Chris Loeffler

By Chris Loeffler A Brief Overview- The Ins and Outs The QSC TouchMix-16 is a digital mixer designed for live sound applications. It features twenty inputs including 16 mic/line channels, two stereo TRS line channels and a dedicated Talkback Mic input. Four professional quality effects can be applied to each channel. Outputs include Main Left/Right, six mono and two stereo auxiliary mixes. There is also a dedicated headphone out and monitor outputs for the sound engineer. Compact Design and Elegant Function At 3.5” x 14” x 12” and less than six pounds, the QSC TouchMix-16 is compact and sturdy. The rugged enclosure is more than road-worthy, especially when carried in the included padded case. Knobs and buttons feel solid and provide positive tactile feedback when adjusted. The Master Control knob in particular offers the perfect amount of travel and resistance to ensure accurate adjustments. One of the more innovative and user-friendly aspects of the TouchMix-16 is the ability to control the mixer from the touch-screen or by selecting parameters on screen and using the physical controls. For those seeking greater precision, the Master Control knob lets you select course or fine resolution by simply pushing it down (or not) while turning. App Control QSC offers a free iOS app called TouchMix Control that duplicates all the mixer controls so you can walk the room and dial in your mix, or use your iPad (or multiple iPads) to expand your user interface at the mix position, or give performers individual control over their own monitoring destiny. QSC even includes the Wi-Fi adaptor, creating its own Wi-Fi network. No computer or additional network hardware is required. Speaking of Monitors TouchMix can provide 8 individual monitor mixes (6 mono, 2 stereo). The two stereo outputs use ¼” TRS jacks and can drive wired In Ear Monitors directly. This is great for drummers and keyboard players who stay put on stage. Under the Hood In keeping with the fabulous hardware, design and construction that make the QSC TouchMix-16 a top contender in its class, each input includes a responsive four-band parametric EQ, a compressor and a gate. The mixer takes advantage of its graphics capabilities by presenting displays that help you see what you’re doing. Of course there’s a graphic display showing your EQ curves. There are also innovative compressor and gate displays that could help you understand dynamics processing better than ever. TouchMix features four incredibly musical, studio-quality effects engines including reverb, echo, delay, pitch shift and chorus. To help you use all this effects horsepower, there’s an Effects Wizard that makes it easy to select the right effect and route signal to and from it. Also included is a professional pitch corrector that is assignable to any one of the 16 mic/line input channels. While it takes almost no time at all to build a mix, QSC wants you to get the most out of of the time you’ve put into dialing in the board. Did you nail the settings for your drummer’s kick? Save it as a channel preset. Dialed in a delay that’s perfect for the singer? Save it as an effects preset. Got a mix that’s just right for a room you play or even for a specific song? Save it as a scene. Every tweak you make can be saved internally or to a USB drive. Keeping it Easy A mixer with the power of the TouchMix-16 could be daunting to novices but QSC has included Wizards, Simple Mode and the ability to access the entire instruction manual by pushing the Info button (how cool is that!). One of the most powerful features is channel presets. TouchMix offers more than one hundred channel presets that were created by seasoned mix engineers for use in real, live-sound situations. Finding the right one is simple and the results are amazing. If you don’t have much mixing experience, the presets may give you the best sound you’ve ever had. If you’re an old hand at the console, the presets are a way to get you to a great starting point in seconds. Either way TouchMix controls and graphics are so intuitive that even the least experienced user can quickly master advanced controls. Did I Mention Live Multi-Track Recording? This mixer makes it incredibly easy to make a multi-track recording. All you need is a USB disc drive and you can grab all twenty inputs plus a stereo mix. Mix these tracks on your TouchMix, use them for a “virtual sound check” or import them into your favorite DAW for over-dubs and post-production. A New Era in Live Performance Production QSC says that the TouchMix is designed to deliver results and it does. The capabilities and sound quality will satisfy demanding live sound engineers and the work-flow and mixing aids the mixer offers make it accessible to anyone who cares about the audio quality of their production. Resources QSC TouchMix-16 at Musician's Friend (MSRP $1629.99, Street $1,299.99) QSC TouchMix-16 Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

50 synths for $50... But how do they sound? By Chris Loeffler Synthesizers have long been the go-to for trippier, “non-instrument” sounds for musicians, and most guitar and bass players have been caught at some point in their life falling for the allure of the synth sound as a compliment to the music or for background atmospherics. Original units, however, are expensive and hard to come by… certainly too much for someone considering synth as a second (or third) instrument. Current production models run the gamut from cheap and plastic-sounding to bank-bustingly expensive and other-worldly. As a counter to that, UVI has been making a name for itself for some time now for its high-quality, sampled recreations of some of the most amazing synthesizers to paint their sonic hue on classic recordings. Looking to capture the casual player (although there is nothing casual about the quality of the instruments), UVI has partnered with Guitar Center to celebrate Guitar Center’s 50th anniversary by packaging 50 of their most sought after synthesizers for $50. The software package (or download) includes fifty synthesizers, 1,000 presets, and a host of additional effects and modulators to recreate classic synth sounds or create something entirely new. What You Need to Know UVI’s proprietary sampling method starts with engineers acquiring an original synthesizer they want to recreate and thoroughly restoring it (when required) to original spec. Once the synth is perfectly dialed in, the instrument is recorded using studio-quality analog recording devices. The result is an authentic sample that captures the resonance, depth, grind, and quirks that make each synthesizer’s sonic character. The included synths are a “who’s who” list of classic synths- Roland, Oberheim, Waldorf, Moog, Korg, Yamaha, etc. With such a robust assortment of sampled synths, the Synth Legacy collection manages to offer every major method of classical synthesizer technology- analog, analog modeled, FM and formant, digital and wavetable, vector, additive and pcm are all accounted for. While it wasn’t practical (nor possible) to run the sampled synths against their physical counterparts for the sake of the review, those units that did have their original model to test against proved to be solid, faithful sonic reproductions that were indistinguishable once recorded. In many cases, the UVI sample fared better as many vintage units today have noise and clock issues exacerbated over years of use and the samples were taken from tuned-up models. Each synth features ADSR (Attack-Decay-Sustain-Release) envelopes for amplification, filtering, sub oscillators, overdrive, and pitch and can be animated via UVI’s proprietary LFO or 16-step modulator. Synth Legacy includes six product-specific effects within the instrument and can utilize and of the dozens of studio-grade effects available in the UVI Workstation. Limitations Requires UVI Workstation (free) to run, either as a standalone platform or as a virtual instrument within a DAW. Conclusion $50 for 50 synthesizers of remarkable depth and authenticity. While the beefier software synths offered by UVI go a bit deeper into the original units they are modelling, it is hard to think of a classic synth effect or tone that can’t be achieved with the Synth Legacy. While hardcore synth players will find a lot to love in Synth Legacy, its simplicity of use and deep library is probably one of the best (and most affordable) ways to draw in people who have a different primary instrument as there is so much available to learn and the sound quality is fantastic. Complete List of Sampled Synths Alesis Andromeda, Roland Jupiter 4, Roland Jupiter 8, Roland VP-300, Roland TB-303, Oberheim Matrix 6, Oberheim Xpander, Oberheim OB-X, Studio Electronics ATC, SCI Prophet 5, Yamaha CS-80, Elka Synthex, RSF Kobol, Korg PS-3200, Moog MiniMoog, Moog MemoryMoog, Waldorf Pulse, Access Virus C, Yamaha AN1X, Novation Nova, Waldorf Q, Clavia NordLead, Yamaha DX7, Yamaha DX100, Yamaha FS1R, Korg DS8, NED Synclavier 2, Waldorf Microwave XT, PPG Wave 2.3, Casio VZ-1, Casio CZ-1, Korg DW8000, Kawai K3, SCI Prophet VS, Korg Wavestation, Yamaha SY22, Kawai K5000, OSC OSCar, Seiko DS301, Ensoniq VFX, Kawai K4r, Roland JD-800, Roland D-50, Korg M1, Korg DSS1, Korg MS20, Ensoniq SQ80, Ensoniq Fizmo, Yamaha SY77, Mellotron M400, Fairlight CMI IIx, E-MU Emulator 2 Resources UVI Synths Legacy at Guitar Center (MSRP $100.00, Street $50,00) UVI Synths Legacy Product Page UVI Synths Legacy User Manual Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

The Boss GP-10 Guitar Processor wants to let every player turn their favorite guitar into dozens of different instruments. By Chris Loeffler The Boss GP-10 is a strange and exciting beast… one part guitar multi-effect and one part guitar modeler. It takes these elements both (of which are available in individual forms throughout the Boss and Roland assortment) and combines them into a small, floor unit that processes both a standard guitar signal and a 13-pin signal created by the (optional or included) GK-3 or other GK-style pickup. Sharing the same COSM amp and effects modelling featured in Boss’ high-end multi-effect units like the GT-100, the GP-10 effects engine covers almost every type of guitar effect imaginable, including four compression/EQ effects, seven modulation effects, three pitch shifting effects, 21 famous overdrive and distortion pedals, and 10 delay effects. These effects can be applied to either the direct guitar pickup signal or the GK-style pickup signal and are ready to go head-to-head with the most revered dedicated effects units… Boss-style quality shines throughout the assortment. The modeling section of the GP-10 requires a GK-style pickup be mounted to any guitar and offers a world of sonic possibilities impossible to achieve with a standard pickup. Although the expected synth-type sounds are there in spades (more on that later), one of the most surprising and useful benefits of using a GK-style pickup with the GP-10 is guitar modeling. By taking the neutral tone from the piezo-style pickups and processing it through the GP-10, any given patch can be set to change the guitar being played into one of twelve different electric guitars (including classics like the Les Paul, Telecaster and Rickenbacker), nine different acoustic guitars (including a resonator, banjo, and sitar), three types of bass, or even eight different synths. Because each string is being captured and modeled separately, alternate tunings are available without every touching a guitar tuning peg. Switching from a Drop D-tuned Les Paul to a 12-string acoustic guitar is a single stomp away, even when the guitar is a Telecaster. The models aren’t simple two-dimensional copies of the instruments they are modeled after; electric guitar and bass models have the appropriate pickup selection options and tone controls, acoustic instruments can be adjusted for buzz, body, attack and pickup style, and synth-type instruments offer extensive control over waveform, envelope, filtering, and oscillators. While using similar technology found in the Roland VG-Series, the GP-10 is focused on recreating the fundamental instrument more-so than creating innovative effects not possible with standard guitar pickups. Rather than dozens of spacy, disconnected patches of sounds, the GP-10 turns the guitar into a versatile processor, and adjusting the tunings, filters, and modulation feels much more like an actual instrument than it does tweaking a few knobs on an effect pedal. Dedicated models like the GR-300, Oscillator Synth, and Wave Synth each feature multiple instrument types with dozens of parameters to explore. The GP-10 has 99 preset slots that store instrument type, effects signal chains, open tunings, and even pickup whether one or both of the pickups are processed. Patches can be entirely managed and programed using the in-unit interface. In order to achieve its clean aesthetic and small size, much of the tweaking happens within the menu screen on the unit; players who prefer a more visual and expanded editing experience will find connecting the GP-10 to their computer and using the free Boss Tone Studio software makes programming and tweaking patches easy and intuitive, an effective way to learn the ins and outs of the menu system, and will enjoy sharing and downloading patches and effects from the Boss user community. Speaking of the ins and outs of the unit, the GP-10 features inputs for a standard ¼” instrument cable and GK-compatible cable (the GK-3 and cable are included in the upgraded edition), stereo ¼” outputs plus a 1/4” Guitar Out that passes through the original, unaffected signal from the guitar’s native pickups, as well as a headphone out for silent playing. The GP-10 even allows players to choose from eight different output modes depending on size and format of the amp the processor is feeding. Conclusion In short, the GP-10 does so many things well because it is more than a collection of effects; it is a tone tool for players looking to expand the sonic horizons of their fundamental instrument as much as it is a way to color those sounds down the signal chain. The GP-10 has an amazing collection of guitar tones right out of the box and is easy to enjoy without ever digging in too deep, but the possibilities and flexibility that a few hours of experimentation will yield is where serious players will find their inspiration. *BOSS Tone Studio editing software and specially designed patches are available for free download at BossToneCentral.com. Resources Boss GP-10K Guitar Processor (with GK Pickup) at Musician's Friend (MSRP $699.00, Street $499.00) Boss GP-10S Guitar Processor (without GK Pickup) at Musician's Friend (MSRP $559.00, Street $399.00) Boss GP-10 Guitar Processor Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

