GCI Technologies is now shipping the MS-USB, an all-inclusive portable sound system with a USB memory port and SD card slot, allowing direct playback of media files from thumb drives and memory cards. For added convenience, a stereo RCA input also lets you connect a CD player or iPod. Ideal for speeches, assemblies, tradeshows, parties, outdoor events and even mobile music applications, the MS-USB offers a great sounding, supremely portable PA solution.
Grammy award-winning drummer Morgan Ågren has been playing alongside some of the biggest stars in music for the best part of 30 years. It doesn’t get much better than having Bill Bruford saying you have ‘remarkable technical ability and playing skills’ and Steve Vai describing you as having ‘an extraordinary amount of talent’, but these are just a couple of the plaudits heaped upon Ågren.
Zoom recently announced the release of their mobile music production studio, the R8. It is perfect tool for capturing audio on-the-go. The new R8 combines four production tools in one compact, versatile device. In addition to being an 8-track playback/2-track simultaneous recorder that utilizes SD memory, the R8 is an audio interface, a control surface and a pad sampler.
We know, … it is only thursday but here (Europe) today is a holiday and most of the people will take a long weekend, .. as are we. So here’s the ‘Something for the Weekend‘ post. This time it’s a revisit to Mario Jurisch whom we’ve known since his very first venture in the DIY hardware controller ‘scene’ with his impOscar 2 Controller.
A big hit on the past MusikMesse in Frankfurt, the Arturia Spark ‘creative drum machine’ should be avialble worldwide now. Combining the power of analog synthesis, physical modelling and samples, through the intuitive workflow of a hardware drum machine, Spark is a highly creative beat production center.
Studio by day, on stage in the evening, at home by night … play loud without being loud. The Reducer attenuates the power output of the guitar amp. This means that all sorts of amps, especially tube amps, can now be overdriven without the need of having to be too loud.
This morning after ‘firing up’ my Twitter account, I pretty soon got to read the tweets about the loss of another great musician and artist, Gill Scott-Heron. An artist who has, undoubtedly, played a big part in the rise of soul and rap music and was a big influence for many of todays artists.
Mackie, in conjunction with its exclusive Chinese distributor, Lee Sheng, announces the worldwide launch of the new ProFX16 and ProFX22 mixers at PALM China today. With increased channel count and useful tools like dedicated inline compression, both new models are perfect for mid-sized venues and bands looking for a do-it-all live sound solution.
Music Making Month has crested over the hill and now we are winding down to the last full week of events. We’ve come a long way, learned a ton, and even survived the end of the world on Saturday. What better way to celebrate that fact than with MORE Music Making Month Events!
Back around 2006, T-Mobile Germany made this rather comprehensive film on techno giant Richie Hawtin for its Electronic Beats marketing series. Thankfully, the doc is pretty bereft of cell-phone branding junk, and focuses solely on the DJ/producer’s rise to fame, from his humble, Canada-by-way-of-Britain beginnings to his current status as the toast of Berlin’s techno scene. This is the first time that the documentary has been viewable online, so enjoy the 70-odd minutes of classic Detroit footage and interviews with the likes of Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Mute label head Daniel Miller, DJ Magda, Hawtin’s ever-involved parents, and, of course, Hawtin himself.
Michael Brauer has enjoyed an illustrious 30-year music career, mixing chart-topping albums by renowned artists including Coldplay, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, and The Rolling Stones. Last month he nabbed the coveted Best Engineered Album Grammy® Award for John Mayer’s Battle Studies, the latest in a long line of accolades for this A-list mixer. Long revered for the storied sonic approach he calls “BRAUERIZE”, Brauer holds court over an amperage-busting, NASA-like collection of vintage outboard gear at New York’s Electric Lady Studios. But even with access to some of the world’s most prized electronics, Brauer delegates a large portion of his signal processing duties these days to Universal Audio’s UAD-2 Powered Plug-Ins. “They have the sound I’m looking for,” he says. “And for me, it’s all about sound.”
Last april we met the people of sE Electronics at the MusikMesse where they showed us their new Egg monitoring system. Oddly shaped but most intriguing and definitely interesting sounding. A few weeks ago we got an invite to the sE Electronics HQ in the UK to learn more about the company and also the soon to be released Egg Monitors.
Roland is pleased to announce the new VIMA® JM-5 Sound Module is now shipping. With thousands of high-quality sounds, an elegant design, and an easy-to-use interface, the JM-5 is the perfect all-in-one solution for full control of musical backgrounds at home or at any entertainment venue.
A pessimist would say that Music Making Month is half over. An optimist would say it’s only half begun. But a regular viewer to our events so far would say, “Don’t bother me with that. I’m busy making music!” This week in Music Making Month is one of our busiest and biggest yet, with some exciting new additions too.
Many, many years ago when we started Gearjunkies, we had to come up with a name. We wanted it to reflect the thought we had in our minds: the love for gear. Marc, Mark and myself (Eric) had a common love for electronic music but also the affection for the gear that made this music. That was when the name ‘Gearjunkies’ came into the picture and pretty soon we decided that this would be the name for our ‘project’: Gearjunkies!