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<channel>
	<title>Moozek</title>
	
	<link>http://www.moozek.com</link>
	<description>Pro Audio &amp; Mixing</description>
	<pubDate>Sun, 24 May 2009 19:17:46 +0000</pubDate>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2</generator>
	<language>en</language>
			<geo:lat>34.211494</geo:lat><geo:long>-118.231045</geo:long><image><link>http://www.moozek.com</link><url>http://www.moozek.com/moozekfeed.gif</url><title>Moozek - Pro Audio &amp; Music</title></image><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="self" href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/Moozek" type="application/rss+xml" /><feedburner:emailServiceId>Moozek</feedburner:emailServiceId><feedburner:feedburnerHostname>http://feedburner.google.com</feedburner:feedburnerHostname><atom10:link xmlns:atom10="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" rel="hub" href="http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com" /><item>
		<title>Overloud Releases TH1 - The Commercial SimulAnalog</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/qrp_KvwTCbo/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/11/14/overloud-releases-th1-the-commercial-simulanalog/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:03:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Amplitube 2]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Overloud]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[SimulAnalog GSuite]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[TH1]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=528</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Numerous musicians and engineers fell in love with the SimulAnalog project - an old freeware VST plug-in suite, created to explore electronic circuit emulation, that actually sounded great, even when compared to the top commercial offers in digital guitar amp emulation.
There is still no press release, but today SimulAnalog e-mail subscribers received news about a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="alignnone" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/overloud.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="85" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Numerous musicians and engineers fell in love with the SimulAnalog project - an old freeware VST plug-in suite, created to explore electronic circuit emulation, that actually sounded great, even when compared to the top commercial offers in digital guitar amp emulation.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">There is still no press release, but today SimulAnalog e-mail subscribers received news about a new effort by the creators of SimulAnalog, using a development of that same technology - <a title="Overloud TH1" href="http://www.overloud.com/" target="_blank">Overloud TH1</a>. It&#8217;s an Amplitube 2-like software available for Mac and PC in Standalone, RTAS, VST and AU.<span id="more-528"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">From the e-mail: &#8220;While trying to achieve improvements to the technology behind the Simulanalog project, I quickly realized that the effort required could have never be productive without making this my main occupation.<br />
For this reason, a couple of years ago, I joined some smart friends to create Overloud. Our focus was to work on the advancements of emulation technology and on building the most advanced, simple and musician-oriented interface we could think of.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">During all this time I have been tirelessly improving the Simulanalog modeling and developing new technologies and lots of new models. While I was busy with all of this number-crunching, my colleagues have been brain-storming and testing lots of concepts in order to achieve the best possible User Interface and nicest looking GUI. Now, after two years of relentless research and tireless development, we are finally releasing Overloud TH1: part of TH1 are great improvements to the Simulanalog Guitar Suite, the long-awaited Vintage Suite and much, much more! We sincerely believe that TH1 is currently the most advanced product in his field in terms of technology and user-oriented solutions.<br />
I warmly invite you to download our fully-functional 14-day demo and test the advancements yourself. Of course, all this effort comes at a price and we made our best effort to keep the product pricing as reachable as possible while giving us the chance to develop our ground-breaking modeling technology and to grow as a fit, technology-based company.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Main features</strong><br />
- 4th generation analog emulation technology<br />
- 3D, gapless positioning of microphones<br />
- SLR technology allows morphing between two amplifiers<br />
- Advanced cabinet emulations with ReSPiRe technology<br />
- Realistic and easy-to-get rendition of the signal path<br />
- Easy to build or modify your own signal path<br />
- Revolutionary GUI, host or MIDI real-time control via Smart Controls<br />
- RTAS, AU, VST, Standalone for Mac (Universal) and RTAS, VST and Standalone for PC&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">TH1 is available now on the Overloud web store for the special introductory price of<br />
209.- Euro (+ VAT, where applicable) and soon at your local store.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Introductory offer due to expire on Nov. 30th, 2008.<br />
List price is 249.- Euro (+VAT where applicable) for the world and 349 USD in US and Canada.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Guitar Fluffiness…?</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/3YWrinFRSOE/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/23/guitar-fluffiness/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[AxeGlove]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[GLAAD]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[PickPocket]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=505</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Collectors like to protect their guitars.  But a new product came out for musicians to protect their guitars, and the (patented) concept is basically to turn your guitar into a silly stuffed animal. And they say you can use it live and in the studio. Well, I have trouble imagining professional musicians who take themselves [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone" title="AxeGlove" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/axeglove.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="123" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Collectors like to protect their guitars.  But <a title="AxeGlove" href="http://www.axeglove.com/main.htm" target="_blank">a new product came out</a> for musicians to protect their guitars, and the (patented) concept is basically to turn your guitar into a silly stuffed animal. And they say you can use it live and in the studio. Well, I have trouble imagining professional musicians who take themselves (and their music) seriously, bringing a plush guitar sweater to protect the delicate finish of their exquisite guitar. Am I the only one? Whatever balls they earned from practicing scales for years, those would be gone in a flash.<span id="more-505"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As a supporter of <a title="Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation" href="http://www.glaad.org" target="_blank">GLAAD</a>, I hope gay people understand when I say, THIS IS GAY!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Whatever happened to Jimi Hendrix burning his strat? I love guitars as much as the next guy, but Rock n&#8217; Roll is&#8230; not about keeping a guitar finish in mint condition for decades, like grannies who still use the TV remote in the plastic wrapper.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">And to top it off, they have a super exclusive, patent registered &#8220;PickPocket&#8221; trademark - a revolutionary concept of&#8230; a pocket to store picks. That&#8217;s all it is. A fluffy pocket in your fluffy guitar sweater to store your guitar picks. Genius.<span style="background-color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; font-family: Times New Roman; color: #ffffff;"> </span></span></p>
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		<title>iLike and TuneCore Join Forces for Independent Musicians</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/MQ-lqjIBZfY/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/22/ilike-and-tunecore-join-forces-for-independent-musicians/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:00:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[iLike]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Independent]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[TuneCore]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=510</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
iLike, the leading social music discovery service, and TuneCore, the leading digital music distribution service, started a joint effort to help independent artists make money and get discovered.
