Team HC

The Milkman Cometh - The Tale of Milkman Sound Steel players are sold ... can he win the six-string crowd? by Gearphoria's Blake Wright (adapted by Team HC) TIM MARCUS knew what he was doing, and that might make the tale of Milkman Sound that much more perplexing. A touring pedal steel player and audio/video tech, he decided in 2010, after years of tinkering with guitar amplifiers, that he would attempt a kit build. After assembling a MojoTone Tweed Princeton, figuring out what worked and what didn’t… what he liked and didn’t like, there was still little hint of things to come. Pedal steel players have historically not been spendy types when it comes to amplification. It would not be unusual to spot an aging Peavey nearby. Undeterred, Marcus decided that a boutique amp voiced specifically for pedal steel was something he wanted to pursue, if only for himself. Working for BBI Engineering in San Francisco, Marcus cut his teeth on large-scale audio/video builds for museums, conference centers… even churches. It was with BBI he learned the importance of building things to last. If you’re going to build an A/V system for a museum exhibit that could see tens of thousands of children pawing, scratching, and pulling at it, you’d better make it solid, and up to the challenge. “I started building amps for steel guitar,” recalls Marcus. “There was no boutique option for pedal steel at the time. Now there is a lot (Quilter, Dr. Z, etc…). I got laughed out of the room several times because when there is no boutique market, there are no boutique prices. So when you come in at that price point, people are like ‘What?! My Peavey was $500! I’ve had it since 1978!’ Then those guys buy one of my amps and they’re like ‘Ohmigod! I had no idea this guitar sounded like that.’” Milkman really began while Marcus was still at BBI, running it out of his bedroom, having stuff shipped to the office, and also shipping from there. He sold an early prototype to steel veteran Greg Leisz. It was the company’s first true sale and what really kicked off the business. Leisz heard about Marcus’ amps when he was on tour with Ray LaMontagne in support of the Pariah Dogs album through a guitar-playing friend. Leisz did send the amp back four or five times before it was "perfect," then subsequently, took it out on the road with Eric Clapton and Jackson Browne. Sticker shock aside, the steel community started paying more attention to Milkman, and by the end of 2013, Marcus had left BBI and prepared to go full time with his fledgling amp brand. He kept busy that first year, 2014, but Milkman was still somewhat of a mystery in conventional electric guitar player circles. That all changed in November 2014. The JM Bump. Guitarist John Mayer got hold of an 85-watt Milkman and reached out to Marcus. Mayer said it was one of the best new guitar amps he had heard in a long time. That has to mean something coming from a guy who has an arsenal of amps, Dumbles included, at his disposal. So impressed was Mayer, than he decided to help Marcus spread the word about Milkman. In November 2014, Mayer posted a ‘selfie’ on social media platform Instagram (inset) singing the praises of the small amp builder and his product. Mayer has roughly 1.4 million "followers" on Instagram. “He warned me,” recalls Marcus. “He called to tell me he was going to do that. They call it the ‘JM bump’... ‘Just so you know… you’re going to get busy… but I love the stuff so I’m going to give you guys a bump.'” No one knew who I was. People knew in the steel guitar community, but guitar players didn’t know what Milkman was.” Marcus’ inbox was flooded. Some were just tire-kickers, and several dealers from across the globe tested interest. “I kicked a lot of cans down the road, but then the orders did start coming,” says Marcus. “That’s around the same time I got picked up by my first dealer. I don’t know if he was part of the Mayer thing or if it was just a coincidence.” Today, Milkman, still a one-man operation, has about a half-dozen dealers. A shared booth at the 2016 Winter NAMM show netted a few new ones. Dealer orders have started to overtake direct orders now. “It used to be about 30% to dealers, but now… I went to NAMM with less than a dozen orders and I came back with over 70,” says Marcus. But it’s just s Princeton, right? Before you hear a Milkman for yourself, you'll probably assume that it's a high-end clone of Fender’s Princeton. The aesthetics, size, and overall appearance are strikingly similar, but that does some injustice to what Marcus is producing. Amps favoring the Fender look are nothing new. Most people, including gear heads, gravitate towards the familiar, so it can have its benefits. Milkman isn’t alone; Headstrong, Tyler and others have also adopted Fender’s cosmetic vibe, but there are other reasons for it as well. For Milkman, one chief factor was the abundant availability of parts. “It was easy to get parts to start out… and I’m used to Fender stuff,” confesses Marcus. “I like when you’re playing, sitting at your steel or playing your guitar, you can reach back and the knobs are there. I don’t like it when they're in the back or on top. Some Fender stuff was top-loaded like that, but I never used it. It looks classy and nice… and if you ask a six year old to draw a guitar amp, that is probably what they are going to draw. I’ve noticed also, after five or six years, if you go too crazy and make things look out there, nobody wants it. It doesn’t really make sense but it has to look familiar. You don’t want it to look like the Homer Simpson car.” While the classic Princeton and Milkman’s signature Creamer amp do look similar, once you get them side-by-side there are differences. The angles are different on the Creamer, and it’s more rounded. However, besides the appearance, folks also believe that the guts of the two amps are similar. “Ninety-nine percent of the people think I’m just building Princeton clones and they have no idea that it couldn’t be more different,” explains Marcus. “The bias of the amplifier is cathode bias on mine, which completely changes the sound and the feel…and the tremolo circuit won’t work because on a Princeton the tremolo modulates the bias, but when you don’t have a bias to modulate you have to do it a different way. It’s not a Princeton copy. It’s got way more compression than a Princeton has. It feels a lot more like a tweed amp, but it’s got the mid range dip like the later Fenders had. I’ve been fighting that Princeton thing from the beginning. Six knobs and a 12-inch speaker. It’s got to be a Princeton. Well, the Princeton had a 10-inch speaker. And it’s 12 watts versus 20. Princeton plates are getting maybe 300 to 350 volts. This, they’re running much, much higher than that. You can’t put a 6L6 in a Princeton. You can put one in this. They start to diverge after the ‘they both have six knobs’.” The Shop Out of his bedroom, today Marcus’ Milkman Sound is located in a cozy 200-plus square foot shop that is part of a studio/rehearsal space about 15 minutes north of the San Francisco airport. The day of our visit, the space was filling up fast with amps, pieces of amps and miscellaneous amp parts as Marcus continued working his way through the NAMM-driven backlog of builds. Marcus’s father-in-law was on hand assembling additional shelving units to hold completed and partially completed builds. The new rack was along the main wall across from the entrance and joined others filled with miscellaneous parts, transformers, etc. Along the shop’s far wall sat the "office," meaning a desk with a computer; directly to the right upon entry is Marcus’ workspace, which if you looked carefully revealed space for a potential hired hand to join the ranks in the future, which could be in the cards. However, another thing that could happen is an exodus from the Bay Area. As Milkman grows, it's not difficult to see a time (and possibly soon) when Marcus is squeezed for space. Given the real estate market in San Francisco, and the fact that it's fast becoming the most expensive city in the country, these could be an issue when attempting to upgrade locally. “San Francisco is done,” says Marcus. “It is the butt of the cigarette here. It’s been chewed up and spit out. There is nothing for creative people here. A lot of the venues have closed. There was a trend where they would build these expensive condos near the clubs. Residents would complain about the noise and [the city]would shut down the clubs, even though they had been there for 20+ years. It’s a mess. There are just not a lot of places to play. No musicians can afford to live here.” So what does that mean for Milkman? Relocation to the midwest has not been ruled out, and at least one prominent gear house has been courting them to head east. “I was talking with Josh Scott (JHS Pedals) recently and he’s trying to entice me to come to Kansas City,” reveals Marcus. “That’s where my wife is from. I’ve been very stubborn, but they are starting to wear me down. I have friends there. That’s where my father-in-law is. I’ve talked to my wife and a few more years and she’s probably done (here). I’ve been in the same place since 2009; it’s rent controlled so it’s not crazy, but it’s not cheap. I’d like to have a bigger shop with a roll-up door like Salvage (Custom near San Diego), but you’re not getting that here.” The Menu’s Expanding Since the beginning, Marcus has let his clientele dictate the research and development direction for Milkman. It is how the flagship Creamer came to be. It is also how the Half Pint sprang to life. (Trivia side note: It was the same customer.) So when clients bring their ideas to the table, if the concept has legs, Marcus will integrate it into the line. “I like to let my customers do my development,” explains Marcus. “Can you do this? Sure! So I build it and…there’s a new model. My whole business…my friend Max has been 'you should try this…do this.' I have a lot of models now… eight or nine.” Marcus is dabbling with a 10-watt version of the Half Pint, which would give him 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 85, and 300-watt amps on offer. He also is working on a 700-watter. The line diversity is one thing, but Marcus also has a variety of off-menu items, such as a bass amplifier. “It’s like In-And-Out Burger,” he says. “If you want a two-channel Creamer, I can do that. I’ve built a bunch of those. I’m open to ideas. I need the custom stuff for my sanity. How many Creamers in blonde can I build? I like doing the custom stuff. "I just did a custom two-channel version of my 300-watt amp for a guy in Portland. Definitely off-menu, but it’s pretty great. I’m thinking about doing something in the future that is kind of like a version of my 300-watt amp that's more for guitar players. I bought a head to NAMM, and we had it on a 2x12 cabinet and everybody that plugged into it loved it. I just brought it so steel players could check it out, but guitar players were loving it. So maybe I need to do a version with tremolo that’s voiced for guitar?” There are under 500 Milkman amps in the wild as of this writing. Marcus built just over 200 of those during 2015, with 60 of those shipping in the first quarter. The year before that he’d built 75. “I’m way behind that this year,” he confesses. “I was like ‘What the hell was going on last year?!’ And I’m like… oh yeah, John Mayer. I also had a new model out and all of the steel players were buying them." It takes Marcus anywhere from four to five hours to build out a Creamer. The number lands on the low side if he’s building more than one. For a single amp, it takes longer. “With dealers now, it’s much easier,” he says. “Someone orders six Creamers and four Half Pints, I just line them up and do them all at once.” As for the immediate future, beyond the possibility of a relocation further out, Marcus says he has no interest in joining the raft of amp makers that have started building and selling effects pedals. The only pedal he has in his line up is the channel switcher, and while he used to make those himself, those have since been farmed out to JHS. He also has no real plans to grow Milkman to dizzying heights, and he’s comfortable with that. “I’m not going to be building a thousand of these things a day,” he says. “I don’t think that will ever happen.” —G— Resources Republished with the expressed permission - www.gearphoria.com ____________________________________________ Blake and Holly Wright are Gearphoria. They travel full-time in their 25 foot Airstream while writing about cool guitars and guitar accessories. Gearphoria is a bi-monthly free-to-read online publication. You can visit their website by going to www.gearphoria.com and while you are there, sign up for their free e-zine.