What does it mean when Fender releases two new amp lines with similar price points? By Chris Loeffler A Tale of Two Amps Choosing a quality practice or starting amp can be daunting, so when legendary amp maker Fender releases two distinct amp series with similar price points it is worthwhile to understand how they compare. Both the Fender Champion Series and Fender Mustang Series feature 20, 40, and 100 watt offerings with a negligible difference in cost between comparable models, so what sets them apart from each other? Aside from both producing incredible tones, pretty much everything. Fender took their Mustang and Champion series down very different paths to achieve the goal of superior tone and flexibility in a small package. The Champion Series is designed around traditional analog amp controls with supporting DSP effects, whereas the Mustang Series utilizes Fender’s software modelling to digitally craft unique amplifier models and effects. While players should focus on tone over technology, understanding the inherent benefits of the two will help to ensure they are getting the amp that best fits their needs. The Reigning Champion While the littlest sibling in the Champion Series has a traditional, single preamp voicing, the Champion 40 and 100 feature two channels; one voiced for a traditional, clean Blackface tone and a second featuring five unique amp voicings (Blackface, Tweed, British, Jazz, and Metal). These voicings dramatically change the gain structure and fundamental EQ of the amp, effectively giving players access to five different amps before even dialing in the rest of the controls. The clean tones are classic Fender, and the Champions produce gratifyingly tube-like grit and crunch as the Gain control is dialed up. The amp tones are warm, responsive, incredibly varied and all of a quality that wouldn’t be out of place on a recording or live performance. The onboard effects can be used one at a time, are warm renditions of traditional modulation, filter, delay, and reverb effects and are as easy to use as selecting the desired effect, dialing in the effect mix, and setting tempo with the tap-tempo switch. The New Kid in Town The Fender Mustang Series amplifiers share the same onboard controls: Gain, Volume, Treble, Bass, and Master, with the III and IV versions adding Middle and Reverb controls. The Mustang I and II feature eight amp models including Fender classics like the ’57 Deluxe, ’59 Bassman, ’65 Twin Reverb, two faithful recreations of the revered British tone, and three modern, gain-centric amps, making almost every iconic tone in history available with the twist of a knob. The Mustang III and IV up the ante with three additional Fender amp models and a different flavor of British amplifier available onboard (all effects and amps are accessible in all Mustang models through FUSE). There is nothing processed about any of the models, they sound organic and are as responsive as the tube amplifiers they were modelled after. The Mustang I and II are equipped with twelve modulation effects ( chorus, vibrato, tremolo, and pitch effects) and a dozen delay and reverb effects, all of which can be adjusted for blend and delay time/modulation speed. The Mustang III and Mustang IV include additional modulation, reverb, and delay effects and add seven classic gain effects. Unlike their littler brothers, the Mustang III and IV offer deeper levels of onboard editing and give players access to a much greater level of tweaking the effects to their liking. While not explicitly modelled after specific effects units, experienced players will find a lot to grin about as they discover models of iconic pedal effects. Presets for the Mustang I and II are stored in three banks of eight, giving players access to eight factory and sixteen user presets. Because the Mustang utilizes software-based modelling, presets save every control and effect setting, eliminating the need for any knob tweaking between presets. The Mustang III and IV up the ante with 100 presets. Another benefit to software-based modelling is immediately apparent in Fender’s FUSE software and community. While dialing in the perfect tone is easy and intuitive using the physical controls of the Mustang, connecting the amp to a computer gives access to deeper, cleaner editing over than amp and effects models. As a bonus, players in search of inspiration can sample and download presets from FUSE community members… a quick way to spark the creative process. Limitations While both amp lines sound amazing within 90% of the volume range, most live applications will require a microphone with the smaller amps to keep up with the rest of the band. With Great Power Comes (a Little) More Responsibility The choice comes down to preference between wanting a traditional amp experience with multiple amp sounds or wanting more options and deeper control over them… both will get players where they need to go in style. Understanding the differences, it is important to note these amps share the most important qualities one looks for in a guitar amp- they sound amazing, they are well-built and reliable and they cost less than a night in the city. Resources Fender Champion Amplifier Line at Musician's Friend (MSRP $139.99-$419.99, Street $99.99-$299.99) Fender Mustang Amplifier Line at Musician's Friend (MSRP $169.99-$699.99, Street $119.99-$499.99) Fender Champion Amplifier Product Page Fender Mustang Amplifier Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Gibson Memory Cable - Revisited Inspiration Insurance, Now with Date and Time (updated 4.11.2016) by Chris Loeffler Gibson's Memory Cable came out a while ago, and like many pieces of gear, there are certain things you figure out only after having used something for a while. For those who aren't familiar with the concept, it addresses what happens after group of musicians jam and someone says “Man… that one thing you did in the middle… you should make that a song!” The typical response to that statement is, “Huh? What part?” Most players don’t have access to recording equipment to capture every moment of practice and noodling around, so there’s no counting how many of those ethereal moments of true inspiration are lost. Gibson calls the Memory Cable “inspiration insurance”, which is an apt description for the core benefit it offers guitar players (and keyboardists, bassists, noise makers, etc). What You Need to Know The Gibson Memory Cable is a standard, 16' instrument cable that incorporates a solid-state recorder with basic on/off and record controls. It records to a 4-32GB MicroSD card (4GB included), with a 4GB card capturing about 13 hours of performance. Powered by a single AA battery (with an LR44 battery for real-time clock functions), you can record about eight hours of continuous recording needing to swap batteriesd. The cable is thick and sturdy with strong connections to the jacketed plugs and has the right amount of flexibility without being limp. The recording unit itself is incredibly light and thin and is placed about a foot from one end of the cable. It weighs less than the cable and is about an inch and a half thick. The cable is bi-directional, which Gibson doesn't make clear. If you don't like the recording part a foot or so away from your guitar, you can plug it into the amp and the long end of the cable inti your guitar. There's a single Record/Stop/Tag switch and two operating modes. The Rec/Stop/Tag switchbegins recording, stops recording, and even “tags” a file, essentially stopping the recording at the moment it is tagged and creating a new file so you can find the tagged file later.The recorder features Automatic and Continuous recording modes, with Continuous mode recording until the recorder is stopped and Automatic intelligently sensing when signal is passing through and turning on/off accordingly to save space. If the recorder hits the end of its storage space, it will automatically delete the oldest file on the memory card, ensuring a performance doesn’t suddenly stop being recorded because old files were taking up too much space. The recordings are captured as 44.1 kHz/16-bit .wav files on the MicroSD card and can be pulled into a computer, as well as most microSD-compatible smart phones, at any time for listening (you can't play back from the Memory Cable itself). While the raw files will be missing the amplifier's tone and any effects placed after the unit during the performance, the audio is still more than sufficient for reference and is actually a handy tool for those who rely on lots of distortion to hear how tight their playing is without it. A cool application of the Memory Cable is to take the raw files into a DAW and re-amp them with a software modeler like Native Instruments’ Guitar Rig. The recorded tone, while flat and fairly unmusical as it doesn’t capture the tone of the amplifier (or effects, depending on where it is placed in the signal chain), is in the perfect format to drop into guitar software and be tweaked to perfection in real time. Obviously, not every performance is “studio ready,” but when those once-in-a-lifetime moments happen it's good to know they can be polished to the perfect tone and serve as a quality track. As to audio quality, the Memory Cable held its own when tested against Monster Jazz and George L’s guitar cables, with the biggest (very small) differences in tone between the cables being more about subtle tonal preferences as opposed to one being “better” than the others. The Memory Cable passes through a strong, full-frequency signal and has none of the “blanket effect” found in cheaper cables. Note that you can date/time stamp your files, although this seems to be a well-kept secret and is not obvious to do. You need to open the included microSD card in a computer (there are handy little microSD -to-USB adapters), then open the config.ini file in a text editor (like Notepad on Windows). Delete the # symbol in front of SetRTCDate parameter and enter the date in the specified format, delete the # symbol in front of SetRTCTime parameter and enter the time in the specified format, then save the file and pop the microSD card back into the Memory Cable.These settings take effect as soon as you turn on the cable, so if you want the time to be really precise, set the parameter a couple minutes ahead and then turn on the Memory Cable at that time. The LR44 will maintain the date and time even after the Memory Cable is turned off, although eventually the time might drift and require re-calibration. However you don't need the LR44 for the memory functionality, only for the timekeeping. Limitations While 16-bit resolution makes sense given the Memory Cable's intended application and need to maximize storage space, some audiophiles will turn their noses up at anything less than 24-bit recording.You can't replay the recordings from the unit into a guitar amp or other playback device. Playback happens only by removing the MicroSD card and placing it in a computer or other device. Conclusion For about the same price as a boutique premium cable, Gibson is offering a high-quality cable that does something no other cable has done before. The Gibson Memory cable works equally well as a recording device to drop tracks straight into a DAW, a practice tool to listen to playback and critique playing technique, as insurance that an on-the-fly riff or performance isn’t lost, or just a plain, high-quality instrument cable. Resources Gibson Memory Cable at Musician's Friend (MSRP $129,99, Street $99.99) Gibson Memory Cable Product Page __________________________________ Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