It&#8217;s basically a synchronization of the services they already provide - promotion and sales. Read on for details. 
This unique alliance leverages TuneCore&#8217;s digital distribution model and iLike&#8217;s [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="alignnone" title="iLike and TuneCore join forces" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/iliketunecore.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="89" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">iLike, the leading social music discovery service, and TuneCore, the leading digital music distribution service, started a joint effort to help independent artists make money and get discovered.<br />
It&#8217;s basically a synchronization of the services they already provide - promotion and sales. Read on for details. <span id="more-510"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">This unique alliance leverages TuneCore&#8217;s digital distribution model and iLike&#8217;s music promotion and discovery services to give independent artists a turnkey solution to distribute, promote and sell their music. With this initiative, independent artists can essentially be their own label, as follows:</p>
<ul style="text-align: justify;">
<li>Distribution: TuneCore empowers any artist to distribute their music and videos worldwide to iTunes, Rhapsody, Amazonmp3, and other leading online music stores and subscription services while keeping 100% of the royalties.</li>
<li>Marketing and Promotion: iLike offers a range of free and paid music-promotion services for artists to reach new fans on leading social networks and platforms across the Web.</li>
<li>Making Money: Artists will also earn royalties when their music is streamed on iLike.com, Facebook, and other platforms where iLike is available.</li>
</ul>
<p style="text-align: justify;">How It Works:<br />
By submitting their music via TuneCore, independent or established musicians can sell their music in all the major online stores and leading subscription services, including: iTunes; Amazon mp3; and through Rhapsody, on Yahoo, MTV and iLike.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After using TuneCore to easily and quickly distribute their music to Rhapsody, artists will earn royalties when their music is streamed not only on iLike.com but also on iLike&#8217;s unrivaled music syndication network, which provides music on Facebook®, hi5, Orkut, Bebo, iLike&#8217;s third-party developer platform <a href="http://www.ilike.com/developer/signup" target="_blank">http://www.ilike.com/developer/signup</a> and other leading channels across the Web.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">&#8220;We are pleased to team up with TuneCore, a group that shares our commitment to unsigned artists, to create a real solution for indie musicians,&#8221; said Ali Partovi, CEO of iLike. &#8220;As the music industry continues to reinvent itself, we believe it&#8217;s critical to offer independent musicians equal opportunity alongside major-label artists.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Jeff Price, founder and CEO of TuneCore, said, &#8220;This relationship is the first time that music discovery, promotion and sharing is directly connected to distribution outside of a traditional label. I was an iLike user far before I had the privilege of working with them. iLike helps music and musicians get discovered, get heard and get famous. TuneCore provides worldwide distribution of music and video to the stores where music fans go to buy it. Philosophically, we fit perfectly together — our common goal is to help the musician succeed under a new model.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Artists can learn more and sign up for a free account at TuneCore today at: <a href="http://www.tunecore.com/iLike" target="_blank">http://www.tunecore.com/iLike</a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">For more information, visit their web site at <a href="http://www.tunecore.com/" target="_blank">www.tunecore.com</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Moozek Partners With DontCrack</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/2eUM9r1lA0A/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/22/moozek-partners-with-dontcrack/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Moozek]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[DontCrack]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=513</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
In an effort get support for Moozek, while simultaneously displaying ads that can be a cool suggestion of the latest plug-in releases instead of just unrelated annoyances, we are now displaying ads provided by DontCrack. Support our sponsors, and who knows, you might learn about some new audio software as well.
