Music Studio Pro

Re-Amping Your Guitar Tone Works Magic on Recordings

2011-04-11T16:43:00.001-04:00

I have been recording music for many years and sometimes you have to "break out of the box" to get a unique sound. A little known and somewhat unusual technique for recording guitar is a technique I call "re-amping". Recording guitar is all about frequency and harmonics, the more variates of the two, the better the tone. One way to thicken up you tone is re-amping.

This is how you do it...

When you are setting up your guitar rig for recording, take the output from your guitar into a "Y" splitter box, I like to use a Morley ABY box in the "Y" mode. This splits your guitar signal into 2 identical signal paths. Take one signal path an connect it as you normally would to your amp. Record with a microphone placed between the center and outside edge of the cone of your amp's speaker. Assign this output to one track in your recording system.

Then take the second signal path from the "Y" splitter box and connect it directly to an input on your console, adjusting the gain on the console to get a full clean signal. Assign this output to a different track in your recording system. Now, play your guitar part and record both tracks simultaneously.

What you will end up with is one track that is your normal guitar tone and one totally clean unaffected guitar signal strait off your guitar. Now since you recorded these at the same time they are both in sync with each other. Now here comes the re- amping part, assign the clean track to an available output on your recording interface and plug that output into an amp modeler like a POD.

I really like using a modeling unit as I can scroll through all the various different amp models to find the right one quickly and it splits the signal again into a stereo mix. Now, take the left and right outputs from the POD and connect them to two additional inputs on your console and assign them to two tracks to record. Now play your previous recording while recording the two new tracks from the POD.

After you have recorded the two new tracks, mute the clean track and bring up the original and the two new tracks from the POD and adjust your mix to taste. I prefer to pan the original track in the center and the two POD tracks left and right. What's great about this is you always have that clean guitar track that you can run through anything and add back to the mix creating more tracks if you want. The possibilities are pretty much endless. Give it a try and tell me what you think...

About us:

At Music Studio Pro we are musicians, recording engineers, music producers, and music production engineers.We discuss the latest in music recording equipment and techniques as well as share many of the most well kept production secrets of the industry. We also do reviews on the latest recording gear and software. We discuss guitar tones, pedals amps and how to get the sound you have always been looking for. We review the latest synths and keybords, software plugins and all the techniques used to get the hottest sounds in the industry. We also discuss live sound and the latest live sound gear and techniques. We talk about the latest consoles, line arrays processing gear and well guarded live sound secrets that the pros in the sound industry like to keep well under wraps.

Turn your Apple iPad into a Wireless Remote Mix Control with StudioLive.

2011-04-09T17:41:00.002-04:00

Well folks, it's about time for some music technology discussion...

How many times I have been in front of a sound console and really needed to walk around to different locations in the venue to see how it sounds from various locations. I then run back to the console and make the needed adjustments and then walk around some more, constantly having to run back to the console to make adjustments. Well now I can make adjustments from where I need to with the new PreSonus StudioLive Mixers and the StudioLive Remote software for the Apple iPad.

PreSonus has released the first dedicated wireless control software for a small-format digital console: StudioLive Remote software for the Apple iPad. With it, users can have wireless remote control of any PreSonus StudioLive-series digital mixer's channels, auxes, effects, subs, Fat Channel processors, and more. Not only can these functions be controlled from anywhere in a venue by the front-of-house sound person, but custom aux mixes can be simultaneously adjusted by any performer with an iPad. StudioLive Remote, available free from the iPad App store.

You're mixing a live show with an old-skool mixer make that any reasonably affordable mixer other than PreSonus StudioLive and you need to check the sound underneath the balcony or in the balcony, for that matter. Or you're sound-checking and want to hear the stage monitors for yourself. Want to let the band mix their own monitors? Be prepared to spend a small fortune on one of those fancy high-end "Model A" headphone-distribution systems.

You can say goodbye to these problems if you use a StudioLive mixer and an Apple iPad! With PreSonus StudioLive Remote for iPad, you have complete, real-time, wireless remote control over Virtual StudioLive for Mac and Windows, which in turn offers real-time control over the StudioLive mixer. As long as you have a wireless connection between your iPad and computer, you are in control of the console. You are free—and so is StudioLive Remote! StudioLive Remote provides wireless remote control from multiple iPads at once! That's something even $20,000 digital mixers can't currently do. With StudioLive Remote every performer can have their own iPad to control their own personal monitor mix.

Get Multiple Views on your iPad. Overview displays channel levels, mutes, panning, EQ curves, and more for multiple channels at once. Click for a closeup view of Fat Channel processing. Navigate between gate, compressor, EQ, etc., with the flick of a fingertip. Aux view shows you the levels, panning, and Fat Channel processing for the Aux sends and internal FX. Adjust the graphic EQ in its own view. Hold your iPad in Portrait position to see the parameters for the currently selected channel.

