Oh crap!!! Its 3 days until Christmas and you KNOW that one family member is going to bring a complete stranger to Christmas and he’s not going to have anything open, which only adds more to the “awkward pie” of having some weird dressed musician sitting in the corner hanging all over your family member and then having every family member bring him up to you and say, “heyyyy this guy is a musician too.” Then you have sit there and have forced conversation about gear so you do the only thing you can to get out of it. You grab one of the millions of screaming kids running under you and run off yelling at their parents, “YOU NEED TO CHANGE THIS SMELLY KID.” So make this Christmas a little less awkward by buying something that will cover ALL musicians of almost any type, This Furman SS-6B power block. Odds are, he or she doesn’t have a power strip this nice to protect their home studio / guitar, keyboard, etc rig. $40 is a small price to pay to make the situation a little less awkward. And I promise you, I won’t be that weird musician at your house this year. I have a strict, “no major holidays” policy and plus, girls think I’m too attractive to approach.
To buy this ice-breaking gift, click HERE. Or you could just go to Urban Outfitters and get some skinny jeans and an ironic 80s T-shirt. Good grief musicians disgust me!
UPDATE: Think this musician is probably just the flavor of the month? Well buy them this, so you’re not putting too much money into this relationship. Save the fun stuff till next year if they show up. Either way, its not going to hurt you to have an extra power strip or instrument cable around. Lord knows yours are all worn out.
One Last Xmas Idea
Kemper GmbH Profiling Amplifier
This could be a step in the right direction. Out of nowhere, this company shows up with a possible game changing piece of gear for live and studio environments. I sit here day after day trying to decide what guitar amps I should get for the studio. I mean… you want versatility in an amp and something that can determine the entire mix, sound, or overall feel of a song. Well Kemper has come along with this:
The Kemper Profiling Amplifier is an entirely new concept for guitar amplification in the digital domain. Following the radical idea that every guitar player should be able to bring his personal sound of the tube amp setup he owns into a versatile, comfortable and most important reproducible format: The Kemper Profiling Amplifier “learns” the sonic behavior of any guitar amplifier and offers exactly the tone and feel the player knows from his “real” amp. The times of struggling to “re-find” that magic mic position in front of the speaker are over. Now there will be a profile available of basically any sonic condition the tube amp setup can provide.
Of course not every guitar player owns a perfect studio environment or owns a number of classic tube amps. That is why the Kemper Profiling Amplifier comes stacked full with profiles of classic tube amps: the british, the californish, the germish…of course including the classic speaker cabinets which are a part of the profiling result.
NF Audio Releases RD15 Deluxe Reamping & DI Box
Re-amping is a great concept and is overlooked a lot as a great option for guitarists or bassists. You split your amped signal and your dry signal and record them both so you can later take that dry signal and run it through another amp or through a plug-in amp emulator or even a POD if you’re into that sorta thing. Well the guys over at NF Audio have made this device to make re-amping even better and easier.
The NF Audio RD15 is an all passive, transformer based re-amplifying device and direct inject unit in one sturdy diecast enclosure. Take care of capturing your clean tracks and re-amplifying all with the one device!
The passive re-amplifying section features an identical circuit to that found in our flagship product, the RA10, which includes a continuously adjustable level control and adjustable output impedance .Both the DI and the re-amplifying unit employ the NF Audio TR10 microphone transformer, which is partly responsible for the RD15s smooth and detailed sound. The unit employs high quality connectors throughout including Neutrik TRS jacks, an Amphenol XLR connector, long-life Alpha potentiometers and precision 1% metal film resistors all hand-wired point-to-point inside a durable aluminium enclosure.
Retro Instruments Powerstrip
Most of the recording news sites don’t post this stuff because its considered “boutique” gear but I cater to all shapes and sizes of consumers and enthusiasts so I’m featuring a piece of gear that God would use if he were recording his solo album and I’ll tell you this, He doesn’t use Auto-Tune. Well this is basically a channel strip of a tube console with Pultec style EQ. Retro Instruments are known in the professional end of studios for their Retro 176 Limiting Amplifier. Wanna hear what that sounds like? Listen to Green Day’s latest politically charged sell-out diatribe to hear what it sounds like.
