Phil O'Keefe

Take Your Positions - How To Decide Where To Set Up When Recording Where you decide to set things up really does matter… by Phil O'Keefe It's impossible for me to tell you where the best locations are in your room because all rooms are different. You're just going to have to spend the time to try different things, but once you know how different locations and microphone placements within your room can change the sound, you can use that knowledge to your benefit when setting up the sound sources and placing the microphones. A little bit of time spent experimenting and listening to various locations within the rooms you regularly record in can teach you a lot about the sonic options that are available to you, and pay big benefits in the overall quality of your recordings. -HC- What do you think? Do you have questions about this article, or suggestions about how to set up when recording? Then be sure to click over to this thread in the Studio Trenches forum right here on Harmony Central and join the discussion! __________________________________________________ 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.

Mackie Big Knob Passive Monitor Controller Sometimes taking the passive approach is the way to go by Phil O'Keefe What You Need To Know The Mackie Big Knob Passive is a tabletop monitor controller that measures only 5.4" W x 5.6" D x 3.1" H, so it takes up relatively little space on your desktop. It has some heft to it that helps keep it stationary - it weighs 2.2 pounds. The Big Knob Passive is decidedly sturdy, with a black powder coated metal housing - no plastic here. Because it is entirely passive, no power supply is supplied - or needed. The Mackie Big Knob Passive is a 2 x 2 monitor controller. It can accept signals from up to two stereo line level sources and outputs signal to one or two pairs of studio monitors. All of the connections are found on the rear panel. There are two pairs of 1/4" jacks that accept balanced or unbalanced 1/4" plugs from two input sources - labeled A and B. In addition, there is also a 1/8" (3.5 mm) TRS jack for Input B that you can use instead of the 1/4" inputs if you wish. Two pairs of 1/4" output jacks are provided for connecting your monitor speakers to the Big Knob Passive. As with the inputs, either unbalanced or balanced (TS or TRS) cables can be used. The user interface on the top of the unit is sparse, yet ergonomically laid out and simple to use. There are five pushbutton switches near the bottom of the angled front panel. The Source Select switch allows you to choose between input Sources A and B. Since Source B has both 1/4" L/R inputs as well as a stereo 1/8" TRS input, you'll probably want to save that for a secondary source and use Source A for the Monitor Outputs from your DAW computer's audio interface. That way, you can quickly select between your mix, and something like a reference mix that's playing back over your smartphone in order to, well, A/B them. On the far right is the Monitor Select button. This lets you quickly switch between two sets of monitors. Most people will probably have this set up for their main speakers and their nearfield monitors, or possibly some other auxiliary pair of speakers. Again, this lets you quickly switch between two different sets of speakers for quick and easy comparisons. In between those two crucial switches are three very useful switches that provide additional functionality beyond just basic monitor and source switching. The Mono switch does exactly what you think it does - it sums the left and right input signals to mono output - this is a crucial tool for both tracking / mic placement and mixdown to check for mono compatibility and make sure that you don't have any phase cancellation issues. Have a phone call coming in and need to turn everything off for a minute? Hit the Mute switch and everything goes silent instantly. Don't want to kill the sound completely, but still want it to drop dramatically so you can have a brief conversation in the control room without having to raise your voice? That's what the handy Dim switch is for. When pressed, it lowers the output level by 20 dB. The obligatory Big Knob is in the center of the front panel, directly above the five switches. It's large and has some weight to it, which helps give it a nice feel when you turn it. It allows you to smoothly control the volume level of the connected monitors. Limitations There's some signal loss - about 6-7 dB or so. That's basic physics folks, and it's an unavoidable consequence of using passive electronics. On the positive side, you also get no added noise or distortion - both of which are unavoidable with active electronics. Because this is a totally passive device, there are no headphone amps or any other headphone monitoring provisions. You can not use both the 1/4" and 1/8" inputs for Source B simultaneously - connecting to the 1/8" input automatically disconnects the 1/4" inputs. Since there are no trim or level controls for the two pairs of monitor outputs, any playback level matching you may want to do between two sets of monitors will need to be done by trimming the controls on the monitor amps. Conclusions It's great that Mackie is now offering people three different monitor controllers, because not everyone needs the same features. This way, you can get the unit with the features that best match your own needs without having to pay more, or worse yet, make due with something that doesn't quite do everything you want it to. Out of the three new Big Knob series monitor controllers, the Mackie Big Knob Passive has the least amount of features, but for some users it may be the perfect fit. If your system is used primarily for playback, you probably don't need a built-in talkback system. Ditto that if you work alone. And while being able to monitor on headphones is something that many of us need to do, you probably already have a headphone jack and level control built into your audio interface. For switching between two input sources and two sets of monitors and controlling their playback level, the Mackie Big Knob Passive has all the features you need. I like the fact that an 1/8" stereo input is included for use with portable audio devices. The Source and Monitor Select buttons operate with a slight mechanical click that lets you know you've engaged them but they don't cause any audible clicks in the signal path and they seem to be reliable and consistent in use. The Mono, Mute and Dim switches also work as they should and the Big Knob itself is heavy and smooth both physically and in terms of its taper and attenuation, with no weird phase issues or wandering of the stereo image as you turn it down. You'll want to keep your cable lengths reasonably short in order to avoid signal loss and interference, but if you do, other than a bit of level drop (which you can probably compensate for elsewhere, such as by turning up the level on your powered monitors), the sound that comes out is the same as what goes in, with no added distortion or noise. If a 2x2 monitor controller is enough for you and you have other ways of handling headphones and talkback, the Mackie Big Knob Passive may just be perfect for your needs. The Mackie Big Knob Passive will do the job inexpensively, reliably, cleanly, and with a minimum of fuss. If you have more than two sources that you want to switch between, or more than two stereo pairs of monitors, you should probably consider something else, such as one of Mackie's other Big Knob monitor controllers. Yes, we'll be covering those too - stay tuned for a review of the Big Knob Studio + monitor controller. While the Big Knob Passive is a little light on features to use as my main studio monitor controller, it's perfect for the setup I have in a second room, and I'm so pleased with its performance there that I'll be purchasing the review unit. -HC- Have questions or comments about the Mackie Big Knob Passive? Then be sure to click over to this thread in the Studio Trenches forum right here on Harmony Central and join in the discussion! Resources Mackie Big Knob Passive Monitor Controller ($89.99 MSRP, $69.99 "street") Mackie's product web page You can purchase the Mackie Big Knob Passive Monitor Controller from: Sweetwater Guitar Center B&H Photo Video 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.

Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic-Electric Bass Don't let the low price fool you - this bass will appeal to more than just beginners What You Need To Know The Fender CB-60SCE is an acoustic-electric bass, and part of Fender's Classic Design series. It is available in two colors - natural or black. The CB-60SCE has a solid spruce top with scalloped X bracing. The concert-sized cutaway body has laminated mahogany back and sides, which like the top are finished in glossy black. I'm not sure if the finish is polyurethane or polyester, and Fender doesn't say on their website. Either way, it's fairly smooth and blemish-free across the entire instrument. The bridge is rosewood, and the saddle is plastic. The bridge pins are huge compared to acoustic guitar pins, and are white plastic with black dots. The rosette is pearloid, and while it isn't particularly large, it gives a classy visual touch to the face of the instrument. While it's a bit hard to see against the black finish of the body, the CB-60SCE comes with a black pickguard to help protect the face of the instrument. The body itself is bound around the edges of the top with multi-ply binding, although the back is left unadorned. The Fender CB-60SCE comes equipped with Fender Phosphor-Bronze Bass strings (gauges .045-.100) The CB-60SCE has a Dual-Action truss rod, which adjusts at the body end of the neck, just inside the soundhole. The headstock harkens back to the 50's era with the spaghetti style logo, although the two per side tuning machine layout of the headstock is hardly a vintage Fender approach. The chrome die-cast tuners are smooth and hold the tuning reasonably well. The nut is plastic and appears to be well cut, and doesn't catch the strings while you're tuning up. The neck is 1.69" wide at the nut. Neck depth is 0.800" at the first fret according to my digital calipers. The fingerboard has 3mm pearloid acrylic dot inlays for position markers, and white side dots on the 1-ply black neck binding also help to keep you where you want to be. The Fender CS-60SCE has a 32" scale length - a bit shorter than the usual 34", but not as short as a true 30" short scale. The bound mahogany neck has a gloss finish too, and comes equipped with a rosewood fingerboard with 22 vintage style frets. The fingerboard has nicely rolled edges, which, along with the comfortable C-shaped neck profile and 12" fingerboard radius, make it very comfortable to play. Fender includes a Fishman Classic Design pickup and preamp / tuner with the CB-60SCE as standard equipment, and it's nice that you don't have to pay extra to get an acoustic-electric model. The preamp offers you a volume control as well as bass and treble EQ knobs. A pair of pushbuttons allow you to check the battery and turn the built-in tuner on and off. The tuner is reasonably accurate and fast in its response time. It automatically displays the current note, and uses two red indicators to either side of the note name to show whether you're flat or sharp. When you're in tune, both turn green and light up at the same time. The output is mounted near the rear of the bass, on the side back by the strap button, and is built into a unit that also holds the 9V battery. A battery is included with the bass. I really like the fact that it's tool-less and that you don't have to loosen the strings and reach into the bass in order to install a fresh battery. Limitations Unless you have really long arms, the positioning of the Fishman tuner at the waist position (where it is angled so that it faces somewhat towards the rear of the bass) makes it very difficult to see the tuner's display and adjust the tuning machines simultaneously. This will be a source of frustration for many neophyte bassists. I'd recommend getting an external tuner and using that instead. Fortunately, the onboard preamp itself sounds good and is easy enough to use, even without looking at it. You'll be happy to have the onboard electronics - in many situations, you'll need it. It's not that this bass doesn't have a nice acoustic tone (especially at this price), it is more a matter of how much volume you can reasonably expect to get out of any concert-sized acoustic bass. There's plenty here for sitting around with a friend or two with acoustic guitars and jamming in the living room, but in many other group situations, you'll find that using a small amp will increase your audibility considerably. No case or gig bag is included. Honestly, you probably shouldn't expect one at this price point, but you're probably going to need one, so budget accordingly. Conclusions It is obvious that Fender has put some work into making this bass a good sounding instrument that is very easy to play, while keeping the price low enough so that it will appeal to a broad range of musicians. The rolled fingerboard edges of this bass are more than just marketing hype - rolling the edges makes a very big difference, and gives the neck a "broken in" or "played in" feel. In fact, the whole bass is wonderfully comfortable to play. The mid-length (32") scale helps here, as does the comfortable neck profile and relatively compact neck depth and not too narrow width. Whether you play with a pick or fingerstyle, you shouldn't have any problems - there's plenty of room for your right hand to work between the strings. The tone, no doubt aided by the solid spruce top, is very good acoustically (if a little forward in the upper midrange), and the amplified tone is also very nice, and with the effective onboard EQ, you can shape it to suit your preferences. It's not the loudest instrument when running unplugged, and it might have trouble keeping up in a small acoustic ensemble if the other instruments are on the louder side and are being played with gusto, but the basic acoustic tone is sweet enough that you'll find it inspiring when practicing at home or playing with a friend or two. It also records well, both acoustically and when using the onboard electronics to go direct. My complaints are few. You'll need to buy a case or gig bag separately, but at this price point, that's not really unexpected. The acoustic volume is sufficient for some situations, but when it's not, you can always use an amplifier. I like the Fishman preamp / tuner, but I really hate the placement - it's too hard to see it and tune at the same time, so budget for an external tuner or get a tuner app for your smartphone and use that instead and avoid the frustration. I was surprised by how much value there is in this bass. While it's not the least expensive acoustic-electric bass guitar I was able to find, it's definitely one of the lowest priced models currently being offered by any manufacturer, yet it has a solid spruce top and it's a very playable - even gig-able bass that will appeal to beginners (and their parents) as well as to more seasoned yet budget-conscious players who are looking for an inexpensive acoustic bass to add to their collection. If that sounds like you, then you'll want to make a point of trying one of these fun basses out for yourself. -HC- Want to discuss the Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar 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 Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass Guitar ($299.99 "street") Fender's product web page You can purchase the Fender CB-60SCE Acoustic Bass 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.