The Inside Story: Building the Masterbilt Century Guitars So, exactly what goes into making a modern archtop? by Team HC The new Epiphone Masterbilt Century Collection is--in many ways--a continuation of founder Epi Stathopoulo's dream to build a guitar that was elegant, timeless, groundbreaking and affordable. Though it might sound strange to call a new archtop with Art Deco-era design features "groundbreaking," the Masterbilt Century Collection is actually a futuristic guitar with the "look and feel" of its historic ancestors. Just as the original Masterbilt archtops were built to project over a big band and be heard in large dancehalls, the Masterbilt Century archtops are designed to hold their own with any rock band without sacrificing tone, thanks to the custom eSonic HD system. After all, great tone was what made the archtop the most desirable acoustic guitar of its era, so not being able to preserve that tone would have made the new models non-starters. The original Masterbilt Collection was created in a moment of inspiration and practicality. In the early 1930s, with banjo sales plummeting and fretted instrument sales rising, Epi Stathopoulo directed his staff to design a big, beautiful, and loud acoustic guitar. Launched at the dawn of the dance band era, Epiphone archtops were an instant hit, and for the next 15 years Epiphone acoustic archtops were revered by the best players along with brands like Stromberg, D'Angelico, and Gibson. But when rock n' roll arrived, acoustic archtop guitars virtually disappeared. The new era of popular music demanded volume. And though the profile remained, archtops went from being primarily acoustic guitars to electric guitars with an electric guitar magnetic pickup, effectively removing any tone from the "top." And for almost 50 years, as acoustic players turned instead to flattops, few realized that there was more than one kind of acoustic guitar sound. Building A 21st Century Archtop But bringing the classic Epiphone archtop tone into the 21st century required looking at the original designs with a critical eye to see what made them tick. Luckily, most of those answers could be found in the Epiphone Historic Collection at Epiphone's headquarters in Nashville, TN. "We've managed to build a collection of 50 pre-Gibson ownership instruments dating back to the early 1900's," said Gibson President Dave Berryman. "That era was very rich and we've tried to build a collection that's representative of all those key models. And we've been building on that slowly, so it's been a labor of love." When Richard Akers and Scott Harrison from Epiphone's R&D team were tasked with creating a new archtop for the 21st century, they were already familiar with the various designs of the Masterbilt era. "The longitudinal bracing was key to keeping that Epiphone tone," said Scott Harrison. "Every year was slightly different so we tried to put together the best qualities from that era, especially the bracing methods and solid wood tops." Epiphone archtops are renowned for their unique body shape--slightly different than Gibson (their main competitor at the time) as well as for their elegant hardware like the traditional tailpiece and machine heads. The new Masterbilt Century machine heads recreate the unique look of the originals but with a vastly improved tuning ratio. "We were able to maintain the retro vibe and art deco appearance of the historic tuners while improving the functionality." said Richard Akers. "With an 18:1 tuning ratio, you have greater accuracy and stability." Another inspiration for the Masterbilt Century Collection was the realization that many younger guitar players had never played a properly constructed archtop. "For many guitarists, playing an archtop will be an entirely new experience," said Harrison. "Most players haven't had an affordable alternative to a flattop guitar since Epiphone made the originals. Even pros have had a hard time finding vintage Epiphones--no one wants to let go of them." So what's so special about an archtop? For many, an archtop produces not only a slightly more focused sound without as many overtones as a flattop, but a more true expression of the player. For over twenty years, Grammy winner Dave Rawlings has performed practically all of his concerts and recording dates with Gillian Welch with an original 1935 Epiphone Olympic, precisely because it doesn't sound like a flattop guitar. Rawlings was impressed that the new Masterbilt Century Olympic will provide players the same unique tonal palette as his original. "A fiddle or a mandolin--anything else will destroy a bluegrass guitar unless you're Clarence White or Brian Sutton or someone who can jam that soundhole into a microphone and make it roar. My '35 Olympic is the kind of guitar that you could give to a dozen different people and they would find a way to make their living. It's just that right combination that makes for a magical box." Not just the sound, but the design matters too--so the new Masterbilt Collection features the iconic headstock banner--with its combination of elegant script with black and gold typeface--found on the rare, early 30s-era Epiphones. In addition to the sound quality, it's important to pay attention to the visual details that also made these guitars coveted . Size Meets Sound There are a variety of sizes available to players in the new Masterbilt Century Collection, a nod to the era of healthy competition when archtops went from small to big to bigger! And no matter what your style, a player will find their "voice" in a Masterbilt Century Guitar. The De Luxe and De Luxe Classic feature the 17" size body preferred by players who want maximum power and tone. The Zenith and Zenith Classic have a 16" body with a more focused tone, while the Olympic's smaller body and unique midrange make it a perfect lead instrument next to traditional acoustic guitars and mandolins. "Listening to people like the Delmore Brothers--where there was a tenor guitar and an acoustic--or the Blue Sky Boys where there was a mandolin and a guitar--that's what pushed me into wanting to hear something that was in that world," recalled Dave Rawlings on choosing his vintage Olympic. Unlike vintage budget archtops currently on the market (and often coming apart at the seams), the new Masterbilt Century Collection not only features solid wood tops but quality Ebony and Rosewood fingerboards. "These guitars will be so useful to players," said studio ace and rising Americana star Chris Scruggs. "They're made to last. And they're beautiful, too! It's great to see the vintage style headstock and the binding in a new guitar." - HC - Article adapted with the express written permission of Resources Visit Masterbilt Century Collection site for details and also visit the Epiphone History Page for more info on the original Epiphone Masterbilts. _______________________________________________________

Eureka! Ronin is a Guitar Company Among Giants ... Literally by Gearphoria (adapted by Team HC) A HULKING, yet relatively unassuming building, backs up to North Channel Bay off Highway 101 in Eureka, California. Back in the 1970s, it was the home to shipbuilders who painted ship hulls and did other maritime construction tasks. Today, it's the unlikely home of Ronin Guitars — one of the world’s only guitar makers to use reclaimed old-growth redwood for electric and acoustic guitars. Ronin's roots also trace back as far as the ‘70s, when Jack Reed dabbled in recording and band management. But it was his son John who got him building guitars. The younger Reed was in New York at the time playing bass for a gigging band and turned to his father, who had been a hobbyist woodworker for several years, to build him an acoustic guitar on which he could compose music. ACOUSTICS TOO: John's father Jack spends most of his time building acoustics, including the recently-released Georgia Lee parlor plus pickup guitar. “I went and took my chainsaw…and what limited the size of the guitar is that the chainsaw didn’t have a very big bar on it… and went out to a redwood stump,” recalls the elder Reed. “We had 13 acres of redwoods on our property there (Humboldt County). I cut a block of wood and made this funny looking little guitar. All redwood. That’s how it started… nine years ago.” BIG TREES: 1,500-year old Redwoods in California - photo courtesy Redwoodhikes.com Not long after John received the guitar his father made, he met Izzy Lugo, known throughout the New York region as an ace guitar tech. The pair really hit it off. Later, John told Izzy that he was toying with the idea of building guitars out of old growth redwood, and handed him the redwood acoustic Jack had made. “He had no idea what it was… and later on said it wouldn’t work,” jokes the younger Reed. “You just don’t start building electric guitars out of something that no one has ever used, especially in such a fickle business. Then he played it… and he was like “Oh! What’s the deal here?!” So we flew him out to California and showed him this stump half the size of this room and told him that’s where this came from.” Soon, John and Izzy moved into a two-bedroom apartment in Midtown East in New York City and turned it into a guitar showroom and repair shop. They slept on the floor for about five years. The pair would fly back and forth from the Big Apple to the little Northern California shop, which at the time was on the Reed’s property. They would build in Humboldt County and bring the new guitars back to East Coast. “The back and forth just got too insane,” recalls John. “It was a secret shop. We knew a ton of musicians who would come over at all hours of the night. You could come by, have a beer, get your guitar worked on and play Street Fighter II on Nintendo. It was a musician’s dream! That’s the kind of shop it turned into after a while. It just got to the point where we had too many orders. New York itself was on a downward spiral. Studios were shutting down. Venues were shutting down. It got bad.” John and Izzy returned to California for good and continued to grow the brand, but it wasn’t always smooth sailing. The guitar business can be particular, as can many who play and collect guitars. There are familiar models — Les Pauls, Strats and Teles — and specific tone woods people gravitate towards. Plus the idea of a redwood guitar was off-putting to some simply due to the sheer majesty of the trees in question. “We got in so much trouble when we first came out and said we were making old growth redwood guitars because no one would finish reading the paragraph and realize that we weren’t cutting down these trees,” explains Lugo. “Do you realize that if you cut down an old growth redwood and want to dry it out organically so you can turn it into a guitar you have to wait 70 years to get it to that point?!” The Ronin crew freely admits they have pigeonholed their business. It is finite. Once the salvaged redwood runs out, so does Ronin’s run. This point was hammered home back in New York, when the company did build mahogany, swamp ash, alder and maple guitars… and couldn’t sell them after each stood against the all-redwood models. “We still have them all,” says John Reed regarding the non-redwood Ronins. “The are just carcasses. We disassembled them because nobody would buy them. We cannot sell a mahogany Ronin. It’s impossible now.” Redwood also is notoriously difficult to work with. It chips, splinters and is wholly unforgiving when mistakes are made. WOOD STORAGE: Ronan has an envious allotment of old growth redwood harvested from such unique places as a 20,000 gallon wine storage barrel. “The one thing about the redwood is that every process compared to any other wood takes twice as long when working with it. If you wick any Super Glue anywhere near redwood it soaks it up instantly,” says John Reed. “You do that with swamp ash, mahogany or maple and you can just sand it right off. That alone… it’ll take me a week straight just to prep of a finished guitar to go to paint, to make it look perfect. It is all quarter-sawn, so every time you sand over grain like this. When you switch to end grain, all of these little ripples do not want to flatten out. So if the customer wants the guitar to be perfectly flat with a thin nitro lacquer, it ain’t happening. We have to tell people that they are getting something that is not designed to sand perfectly. We get it 95% close, but if run your finger over thin nitro lacquer over end grain you are going to feel it.” The good news for Ronin is that while there is an end game, it remains years away. The partners have been diligent about sourcing reclaimed redwood, including harvesting useable wood from a dismantled 20,000 gallon wine storage barrel. Most of that wood resides in the dry room in the rear of the current Ronin shop. The front part of the ground floor is dominated by workbenches, saws and other tools of the trade… and space — lots and lots of space. The guitar builder actually shares the building with a nearby restauranteur. There is a large walled-off area to the right side of the room that the crew says was used in the past as a spray booth for automobiles. They plan to transform it into a spray booth for Ronins in the future. Upstairs is another workshop/jam room as well as the shop space Jack utilizes to build Ronin’s acoustics. This year marks one of change for Ronin. They have closed in on a complete revamp of the brand’s guitar range, eschewing many of the conventional guitar ‘shapes’ in favor of its own models. According to John Reed, “People want Teles, Les Paul style guitars, Firebirds, Juniors, all kinds of stuff… so we would make them, however we had a pretty great twist on those classics to the point where we never got a letter from a manufacturer, but I know a lot of folks who have because they got way too close. Ours were just far enough out, different head stocks and the like. "We decided to actually discontinue all of those as of about a month ago because we’re coming out with three new models this year plus this really cool electrified parlor acoustic with a pickup in it. So that will be nine completely unique designs by the end of this year. Right now there are five. And we make a ‘50s-style top-loading Tele-style. That’s not an original design, but we keep it because it’s popular.” Included in the revamp is a small hollow body dubbed Bad Moon and the aforementioned parlor plus pickup called the Georgia Lee. Pickups are a whole other side of Ronin, but it’s one you don’t get to experience unless you buy one of their guitars. FOIL BUCKERS: Ronin's new Foil Bucker pickups are coming soon. Partner Izzy Lugo graced us with a tasty demo. Earlier in the company’s life, they populated some of their guitars with original ’67 DeArmond Gold Foil pickups. These were acquired from a source that was able to obtain them after the DeArmond factory was shuttered, but that supply dried up quickly. “Back in 2008, the whole Gold Foil thing… Jack White had just started to do some stuff with it,” recalls John Reed. “We started putting these original ’67 DeArmonds in our Songbird model, which is like a two-pickup hardtail. It was our best selling guitar. We ran out of them within a year. Our supplier decided to keep the rest he had, so he told us we had better redesign it, because we weren’t getting any more.” So Ronin started the task of reengineering the classic pickup. In the process, they were urged by guitarist David Torn to create a hum-bucking version. A year and a life savings later, Ronin had their Foil Bucker. “In the process of creating that version, we re-did the single foil,” recalls John Reed. “The Foil Bucker… the reason why it's so big is because inside there are two completely uncompromised versions of this… the only difference is you have lower output when you tap the coil, but it’s not like trying to tap a humbucker and get a great Tele bridge pickup… that’s never going to happen. But we engineered it to where if you go into ‘single foil’ mode with this, it sounds like an old Gold Foil. Once these started to get out there, the sales went through the roof. The sales for the other… people were like why would I get a Kingbird (model) with three singles, when I can get the best of both worlds with the Foil Bucker? Sales for the Kingbird and the Songbird started to go way down, and we were like ‘What did we do!? We totally shot ourselves in the foot with this pickup.’” BAD MOON RISIN': John Reed shows off a pair of in-progress Bad Moons. It's unclear if Ronin will ever sell its new pickups without them being wrapped in a new Ronin guitar, but for now they are content to keep them exclusive to the brand. As for the future, that’s anybody’s guess, but the younger Reed does offer some insight on what could be in store — and it likely won’t include outside investors. “In five years, hopefully we’re in a shop that we own that is smaller… and not out of wood,” he says. “By next year we might start building an arch top. We have some people asking about it. We did have a couple of people trying to throw a bunch of money at us when we started. It was some real Crossroads crap. It was the Wayne’s World contract.” Republished with the expressed permission - www.gearphoria.com ____________________________________________ Blake and Holly Wright are Gearphoria. They travel full-time in their 25 foot Airstream while writing about cool guitars and guitar accessories. Gearphoria is a bi-monthly free-to-read online publication. You can visit their website by going to www.gearphoria.com and while you are there, sign up for their free e-zine.

Guitar Tap Technique for Beginners Incorporate this legato technique into your playing by Kathy Dickson, GuitarTricks.com (adapted by Team HC) You've probably noticed by now that if you strike a string hard enough against the fretboard with the fingers of your fretting hand, you can sound notes without having to pick them. But did you know you can create the same effect using the fingers of your picking hand? It's called tapping, and if you want to seriously amp up the speed and coolness factor of your sound, then you need to try it. Tapping is a legato technique, meaning it incorporates hammer-ons and pull-offs to produce tone. Tap technique involves using the tips of your picking hand fingers on the fingerboard to hammer on and pull off strings in the same way you do with your fretting hand. By using both hands on the neck instead of having one hand fret notes while the other hand picks them, you can play two independent parts at the same time, much like playing a piano. A BRIEF HISTORY OF TAPPING Tapping on various stringed instruments has existed in some form or another for centuries. Jimmie Webster is often credited for having invented the technique. Webster recorded in the 1950s using a two-handed tapping method he described in a book called Touch System, which was published in 1952. Webster, however, credited electric pickup designer Harry DeArmond, Webster's teacher, for having developed the two-handed method as a way of demonstrating the sensitivity of his pickups. Guitarists such as Emmett Chapman, Randy Resnick, Chet Atkins, Stanley Jordan, Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and others have pioneered two-handed tapping, but it was Eddie Van Halen who created a tapping craze in the late 1970s when he turned the guitar playing world on its tail with his dazzling fretwork on "Eruption." The song became a big part of Eddie's early sound and has gone down in music history as one of the most famous rock guitar solos of all time. TAPPING BASICS Learning to tap is easy enough to do. In fact, if you know how to execute a hammer-on and a pull-off, you already know the basics of tapping. Just like it is with your fretting hand, if you're hammering on a note with your picking hand, the force of your hammering dictates its volume: the harder you tap, the louder the note. If you're pulling off a note with your picking hand, how far you flick the string will determine its volume. To get the best sound with tap technique, it's important that your picking hand attack be accurate and done with force. Volume needs to be near that of a picked note, and all notes must sound even in volume and clarity. Tapping is most often done on electric guitar. It can also be performed on an acoustic or almost any stringed instrument, though it'll require a little more effort to get your hammer-ons and pull-offs to sound. The single most important factor for ease of tapping is the guitar's action. You want it low. Normal action can result in a weak, dull tone because a large portion of the attack will be the sound of your finger hitting the string. With low action, a very light tap will produce a crisp tone. Tapping is more effective on new strings as older ones weaken your sound. As for string gauge, lighter strings make it easier to tap, but the sound is less full and the dynamic range is reduced. Use your own discretion when choosing string gauge. And don't forget to trim your fingernails before playing so they don't get in the way. FINGERS VS. PICK VS. BOTH You can use any finger of your picking hand to tap, though most guitarists use either the index or middle finger, depending on whether or not they're holding a pick. If you're using a pick, an easy way to get into and out of tapping phrases is to hold the pick between your thumb and index finger and tap with the middle finger, which would be the closest available finger. Then, when it's time to resume normal picking, the plectrum will already be in position and ready to go. Some players will momentarily tuck the pick into their palm or cradle it in the crook of one of their knuckles when they go to tap and maneuver it back into its normal position (typically between the thumb and index finger) when they go to pick again. This might take some practice to pull off fluently. Eddie Van Halen holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger and taps with his index finger, while Randy Rhoads tapped with the edge of his pick. Experiment to see what technique works best for you. Tap speed and proficiency will increase if you minimize your movements and keep all relevant fingertips close to the strings when not in use so that they never have far to go at any given time. You may find that resting, or "anchoring," the thumb of your picking hand to the top side of the fretboard helps stabilize and steady the hand and increases the accuracy of your tapping movements. For added support, you can also hold on to the bottom of the neck with your ring and pinky fingers. Some players rest the heel of their hand on the guitar to tap, while others tap with their fingers completely unmoored and floating above the strings. Again, play around to see what feels right for you. TIME TO START TAPPING To learn to tap, begin by first practicing to sound notes with just your picking hand. Sound the note by hitting your finger straight down between the frets, tapping the string against the fret and holding it there for as long as you want the note to last. To cut off the note, lightly pull your finger straight off the string with as little side-to-side motion as possible. Sticking with your picking hand, now add in some hammer-ons and pull-offs. Generally, the fingers of your picking hand pull off upward toward the sixth string, while the fingers of your fretting hand pull off downward toward the first string. Be careful not to hit adjacent strings. When you're comfortable tapping with your picking hand, it's time to add in your fretting hand. When you're first learning to tap, start off nice and slow. Keep your tapping rhythm constant and focus on getting the technique down right. Only then concern yourself with speed. As with every technique you've learned to perform on the guitar, speed will come with mastery. And do tap on strings other than just the high E and B strings. Don't limit yourself. Try tapping on all six strings to see what you come up with. Tapping may make your fingers sore at first, so if you're brand new to the technique, don't practice too long at first. Give the fingertips of your picking hand time to adapt to their new task. You'll need to build up callouses on them in the same way you did your fretting hand fingers when you learned notes and chords as a beginner. Once you notice the fingertips becoming less and less tender, you can steadily increase the time spent on tap practice. This is an introduction into the world of tap technique. Use it as a springboard to find out more about tapping and how you can incorporate it into your playing. Know that it takes time and perseverance to be able to tap with both hands synchronized, so don't give in to frustration and give up. Remember back when you couldn't fret a single note without it buzzing. A breakthrough is always just around the next bend. Published with expressed permission - Guitar Tricks ________________________________________________ Kathy Dickson is a highly published and respected guitarists. She is a writer for Guitar Tricks and is from Pittsburgh. Guitar Tricks has the best and easiest method to learn to play guitar.

