Musical Instruments

The age old adage that “bigger is better!” can finally be put to rest once and for all. Roland’s mighty might of an acoustic guitar—and more—amplifier, the AC-40 is versatile enough to fill many different needs and wishes.

You’ve got your guitar, and a tune in your head. But you also imagine a particular tone you’d like your skull crushing rock epic to sound like. Your guitar is certainly a part of that overall sound, and your playing styles and techniques will certainly contribute. Ultimately, though, your amplifier is what will define your tone. The number of amplifier options and technologies involved seem endless, and can be confusing. How do you even begin looking? I’ll try to help you find the amp that will deliver the sound you want.  

When my children were younger, I remember my wife and I contemplating questions like: when is my child ready for music? and How can I make sure they’ll like it? Even though we’re both classically trained pianists and I write and produce music for a living, we STILL grappled with these questions! Well I’m going to try to give all parents some answers. In addition to my own perspective on this subject, I bounced a few ideas off Jennifer Gasoi (2014 Grammy Award Winner- Best Children’s Album). She obviously has some fantastic insights and tips. You’ll see her perspective liberally peppered throughout this post.

Another NAMM show has come to a close and while all the exhibitors contemplate packing up their booths, I’m reflecting on all that I’ve seen over the past few days. There weren’t any show-stopping standout announcements this year, but there was a lot to see!

Like most of you in the home and project studio game, I like to read the trade magazines and gear review sites frequently. I’m a firm believer in the “it’s-not-about-the-gear” mantra, but hey, if money weren’t an object…

Akai terms their Advance line of controllers as “unprecedented” plug-in control. The 49-note version that I played with came pretty close to the mark.  I can see its potential as a studio and live situation controller that, once you adjust your workflow, will help you organize, recall and control all of your software synths and effects.

It’s always been a mystery how Behringer comes out with products that pack so many features but don’t break the bank.   The new U-Phoria line of audio interfaces does just that. With world-class pre-amps from MIDAS, these seem to be a no-brainer.

In the crowded market of digital pianos, it’s hard to stand out. The Casio PX-760 seems to accomplish just that feat with a feature-rich package that impresses but at the same time, doesn’t intimidate.

Saturday is always the busiest day (and night) at NAMM – as you can see by the crowd waiting to get in. The weekend brings out a lot of local people who couldn’t make it the last two days and/or folks looking to spot artists roaming the floors. We didn’t have any specific appointments to hit today, so I took the opportunity to just walk around and see what I could find.

Saturday was a-buzz with artist endorsement and demonstrations. That came with the obvious lines and crowds huddled around the booths to the displeasure of convention centre security. NAMM sometimes becomes a game of “Do I know him/her?”.