Eleven Tips For More Efficient Band Rehearsals To get the most out of band practice, have a plan of action and stick to it by Phil O'Keefe Many of us have experienced less than efficient band rehearsals. Sometimes it seems like you can spend hours and hours at practice yet nothing really seems to get accomplished, and the band never seems to get any better. There are some common reasons behind inefficient band practice sessions, but they all have common-sense solutions. Here are a few tips for making more effective use of your band rehearsal time so you'll get more accomplished, and hopefully become a better, tighter band. Learn your parts at home first. Every band has their own approach, and I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for songwriting sessions and jam sessions where you try to come up with something new spontaneously, but if you're going to have some of those sessions, schedule them separately from regular rehearsals. Before regularly scheduled practices, each player should already have their own parts largely rehearsed and worked out - the time to do that is in your own individual practice time at home. Save the group rehearsals for getting everything together with everyone playing, and working out how to make that tight - not trying to learn how to play the songs. Arrive on time, and expect everyone else to do the same. Make it a point to arrive on time whenever possible. Sometimes being late is unavoidable due to having to stay late at work or unexpected traffic. Let everyone else know if you are running late so they can work on other things until you arrive. Have a plan and schedule for the rehearsal session, and make sure everyone knows what it is in advance. You don't always have to rigidly stick to what's scheduled, but if you have a plan and know what you want to accomplish, you're far more likely to realize your goals and make them a reality. Save the socializing until after practice. It can be tempting to have a few refreshments and catch up on the latest news with your friends in the band when everyone first arrives, but you'll get more done if you get down to business first and don't get distracted. Save chatting and hanging out until after you're done practicing. Don't invite your SO or your friends. This one often steps on a few toes, but you'll get a lot more done at band practice if you leave your significant other at home and concentrate on the task at hand. And while you may be tempted to show off how good your band sounds to your friends, the time to do that is at the gig - not practice. Turn off your phones. You'll get a lot more accomplished if everyone isn't texting their friends, getting a call from their girlfriend, or checking their email every ten minutes. Turn on an audio recorder. Ever have a band practice where the bass player and drummer argued about who was coming in early on a part? If you record your rehearsals, you'll be able to play the song back and determine who actually was early and who wasn't. Being able to hear yourself on playback makes the areas where you're tight very clear - and the areas where you're not tight instantly obvious. Knowing what you need to work on and improve is half the battle, so don't underestimate the value of recording all of your practices (and gigs) whenever possible. When the music stops, STOP PLAYING! Don't continue to dink around on your guitar while the drummer and bass player are trying to discuss how to play the song's bridge section. If you absolutely must play and try to work something out yourself while they're talking, turn your volume down (or better yet, off) while you do so you don't interrupt them. Leave the intoxicants at home. Many people think they play better after they've partaken in a little of their personal libation of choice, but the truth is - most people play far worse when inebriated. Don't push too hard without taking the occasional break. You have set breaks when you do a gig, and your rehearsals should be no different. Don't try to go three or four hours straight - take a five or ten minute break so you can hit the restroom and get some water and come back to finish the second half of rehearsal fresh and focused. But stick to that five or ten minute break limit and then get right back to work. Make sure everyone is having fun. While you're there to get things accomplished, remember that when you're at rehearsal, it's all about the music - it should be fun and enjoyable for everyone involved. If someone doesn't look like they're having a good time, try to find out what's bothering them. Maybe they need to hear better and need their monitors adjusted, or maybe they're confused about how everyone is playing part of the song, or maybe they just can't stand that particular song. Making sure everyone is having fun, and that everyone feels free to express their thoughts when they're not, can go a long way towards reducing simmering problems that can cause issues for the band in the long term. -HC- I'm sure you have some suggestions of your own on how to maximize band rehearsal efficiency, so why not click on this link and head over to the Backstage With The Band forum and tell us about what you recommend? And if you have any questions or other comments about this article, we welcome you to come join in the discussion too! __________________________________________________ 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.