By Chris Loeffler Like the benefits authors enjoy writing when they moved typewriters to word processing software, composing music in the digital space offers many advantages to song writers- parts can be instantly moved around, keys changed, and good old “Copy-Paste” are all time savers. However, as with most new tools there is a learning curve to any software package and there are times where the effort it takes to master the tool is greater than the benefits and time saving it will bring down the road. Forte 5, the newest release from the Forte composition software team, claims inexperienced composers regularly have their first composition complete within ten minutes of the first time they load it. That is the sort of statement that should perk the ears of people looking to get their feet wet with composition but not willing or able to spend hours learning a new program. Forte is available in four software suites, Forte Free, Forte Basic, Forte Home, and Forte Premium, with each suite upgrade bringing more functionality to the core package. Forte Free is the freeware package and allows for one stave, two voices, and a single lyric path. Forte Basic, the entry level paid suite, doubles the staves and lyric count and adds MIDI compatibility for step-time entry and the like. Forte Home quadruples the amount of available tracks, adds compound meters and pickup measures, and is pretty much everything a composer needs to document combo and small symphony scores. Forte Premium is the end-all in composition software feature sets, including enhanced sonic quality and VST plugins through the Forte player, 32 simultaneous tracks, four voices, 16 lyric verses, part extraction, and enhanced import/export options. What You Need to Know Forte features a powerful Score Wizard or one of 32 templates that will meet the needs of composers looking to jump right into the software immediately after install. Blank scores and customizable templates are also available. All relevant score information (such as song name, composer, etc) is collected at the beginning and there are three score styles available in wizard mode- Classic, Hymn, and Pop/Rock/Jazz. Once the title and score type are selected, composers choose instruments to be included in the score from a list of nearly 100 preloaded instruments (custom instruments can be added) as well as the time signature, tempo, and key of the song. Composers can choose between standard notation or tablature for guitar parts (you know how us guitar players are), and all tracks follow the appropriate notation standards for their instrument.Notes are captured and placed via a MIDI keyboard, via simple mapping on a computer keyboard, or dragged and dropped via mouse from Forte’s exclusive Music Ruler. Grabbing and dropping notes and rests from the Ruler (1/8th notes, whole notes, and every type in between) is easy, and skillful mouse use completely eliminates the need to place rests. Each placed note produces the audible pitch and note duration for instant feedback and as a helpful indicator that the intended note was indeed what the user placed.Each instrument being scored can have one of over 100 virtual instruments applied to it within the Forte program for audio playback, which is incredibly helpful in reviewing what has already need laid down and a potential tool for inspiration when trying to decide what to do next. It would be a stretch to say the instruments sound real, but they are certainly authentic enough to not be distracting and represent the various colors different instruments contribute when there are multiple playing simultaneously.For such a deep tool, the Forte interface is incredibly clean and intuitive. Everything a composer could want access to is within one level of the top menu, with about 80% of the functionality one would regularly want access to directly available and visible without needing to click into the menu. In addition to being able to print or email the composition files, finished pieces can be exported via MusicXML format or as a MIDI file. Exporting the MIDI file into a virtual instrument such as Native Instruments’ Kontact opens up possibilities to apply studio-quality virtual instruments to the composition piece for an even more authentic sounding audio demo. Limitations The freeware and basic versions of Forte are enough to get a singer-songwriter by just fine, but even they will eventually want to upgrade to Home or Premium, as that is where the power and flexibility of the software truly makes a difference. Conclusion While the Forte 5 suites of compositional software won’t teach you how to compose, they are so easy to use and intuitive that they make the composition (and documentation) of songs a breeze. Forte has done an excellent job of making the potentially overwhelming number of options cleanly and logically organized without distracting novice users. The benefit of being able to compliment a printed version of a song or composition with an audio recording of it at no additional effort alone is worth the price of admission. Resources Forte Notation Options (Street $24.00-$239.00) Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

By Chris Loeffler Going Direct As an amp purist, I have to admit I’ve often been intrigued by the potential direct amp-in-a-box pedals as an alternative to lugging around heavy gear and having to dial in the sound to every room. Not enough to have fully taken the plunge, until recently, but certainly enough to stay on top of the latest gear advances and demo units occasionally. When I noticed a band I was playing in was suffering from bad practice habits and a lack of knowledge in dialing in the sound right for live performances without the help of an engineer I decided it was time to explore the current state of direct technology for guitar and bass and see if it might be a solution to some of the problems we were facing. Direct Gear While there are many possibilities for going direct, the Tech21 Character Series is one of my personal favorites… especially for players who don’t use MIDI or heavily programmable modelers as their main rig. They feature the same intuitive controls of a traditional amp, the series covers nearly every major amp sound, and the pedal board friendly format makes integration into an existing signal chain as easy and unobtrusive as can be. These factors made the Character Series the route I took when I decided to experiment with taking the whole band direct. The Amp-in-a-Box at Practice Practice spaces, be they a garage or a dedicated room built around playing, offer specific challenges to players. The most common consideration of any practice space is “how loud can we play and when do we need to stop to avoid having the neighbors call the police”. Small spaces with proximity to unintentional listeners (neighbors) require fine control over the output volume of instruments. This can be especially frustrating when the inevitable “loud war” breaks out as players slowly turn up their amps to sit where they think they should be in the mix. By placing and mixing all instruments direct into the PA, adjusting the volume of the entire band without mucking up the mix is as simple as adjusting the Master control, and adjustments to the band mix are made democratically. Because practice spaces are often much smaller than a performance stage and don’t easily accommodate optimal gear placement, practicing musicians often struggle with trying to hear their (or others’) instrument. Anything less than a good mix in practice is going to lessen the effectiveness of the practice and could be hiding significant gaps in band cohesion that need addressing before a song or set is ready for primetime. By running all players direct (except, possibly, the drummer) it is much easier to hear how an audience would hear you sound and much more difficult to miss flubs. Smallest. Rig. Ever. The Amp-in-a-Box in Performance After getting comfortable with being direct in our practice setting, we decided to go entirely direct for our next paying gig; a 200+ person private outdoor party. First and most obvious, packing in and setting up was significantly faster and easier without three 50lb+ tube amps to haul in and dial in. Both guitars and the bass were as easy to get ready as dropping the pedal boards where we wanted to perform and running an instrument cable from the board to the PA and positioning a stage monitor on either side of the stage for the band. Sound check is where the real benefit of an all-direct band came to light. Without the need to mic cabinets or balance the amp output with the PA output, getting the mix right took less than half the time and we, as players on the stage, were hearing the exact same thing as the sound engineer at the board across the venue. Subtle use of stereo panning in the mains built out enough dimension within the audience area that the sound still “felt” like it was coming from a series of differently positioned amps, while the mono mix fed to the stage monitors gave an accurate picture to the performers as to what the audience was hearing. The end result after the performance? A happier sound guy, tons of compliments from the music-savvy crowd, and the band having a better idea of what the live mix was in real time. Delay post-amp distortion in a live setting is a glorious thing to experience. The Amp-in-a-Box for Recording Similar to live performances, much of the headache (and art) of studio recording is in capturing the best version of your tone as possible. While there’s nothing that will match the precision and customization of recording a perfectly dialed in, high-quality amp in a good room with high-end microphones, there are also hundreds of ways to get it wrong (or do it differently). Recording direct with a speaker emulator, however, takes all the guesswork out of it and frees players up to focus on what they are in the studio for… to play! Similar to live performance, recording direct takes less than half the set-up time and is much easier to dial in and monitor while playing. One of the biggest opportunities of direct recording when recording multiple instruments at once is the ability to have zero bleed through of the instruments into other channels. Where this becomes incredibly powerful is in situations where the band is playing down the foundation tracks and wants to record live as a group to keep the energy in a performance. With everyone donning a pair of headphones, it was possible to record guitars, bass, keyboards, and drums at the same time with the benefit of having an isolated capture of the miked drum kit. Working with six to eight raw, isolated tracks made post-performance mixing a breeze, and sly use of reverb and a little panning resulted in authentic, breathy instrument recordings. Amp-in-a-Box Limitations While there are a ton of benefits to going direct for performances, there are a couple of requirements or limitations that need to be accepted. Running multiple guitars, keyboards, bass, and vocals exclusively direct requires a reasonably powerful PA with headroom and quality speakers. Less powered systems or cheaper speakers will quickly muddy up the sound.A subwoofer, a common but not obligatory portion of a PA setup becomes almost essential when Bass and Keyboards are running direct.Proper stage monitor is even more crucial than with an all amplified setup, as they are the only source of performance feedback a player will get. Or... You can finally have an excuse to not look at your drummer! Conclusion It is hard for players to give up their prized amplifiers. Heck, the amp is the foundation of the electric instrument’s sound. On top of this (understandable) affinity toward traditional amplifiers, early direct options, be it modelling or analog emulation, fell far short of the mark for discerning players and caused a lingering perception that they aren’t good enough for “professional” application. Direct technology, and the understanding of how to apply it, has steadily improved over the last twenty years and is now undeniably “there” for all but the most close-minded players. There’s a nobility of playing the way people always have, but the reduced cost, increased reliability, ease of setup, versatility, and tone of the current batch of Amp-in-a-Box direct devices can truly free bands to focus on the music and deliver toneful, consistent performances across all applications. That said, you may want to put up a cardboard amp stack in the back to satisfy the traditionalists! Resources Tech21 Character Series Pedals at Musician's Friend Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

By Chris Loeffler One of the challenges of the single coil pickup (and one of the reasons it has its distinct sound) is the amount of noise the inherent 60 cycle hum can produce, leading to anything from “barely there” white noise to unbearably, unmusically buzzy depending on the setting and quality of the electricity. Attempts by pickup manufacturers to “buck” the hum (without just creating a humbucker) typically result in a pickup that is “single coil-ish”, but somewhat missing the characteristics or liveliness that make guitar players historically accept the hum. DiMarzio introduced its Area series pickups quite a few years ago as an answer to copping the strat souns captured on thousands of iconic recordings from the 60’s through today with introducing the extra noise. The series, comprised of the Area 58, Area 61, and Area 67, are built to the sonic specifications of the best examples of the strat pickups built at that time. DiMarzio Area 67 Single Coil Pickup The DiMarzio Area 67 was built to capture the sound of a late 60’s Stratocaster pickup and is named after Hendrix’s guitar tone in the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. Best suited for the middle and neck positions, the Area 67 sounds like a dead-on classic strat without the 60 cycle hum thanks to the Area technology DiMarzio utilizes to kill the noise. And noiseless they are… even through a rig plugged into an outlet sharing an electrical path with a neon sign, the pickup is dead silent. The Area 67 is bright and clear, easily copping the percussiveness and glassy sheen of traditional strat tones. The pickups are as bright as one would expect a strat pickup to sound without crossing the line into being harsh or ice-picky. Mids sound a bit scooped when compared to modern, high-fidelity pickups, but that’s part of the classic strat sound. The Area 67 excels at cleans and brings an almost piano-like punch to the attack and dirtying up the amp with increased gain yields warm, pleasing harmonics. To my ears, the Area 67 works best in the neck and middle positions as it already has plenty of brightness. For enthusiasts, it is worth noting that while late 60’s strats were built using full strength alnico V magnets, whereas the DiMarzio Area 67s use alnico II magnets. Because of the efficiencies of the design, the alnico II greatly decreases the magnet pull without impacting output and reduces strain to sustain and the likeliness of intonation issues. DiMarzio Virtual Solo Single Coil Pickup Unlike the Area 67, which aims at nailing the late 60’s strat sound, the DiMarzio Virtual Solo is a hybrid of two DiMarzio originals- the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo and the DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo Pro. By combining the best elements of these two (now decommissioned) pickups, DiMarzio has created a pickup that is heavy in upper mids and deep and rich in the bass. Compared to the Area 67, the Virtual Solo has nearly twice the output and a bit of high-end roll off that perfectly complements the bridge position. Mids, while far from cartoony or unnatural sounding, are brash and bold and sit well over the extended bass range to create a focused, cutting lead tone. In short, the Virtual Solo has more bite and snarl than a traditional strat pickup but fits perfectly within the tonal range of what a strat should do. Limitations The DiMarzio Area series pickups are best paired with a 500k tone pot, which doesn’t come stock in many strat-style guitars. While not necessary, the small costs of picking up a tone pot with the pickup will pay big dividends when it comes to dialing in the perfect amount of treble character. Conclusion Those seeking vintage strat tones without the noise really need look no further than the Area series pickups. Whereas most strat-a-like pickups that are “noiseless” sacrifice the liveliness and fundamental character that people are seeking in a classic strat, the Area 67 drips “that” sound. The Virtual Solo, by contrast, sounds fantastically vintage but compliments, rather than emulates, the strat sound by kicking up the bass, mids, and harmonics for a distortion-friendly, sustained growl. Resources DiMarzio Area 67 Pickup at Musician's Friend (MSRP $109.99, Street 79.99) DiMarzio Virtual Solo Pickup at Musician's Friend (MSRP $104.99, Street $74.99) DiMarzio Area 67 Product Page DiMarzio Virtual Solo Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