This will not change the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone" title="DontCrack partnership" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/dontcrack.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="89" /></p>
<p>In an effort get support for Moozek, while simultaneously displaying ads that can be a cool suggestion of the latest plug-in releases instead of just unrelated annoyances, we are now displaying ads provided by <a title="DOntCrack" href="http://www.dontcrack.com" target="_blank">DontCrack</a>. Support our sponsors, and who knows, you might learn about some new audio software as well.</p>
<p>This will not change the content of the site, just the ads - the content will still selfishly reflect my opinion, or give out cool tips on&#8230;stuff.</p>
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		<title>Coming Soon: Nomad Factory British Bundle</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/9Kq1duAJVsQ/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/21/coming-soon-nomad-factory-british-bundle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:21:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Blue Tubes]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[British Bundle]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[DontCrack]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Nomad Factory]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Rock Amp]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=501</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Nomad Factory, the plug-in company who started by bringing us the Blue Tubes Series, has grown and now is releasing a new set of 2 plug-ins, modeled after the legendary 2254 master compressor and the vintage Neve 1081 EQ.  We hope these combine light processing and sound quality, as Nomad Factory has gotten us used [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone" title="Nomad Factory British Bundle" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/nomadfactory.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="99" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a title="Nomad Factory Plug-ins" href="http://www.nomadfactory.com" target="_blank">Nomad Factory</a>, the plug-in company who started by bringing us the Blue Tubes Series, has grown and now is releasing a new set of 2 plug-ins, modeled after the legendary 2254 master compressor and the vintage Neve 1081 EQ.  We hope these combine light processing and sound quality, as Nomad Factory has gotten us used to. We point out there is a new top ad for Nomad Factory, from our new friends, <a title="DOntCrack" href="http://www.dontcrack.com" target="_blank">DontCrack</a>, and we&#8217;re expecting this to be the beginning of a long, symbiotic relationship. Nomad Factory press release after the jump.<span id="more-501"></span></p>
<p>Nomad Factory is proud to announce the British Bundle, high-resolution multi-formats bundled software that includes:</p>
<p>1) British MCL-2269 A Master Compressor Limiter modeled from the legendary 2254 compressor. The British MLC-2269 is a simple and elegant Master Compressor Limiter (MCL). The British MCL-2269 is the perfect choice for a truly &#8220;British-Style&#8221; vintage compression sound by adding warmth and vintage compression to your music.</p>
<ul>
<li>Modeled from the legendary 2254 compressor</li>
<li>Input and Output level controls</li>
<li>Vintage Compressor section</li>
<li>Vintage Limiter Section</li>
<li>Phase reverse switch</li>
<li>Overload &#8216;Clipper&#8217; soft-knee limiter</li>
<li>Vintage Gain Reduction VU Meters</li>
<li>Windows XP / Vista32 and Mac OS X (Intel &amp; PPC) supported</li>
<li>VST, AU and RTAS supported</li>
<li>24 bit / 192 kHz supported</li>
</ul>
<p>2) British NEQ-1972 A Four-Band equalizer modeled from the classic-vintage 1081 EQ module. The British NEQ-1972 is a simple and elegant &#8220;British-Style&#8221; four-band equalizer with a low pass and high pass filters. The NEQ-1972 provides ± 18 dB of gain and switchable High-Q settings. The British &#8220;Nomad-EQ&#8221; NEQ-1972 is the perfect choice for a truly &#8220;British-Style&#8221; vintage EQ sound by adding an exceptional tone and character to your music.</p>
<ul>
<li>Modeled from the classic 1081 EQ module.</li>
<li>High Pass and Low Pass filters 24 dB/octave</li>
<li>4-band equalizer with Frequency, Gain and Shapes controls Boost / Cut up to 18 dB</li>
<li>Phase reverse switch</li>
<li>Vintage switch control</li>
<li>Modern Light Meters</li>
<li>Windows XP / Vista32 and Mac OS X (Intel &amp; PPC) supported</li>
<li>VST, AU and RTAS supported</li>
<li>24 bit / 192 kHz supported.</li>
</ul>
<p>NOTE: The British Bundle will be available for only $299.00 December 1, 2008. More information can be found from the Nomad Factory web site: <a href="http://www.nomadfactory.com/products/retro/british_bundle/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.nomadfactory.com/products/retro/british_bundle/index.html</a></p>
<p>For more information, visit their web site at <a href="http://www.nomadfactory.com/" target="_blank">www.nomadfactory.com</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Yes, We Do</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/SP9wmCLWxaY/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/15/yes-we-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:58:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Moozek]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Obama 08]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=498</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Sorry - I know some musicians out there don&#8217;t like to get into politics, and Moozek technically isn&#8217;t supposed to express political opinion, but what the hell, we did the Blog Action Day thing, so we&#8217;ll tell you what else we support.  Don&#8217;t miss the 3rd and last presidential debate tonight at 9pm EST, and [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.barackobama.com" target="_blank"><img class="alignnone" style="border: 0pt none; margin: 0px;" title="Moozek supports Barack Obama for America 08" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/obama08.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="101" /></a></p>