EastWest MIDI Guitar Instrument Series Volumes 1-5 EastWest partners with Fishman on a library designed specifically for TriplePlay by Phil O'Keefe What You Need To Know The Fishman TriplePlay uses a hardware unit that attaches to your guitar - but it doesn't require pro installation or any permanent modifications. The pickup itself attaches near the bridge with double-sided tape, while the control unit and transmitter attaches magnetically to a provided bracket that is held on to the guitar with just the strap button. The wireless transmitter is built into the control unit and is powered with an onboard lithium ion battery that is good for abut 20 hours of use, and that you can recharge with an included micro USB cable and adapter. At the other end, a small thumb drive-sized USB receiver attaches to the host computer and provides wireless reception - no more bulky cables between your guitar and computer! Regardless of which EastWest MIDI Guitar Volume(s) you have, there are three main components to the software side of things - Fishman's TriplePlay app, EastWest's Play app, and the sound library itself. The Fishman TriplePlay app and EastWest Play application are compatible with Macs and PCs. System requirements are an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.7 GHz processor or faster, 8 GB of RAM and OS X 10.7 or later for Macs and an Intel Core 2 Duo, or AMD Dual Core 2.7 GHz processor or higher, 8 GB Ram, ASIO sound card and Windows 7 or later for PCs. With either, you'll also need a 7,200 RPM or faster HDD (or a SSD) for sample streaming. For plug-in use, a 64 bit DAW host is recommended - you'll need to run an older version (version 4) of the EastWest Play application if you're using a 32 bit DAW. I tested the EastWest MIDI Guitar libraries with Fishman TriplePlay version 1.4 software running on my trusty quad core i7 MacBook Pro. Fishman's TriplePlay is both a standalone and plugin application that is the heart of that system. Various virtual instruments can be loaded into TriplePlay and the sounds loaded into them are then accessible and playable using the TriplePlay-equipped guitar. TriplePlay has a built-in tuner app, which is quite handy, and it can map different virtual instruments and sounds to different strings and fretboard regions, allowing you to cover a lot of sonic territory with your TriplePlay equipped guitar. You can also adjust the controller's sensitivity and other parameters from inside the app, which is easy to do but important for getting it to respond optimally to your playing touch. EastWest's Play application (currently at version 5.0.4), like the TriplePlay app, can run standalone or as a plugin, and it's been optimized for use with TriplePlay, allowing you to load everything into it in a very guitar-friendly way. Play allows you to make various adjustments to the loaded samples too, such as transposing them and changing their attack, hold, decay, sustain and release envelope. An onboard high and low-pass filter allows for further processing, and you can add effects like amp simulation, delay and reverb here too. The EastWest instruments must be loaded from the Fishman Triple Play preset browser, not from the PLAY browser to benefit from the all the special programming for the series. The browser is simple and intuitive to use. The sounds and various instruments themselves are also optimized for use with the TriplePlay MIDI guitar controller, having been re-programmed and adjusted specifically for use with MIDI guitar. Many of these sounds have been ported over from other EastWest sample packages and virtual instruments. I recognized some of the sounds from their excellent Fab Four Beatles-inspired V.I. among the sounds in the various volumes. Installation was fairly straightforward, although since the libraries are pretty large, it takes a while. At first I did run into issues getting the EastWest libraries to load into the Fishman TriplePlay app, and although I tried a few times to figure it out, I was unable to do so. Fortunately Fishman has some of the world's best customer service. I can't emphasize enough just how knowledgeable and helpful they were - literally spending a few hours with me on the phone and remotely accessing my computer and repairing my configuration. I should mention the issues that I was having were related to my SampleTank installation (TriplePlay uses SampleTank sounds as some of their factory bundled stock sounds), and not really EastWest's or Fishman's fault, but Fishman's tech support figured it all out and got it all working anyway. All of the EastWest MIDI Guitar Volumes use 16 bit, 44.1 kHz samples. The size is considerable - for all five volumes, it amounted to roughly 108 GB total. The downloads are then automatically unpacked by the EW installation Center app. Like downloading, the unpacking process takes a while, so you should set aside sufficient time to get everything done, along with at least 108 GB of fast (7,200 RPM or SSD recommended) hard drive space. The sizes for the individual volumes are Vol. 1 = 18.32 GB post installation, Vol. 2 = 17.34 GB post installation, Vol. 3 = 11.36 GB post installation, Vol. 4 = 30.4 GB post installation, and Vol. 5 = 30.4 GB post installation. Volume 1 Orchestra, as you probably guessed is a collection of Orchestral instruments. These are organized into Strings, Brass, Percussion and Woodwinds categories, with a range of Trumpets, Trombones, Solo and ensemble French Horns, Tuba, and even Piccolo Trumpet sounds in the Brass category. Strings are fairly well represented with large String Ensembles, a very nice Harpsichord, section Cellos, Violins, Violas and Double Basses, as well as solo versions of the four main string instruments. You also get a good selection of Orchestral Woodwinds, including Flute, Clarinets and Oboes, as well as a variety of solo Woodwinds, from Contrabasson to Solo English Horn to Solo Alto and Piccolo Flutes, and Clarinet. Of course an Orchestra needs a good Percussion section and EastWest gives you Cymbals, Gongs, Bass Drum, Timpani Hits, killer Orchestral Chimes, Triangle, a fun Vibraphone, Castanets, Marimbas, Wood Blocks and more. Volume 2 gives you a collection of Ethnic Instruments and Voices, including Bowed, Plucked, Wind and Voices categories. Bowed includes a 30 Piece String Section, Electric Cello, Kemenche, Sarangi, and Zhong Hu. In the plucked category you'll find things like Banjos, Kora, Koto, Mandolin, Santoor, Sarod, Sitar, and Tambura. In the Voices category is a Boys Chorus, Full Chorus, as well as various male and female Oohs and Aahs with ambient, breathy, and filtered variations. There's also a couple of sung ethnic phrase collections, including Syria Elements and Indian Elements. The Wind category has a variety of ethnic winds, including some really good accordions (I really like Camp Double Reed), Bagpipe Ensembles, Bansuri, a Lowery organ doing "that sound" from the opening riff of Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Lucy In The Lowery), Pan Flute, Shakuhachi, and Xiao. Volume 3 is dedicated to Soundscapes. Many of these sounds are atmospheric, processed-sounding and / or a little spacey, but there are some percussive sounds too, like Stone