This has to be one of the best uses of an iPad I have seen yet. The cost of the iPad is very minimal compared to the functionality it provides with the StudioLive app and this series of mixers.

About Us:

At Music Studio Pro we are musicians, recording engineers, music producers, and music production engineers.We discuss the latest in music recording equipment and techniques as well as share many of the most well kept production secrets of the industry.We also do reviews on the latest recording gear and software. We discuss guitar tones, pedals amps and how to get the sound you have always been looking for. We review the latest synths and keybords, software plugins and all the techniques used to get the hottest sounds in the industry.We also discuss live sound and the latest live sound gear and techniques. We talk about the latest consoles, line arrays processing gear and well guarded live sound secrets that the pros in the sound industry like to keep well under wraps.

Secret Cool Fuzz Tones with a Simple Guitar Tone Control Mod

2011-04-06T14:33:00.003-04:00

I been playing guitar now for some 25 plus years. Over the years I have had so many guitars, amps, and pedals that I have lost count of them. However, it always seems that it's the little simple mods I do to them that turn out to be the most memorable. One such mod is one I like to call "hidden distortion" (technically it would be fuzz).
It's really easy and gives you a lot of extra tone variations, especially when used in conjunction with overdrive, fuzz, or distortion pedals. With this mod you replace the capacitor on your tone control of your guitar with a diode. You can use a silicon diode or a germanium diode. I have had better results with germanium diodes. You want to find a diode with the lowest voltage threshold you can find, the lower the threshold the more fuzz you will get.

So, after you have replaced the tone control cap with the diode, the way it works is as you turn the tone knob down the more fuzz you will get. This is because more of your guitar signal is allowed to saturate the diode until it starts to clip and creates the fuzz tone. This works with all types of pickups but works best with high output pickups. So give it a try and let me know what you think...

About us:

At Music Studio Pro we are musicians, recording engineers, music producers, and music production engineers.We discuss the latest in music recording equipment and techniques as well as share many of the most well kept production secrets of the industry.We also do reviews on the latest recording gear and software. We discuss guitar tones, pedals amps and how to get the sound you have always been looking for. We review the latest synths and keybords, software plugins and all the techniques used to get the hottest sounds in the industry.We also discuss live sound and the latest live sound gear and techniques. We talk about the latest consoles, line arrays processing gear and well guarded live sound secrets that the pros in the sound industry like to keep well under wraps.

Make your Music with Mackie's Onyx Blackbird Premium 16x16 Recording Interface is Perfect for your Home Recording Studio

2011-04-05T12:18:00.004-04:00

As a musician who does a lot of home recording, I think Mackie's Onyx Blackbird Premium 16x16 FireWire Recording Interface is perfect for setting up a quality home recording system. This interface has boutique-quality preamps, AD/DA conversion and a host of flexible, professional features.

Mackie's Onyx Blackbird Premium 16x16 FireWire Recording Interface delivers industry-leading recording quality via eight boutique-quality Onyx preamps and high-end 24-bit/96kHz conversion in a sleek, rackmount design. Two front panel "Super Channels" provide quick access to crucial recording tools and feature true analog hardware monitoring, in both mono and stereo, for hassle-free zero-latency recording.

Studios, regardless of size, can't usually afford to buy all the gear they want at once. That's why investing in gear designed with performance, flexibility and expandability in mind is critical. The additional mic inputs, onboard 8x8 ADAT and word clock I/O provide easy integration into any digital or analog setup. For more complex sessions, the powerful Blackbird Control DSP Matrix Mixer allows for quick mix creation and routing of any input to any output. Plus, since Blackbird works as a standalone 8-channel preamp rack, you've got a single-box solution ready for integration into your studio or mobile setup.

Boutique-quality Onyx preamps

Great recordings start with high-quality preamps and you will simply not find preamps at this price range better than Blackjack's Onyx preamps. Mackie invested significant R&D efforts into developing their flagship Onyx mic preamps. Found on Mackie's most expensive studio consoles, Onyx pres are designed to meet or surpass expensive, esoteric standalone mic pres in terms of fidelity, headroom and transparency – as well as improved radio frequency (RFI) rejection and ultra-wide dynamic range. And with a full 60dB of available gain, would-be competitors are left in the dust.

High-quality AD/DA conversion

Quality doesn't stop at the boutique Onyx preamps. The Onyx Blackjack uses Cirrus Logic converters offering 114dB dynamic range (A-weighted) – a specification other companies sometimes charge thousands of dollars to achieve. Mackie's preamp circuitry is aligned precisely with the onboard analog-to-digital conversion to always provide you with the most headroom and the lowest noise and distortion possible, a real sonic benefit that is often ignored on smaller interfaces.

