Category: 2. Live Band Equipment

What equipment do I need to play live concerts? What equipment should I use in my home studio? Find out here.

The Best Gift For Musicians – Gift Certificates

This Christmas Holiday give your muisician a gift they’re sure to love, musician’s gift certificates!

Gift Certificate For Musicians
Musician Gift Certificate

Every year at Christmas my friends that know I play in a live band shower me with music related gifts. I really appreciate the thought but I have to admit that a lot of those presents get put into the equipment bin going unused simply because they’re not exactly what I would have chosen for myself. How many of you have received a guitar strap that just wasn’t cool enough to wear onstage? Or how many of you have had a spouse buy you a brand new guitar without knowing what to look for in a quality guitar? That’s why I’m telling you that Musician’s Gift Certificates are the best gifts you can give to your musician friends.   Continue reading “The Best Gift For Musicians – Gift Certificates”

Christmas Presents and Gifts For Musicians

You can find the perfect Christmas gift and present for the musician in your life with these simple tips.

   It’s Christmas shopping season again and if you’re like me, you have a lot of live musicians to buy presents for. I like to purchase as many things online as possible because I don’t like going out shopping. The online music retailers are really starting to push sales early this year with deep discounts and free shipping. Musician’s Friend has some great ideas in their Musician’s Gift Center. Just click the banner below and you’ll find some great gift ideas for presents to all your musician friends.   Continue reading “Christmas Presents and Gifts For Musicians”

Cakewalk UM-2G 2×2 USB MIDI Interface For Mac And PC

The Cakewalk UM-2G MIDI interface allows you to plug your MIDI devices into your Mac or PC computer.

Cakewalk UM-2G 2X2 Midi Interface
Cakewalk UM-2G 2X2 Midi Interface

   When I’m not out playing in my live band I’m usually working on writing and recording music in my home studio. I use a lot of MIDI equipment and several computers so I’m always looking out for convenient MIDI interfaces. Today I’m going to tell you about the Cakewalk UM-2G 2×2 USB MIDI interface for the Mac and PC computer.   Continue reading “Cakewalk UM-2G 2×2 USB MIDI Interface For Mac And PC”

Fender Slow To Ship 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster

Fender has had a very hard time filling orders in a timely manner for the 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster.

Fender American Deluxe Ash Strat Wine Transparent
2010 Fender American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster - Wine Transparent

   I’ve been doing some asking around and have had many reports of people waiting months to get ahold of the new 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster. There are certain colors available right now but some colors and options are out of stock and have been for months. I ordered a Wine Transparent American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster on April 2, 2010 and it just came in on September 22, 2010. It was almost a 6 month wait. Needless to say, I did not pick it up or pay for it and told the store they can keep it. It’s ridiculous to wait that long for a guitar and I will not play that game. Now that doesn’t mean I won’t get one. I will still be getting my 2010 American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster, just not right now. Since Fender forced me to wait for 6 months for a new one, I’ve lost that “must have it now!” attitude and will patiently shop for a used one. It may take me another year to get it, but I’m sure I’ll save some money and in the meantime I’m $1649 richer.    Continue reading “Fender Slow To Ship 2010 American Deluxe Stratocaster”

How To Build Your P.A. System

Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V
Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V P.A. System Package

One of the most essential collections of equipment you’ll need for your live band is a good P.A. System. There are a lot of different P.A. System configurations and you can spend a lot of money building a P.A. from the ground up. Today I’m going to talk about what you need to build a basic P.A. system that will get you out in front of people playing gigs.     Continue reading “How To Build Your P.A. System”

Shure SE115 Sound Isolating Earphones Review

The Shure SE115 sound isolating earphone is the perfect solution for excellent sound while excercising.

Shure SE115 Sound Isolating Earphones
Shure SE115 Sound Isolating Earphones

   I like to protect my ears from excessive noise when I’m listening to my personal music for pleasure. Having an excellent pair of sound isolating earphones is essential to protecting my hearing which I’m sorry to say isn’t so good after all my years playing in a live band. Still, I’m extremely picky about how my music sounds and I like to hear it warm and clear when I’m listening for pleasure. Sound isolating earphones are important for me because I can keep the volume at a reasonable level and still hear every detail of the music.