Therapy, Old Bombay and Proc Bells Spacey. I really liked the Leslie Choir and Men From Manilla Pad, which sounds like a layering of slow strings and deep horns. Fallen is a nice layering of plucked acoustic bass with arco strings behind it. There's even some nice E-Bow guitars. If you're doing film scores, this volume is a must-have. Volume 4 focuses on Guitar and Bass. While being able to play various bass sounds from your guitar has obvious advantages, you might think that the guitar side of the equation would be less interesting - after all, you already play guitar, right? But the variety of sounds here is definitely useful - imagine being able to fingerpick an acoustic guitar straight from your MIDI-equipped electric, or playing a bass line with a J-Bass, P-Bass or Rickenbacker sound without having to swap instruments. Other models are also included - Lakland, Musicman, Spector - there are even some processed and synth bass patches like Fuzz Bass, Nuclear Bass, Destroyer Bass, and Radioactive. Other guitars include some nice Baritones, Leslie Guitars, Flamenco, Les Pauls and Jaguars, Martin Acoustics, Seven String Guitars, Lo-Fi Guitars - it's a nice variety of different tones. Volume 5 consists of Keyboard and Percussion Instruments - here's your chance to get some of those sounds that have kept MIDI keyboardists so in demand. The collection leans more towards the traditional here, with various B3's, Clavolines, a very nice (and rare) Baldwin Electric Harpsichord, Celeste, Farfisas, Acoustic Upright and Grand Pianos, a really nice CP-80 and Rhodes Electric Pianos, dead-on Mellotron flutes and strings, Harmonium, Xylophone and Vibraphones. There are a few processed type sounds here too, but they comprise a relatively small percentage of the collection, and there's really no "synths" to speak of. The Percussion in this collection is far less orchestral in nature, with Bowl Gongs, a Dirt Kit, Tom Ensemble, Earthquake Ensemble - it definitely isn't duplicating the percussion found in the Orchestra volume. A 25 instrument teaser package is available for free for all TriplePlay users so you can get an idea of what the whole package offers you first hand. Limitations There are some issues for those who are still using Pro Tools 10, especially if you're using Windows. Fortunately there are work-arounds. Since it's a 32 bit application, you'll need to run version 4 of the EastWest Play application instead of the current version 5. Windows users will need to open the standalone version of TriplePlay before running Pro Tools. While the TriplePlay plugin itself won't run in Pro Tools (any version) on a Windows PC, the TriplePlay hardware can still be used as a controller in Pro Tools for Windows to drive whatever virtual instrument plugins you want, including EastWest Play. I wish there were more vintage synth and modern EDM / electronica-style sounds available. Maybe those would be good candidates for Volume 6 and 7? With its ability to map out multiple sounds and its wireless freedom, TriplePlay could be an excellent alternative controller for live EDM performances. It just needs the right sounds to go with it. Conclusions This is a monsterous collection of sounds! The five volumes cover a huge range - not to mention a pretty good chunk of drive space. Installation should be straightforward for most users, but trust me - if you ever run into a brick wall, Fishman's customer service is outstanding and they'll get things sorted out for you. Fishman's TriplePlay is the least intrusive and most hassle-free MIDI guitar system I've tried yet. No wires, no custom installation needed and no irreversible mods to your guitar. With over 20 hours of run time, the battery lasts longer than you will, unless you're used to putting in 24 hour non-stop days. Playing a cello solo from your guitar is a blast, and for people who are more comfortable on guitars than keyboards, it's nothing short of a game-changer - most guitarists will have no problem using TriplePlay, and you will probably feel very comfortable with it in no time I wish that it worked better with Pro Tools 10, but that's the price I pay for using an older version of that software and it can't really be blamed on either Fishman or EastWest… and if you're using Pro Tools 11 or later on a Mac, you shouldn't have any problem using the Fishman TriplePlay plugin. Windows users will have to deal with some work-arounds, but it's still a very useable system. I would like to see more electronic / EDM type sounds offered in a future volume, but outside of that, the collection covers a lot of sonic territory. EastWest and Fishman have come up with a real winner here. The concept is sound and the implementation impressive; everything by and large works as it should. The sounds are of great quality - well recorded and sampled. Best of all, the system of TriplePlay controller and EastWest sounds is easy to play from a guitarist's perspective, using techniques that guitarists are comfortable with, although as always, the more you think, phrase, and play in a manner similar to what the original instrumentalist would do (when playing a Cello or Woodwind patch, for example), the more authentic and convincing the results will sound. Fishman and EastWest's partnership has proven to be quite fruitful, giving guitarists easy access to a lot of very high quality sounds that work great with the TriplePlay system, and making them very comfortable for guitarists to use. Composers, arrangers, film scorers, producers, stage and studio musicians - anyone who plays guitar as their primary instrument who wants access to MIDI and modern sounds with the familiar interfacing of the guitar really needs to check out both the TriplePlay and the EastWest MIDI Guitar Volumes designed to work with it. The two make a great pair! -HC- Have questions about this review? Want to share your experiences with the EastWest MIDI Guitar Instrument Series or the Fishman TriplePlay? Then be sure to head over to this thread in the Electric Guitar forum right here on Harmony Central and join the conversation! Resources EastWest MIDI Guitar Volumes 1- 5 ($240.00 MSRP per downloadable volume, $179.00 per each volume "street") All five volumes are also available as part of EastWest's ComposerCloud subscription service. Fishman TriplePlay ($633.99 MSRP, $399.95 "street") EastWest's product web page EastWest MIDI Guitar Instruments Series Manual (PDF file) Fishman's product web page (EastWest MIDI Guitar Collection) Fishman's product web page (TriplePlay controller) You can purchase the Fishman TriplePlay and the EastWest MIDI Guitar Volumes 1-5 from: Sweetwater Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Fishman TriplePlay Guitar Center Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Fishman TriplePlay B&H Photo Video Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Fishman TriplePlay Musician's Friend Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Volume 4 Volume 5 Fishman TriplePlay Volume 1 - Orchestra Volume 2 - Ethnic and Voices Volume 3 - Soundscapes Volume 4 - Guitar and Bass Volume 5 - Keyboards and Percussion __________________________________________________ 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.