By Chris Loefler Alter Your Amp’s Tone As mentioned in my article covering the 10” line of Celestion guitar speakers, swapping speakers is the most definitive and dramatic change that can be made to an amp’s core tone short of heavily modifying the amp circuitry itself. Speakers are often a good way to give a middle-of-the-road tube amp that final 10% and turn a good amp into a great amp. The cost of a decent speaker can easily compose 30% of the cost of a mid-level tube amp from a pure material standpoint, so it is understandable that most amp manufacturers are going to settle for the speaker that does the amp justice but comes in at a certain price point. Pull off the back of the cabinet and remove the amp chassis... Carefully remove the tubes before pulling out the chassis to reduce the chance of damaging them during the move. Vox AC15 Guitar Amp- An Amp of Many Colors Because the tone of an amp is so heavily influenced by the speaker projecting its sound, stock speakers have become intrinsically tied to the DNA of classic guitar sounds… be it Silverface Fender, 60’s Marshall, or a Soldano SLO. Pressed to call out the speaker/amp combo that comprises “that sound”, most players start with one of the most iconic pairings in the history of rock and roll; the Vox AC15/AC30 with a Celestion Alnico Blue speaker. Today, Vox offers a (killer) reissue of the AC15 with a choice of speakers at varying price points, including a Celestion G12M Greenback, Celestion G12M-65 Creamback, or Celestion Alnico Blue. The most affordable model includes the Celestion G12M Greenback. A stock Celestion G12M Greenback in its native habitat, and a spring reverb that needs to move. Celestion G12M Greenback Guitar Speaker- A Rock Classic The Celestion G12M Greenback is a fantastic speaker to start with, and excels at bringing punch and growl to low wattage amps with heavier distortion as well as presence and clarity when wired in a 4x12” configuration and driven by a higher wattage head. After a few days of break in, the Vox AC15 with the Celestion G12M Greenback has a wonderfully punky sound that deviates slightly from the vintage Vox combination with a Celestion Alnico Blue in that the mid-range focus shifts slightly lower and the high-end is slightly rolled off. The G12M Greenback compliments heavier grit and has a slightly grainy breakup quality without sounding blurry or buzzy. In short, a great combination for copping classic rock and lo-fi garage rock tones. While it isn't necessary, removing the spring reverb tank provides more room for manuevering when swapping speakers. However, the elusive Vox sound, as presented in classic recordings, is different than that. It’s jangly, searing, and rich in even the cleanest of settings while oozing quirky character. To see how much of that character truly came from the speaker, I pulled out stock Celestion G12M Greenback and dropped in a new Celestion Alnico Blue. Screw the new speaker in, taking care to securly fasten the speaker to the cabinet without applying enough pressure to bend the metal speaker fame. Celestion Alnico Blue Guitar Speaker- THE Classic Vox Sound The Celestion Alnico Blue produces warm lows, a smooth mid-range with an emphasis in the upper mids and a bell-like high-end that sparkles without getting too aggressive. The combination of these characteristics creates the signature jangle in late-clean/early-breakup signals that sizzles and builds layers of harmonics around the upper-mids and treble while the bass anchors the tone. The Celestion Blue is a little tight on the top-end and spikey in the mids when first installed, but a few hours of break in quickly mellow these out and by the 20 hour mark the speaker is silky smooth across the frequency range. With the new speaker in, all that's left is to replace the reverb tank, remount the chassis in the cabinet, place the tubes back in, and seal the cabinet back up. What’s the difference? The difference between the Celestion Greenback and Celestion Blue is significant enough that even an untrained ear will notice. Even before it was broken in, the Celestion Blue had more volume and a much more harmonically complex upper mid-range and top end sparkle. A room mic set to record the difference from the exact same location with the exact same settings clipped on some of the higher frequencies with the Blue, lending proof to the volume increase and additional treble. Brighter, louder, and richer in clean-to-early breakup settings, the Celestion Alnico Blue completely transforms the AC15 and evokes Beatles, Brian May, and The Edge perfectly. While both performed well (if differently) in high-gain settings, the Celestion G12M Greenback seems better suited to that more aggressive distortion by adding focus and a bit of roundness to the edges. The Blue, on the other hand, will grab on to every bit of distortion it can and scream it out, making high-gain a little more unruly. Celestion Alnico Blue 15w 12" Speaker at Musician's Friend (MSRP $420.00, Street $279.00) Celestion G12M Greenback 25w 12" Speaker at Musician's Friend (MSRP $185.00, Street $125.00) Celestion Alnico Blue 15w 12" Speaker Celestion G12M Greenback 25w 12" Speaker Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Dark tones for a bright future! By Chris Loeffler Orange amplifiers have been in production since 1968 and have earned a reputation as being the “other” English vintage amp for heavier rock tones. Combining the harmonic complexity of a classic Vox with the rude, saturated gain associated with early Marshalls, the hallmark of the Orange sound is a dark, almost fuzzy distortion created in higher gain settings and warm, edgy cleans. The last ten years have seen a significant expansion of the Orange amp line as designers supplement the legacy of the AD30 and Thunderverb with smaller wattage amps like the Tiny Terror and high wattage, multi-channel offerings like the new Dual Dark series amplifiers. The Orange Dual Dark 100 is a 100 watt tube amp head that features two channels (A and B) with Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, and Gain controls for Channel A and Volume, Shape, and Gain for Channel B as well as a global output attenuator. The preamp section features five 12AX7’s (four for preamplification and gain, one as a phase inverter) and there are four EL-34s in power amp section (as opposed to only two in the Dual Dark 50). The amp head includes a low resistance effects loop and 8 and 16 Ohm speaker outputs for maximum compatibility with speaker cabinets. What You Need to Know The Orange Dual Dark 100’s Channel A is built around an entirely new voicing that builds on the foundation of classic Orange tones with a slightly more modern and high-fidelity frequency band while significantly expanding the gain range from even more sparkly cleans than usual to something like twice the gain of a typical vintage Orange. The four gain stages (preamp tubes) allow distortion that is not only thick and syrupy but also complex without getting buzzy. There is quite a bit of magic to be found in the “in between” settings, and the amp has the right amount of jangle and roar in low breakup settings.The Dual Dark 100’s Channel B takes the sonic imprint of the Orange Dark Terror to the big stage by adding nearly seven times the output wattage and a lot more gain on tap in the preamp section. The Shape control, a carryover from the Orange Thunder series, is a frequency filter that cuts or boosts the mids while adding or subtracting bass and treble frequencies. This is the gainer, almost fuzzy (but never buzzy) Orange sound made famous by stoner rock and metal legends. Most players will never need to have the Gain control past noon, but it’s nice to have the option to go thermonuclear at a moment’s notice.In comparison to the Orange Dark Terror, the EL34s of the Dual Dark 100 offer more bass, punch, and a slightly thicker mid-section while the Terror’s EL84s produced spongier gain with more emphasis in treble and a higher upper-midrange curve. Obviously, the tubes are far from that only thing that are different (different circuit topology, different stress levels on the power tubes given wattage handling, etc), but the end result of the comparison is that the Dual Dark 100’s Channel B is a bigger, more aggressive version of the scrappier and more (pleasingly) lo-fi Dark Terror.Channel switching and, surprisingly, attenuation can be controlled via an optional footswitch for players looking to access the power of both channels in a live setting. The attenuator can effectively even be used as a post-distortion clean boost for players looking to bump the volume during solos without changing their tone or gain structure. The Attenuator does an admirable job of cutting volume without altering the tone. The ability to cut the Dual Dark 100 from 100 watts to 70, 50, or even 30 watts makes it easier to push the power amp tubes into compression and gain in smaller venues. Limitations While I would be hard pressed to say it is needed, the Orange Dual Dark 100’s approach to pure tone excludes onboard reverb.Conclusion The Orange Dual Dark 100 is a beautiful, brutish beast of an amplifier that nails the marriage of classic Orange tone with modern fidelity and increased gain without ever sacrificing cleans or warmth. An amp that can please both classic rock players and dropped-tuned sludge metal guitarists is an impressive feat to pull off; Orange makes it look easy. Resources Orange Dual Dark 100 Tube Amp at Musician's Friend (MSRP $3,399.99, Street $2,499.99) Orange Dual Dark 100 Tube Amp Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Cut the cord for your live performances! By Chris Loeffler The instrument cable has always been an anchor to guitar players, literally tethering them to their amp or pedal board and prohibiting the sort of onstage antics that take a live performance from great to amazing. While wireless systems have been available to players for some time, most bring along issues like poor sound quality, difficult setup and/or spotty performance. Recognizing this challenge, Audio-Technica has taken the award-winning System 10 wireless system they originally designed for desktop formats and placed it in a stomp box enclosure with enough tweaks to delight any player. Built for Players, Not Techs For those unfamiliar, Audio-Technica’s System 10 wireless system distinguishes itself by operating in the 2.4 GHz band to completely avoid TV interference and transmits in glorious 24-bit/48 kHz for pristine audio quality. By placing this technology’s receiver into a sturdy metal stompbox enclosure and adding a myriad of enhancements to address the needs of guitarists, Audio-Technica has created a wireless experience perfectly tailored to the guitar and bass crowd. The receiver stompbox runs on a standard 9-12v power supply, features two operating modes, and can sync with up to eight transmitters- meaning up to eight guitars can be in your lineup and dropped into your signal chain in the time it takes to throw the strap over your head. Syncing a transmitter is as simple as turning the transmitter on, selecting a channel number and pushing the synch button on the receiver. Within a couple of seconds the system will have matched the units and you’re good to go. A helpful battery-level indicator for the transmitter is displayed on the receiver pedal, meaning you’ll always have a visual reference of battery level on your pedal board to avoid dying on stage mid song. Battery life is around 7 hours of continual use. Pure Tone in the Airwaves First and foremost, the System 10 Stompbox sounds fantastic. 24-bit/48 kHz is better than CD sound quality, guaranteeing nuance and precious harmonic content are faithfully retained through the wireless transmission process. The tone is natural and unaffected, and effects pedals respond to the signal the same way they would if the guitar was physically connected. Utilizing a clever bit of technology, the System 10 Stompbox auto-detects the two cleanest frequencies in the room and locks on to them. If the primary frequency experiences interference the unit automatically and seamlessly flips to the secondary frequency, ensuring your tone doesn’t suffer as the airwave traffic changes. Master of Many Trades The System 10 Stompbox features two primary operating modes, “A or B” and “A Mute”, that dictate how the footswitch handles the stereo outs. Using “A or B”, the stomp switch effectively works as an A/B channel switcher, allowing players to toggle between two different amps with a single step. The ability to sync multiple transmitters to the pedal means you can switch both guitars AND amps in seconds. Because the outputs are TRS balanced, this even opens up the opportunity to switch between an electric guitar into a tube amp and an acoustic guitar into a stereo preamp, something unheard of in a traditional AB box but incredibly important to bands with acoustic songs in their set. The “A Mute” mode allows single-amp players to silently tune their guitars onstage by running channel B into their amp and channel A into a tuner. Stepping on the stomp switch activates or cuts signal to the guitar amp while channel A feeds a constant signal to the tuner. This functionality saves your amp a little extra stress and saves your audience’s ears by eliminating the ugly pop that can happen when tuners are activated in the signal chain. As a bonus, there’s a cool, undocumented alternative use for this mode; you can run channel B to a clean amp and channel A to a distorted amp to use the amps in parallel for true amp distortion with the added depth and clarity of the “always on” clean amp. Limitations While not really a limitation of the System 10, certain vintage fuzz boxes (you know... they type where even the type of battery matters) tend to perform slightly different when fed wirelessly rather than plugged in diretly to the guitar via cable. Conclusion If you've ever considered the benefits of going wireless, the Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox is something you need to check out. The audio quality is superb, it is as easy to integrate into your setup as a new pedal, and the guitar-centric enhancements like amp splitting, silent tuning, and ability to synch multiple instruments to a single stomp open you up to even more rig possibilities without ever having to crack a manual open. Resources Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox at Musician's Friend (MSRP $614.95, Street $349.95) Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox Product Page Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox Manual Tips on Wireless Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Cut the cord for your live performances! By Chris Loeffler The instrument cable has always been an anchor to guitar players, literally tethering them to their amp or pedal board and prohibiting the sort of onstage antics that take a live performance from great to amazing. While wireless systems have been available to players for some time, most bring along issues like poor sound quality, difficult setup and/or spotty performance. Recognizing this challenge, Audio-Technica has taken the award-winning System 10 wireless system they originally designed for desktop formats and placed it in a stomp box enclosure with enough tweaks to delight any player. Built for Players, Not Techs For those unfamiliar, Audio-Technica’s System 10 wireless system distinguishes itself by operating in the 2.4 GHz band to completely avoid TV interference and transmits in glorious 24-bit/48 kHz for pristine audio quality. By placing this technology’s receiver into a sturdy metal stompbox enclosure and adding a myriad of enhancements to address the needs of guitarists, Audio-Technica has created a wireless experience perfectly tailored to the guitar and bass crowd.The receiver stompbox runs on a standard 9-12v power supply, features two operating modes, and can sync with up to eight transmitters- meaning up to eight guitars can be in your lineup and dropped into your signal chain in the time it takes to throw the strap over your head. Syncing a transmitter is as simple as turning the transmitter on, selecting a channel number and pushing the synch button on the receiver. Within a couple of seconds the system will have matched the units and you’re good to go. A helpful battery-level indicator for the transmitter is displayed on the receiver pedal, meaning you’ll always have a visual reference of battery level on your pedal board to avoid dying on stage mid song. Battery life is around 7 hours of continual use. Pure Tone in the Airwaves First and foremost, the System 10 Stompbox sounds fantastic. 24-bit/48 kHz is better than CD sound quality, guaranteeing nuance and precious harmonic content are faithfully retained through the wireless transmission process. The tone is natural and unaffected, and effects pedals respond to the signal the same way they would if the guitar was physically connected. Utilizing a clever bit of technology, the System 10 Stompbox auto-detects the two cleanest frequencies in the room and locks on to them. If the primary frequency experiences interference the unit automatically and seamlessly flips to the secondary frequency, ensuring your tone doesn’t suffer as the airwave traffic changes. Master of Many Trades The System 10 Stompbox features two primary operating modes, “A or B” and “A Mute”, that dictate how the footswitch handles the stereo outs. Using “A or B”, the stomp switch effectively works as an A/B channel switcher, allowing players to toggle between two different amps with a single step. The ability to sync multiple transmitters to the pedal means you can switch both guitars AND amps in seconds. Because the outputs are TRS balanced, this even opens up the opportunity to switch between an electric guitar into a tube amp and an acoustic guitar into a stereo preamp, something unheard of in a traditional AB box but incredibly important to bands with acoustic songs in their set.The “A Mute” mode allows single-amp players to silently tune their guitars onstage by running channel B into their amp and channel A into a tuner. Stepping on the stomp switch activates or cuts signal to the guitar amp while channel A feeds a constant signal to the tuner. This functionality saves your amp a little extra stress and saves your audience’s ears by eliminating the ugly pop that can happen when tuners are activated in the signal chain. As a bonus, there’s a cool, undocumented alternative use for this mode; you can run channel B to a clean amp and channel A to a distorted amp to use the amps in parallel for true amp distortion with the added depth and clarity of the “always on” clean amp. Limitations While not really a limitation of the System 10, certain vintage fuzz boxes (you know... they type where even the type of battery matters) tend to perform slightly different when fed wirelessly rather than plugged in diretly to the guitar via cable. Conclusion If you've ever considered the benefits of going wireless, the Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox is something you need to check out. The audio quality is superb, it is as easy to integrate into your setup as a new pedal, and the guitar-centric enhancements like amp splitting, silent tuning, and ability to synch multiple instruments to a single stomp open you up to even more rig possibilities without ever having to crack a manual open. Resources Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox at Musician's Friend (MSRP $614.95, Street $349.95) Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox Product Page Audio-Technica System 10 Stompbox Manual Tips on Wireless Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Tweak your amp tone. By Chris Loeffler Utility and availability made the 12” speaker the industry default for guitar amplifiers shortly after guitar amps became a serious business. 10” and even 15” speakers have always been available and have even been stock in many acclaimed vintage amps, but at the end of the day the typical tube guitar amp you find in a music shop is going to be rocking a 12” speaker (or two… or four). While 12” speakers benefit from a rich mid-range and deep bass (not to mention most amplifiers and pickups being tuned to them), there’s a certain higher frequency bandwidth, focus, and speed of response that a 10” speaker brings to the table that makes for easy, toneful guitar recording while avoiding stepping over the bass player’s frequencies. Most major amp builders, especially those featuring a lower wattage line, are capitalizing on theses more desirable characteristics of the 10” speaker and treating them as core to their tone (see the Fender Princeton Reverb, Marshall small valves, and Vox Night Train for current production examples). Most production amplifiers are built to hit a certain price point, so certain “nice to haves” are left to the discretion of the player to upgrade down the line. Because tone is so subjective, it isn’t that stock speakers are “bad” or even “not as good as X”… they’re just there to deliver a particular tone that will appeal to the broadest audience while complimenting the amps they are attached to. But when you jump into the world of tone tools, eventually you’ll need to turn your ear to your speaker to make sure it’s doing what you want. The good folk at Celestion offered us the opportunity to test-drive quite a few models from their current speaker line to see how tailoring the speakers to the sound we want out of our own beloved amps can take us to places we never thought we’d go (or at least give us that final 10% we’ve been missing). To start with, I will compare the 10” series of guitar speakers they sent using two amplifiers (Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb and Marshall Class 5) and a 2x10” Avatar closed-back speaker cabinet from my personal arsenal. Celestion G10N-40 10” Guitar Speaker The Celestion G10N-40 found its start as a custom design for an amp maker, but was refined and released as a stand-alone model by Celestion. Rated at 40 watts RMS, it is made to handle higher wattages than most 10” speakers, in theory giving it a bit more headroom and focus before breaking up. In practice, the speaker sounds fantastic, with a truly balanced EQ range that incorporates strong bass and refined treble with a clear, unexaggerated midrange slightly favoring the upper mids. Cleans are full and musical, with a larger voice than many stock 10” speakers provide. Overdriven, the speaker takes on a slightly darker tone with just a bit of a nudge in the lower mids that made leads sing. Replacing a stock Jensen C10 in my late 2000’s Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb, the G10N-40 brought considerably more volume and focus to the amp’s overdriven tones and seemed to add headroom to cleaner settings. Breakup was still pleasant, but louder and slightly tighter than with the stock pickup. The clean tones were louder and more high-fidelity with a touch more chime and high-end, in general fuller sounding and musical with slightly less warmth (read, “mud”, to my ears). Celestion G10 Greenback 10” Guitar Speaker For fans of historical accuracy, it is worth noting that “Greenback” is a generic term for many different production Celestion guitar speakers, including the G12H and the G12M, that came out in the 60’s and 70’s. All these speakers shared a commonality of a ceramic magnet and a green plastic magnet cover and collectively, while different makes and cones, represented a specific tone that became sought after, much like there are many models of Fender amplifiers under the “Silverface” umbrella. The Celestion Greenback (in its 12” configuration) is a rock and blues icon and has practically defined the UK amp tone for over five decades. The Celestion G10 Greenback is the result of years of effort by Celestion to nail the famous 12” “Greenback” tone (exemplified in their current production G12M Greenback) in a 10” format for those seeking more focused lows and warm, vintage rolled-off treble. Sonically, it is a very close match (I happened to have a G12M on hand for comparison), with the G10 Greenback featuring more bass than a standard 10” speaker and a rich midrange that tends to jump out when pushed by a crunched amp. Cleans sound excited and lively, and the upper mids sing when the harmonic content of the distortion increases. Compared to the stock Jensen C10R and the Celestion G10N-40 in the Fender ’65 Princeton Reverb, the Celestion G10 Greenback sat somewhere between the two, with a greater propensity to add its own distortion when hit hard by the amp than the G10N-40 but louder, tighter, and fuller in frequency (especially the bass and trebles) than the Jensen C10R. Celestion G10 Gold AlNiCo 10” Guitar Speaker The Celestion G10 Gold 10” speaker is Celestion’s top of the line 10” guitar speaker. Featuring an AlNiCo magnet, the G10 Gold is voiced to marry the characteristics of the classic Celestion Blue 12” speaker (famous for being THE sound of a classic Vox amp) with the rapid response of a smaller driver. All the overused descriptors of classic rock tones apply to this speaker… smooth, distinct midrange, tight, punchy bass and chimey but rounded treble. It is worth noting that the G10 Gold by far benefited the most to a break in period. It sounds great upon initial install, but there’s a slight dynamic stiffness and harmonic timidness in the upper register that works itself out after a few hours of dynamic playing. For the purposes of this review, I looped a fairly dynamic twenty second guitar part on my Akai Headrush and slowly turned the volume on the amp up each hour over the course of twelve hours. By the twelfth hour the speaker was demonstrably smoother and richer (and my neighbors were likely ready to kill me). Rated at 16ohms, the Celestion G10 Gold was an obvious replacement more the stock Celestion included in my Marshall Class 5 (sadly, discontinued a couple of years ago). The stock speaker was specifically designed for the Class 5 and is based on a Greenback with tweaks to coax a bit more bass out of the cone. The stock speaker, more so than any other amp I’ve had, was a perfect enough match for the amp to my ears, being exceptionally loud for its size and featuring a nice, raunchy breakup that complimented the amps crunch. The Celestion G10 Gold radically transformed the tone of the Class 5; to my tastes making it even better. While still sounding like a rude, overdriven Marshall, the Celestion Gold really evened out some of the ragged edges of the amp and brought some nice sparkle to the top end and tightened up the flabby bass. The amp sounded less tubby and significantly more open and bright. Run along-side an AlNiCo Weber Silver 10 speaker in the 2x10” speaker cabinet with several different low wattage heads, the G10 Gold brought more articulation and a difficulty to describe snappiness to notes that felt much more reactive than with the stock ceramic speaker. Conclusion There is no point in revisiting your speaker if you’re perfectly happy with how your current speaker sits in the mix, but if there are any doubts in your mind, a speaker swap is one of the most drastic ways you can change the core tone of your amplifier. Between the three 10” speakers Celestion was kind enough to send for review, I found that a lot of things I had settled for and long given up on in my amps were unnecessary compromises. I heartily recommend you make sure you’re not missing out on tweaking a vital part of your guitar tone! Resources Celestion G10N-40 10" Guitar Speaker at Musician's Friend (MSRP $100, Street $69) Celestion G10 Gold AlNiCo 10" Guitar Speaker at Musician's Friend (MSRP $265, Street $175) Celestion G10N-40 10" Guitar Speaker Product Page Celestion G10 Greenback 10" Guitar Speaker Product Page Celestion G10 Gold AlNiCo 10" Guitar Speaker Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

