Phil O'Keefe

Alesis Recital Pro Digital Piano Both beginners and pros will find something to like in this recital by Phil O'Keefe Acoustic pianos have been one of the most popular instruments for music students for ages, but the modern digital piano has become increasingly more popular as an alternative - and there's a lot to recommend them. Alesis has recently released a new, very affordable digital piano called the Recital Pro that has features that pros will appreciate, but that is squarely targeted at home users and students. Let's take a look at exactly what it has to offer. What You Need To Know The Alesis Recital Pro is a 88-key digital piano. Unlike some less expensive digital pianos in this price range it features very responsive, fully-weighted, hammer action keys that feel much more like the keys on an acoustic piano instead of like the unweighted keys on a synthesizer or organ. The touch sensitivity of the keyboard can be set to one of three levels to accommodate the preferences of people with a harder or lighter playing touch. It can also be set to output a fixed velocity, regardless of how hard or soft you depress the keys. The Recital Pro has full polyphony, and is capable of producing up to 128 notes simultaneously. The Alesis Recital Pro has full-sized keys, and it measures 51.6" W x 13.8" D x 5.5" H . Like all full-sized digital pianos its size is significant, but it's surprisingly light in weight, coming in at only 26 pounds. This is light compared to some other 88-key weighted action digital pianos, and drastically lighter than a acoustic piano. Power is supplied by an included 12V DC adapter. Alternatively (and surprisingly for a keyboard of this type and size), you can power it with a set of 6 D cell batteries, but you'll need to provide those yourself. Frankly, I can't imagine that many people will ever choose to power this keyboard with batteries, but the capability is there if you really need it. The Recital Pro has its own built-in sound system, so unlike some keyboards, you don't need to plug it in to an amp or stereo system in order to hear it. There are two speakers on either side of the top panel, with 20 watts powering the bass drivers and 10 watts powering the tweeters. There is plenty of power in the built in sound system to rival the volume of an acoustic piano. If you'd prefer to practice silently, the Recital Pro has a 1/4" stereo headphone jack on the rear panel that mutes the onboard speakers when you plug headphones into it. The number of sounds a digital piano can create is one area where they really exceed the capabilities of an acoustic piano. The Recital Pro features twelve different onboard sounds, or "voices", as Alesis refers to them. In addition to two different acoustic piano sounds (regular and bright), you also get an electric piano, vibraphone, organ, church organ (similar to a pipe organ sound), harpsichord, Clavi, synth (a brassy sounding sawtooth synth sound similar to the opening synth sound on the Van Halen song "Jump"), strings, and acoustic and fingered (electric) bass sounds. A built-in display shows various settings and makes it easy to know what sound is selected. All of the various controls are mounted on the top panel to either side of the display. On the left you'll find a power button and a rotary master volume knob. There's also buttons for playing one of the ten built-in classical piano demo songs (there are also brief demos available for each one of the 12 onboard sounds), controlling the built-in metronome, transposing the keyboard (with a range of +/-12 semitones) and for the built-in recorder. The recorder can only record one performance / track, and there's no way to save it, but it can be useful when you want to concentrate on playing at your best and then listening back to how well you actually did later. The metronome's relative volume, tempo and even the time signature can be user-selected, with a tempo range of 30-280 beats per minute. To the right of the display are six voice select buttons, each with a main sound and an alternate sound. When a button is pressed, it illuminates blue. This selects the main voice (sound) for that button. Pressing the key a second time will select the alternate sound for that button, and the light for the button will turn red. Not only can you select and play any one of the twelve built-in sounds singly, the Recital Pro can also layer any two sounds so they can be played simultaneously. With 128 note polyphony, there's no risk of running out of notes, even when layering sounds. Layering provides thicker and more complex sounds, with piano and strings layered together being a very common and popularly used pairing. For additional performance flexibility, the keyboard can be "split", with one sound on the left side and a different one on the right side of the keyboard. This allows you to do things like play a bass sound with your left hand while playing a piano or organ sound with your right hand. The split point on the keyboard is user-selectable. It's even possible to split and layer the keyboard at the same time; when doing so, the right hand half of the