Electro Harmonix Battalion Bass Preamp & DI Tired of fighting with your bass tone? Maybe it's time to call in some reinforcements by Phil O'Keefe In the battle for bad-ass bass tones, there are certain basic weapons that every bass player should have in their arsenal. There's more than one way to go about getting those tools together, but if you want to keep your load-out light, going with a single pedal that packs as much punch as possible is often the best plan of attack. That's the basic idea behind the latest bass-oriented pedal from Electro Harmonix. Let's put it up for inspection and see what kind of firepower this Battalion is packing. What You Need To Know The Electro Harmonix Battalion is a bass preamp and DI pedal that packs the features you'd typically need three or four pedals to get into a single compact enclosure that measures 6" W x 2 3/8" H x 4 5/8" D. Painted white with a top label that has a largely black background with blue, green and red accents, it has more of a high-tech look than the military one that the name might initially lead you to expect. All of the control labels are in white and are easy to see. Power is supplied in the form of an included 9.6V 200mA DC adapter. The 5.5mm x 2.1mm center-negative power jack is located at the top of the pedal. The Battalion draws 100mA, and you can use your garden variety Boss or Ibanez 9V DC power supply if you lose your EHX unit. Battery powering is not an option, and there are no user-adjustable trim pots or switches inside the pedal either. The Battalion has a wealth of connectivity, with all the goodies you'd find on a typical direct box, including a 1/4" input with a 2.2 MOhm input impedance and a Dry Output jack (both located on the right side of the pedal) that functions like the Thru jack of a DI pedal. On the opposite side of the pedal you'll find the regular 1/4" output jack (220 Ohm output impedance), which can also be used to feed headphones for quiet practice, and although the level's pretty low overall, the signal feeds both sides of the headphones. There's also an XLR DI Out, with pin 1 GND Lift and Bypass buttons right next to it, along with a dedicated Vol(ume) control, which is a nice addition that makes it easy to get just the right level to the PA, mixing console, or your DAW interface when recording. The XLR Bypass switch is a really useful feature. When it's out, the pedal's XLR output acts like a direct box that was placed before the pedal, sending an unprocessed signal out, regardless of the pedal's bypass / active state. If you depress the Bypass switch, the XLR output follows the pedal's bypass state and sends out an unprocessed signal when it is bypassed, and the processed signal when the pedal's active. This gives you a choice of routing a clean signal to the board at all times (useful in some live situations and for reamplification purposes in the studio) or one that has been processed by the pedal when it's active. Of course, the Battalion isn't just a direct box, but a full-featured bass preamp too, so let's look at the top panel controls. A -10dB Pad switch lowers the pedal's input sensitivity when depressed, which can be useful when using a bass with a hot active preamp or active pickups. The Battalion comes equipped with a four knob EQ section that is specifically tailored for bass and is a very powerful tone-shaper. All four EQ controls have center detents, and either boost or cut the signal (respectively) when turned above or below this point, and have no effect when set to the center detented "noon" position. The Bass knob acts like a shelving EQ and boosts or cuts frequencies from 200Hz and below. The Lo Mid control has a peaking type filter centered at 280 Hz. The Hi Mid control is also peaking, and is centered at 750 Hz, which is perfect for bringing out note articulation. The Treble EQ is a shelving filter, and boosts or cuts all frequencies from 2 kHz and up. A Volume control sets the pedal's overall output volume level. A Bypass footswitch on the lower right lets you turn the Battalion on or off, with a Green LED right next to it that kicks on when the pedal is active, and shuts off when it's bypassed. The Battalion has a buffered bypass. It's very easy to dial up a wide range of bass tones using just the EQ section, but the preamp isn't all the Battalion comes equipped with. Besides Distortion, two other effects are also included - a compressor and a noise gate. The single knob compressor has a pushbutton on/off switch to activate it and a blue LED that lights up to let you know when it's on, and while you can't control the attack time or any of the various other controls you might find on a multi-knob compressor, this has the advantage of being easier to use and yet it is still very cool-sounding and effective; adding more punch and sustain to your sound the higher you turn it up. You also get a bit more hiss at higher settings, but this is typical of nearly all compressors. The second built-in effect is a Noise Gate. Like the Compressor, this is a single-knob affair, but instead of a full-sized knob like the Compressor uses, a single small knob sets the Gate's threshold. The detector is located right at the Battalion's input, with the gate itself located after the other processors so it can silence any noise that they might add to your sound when you're not playing. But we're not done yet! When you really want to light 'em up, you can kick in the built-in four-knob Distortion section using the second (left-side) footswitch. When engaged, a red LED lights up to let you know it's active. The Distortion controls have white knobs with red markers, which visually sets the Distortion controls apart from the pedal's other knobs, which are black with white indicators. A Drive knob allows you to set the amount of distortion, and it has a range that goes from practically inaudible to nearly fuzz-like amounts of grit. You can shape the character of the distortion somewhat with the Tone control, which attenuates the highs from the Distortion as you turn it down, giving the dirt a smoother sound. Since Distortion can sometimes overwhelm your bass tone or draw attention away from the bottom end a bit too much, EHX has also thoughtfully included a Blend knob that lets you bring in some of the undistorted signal so you can dial up just the right balance. When turned up all the way, you'll hear all distortion, and down all the way blends the distortion out. A Level knob sets the overall output of the Distortion section. Not only do you get a fully featured distortion, but also the ability to set where it appears in the pedal's overall signal path via a three-position Distortion Pre/Post/Dry toggle switch. The Pre setting puts the Distortion after the Compressor and before (pre) EQ, allowing the EQ to shape the post-distorted sound. The Dry signal that gets blended in is sourced as the signal feeding the Distortion section. Post puts the Distortion after the Compressor and the EQ, allowing you to use the EQ to sculpt the signal going into the distortion circuit. The effect of the EQ is somewhat less noticeable on the tone of the Distortion in this mode. The Blend is sourced post-EQ in this mode. Dry puts the Distortion immediately after the Compressor in the signal chain, with the EQ only being applied to the Dry signal that is brought in with the Blend knob. This means that the EQ has no influence on the Distortion sound, either before (pre) or after (post) it, only on the undistorted signal brought in with the Blend control. . Limitations There's enough controls here to get yourself into trouble; by that I mean it's possible to set things up in such a way that you're going to get some hiss or noise. That's not the pedal's fault, just a caution to the user; with this much firepower aboard, care and common sense should be used when you dial things in. Because the Battalion can make some noise with more extreme setting combinations the noise gate is a nice feature to have, but unfortunately it is pretty hard to set, and it's somewhat abrupt and at times a bit "clicky" when the threshold is exceeded and the Gate shuts off. In fact, I generally just left it off most of the time. It's very effective at getting rid of noise and hiss when you're not playing, but it does limit what you can do in terms of playing dynamics since setting it high enough to cut off the noise will often prevent the gate from opening up when you play softly. Conclusions The Battalion is a preamp that just might become your secret weapon in the fight for a great bass sound. The Compressor is super-easy to use but quite effective at increasing punch and sustain, and the EQ lets you easily dial up whatever tone you're after. The only real disappointment is the gate, which is a little too temperamental for my tastes. The MOSFET distortion section is quite powerful and it's easy to get a variety of effects, from subtle growling overdrive when you dig in hard, to flat out distortion that borders on fuzz that will be present on even the softest-played passages. Kudos to EHX for including a bend control, which lets you use some of your dry signal along with the dirt to get just the right balance, as well as the Pre/Post/Dry switch, which gives the Distortion section even more flexibility. The DI functions were really well thought out, and it's great that you can send just a dry signal to the board at all times while using the pedal, or you can send a signal to the board that mimics whatever the pedal is doing, whether it's bypassed or active - this is great if you're using the Battalion as the foundation of your sound and want the FOH people to use that instead of a dry, unprocessed sound. Of course, if you're recording you can track both the dry (XLR) and processed (1/4" output) signals, giving you the ability to reamp and process the recorded dry signal later, as well as use the processed sound from the pedal. This makes the Battalion just at home in the studio as it is on stage, and a very versatile addition to any bassist's arsenal. -HC- Have questions or comments about this review? Then be sure to click over to this thread on the Harmony Central Bass Forum and join in the discussion! Resources Electro Harmonix Battalion Bass Preamp + DI ($197.00 MSRP, $147.00 "street") Electro Harmonix product web page You can purchase the Electro Harmonix Battalion Bass Preamp + DI from: Sweetwater Guitar Center B&H Photo Video 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.