By Chris Loeffler Ben Fargen has been in the business of building high-end, boutique guitar amplifiers since 1998 and made a name for himself for his attention to detail and ear for classic tones. His amps build on the solid foundation of the most classic and toneful circuits and add stability, control, and an openness the vintage units that inspired them could never hope to attain. A few years ago, Ben founded Sonic Edge with the intention of applying his engineering talents to the world of effects pedals. With nearly a half dozen effects now offered through Sonic Edge, Ben is bringing his newest pedal, the Pete Anderson Tumbleweed, back under the Fargen brand. The Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed pedal is a compressor and boost in a single enclosure with Level, Gain, Sustain, and tonestack controls and features true-bypass switching for each effect. The pedal runs on 9v power supply or included 9v battery and is housed in a sturdy steel enclosure with utilitarian graphics. What You Need to Know The Fargen Tumbleweed is an evolution of the Sonic Edge Tumbleweed, building on its circuitry and re-tuned based on feedback from Country guitar hero Pete Anderson. The compressor and boost circuits are each controlled and activated independently of each other, effectively giving players access to three unique tones without having to turn a single knob.The compressor side of the Tumbleweed features Gain and Sustain controls to adjust the output volume and compression of the effect. The compression is very natural sounding and extremely quiet with the tightness one expects in Country playing without ever hitting the darker, quacky sonic territory of a vintage Ross compressor. The Sustain control goes from “is it there?” levels of compression to fairly effected and squashed without scooping out the bottom end or obscuring the nuances of pick attack. Above noon, the Gain control takes the output above unity gain and provides a healthy boost to push amps or other effects.The boost side of the circuit, placed after the compressor in series, features a Level control and three modes of tone stack: British, Jazz, and Cali. The British mode has a mid-focus very similar to a vintage Marshall’s EQ, focused and cutting without sounding honky or smothered. The Jazz mode, on the other hand, is entirely transparent and just gives you more of what you are feeding it at louder volumes. Cali is the fullest sounding of the three, thanks in large part to a slightly enhanced bottom end and a touch more sparkle in the upper mids. All three, while subtle, have their own character and even a slightly different tinge of barely-there breakup when cranked or driven by the compressor side.Where the Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed really shines is when both effects are engaged. The compressor adds soft, dynamic compression and sustain that emulates a warm tube amp and feeds into the boost (especially when the Gain control is above unity) to slightly overdrive it, creating the perfect edgy tone for an amp ready to break up. Leads pop out and there’s a musical fullness to the sound that sits perfectly in the mix in a live band.Limitations The compression circuit is meant to be a tone enhancer, not a blatant effect… as such, players looking for over the top squash might find themselves wanting for more compression.Conclusions Typically, artist and genre marketed pedals don’t tend to make their way much beyond a subset of players who are looking for that artist or genre sound. In the case of the Tumbleweed that would be quite a shame. Players of classic rock, jazz, and really any clean to mid-gain genre will find a lot to love about the Tumbleweed. Compression, boost, and even lightly overdriven tones are abundant, lively, and only a footswitch (or two) away. Resources Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed at Musician's Friend ($299.00) Fargen Pete Anderson Tumbleweed Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