keyboard will have the layered sounds while the left hand side will have only one single sound instead of a dual-tone layer. This feature makes it possible to do things like play piano and strings simultaneously with the right hand, while playing a bass part with your left hand. The relative volume level of layered and split sounds can be user-adjusted. There's even a useful Lesson mode, where the keyboard is split into two equal zones, each with the same sound and note range. This allows a teacher and student to sit side by side, with the teacher demonstrating a part and the student able to follow along on their half of the keyboard. Another feature you won't find on an acoustic piano are built-in effects. The Alesis Recital Pro has Chorus (4 chorus types and 4 celeste types), Reverb (8 types, including rooms, halls, stage and plate varieties) and Modulation effects built-in. The modulation effect you get will depend on which sound you have dialed up. Many sounds feature a tremolo modulation effect, but some have a rotary speaker effect and others feature a vibrato effect. All three types of effects (reverb/chorus/modulation) can be used simultaneously if desired. There is also a built-in EQ, with 5 preset (Standard, Classic, Rock, Jazz, and Modern) EQ presets. The Alesis Recital Pro has a pair of 1/4" line outputs so you can hook it up to a mixing board, audio recorder, keyboard amp or PA system for recording and live performance. Like the headphone output, these are located on the rear panel. Also on the rear you'll find a 1/4" jack for connecting an optional sustain foot pedal, the input jack for the power adapter, and a USB 2.0 port. This can transmit and receive MIDI signals, which can be used with computer recording and music tutorial applications. Both Mac and PC computers are supported, with Mac OS X 10.10 and later and Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit) and above supported. No drivers are necessary - the Recital Pro is class-compliant. Local MIDI control over the internal sounds can be turned on or off, and the transmitted MIDI channel can be user-selected. The Recital Pro has a removable "music rest", and while it's basic, it does give you a place for your sheet music. Alesis includes a three month subscription to the highly regarded Skoove Premium online piano lesson service. Limitations No stand or sustain foot pedal is included, and both are what I'd consider to be essential accessories - budget accordingly. There is no 5-pin DIN MIDI input or output jacks, just USB MIDI, which requires a computer for connection - you can't use it to drive external MIDI hardware devices directly. There are no modulation or pitch bend wheels, which (along with the lack of old-school MIDI jacks) somewhat limits the Recital Pro's usefulness as a master MIDI controller keyboard. Conclusions While Alesis took a fairly no-frills approach to the Recital Pro in order to keep the cost as low as possible, they obviously focused their attention on the basic features that a good digital piano needs and didn't leave out any of the essentials, including a very nice feeling 88 key hammer-action keyboard and a basic, but generally very nice sounding selection of sounds. While I wasn't particularly crazy about the electric piano sound, the rest of the samples that they've included are more than serviceable and the main attraction - the two acoustic pianos - should please all but the most finicky acoustic piano purists. The lack of 5-pin MIDI I/O and any modulation or pitch bend wheels makes the Recital Pro less suitable as a master controller keyboard, but I could still see the Recital Pro appealing to some professional keyboardists as a stage piano for live and studio performances. Of course even a bare bones digital piano has advantages that an acoustic piano can not offer, such as freedom from the need for seasonal professional tunings, the ability to transpose the keyboard, alternate sounds beyond just piano, a keyboard that can be split for dual-timbre performances or dual regions for lessons, the ability to layer any two sounds, along with the ability to record what you play and then play it back. The three month free trial for Skoove Premium also gives you a way to get started with quality music instruction that works with your schedule. I think the rehearsal and lesson features are some of the strongest aspects of this digital piano, and really make the Alesis Recital Pro an excellent choice for neophyte keyboardists and students. At the present time, it's one of the least expensive, 88-key hammer action digital pianos on the market, making it an excellent value too. -HC- Want to discuss the Alesis Recital Pro or have questions or comments about this review? Then head over to this thread in the Keyboards, Synths & Samplers forum right here on Harmony Central and join the discussion! Resources Alesis Recital Pro 88-key Digital Piano with Hammer-action Keyboard ($549.00 MSRP, $349.00 "street") Alesis Recital Pro product web page You can purchase the Alesis Recital Pro from: Sweetwater B&H Photo Video __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.