Roland JX-03 Boutique Series Synthesizer Module Return of a misunderstood classic 1980s polysynth in Roland's Boutique module form by Phil O'Keefe Back in 1983 at the dawn of the MIDI era, Roland released their first MIDI-equipped synth - the JX-3P. The 3P stood for Programmable, Preset, Polyphonic… and it was all three; a six voice dual DCO analog synth that, despite its multiple button / single data slider programming approach was in fact fully programmable, but it was not nearly as hands-on as Roland's previous synths (unless you paid extra for the optional knob-rich PG-200 programmer). Many people assumed the JX-3P was just a preset synth that couldn't be programmed, but that wasn't the case. The JX-3P had 16 program buttons and four banks (A-D), with the first two banks filled with factory preset sounds and the second two with writable memory locations for storing your own sounds. In other words, it had the heart of a great programmable analog synth, but the interface wasn't very user-friendly without that extra-cost PG-200, which probably explains why it was never as popular as Roland's Juno series synths. Fast forward to the present day, and to Roland's successful line of Boutique modules that re-imagine some of their most popular vintage models from days gone by. The JX-03 was one of the original batch of three Roland Boutique modules first announced near the end of 2015. Roland says these are limited editions, but never really defined what they meant by that. Now nearly two years later, the JU-06 appears to be sold out and the JP-08 and JX-03 are being sold at reduced prices by some dealers, so now's the time to jump in if you haven't already. Since I recently picked up a pair, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the JX-03 with you. What You Need To Know As part of Roland's Boutique series of modules, the JX-03 shares the same basic design of all other models in the series , with a beefy metal face and rear panel atop an otherwise plastic housing that measures 300 mm W x 128 mm D x 46 mm H (11 13/16" x 5 1/16" x 1 13/16") and weighs 950 g - that's about 2 pounds 2 ounces. In other words, it's really small and relatively light. Like the other Boutiques, the JX-03 can be used with Roland's optional K-25m mini keyboard ($99.99 "street"). A small port on the underside of the JX-03 lets you connect the ribbon cable from the K-25m, and the module mounts directly into the keyboard case, so you can set it flat or angle it upwards to one of two positions. Similarly, Roland also offers an optional non-keyboard housing / docking unit called the DK-01 ($49.99 "street" ). Like the K-25m, it lets you set the inserted Boutique module flat or to one of two angled positions for easier viewing and operation. The units will work just fine without the optional keyboard or dock. Speaking of operation, despite the relatively small size, everything is surprisingly easy to adjust and control. All the knobs and switches feel robust and sturdy. While there's a on / off switch on the rear, there's no power jack. Instead the JX-03 can be powered by four AA batteries (four alkaline or Ni-MH batteries give you about 6 hours of run time), or it can be bus-powered over a micro B USB connector. The battery compartment is located on the unit's underside, and Roland includes four AA alkaline batteries in the box. The box is actually pretty cool, and will work as a storage case (although Roland and others offer cases and bags that are specifically designed for the Boutique series modules). A small speaker on the bottom pairs with an internal .5 W amp, so you can use the JX-03 practically anywhere. The rear-panel Micro USB connector serves multiple functions. Connecting it to a computer bus-powers the JX-03 so you don't need batteries. Or, you can use a rechargeable USB power bank (as described in this article) to power the unit instead of using AA batteries. The Micro B USB connector also carries both MIDI and digital audio, giving you a basic 24 bit 44.1 kHz audio and MIDI interface. You'll need a Mac running OSX 10.9 or later, or a Windows PC running Windows 7 or later to use these features. The drivers are available for download directly from Roland. The I/O is all on stereo TRS 1/8" (3.5 mm) mini jacks located on the rear panel. Unfortunately the input jack doesn't route external audio through the synth's filters, but it does allow daisy-chaining the signal from multiple Boutique units (or your phone or iOS device) and have all the sound come out of the same speaker. Anything sent to the input jack is also digitized through the A/D converters and sent out over the USB audio interface. Prefer using headphones instead of the mini speaker? Roland has you covered with a stereo 3.5 mm headphone jack. Also on the back you'll find a pair of 5-pin MIDI DIN jacks - one in, and one out. In addition to standard MIDI functionality, these are also used when daisy chaining two or more units together. The JX-03 is a four-voice polyphonic synth, while the original JX-3P was six-voice polyphonic. Daisy chaining multiple JX-03 units is supported through a Chain mode for increased polyphony. Poly, Solo and Unison modes are available. Some people might complain that unlike the original, this is not an analog synth. Like many of the other Boutiques, the JX-03 uses Roland's ACB - Analog Circuit Behavior. They digitally modeled the original synth at the component level, and while direct comparisons (check YouTube) between the JX-03 and its predecessor don't always yield exactly identical-sounding results, the similarity is remarkable. In the context of a mix, most people would never be able to tell them apart, and even soloed out, the sound is incredibly close - often practically identical. While they're modeled versions, the JX-03's various controls and voice architecture are very similar to the original synth, including two DCOs, a VCF, VCA, LFO, and ADSR Envelope. The chorus of the original is included too, and there's even a second chorus option that you won't find on the original keyboard synth, along with a new digital delay. The chorus has modeled "noise" that simulates the noise of the original, but this can be turned off. Some other aspects are also different in a good way. Roland has added extra Sine, Sawtooth and Noise waveforms to the modeled DCOs that weren't present in the JX-3P, along with giving the DCOs in the JX-03 extra range, with new 2' and 