Professional Digital I/O

Studio growing? Blackbird can work into your studio in a number of ways. It's the perfect front end to your DAW using the FireWire connection. Plus, if you get more preamps later (like another Onyx Blackbird), you can simply connect them via Blackbird's integrated 8x8 ADAT I/O, delivering a full 16-channel 24-bit/96kHz resolution recording solution. There's also onboard word clock I/O perfect for any scenario incorporating multiple pieces of analog/digital gear. That means Blackbird is also an ideal standalone 8-input preamp unit for integration into a larger studio or digital live setup.

Two full-blown super channels

Even though there's tons of available I/O on Blackbird, the two front-panel "Super Channels" offer extremely useful features, right within your reach. First off, both channels utilize combo inputs, allowing you to easily swap between mic, guitar, keys, drum machines or whatever comes up during the session. Dedicated 48V phantom power is perfect for any studio-quality condenser microphone. And because these inputs feature true analog hardware monitoring, in either mono or stereo, you can route the signals directly to your studio monitors or headphone, bypassing the need for a matrix mixer, so you and your artists can get right to work. Zero-latency overdubs have never been easier to setup or control.

Powerful Blackbird Control DSP Matrix mixer

The Onyx Blackbird is powerful all on its own. However, for more complex applications, Mackie provides you with the custom-designed 18x16 Blackbird Control DSP Matrix Mixer application. This powerful graphic user interface (GUI) allows for customization and ease-of-use that the competition is simply unable to achieve.

•Route any input to any output at any volume and pan orientation

•Apply custom names to all channels and output mixes for quick, at-a-glance reference and control

•18x16 design, offering a stereo playback stream routable to all monitoring paths

•All DSP mixer I/O is fully customizable in this powerful, one-click solution

This intuitive software looks and operates just like an actual mixer, with the ability to pan, solo, mute and control various output levels. Each stereo output is controlled by a dedicated 18x2 mixer, with each output mixer accessible at the touch of a button. Blackbird Control also indicates input levels and peaks, allows for mono/stereo linking of adjacent channels…and more. It not only simplifies the engineer's job, it is powerful, sleek and fun to use.

Tough but friendly

In true Mackie tradition, Onyx Blackbird features a "Built-Like-A-Tank" design, with a powder-coated, all-steel chassis that can get bumped around with the best of them. It's ultra-compatible, working with any DAW that supports WDM/ASIO (PC) or Core Audio (Mac). This includes popular applications like Logic, SONAR, Cubase, Ableton Live, and Final Cut Pro. It also comes with Mackie's Tracktion 3 Music Production Software to get rolling right out of the box.

So, if you are looking for a new mothership for your studio, or want to expand upon the setup you already have, consider the Onyx Blackbird. Tons of boutique-quality pres, unmatched AD/DA conversion and a host of flexible, professional features…it's the perfect solution for any studio.

Features

Eight boutique-quality Onyx mic preamps with class-leading fidelity and dynamic range
High-headroom design with ultra-low noise and distortion

Professional 16x16 24-bit recording/playback
Flexible FireWire routing
8x8 ADAT I/O for ultimate expandability
Onboard wordclock I/O for studio and live integration

Acclaimed JetPLL jitter elimination technology

High-end Cirrus Logic AD/DA converters with 114dB dynamic range (A-weighted)

Compatible with most major DAWs

Logic
Sonar
Cubase
Ableton
Live
Final Cut Pro
And More

Powerful and flexible "Super Channels"

True analog hardware monitoring of inputs, in mono or stereo, for easy zero latency recording
80Hz low-cut switches
Dedicated 48V phantom power
Built-in DI for direct connection of guitars, bass, etc.
Inserts for outboard processing gear

Ideal eight input standalone preamp unit with up to 96khz ADAT (S/MUX II) outputs
48V phantom power on all inputs for use with condenser microphones
Studio monitor, main and alternative outputs with independent level control and source selection
Two headphone outputs with independent level control and source selection

Includes powerful Blackbird Control DSP Matrix Mixer

Route any input to any output
Zero-latency tracking of all inputs
Quickly set up independent mixes for headphones and more

Easily aggregate up to four units on Mac or PC
Sleek, ergonomic "Built-Like-A-Tank" desktop design
Includes Tracktion 3 Music Production Software for Mac or PC

Get an interface designed with performance, flexibility and expandability in mind. We found it at $499.99 at most retailers.

About us:

At Music Studio Pro we are musicians, recording engineers, music producers, and music production engineers.We discuss the latest in music recording equipment and techniques as well as share many of the most well kept production secrets of the industry.We also do reviews on the latest recording gear and software. We discuss guitar tones, pedals amps and how to get the sound you have always been looking for. We review the latest synths and keybords, software plugins and all the techniques used to get the hottest sounds in the industry.We also discuss live sound and the latest live sound gear and techniques. We talk about the latest consoles, line arrays processing gear and well guarded live sound secrets that the pros in the sound industry like to keep well under wraps.