<p>Sorry - I know some musicians out there don&#8217;t like to get into politics, and Moozek technically isn&#8217;t supposed to express political opinion, but what the hell, we did the Blog Action Day thing, so we&#8217;ll tell you what else we support.  Don&#8217;t miss the 3rd and last presidential debate tonight at 9pm EST, and if you&#8217;re still undecided, check each candidate&#8217;s policies on the issues on their websites: <a title="BarackObama.com" href="http://www.barackobama.com/index.php" target="_blank">Obama</a>, <a title="McCain" href="http://www.johnmccain.com" target="_blank">McCain</a> and <a title="Bob Barr" href="http://www.bobbarr2008.com/home/skip/?s=0618" target="_blank">Barr</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Blog Action Day 2008: Poverty</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/IUoRESPQo0M/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/15/blog-action-day-2008-poverty/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:29:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Moozek]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Opinions]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Blog Action Day 2008]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[education]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Obama]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Poverty]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=486</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Blog Action Day 2008!  The theme is Poverty, which concerns us in many ways.  Moozek was created to offer something for free to everyone who is already struggling to pay the mortgage/rent and still has to deal with some prohibitive prices in the audio and music market. But we are also aware that an overwhelming [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/15/blog-action-day-2008-poverty/"><img class="alignnone" style="border: 0pt none; margin: 0px;" title="Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty Moozek.com" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/blogactionday2008.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="100" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a title="Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty" href="http://blogactionday.org/" target="_blank">Blog Action Day 2008</a>!  The theme is Poverty, which concerns us in many ways.  Moozek was created to offer something for free to everyone who is already struggling to pay the mortgage/rent and still has to deal with some prohibitive prices in the audio and music market. But we are also aware that an overwhelming percentage of the world population doesn&#8217;t have access to basic resources like food and shelter, let alone education.<span id="more-486"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Moozek has been offering tips and advice to struggling musicians, and pretty much anyone who loves music and audio.  On a first level, that is directly helpful for the readers, but on a second level it is also an attempt to create a culture based on sharing.  Sharing knowledge and experience has been this blog&#8217;s primary goal, ever since it was started.  And that needs to come from everyone, because it is fundamental to improve the self educational skills of a society. These skills correlate more directly to quality of life than most people would think.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I was born in Africa, in one of the poorest countries in the world (Mozambique), and I often think of all the people living there, who are not as fortunate as I was.  In my opinion, I would agree that the schooling system in most countries is broken in a lot of ways, as it perpetuates the political, group psychology of survival for a greater good, instead of individual achievements.  But reading a blog is not schooling - it is an act of individual pursuit of true education.  With education, people have the tools to survive, to create, to imagine, to achieve immediate goals and long term dreams.  Education means to look at ourselves and our role in this world, and to know that, as individuals, we are capable of changing, improving and creating.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">That empowers people to see what they can do to improve their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and eventually change what is wrong.  So the theme of poverty is really not just about not having money for food.  It&#8217;s about something we all fear.  It&#8217;s about all those people who suffer and die because of a broken world economy.  We are all human beings with equal potential when we are born, and equal opportunities for everyone is a dream we are very far from reaching.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Moozek is a tiny piece in the whole massive machine of education.  And the internet is a platform where that machine can be built.  We are dreaming of better education for future societies, where people see what is wrong and stand up for what they know is right.  Only such future would truly bring an end to poverty - an end to a system that feeds on ignorance and greed.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Back With New Servers!</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/FY-T78S51I4/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/10/03/back-with-new-servers/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:44:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Moozek]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Maintenance]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Servers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=480</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Moozek has been down for maintenance intermittently for the past few days, and with no new articles for about 20 days now. We switched to new and better servers, due to traffic requirements not met by the old machines. In the process we ran into some complications, but now everything is fine and dandy.
Keep checking [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignnone" title="Moozek Maintenance Back new servers" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/maintenance.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="131" /></p>
<p>Moozek has been down for maintenance intermittently for the past few days, and with no new articles for about 20 days now. We switched to new and better servers, due to traffic requirements not met by the old machines. In the process we ran into some complications, but now everything is fine and dandy.</p>
<p>Keep checking back for the next week! Thank you all for bearing with us. Even thought we’ve been down several times without warning, there have been no considerable decrease in visitors. Still a lot of people are checking back everyday, so we’re very thankful for your support!</p>
<p>- Jonathan</p>
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		<item>
		<title>20 Intermediate Pro Tools Tips</title>
		<link>http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Moozek/~3/pAud5lslvYw/</link>
		<comments>http://www.moozek.com/2008/09/10/20-intermediate-pro-tools-tips/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 2008 20:15:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Tips/Tutorials]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Top Articles]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Moozek]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Pro Tools]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[secrets]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.moozek.com/?p=428</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[