ROLI's Seaboard Rise Keyboard A different kind of MIDI controller for a different kind of musician may lead to composing outside the box…and outside the studio. by Matthew Mann A different kind of MIDI controller for a different kind of musician may lead to composing outside the box…and outside the studio. Since Dave Smith and Roland went public with the MIDI specification back in 1983, MIDI controllers of various shapes, sizes, and interface types have been released to varying reactions from musicians and spectators alike. From the studio workhorse Yamaha KX88 - released in 1983 - to the Tenori-On in 2005 and the many guitar, wind, alternate and pad controllers (like the Launchpad Pro), MIDI controllers have graced stages and studios all over the world and have become a mainstay for all kinds of musicians. In 2009, a small company called ROLI announced a new take on the keyboard controller called the Seaboard Grand. Its silicon surface “keywaves” provided a new playing field in the MIDI controller arena. Instead of just note on and off like traditional keyboard controllers, these keywaves allowed the performer to use 5D touch to slide, tap, dig and wiggle their fingers over the Seaboard’s surface - controlling functions like vibrato, filter, resonance and more. The result was a much more expressive instrument than previously possible. Additionally, the Grand featured Equator – a custom-designed, onboard software synthesizer – that exploited the Grand’s multidimensional interface to create fantastically expressive sounds. However, at nearly $9,000 the Grand was, unfortunately, out of the financial reach of most musicians. In response, ROLI released the 25-key Seaboard Rise – a much less expensive keyboard controller without the onboard sound engine, but still including Equator as a computer-based virtual synth. Of course, it only had 25 keywaves, so for those wanting a full-fledged performance controller, it might not have been enough. At NAMM 2016, ROLI announced the release of the RISE 49, which expanded the original Seaboard RISE to 49 keys. Let’s take a look at what makes the Seaboard so special, and see how the RISE 49 could change the way keyboard players make music. Really. WHO HAS MY 5D GLASSES? First off, the Seaboard RISE 49 is definitely sexy! It features an all-black anodized aluminum body that’s very solid. I was surprised at the weight considering that it’s only 23mm thick. Of course while heavy, it weighs much less than my Roland Fantom G6…so, it’s still a win. The keywaves are dark gray and the whole thing begs to be touched. The Seaboard is a polyphonic multidimensional instrument. According to ROLI, the five dimensions of touch are: Strike – The velocity and force of your finger making contact with the keywaveSends MIDI note-on and velocity (0-127) messages Press – The continue pressure applied to the keywave after the initial strikeSends poly or channel pressure (aftertouch) Glide – Horizontal movements from side to side on a keywave, and along the ribbonsSends pitch bend Slide – Vertical movements up and down the keywaveSends MIDI CC 74 (brightness/cutoff frequency) Lift – The speed of liftoff from a keywaveSends note-off and release velocity (0-127) messages Each of the dimensions is assigned as listed above, but Glide and Lift can both be assigned freely to any parameters. The keywaves are of a unique design. Each keywave is a “peak” and between each peak is a “valley.” The valleys delineate one keywave from the next. The white keys are black; and what would be the black keys are black with a white stripe down the middle. The whole surface is squishy and allows you to dig in with your fingers. The surface is smooth and slick and allows your fingers to glide across the keywaves and the pitch strips above and below the keywaves. These pitch strips are similar to the ribbon controllers found on certain other synths and allow you to slide notes up or down into other notes using your fingers. It’s like a pitch bend wheel, but much more expressive and natural. In addition to the 5D touch of the keywaves, there are three backlit Touch Faders (Glide Touch, Slide Touch, Press Touch) that tailor the responsiveness of the keywaves. These work in real time, and create an even more expressive environment. You can adjust the depth of the generated sound through sideways movements on the keywaves (Glide Touch), movements up and down each keywave (Slide Touch), and pressure on the keywaves (Press Touch). Modifying these faders during performance completely transforms the sounds you can make on the Seaboard. There’s also a backlit X-Y pad so you can add more modulation possibilities to your performance. What’s cool here is that, not only can you use the 5D touch of the RISE, but there’s also a MIDI mode which transforms the three faders and X-Y pad into MIDI performance controls. You can assign each of them to any MIDI CC controllers to customize your experience. I found this mode especially useful with other virtual instruments, including the ones built into various DAWs. The RISE’s power button doubles as the Mode button and lights in a different color depending on the chosen mode. You might have noticed that the Seaboard RISE 49 has only 49 keywaves. I’ve never been a big fan of anything having less than 61 keys…so I never found myself buying a 25 or 49 key controller (other than my trusty Yamaha KX5 keytar). I think ROLI must have known there are dinosaurs (err…people) like me out there, because they included Octave +/- buttons on the front panel. Yay! On the Seaboard’s left side is an assignable ¼-inch pedal input. You’ll also find USB A and C connections for carrying power, MIDI data, and connecting to mobile devices. Finally, there’s a power adapter input. The RISE 49 does not come with an adapter. This is strictly for third party power adapters; however, it DOES operate on rechargeable batteries! The batteries last up to 8 hours on a charge and – here’s the best part – can be recharged from your computer. This was a nice surprise, but it does take about seven hours to get a full charge, so plan ahead if you opt not to buy an adapter. BEHIND THE DASHBOARD AND UNDER THE HOOD ROLI’s Dashboard for RISE is a software application that helps manage RISE settings, such as: Channel Mode: MPE (Multidimensional Polyphonic Expression) “On” or “Off,” Single, or Multi Channel Range: 1-10 for Multi-Channel Mode MIDI Channel: 1-16 for Single-Channel Mode Settings for five dimensions of touch: Strike, Press, Glide, Slide and Lift MIDI Mode Settings: Assignable MIDI CCs for Touch Faders and X-Y Touchpad Pedal Settings: Assignable MIDI CC Connection Status Indicator: USB or Bluetooth The Dashboard also allows you to download and send firmware and software updates to the Seaboard. Yes, I did say the Seaboard RISE 49 has Bluetooth…so you can connect to any computer or smartphone that features Bluetooth connectivity. And why would you want to connect to a smartphone with the Seaboard? ROLI released NOISE – a free app for the iPhone 6s that takes advantage of its 3D touch to give you a multidimensional synth you can carry in your pocket. It’s based on Equator and sounds fantastic! And because the Seaboard RISE 49 sends MIDI over Bluetooth, you can connect wirelessly and play NOISE from the Seaboard. NOISE also works with the iPhone 5 and 6, but it’s been optimized to work with the 6s. At the moment, NOISE supports only OSX…a sad thing indeed for Windows and Android users. Hopefully, ROLI will fix that soon. I also had luck connecting to a couple of other music-making apps on my iPhone 6, so there’s potential for much more portability and versatility from this combination. In addition to Dashboard, after registering on ROLI’s website you can receive Seaboard’s driver package, which includes Equator. This is a big download (2.5 GB), but is fairly quick and painless to install and comes in three flavors: OS X, 64-bit Windows, and 32-bit Windows. Equator is ROLI’s cross-platform, multidimensional, hybrid synth and sound engine specially designed for RISE. It takes full advantage of the RISE’s 5D touch surface and “unlocks the full expressive potential of the Seaboard,” says Roland Lamb – creator of the Seaboard and founder of ROLI. I can tell you that Equator is a beast of a synth that includes several forms of sound creation from wavetable oscillators to FM synthesis to sample playback. It sounds amazing – especially when paired with the Seaboard, because performance nuances translate so well to the sounds. I admit I was a bit giddy as I played through the presets for the first time…they sound incredible! My only complaint is that Equator is pretty heavy on the processor, so using it in your DAW will put some strain on your system. In recording with Equator, I often had to render tracks in Studio One 3 to maintain the DAW’s performance. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention there are Left/Right buttons on the RISE 49 that allow you to scroll up down through the Equator presets without having to touch your computer. This is a very nice addition that keeps you focused on what’s important…your performance. IN USE I must admit that using a Seaboard takes a little practice. Adjusting the sensitivity with the touch sliders becomes a necessity as you get used to the feel of the RISE. I thought I was just a lousy keyboard player, but I had my good friend, Angelo (www.angelorapan.com) try it out, too…and even he struggled with it at first. Once you get used to it, though, it’s really fun to play. Experimentation is the key to unlocking RISE’s potential and establishing your relationship with it. Yes, it’s a relationship. Once you get a feel for how it operates and how your movements translate through the keywaves and pitch strips, you get really close to the RISE very quickly. It’s sometimes tricky to make it do what you want in terms of slides and vibrato wiggles, but with practice these techniques are very satisfying. I do have one performance-related complaint. I said earlier that the Seaboard is sexy, and it is; however, the black keys are difficult to see on a dark stage. I found myself struggling to find my place on more than one occasion. I imagine once you know the RISE intimately, it’s probably easier to find your way around by feel. Until then, I have a little LED clip-on lamp that solves that issue for me. It would be nice if there was some way to light the keys, but I’m assuming it isn’t possible due to the nature and/or placement of the sensors in the keys. Anyway, it’s a minor complaint. The RISE garners lots of attention from people who want to know “what the heck” I’m playing and, of course when people see it, everyone wants to touch the keys. It’s fun to see their reactions, but it’s rough when you have only a couple of minutes to get a drink and take a bathroom break between sets. STAND AND DELIVER…A CASE One thing I recommend, whether you plan to use the Seaboard RISE outside the studio or not, is the Flip Case. This accessory encases the RISE’s body in a tough shell while leaving the ports open for connectivity. The lid of the case is foldable and, when open, makes a great stand for your mobile phone or even your laptop…or even for the RISE itself if you need a little more angle. This case isn’t an absolute necessity, but it’s certainly worth considering to protect your investment from dust and possible spills. They also come in different colors to attract attention to you and your RISE (as if it needed any help attracting attention). Pros: * Expressive surface lends itself to experimentation. * Rechargeable batteries and Bluetooth connection for on-the-go, wireless play. * Customizable control faders and XY pad for endless expressiveness. * Fun! Cons: * Black keys make it hard to see on a dark stage. * No Windows/Android version of NOISE app. Not sure if it’s a Pro or Con: Incredibly, extremely addictive! Resources: ROLI Seaboard RISE 49 $1199.99 www.roli.com Buy from: B & H Sweetwater Musician's Friend Guitar Center Amazon ________________________________________ Matthew Mann (Editor, Studio-One Expert) graduated Berklee College of Music with a Master Certificate, Music Production. Matt has been in bands and run studios for over a decade. He had a 3 year stint as a Sales Associate at GC Pro and has more recently been working in technical writing. As the picture shows, Matt rarely takes himself too seriously.