64' settings. There are also two new sawtooth waveforms and a noise option added to the LFO, as well as three new cross-modulation modes. There are some other new and / or hidden features in the JX-03 such as portamento, velocity sensitivity, layering and keyboard split, which Roland spells out on this web page. The basic control arrangement bears similarities to both the JX-3P and the PG-200 programmer, with a similar layout. All 24 knobs from the PG-200 programmer are included right on the front of the JX-03, making it much easier to use than a JX-3P sans programmer. And the JX-03 can receive MIDI even while you're using the knobs to control it - something the original JX-3P and PG-200 couldn't do, since the PG-200 plugged into the JX-3P's MIDI input. The preset and memory buttons (which are also used for the step sequencer) are also similar to the ones on the original keyboard. Where the original JX-3P had four banks (two preset, two memory), the JX-03 only has three, and omits one of the memory banks, giving you only 16 internal memory locations to save your own patches to instead of the 32 of the original keyboard. There are two touch-sensitive ribbon controllers on the front - one for pitch bend, and the other for modulation. The modulation can be set to spring back to zero (stock) or so that it stays where you last had it, even after you take your hand off it. Pitch bend range is also adjustable. The ribbon controllers can also set the tempo of the built-in step sequencer… and for note selection if you don't have the K-25m or a MIDI controller keyboard connected. Limitations With only four voices, the JX-03 has two less than the original JX-3P, but you can chain multiple modules for greater polyphony. While buying two modules doubles the cost, a pair of JX-03's will cost less than half of what a JX-3P and PG-200 usually go for on the vintage synth market, and will give you eight voices instead of six. You can also use them as two four-voice synths running different patches - bi-timbral operation is something else the original JX-3P did not offer. When daisy-chaining two JX-03's the volume level controls have to be set differently in order to achieve unity volume between the two modules, which is annoying. The JX-03 has half as many onboard memory locations for storing your own patches as the original synth. You can offload and load them over USB, but for live use, 16 may be a bit limiting. You'll probably want a K-25m, DK-01 Dock, or a stand of some sort, which will add somewhat to the price. 3D printed stands and even oak stands for multiple Boutique units are available from third parties on the usual auction sites. The onboard 16 pattern, 16-step monophonic sequencer is nice to have, but decidedly a step or two down in capabilities from the polyphonic step sequencer found in the original JX-3P. Roland currently doesn't offer any computer editor / librarian software, although such software is available from third parties. Knob control isn't handled by MIDI CC commands, so it's difficult to impossible to use most MIDI controllers or DAW commands to manipulate the onboard knobs. Fortunately, moving them by hand gives smooth results, with no audible stair-stepping. You can chain dissimilar Boutique models (a JX-03 and JP-08, for example) but each synth will make its own sounds, depending on what patch is called up, leading to sonic differences when you play the fifth note in a chord. When you chain two modules of the same model, control changes made on one will also affect the second / slave module, and all 8 chained notes can share the same patch (or not) if you wish. The included manual is pretty weak - just a fold-out paper with very small text that doesn't really cover all the features as well as it could. Fortunately a user named Sunshine Jones has written a more comprehensive manual on his own, and offers it freely to all JX-03 users. You can find it right here. Conclusions There is so much to like about the JX-03, including the fact that it has extra oscillator range settings (2' and 64') and extra waveforms for the virtual DCOs and LFO. It's capable of making all the sounds of the original synth, and more besides. It's also great that you get the full complement of controls from the PG-200, making it a much more inviting synth to program. Best of all, Roland really nailed the character and rich sound of the original synth. It may be digital modeling, but I don't care - it sounds terrific! They've packed a lot of features into these really small modules, so they not only won't take up much space in your studio, they're well suited to use on the go. Like most things in life, the JX-03 is not perfect. Some will lament Roland's decision to use 1/8" jacks for the I/O, although this does allow the Boutiques to interface with smart phones, tablets and modular / Eurorack synths much more easily than if Roland had opted for 1/4" jacks. Others will miss the lack of the original's six voices, but stacking two modules provides eight voices - and bi-timbral flexibility the original six voice synth lacked - and for much less than the JX-3P and PG-200 now cost. The original had a more powerful onboard sequencer too, but with modern computers and DAW software, that's less of a limitation today than it would have been back in 1983. The Roland Boutique synths and drum machines that I've tried have all been very impressive, and I just couldn't resist the charms of the JX-03 - it's my personal favorite of the three original Boutique modules. But they won't be around forever, and it appears that dealers are starting to blow the original Boutique modules out at reduced prices - I got my second JX-03 from Sweetwater (which came with their usual candy and great customer service) for only $199, which no matter how you look at it is a fantastic deal. Grab yours quickly while you still can - or you'll regret it later. -HC- If you have comments or questions about this review or just want to talk about the Roland JX-03, then be sure to click on this link and join the discussion in the Keys, Synths and Samplers forum right here on Harmony Central. Resources Roland Boutique Series JX-03 Synthesizer Module ($299.00 MSRP, currently as low as $199.00 "street") Roland's Boutique series web page Roland's JX-03 product web page You can purchase the Roland JX-03 Boutique Synth Module from: Sweetwater Guitar Center 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.