Top 10 Pro Tools Tips for the Newbie is now the most read article on Moozek, and it was also featured on StumbleUpon - whoever submitted it, thanks for the initiative! As a way to thank everyone who suggested slightly more advanced tips after the first 10, here&#8217;s a revised compilation of 20 tips - [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><!-- 	 	 --></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.moozek.com/2008/09/10/20-intermediate-pro-tools-tips/"><img class="alignnone" style="border: 0pt none;" title="Moozek 20 Intermediate Pro Tools Tips" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/20pttips.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="89" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a title="Top 10 Pro Tools Tips for the Newbie Moozek" href="http://www.moozek.com/2008/08/18/10-pro-tools-tips-for-the-newbie/" target="_self">Top 10 Pro Tools Tips for the Newbie</a> is now the most read article on Moozek, and it was also featured on <a title="StumbleUpon" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/" target="_blank">StumbleUpon</a> - whoever submitted it, thanks for the initiative! As a way to thank everyone who suggested slightly more advanced tips after the first 10, here&#8217;s a revised compilation of 20 tips - that includes some well kept secrets too! Enjoy. <span id="more-428"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #ff9900;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>1) </strong> Create an effects template session so you can quickly load your favorite send/return effects. Save it with all the delays, reverbs and other plug-ins with the settings you tend to use. Then use <em>File &gt; Import &gt; Session Data</em> to import your template effects into your session.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>2)</strong> Label your inputs, outputs and auxiliary buses in <em>Setup &gt; I/O</em>. It makes routing operations so much easier. As an alternative, you can also rename them by right clicking on the assignment (input, output, send) in the mix window.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>3) </strong> In the same way, label each track before you start recording. This avoids having file names encoded with numbers, that don&#8217;t say anything about where they belong.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>4)</strong> Use Mix groups! It&#8217;s a great time saver. An organized session with well grouped tracks allows you to mute/solo/edit whole sections, such as drums, guitars or background vocals.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>5)</strong> Remove unnecessary audio files from the audio regions list frequently. Click <em>Regions &gt; Select &gt; Unused</em>,<em> Regions &gt; Clear&#8230;</em> and then click Remove. This way, Pro Tools will not load those files when the session is started.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>6)</strong> Record each take to its own playlist. Create a new playlist (01) and start recording take 1 there. That way 01 = take 1, 02 = take 2 and so on. Keep the original playlist as a comp track.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>7)</strong> The first thing to do when mixing is (usually) to clean up all extra recorded noise in all the tracks. Learn to use Strip Silence (<em>Edit &gt; Strip Silence</em>) correctly to do this quickly.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong> <img src='http://www.moozek.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif' alt='8)' class='wp-smiley' /> </strong> Use the track show/hide feature to keep your window organized. Instead of deleting tracks, make them inactive (to save DSP) and hide them - just in case you need them again.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>9)</strong> Happy with the results? Consolidate your audio files and save it as a new session! Select the desired tracks and/or timeline range, and go to <em>Edit &gt; Consolidate</em>. Besides simplifying the process of exporting audio to other DAWs, this will improve performance as well.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>10)</strong> Check the disk allocation. Specially in Macs, where you can be tracking the best takes of your life to the Trash bin&#8230; without even knowing! This happened before to a lot of people. Try and explain to your clients that you need to re-track everything because the files got deleted when you emptied the Trash.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>11) </strong> You can avoid recording to the wrong drive by opening the workspace browser (<em>Window &gt; Workspace</em>) and, in the  A (Audio) column, select T for Transfer, P for Playback or R for Record, according to each drive&#8217;s function. That way, Pro Tools will know if you&#8217;re trying to do something wrong - it will only record to the drives you specify.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>12)</strong> In most studios I&#8217;ve worked at, there are strict naming rules for sessions and audio files. That system helps when several people have to work on the same files, and they need to know who worked on what, and when. But this can be also useful for you to remember what you did! Find out what fits you best in your personal studio, and stick to a rule for naming folders and session files, that includes the date, maybe the time, and names of bands and songs.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>13)</strong> <em>File &gt; Get Info&#8230;</em> is a good place to note down important information about the session. Anything you can think of. Same thing for the little comment spaces in each track.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>14)</strong> Ctrl+click the 1-5 zoom preset buttons to save 5 custom zoom settings.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>15)</strong> Set your favorite plug-ins to open with your own default settings. In the plug-in window, load your preset or settings, click the tiny double arrow button in the upper left corner, and select Set As User Default.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>16) </strong> To have your favorite plugins on top of the Inserts menu, Ctrl/Command+click its name in the list. Do this again to remove it.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>17) </strong> Need to make a quick edit in a parameter that is locked by groups? Ctrl/Command+Shift+G disables/enables all groups.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>18) </strong> Quickly compare your mix, before and after plug-ins. Select the tracks of which you want to bypass the inserts, press and hold Ctrl+Alt / Command+Option, and click the insert. If you click the second insert, all second inserts in all selected tracks will be bypassed.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>19)</strong> Press and hold Ctrl/Command when editing in Grid mode, to temporarily switch to Slip mode.<br />
<span style="color: #c0c0c0;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><strong>20) </strong> Make sure you are using the Pro Tools Auto backup feature. Set it to save automatically a session copy every minute or every 5 minutes: <em>Setup &gt; Preferences &gt; Operation &gt; Auto Backup</em>.<br />