Expanding Drum Kits with Percussion More than Cowbell! by Percussion Play and Koozai (adapted by Team HC) When you hear a great drummer play, it’s easy to forget that they’re actually playing multiple instruments at once. Bringing all those separate elements together into one whole is a pretty amazing feat. Expanding the palette of sounds beyond the usual suspects might seem a bit self-indulgent, but if it’s fun and it sounds good, nobody can tell you to stop (it never stopped Neil Peart!). So how can you build your tones without ending up with a kit the size of a spaceship? Wood Blocks Scoff all you like; the humble block is one of the coolest-sounding alternatives to the cowbell you’ll find. Cheap and cheerful, wood blocks project well and add a beautiful character to grooves, similar to playing the rim on snares and tom toms, but with a character all of their own. Plastic variants are available, too, with wackier shapes and tonal possibilities. You can mount them just about anywhere on your kit and they take up next to no space. It’s hard to think of a downside. You might as well take the plunge if you’re feeling experimental. Additional Hand Drums Bongos are like rhythmic honey. They encourage exploration of the feel of a groove with their sound alone and work great in funkier arrangements. They’re small and easy to mount around the kit for easy access. Employ a couple of floor-standing congas for Cuban-inspired rhythms or just to add a broader spectrum of sounds. They’re traditionally played with the hands, but bongos and congas can also be played with sticks for extra attack and volume. Just be careful not to beat them up too badly: the edges can be dented quite easily, damaging the skin and eventually the sound of the drum. You could switch to percussion mallets to prevent this, but this will change the character of the attack (that’s not necessarily a bad thing, just something to keep in mind). Improvised and DIY Instruments You can have some crazy creative fun when you make your own percussion instruments. Some people wince at the thought of not having a pristine, lovingly made and branded instrument, but if you’re prepared to open your mind you’ll be the exclusive owner of a one-off gem. That doesn’t mean you have to make anything, though. There’s enough so-called junk out there to make finding a new instrument one of the easiest things you can do: you’ve just got to know what to look for. , famed for his incredible outdoor street performances, uses a stand-mounted water cooler as a drum – check him out if you need inspiration to expand your moves too! Mallet Instruments Xylophone, marimba, vibraphone and chime instruments are bigger, heavier and trickier to place, but they offer an opportunity to explore melody and rhythmic tonality in really interesting, pleasing ways. If nothing else, it’ll keep your musical peers from making those “stupid drummer” jokes about how you’re just thumping things – well, if you’re lucky. It helps to have musical scale knowledge, or at least a sense of what you’re doing melodically. No, there’s no such thing as right and wrong, but if you’re playing with a group, you can’t really just mash in some glockenspiel and hope for the best: your fellow musicians probably won’t appreciate it. Play with the group, not against it. If you’re up to it, you can begin to paint extraordinary percussive notes over the top of your grooves. You’ll find it especially helpful in small ensembles, where a bit of added variety can go a long way. Hi-Hat Mounted Percussion Ah yes, the old tambourine on the hi-hat stand trick. So obvious, so clichéd – so what? One of the oldest tricks in the book is still one of the best. The hi-hat takes the role of master of meter and time, the expressive metronome that makes a groove sizzle and pop. Its absence is often more noticeable than its presence. It’s the unsung hero of the drum kit. Adorning the stand the hats sit on is an easy way to give it the praise and attention it deserves. Playing the hi-hat with your foot as a count suddenly becomes extra spicy with a tambourine mounted on top. Each motion you make on the hats becomes accentuated. It’s not always right – it brings a looser feel that won’t fit every piece of music you play – but when it is right, you’ll love what it does to your sound. The hi-hat stand offers more than just a place to drape a tambourine, though. Using clamps and booms, you can fit pretty much any small percussion instrument here comfortably. Oh, and cowbells go quite well here too, if you were wondering. But we’re not talking about those… Electronic Triggers Get ready to blow some minds with this one. Players like are bringing trigger pads into their regular arsenal of gear to add a previously impossible dimension to their sound. Sure, it’s not traditional percussion, but it can emulate those sounds (and so many more). If you want to keep your rig small but expand your sounds beyond anything you’ve ever imagined, this is the way to do it.There are some cons. For a start, it’s fiendishly expensive compared to traditional percussion, especially when you consider the need for amplification. Cheaper triggers can misfire. Storage and playback options can be limited too. And the limitless possibilities of zany sounds can leave you overwhelmed with choice. But if you’re desperate to get more creative, or even considering a solo project with your drums, there’s a galaxy of limitless potential open to you. ________________________________________ This article was brought to you with express written permission of Percussion Play, manufacturers of custom-built outdoor musical instruments for playgrounds, schools and public spaces all over the world.

Ten Reasons Marching In Band Makes You A Better Person Perseverance in the face of adversity...and polyester by Ms. Kruse 1. You become a doer. While most of your other classes just involve listening or observing, band teaches you to do. You learn how to perform, how to be flexible, and how to communicate and cooperate with others across groups: Exactly what you need to succeed in any company or organization. 2. Your brain grows. Learning music helps develop the areas of the brain involved in language and reasoning, but it also teaches students how to think creatively and solve problems. Studies also show a link between music and spatial intelligence, which is vital for solving all types of things—from mathematics to how to efficiently pack up a moving van. It’s no wonder that students who study the arts are more successful on standardized tests and also achieve higher grades. 3. You develop self-esteem through self-expression. giphy.com Ah, expressing oneself in high school…So much black lipstick. So many chain wallets. No, learning music doesn’t mean you bypass all the crimes against fashion, but it does give you a more meaningful outlet to express yourself—through music. You can learn sad songs, you can learn ‘80s pop songs, you can play Phantom of the Opera tunes alone in your room ad nauseam. Self-expression builds self-esteem at a time in one’s life when you really need it. Entering adulthood with healthy self-esteem benefits you in every way possible and sets you up for future success. 4. You learn the value of community. Regardless of their dorky reputation, it’s obvious to high school creatures of every stripe that band kids are having more fun than you. The way they congregate in the halls….their wacky inside jokes…the ruckus of the band room just before class. Band kids STICK TOGETHER and definitely seem a little bit kinder than the other cliques. This closeness and sense of community may be the first kids experience outside of their families. It’s a powerful feeling that sets them up for building and being a part of other communities throughout the rest of their lives. 5. You appreciate music. Studying music isn’t just about learning how to play scales and memorize notes. It’s also a lesson in history, culture, and art movements that you wouldn’t otherwise receive from regular curriculum, or at least not this hands-on. Band turns kids into well-rounded adults who have a richer worldview, are more interesting to talk to at parties, and always have the best classical music playlists. 6. You learn how to be a part of something bigger than yourself. giphy.com There’s no “I” in “BAND”! Being a member of the band teaches you how to work within a group to achieve a higher goal. You learn the value of teamwork and how your contribution matters as much as everyone else’s. Not practicing just might let your section down. You must pull your own weight for the good of the group. Perfect training for the workplace, or being part of a family. 7. You’re more humble. Because marching band uniforms. Everyone from the hotties in percussion to the flute section ladies look like hell in that much polyester. This levels the playing field for teens during a very self-conscious time in their lives. 8. You learn how to work hard and persevere. Band directors don’t tolerate tomfoolery in the band room, nor will let you hide out and let the rest of your section cover up the fact that you never practice. You have to behave; you have to buckle down; and you have to practice to really learn the music. Band teaches you to stay focused despite distractions in order to achieve your goals. 9. You have stamina. giphy.com There’s something about marching in those uniforms that absolutely don’t breathe, while lugging a large piece of metal in the sweltering early September heat, that requires some serious stamina. It’s all about that sustained effort in the face of adversity. It ain’t easy, but hanging out after the game sure can be fun. Marching band proves that the rewards of hard work are undeniable, but only if you’ve got what it takes. 10. You’re no stranger to sacrifice. Back in band, you gave up basically every Friday night to play at sporting events. You sacrificed after school shenanigans to go practice or take private lessons. You gave up crucial locker space (and coolness points) to your giant instrument case. You gave up weekends to attend regional music competitions on the road. Band turns kids into adults who don’t balk at giving up small comforts for a larger prize. Marching Band members past and present: How have you grown from being in band? Share on Harmony Central. Reprinted with express written permission of the author and Retale Perspectives ________________________________________ Ms. Kruse is the senior creative content writer at Retale Perspectives and brings more than a decade of copywriting and journalism experience to the blog. Her primary curiosities include women in the workplace, technology, and cats in sweaters.

Guitar Lesson - Play Like Prince Tribute to a Music Legend by Jonathan B. (adapted by Team HC) The world was stunned on the morning of Thursday, April 21st, 2016, when news broke that music legend Prince had died at the age of 57. Fans, celebrities, and fellow musicians took to Twitter to share their reactions, memories, and condolences. Shortly after, various tributes sprung up all over the internet, as the world mourned the music icon. One of the best ways to honor the late star is to share his (many) talents. Celebrate Prince and learn to play his famous guitar licks in this video from Jonathan B… ____________________________________________________ Video Lesson: Guitar - Play Like Prince _______________________________________________________________________ Want to see these guitar licks and techniques in action? Check out Prince’s Super Bowl XLI performance here! We’ll never forget Prince and his contributions to music and the world. What’s your favorite Prince song? What will you remember most about the legendary musician? Used with the express written permission of takelessons.com Special thanks to Take Lessons, Maile Proctor. Take Lessons to learn Guitar __________________________________ Author: Jonathan B. Jonathan B. is a guitar instructor, Temple University Music Theory graduate, and YouTube creator living in State College, PA. Learn more about Jonathan here! Photo by Sound Opinions

Miroslav Philharmonik 2 Orchestral Sample Library With 58 GB and 2,700 instruments, it's big - but how does it sound? by Matthew A. Mann IK Multimedia have established themselves as purveyors of excellent guitar-based products like AmpliTube and their iRig interfaces. They’re also known for their T-Racks mixing/mastering plug-ins, and their outstanding ARC room correction software. They also make a range of quality virtual instruments, including the Miroslav Philharmonik orchestral collection. Several years ago, I saw a great deal on Miroslav Philharmonik CE (Classic Edition), a “lite” version of this instrument collection. I had been looking to add orchestral elements to some my compositions, but stock strings and brass in most DAWs never sounded very good to me. Well, the deal was too good to pass up, so I bought Philharmonik CE. It had quite a few instruments including sections (strings, brass, woodwinds) and individual solo instruments that sounded great compared to what I’d been using. My only real complaint was that the instruments were a little noisy, in the sense that you could hear hiss in the samples. For a collection based on Miroslav Vitous’ now famous sample library (previously costing thousands of dollars and only available for hardware samplers), this was surprising. I used it anyway, because the samples worked well with my rock/pop/electronic compositions and the noise couldn’t be heard in the mix. Enter the Philharmonik 2 With that said, I just picked up Miroslav Philharmonik 2, a complete rework of the collection. It comes in at a hefty 58GB and features over 2,700 instruments, including: • 868 strings • 349 brass • 393 woodwinds • 119 choirs • 774 percussion • 96 chromatic instruments • 8 grand pianos • 48 other classical instruments These instruments offers sections of instruments and different articulations of those sections, as well as solo instruments and multiple articulations. You get standard legatos, pizzicatos, spiccatos and staccatos… as well as many other useful articulations and dynamics…all sampled in beautiful detail. Each articulation is available from within the instrument itself (to keep the creative flow going) or as a stand-alone instrument. This new version also includes the original Philharmonik samples as well…and…they’ve been “enhanced.” I’m guessing “enhanced” means they got rid of the hiss that many people have complained about. It seems there are some performance enhancements as well. However the MP1 collection includes many instruments not found in MP2, so you'll enjoy plenty of variety if you have both. MP2 includes several new instruments including a concert grand piano, glockenspiel, orchestral chimes, harpsichord, marimba and vibraphone. They put lots of thought into these instruments when sampling them in order to create rich and varied tones. The marimbas, for example, were recorded with different types of mallets (hard/soft) so you have a number of different tonal options. The piano was meticulously sampled and sounds great, but they went a step further and modeled the soundboard in order to provide the options for achieving different tonal characteristics and sounds, like in a real piano. The result is an excellent piano that fits beautifully with the rest of the MP instruments. It seems to work well with pop and rock in most instances, too. MP2 also includes 30+ effects (5 EQs, 4 compressors, 7 filters/specialty processors, 9 modulation effects, 9 reverb/delay effects) from SampleTank 3. Additionally, MP2 includes their new ConvoRoom reverb so you can change the space your orchestra inhabits. This is a welcome added touch since it makes it easy to move the orchestra into different "rooms." Easy and powerful. Add to this the fact that all the instruments were recorded in the same space (the world famous CNSO Orchestra Studios in Prague), so they "gel" well. It also comes with 4 mastering-grade effects processors from T-RackS, so you can tailor the sound just the way you want before you ever leave the MP2 interface. It’s In The Tank Miroslav Philharmonik 2 is powered by the SampleTank 3 engine. This means you can perform, mix and edit…just like in SampleTank. The “Play” page gives you 16 parts for composition. Each part can contain one instrument with 5 insert effects per part. You can also assign the MIDI channel for each part, which makes layering possible by assigning the same MIDI channel to more than one part. You can also create splits and set key ranges for different parts, which makes for some interesting performance setups. 8 macro knobs provide quick access to the most common instrument parameters like expression, attack, release, cutoff and EQ. It was pretty easy to assign these macro knobs to my keyboard controller for ease of use. I was especially impressed with the number of parameters offered by the “Edit” page. There are several different filters, pitch-shifting and time stretching, resampling, velocity scaling, an LFO with 5 different oscillator types, and AHDSR envelope editing. It’s ridiculous the things you can do with the controls on this page. If you really needed to, you could turn an orchestra instrument into, say, a synth bass or synth lead sound with just a little experimentation. Try that with your typical orchestral sample library! The “Mix” window is where, as you might have guessed, the mixing is done. It features 16 part channels, 4 return channels for overall effects processing, and a master channel for your final master bus processing. Each part channel features pan, solo, mute and volume controls. They also include the previously mentioned insert slots (5) and returns (4). This was fun to play around with, but I typically prefer to use my DAW's own processing plug-ins. Still, their inclusion is a bonus. In The Orchestra Pit So what does all of this mean? It means that IK have released an orchestral collection that’s fun to play and sounds great. Running it and opening the first instrument was a treat. I’m not an orchestral composer, but I found myself inspired to attempt some orchestration for my own personal enjoyment. I’ll leave the heavy-duty composing to Mr. Zimmer and Mr. Elfman, but it was still lots of fun! My only real complaint about Miroslav Philharmonik 2 was the pain involved in downloading it. There are 16 download packages in the full version. Each part is about 4.2GB uncompressed. I have a fairly fast connection, but the downloads kept timing out and it ultimately took me several days to download all 16 parts. On the flip side, each packet installs separately, so you can begin playing the instruments from the very first download. Kudos to IK on the forethought there. Oh, and did I mention it’s fun to play? The keyswitching works well and lets you, for example, go from a nice legato string section to a pizzicato without missing a beat. The instruments are as realistic as I’ve ever heard, and respond well to typical MIDI controllers when you want to wring loads of emotion out of their tones. The Bottom Line Miroslav Philharmonik 2 plays on a field with several big players. Spitfire Audio, Vienna Instruments, and EastWest are just a few of the “big boys” for cinematic orchestration. Even Native Instruments has joined the game with their Emotive Strings, Session Strings and Session Brass libraries (all separate packages). MP2 can easily evoke images of epic movies on the silver screen and can do this at a fraction of the cost ($399) of some of the others…and to my ears, they sit comfortably between Albion (Spitfire) and Symphonic Orchestra (EastWest) for playability and sound quality. It also sounds great when used in popular music. So, if you’re looking to put an orchestral sample library in your hands without killing your wallet, I’d suggest you seriously consider Miroslav Philharmonik 2. I think you’ll be glad you did. I know I am. But wait - there’s more! As of this writing, IK Multimedia announced the addition of a new instrument to be included with MP2 (and free to registered owners of MP2 who don’t have it yet) - a Concert Harp. This 3GB instrument is stereo, going from left to right up the strings. It can be played plucked or glissando and includes 4 glissando instruments and different playing styles. This is a stellar addition to the MP2 collection, and being free is certainly a plus! Resources IK Multimedia Miroslav Philharmonik 2 Orchestral Sample Library ($499.99 MSRP, $399.99-$499.99 "street" for the downloadable version, $529.99 "street" for the boxed version with USB drive) IK Multimedia's product web page You can purchase IK Multimedia's Miroslav Philharmonik 2 Orchestral Sample Library from: Sweetwater (downloadable version / boxed version with USB drive) B&H Photo Video (downloadable version) Musician's Friend (download version) Guitar Center (downloadable version) ________________________________________ Matthew Mann (Editor, Studio-One Expert) graduated Berklee College of Music with a Master Certificate, Music Production. Matt has been in bands and run studios for over a decade. He had a 3 year stint as a Sales Associate at GC Pro and has more recently been working in technical writing. As the picture shows, Matt rarely takes himself too seriously.

