By Jason Gilstrap

Pedals / Snare

Examine the pedals and make sure they are at the right distance they need to be so your legs are comfortable. Even if you have to move the snare out of the way for a moment to figure it out. Even though I’m a tall guy and play three pedals, my legs would rub against the snare to much with a 14″ snare. I’ve downgraded to a 13″inch drum which was traded for with my standard 14″inch tin can. I got a really good deal on it as the new snare is a custom maple piccolo. Only have to cough up maybe $50 dollars.

Now I could have kept the other snare but I prefer an even smaller secondary snare drum that can fit on the opposite side of the hi-hat. You may Continue Reading...

By Patti Lamb

You see guitars being played everywhere, everyday. You hear it on the radio, you see them in the parks, you might even have friends that come over and jam on them. An acoustic guitar works a bit different than an electric guitar. To begin to understand how a guitar works we’ll start with the one that’s been along longer-the acoustic guitar.

The acoustic guitar is a favorite for kids and adults to pick up to learn to play. It is popular for a lot of reasons. It’s a good accompaniment, it can be played solo so you don’t have to have anyone else around, and it goes along with today’s music. And when you think today’s music, guitar can go along with any of today’s music. It is popular with rock, pop, easy listening, classical, country, flamenco and just about any other type of music you can think of.

The acoustic guitar has been around for hundreds of years. It is known to date back at least to the 1500’s but the guitar back then is just a bit different than the guitar we play today. Of course with the addition of a little thing called electricity there is a whole different side of the sound of guitar.Speaking of which how does a guitar make its music? What do all the parts do to make it sound the way that it sounds? These are questions Continue Reading...

By Sarit Bruno

Studio Considerations

The magic of the recording studio has often mystified even the most seasoned professionals. With all the knobs, switches and buttons on various gear and large format consoles, no wonder confusion sets in to most non-techies. Many people, especially artists, composers, producers, and engineers, will end up putting together their own studio for writing and pre-production, with some eventually deciding to take the plunge and create a full-fledged recording complex that is capable of recording major albums. This article will try to shed some light on the considerations to take into account when making a studio, be it a small home studio or a professional recording studio.

Is size important? Some may say it is so but this is not always the case. The dimensions of the studio are very important. A room too large may become over-reverberant or full of unwanted echoes. A room too small may sound tight and unnatural. It is important that the room size and room sound is relevant to the type of music you are recording. You don’t want to go into a very small tight room to record BIG rock drums. Although, big room sounds can be achieved by adding external reverb effects to simulate rooms at a later time when necessary.

It is best to find the room that suits the sound you are trying to achieve from the beginning of the recording process. The smaller the room, the Continue Reading...