Musical Instruments

The iLoud Studio Monitor Speaker is a small package that can pack a hefty little punch. It’s meant for listening to music like other wireless speakers, but it also has special features. If you’re a musician looking for a small keyboard amp or software-driven guitar amp, or if you need to check mixes on the go to make sure they’ll translate well to other systems, the iLoud has you covered.

  Home recording technology seems to get better and cheaper with every passing moment. What you can achieve in your spare room or home studio today was only in the realm of high-priced professional installations a dozen years ago. The problem you’ve probably already encountered is that there is a LOT of information out there. I’m going to try and break things down into manageable chunks. I’ll walk you through some concepts you should be familiar with and touch on some gear that you may or may not want to consider.

 Piano is one of the great instruments for your family. Anyone can play! First, you’ll need to decide which piano is right for your home. You could choose something more expensive, but you may not need to. There are different models of instruments for different levels – beginner, intermediate and advanced. I’ll try to help you decide which type is right for you and your family.  

Any meaningful discussion with an recording engineer will inevitably morph into a discussion about microphones. Just as a closet full of shoes is never enough for a lot of the women I’ve known, a closet full of microphones is rarely ever enough for most recording engineers. There are a lot of different types of microphones and there are a many, many brands, shapes and sizes to pick from. I hope to at least get you started with a road-map of what to look for in microphones and I apologize in advance for setting you on this path! If you’re set on recording as a hobby or career, there’s a very good chance that you’re going to get slightly obsessed with microphones.

IK Multimedia makes a number of well-respected products for the pro-audio market, but has struck a chord, in a big way, by creating simple devices and apps for the iOS platform.    Their “i” line of hardware products allow musicians and music lovers to create, record and produce music on their iOS device in a way that is not intimidating, but also gives access to deep features.   They’ve come out with two new iOS products this year: the iRig Mic HD and the iRing.