live sound

When preparing for a show, there are certain things you need to do to have a stress free gig. One of them is to carry out a sound check. When done properly, it gives you confidence that things will run as planned. In this article, we have compiled a long list of sound check items to give you an idea of what you can add to your pre-show routine in order to get things running as smoothly as possible.     Continue reading →

Nowadays, the music industry is more fragmented and competitive than ever and things like file sharing, streaming and consumers buying single tracks Vs. entire albums on sites like iTunes have taken a toll on artists at every level. But the internet has changed the game for everyone, especially the up and coming DIY artist. For the first time in history, a musician can connect with millions of would-be fans and other musicians across the globe and earn a living with their music. The best part is you can forgo the major labels and their million-dollar marketing budgets that leave many signed artists in servitude and creative unhappiness. Musicians can now be in total control of their own careers and receive a much larger part of the revenue from sales and other income than they would have in the past.   Continue reading →

Volume and gain – musicians use these two all the time but if you ask them to explain to you the differences among them and how they relate to each other, chances are they wouldn’t even know where to begin. Sure, you don’t need to know exactly how to explain volume and gain in order to make the most out of it — you mess around with the two into you get the right amount of loudness and distortion – but it never hurts to know. And if you happen to be in the market for a new amp, the information is more valuable since volume and gain are closely related. Continue reading →

The Telefunken M80 is a dynamic microphone designed mainly for live vocal performances but boasts enough range to make it well suited for studio work as well. With big-name users from a wide variety of genres, from ZZ Top to Snoop Dogg and Cee Lo Green, the M80 has become a popular alternative to to the more common SM58. Residing in the very crowded mid-tier range of dynamic microphones, does the Telefunken M80 have enough going for it to separate itself from the pack? Continue reading →

[caption id="attachment_3178" align="alignright" width="155"] Monster Prolink Performer 600 Speaker Cable @ $24.95[/caption] A ¼ inch cable is a ¼ inch cable, right? Not so. Despite their nearly identical looks, an instrument cable and speaker cable are actually very different under their jacket and are not meant to work interchangeably. This means that if you use the wrong cable, there’s a good chance you’re going to run into unwanted trouble. Continue reading →