By Chris Loeffler Blackstar ID:Core Series Amplifiers Only a few years ago the likelihood of getting an affordable amp that was toneful and feature-rich was near impossible outside of stumbling across a garage sale special. Blackstar took note of this and created the Blackstar ID:Core series of solid state amplifiers; bringing flexibility and tone normally found in expensive amps to players at a very affordable price. The Blackstar ID:Core series includes the ID:Core 10, 20, and 40 models with 2x5W, 2x10W, and 2x20W configurations, respectively. The Blackstar ID:Core family shares a common thematic DNA makeup of true-stereo speaker output, patented ISF tone shifting, six classic preamp channels with savable presets, 12 onboard stereo effects, computer connectivity to share and download tones, and MP3/Line In and Speaker Emulated Line Out for greater practice and recording flexibility. The USB connector also allows you to record your amp directly to your computer. A Tone Chameleon that Excels in Any Shade The foundation of the Blackstar ID:Core sound is built around two unique tone shaping tools that allow players to craft their sound; the Voice and ISF controls. The Voice control gives players access to six distinct preamp voicings and covers a sonic range of pristine cleans, gritty, tube-like breakup and over-the-top gain. Clean Warm offers a traditional, harmonically rich clean tone while Clean Bright offers more openness and fuller frequency range. Mid-gain voicing Crunch produces the highly dynamic breakup of a classic tube preamp and Super Crunch doubles the gain and compression for tight and responsive distortion. The heavy gain voicings of OD1 and OD2 sit firmly in the modern world, with OD1 producing full-tilt, saturated distortion and OD2 kicking the mids into overdrive for silky, focused lead tones. ISF (Infinite Shape Filter) is Blackstar’s proprietary passive circuitry that adjusts the tone stack voicing between “USA” and “UK”. The USA side produces the focused, percussive response of a vintage Fender while the UK side is more crunchy and mid-heavy, evoking vintage Marshall tones. The magic of the ISF is the uncharted territories between the two extremes, where perfect blends of the two styles can apply their specific strengths to individual player needs. More Hues for Your Palette Placed after the preamp and tone stack, Blackstar ID:Core amps feature a collection of three stereo effect “types” that can be used individually or in serial; modulation, delay, and reverb. Modulation options include Phaser, Flanger, Chorus, and Tremolo; Delay options include Linear (digital), Analogue (rolled back treble), Tape (exponential treble degradation), and Multi (replicating multi-head, syncopated delays); Reverb options are Room, Hall, Spring, and Plate. The modulation effects are present and syrupy with rounded, natural tones that tastefully sweep the input signal rather than taking over the core tone. The Delay and Reverb effects are as organic and convincing as any standalone effect device available and build upon the depth and dimension of your guitar tone. Once you have your amp settings and effects dialed in, they can be saved and recalled at any time. The stereo field of the effects is huge... much larger sounding and feeling than one would expect from such a compact amp. Modulation swirls expand the perceived sonic field, and exaggerated multi-head delays appear to originate from several feet beyond the amp in all directions, even when you’re sitting directly in front of the speakers. The Perfect Practice Partner One of the intrinsic benefits of the Blackstar ID:Core series amp architecture is consistent tone at any volume. This makes for no-fuss tonal transitions when adjusting the volume from a band context to bedroom practice. If “quiet” practice still isn’t enough, the inclusion of a line out with speaker emulation makes silent practicing and recording hassle-free. The MP3/Line In jack lets you play over jam tracks or your favorite songs without lugging around a separate stereo for your audio player, and the free INSIDER software allows for deep editing and storing of patches and uploading and sharing tones with the Blackstar online community. Resources Blackstar ID:Core Series at Musician's Friend Blackstar ID:Core Series Product Page Discuss the Blackstar ID:Core series on the Amp forum! Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

Ernie Ball brings a new sonic color to your acoustic palate. By Chris Loeffler, Harmony Central Editor Following last year’s release of the wildly successful Cobalt series electric guitar strings, Ernie Ball has a gift for acoustic guitar players with the release of their new Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings. Early praise from guitar heroes like Andy McKee go a long way towards proving this technology is the answer to many players’ problem. A New String for a New Generation The Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze string builds on the legacy of the Ernie Ball acoustic line by leveraging their proprietary M-Steel (Maraging Steel) hex core technology to create a solid, toneful foundation for their new Aluminum Bronze formula wrap. The result is strings with a noticeable increase in projection and clarity and longer life with less corrosion. The strings feel great, with the perfect balance of grip and slickness, and are currently available in Extra Light (.010 .014 .020w .028 .040 .050), Light (.011, .015, .022, .032, .042, and .052), Medium Light (.012, .016, .024, .032, .044, and .054), and Medium (.013, .017, .026, .034, .046, and .056. Brilliance in Innovation The measure of any guitar string is its tone, and those looking for balanced, focused tone will find a lot to love here. Although this may be the first string for acoustic guitar to incorporate aluminum, many stringed orchestral instruments, like the violin, have relied on aluminum winding on their strings for their soulful, singing tone for decades. When I placed the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings on my cutaway dreadnought guitar, which always exhibited a bit more of the traditional boominess of the style than I would like, two things jumped out with the first chord- the bass reigns itself in to an equally present but much more musically satisfying and focused frequency range and the highs sparkle and reveal enhanced depth. The mids richly marry the two frequencies and bring balance without sacrificing clarity or the sweet spots of the individual guitar. Claims of increased projection are not exaggerated; the Aluminum Bronze strings make every guitar they are placed on bigger and more present. An unexpected byproduct of this is the increase in dynamic possibilities. I found I was able to drive the top of the guitar a bit more when digging in, leading to some truly visceral acoustic tones unavailable with my standard reference set of strings. The increased projection is especially impressive in smaller, parlor-style guitars that have great tone but low output. Corrosion Free Bringing a new sonic color to your acoustic guitar isn’t the only perk of the new Aluminum Bronze strings; players can expect a longer-lived, less reactive string that will sound and look brilliant longer than standard bronze or phosphor bronze. I have an unfortunate body chemistry many other players experience that requires frequent string changes due to my acidity and sweat that quickly deadens strings. After two weeks of heavy playing with multiple players, the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze strings were still going strong with a cleaner feel and sound than I’ve experienced with other types. Visually, the strings reflected less wear, but, more importantly, they still carried their top end and increased projection long after I’d gunked up and replaced my reference set. Conclusions While some skeptics are quick to write off new alloys and metals as a gimmick to stand out in a flooded market, the Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze acoustic series is worthy of the hype, and worthy of your attention. Whether you’re looking to increase the clarity, volume, and balance of your acoustic or just want a great sounding string that will stand up to your playing, look no further. Resources Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze Acoustic Strings at Musician's Friend (MSRP $13.50, Street $7.99) Ernie Ball Aluminum Bronze Acoustic Strings Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