<span style="color: #ff9900;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</span></p>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"><em>Thanks to <a title="James Meeker Productions" href="http://www.myspace.com/jamesmeekerproductions" target="_blank">James Meeker</a> and others from Moozek, Gearslutz, DUC, and Harmony Central forums for giving suggestions after the first article (<a title="Top 10 Pro Tools Tips for the Newbie Moozek" href="http://www.moozek.com/2008/08/18/10-pro-tools-tips-for-the-newbie/" target="_self"> Top 10 Pro Tools Tips for the Newbie</a> ). A lot of these tips are based on those suggestions, and people wanted to be credited.</em></h5>
<h5 style="text-align: justify;"><em><strong>Disclaimer:</strong></em><em><br />
With that being said, techniques for using a software are creditable mostly to the software engineers (in this case, at <a title="Digidesign" href="http://www.digidesign.com" target="_blank">Digidesign</a>.) Tips and shortcuts are common public knowledge - they are used because the engineers implemented them, and because they are based on documented features in a product manual. Nobody owns the intellectual property to Ctrl+Shift+G. It&#8217;s like owning the credit for the way I like to use a linear phase EQ in the master bus.<br />
Every time I write something, it&#8217;s assumed that I am thankful to everyone I ever learned from (the list would be bigger than this whole blog.) Like most people, I don&#8217;t know the exact origins of most of the information I remember. Moozek is a blog, in its right to share information from public sources. If people reply with more tips, I learn with those tips, and I might write about it, obviously presented in a different way (not  quoting directly anything). Those people might be credited - if it makes sense. This article was written from scratch and if you find here any direct paragraph from any source you know, please let us know. One does not own information one learned from a public source of information. We own only what we create. No one owns these tips. We own only the intellectual property of the text used to transmit these tips (which is not big deal, but avoids that people copy part or whole of it, take credit and get away with it.) That is what this blog believes in.</em></h5>
<p style="text-align: left;">
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		<title>The Best Guitars and Basses Under $500 (GBG Part II)</title>
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		<pubDate>Tue, 09 Sep 2008 09:29:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jonathan Grand</dc:creator>
		
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		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>

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		<category><![CDATA[Top Articles]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Baritone]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Ibanez]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Made In Mexico]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Mexican Fender]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Michael Kelly]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[MIM Strat]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[MIM Tele]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[MM3]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[OLP]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Patriot]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Paul Reed Smith]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[PRS SE]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Schecter]]></category>

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As promised, here is a list of reviews of different instruments for different styles and tastes. These instruments are what we consider to be today&#8217;s best options for inexpensive, quality guitars and basses.
Either you&#8217;re buying your first or 50th guitar, be sure to check out the options on this list - some are amazing out [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.moozek.com/2008/09/09/the-best-guitars-and-basses-under-500-gbg-part-ii/"><img class="alignnone" style="border: 0pt none;" title="Moozek Guitar Buyers Guide Part 2" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/gbgpart2.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="93" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">As promised, here is a list of reviews of different instruments for different styles and tastes. These instruments are what we consider to be today&#8217;s best options for inexpensive, quality guitars and basses.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Either you&#8217;re buying your first or 50th guitar, be sure to check out the options on this list - some are amazing out of the box, and some can be turned into real professional gear after something as simple as a pickup replacement.<span id="more-393"></span></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">But be aware, buying an instrument is still a matter of luck and you should try out as many instances as you can. Although it&#8217;s improving, quality control for any guitar is never to be fully trusted. If you try them all, you might even find a $2500 Paul Reed Smith that, for some crazy reason, just didn&#8217;t come out of the assembly line as well built as a $600 small brand guitar. And even though it&#8217;s more expensive, it might sound worse than the cheap model. True story - and this happens more often than you can imagine.<br />
___________________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">1. <strong><a title="Michael Kelly Guitars" href="http://www.michaelkellyguitars.com/" target="_blank">Michael Kelly</a> Patriot</strong> Review</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Michael Kelly Patriot Phoenix" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/michaelkelly.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="236" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Michael Kelly guitars are consistent in build quality. Whatever the model you pick, it will probably be one of the most solid guitars you ever played, with indisputably the most dense mahogany you can find out there. The sustain and tone is very Gibson-like, and you can pretty much use a Michael Kelly wherever you would use a Gibson Les Paul. And no need to replace the pickups! Great harmonic richness in all sorts of tones, from fat humbucker rock sound to warm jazz.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Most of the models come with coil tap push-pull systems, to turn each of the humbuckers into improvised single coils, which adds to the versatility of this already amazing guitar. Top of the line Michael Kellys come with name brand pickups, but the cheaper Michael Kelly pickups actually seem to behave slightly better, although the difference is arguable. The photo shows a Patriot Phoenix model, with a street price below $450!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Catch</strong>: the tone and volume pots feel flimsy, and they could use a replacement with better quality ones, and maybe replace all the electronic parts and wires (not the pickups!) while you&#8217;re at it. That&#8217;s it!</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[ Score Board ]</strong><br />
Workmanship: <strong>10</strong><br />