The Best Phaser Pedal: A Replete Buying Guide by Bobby Kittleberger (adapted by TEAM HC) The best phaser pedal, if you go by popularity, might be the MXR Phase 90. If you agree, then I’ve just confirmed your preference and saved you some time. Otherwise, here’s a complete list of what we’ll recommend and review: Best Phaser Pedal List Boss PH -3 Phase Shifter MXR Phase 90 Red Witch Analog Deluxe Moon Phaser DigiTech SP-7 Stereo Phaser Empress Effects Phaser DOD Phasor 201 MXR Phase 100 Ibanez Tone-Lok PH7 Keeley Phase 24 TC Electronic Helix Phaser We’ve chosen these phaser pedals because of reputation, features, and sound quality (without regard to price). Because there are fewer phasers on the market, price is less of a concern and not our focus. Whether or not it’s wise to go with one of the more expensive options, truly depends on your situation and playing style; we’ll talk more about that later. But before we get there, I’ll go techie about what the phaser effect actually is and what makes one good or bad. What is a phaser pedal? A phaser, in its most basic form, is an electronic sound processor, or a filter, which takes an input (your guitar) and outputs a “wet” signal that’s characterized by a waveform made up of peaks and troughs. If you go to the Wikipedia page, the image they use (the blue one) is typically how the waveform is represented. Further, you can hear the ebb and flow of the effect when you listen to it, thus the peaks and troughs descriptor becomes obvious. Here’s how it works. How a phaser pedal actually works - First, you play something on your guitar - perhaps, something “phaser-friendly.” The intro riff for “The Warmth” by Incubus will do nicely: …go numb, but there’s a cold wind coming from… Upon entering the pedal the signal splits into two parts: The first is treated with an all-pass filter or a “stage.” The other is left “dry” or unchanged The original signal (from your guitar) gets divided into two parts. For the signal that flows into the all-pass filter, there can be any number of stages, as shown in the following diagram: The all-pass filter diagram for phasers, showing number of stages. At the end of the signal, where the two paths are rejoined, the frequencies that are out of phase (created by the all-pass filters) meet with the in-phase signal, which creates the effect output. By changing the mix, or the ratio of in-phase signal to out-of-phase signal, you can alter the effect's intensity. Speed or “rate” is the primary control involved with any phaser pedal, which you might notice is the only control on the Phase 90: A lonely speed knob on the MXR Phase 90. | Flickr Commons Image courtesy of Roadside Guitars In fact, it’s not uncommon for phaser pedals to be limited to a speed knob and nothing else. This doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a low-quality pedal; other controls might include a level, wet/dry mix, or a depth knob. These are common characteristics of other modulation effects as well. What about the number of filters? The number of all-pass filters in a phaser circuit will vary widely. In analog phaser pedals, you’ll typically have less than eight, while digital versions can simulate a much larger number of stages. The correlation between the sound of the phaser and these stages can be mathematically defined as n/2, where n is equal to the number of stages in a circuit. This means that a phaser pedal with eight stages would pass through the circuit once and produce four troughs. Digital phasers will often allow you to dial in the simulated number of stages via a control knob, like the Boss Phase Shifter: Digital phaser pedals like the Boss PH-3 often allow you to dial in a simulated number of stages. Does the “analog is better than digital” rule still apply? In a word (and in my opinion), no. The “analog is better” rule applies to many guitar pedals, particularly delay because of the authenticity associated with the early tape delays. Phaser pedals are a bit different because the effect is more often associated with the digitized music era. Furthermore, digital phaser pedals will usually offer more customization options, while analog phasers are often limited to just a speed or rate knob. Take the EHX Phase Shifter, for example: The EHX Small Stone phaser pedal with a rate knob and color switch. It’s a decent-sounding pedal but has only one control option aside from the color switch. That’s not to say there aren’t analog phaser pedals out there that give you more control (we’ll cover several), but they’re not the norm, and are often more expensive than their digital counterparts. In total, I’d offer four general reasons for tolerating, or even preferring, digital phasers: More control options Sound quality is comparable to analog (in most cases) Popular in the “digital age” Often have tempo (tap) control options (like the PH-3) How much should I spend for a good phaser pedal? Like I said, we’re not discriminating against phaser pedals based on price. However, your specific situation and musical leanings should inform and determine what kind of phaser pedal you buy. Let’s give our dilemma some context. The PH-3 is usually around $100, while some of the other boutique and analog phasers go up to $200 and above. Because the phaser pedal is such a common and standardized effect, those who would consider themselves “casual” users should avoid going too much over the $100 mark. I suppose you could be “phaser pedal poor.” | Flickr Commons Image via Fritz Ahlefeldt On the other hand, someone who expects to use the phaser pedal a lot, making it an integral part of their sound, would be justified in spending $200 and beyond. However for most musicians, a phaser will be useful only in certain situations. While it’s a great effect to own, it’s not worth over-spending if you aren’t planning on using it a lot. Let’s jump in with some of the obvious choices first: 1. Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter: $105 We’ve already covered a lot about the PH-3, the most notable being its ability to simulate different stages. Here’s a full list of control options: Rate Depth Res (resonance) Stage Selector (with additional FALL, RISE and STEP modes) Expression pedal support Tempo setting ability The RISE and FALL modes create a type of uni-directional phase effect, where you hear the sound going up over and over again or down over and over again, instead of the traditional sweeping pattern. Here are a few settings from the PH-3’s manual: Settings and suggestions for the Boss PH-3 from Roland’s official Boss effects guidebook. | Image via Roland You can set the tempo via the tap functionality or use an expression pedal for real-time control of the unit’s speed. Here’s a list of additional, compatible devices: AC Adapter (PSA Series) $24 Expression Pedal (Roland EV-5) $67 Footswitch (FS-5U) $29 Like most Boss pedals, this one comes with a five-year warranty and weighs less than a pound. It’s also compatible with bass guitars. The Boss PH-3 picks up the “Great for Bass” tag. | Image via Roland This is the go-to phaser pedal. The sound quality is exceptional and they give you the equivalent of a phaser Swiss army knife, all for $105 in a little green box. Further, it’s an updated version of the Boss Super Phaser (PH-2), which Mike Einziger owns two of. Need I say more? Mike Einziger loves Boss phaser pedals enough to buy two of each. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Stage Simulation / Expression Pedal Support / Tap Tempo ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. MRX Phase 90: $80 MXR was founded in 1972 and furnished the Phase 90 shortly thereafter in 1974. The trademark is now owned by Jim Dunlop. Since buying the rights to MXR’s brand, Dunlop has released three different versions of the Phase 90: Original “script logo” version Block logo (primary) version with 9V adapter option and LED indicator EVH (Eddie Van Halen) signature model When MXR originally produced the pedal, there was no LED indicator or power option - you had to use a battery. Maybe that’s why they went bankrupt before being bought by Dunlop; it’s got to be tough to sell pedals without those features. The Current MXR Phase 90 Today’s version of the pedal is still fairly basic, with only a speed knob and the engage button. Here’s a quick look from the owner’s manual: Sample settings for one knob? | Image via Jim Dunlop I can’t help but find it a bit comical that they include a list of sample settings where the last one is labeled YOUR SETTING with a blank white circle. So yes, it’s simple, but the analog circuits give off a warmth and richness to the tone which has been used on a number of recordings over the years. Some of the most notable artists include the following: Eddie Van Halen (of course) Jerry Cantrell Slash (Saul Hudson) At one point, Slash used the script version (a Jim Dunlop reissue) of the Phase 90, which can be seen on his board via the guitar.com rig diagram: A shot of Slash’s pedalboard back in 2011. | Image via Guitar.com In Moshcam’s interview of Ace (Slash’s guitar tech) that Slash uses the effect only in a few situations. Ace showing us Slash’s pedalboard and the MXR Phase 90. It also looks as though Slash has abandoned the script logo reissue in favor of the generic “block” logo version. What does it sound like? Jim Dunlop’s “formal” demo video is fantastic, and does a great job of presenting and exploring the pedal’s sound and tonal spectrum. You can really hear the warmth in the peaks and troughs. There’s also a clear and distinct “swooshing” sound that you can hear through the thickness of the effect. It’s a basic modulation tone, but it’s done right and at $70, it’s easily one of your best and most straightforward choices. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Speed Knob / Analog Circuitry ____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Red Witch Analog Deluxe Moon Phaser: $230 While it’s pricey, the Moon Phaser from Red Witch does give you some added control to an analog phaser pedal by mixing a typical phase effect with a type of tremolo. Allow me to decrypt the oddly-named control knobs: Velocity (phase speed) Trajectory (depth or wave form shape) Cosmology (six-way switch - three different phasers, two tremophase modes and one for just tremolo) So a more accurate way to describe this pedal would be a two-in-one phaser and tremolo pedal, which the is calling “tremophase.”If you go to the Moon Phaser’s home page, you can actually control the pedal knobs and sample all the sounds. You can demo all the pedal’s functionality on the Red Witch website. | Image via Red Witch Other Features The pedal supports stereo use with a second output and gifts you with a true bypass circuit, which you’d expect at the high price tag. But should I spend this much? There are some features here that you don’t get elsewhere. If they’re high on your list of “must-haves” they might make the $230 worth it. Here’s what should really matter to you when it comes to this pedal: 1: True bypass Many phaser pedals don’t come with true bypass, which is a hallmark of most boutique guitar pedals. If this is high on your priority list, the Moon Phaser is one of just a few options that will satisfy. 2: Analog with more control Again, I can’t tell a significant difference between the analog and digital phasers. If you can, and you want the added control, it might be Moon Phaser or bust. 3: The tremolo add-in The tremolo add-in is a part of the cost increase, simply because Red Witch can market it as a two-in-one unit. If that aspect doesn’t interest you, the high price tag starts to look especially gloomy. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Tremolo add-in / Analog Circuitry / True bypass ____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. DigiTech SP-7 Stereo Phaser: $230 The setup here is similar to that of the PH-3: a digital phaser with three controls and a total of seven phaser types. The controls are: Speed Depth Modify The depth knob is essentially a wet control, allowing you to adjust the mix between the effect and clean signal. The Modify knob has different functionalities depending on what phaser type you’ve selected. Here’s a shot of the modify knob controls for each one, per the user manual: Knob functionality chart for the DigiTech SP-7. | Image via DigiTech Those types include the following: 2 Stage and 4 Stage 10 Stage Modern Boutique Envelope Dynamic Number 1: 2 Stage and 4 Stage The 2 Stage setting is really subtle, more ideal for faint melody and rhythm playing than anything else. In fact, there’s little motion in either the 2 or 4 Stage setting. They both sound vintage and subtle. Number 2: Modern The modern knob is basically the 4 Stage type with more defined sweeps, similar to what you hear on a lot of Incubus tracks. Number 3: Boutique This mode is a vintage mimic, similar to the Phase 90. Cuts and sweeps are more intense, though can still be mellowed out by the rate knob and feedback control. Number 4: 10 Stage Ten Stage is a heavy phaser effect with deep sweeps. More depth means that the feedback from the Modify knob becomes a lot more pronounced. Turning the Modify knob up almost give it a tremolo-like quality. Number 5: Envelope Envelope adds a sweep effect over what sounds like a wah pedal locked in the middle position. The Modify knob controls the sensitivity of the sweeps. Number 6: Dynamic This mode is similar to the 10 Stage sound, though in this case you have control over the sensitivity. To my ear, the difference wasn’t terribly significant, especially during routine, melodic picking patterns. The sensitivity control shows through a bit more on rhythmic strumming patterns. Other Features DigiTech throws in true bypass and stereo outputs to sweeten the deal. If it’s between this and the PH-3, I’d say go with the PH-3 for a few bucks less unless you’re really crazy about a few extra modes you get with the SP-7. Here’s a full list technical specs, including battery life and I/O summary, straight from DigiTech’s website: InputSeparate Left and Right ¼” Unbalanced (Tip-Sleeve) Input Impedance 1 MOhms (stereo), 500 kOhms (mono) -- Effect on Output Separate Left and Right ¼” Unbalanced (Tip-Sleeve) Output Impedance 1 kOhm -- effect on Controls Speed, Depth, Modify, and Effect Type knobs Switches On/Off foot switch Power Supply 9 VDC, 630mW consumption, 70mA draw Battery Type Single 9 VDC Battery Life 5.25 hours Power Supply 120 VAC, 60 Hz Adapter: PS200R - 120 (US and Canada) Power Supply 100 VAC, 50/60 Hz Adapter: PS200R - 100 (Japan) Power Supply 230 VAC, 50 Hz Adapter: PS200R - 230 (Europe) Power Supply 240 VAC, 50 Hz Adapter: PS200R - 240 (UK) Dimensions 3.5″ Width x 5.5″ Length x 2.25″ Height Unit Weight 1.3 lbs ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Seven different phaser modes / Analog circuitry / True bypass ____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Empress Effects Phaser: $350 Before we get into the gory details of all the different sounds this pedal is capable of, let’s take a look at the highlight reel. Our favorite features include: All-analog circuitry that’s controlled by a digital microprocessor (best of both worlds) Expression, MIDI, and external audio controllable Eight selectable waveforms Tap tempo It is one of the most expensive phaser pedals I’ve seen at $350. Power Input Voltage 9 - 18 V DC (Negative tip) Power Input Connector 2.1 mm barrel connector (Negative tip) Power Consumption ~120 mA Enclosure Material Die Cast Aluminum Input connector 1/4″ Jack Output connector 1/4″ Jack However, I'd conclude that the price is justified when you consider its capabilities. The biggest selling point would have to be the analog circuit that’s digitally controlled, which makes room for all the control, unique tones, and tap tempo inclusion. This is also one of the few phaser pedals where I could really hear the analog circuits making a big difference. It just sounds better, more warm and sleek than the others on this list. The Eight Waveforms If you look on the front of the pedal (right beneath the bypass and tap switches), you can see details on all eight waveforms: Detail of the waveforms and modes for the Empress phaser. | Image via Empress Effects You get a predictable blend control for adjusting the overall wet/dry mix of whatever effect you’re using, a stage selector (2, 3 or 4 stages), and a gain knob. The Mode Switch If you look at the top, right-hand side of the pedal, you’ll see a mode switch with three options: The mode switch options on the Empress phaser. | Image via Empress Effects Tap Knob (speed/ratio) Auto The Tap and Knob options (predictably) allow you to control the tempo of the pedal by using either the tap button or the speed knob, which is also pictured above. Auto mode reacts to your picking pattern, which is one of the unique ways to use this pedal. Whenever you pick a note, the phase peak will run until you hit the string again at which point it will drop down and then start back over. It’s like an Auto Wah, expect with a phaser swirl. There’s an additional switch to control resonance with the following options: Little None Lots Empress even throws in a convenient control for setting the functionality of an expression pedal, should you choose to use one. Square Wave Mode While the tonal scope of this pedal is far too wide to address here (check the Empress homepage for demos and sound clips), I do want to mention the square wave mode. Square wave mode can be selected by turning the waveform knob to either the seventh or eighth spot. The square waveforms on the Empress phaser are numbers seven and eight on the waveform knob. | Image via Empress Effects This causes the phase sweep to go into a hard stop before beginning again, thus you get a square wave shape instead of the typical series of parabolas. The result is an almost delay-like phaser sound that can be controlled by the tap tempo. You can hear it at about 5:45 of the .They aptly describe it as a “percussive” sound, due to its rhythmic and delay-like quality. While there are plenty of more conventional sounds to be sampled here, I liked the square waveform because it’s a unique, yet useful mode that you wouldn’t expect to find in a phaser pedal. I’m also a bit of a delay junkie. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Eight waveforms / Tons of control / True bypass / Knob, tap or auto mode ____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. DOD Phasor 201 Analog: $50 I’ve always appreciated the old DOD pedals, like the envelope filter and EQ boxes they used to make. The Phasor 201 is a newer generation model from DOD (now a DigiTech-affiliated brand) and a handsome alternative to the more expensive options on this list. It’s similar to the Phase 90 in setup. Dimensions 4.68” x 2.63”x 2.25” (L x W x H) Weight ~0.62 lbs. / 0.281 kgs. Input (1) ¼” Instrument Input/Impedance 470k Ohm Output (1) ¼” Instrument Chassis All Metal Power Supply 9V Alkaline Dry Battery; PS0913DC power supply Analog circuitry and the lone speed knob make an appearance here, but for $30 less than the MXR Phase 90. In , Matt Calder makes the observation that the pedal is highly usable at all speed points, which I would agree with. Even with the knob cranked or dropped all the way down, the phaser effect produced is warm and doesn’t sound too hectic or overtly warbled. It’s a simple, low-cost solution, perhaps ideal for someone who uses a phaser sparingly or only in a few spots of a set list. DOD throws in true bypass as a nice bonus. The 201 or the Phase 90? To be honest, I can’t tell a bit of difference between the two in terms of sound quality. They’re both analog with one speed control, so technically-speaking there should not be a lot of discrepancy. It’s possible that DOD is just willing to take a smaller profit margin than MXR, which would make sense, considering MXR’s long-standing popularity and the success of the Phase 90. My bet is that it’s like the generic brand of acetaminophen compared to Tylenol; they both accomplish the exact same thing with the same level of effectiveness. Yet, one costs less. If you want a low-cost, basic phaser to use here and there, the 201 will do just fine and you’ll save $30. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Speed knob / Analog / True bypass ____________________________________________________________________________________ 7. MXR M-107 Phase 100: $120 The “big brother” of the Phase 90 also happens to be far less popular. It’s intended to make up for the lack of control the Phase 90 offers, which is done by adding an intensity knob next to the familiar speed control. The intensity knob is a four-position rotary switch, allowing you to select four different waveforms. Here are a few sample settings from the manual: Setting recommendations from the Phase 100 manual. | Image via Jim Dunlop Notice there’s no empty white circle for “your setting.” Good move, Dunlop. The circles you see on the pedal itself represent the depth of modulation, while the arrow represents the width of sweep frequency: Circles equal depth and arrows equal width. | Image via Jim Dunlop The amount of flexibility this creates is surprisingly broad. You can go from deep warbling effects to smooth peaks and cuts, none of which can be as clearly defined in the Phase 90. The thicker circles can almost give off a vibrato effect if you turn the speed up, similar to what you can achieve on the Empress and Red Witch phasers. This or the Phase 90? The Phase 100 is middle ground between the Phase 90/DOD 201 and the Empress/Red Witch boutique phasers. If you’re happy with a speed knob and don’t envy the more advanced controls, don’t bother with the Phase 100. On the other hand, if you like the detail and flexibility of the more expensive phaser pedals but don’t want to unload $200 or $300, the Phase 100 could be a nice compromise at $120. A Couple FYIs From what I can tell, the Phase 100 is not true bypass and is run off digital processors instead of analog circuits. I wasn’t able to find any information one way or the other. No true bypass No analog circuit (all digital) What that usually means is that they’ve gone with the less popular of each variable, non-true bypass and digital signal processing. While these aren’t deal-breakers (at least not for me) they might be a disappointment, especially when all you really get (compared to the Phase 90) is the four intensity knob modes. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Intensity selector / Speed knob ____________________________________________________________________________________ 8. Ibanez Tone-Lok PH7: $70 The main problem I have reviewing these Ibanez pedals is that Ibanez no longer makes the Ton Lok series. In fact, they’ve been off the formal market for a long time, having survived on used sales. That said, though, you can still get your hands on them easily via Amazon, eBay, Reverb or even Musician's Friend in some cases. Let’s start with the basics first. For controls, you have the following four knobs: Speed Depth Feedback Level There's also a mode switch simply marked “1 and 2.” Without being able to consult a manual, the difference between these two modes seems to be one of effect depth or thickness, where mode two is just a much heavier phaser, almost like an added wet/dry mix knob or an additional stage. In the first mode, most of the controls have a more subtle impact and don’t change the signal drastically from one extreme to the other. You can dial in the typical classic phase or the warbling effects, depending on how you’ve set the speed and depth. The Locking Controls The most popular trademark of the Ton Lok pedal series is what they’re named after. If you press down any of the control knobs, they actually drop into the pedal and lock into place, meaning you can set your dials and then keep them from getting bumped or moved. The PH7 knobs locked into position. | Image via Skifmusic.ru While I like these pedals for the price (they’ve always been decently affordable) the knob-lock feature has always seemed a bit gimmicky to me. Perhaps the knobs on my other pedals just don’t change on their own. Is that a real problem? I guess it depends on who you ask. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Locking controls / Two phaser modes ____________________________________________________________________________________ 9. Keeley Phase 24: $180 From Robert Keeley himself: “The Keeley phaser is for players that like delicate nuances.” The Phase 24 is a boutique-style analog pedal that uses two JFET transistors to create two and four-stage phasing. Keeley is able to market the pedal as a “nuanced” phaser, primarily because of how subtle it is in the two-stage mode. It’s meant to steer away from the heaviness that often comes with modulation effects and replace it with a more airy and ambient tone. The guts of the Keeley Phase 24, exposing the dual FET transistors. | Image via Keeley You have three ways to adjust the pedal: The stage switch (2-stage or 4-stage selector) Depth control Rate control The depth control knob is a bit deceptively named, since it controls the pedal's wet/dry mix. Hiking the rate knob, particularly in the 4-stage mode, is reminiscent of the Phase 90, in as much as it provides a lot more warmth and definition. The Phase 24 picture on Robert Keeley’s website. | Image via Keeley Using the two-stage mode with the two knobs at 12 o’clock definitely embellishes the “nuanced” aspect of this pedal as it can, at times, be difficult to discern whether you’re hearing the phaser effect at all. Personally, I find this to be a fantastic feature. A lot of times my clean tone just needs something and I find myself falling back on a digital phase effect to add some thickness. And while not all other phasers are “over-saturated,” it’s nice to see one that’s made specifically for people who want to use a phaser in this manner. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: 2 and 4 Stage Phaser / Analog / True Bypass ____________________________________________________________________________________ 10: TC Electronic Helix Phaser: $120 While the Helix is capable of subtlety, it’s a far more dynamic phaser than the Keeley offering. There are no stages listed, but you do have three modes to choose from: Vintage TonePrint Smooth Vintage mode is the most nuanced, which reminds me of the analog sounds of the Phase 90 and the Keeley 24. Bumping up the mix and feedback knobs creates a deeper and more intense effect. The feedback knob in particular is more sensitive than what you typically see on other phaser pedals. TonePrint mode allows you to control the pedal from the TonePrint app or engage the settings that you have stored to the pedal (more on that below). Smooth was my personal favorite. In this third mode, the depth you get from each peak almost has a flanger-like quality, which can be heard even with the knob at a lower depth setting. This is gives the Helix a unique phaser tone, before you even get to the Tone Print shaping features. TonePrint Enabled TonePrint is an interface built by TC Electronic that allows you to manipulate the tone and settings of your pedal from a computer program that’s PC, Mac and iOS compatible. The main selling point of TonePrint is input from a number of popular guitar players, allowing you to use “their” tones. Among them are John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, and Devin Townsend. While the idea isn’t bad, the outcome gives off more of a marketing scent than any kind of practical usefulness. The TonePrint interface allows you to connect your pedal via USB to a tone-shaping application. | Image via TC Electronic Plus, I think there is such a thing as too many options. TonePrint is another level of control over your settings which allows you to, in a sense, control what the knobs on your pedal actually do. Here’s a lengthy video of the interface if you want to checkout the details: It’s unique, for sure. Yet, I haven’t ever felt like I needed more control over a phaser pedal with four knobs and three different modes. So, I wouldn’t rate the value of this pedal based on TonePrint. I’d be more interested in it with a delay or distortion pedal. On the phaser, it’s a cool feature, but one that I think most players would be unlikely to use all that often. Since the Helix pedal itself is so good, the TonePrint additive is a moot point. A couple other features worth noting are true bypass and stereo I/O. ____________________________________________________________________________________ FEATURES: Unique and usable tone / TonePrint enables / True bypass ____________________________________________________________________________________ Bands and guitar players that use these phaser pedals At some point the phaser went from being an Eddie Van Halen classic sound, to a favorite of guys like Einziger and Marcos Curiel. There’s nothing “vintage” about those dudes. Today, the effect is most often used as a way to decorate short guitar fills and melody lines. And while you may hear the sound on an album, it doesn’t always mean that the guitarist goes around with a phaser on their pedalboard. In many cases, a phaser effect will be added in production. But, for pedalboard inspiration, here are a few guys that keep (or used to keep) a phaser with plenty of velcro: Deftones’ Stephen Carpenter Stephen Carpenter drops an MXR EVH Phase 90 near the end of a complex pedal circuit: Part of Stephen Carpenter’s pedalboard from 2011. | Image via Guitar.com Carpenter eventually switched out his entire pedalboard for a patch system, which you can see in Premier Guitar’s rig rundown: Stephen Carpenter’s patch system that replaced the full, analog pedalboard. | Image via Premier Guitar So he no longer travels with a full complement of pedals like you see in the diagram, favoring instead to have everything patched in. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood Back in 1997, near Radiohead’s heyday, guitarist Jonny Greenwood ran an EHX Small Stone analog phaser pedal at the front of a second pedalboard. Jonny Greenwood’s second pedalboard back in 1997. | Image via Guitar.com The many Radiohead sounds come from a variety of sources, though Jonny’s guitars and gear have remained relatively unchanged through the years. In the diagram, the Small Stone phaser is the first stop for his guitar’s signal. Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl Back in 2000, Dave Grohl used an MXR Phase 90 on a simple pedalboard which went straight into an amp selector. A look at Dave Grohl’s fairly simple pedalboard from 2000. | Image via Guitar.com Not much has changed as you can still spot his phaser, old Boss delay, and Whirlwind A/B selector. Grohl’s board has remained relatively unchanged over the years. | Image via PMTOnline He’s not known for heavy effects use or for making many changes to his rig. Perhaps he’s learned from the guy he used to play drums for. Where to place a phaser pedal in your effects chain Let’s chat about phaser pedal placement: Before we look at conventions, we should first understand that there are no “rules” when it comes to your effects chain. There are best practices and good advice (which I’ll give you), but there’s never a set-in-stone method. Now, our conventional wisdom: The phaser, which is classified as a modulation effect, is typically placed near the back of effects pedal chains, close to the amplifier. In this example from Boss, the Flanger serves as the de facto modulation box, representing phasers and chorus pedals as well: Boss places modulation effects (phasers) near the back of the chain, but before delay. | Image via BossUS Personally, I would move the Compressor, EQ ,and Noise Suppressor to the back of the line, with a chain that looks like this: AMP / Noise / EQ / Comp. / Delay / Modulation / Distortion / Wah / GUITAR This of course assumes a typical guitar - pedal - amp rig diagram and doesn’t take into account the possibility of a rack-mounted processor, dual signal chains, and effects loops. The phaser effect (and modulation in general) is subtle enough to fit anywhere on your board. Keep it behind the distortion and wah. Otherwise, I wouldn’t worry. Phaser Pedal Settings and Best Practices We’ve already seen a few settings examples from the manuals. I’d like to post a few more ideas to help establish some phaser pedal settings conventions and best practices. Let’s start by revisiting the MXR Phase 90: On most of the analog phasers we can simply cut speed back for a more classic vibe. I would add that low speed settings are also good for a subtle covering over just about any melodic run. Here’s another look at the settings we listed earlier for the Boss Phase Shifter: Vintage settings here show a low stage count (4) and a high depth knob with a variable (to taste) rate settings. I’d still advise keeping the rate low, since the faster speeds tend to sound overtly chaotic on most phasers. Let’s look at the quick-start settings for the Empress phaser: Quick start settings for the Empress phaser. | Image via Empress Effects You might call these the “garden-variety” settings for the Empress phaser. It’s going to be a classic-style phase, with speed and width both moved past 12 o’clock. Here’s a shot of the sample settings for the Phase 100 from MXR: The Phase 100 gives us a variety of ways to utilize speed at low, medium, and high settings. As always, phaser pedal settings are a matter of taste. However, these can give you some places to start and help direct you towards helpful conventions. Phase Pedal Use: Considerations before you buy In a lot of situations, your use for a phaser will be limited unless you just really like the phaser sound. As I’ve explained, a lot of modern guitar players use it as a subtle additive, particularly when the note-count of a lick is low. Having an effect makes simpler melodies seem more full and interesting. Otherwise, it’s not an effect that you’ll likely use for long stretches. Before you decide how much money you want to spend, it would be wise to think about how and when you might actually use a phaser. If it’s the typical "here and there," you’re better off not spending too much - go with one of the phaser pedals under (or near) $100. If you plan to use it all the time, a heftier investment like the Empress or Red Witch offering might be in the cards. Just plan ahead so you don’t end up with a $300 investment that, for the most part, collects dust on your pedalboard. Your Thoughts Do you have thoughts about our best phaser pedal list? How about inclusions or exclusions? Let us know what you think about it in this thread at Harmony Central Could you use more gear help? Producing “great tone” is a worthy pursuit, but not always an obvious one. We all own a unique collection of gear that seems to sound different all the time. That’s normal, but still something we need to learn to deal with. We need to learn our gear. If you want to access some resources that will help dealing with a specific tonal pursuit, piece of gear or other questions related to your rig, I’d recommend giving Guitar Tricks 14-day free trial a test run - there’s no obligation and you have nothing to lose - except two free weeks of one of the most comprehensive and thorough guitar education websites in existence. For a full rundown of the membership benefits and plenty of screenshots, checkout Guitar Chalk's Guitar Tricks review. Resources Jim Dunlop. Jim Dunlop USA. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.jimdunlop.com/files/manuals/M101_man_WEB.pdf>. “MXR.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MXR>. “MXR Phase 90.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MXR_Phase_90#cite_note-2>. “Deluxe Moon Phaser.” Deluxe Moon Phaser. Red Witch Pedals, n.d. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://www.redwitchpedals.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=13&Itemid=22>. “Hardwire SP-7 Stereo Phase Owner’s Manual.” STEREO PHASER (2008): n. pag. Harmanpro.com. DigiTech. Web. 22 Mar. 2016. <http://rdn.harmanpro.com/product_documents/documents/284_1349992803/SP-7_Manual_5024341-B_original.pdf>. “Phaser.” Empress Effects. Empress Effects Inc., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://empresseffects.com/products/phaser>. “DigiTech Phasor/201 (2013).” DigiTech Guitar Effects. DigiTech, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2016. <http://digitech.com/en-US/products/phasor-201-2013#artists>. “Jonny Greenwood’s Rig.” The King of Gear. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. <http://thekingofgear.com/jonny>. “How To Sound Like Dave Grohl: Gear Guide & Tips.” PMT Online. Professional Music Technology, 18 Nov. 2014. Web. 29 Mar. 2016. <http://www.pmtonline.co.uk/blog/2014/11/18/how-to-sound-like-dave-grohl-gear-guide-tips/>. Taylor, Phil. “History of Delay.” Effectrode. N.p., 06 Jan. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. <http://www.effectrode.com/echorec-3/history-of-delay/>. Stafford, Sadie. “Music in the Digital Age.” The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications • Vol. 1, No. 2 • Fall 2010 Music in the Digital Age: The Emergence of Digital Music and Its Repercussions on the Music Industry (n.d.): n. pag. Elon. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. <http://www.elon.edu/docs/e-web/academics/communications/research/vol1no2/09staffordejfall10.pdf>. “Dunlop Blog » MXR 40th Anniversary: A Short History.” Dunlop Blog MXR 40th Anniversary A Short History Comments. Jim Dunlop USA, 5 Mar. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2016. <http://www.jimdunlop.com/blog/mxr-40th-anniversary-a-short-history/>. Flickr Commons Image Courtesy of Aaron H. Warren To Buy Phaser Pedals Go To: B & H Pro Audio Sweetwater Musician's Friend Guitar Center If you enjoyed this article - you might enjoy How To Develop Better Tremolo Picking Used with the express written permission of Guitar Chalk "This is a syndicated version of a best phaser pedal roundup, originally published on Guitar Chalk." __________________________________________________________________ Bobby Kittleberger is Guitar Chalk's founder, CEO and a staff writer for Guitar Tricks. You can hit him up on Twitter or shoot him an email to get in touch.