The quickest way to upgrade your amp’s tone. By Chris Loeffler Celestion has been a standard-bearer for guitar and bass amp speakers since it made its mark as (arguably) the first manufacturer of a speaker created specifically to compliment and enhance the tone of a guitar amplifier in the early 1950’s, and their three classic models, the Celestion Blue, Celestion Greenback, and Celestion Vintage 30 are still viewed as the end-all for their respective tonal characteristics. While Celestion continues to produce these classics, they’ve also been advancing the art of speaker design to meet modern demands while retaining the classic tones they are known for. Such is the case for one of their newest releases, the Celestion G12H-75 Creamback. The Celestion G12H-75 Creamback (nicknamed for its cream sticker and magnet cover end bell), is a 12” speaker voiced for guitar amplifiers built around a classic ceramic magnet that is rated at 75 watts handling and available in 8Ω or 16Ω impedances. What You Need to Know The Celestion G12H-75 Creamback builds on the concept of the G12M-65 Creamback (its smaller sibling) and the G12H Anniversary by using an extra heavy magnet to recreate the classic, cutting rock tones with slightly more bass and treble than the G-12M Greenback at significantly higher wattages (75 watts versus 25 watts). The result is a speaker with more clarity, punch, and output than other members of the G12 family without sacrificing the soul the greenback sound… crisp and clear tones with nice harmonic breakup to slightly mellow mids and trebles for the classic “woody” tone that practically defined the British sound.To test it, I swapped a Celestion G12M Greenback in my Avatar G112 Vintage closed-back custom cabinet for the G12H-75 Creamback and cranked my Frenzel HBX-WC30 (with dual 5AR4 rectifiers). Straight out of the box the Creamback was surprisingly punchy and open, which is uncommon given most speakers require a certain period of time for the voice coil to break in and loosen up to impart its specific character. Compared to a Celestion G12M Greenback in the same cabinet, the Celestion G12H-75 Creamback was significantly tighter and open across the frequency range with a bit less warmth and harmonic complexity at lower volume (such is the case when comparing a speaker with 1/3rd the power handling being hit hard) and a lot more bass. While the G12M exhibited a nice, round mid-range and satisfying clang, the G12H-75 Creamback sounded less congested and boxy but still provided the same basic sonic signature. Pushing out punishingly loud tones when the amp was fully cranked, the tone sweetened as the speaker imparted more and more of its breakup characteristics, especially for lead tones. While the slightly more lo-fi nature of the Greenback makes for great mid-gain tones, the Creamback just cuts through and feels fuller.Testing a Celestion Vintage 30 against it, the G12H-75 Creamback instantly displayed deeper and more focused bass frequencies, a slightly smoother and less hazy midrange in overdriven settings, and a treble range that managed to be both more present and yet less brittle. While neither speaker was objectively “better” than the other, the Creamback exhibited balance and volume enough to maintain its focus better for leads while the Vintage 30 exhibited a fuzzier, spongy distortion quality. Limitations The Celestion G12H-75 Creamback is built to handle extreme wattages and as such isn’t going to get much of a workout when being fed by a low-wattage amp. The speaker still sounds fantastic, but is unable to impart much of the roundness and compression of a speaker hitting the breakup point when used with a 5 watt amp. Conclusions The Celestion G12H-75 Creamback finds the perfect balance between classic speaker breakup tones that helped propel amp makers like Marshall and Vox to the front of the pack in the Rock and Country scene and enhances it by greatly increasing the power handling capabilities while improving the fidelity and depth of the bass and lower mids. In short, the speaker marries the tones of the past with the clarity and volume capabilities of modern amplifiers. Resources Celestion G12H-75 Creamback Speaker at Musician's Friend (MSRP $225, Street $169) Celestion G12H-75 Creamback Speaker Product Page

By Chris Loeffler Building on the legacy and philosophy of the Tubemeister series (Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 Amp Head reviewed here), the Hughes and Kettner Grandmeister 36 Amp head is an all-tube, 36 watt amp head powered by four EL-84 power tubes and three 12AX7 preamp tubes that features four channels, power soak and DI box, serial FX loop, onboard digital effects, proprietary Smart Knob rotary controls, and MIDI in/out. The amp is handsomely housed in a sleek, flat black and chrome chassis and features blue LED illuminated glass front and back plates that frame the transformers and glowing tubes when the amp is turned on.The Grandmeister features four main channels (Clean, Crunch, Lead, and Ultra), each with slightly different gain characteristics, distortion saturation and their own EQ and presence controls. The Clean setting yields warm, high fidelity tones that can have the rounded warmth of vintage jazz or the sparkle and cut of a classic Class A clean depending on how the EQ is dialed in. The Crunch channel ups the ante on gain, maintaining the open frequency of the Clean channel while introducing enough grit and tight early-breakup to easily bounce between classic rock gain and focus cleans depending on how hard you dig in. The Lead channel focuses and slightly compresses the tone further, producing saturated modern lead and rhythm tones with complex harmonic overtones in extreme settings that quickly jump into controlled, musical feedback. The Ultra channel produces the sort of excessive gain and wool that would be at home in the heaviest of metal without sacrificing the fundamental clarity and definition of the guitar. Unlike many multi-channel amps, the Grandmeister offers completely independent tone and gain controls for each of its four channels. Obviously, to accomplish this with physical knobs would require almost 60 controls and would be more than a little unwieldy in practice… this is where the unique Smart Controls technology comes into play. Each of the controls on the amp can be dialed in and stored to a preset for each channel (up to 128 presets in all), meaning that when a player jumps between channels they aren’t just changing the preamp gain settings but also the entire tone stack. The Mid knob on Clean channel can be set to a totally different setting than where it is at on the Lead channel without having to tweak the knob at all (once the channel setting is saved). In addition to essentially having 128 distinct amp voicings available at the touch of a foot pedal, the internal effects can also be stored (with exact settings) on each preset.As alluded to above, the Hughes and Kettner Grandmeister doesn’t stop at creating hundreds of amazing amp tones; it also features onboard digital effects as well as a noise gate and boost. The digital effects are high-sample, no artifact Modulation, Delay, and Reverb. The Reverb is based on classic American spring reverbs, bringing the character and warmth of the classic effect without the boxy or tinny qualities sometimes associated with spring reverb. The Delay effect is a standard digital delay effect; pure and clean without being sterile. The Modulation effect is actually selectable between four modulation styles- Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, and Vibrato. The effects all faithfully create high-quality, non-intrusive imitations of the gold standards of their pedigree. The noise gate level is controlled via the back of the amp to tame hiss and white noise, and the Boost control has a slightly different voicing for each channel, pushing the Clean channel into louder volumes, kicking up the crunch in the Crunch channel, and absolutely squashing the Lead channel distortion into infinite sustain and saturation.A mainstay of the Tubemeister line has been the onboard power soak and DI box, and the Grandmeister carries on this proud tradition. In essence, the amplifier allows players to dial in their ideal amount of preamp and power amp distortion and then cut the wattage from 36 watts down to 18, 5, 1, or even 0 (silent) watts, resulting in true power amp distortion at reasonable levels. Those familiar with wattage versus perceived volume know that 5 watts isn’t 1/7th the perceived volume of 36 watts, but it is certainly more manageable for those looking for the tone of a cooking power amp section without the excessive volume that typically accompanies it. Additionally, the Grandmeister features an “always on” Hughes and Kettner Red Box direct box XLR output for silent recording or to feed directly to the PA in a live setting. While there’s no superior substitution for a speaker pushed to compression when it comes to feel, the Red Box does a more than convincing job of sounding lively and present for recording or into the mains. Hughes and Kettner FSM 432 MK-III Phantom-Powered MIDI Board The optional Hughes and Kettner FSM 432 MK-III takes all the flexibility of the Grandmeister’s functions and places them conveniently at your feet in an 18”x16” foot controller and enables complete control of all major amp functions via MIDI. In addition to allowing access to all 128 presets of the Grandmeister in Direct mode, the FSM 432 MK-III can be set to Stompbox mode, maintaining the amp’s preset settings but allowing the individual assigned internal effects of Modulation, Delay, Boost, and Reverb to be manually switched on or off. Adding expression pedals or single footswitches to the Control 1 and Control 2 inputs increases the sonic possibilities exponentially when assigned to effect parameters like Delay Feedback, Modulation Intensity, or even FX Loop On/Off for expression controlled adjustments in real time. This functionality allows for live volume swells, controlled delay oscillation, and even on-the-fly EQ adjustments without ever needing to bend over. Tap tempo, assigned to the Delay effect, works the same in both Stompbo and Direct modes, allowing refinements in delay time to synch to the beat in live settings.The looks and aesthetic of the FSM 432 scream “German engineering” and mirror the quality and functionality of the Grandmeister head. Footswitches are staggered to take up less space and provide less opportunity for stepping on the wrong control, and they have a solid, satisfying click when engaged. In practice, the board works incredibly intuitively, with clear displays and a logical method of switching between Direct and Stompbox modes. Hughes and Kettner GM36 RemoteGrandmeisterApp for iPad In addition to the power of the H&K FSM 432 MK-III MIDI board, Hughes and Kettner provides an alternative way to remotely control the power of the amp in an intuitive, graphic-centric manner with the Hughes and Kettner GM36 Remote Grandmeister App for iPad. Utilizing a (not included) iPad enabled MIDI interface like iRig MIDI, users can dial in, edit, name, and even share their presets with other users. Real time control adjustments on the iPad is both intuitive and satisfyingly futuristic feeling. Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister TM212 Speaker Cabinet Designed specifically to be paired with the Grandmeister and Tubemeister, the Hughes and Kettner Tubmeister TM212 speaker cabinet features two 12” Celestion Vintage 30 speakers and is rated at 120 watts handling. The closed back cabinet design allows the twin Vintage 30s to express the bass and punch that have made them mainstays of modern music, and they make a match made in heaven to the sonic characteristics of the Grandmeister 36. In a clever display of over delivering in engineering, the TM212 is sized as such that it can be used in the traditional horizontal position to accommodate even the biggest amp head or flipped vertically and still perfectly fit the Grandmeister while giving a little extra lift to the speaker stack.Limitations For extremely visual players, it is a little jarring to go through multiple presets with extremely different tones and see the physical knobs on the amp stay static. The blue indicator labeled Store illuminates when the indentation in the knob points at the actual setting, but it takes getting used to.Without the optional FSM 432 MK-III footswitch, half the depth and functional magic of the amp are hard to access in a live setting. Conclusions Hughes and Kettner has built quite an ecosystem around their Meister series, and the Grandmeister truly lives up to its not-too-modest name. Combining the tonefulness and out of the box accessibility of a traditional amp with the depth and flexibility of a high-tech rack system, the Grandmeister is set to serve all masters equally well. To be honest, it was a challenge to think of functionality the amp doesn’t include (I came up with mechanically controlled knobs for presets, but have to admit that’s a pretty petty callout)… warm cleans, tight crunch, over the top gain, studio quality effects, and foot control over every conceivable function within the amp is what the Grandmeister is all about. Resources Hughes and Kettner Grandmeister 36 Amp Head (MSRP $1,499, Street $1,199) Hughes and Kettner FSM 432 MK-III Phantom-Powered MIDI Board (MSRP $249, Street $199) Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister TM 212 2x12” Speaker Cabinet (MSRP $749, Street $599) Hughes and Kettner Grandmeister 36 Amp Head Product Page Hughes and Kettner FSM 432 MK-III Phantom-Powered MIDI Board Product Page Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister TM 212 2x12” Speaker Cabinet Product Page

Clear tone that’s made to last By Chris Loeffler, Harmony Central Editor The D’Addario family has been crafting instrument strings for more than 300 years and has one of the most extensive (and storied) instrument string assortments around. Never content to sit on its laurels, the D’Addario company continues to bring innovative new products to the market like the recently introduced NYXL series, a new line of premium strings for electric guitar and bass. Tough as Steel The NYXL string series branches from D’Addario’s classic XL series by introducing the strongest proprietary steel formula available on the market complimented with a reformulated nickel plate steel wrap that is precision wound on their state-of-the-art machines. The result is a string with the highest break point in existence that broadcasts loud, punchy tones that are full-frequency with just a hint of mellow warmth in the mids.Currently available in a 9-42 set and a 10-46 set for electric guitar and a 50-120 set for bass, one of the first things that stands out about the NYXL strings is their slight rigidity when they are removed from their corrosion-inhibiting sealed plastic envelope. The color-coded ball ends, which take the guesswork out of installing them in the correct sequence, are a nice touch and are very solidly threaded to the string.Once strung, the NYXL strings do something very odd… they stay in tune after only a minute or two of adjustments. Most practitioners of vibrato or bending are resigned to an extended break-in period for their strings before they can confidently make whole note stretches without falling out of tune, but the NYXLs hold tune and feel settled within minutes. Without ever feeling stiff, the strings have a slightly sturdier and more consistent elasticity when vibrato is applied that translates to more control over the pitch. It’s Not ALL in the Fingers The D’Addario NYXL electric guitar strings tend toward a modern, full-frequency tone that is loud and lively. Neither bright as pure steel nor as lo-fi as pure nickel, the NYXL strings balance a full, present and unaffected EQ with just enough warmth to lend character. The NYXL strings sound equally at home on a Gibson 335 running into a Fender Deluxe as they do through active pickups into a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister. The strings are loud even without amplification, but plugged into an amp they come alive with a harmonically rich presence that jumps out in any mix. Built to Last Having covered the fact that the tone and playability of these strings stands toe-to-toe with the best, the biggest innovation D’Addario NYXL strings bring is their strength and durability. As a player with a heavy hand and a tendency toward bends during solos, I break strings long before their tone is deadened; I can speak with some authority on durability. The NYXL strings not only settle into tune and playability rapidly, but they maintained a consistent feel far beyond the “go to” strings I measured them against. A month of regular, heavy playing (with clean hands!) has little-to-no tone deadening nor or loosening of the tension. In short… they stay fresh longer and maintain the “new string” feel longer than any other string. Conclusions Strings are an essential part of your sound and many players fall into the habit of settling on the first set of strings that work for them and move on. Those looking for toneful, solid strings that can survive a beating and make it through the heaviest-handed players without breaking would do well to pick up a pack of D’Addario NYXL strings and feel the difference. Let’s be honest…your strings are starting to sound a little dull anyway. Resources D'Addario NYXL Electric Guitar Strings at Musician's Friend (MSRP $19.99, Street $11.99) D'Addario NYXL Electric Strings Product Page Chris Loeffler is a multi-instrumentalist and the Content Strategist of Harmony Central. In addition to his ten years experience as an online guitar merchandiser, marketing strategist, and community director he has worked as an international exporter, website consultant and brand manager. When he’s not working he can be found playing music, geeking out on guitar pedals and amps, and brewing tasty beer.