Hartke HD500 2x10 Bass Combo Amplifier Ultralight bass heavyweight by Phil O'Keefe Hartke has been a big name in bass amplification for quite a while now. Players of a certain age will no doubt remember the buzz Hartke created among bass players when they introduced their first cabinets with their aluminum cone drivers back in the mid 1980s. Fast forward to today and the subject of this review - Hartke's new HD500 bass combo amp. This latest addition to their popular HD series of bass combos is the most powerful model in that series yet, and bound to turn more than a few heads. Let's dig deep and see what all the commotion is about. What You Need To Know The first thing you're likely to notice about the Hartke HD500 is its size - it's relatively small, measuring only 19.6" W x 12" D x 20.27" H. In other words, it's not a heck of a lot larger than some bass practice amps. But this isn't an amp that's limited to just practice duties. The second thing you'll notice, at least if you grab the metal reinforced molded handle and try to pick one up, is just how light it is. At only 34.39 pounds, it's surprisingly easy to grab and take with you. Okay, we've all seen small, lightweight bass practice amps before, so what's the big deal? The big deal is the combination of compact size, light weight and serious power. With 500 watts (peak) of power onboard courtesy of a lightweight and efficient Class D amplifier, this compact amp is a bit of a wolf in sheep's clothing, with a voice that is far louder and fuller sounding than the amp's small size and light weight would lead you to believe. The dual ported cabinet seems tough and rugged, and is covered with pebble-textured vinyl and equipped with metal corner protectors. The grille is a sturdy metal affair with enough strength to keep your drivers safe from just about any threat they might face on the road, short of a deliberate attack. Inside the cabinet are a pair of 10" HyDrive speakers with neodymium magnets. Their unique appearance is plainly visible, with black center dust caps and dual-material cones, with bright aluminum in between the dust cap and the paper outer cone. The HyDrive speakers were designed to give you both the warmth of paper along with the clarity and extended high frequency response of aluminum cones. According to the Hartke Story as told on the Samsontech website, the inspiration for the HyDrive speakers came to them in 2005 when Jack Bruce reunited with fellow Cream members Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker for the first time in 30 years for a concert at Madison Square Garden. At the show, Jack used a pair of Hartke's traditional paper cone cabinets alongside one of their cabinets filled with Hartke's aluminum coned speakers. The control panel is top mounted. It features a black panel with white and black labels and is outfitted with black aluminum knobs with white position indicators that make your settings easy to see. As you'd expect, there is a 1/4" input jack for your bass, and the first knob controls the amp's overall volume. You may be surprised by how much there is from an amp of this size - it can get quite loud, and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with how effortlessly it was able to do so. Also expected was the three band EQ, which has Bass, Mid and Treble controls centered at 70 Hz, 700 Hz and 5 kHz, respectively. These are active controls, and they can boost or cut at their respective frequencies by +/- 15 dB. The Treble and Bass EQ bands are shelving controls, while the Midrange is peaking. This was my first exposure to Hartke's tone-enhancing Shape control. A pushbutton allows you to bypass it if you wish, and a knob lets you set the frequency anywhere between 100 Hz and 900 Hz. When engaged, the Shape circuit applies an EQ curve that is designed to enhance the sound of bass instruments. It does more than just add a moderate boost at the selected frequency - it also deeply attenuates other frequencies, and its response is influenced by how the three band EQ is set too since their EQ curve is layered with the curve from the Shape circuit. The top panel also has a handful of other connectors built into it. An Aux Input on a stereo 1/8" (3.5 mm) jack is included so you can plug in and practice along with your portable music player of choice. Hartke also included an effects loop with the HD500. The Send and Return both use 1/4" jacks and while it doesn't tell you so on the top panel (although it does in the manual), the loop is optimized for professional +4 dBm line level effects, and isn't really suitable for use with most pedals. For feeding the PA at larger gigs and for running direct to the board or audio interface when recording, a Direct XLR Output is also included. Hartke also provides a headphone output on a 1/4" stereo jack. This has a built-in switch that automatically mutes the built-in speakers when you plug in a pair of headphones, so you can practice silently without disturbing anyone else nearby. The illuminated (when on) power switch is located on the back panel. Also on the rear panel you'll find an IEC fuse holder / power port for the included 6' cable, as well as a fan that automatically kicks on when needed to keep the amp cool. There is also a recessed switch that lets you set the amp for operation at 100-120V, or 220-240V, so no matter where you go in the world, as long as you have an appropriate IEC cable for that country, you should be fine. Limitations There is no external speaker jack. For many players this won't matter, but for others, it could be a deal-breaker. It would be nice to have the option of adding a 1x15 cabinet to the built-in 10" drivers for extra low-end wallop. There is no onboard limiter or compressor, although I did try plugging a couple of my studio rack mount compressors into the effects loop, with excellent results. The effects loop is designed to operate with +4 dBm rack effects, and is unsuitable for use with pedals. There is no dedicated tuner output jack. Conclusions