Hardware: <strong>9</strong><br />
Electronics: <strong>4</strong><br />
Pickups: <strong>9</strong><br />
Playability: <strong>8</strong><br />
Versatility: <strong>9</strong><br />
Sound: <strong>10</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">.<br />
2. <strong><a title="Paul Reed Smith PRS SE" href="http://www.prsguitars.com/products/index.html" target="_blank">PRS</a> SE Soapbar II</strong> Review</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Paul Reed Smith PRS SE Soapbar II" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/prsse.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="245" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The SE line can vary considerably in quality – but so can the high-end PRS line! Although there are other great SE models, the Soapbar II comes out as one of the ones with better quality control (apparently), and the included pickups (a pair of real P90s) are practically worth the money you pay for the guitar. The build quality can compete with a standard Paul Reed Smith, and since it has the same design, it&#8217;s a pleasure to play.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">All in all, an amazing value for such a good looking guitar. It&#8217;s considered a real PRS, more than an SE, by a lot of knowledgeable players and reviewers - and the street price goes often below $400. It won awards such as <em>Guitar Player Editor&#8217;s Pick</em>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Catch</strong>: The typical PRS bridge can be limiting to some – specially if you plan to use radical tunings with a properly calibrated bridge.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[ Score Board ]</strong><br />
Workmanship: <strong>9</strong><br />
Hardware: <strong>8</strong><br />
Electronics: <strong>8</strong><br />
Pickups: <strong>10</strong><br />
Playability: <strong>10</strong><br />
Versatility: <strong>7</strong><br />
Sound: <strong>9</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">.<br />
3. <strong><a title="Fender Mexican" href="http://www.fender.com/" target="_blank">Fender</a> (Made in Mexico)</strong> Review (Overall Product Line)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Fender Mexican Made" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/mexicanfender.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="228" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">After playing on a couple of low priced, &#8220;Mexican&#8221; Stratocasters or Telecasters (keywords: MIM Fender Telecaster, MIM Stratocaster, Made In Mexico Fender)  you&#8217;ll probably find some that sound just as good as the most expensive American made ones. Unplugged, that is. Because technically, MIM Fenders are assembled from the same body parts as the American models, but fitted with cheaper hardware a cheaper electronics and pickups. This is great news for Fender lovers (and if you&#8217;re not a fan yet, you will be).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Specially the necks are impossible to tell apart - the Fender quality is all there, top to bottom, and most of them sound amazing unplugged, with all the tonality and expression. Another big plus is how this guitar can take any tuning you throw at it – the 25 ½ scale and versatility of the Fender tremolo (which you can easily lock) make it a tuning workhorse, and a possible baritone in disguise. Street prices start at $350.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Catch</strong>: the controls and switches might wear out fast, and you will benefit from replacing the pickups as well. Tighten the screws, specially in the neck joint, and if possible replace the plastic nut with a bone-made nut. The tuners are usually weak as well.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[ Score Board ]</strong><br />
Workmanship: <strong>10</strong><br />
Hardware: <strong>5</strong><br />
Electronics: <strong>5</strong><br />
Pickups: <strong>7</strong><br />
Playability: <strong>10</strong><br />
Versatility: <strong>8</strong><br />
Sound: <strong>8</strong> (<strong>10</strong> with new pickups/electronics)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">4. <strong><a title="Godin Guitars" href="http://godinguitars.com/godinproductlistingp.htm" target="_blank">Godin</a><a title="Godin Guitars" href="http://godinguitars.com/godinproductlistingp.htm" target="_blank"> Guitars</a> </strong>Review (Overall Product Line) <strong>[NEW]</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="alignnone" title="Godin Guitars" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/godin.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="302" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Godin guitars are professionally used by session musicians from acts like Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez and even rockers like Smashing Pumpkins. Godin has been around for a while, but they still keep the quality standards of a startup luthier. Whatever you need, they have a model for it - acoustic, electroacoustic, semi hollow, hollow, solid with piezos, solid with humbuckers or single coils&#8230; you name it. Build quality is consistent and very, very good. And they&#8217;re one of the few inexpensive guitars that don&#8217;t require you to replace parts - they come stock as great, fully professional instruments.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The black model in the picture is the Godin Redline, and only one bridge pickup and a utilitarian design didn&#8217;t stop her from receiving a Guitar Player Editor&#8217;s Pick Award. Beautifully crafted guitars that definitely deserve a buyer&#8217;s attention. Check the <a title="Godin Guitars" href="http://godinguitars.com/godinproductlistingp.htm" target="_blank">website</a> to see which model suits you best.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Catch</strong>: they can be a little limited (not too versatile), so you really have to know what you want: the Redline series does exclusively rock/metal, and some other models are not perfect for hard rock styles.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[ Score Board ]</strong><br />
Workmanship: <strong>9</strong><br />
Hardware: <strong>9</strong><br />
Electronics: <strong>9</strong><br />
Pickups: <strong>10</strong><br />
Playability: <strong>10</strong><br />
Versatility: <strong>7</strong><br />
Sound: <strong>9</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">.<strong><br />
