Searching For The Perfect Guitar Case!

You’re right on that one, Mandy! There are a couple pieces of gear I really want right now, but I’m not buying them because I don’t actually *need* them. Although, if it comes down to it, I guess I could survive without some of my other acquisitions…

Hmmm… Get ready, this is going to be a long one. :o)

On the music gear front, “soft synths” have been my latest discovery. I picked up Ivory (by Synthogy) which helps me miss my piano a little less while I’m on the other end of the country. You need to use Ivory with a good controller (and run it on a pretty beefy computer), and I’m still on the quest for the perfect controller. I tried the Fatar VMK-188 Plus, but it didn’t work with my computer, and Fatar support in the US is abysmal…

Another great soft synth is the E-Mu Proteus Pack. This is a set of seven or so soft synths that are derived from the great rack-mount synths that came out around a decade ago. All kinds of good sounds, and you can also tweak it as well. I just started to play with a couple of other soft synths as well, Rapture and Dimension Pro. They both seem pretty capable. My one complaint is that it doesn’t seem possible to browse through the sound presets like you can on a normal synth, just using the up/down preset buttons on your controller or the scroll wheel. Instead, you seem to have to use the mouse to switch sounds – which gets tedious when you’re spending hours going through thousands of sounds. If you’re curious about soft synths, there are also plenty of them available for free online.

I think some of the soft-synths have a ways to go before they will be ready for use in any kind of a performance setting… just because of usability and good integration with the controller surfaces. They are great in the studio though, especially the home studio. You get a lot of great sounds in one place which are easy to modify and to record with. I also find it much easier to integrate the soft synths with the recording solutions. You can play back the MIDI tracks on your computer and you don’t have to hook it to an external synth to get the sounds to be right. Once you’ve got them right, you can easily bounce it down to an audio file format of your choice.

Another piece of music gear I’m excited about lately (though yet to purchase) is the JBL “LSR4326P Pak” or the “LSR4328P Pak” studio monitors. These allow you to have a setup in a home or project studio which compensates automatically for the frequency response of the room you’re in. This means that you get really accurate sound without having to pay thousands of dollars for room treatment foam for the walls. Of course, you get what you pay for, but for about one grand, these allow you to have a pretty accurate studio monitor setup.

Also on the mixing/mastering end, Ozone 3 by Izotope is a really great little mastering plugin that can be had for less than a couple hundred bucks (do a search for the M-Audio branded version). You’ll end up with better results if you do just your tracking at home and spend the coin to have the mixing and mastering done by the pros. However, if you need to do everything yourself or want to make a demo sound nice, this utility has great bang for the buck. You can download this for free – to try out for ten days – from the Izotope website.

I’ve played with a number of multi-track and loop-based recording software solutions for Mac and PC, and recently started messing around with Project5 – and I’ve really been enjoying it (Sorry, Mac fans, this one’s PC only – at least for now). I found it a little vexing at first, but it doesn’t take long at all until you’re really flying along – getting all the parts laid out in top gear! This is particularly nice for songwriters who want to work out a couple parts together. Then at least you have the ideas in place for whatever band you’re working with and they can take it from there.

So far as the iPhone goes, I’ve got a couple friends/coworkers who one one, and I’ve owned various “smart” phones. Apple does a great job of making something look and feel simple and stylish. Their stuff usually works great too. If you’d like to have an iPod and don’t, or if you are looking to upgrade your phone and are with ATT already, or if you just really like the appeal of the iPhone, these are all decent reasons to go for it. On the con side, I don’t think the current iPhone has voice dialing (though I could be wrong on this). Also, without having actual buttons, dialing a number can be trickier – particularly in some situations like driving in your car (which you shouldn’t be doing anyway). I also know it’s a little hard to hold on to when you’re talking on the phone. Not aweful, it just takes some getting used to. If you’re wanting to dig in a little more, a site I’ve used when considering new phones is PhoneScoop.com. Here’s a link to their iPhone page: http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/user_reviews.php?phone=1110

Even better, here’s an article from Network World on Ten Things Apple Did Right – and Wrong – with the iPhone: http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/063007-10-things-apple-did-right.html

The thing that would kill it for me is number three on their “wrong” list. No voice recording. I’m constantly recording new ideas to the SD memory card in my phone, and I don’t think I could do without that. This is classic Apple – do a couple things well and keep it simple. Very simple; like the one button mouse. :o)

…and sorry, everybody, for the length of this post. (Nathan, you might have to go for both a lunch and a dinner break while reading *this* one.) Maybe somebody else will post something even longer and then I won’t be the long pole in the tent! :o) Music gear is a fun thing to talk about… and don’t get me started on photography! :o) (I just moved to the D300, which I love – for the most part – though I still miss my D70 in some ways. That camera felt like home. …and there are a couple of lenses I have my eye on that I could really make some good use of…) Thankfully, writing only requires a pen a paper. That’s one thing I love about it!