Hartke really packed the power into this deceptively small and lightweight bass combo amp. While the name may be somewhat misleading in that it's 500 watts of peak power, the 250W RMS of continuous power on tap is still nothing to sneeze at. This may look like a puny little guy, but it's really a punchy little powerhouse that will comfortably hang out with much bigger kids without getting picked on - you can easily gig with this amp without being drowned out by the drummer and the guitarist's half stack. Urbanite musicians who use public transportation will love this amp's compact size and light weight. It's one of the most portable yet still giggable amps on the market today. The Shape control adds a lot to the sound of the amp, giving it a subjectively more powerful, detailed, and punchy sound when engaged that makes the tone more attractive, less muddy and more polished sounding. The three band EQ is also quite effective for tonal shaping. The HyDrive speakers seem to have a nice tonal balance, with more brightness than you'd expect from an all-paper cone. I never really missed not having a tweeter built into the HD500, and the neodymium magnets also help to give these speakers plenty of punch. While there is a surprising amount of bass available from such a small enclosure, my biggest disappointment was in finding there's no external speaker output jacks. Even if the venue has a larger bass cabinet available, you won't be able to use your HD500 to drive it. Fortunately there is a line output, so you can still feed the PA, making this amp suitable for even the largest stages. Even without assistance from a PA, for home practice, recording and small to midsize gigs, the Hartke HD500 is a real contender that punches way above its size and weight class. If you're looking for an amplifier that is easy on the wallet and light on your back, yet still has the power needed to hang with the band, then give the Hartke HD500 an audition. It may be just what you've been looking for in a bass amp. -HC- Want to discuss the Hartke HD500 bass amp or have questions or comments about this review? Then head over to this thread in the Bass Forum right here on Harmony Central and join the discussion! Resources Hartke HD500 2x10 Bass Combo Amplifier ($779.00 MSRP, $599.99 "street") Hartke's product web page You can purchase the Hartke HD500 bass combo amp from: Sweetwater Amazon __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.

Five Microphones Under $500 That You Need In Your Studio A microphone doesn't have to cost thousands of dollars in order to be a professional tool by Phil O'Keefe Let's face it - if money was no object, most home studio owners would have no problem quickly listing several high-end or vintage microphones that we'd love to add to our studio's mic collection, but for the vast majority of us, money is an issue. While the idea of compromising usually doesn't sit well with picky artistic types (and the best recording engineers are both picky and artists in their own right), there are plenty of excellent microphones that will cost you a lot less than that vintage Neumann U47 that you've been dreaming about, and yet can still deliver excellent sounding recordings. For some recording tasks, the less expensive microphone might even be a better choice. So let's take a look at five outstanding microphones that will be excellent performers in any studio, no matter how upscale or humble it might be. Why you need one: This is the one mic that you will find in almost every recording studio, large or small. If you don't have one (or several) in your studio, you're definitely missing out. It's a rugged and classic dynamic mic that can be used on almost any sound source and deliver decent to excellent results - assuming you do your part and position it properly and pair it with a decent mic preamp. A legendary guitar amp and snare drum mic, it's one of the most versatile and affordable professional microphones on the market, and one that has been used on countless hit recordings. Also check out the Granelli Audio Labs G5790 ($149.99 "street"), a rebuilt SM57 with an easy to place right angle body. Click here to read HC's review of the G5790. Why you need one: This is another legendary and highly versatile dynamic mic that can be used on a wide variety of sound sources with excellent results. It's one of the most popular broadcast and voiceover microphones in the world, and it has been used on more than a few lead vocal tracks that have been released on major label recordings too. Still not enough versatility for you? It is also an outstanding choice for use on guitar and bass amp speaker cabinets, horns and sax, and decades after its introduction, it's still one of the best kick drum microphones on the planet. If you're really strapped for cash, also consider the similar, but less expensive ($299 "street") E/V RE30. Check out Harmony Central's review of the RE320 here. Shure SM57 (Usually $99.00 "street", currently selling at $89.00 "street" for a limited time) Available from: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend B&H Photo Video Granelli Audio Labs G5790 ($154.99 "street") Available from: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend Electro-Voice RE20 ($449.00 "street") Available from: Sweetwater Guitar Center B&H Photo Video Musician's Friend E/V RE320 ($299.00 "street") Available from: Sweetwater Guitar Center B&H Photo Video Musician's Friend Blue Hummingbird (Usually $299.99 each "street" / $599.98 per pair, they're currently on sale for $299.99 per pair) Available from: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend B&H Photo Video Cascade Fathead II ($449.00 "street") The Cascade Fathead II is available singly and in stereo pairs. It can be purchased directly from Cascade Microphones. Rode NT1 ($269.00 "street", packaged with shockmount and pop filter) Available from: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend B&H Photo Video __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.