Imogen Heap Interview Hands-On MIDI - Literally by The MIDI Association (presented by Team HC) Tell us briefly about yourself - I write, sing, play various instruments, program drums etc, edit, mix and produce my own work in my home studio or wherever a project takes me. I'm now fully independent, with no management, publishing or label! It feels amazing to be completely untethered. Over the last five years I've been developing with a team of now eight people, a gestural performance system around wireless gloves. We call the system Mi.Mu. To reach inside the technology of the computer and sculpt music. Changing the way creatively we think about sound both at the writing and performance end of the spectrum, and closer engagement with the audience. I tend to make things where I find gaps in my life, workflow or business. Songs, gloves and recently imagining a Fair Trade Music industry I call Mycelia. What was your first encounter with MIDI? A sound module in the cupboard at the music school I went to. In there was an Atari with Notator, and the sounds I played were off of this device… but I actually have no idea what it was but it was hooked up via MIDI! I was 12, this was back in 1990. How do you use MIDI today? I use it mainly when mapping my gloves into Ableton Live. Choosing the MIDI channel and note or cc, I can automate anything within the program, wirelessly and fluidly. For example, simply panning a sound from left to right, by moving my arm left to right. Or gaining the length of a reverb by One Finger Point, to the top right 'corner' of the space before me. How has MIDI allowed you to do what you do? The [MIDI] standard is one of the few where, because of its elegance and simplicity, it has been adopted across the industry and so making it possible to try out all manner of weird and wonderful applications. It just works. We just need someone to sort out wireless a bit better now so we don't have to have all those darned MIDI cables! Anything else you'd like to add? Just to say thank you! Reprinted with the express written permission of The MIDI Association __________________________________________ THE MIDI ASSOCIATION (TMA) The community of people who work, play and create with MIDI The MIDI Association’s mission is to nurture an inclusive global community of people who create music and art with MIDI. The www.MIDI.org website is the central repository of information about anything related to MIDI technology, from classic legacy gear to next- gen protocols on the horizon.

BOSS BR-800 Digital Recorder Some multi-track recorders are simply timeless ... by Adam Harkus (adapted by Team HC) My brief history of the stand-alone multitrack recorder My first multi-track recorder, way back in the mid-90s was a cassette-based TASCAM 4-track Porta05 ministudio. Cassette tape had its limitations, primarily the degradation of the tape itself after numerous takes, but it was what we had. Then in 2000, along came the Zip-disk based Boss BR-8 with much more storage space, 24-bit digital quality, but you still needed to switch disks - which were, at the time, becoming increasingly hard to find (a 100MB disk held about three songs). Nevertheless, with a decent external drum machine/keyboard I was able to put together tracks with which I was fairly happy. Now a BOSS convert, I purchased its successor, the Compact Flash card-based Boss BR-600 almost immediately, on its release in 2007. I fell in love...it was around half the size of the BR-8, with sleek rubber buttons that reminded me of my ZX Spectrum 48k back in the day, and a rather fetching champagne colour. It featured much larger, quieter and easier (and cheaper) to obtain storage, USB connectivity (to save songs to your PC), twin built-in condenser mics to quickly capture ideas, but most exciting of all, a built-in drum machine! BOSS really hit it out of the park with BR-600, and I spent a lot of my time happily recording with it, making the most out the great-sounding COSM vocal and guitar amp models (in particular the guitar-to-bass patch, which provided hours of fun). Then I got distracted for a while within the frustrating, latency-plagued world of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation) and dedicated USB audio interfaces. In the end I could never get a DAW working in my setup to satisfactory standard (see the link opposite for more details). I continued to record with the BR-600 until, in 2010, along came the follow-up and what I still use today: the BOSS BR-800 Digital Recorder. First impressions As I'd come to expect from BOSS, the BOSS BR-800 appeared to improve on its predecessor. The internal mics had been upgraded, in place of Compact Flash we finally had SD Card storage, the interface had been cleaned up, the rubber buttons replaced with much more modern touch-screen style layout, and the screen enlarged. The new hardware was slightly bigger than the BR-600, but it was advertised to include many new features, most importantly of which was the ability to function as a USB audio interface for the first time in the BR series. BOSS BR-800 Sketch Recording Unlike the BR-600, we now have a dedicated button "Song Sketch." One press and you're into the recording mode of your choice. I set this up to record with the internal mics, and it's become an invaluable alternative to using a dedicated PCM recorder. Even now the BR-800's internal mics far surpass any mobile phone for recording band rehearsals / gigs etc., although for rough ideas I still tend to find my phone as it's quicker and easier. BOSS BR-800 as a practice tool With its ability to function as a USB interface, the BOSS BR-800 has become a mainstay of my home practice setup. With no need for a guitar amp and effects pedals, I simply have the BR-800 and my PC connected to the same set of desktop monitors. I play back tracks from YouTube or Windows Media player for example, while the guitar sounds come from the BR-800's excellent COSM models. While you'll never get the response or dynamics of a valve amp at full tilt in this setup, for practicing at lower volumes the tones you can get out of the BR-800 are much better than just a compromise, in fact, you'll have access to a wider range of tones than you would through one amp anyway. To make things even easier you also have the option of setting up your own user patches for clean, crunch, lead, acoustic, vocals, bass, etc and recalling them instantly. BOSS's rejection of the stand-alone multitrack format As I delved deeper into the BR-800's features, I got to the point of editing some drum tracks for my latest song, only to find, almost unbelievably, that the BR-800 doesn't include drum track editing! I took a step back, read the manual and went on-line only to have it confirmed, Not only that, but track editing has also been greatly dumbed down. I must admit I was starting to feel ripped off by now, especially given the $570.00 (£399) price tag (at the time) and the fact that the above features were all included in the BR-600. Sure, the mics were great, as was the song sketch, I liked the 'EZ REC' feature which gave you defaults, suggestions and made things easier to set up. But what I had here now was a costly sketch pad, I couldn't use the limited drums for complete songs (unlike the BR-600), in fact the lack of editing features made the song creation process a lot more clunky. To use the BR-800 effectively, I was forced into going back to the latency-ridden world of DAWs. The BR-800 represents, sadly, BOSS's rejection of the stand-alone multitrack format. The BOSS BR-800 as a USB audio interface I researched DAWs again, settling on Ableton Live which seemed the most natural to work with. This would give me all the editing options I needed. For drums I went for ToonTrack EZ-Drummer, a million times better-sounding and more flexible than any BOSS BR series recorder in any case. And then I integrated the BOSS BR-800 into the setup. A lightbulb moment! What I now had was essentially the best of all worlds. Editing, drums, general song project management and data storage were handled by the best tool for the job, a DAW on my PC. Whereas monitoring, including all the fantastic COSM vocal and guitar effects were handled, latency free, on the BR-800. I was close before with DAWs, but had always used dedicated USB audio interfaces without vocal/guitar amp modelling, I'd messed about with DAW effects plug-ins but quickly found out that latency reared its ugly head the more effects you applied to the monitor send. No such problems with the BOSS BR-800. (Rear View) Connections - (Side View) The Competition Zoom R8 - Similar spec to the BOSS BR-800, although it does include editing features that the BOSS lacks. Zoom's amp modelling has always been impressive. BOSS GT-001 - Billed as a desktop GT-100 Guitar Multi-Effects, but this tidy unit has a mic input enabling it to approach the BR-800's functionality. Lacks internal mics and a dedicated vocal processor though. TASCAM DP-32-SD - TASCAM's latest Portastudio Flagship has all the features you could ever want, but can it match the Zoom or BOSS amp sims ? Bargain price. Conclusion Way back in 2010, BOSS, in the BR-800 Digital Recorder, provided me with a tool, a solution. To this day I still use it for practice, capturing ideas and performances, but mostly as the ideal USB audio interface to monitor and record latency-free processed vocal and guitar tracks for my music. The COSM vocal and amp models never fail to impress, both in their sounds and their flexibility. To end though, even though the era of the stand-alone "portastudio" style recording interface is in its twilight, in six years I've never felt the need to upgrade. The BOSS BR-800 just lets me get on with the job of making music, and I can't give a better recommendation than that. Resources Official Website - www.bossus.com Videos - "Everything's Alright". Adam Harkus song produced on his BOSS BR-800 BOSS BR-800 Demos by Alex Hutchings, a guitarist who regularly demos BOSS gear, here's some of his vids on the BR-800. Very entertaining and inspiring. Part 1 - Part 2 - BOSS Official BR-800 Video - To Purchase - From Sweetwater From B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio From Musician's Friend From Guitar Center ____________________________________________________________ Adam Harkus is a Harmony Central community member and a guitarist, singer/songwriter and producer with over 25 years experience. He likes to provide detailed, hands-on reviews of products, instruments and equipment in hopes to inspire people to make better music. Visit Adam at his Hub Page

Professional Groove Production Station, or Just Another Toy? by Matthew Mann What It Is Circuit is more than just a drum box or controller. It features 4 different drum parts at any given time plus two different synthesizer modules. Each of the synth modules are derived from Novation’s own MiniNova. They’re also polyphonic (6 notes each) as opposed to monophonic, which was a nice surprise from a machine this size. Additionally, it features 32 RGB-backlit, velocity-sensitive pads for grid-based step sequencing with plenty of visual feedback. There are also real-time effects which can be tweaked live or recorded as part of a pattern/song. The drums themselves can be selected from dozens of different patches based on the best electronic drum sounds and then tweaked to sit perfectly in your track. What’s more, you can assign drum or synth sounds to a pattern and then change a sound from one pattern to the next for tons of variety in your song productions. We’ll get into that more in-depth later. Pandora’s Box Circuit ships in a nice box that includes a getting started guide, power supply (including adapters for other parts of the world), a USB cable for connecting to your computer, and some odd-looking 1/8” to MIDI breakout cables that plug into Circuit – allowing Circuit to control or be controlled by external MIDI gear. I’ve said before that a lot of initial impressions are down to presentation. I think Novation got it right here. I was pleased as soon as I took Circuit out of its box (which was sturdy and pretty nice in itself). Aside from the very nice packaging and additional goodies found in the box, the unit itself is very sturdy and has a gum rubberized surface that feels nice to the touch. It also minimizes the potential for it slipping out of sweaty hands. One thing to note: If you’re using Circuit with its built-in speaker, you need to set it on a flat surface (or on your legs with a gap between). The speaker is in the middle of Circuit’s underside and it’s easy to accidentally cover it and not be able to hear it. If you're planning to plug into the 1/4” outputs or use headphones in the 1/8” headphone jack, then it’s a non-issue. I just had to mention it because this box was born to be taken with you for composing on-the-go. Let’s take a look at Circuit’s layout. Black Betty Circuit measures in at 9.45” (240mm) wide x 7.87” (200mm) deep x 1.38” (35mm) high and weighs around 2 pounds, so it’s very easy to toss in a backpack and head to the beach or the park for some composing and beat-making fun. The layout is very intuitive. It starts with a volume knob at the top left. Next come 8 encoders that are surprisingly chunky feeling. These knobs do a lot depending on what function button is selected. There’s also a small LED just below each encoder that gets brighter the higher the value of that parameter is set. To the right of the encoders is a slightly larger knob labeled Filter. It is what it says it is: A filter. It filters the entire output of Circuit as either a Low Pass Filter (all the way to the left) or a High Pass Filter (all the way to the right). The main section of Circuit is the 4 x 8 grid of pads. Each pad is velocity sensitive and has an RGB light behind it. This is cool because you can see relative velocities on each pad. Additionally, different colors mean different things, so the visual feedback is great. I have to admit that the colors seem a bit extreme (at least the choice of colors), but they certainly get attention! To the left and right of the pads are function buttons that give you lots of options (especially combined with the SHIFT button). On the left side you can find the Scale, Note and Velocity buttons for step recording functions. Below them are Gate, Nudge and Length buttons for patterns functions. On the right side, you have the Patterns, Mixer, FX, Record and Play buttons. Again, each of these major function buttons has additional functions that are accessed by using SHIFT. There are 2 final rows of buttons on Circuit just below the rotary encoders and above the grid pads. The first row includes: Octave Up and Down buttons, Tempo, Swing, Clear, Duplicate, Save and Session…as well as the Shift button. Below this row are the “track” buttons. Let’s dig in to the different tracks and what they do. Initiate Sequence The sequencer in Circuit has 32 session locations for saving your projects. Each session contains 6 tracks (2 synths and 4 drum tracks). Each track has 8 pattern locations. This means each synth and drum part can have up to 8 variations. Do the math and you’ll see there is room for lots of musical options. There’s also an Auto-quantize Notes to Steps function and the ability to record automation to 6 events per step. Velocity and gate can be recorded and edited on a per-step basis. You can also duplicate steps, patterns and sessions in order to develop longer songs. Additionally, the sequencer includes a swing function so you can adjust the groove and “lay back” on it as