Question #1 for the community: Has anybody here come across a decent electronic drummer (or drum loop library) that works ok for laying down some scratch tracks to? I’ve tried a few and haven’t found anything I’m close to happy with yet. Clearly, a real drummer is a much better solution most of the time, but there are times when that’s not practical.

Question #2 for the community: Any advice on air travel with gear, particularly keyboards? Is it better to rent something at your destination, or are there any good tricks to bringing your own gear with you on the plane without having to pay a heavy fee?

my custom molded Westone Dual Drivers are the best thing i’ve bought in a long time. i can’t imagine going back to wedges or even cheap in ear monitors.

Linz, I haven’t checked out the Privia before, but I did a bit of hunting a few months ago for a student, and was quite impressed with the Yamaha P70 for a low-price-point good-sound-and-feel instrument. It’s currently on clearance at Guitar Center. If you’re able, go in and try it out:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Yamaha-P70-Contemporary-Digital-Piano-103573713-i1154966.gc

I may post a little more info for you if I get a chance later. :o) You can get it in either black or silver. Of course, feel and sound quality are somewhat subjective, so don’t just take my word for it on this!

Also, if you live in a big city, one other great place for gear – buying and selling – is Craigslist. You can buy something used and if it doesn’t quite work for you, you can typically sell it for the same price – with very little hassle. You can even buy gear new, use it for as long as you need it, and then sell it on Craigslist. Your total cost of ownership this way is usually lots better than what you could rent something for – if that was even an option.

I don’t really have to much to say on gear right now, except use ebay and craig’s list. Two huge resources for deals and great gear. Oh yea, really cool blog. :)

my Scottish friend has an original TS808 Tubescreamer that i borrowed the other night (yeah, the ones that are selling for like $700 on ebay). i AB’d it with my ts9 and although they were VERY similar, i could tell a definite difference. my ts9 will be on its way to analogman soon to get his vintage 808 mod for the ts9. it was the happiest i had been with my tele in a long time.

on another gear note, i’m pretty much convinced that LR Baggs makes the best acoustic pickups around. i have a breedlove with a fishman blender, that when it’s plugged in, it sounds like the pickup more than the guitar. my Hummingbird has the Baggs Element, which is cheaper than the Fishman, but when i plug it in, it sounds like my guitar, which after, all, if you have a nice guitar, is the point…

As far as cases go I cant recommend hiscox in the uk enough, good prices, lightweight hardcases (wont kill your baggage allowance or ding your guitar). I have one for my strat and acoustic.

Somebody mentioned something about tubescreamers, Ive been using a Fulltone Full Drive 2 which is absolutely superb and very responsive, check them out, definately worth the money and not too much drive for worship.

Also I can agree with the last commentaer that a Boss Tu-2 Floor tuner is a “must” in any guitar rig.

Liam
liambyrnes.co.uk

i’m a pretty big fan of fulltone, and i’ve got a fulltone fulldrive 2 on my board – i dig it, but maybe it’s not for everybody? i like the creaminess i get from it, not so crazy on the harmonic overtones like the ocd – and it seems to work well with my tele + vox combo.

voxes are the way to go, too. i love ‘em. if you have to buy a new one and can’t afford a vintage one, make sure you get the alnico blue speaker in it – really chimey and bell-like.

i would say that i can’t live without my dl4 though… that’s probably the most important pedal on my board.

way to go, vicky – i hope you get a mono. my wife got me one this past christmas, and it’s the bomb. it’s an all-weather gig bag and it works perfect for the snowy winters we get out here in chicago. i’m friends with someone who works for them and that was how i discovered them.

How about rhyming dictionaries – for those here who write? This was recommended in a recent book I’ve been reading (Tunesmith), and I’d like to know if any of you folks are using one at all. Have any recommendations for a particular dictionary?

Thanks, Ryan! I’m in the same place as you; thought about it but haven’t yet tried it. Some pretty experienced songwriters swear by ‘em though. I’d be curious for Vicky’s opinion on this… *hint* *hint* … LOL.

By the way, I went to your MySpace page, Ryan, and wanted to let you know that I’m really enjoying listening to your music. (I also sent you a friend request.) Thanks for sharing!!! Right now, I’m checking out “From Yesterday” and loving it!

something i forgot to mention was Garageband… i do all of my real demo-ing with Pro Tools now, but when i’m writing i love that i can just set my Macbook on the coffee table with Garageband open and play and sing without setting up mics and stuff. plus, i can send the ideas to itunes, which makes listening back to old ideas much easier than trying to listen back to poorly recorded cassette tapes from a $25 tape recorder. Garageband and TextEdit have totally streamlined my writing process.

i’m also planning to get a recording device for the ipod called the Micromemo, for capturing ideas at those times when i don’t have my computer handy. you just cant beat Apple products as a musician.

My favorite gear…

1. Blue Hardim Picks (for that Edge Sound)
2. A dotted 8th delay (Fractal Audio Axe FX is best)
3. New D’Addario strings .11 gauge
4. Fulltone Pedals
5. Ultimate Ears UE-7 Pro in-ears
6. George L’s Cables

Vicky are you going to CA for CMS this September?