Here’s the info on the Powerstrip:
The Retro Powerstrip recording channel is a high powered “channel strip” or “vintage studio in a box”, capturing the tone of a tube mixing desk, Pultec-style tube EQ and British tube compressor all in one compact 2u rack unit. It has all the right inputs and enough gain for every microphone and instrument you can throw at it. It has a balanced line level input for pro-interface instruments and for use during mix time. The performance is purely musical. It is perfect for use in any size recording studio or on stage.
For more info on this product, click HERE
Antares Releases AutoTune 7 TDM
Slow news week due to Christmas being so close, but the Holidays come early for T-Pain, Kanye West, and About forty thousand other singers who can’t sing and have a Pro Tools HD system because Antares, helper of those who can’t sing for themselves has released Auto-Tune 7 for TDM systems.
Basically… a TDM system, for the new people, is a Pro Tools system that does most of the processing through a series of cards, thus relieving the strain from your desktop computer. The Native (or computer driven) version is already out and that benefits most of us but there might be some in the bunch here with HD rigs and I want to make sure you’re taken care of too. Plus I’ve been shopping for one lately as well so this benefits me too especially when my friends get bored. When this happens we have the studio to go into and see what a fart sounds like Auto-Tuned. The answer? Think of Lil Wayne’s singing voice meets constructed wind pipe.
Antares Audio Technologies has announced the release of TDM versions of Auto-Tune 7, the next generation of the worldwide standard in professional pitch correction.
Following the release of Auto-Tune 7 Native versions, Auto-Tune 7 TDM brings the latest incarnation of the world’s largest-selling audio plug-in to Avid’s Pro Tools HD platform on both Macintosh and PC. Featuring the second generation of Antares’ Evo™ Voice Processing Technology, a new-from-the-ground-up time manipulation system, new MIDI capabilities in Graphical Mode, and lots more, Auto-Tune 7 represents the most dramatic advancement in functionality since Auto-Tune’s original introduction in 1997.
As a bonus, Auto-Tune 7 TDM also includes a license for all of the Auto-Tune 7 Native versions.
For more info, click HERE
Xmas Idea #13 Sony Headphones
They’re not necessarily the cheapest but worth every penny. If you’re looking for a good entry level to middle end set of headphones, these are great especially for those clients that are a little rough on gear and like to throw inpromptu mosh sessions during AN ACOUSTIC SONG. I’m looking your way John Schug… You strike me as the type to do that. These are great in live situations as well. Like, if you leave them at a church, you won’t get them back looking like they were chewed on by a badger in heat. When you think about it, $99 isn’t that bad to spare you from the embarrassment of having the infamous “badger phones.”
Check out this awesome product description from Sony
Xmas Idea #12 The Zoom H1 Recorder
I’m not trying to be a Nagger Nelly but, wait wait wait why are you charging at me yelling RACIST sir – Oh nononono I said nagger, as in one who nags people. Whew I really gotta learn to type without actually saying the words out loud. OK where was I? Ahh yes… I’m not trying to ride you about this, oh how nice, someone’s come to sit next to me and this time he’s not mad. He’s actually very… NO I was typing not making a pass at you!! Good grief… I’m never coming back to this Starbucks again.
Ok, I’m covering my mouth as I type this one with one hand.
Do you have a budding little rockstar who likes to record him and his buddies’ jam sessions? How bout a kid in college who likes to sit in the back of class but her recorder never gets the lecture so you’re stuck with a $20,000 tuition and straight F’s? No to both… hmmm… Ok, Are you a tortured musician who wakes up in the middle of the night with the next hit song idea and you write down the chords and melody and the description you get simply says “Falcon Farm?” Ok that’s you? Fantastic, well I got a gift idea. This Zoom H1 Handy Recorder. This recorder features two directional mics in an X/Y pattern for a broader more in depth stereo sound. Plus, if you don’t like the mics onboard you can plug in an external mic OR even use this as a mic for your DSLR.. Now that sets this over the top for me. Its only $99, making it a perfect buy for all purpose use.