   I own a high end pair of Shure SE530 sound isolating earphones that I use for personal monitors with my live band. I also use them when I travel or simply want to listen to music when my Sennheiser headphones aren’t around. The thing is, they’re so expensive that I’m extremely careful with them and I don’t like to go running, biking or hiking with them. I love to be active and I’m a very serious runner so I wanted a really good pair of headphones that had high end sound but that didn’t cost $300.   Continue reading “Shure SE115 Sound Isolating Earphones Review”

How To Tune Your Own Piano

Tuning your piano is easy with the right tools and a good guide book.

Piano Tuning
Tune Your Own Piano

   I’m a pianist as well as a guitarist and I have an old Kranich and Bach baby Grand Piano. I’ve had my piano tuned professionally only once since I’ve had it and naturally, over time it has gone out of tune. So I decided to tackle the job myself to see how well I could tune my own piano. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and the results have been very good.    Continue reading “How To Tune Your Own Piano”

Complete Portable P.A. System Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V

The Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V is an excellent P.A. package package that has everything you need for your live band.

Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V
Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V P.A. System Package

   If you play in a smaller live band such as a 2 to 4 person group then I’m sure you understand the need for a smaller P.A. system. A lot of acoustic duos will go out and play with a small amp, a couple mics and a pair of small speakers. But with a larger 3 or 4 person group I’m sure you’ve learned that you need more than just a  little 4-channel powered mixer head and a couple of speakers.

   I’d like to talk about an excellent P.A. system for smaller groups of two to four people. The Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V is a complete P.A. package that will have your smaller group completely covered for all your P.A. needs. At the heart of the system is an dual-channel, 500 Watt per channel, powered mixer that has 8 total microphone inputs. The really nice thing about the EMX512SC is the added bonus of four of the eight channels being able to function as either mono microphone inputs or stereo line inputs. This gives the amp/mixer a total of 12 input channels.     Continue reading “Complete Portable P.A. System Yamaha EMX512SC/S115V”

Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX-PRO Mixer Review

The Behringer UB2442FX-PRO is a lot of mixer for a very low price but it’s build quality is not the best.

Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX-PRO Mixer
Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX-PRO Mixer

The most important component in your live band’s P.A. system is the mixing console. Without a mixer you’re not going to be able to mix your live sound properly when playing a gig. I’ve written a couple posts such as “You Need A P.A. System To Play A Gig” detailing how important having a good P.A. system is to the success of your band.

Today I’m going to talk about a budget mixer made by Behringer called the Eurorack UB2442FX-PRO. I know that many of you that have experience with Behringer equipment are rolling your eyes right now and I don’t blame you. Behringer has a reputation for cheap equipment that doesn’t always come with the best build quality. I know I’ve had my share of problems with Behringer equipment but at the same time I’ve been able to use Behringer products quite successfully in my studio and with my live band.    Continue reading “Behringer Eurorack UB2442FX-PRO Mixer Review”

Danelectro FAB Chorus Pedal Review

The Danelectro FAB Chorus is one of the best sounding mono chorus pedals I have ever heard, and it’s dirt cheap too.

Danelectro Fab Chorus
Danelectro FAB Chorus - Excellent Sound, Incredible Price

   I’ve been playing guitar in a live band for a lot of years now and I’ve come to rely on some basic guitar effects to help shape my sound. One of the most important effects you can add to your guitar effects collection is the Chorus effect. If you don’t know how a chorus works its quite simple. Chorusing makes your guitar sound like multiple guitars being played, hence the name Chorus. It accomplishes this effect by putting a slight delay and modulating the original signal then mixing the modulated signal with the original.

   Today I’m going to talk about an incredibly affordable chorus pedal called the FAB Chorus by Danelectro. The FAB Chorus is a colored a metallic blue, has an on/off indicator light, an on/off button and 3 knobs that control Mix, Speed and Depth. The FAB Chorus is a mono chorus as opposed to more expensive stereo chorus effects. As you know, a stereo chorus effect will yield a wider and more ambient chorus effect split between two stereo channels. The FAB Chorus is made to be used with a mono guitar amplifier.     Continue reading “Danelectro FAB Chorus Pedal Review”

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