The Boss DS-1 and OD-1 have been perennial favorites in the world of dirt for over 35 years and are a testament to how many things Boss got right from day one. Given how similar they look, it would be easy to assume Boss launched the new OD-1X Overdrive and DS-1X Distortion pedals as a victory lap with a couple of cosmetic tweaks to their iconic pedals… but we all know what assumptions lead to. By Chris Loeffler Vintage Looks and Modern Tone The Boss OD-1X and DS-1X share the classic rugged steel enclosure aesthetic common to the Boss pedal line, with the molded enclosure lending weight and durability and solid knobs that travel well and stay where you set them. Tasteful chrome appointments on the enclosure and special knobs make the pedals stand out from the Boss crowd without seeming too far removed. Whereas the original DS-1 and OD-1 units (including those still in production) are built around a single op-amp and clipping diodes, the OD-1X and DS-1X Special Edition units embrace Boss’ proprietary Multi-Dimensional Processing to create overdriven tones impossible to achieve with analog circuitry. When played next to their classic siblings (both of which are highly regarded by even the pickiest players), the difference is immediately clear. Both pedals feature High and Low controls in place of a single Tone control and utilize Boss’ famous soft-touch buffered stomp switch for silent switching and to maintain signal integrity on larger boards. Boss OD-1X Without abusing hyperbole, the Boss OD-1X sounds unlike any overdrive available today. Whether used as an independent distortion source or to run into and overdrive a preamp, most overdrive effects work best as an integrated part of an ecosystem, with terms like “transparent” or “focused” as the typical descriptors. The OD-1X, however, sounds so present and lively on its own due to its responsiveness and dynamic voicing that it has an uncanny “plugged straight into the amp” feel. At lower gain settings, the OD-1X has touch-sensitive grit that is tube-like and extremely expressive; it feels alive. As the gain is turned up, subtle EQ shifts happen to compliment the overall gain structure while the pedal remains open, uncompressed, and harmonically rich.Run at unity gain into a clean amp, the OD-1X produces lovely, overdriven tones that sound supernaturally high-fidelity while exuding musical warmth. Turning the volume up and rolling the drive back sends a pushed preamp into overdrive, marrying the pedals distortion with the preamp tube breakup for natural-sounding, punchy lead tones. Despite the ease with which the pedal cuts through a live mix it has significantly less mid-range hump than most overdrive effects. Boss DS-1X The Boss DS-1X, sharing a common DNA with the OD-1X, is the bigger, meaner brother. Low gain, overdriven amp tones are available at the bottom end of the Distortion control, but those quickly morph into the vintage distortion reminiscent of a Marshall amp stack. Despite the insane amount of distortion it can produce in the second half of the gain sweep, the DS-1X is much more nuanced and responsive than your typical distortion effect; individual notes each ring out in complex chords and slight changes in attack yield dramatically different tones.The crunch of the pedal through the first half of its sweep has the soul of a vintage British amp, but there’s a clarity and complexity in the frequency range that lends a modern feel to the distortion. At extreme gain settings, the DS-1X compresses into a smooth, violin-like lead with harmonic feedback available on sustained notes while never masking the nuances of the strumming/picking hand. Conclusions There is a fair amount of overlap in the middle settings of the two pedals. Those looking for lighter shades of gain would be better served by the OD-1X, but would be far from left wanting if they only had the DS-1X and needed light crunch. Likewise, those looking for heavy tones will find plenty to love at the extreme gain end of the OD-1X, whereas the DS-1X will go even further into aggressive, modern distortion. Either way, expect a livelier and more responsive type of gain than a typical distortion effect and be ready to hear more of you coming through your amp. Resources Boss DS-1X Special Edition Distortion Pedal at Musician's Friend (MSRP $243.50, Street $149.00) Boss OD-1X Special Edition Overdrive Pedal at Musician's Friend (MSRP $243.50, Street $149.00) Boss DS-1X Special Edition Distortion Pedal Product Page Boss OD-1X Special Edition Overdrive Pedal Product Page

By Chris Loeffler Earthquaker Devices bent my mind with the Arpanoid, one of the most fun and unique new effects I’ve played in a while, so my expectations going into reviewing their Rainbow Machine polyphonic pitch shifting and modulating effect were high to say the least. The EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine is a difficult and complex beast to describe, but at its core it is a polyphonic pitch armonizer that features Primary, Secondary, Pitch, Tracking, Tone, and Magic control knobs as well as Activate and Magic footswitches. The dry signal is pure analog and is blended with the icy digital magic of the Rainbow Machine. The pedal is powered by a 9v DC power supply (not included) and is true bypass. What You Need to Know While I rarely find myself at a loss for words, if you haven’t dedicated an unhealthy portion of your life to understanding sonic effects the Rainbow Machine is best understood with a little hands on time with it. In lieu of that… watch this video- Obviously, the EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine is a pedal unlike any other. Rather than focusing on easy to integrate 5ths and Octaves, the digital oscillator generates every frequency (in tune or not) from a 4th down to a 3rd above your core tone to create a polyphonic dissonance that sounds so wrong it just feels right. Each control will do more than is implied in their labelling, so it worth paying attention to what you’re adjusting. The Pitch knob should always start around noon, which more or less matches the pitch of the unaffected input signal. Rolling it back will create dark “off” tones that halo your core tone, while rolling it past noon creates excitable clangs that dance past the input note.The Magic knob (said control only being activated when the Magic footswitch is activated) sends the pitch shifted signal spiraling into a delayed and modulated madness that washes over and eventually overpowers the guitar signal. Like an acid drenched fantasy, odd-order harmonics spawn, encircle, and overwhelm. It is no exaggeration to say that EVERY time I stepped on the magic switch in extended jams with bandmates that everyone in the room shared a sheepish grin. The tracking control allows you to add lag to the polyphonic harmonies for a nice slapback or funky delay effect.Limitations The Rainbow Machine is a deep, deep pedal that is easily accessible but difficult to master… settling on a preset or two would be missing much of the magic available.Occasionally can get a bit of white noise if powered with a really dirty daisy chain (daisy chaining is not recommended by the manufacturer).Conclusion The EarthQuaker Devices Rainbow Machine is dangerously psychedelic… a simple chord or note can generate ensuing waves of cold, sonic insanity that will melt the minds of even the sanest player (in a good way). While dedicated disciples of “classic” tones will find a lot to fear in the uncharted territory the Rainbow Machine occupies, freer spirits will find a world of inspiration and magic in which to immerse themselves… just beware the leprechauns and unicorns.

The Earthquaker Devices Arpanoid is ready to open up sonic possibilities for adventurous guitarists with octaves of polyphonic pitch arpeggiation. By Chris Loeffler There are currently thousands of different effects pedals built around replicating or improving upon classic circuits that are the DNA of the iconic guitar sounds guitar players know and love. There’s a good reason for this… people want to sound as good as, if not better than, their idols. Almost everyone. For every hundred guitar players looking to be the next (next) Jimi Hendrix, there’s one that just doesn’t want to conform. Every forum centered around guitar effects will eventually turn up the question, “Why doesn’t someone make something new?” New is hard, but that doesn’t appear to dissuade the folks at EarthQuaker Devices from coming up with gems like the Arpanoid. The EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid is a polyphonic pitch arpeggiator that features eight arpeggio modes controlled by Wet, Dry, Rate, Step, and Direction controls. The dry signal is pure analog and is blended with the digital effects in the wet signal. The pedal is powered by a 9v DC power supply (not included) and is true bypass. What You Need to Know For those unfamiliar with arpeggiator devices, their primary function is to create stepped pitch notes from the base note that follow the chosen scale. In the case of Arpanoid in Major more, playing a "C" as on the guitar will cause the pedal to create the following sequence of pitches from the original tone- C,D,E,F,G,A,B and C. Confusing? Watch the video at the bottom and all will be clear.The Arpanoid is built to retain your original tone with all analog direct signal pass-through and works its arpeggiating magic with a high-sample digital circuit offering eight distinct modes: -1 octave to root, root to +1 octave, -1 octave to +1 octave, and Random in Major and Minor scales. The direction of the arpeggio is dictated by the Direction toggle switch, which seects whether the scale will repeat up, down, or up and then down from the original note or chord.The Rate and Step controls adjust the speed and number of notes in the arpeggio sequence. The Rate knob takes the pedal from over a second of delay between notes to Pacman-like warbles so rapid it resembles pitch bending more than discrete steps. The Step control allows players to choose between one to eight notes to be played in the sequence. One or two step settings cop convincing tremolo or vibrato sounds, while extended runs take you further and further along to scale towards the octave. When the Direction toggle is set to up or down, the Rate knob essentially halves the duration between notes, making the full run of the arpeggio up and down the note the same duration as if it swept up or down only.Random mode intoduces a world of possibilities as the arpeggio dances around the base notes in a random sequence. The result is one note “solos” when the wet and dry signal are equally mixed, musical glitch-fests when the signal is pure wet, or subtle harmonies when the Wet channel is less than half the Dry channel. In both Major and Minor Random modes, the Step knob is essentially decommissioned, as all notes in the chosen scale will play.Sonically, the Arpanoid sounds is limited only by the player. The arpeggios are solid and avoid the fizzy, digitized tone of many polyphonic octave effects… they are pleasant and warm and distinctly different from your base tone, allowing for nice sonic separation in chords and triads. The hypnotic effect full arpeggio runs create is undeniable, and basic scale knowledge will keep adventurous players from getting too outside the box when attempting more complex chords. Limitations The Arpanoid can sometimes produce a bit of white noise if powered with a really dirty daisy chain (daisy chaining is not recommended by the manufacturer). Conclusion The EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid is an inspirational, hypnotic tool that awaits adventures players willing to explore its potential. Different settings yield drastically different results, and anyone who stops after finding that “one” sound will be missing out on all the greatness the pedal has to offer. Arpeggios, simulated bass, harmonic accompaniments, and trippy tremolo-esque settings are all lurking within. Resources EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid at Musician's Friend ($225.00) EarthQuaker Devices Arpanoid Product Page