabinet design.
Make sure that you balance the volume level between clean sounds , crunch sounds, and heavily distorted lead tones . The amount of distortion can change the perceived volume significantly, especially when playing the guitar solo, without a band or backing tracks. Balance the levels as well as you can at home, but be prepared to adjust the volumes to compensate for the perceived/real level differences when playing live onstage.
A device used to route the signal from a microphone to two or more inputs. Mic splitters are used in live sound situations to feed microphones to FOH and monitor mixers simultaneously, as well as for live recordings, where the same mics must feed the PA systems and the recording rig. Typically a transformer is used to isolate the splitter’s outputs , in order to prevent ground loops and loading problems.
Another tip from mega-platinum engineer/producer Keith Olsen: use the shape of your room to your advantage when tracking . Here’s the idea: when recording a directional source, such as a guitar amplifier , don’t place the amp/ speaker so that it is parallel or perpendicular to the room’s walls. Rather, turn the amp at an angle to the walls so that reflections bounce around the room, rather than directly back at the amp. Likewise, angle the amp upward so that the reflections from the ceiling are directed away from the amp. Think of a flashlight shining into a mirror; rather than have the light reflected straight back into your eyes, angle the flashlight so the light reflections bounce around the room.
Have you been checking out all of the videos Sweetwater has been posting to Facebook and YouTube ? At the time of this writing, there are 434 videos on our YouTube page, with more going up all the time. I’d like to especially point your attention to our weekly Sweetwater Minute videos , which are posted to both our Facebook and our YouTube pages each Friday. Sweetwater Minutes cover a wide range of topics from guitar amp and effects demos to recording gear, from news and special events to interviews with artists, producers, engineers, and industry luminaries. In recent Sweetwater Minute episodes, we’ve talked with virtuoso guitarists David Grissom and Joe Satriani , engineer/producer Chris Lord-Alge , engineer/producer Jack Joseph Puig , engineer/producer Jacquire King , acoustician/studio designer Russ Berger , the master luthiers from the Fender Custom Shop , and many more. In upcoming episodes, we’ll be interviewing guitarist Dave Weiner (from Steve Vai’s band) and PRS amp designer Doug Sewell. Plus, there will be new gear demos, product introductions, and more. Don’t miss an episode!
A speaker cabinet , typically designed for electric guitar use, containing one 12-inch speakers . A 1×12 cabinet may feature either an open-back or a closed-back design.
Another tip from the recent seminar multi-platinum engineer/producer Keith Olsen gave here at Sweetwater: To achieve tight, controllable bottom end when miking a guitar amp , get the amp up off of the floor on a stand, case, or anything else that’s handy (and that’s sturdy enough to support the amp and damped enough not to resonate in response to sound from the amp). Elevating the amp a bit reduces floor reflections that can interfere with the low-end coming from the amp.
In response to popular demand, MOTU has released three of their most popular audio processing plug-ins: MasterWorks EQ (modeled British analog EQ), MasterWorks Leveler (vintage gain control), and ProVerb (realistic acoustic ambiences and spaces). The three plug-ins are bundled as the MasterWorks Collection, and support RTAS, Audio Units, and VST3 formats on Mac OS X.
A speaker cabinet , typically designed for electric guitar use, containing two 12-inch speakers . A 2×12 cabinet may feature either an open- or closed-back design.
When recording electric guitar , mega-platinum engineer/producer Keith Olsen tells us that he prefers using a 2×12 cabinet over a 4×12 speaker cabinet . The reason? According to Keith, a 2×12 is more controllable than a 4×12. Plus, by carefully placing both the cabinet in the room (for example, using a wall or corner for low-end enhancement) and the microphone on the cabinet, you can make a 2×12 sound every bit as big as a 4×12.
A speaker cabinet , typically designed for electric guitar use, containing four 12-inch speakers .
Sample Logic has announced Cinematic Guitars, a new collection of morphed guitar instruments using an “adaptable core effects” sequencer engine powered by Native Instruments Kontakt Player. The new library/instrument includes more than 1,000 instruments and multis and a 9GB sample library. Geared for film/TV, game, and electronic composers, the package comprises atmospheric/ambient soundscapes; morphed guitars, synths, and pads; and tempo-synced melodic and percussive loops.
During super engineer/producer Keith Olsen’s seminar here at Sweetwater, our own Mitch Gallagher interviewed the man about how he recorded some of his classic guitar tones , such as: Neil Giraldo on Pat Benatar’s early albums: Marshall JMP 100 combo amp loaded with two EVM12L speakers , Shure SM57 microphone placed using the shavering method. Joe Walsh on his album, The Confessor : Marshall JMP 100 combo amp loaded with two EVM12L speakers, SM57 microphone placed using the shavering method. Zakk Wylde on his early albums with Ozzy Osbourne: Marshall JMP 100 combo amp loaded with two EVM12L speakers, SM57 microphone placed using the shavering method. Seems there is a trend emerging here….
API has announced that they have received the trademark for the term “Lunchbox.” The trademark recognizes that API created the 500 Series format , and allows the company to effectively market the lunchbox frame , which can hold up to six 500 Series modules.