much as your track needs. Synth You Asked The synths in Circuit sound excellent. Any experience with Novation’s Nova line of synths will tell you that. The sounds are seriously made for electronic dance music and have character by the bucket full. Each synth has a sidechain attached, which is controlled by Drum 1. This is handy for getting that “bounce” between your kick and bass or for getting some nice choppy pads. The sidechain contains 7 types of sidechain effect as well as the ability to turn it off completely. The top 16 pads are the ‘keyboard’ for inputting or playing notes and the bottom 16 are the steps of the sequence. In expanded view, you have access to all 32 pads as keys. This ‘keyboard’ allows the selection of different scales for experimenting in different keys. Above these pads are buttons for selecting the part to work with. For example, there are two buttons for each synth…one for selecting the synth patch (of which there are 64) and one for selecting the sidechain effect for that synth. Synth 1’s keys are color-coded in purple and Synth 2’s keys are in green. This shows great foresight, since this should help minimize accidental editing of the wrong synth when in the heat of programming. The bottom 2 rows of pads are the number of steps in the sequence (except in expanded view). There are 16 steps for patterns, but this can be edited for longer synth patterns. There are two ways to record in Circuit – real time or in step mode. Real time requires use of the Record button and step recording works as soon as the Play button is activated. The sounds are of the dance ilk and should provide plenty of options for Trance, Techno, Dubstep and numerous other electronic styles. Also, the rotary encoders become parameter adjustments for the synths. This is limited, but cool in that it allows you to edit basic parameters like filters and resonance. Novation calls them Macros and, as a rule, they follow a standard format as follows: • Macros 1 & 2: Oscillator Parameters • Macros 3 & 4: Envelope Parameters • Macros 5 & 6: Filter Parameters • Macros 7 & 8: Modulation & FX Parameters There are exceptions to this layout for certain synth patches, and Novation calls them Macros because they can control up to 4 parameters with one knob, so the best thing to do is just choose a patch and play with the knobs to see what they do. At the time of this writing, a Max for Live and stand-alone patch editor has become available for Circuit courtesy of Isotonik Studios (https://isotonikstudios.com/novation-x-isotonik/novation-circuit-editor). Patches can now be tweaked, saved as a single patch, saved as a bank of patches, uploaded to Circuit, or saved on your hard drive for later use. Hum Drum The drums in Circuit reside in the last 4 tracks. Clicking on Drum 1 or Drum 2 will bring up the bass drum and snare tracks at the same time. The first two rows of pads are the steps for the bass drum and the second two rows are for the snare drum (orange). Selecting the last two tracks (yellow) brings up the closed and open hi-hats by default. Although there are only four drums at any given time, the drum sounds for the individual tracks can change from pattern to pattern. Changing from a snare to, say, a clap from one pattern to the next can result in tracks that sound like there’s much more going on than there really is. This is where creative thought really comes in handy. The drum sounds are very usable and endlessly tweakable with pitch, decay, distortion, and filtering and effects to make them sit the way they should in a track. They feature everything from standard 808 and 909 sounds, to cheesy 8-bit blips and hits, to massive distorted anthemic monster drums. One of the coolest things about this setup is that parameter tweaks can be recorded with the pattern. For example, one of the most famous sounds from the 80’s was Prince’s use of the pitch knob on the Linn LM-1’s snare and stick sounds. This sound is most obvious in songs like”1999” and “Let’s Go Crazy” where the pitch modulates up and down and gives the track exciting movement beyond what was previously thought possible. It could even record these pitch movements. Well, Circuit can do this, too! You can sweep the pitch or filter or add effects in real time and record those movements into the pattern – giving the producer some fantastic options for unique sound. Butterfly Effects There are two send effects included in Circuit – Reverb and Delay. Neither of these effects is mind-boggling, but both are certainly useable. Each effect has several presets from which to choose (16 delay/8 reverb). The selected preset is backlit in white while the rest are dim. The send levels for each effect are controlled by the rotary encoders. Select a reverb patch and the encoders become send levels for reverb to each instrument – select a delay and suddenly the snare bounces all over the place. I like that you can send effects to each element of the drums rather than treating the whole kit. If I want a slightly roomy kit overall, I adjust the reverb for each instrument to taste. If I only want delay on the hi-hats or on the snare, I add the appropriate amount to those tracks only. As mentioned before, activating the RECORD button allows automation of the send levels for pattern-level clip effects. This is very cool because you could add a delay to the last open hi-hat of a pattern if you want or add reverb swells to the front of a pattern. Imagination is the only real limiting factor here. Play With It I could go on and on about all the features of this little beast, but I won’t. The real question is “Why do I want/need it?” The day Circuit arrived on my doorstep, my kids and I were home and we opened up the box. As soon as I turned it on, my 7 year old daughter’s face lit up almost as brightly as Circuit. She loved the colors (eyes rolling) and liked the sounds coming from Circuit as we tested each demo session…BUT…the magic really started while I was studiously reading the manual. My daughter asked me how to make sound. I selected a blank session and from there a blank pattern and showed her how to select a sound for each track and how to add steps in the pattern sequencer. A mere 10 minutes later, she had created a full track with drums, a squelchy, 303-style bass part, and a melody. A few minutes later and, with a little help from “Dad” and the manual, she had duplicated the patterns and made alternate versions of those patterns. Further exploration and she had chained the patterns together and had a full track – complete with effects and filters tastefully recorded into the patterns. Did I mention she’s only 7? The one thing I was surprised to find is that there are no bags or cases on offer to protect Circuit. It seems like an oversight to me since it’s obviously meant to be portable. Circuit is well built (as I mentioned before), but not indestructible. I really hope Novation comes up with a bag specifically for Circuit (or even a little case similar to the one the Roland PG200 came in), but there’s nothing at the moment, so it’s up to you to protect your investment yourself. One thing I almost forgot to mention is that Circuit can be used as a MIDI controller. Connected via MIDI to a hardware or software synth, it can play parts from its sequencer and control those synths. The MIDI data in a sequence can also be recorded into a DAW for further manipulation and assignment to a soft synth (or hardware). The one thing to note is that the MIDI notes for all tracks are recorded onto one MIDI track in your DAW unless you turn off the other parts and record them one at a time. There may be a way to assign different MIDI channels to the parts to separate them in your DAW, but I didn’t discover how to do this. Novation Circuit Editor from Isotonik Studios: Isotonik Studios, in collaboration with Novation, have released the free Novation Circuit Editor. This software package adds much flexibility to Circuit in the form of a full-fledged patch editor/librarian. While the user guide provides minimal information on its use, connecting Circuit to the software yields a window filled with editable parameters for the 2 synths built into Circuit. The layout is very logical and lends itself to experimentation. There are sections for assigning parameters to each macro control as well as sections for the synth engine controls and the modulation matrix. All parameters are available in separate tabs for each synth. The cool thing is that there are so many parameters available, that old school synth design (including synthetic drums) can be done on the screen. Remember when I talked about creative ways to add more drums to your production? Well, this is one of those ways. Create additional drums with Synth 1 and Synth 2 and save them in Circuit. Then, they can be stored in the pattern. Additionally, patches can be changed in Circuit, but they are still saved with the pattern, so new patches can be saved over original patches, but those original patches are still there….in any patterns already created. If you’re thinking of getting Circuit, make sure you get this application! It’s currently available in Max for Live and standalone version. It’s also available for Windows, Mac and Linux. The Bottom Line Don’t misunderstand, I’m not saying Circuit is a toy for kids. And with a list price sitting at around $449 and a street price around $349, it’s not something I would run out and buy for a kid (although the build quality was certainly rugged enough). The sound quality is very good. I found that most of the patches were inspiring and led me down creative pathways. I never felt like this was a toy in build or in sound quality. What I am saying, however, is if a 7 year old can create entire tracks on Circuit, then anyone can. Music creation is immediate and fun. The addition of MIDI I/O means you can integrate it into your studio and control outboard MIDI gear or sync Circuit to your DAW. Speaking of the computer – Circuit is not chained to it. Yes, you can record your MIDI tracks from Circuit to your DAW. Yes, you can use an outboard controller or DAW to control the sounds in Circuit. But, no, you do not need to have your computer handy to use Circuit. While Circuit comes with a 12V DC power supply (a feature that some companies have made an optional accessory for their controllers lately), it also runs on 6 x AA batteries. That means you can take Circuit to the park…or the zoo. That means you can take Circuit to a coffee shop or a museum. That means you can introduce Circuit to your friends at a party and Circuit will have plenty to say. I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of groove boxes. I had drum machines back in the 80’s that worked in similar fashion - with pattern creation and duplication and chaining to make songs, but I typically prefer to program drum tracks in linear fashion in my DAW. With that said, I have had a lot of fun with Circuit. It’s been quite some time since I really thought about composition from a completely loop-based standpoint. And I didn’t have to troll through thousands of samples and loops on a computer screen. Circuit took me down some rabbit holes that I wouldn’t have ever thought about on my own. I may not have created what I intended to when I sat down with Circuit, but I ended up with the pieces that were nonetheless fun and interesting. My eyes have been opened to this grid-based music thing and, if Novation offers me Circuit for a good price (finger’s crossed), my kids and I will have lots more fun creating tunes in the future. Resources Novation Circuit ($449.99 MSRP, $329.99 "street") Novation Circuit product web page Novation Circuit Editor from Isotonik Studios You can purchase Novation Circuit from Sweetwater B&H Musician's Friend Guitar Center __________________________________________________ Matthew Mann (Editor, Studio-One Expert) graduated Berklee College of Music with a Master Certificate, Music Production. Matt has been in bands and run studios for over a decade. He had a 3 year stint as a Sales Associate at GC Pro and has more recently been working in technical writing. As the picture shows, Matt rarely takes himself too seriously.

Editor's note: We feel the issue being raised in this editorial by Paul White is of crucial importance to the music industry, so it is being is reprinted with the express written consent of our friends at Sound on Sound magazine. For more information on Sound on Sound, including access to their free articles and subscription rates, please visit www.soundonsound.com. by Paul White Ever since audio recording was invented the recordings themselves have been tied to a physical format that, despite its physical failings, has given us some kind of psychological reassurance in the longevity of those recordings. Obviously, those formats have changed over the 120 years or so that have elapsed since the technology was first explored, evolving through wax cylinders, shellac discs, magnetic wire recorders, vinyl discs, magnetic tape and finally into optical discs such as the audio CD. What these formats had in common was that they all included a mechanical component that rotated, but more importantly, they were formats specifically designed for the storage of audio. Now it looks like the audio CD is likely to be the last audio-specific format — and that market has been in decline for some time following the so-called download revolution. It seems as though even the ability to produce our own CDs at home is under threat. Clearly companies such as Apple have an agenda in trying to push us towards their own music download paradigm as they’ve now dropped optical disc player/writers from virtually all their new machines, but at least you can still buy an external USB optical drive if you still want to burn a CD — for now, anyway! Over the past few years, various companies have been dropping out of the optical drive manufacturing market and it looks as though the world leader in optical drive manufacture, Taiyo Yuden, will cease production later in 2015. We should ask ourselves what this means for audio, as once the audio CD slips into obscurity, for the first time in the history of recording, audio will have no dedicated format of its own. Sure, you can save audio as WAV files or MP3s onto generic data devices either on local storage or somebody’s cloud, but many of my clients still want to take away a CD they can hold in their hand. Audio is important, so doesn’t it deserve a format that can be used to archive it in a way that can be replayed by future generations? We all know how fickle the computer market is: it doesn’t seem to care about much other than its own profit margins, and formats and standards can be consigned to history in the blink of a board meeting. In the continual battle to force users to upgrade, concerns over long-term data preservation seem to have been brushed aside — and now that our last true audio format, the audio CD, faces extinction, any future audio will exist only as generic data with all the perils that entails. Does that worry me in any way? Yup! Used with the express written permission of Sound on Sound ________________________________________________ Paul White is the Editor in Chief at Sound On Sound Magazine, headquartered in the United Kingdom. He has also written technical articles about studio recording for various other magazines, and was first published professionally in 1984. As an electronics engineer and musician turned technical writer, he says: "My specialty is thinking outside the box...and then forgetting where I put the box!"