Now if you’ll excuse me… I’m going to another place to write these posts. How can I be posting from a Starbucks if I’m out at sea? Well you know all bloggers are douchebags who have to show off by setting their mac up in a public place so I wanted to further the stereotype. You will NEVER catch me doing that but I got a cheap laugh and a few jokes out of it.
For more info, click HERE
To buy, click HERE
Xmas Idea #11: Audio Technica AT2020
We’re getting really really close the Christmas so I’ll throw a few more ideas up here until then but after that you’re on your own. If you wait that long to buy presents, you probably truly don’t care about the person you’re buying for. (shifts eyes.. Look, I’m not even going to be home this Christmas so they can wait.) Do you have anyone on your list who just wants a regular mic to start out with? Well this was one of my first mics and I actually still use it to this day. At just $99, you can’t get a better smooth sounding mic with plenty of highs. And if you order now from Sweetwater, you can get it by Christmas. So pick this one up soon.
Audio-Technica’s stringent quality and consistency standards set the AT2020 apart from other mics in its class. Its low-mass diaphragm is custom-engineered for extended frequency response and superior transient response. With rugged construction for durable performance, the microphone offers a wide dynamic range and handles high SPLs with ease. The AT2020: the new standard for affordable side-address studio condensers.
- The price/performance standard in side-address studio condenser microphone technology
- Ideal for project/home-studio applications
- High SPL handling and wide dynamic range provide unmatched versatility
- Custom-engineered low-mass diaphragm provides extended frequency response and superior transient response
- Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of sounds from the sides and rear, improving isolation of desired sound source
- Pivoting, threaded stand mount attaches securely for easy and precise placement of the microphone
For more information, click on Audio Technica’s very early 2000’s looking site HERE
To buy, click HERE
Universal Audio Releases Studer A800 Plug-In
Digital recording has brought a lot of great things to the table: ease of use, portability, and most importantly, cost-effectiveness; but like almost everything in the world there is a downside. The downside with digital audio is that is has no soul in and of it’s own. Its like looking at an un-tinted window, crisp clear but no character; but analog was what gave audio the coloration to that proverbial window. So out of necessity comes a viable solution, analog emulated plug-ins. So now one of the greats gets it’s time to shine in the digital world.
For more than 30 years, artists and engineers alike have been drawn to the warm sound, solid “punchy” low-end, and overall presence of the Studer® A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder. The sheer number of albums recorded on this legendary 2” analog tape machine — including classics from Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty and Jeff Buckley — serve as shining examples of the musicality of analog tape.
Authenticated by Studer, and modeled by UA’s world-renowned team of DSP engineers and AES magnetic recording expert Jay McKnight over a 12-month period, the Studer A800 Multichannel Tape Recorder plug-in for UAD-2 is the first and only product of its kind. This plug-in faithfully models the entire multitrack tape circuit path and electronics of an A800 machine — plus the distinct sounds of multiple tape formulas. Put simply, it’s the world’s most accurate representation of professional analog tape recording, now available on Mac and PC.
Holiday Plug-In Giveaway
You know I don’t sell advertising on this site and that’s because if I feel a business is awesome, I don’t want any of you giving me the ol’ side-eye. I want this site to almost be exclusive spot where only the best of the best gear is displayed. That’s one of the reasons you don’t see as many posts as some other sites. I don’t want to waste your valuable in-office internet time with posts about something that wouldn’t interest you the reader. Wouldn’t you rather be laughing anyways? Y’all are all that matter and in reality, the reason I have this site. Well Vintage King is a kindred spirit. They sell only the best of the best in recording gear. Check out some of the awesomely high end gear they have. So to flex their muscles, they are giving away some pretty expensive software and all you have to do is register to win some. Even our buddies at Brainworx, who helped code the Elysia Alpha Compressor have some software in the drawing.
Holiday Software & Plugin Gift-Away
Vintage King is giving away some of the top Software & Plugins available today this holiday season. Now thru the end of the year we will be giving away software and plugins from the following manufacturers: Avid, Brainworx, Chandler Limited, Eventide, FLUX, iZotope, Lexicon, Nomad Factory, Sonalksis, SPL, Slate Digital & Universal Audio.
Just register and select the Software and/or Plugin package that you would like to win
Here is the link and while you’re over there go buy me a Telefunken U-47. What? It never hurts to ask.
