Musical Instruments

We are all familiar with the iconic DJ scratching away on vinyl, as the art of turntablism grew these DJ would create more complex routines using just vinyl records, turntables and a mixer. Over time with the move away from vinyl to digital, all these complex mixing routines have now moved onto the computer, to be controlled via DJ controllers. One of the big names in digital DJ controllers is Hercules and this year at NAMM 2016 they had some new hardware to show off, the Hercules P32 DJ controller and the DJUCED 40 3.0 software. 

When it comes to guitar effects pedals, or “stomp boxes” as they are often referred, the Boss brand pedals are certainly among the most ubiquitous on a guitarist’s pedal board. The BOSS OD-1X—BOSS’ newest Overdrive offering—The BOSS BD-2w Blues driver, and the BOSS TE-2 Tera Echo are among the newest effect pedal offering from the revered company. The 3 pedals on review here all have their own little nuances and tones to offer and it ultimately will depend on what you are looking for in your pedal that will determine which you will want to purchase and add to your pedal board.

I’m going to be showing my age here, but I was in high school when the CZ-101 was introduced in hardware form. It was one of those little synths that you could easily pass off as a toy, but packed a lot of punch and eventually proved to be one of the iconic “retro” synths that are in demand decades later.

A lot of different bang for your buck.   The Alesis Transactive Wireless speaker functions as a wired speaker, a Bluetooth speaker, a USB charger for your mobile devices, an amplifier for guitar, keyboards, or electronic drums, and a small Personal Address (P.A.) system. It is portable, can run on AC power or with the built in rechargeable battery, and can even be pole mounted. This hard working unit can do it all and not empty the bank account.

Today was busy! Even the exhibitors on the floor thought it was busy. The weather was fantastic (although I only caught a glimpse of it on the walk to the Annaheim Convention Centre), there were some artists spotted and some cool new gear discovered by yours truly.