</strong>5. <a title="Schecter" href="http://www.schecterguitars.com/index.asp" target="_blank"><strong>Schecter Guitars</strong></a> Review (Overall Product Line)</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter" title="Schecter Guitars" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/schecter.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="302" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">I personally have never played a Schecter guitar that disappointed me. Their build quality and design is consistently admired by guitarists. If you&#8217;re looking for a guitar with a metal vibe, look no further (OK, maybe check out some Reverend models, as an alternative).</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you need a baritone guitar with a scale that is still playable and comfortable (26 ½), Schecter makes the C-1 EX Baritone Blackjack. It&#8217;s a great model with tones that have not been forgotten by the players who tried it.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The other example is the red model in the illustration, the Schecter C-1 Lady Luck. Winner of the Guitar Player Editor&#8217;s Pick award in a group review, it&#8217;s a very serious metal/rock guitar. And it comes with coil-tap configuration, like the Michael Kelly.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Schecters are known for their beautiful finish and design, that almost convince you that they cost four times as much as they actually do. They all play beautifully and the hardware is of perfect quality. Only very few models like the PT are bolt-on - all others are either set-neck (glued) or neck-thru, which adds to the sustain and overall tone. Paired with great pickups and Grover tuners, these are killer machines for the serious player. Street prices go a little higher, but you can surely find some models at $500. Even if you have to haggle with your Guitar Center clerk!</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Catch</strong>: too metallic-looking for more classic vibe players. Metal-oriented. Prices can be a little higher than the limit imposed by this article.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[ Score Board ]</strong><br />
Workmanship: <strong>10</strong><br />
Hardware: <strong>10</strong><br />
Electronics: <strong>9</strong><br />
Pickups: <strong>8</strong><br />
Playability: <strong>9</strong><br />
Versatility: <strong>9</strong><br />
Sound: <strong>9</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">.<br />
6. <strong><a title="OLP Music Man Ernie Ball MM3" href="http://www.olpguitars.com/" target="_blank">OLP</a> MM3</strong> Review</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><img class="aligncenter" title="OLP Official Licensed Product MM3" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/olp.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="207" /></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Despite having written &#8220;Basses&#8221; in the title, this is the only bass guitar reviewed here. But there is a good reason for that. OLP basses have gained a considerable number of fans since their introduction. I would dare to say it changed the market for inexpensive bass guitars and raised the bar so high, that other brands will have no choice but to start selling better basses for less money. OLP stands for Officially Licensed Product - &#8220;licensed&#8221; by none other than Ernie Ball Music Man Incorporated. Music Man is considered by (most) professional bass players as possibly the best mass market bass manufacturer, and the Sting Ray model is the Fender Strat and the Gibson Les Paul of bass guitars. Their intention was to keep their quality standards in their OLP affordable product line. They all say that - but in this very rare case, OLP kept their word.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">The reason why this list doesn&#8217;t need another bass is that this is a versatile machine that sounds beautiful and feels like a Sting Ray all the way. Right now will be very, very difficult to find such a great value with any other bass on the market. The neck is one piece maple, no cuts near the headstock. Everything is fully professional about this instrument. Build quality is astonishing - and even if you&#8217;re not happy with it out of the box, you can still change the electronics and pickups. Some professionals have tried to customize the MM3 model specifically, and EMG active pickups seem to sound amazing in this bass as well. Although the whole product line seems to have solid quality control, there is something about the MM3 model that makes it special in some way - maybe the wider 5 string neck influences the structure and tone.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Street price goes as low as $200 for a new model! I own one, and I paid $100 at Guitar Center, after haggling with the manager over the poor maintenance conditions of the instrument. Simple things - loose jack, bad neck and bridge setup, pickup out of place. After taking it home and fixing it, it&#8217;s the best bass I ever had. Plug it to your DAW and use some cheap amp simulation, and you have world-class bass tone for life.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>The Catch</strong>: no catch. Just buy it.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>[ Score Board ]</strong><br />
Workmanship: <strong>10</strong><br />
Hardware: <strong>10</strong><br />
Electronics: <strong>8</strong><br />
Pickups: <strong>9</strong><br />
Playability: <strong>10</strong><br />
Versatility: <strong>9</strong><br />
Sound: <strong>10</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p>7. <strong>[Extra] <a title="Ibanez" href="http://www.ibanez.com/splash.aspx" target="_blank">Ibanez</a></strong> Opinion</p>
<div class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 710px"><img title="Ibanez Guitars" src="http://www.moozek.com/postsfiles/guitars/ibanez.jpg" alt="Looks cheap? It is cheap." width="700" height="247" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Looks cheap? It is cheap.</p></div>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Some are probably asking: &#8220;what about Ibanez guitars and basses?&#8221; They have been the go-to guitars for beginners who are looking for decent quality. Well, if you&#8217;re picky like I am, I&#8217;ll tell you to be careful. Guitars are not cars, so you never really know for sure what comes out of the factory. Some cheaper models can be a good place to start for a lot of beginners, specially if you replace the pickups with something more beefy (assuming it came with standard Ibanez and not DiMarzios). I have had mixed results with Ibanez guitars, and overall bad results with Ibanez basses, so try them out - if you know what you&#8217;re doing and you like them, go ahead.<br />
Ibanez guitars can be a very good value - but once the other models in this article appeared in the market, they started having fierce competition. If you really like Ibanez, do yourself a favor and check out a Schecter or a Godin instead - they are good alternatives in tone and style.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">___________________________________________________________________________________________________</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">If you have any suggestions, leave a comment! We&#8217;re eager to know what hidden gems of guitar quality all the players out there are discovering everyday.</p>
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