Mighty Bright DuoFlex LED Music Light Kit Put your gear in the spotlight by Phil O'Keefe Musicians tend to work in environments with "mood lighting" - nightclubs, concert stages, recording studios - these are not always the most brightly lit areas, and while that's fine for setting a mood or creating the right kind of environment so that you can give the audience a good show, it doesn't change the fact that you still occasionally need to see what you're doing. Fortunately, Mighty Bright has a solution that should interest a wide range of musicians - the Mighty Bright DuoFlex Music Light Kit. What You Need To Know The Mighty Bright DuoFlex is a clip on light that is designed for musicians. While the company originally started out creating clip-on lights for reading, their products have become very popular with musicians, and they now make and market products such as this one with musician's specific needs in mind. The DuoFlex measures 14" x 1.5" x 1.75" overall. The DuoFlex comes with a cloth storage "gig bag", and a nice four meter USB to micro USB cable, which can be used with any USB wall adapter to power the DuoFlex. The Micro USB power port on the DuoFlex is located at the end of the main housing, on the opposite side of the dual flexible arms. Alternatively, you can use three AAA batteries to power the DuoFlex. The battery compartment is located in the main housing, and is accessed through a slide off panel. Just push it down and away from the LED lamp arms and it comes right off. The Mighty Bright DuoFlex will run for about 15 hours on a fresh set of alkaline batteries. There are two LED lamp heads, each on the end of its own individual flexible silicone neck. The necks are about eleven inches long, including the 2 inch long light fixtures at the ends. Each lamp head contains two long-life LEDs that are rated for 100,000 hours of use. There is a pushbutton switch on the back side of each lamp head that turns that individual head on. The heads turn on at full brightness, and additional depressions of the switch dim the lamps. There are three brightness settings available. A fourth press of the switch will turn the lamp head off completely. Each lamp head has what Mighty Bright describes as a "precisely engineered optical grade lens" that is designed to help spread the light from the LEDs evenly, and it does in fact seem to work as advertised. I have another clip on LED light that uses more LEDs, but doesn't spread the light nearly as evenly as this unit does. The main housing is approximately 3 3/8" long and 1.5" wide. On the back side there is a spring loaded clip that's designed to attach to your music stand. The clip can open pretty wide (over an inch), and it has rubber on both internal sides of the clip to keep the grip secure and to help prevent it from marring the surface of whatever you attach the DuoFlex to. The Mighty Bright DuoFlex has a light output of 40 lumens. The light color is slightly on the warm white side (3000 Kelvin), with very good color rendering. Limitations No batteries or USB power brick are included - you'll need to supply your own power source. Conclusions I first tried the Mighty Bright DuoFlex out on one of my music stands in a completely darkened control room, and it easily illuminated the entire stand. With just quick and casual adjustment of the placement of the two necks and light heads, there was no significant hot spots where things were over-illuminated, and likewise, no darker areas either. Adjusting the arms to get the lights to shine where I wanted them was super simple and they stayed where I put them, and the two light heads were easily capable of fully illuminating three sheets of music placed side-by-side. I also like that the two lamp heads can be individually set for brightness to your choice of three different levels. But don't mistake this product as only being useful as a music stand light. It works equally well as a pedalboard light, rack mount light or as an amp light - just clip it on to your pedalboard, the side of your rack or your amp's handle and plug a USB wall wart into your power strip and you're ready to adjust your pedal, rack gear or amp settings, even on the darkest of stages. Don't want to mess with a USB adapter or don't have a power outlet nearby? The battery life is long enough that you can make it though five nights of three hour shows without any problem, and the 3000 Kelvin light color is natural and warm, without being overly harsh. If you're tired of hunting around for things in the dark, or the uneven illumination that you get from some other LED lights, turn on a Mighty Bright light and see what you've been missing! -HC- Want to discuss the Mighty Bright DuoFlex Music Light Kit or have questions or comments about this review? Then head over to this thread in the Effects forum right here on Harmony Central and join the discussion! Resources Mighty Bright DuoFlex LED Music Light Kit ($44.99 MSRP, $33.74 "street") Mighty Bright's product web page You can purchase the Mighty Bright DuoFlex Music Light Kit from: Sweetwater Guitar Center Musician's Friend __________________________________________________ Phil O'Keefe is a multi-instrumentalist, recording engineer / producer and the Senior Editor of Harmony Central. He has engineered, produced and performed on countless recording sessions in a diverse range of styles, with artists such as Alien Ant Farm, Jules Day, Voodoo Glow Skulls, John McGill, Michael Knott and Alexa's Wish. He is a former featured monthly columnist for EQ magazine, and his articles and product reviews have also appeared in Keyboard, Electronic Musician and Guitar Player magazines.