11/02/2012

TC-Helicon VoiceTone Harmony-M Vocal Effects Processors Review

TC-Helicon VoiceTone Harmony-M Vocal Effects Processors
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This really is the best addition I could find for my midi keyboard. The harmonies adjust perfectly to me playing! I would recommend this to anyone. There was only one thing I was slightly disappointed about, I didn't realize Manual Mode only allows 4 notes to be played at a time (but you can add your voice for a 5th). But still, besides that slight detail, it's the perfect foot pedal for any pianist/vocalist!
If you sing and play, you need to buy this! End of story.
Note: If you have a USB Midi cable, you will need a midi program that can process your keyboard input relatively quickly, otherwise your Harmony-M might get stuck on some strange chords :P. To get rid of needing a computer, I recommend just using a standard non-usb midi cable.

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Zildjian A Series 21-Inch Sweet Ride Cymbal Review

Zildjian A Series 21-Inch Sweet Ride Cymbal
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This is a classic ride, designed for jazz, and is nearly identical to my circa late 60s Avedis Zildjian 22" ride in sound.
The overtones are complex and fed by a seemingly unending sustain. This cymbal would not fit into a rock groove, but shines with traditional jazz. Listen to some of Joe Morello's work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and you'll get a good sense of what this cymbal sounds like.
I've played this cymbal on sets and I'm tempted to sell my precious 22" ride and get one of these, but the older Avedis just seems to improve with age, so I won't.
As a side note, while I dearly love this cymbal, my absolute favorite ride is the 19" Zildjian Armand Signature Ride (ASIN B0002GFNF4). If you are considering this cymbal give the Armand Signature a look (and play) first before making a final decision.

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11/01/2012

Alesis DM10 Studio Kit Professional Six-Piece Electronic Drum Set Review

Alesis DM10 Studio Kit Professional Six-Piece Electronic Drum Set
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For some crazy reason, I decided to start drums. I have a small home studio and play some guitar and getting drum tracks into the music I create has always been a problem. I know I could have gotten a (better?) acoustic kit for the same price, but by the time you add mics to get it recorded, it ends up being more expensive. And with Electronic drums you have an endless array of sounds available and the ability to edit your performance after the fact. So anyhow, for my purposes, this kit seems very good.
I read a couple of posts on the internet and expected it to take between 45 minutes to an hour to set up. 4 hours later I had a roughly organized initial setup. I had never played drums before and had no idea where I wanted things to be. I ended up having to reverse some mounts to get the drums in the position I think they should be. There is a curved bar for the front top - it was unclear in the very limited setup directions which way this bar should be mounted. I have no idea if I have it correct or not, and it would take another hour to change it if it is wrong. The setup directions need to be a lot better. The supplied wiring seems short in places. If the supplied wiring can only be attached one way, then the directions should show you that one way, and they don't. The hihat pedal is also not as responsive as I would expect. I have read that the Roland hihat pedal will work with this kit and is a better choice so I probably will get one and use it.
The other electronic aspect I have not been able to solve yet is that the kit is supposed to be able to use the USB connection to transmit and receive midi. I have yet to get that working on a PC, but I have heard that it works on a mac. Perhaps Alesis is just behind in getting proper PC drivers out for it.
Other than that, the brains (DM-10) has very good sounds and very good adjust-ability for sensitivity and response.
The drums themselves play fine. The good news is that there are instruction for mods on the internet that will allow you to convert these to much better drums, for about $12 each. At that point, for $999 + ($12 x5) = $1060 you have the equivalent of some $2500+ electronic kits. As I get a little better with my playing, I plan on making those mods.
Alesis should really consider splitting package into 2 separate boxes to make shipping easier (via common UPS etc). The problem is a single box weighs 75lbs and that exceeds the UPS limit. Freight shipping was a nightmare. It went through at least 3 different companies, the final which refused to deliver to a residential area with their large trucks. I ended up having to go pick these up myself after paying $160 for shipping. No store within 3 hours drive plans on stocking a kit like this, so shipping was the only option. I still feel ripped off to pay that much for delivery and have to go pick it up myself at the shipping companies convenience.
Bottom line - Great kit. Good feel, excellent potential. Perfect for my small studio.

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Ludwig Junior 5 Piece Drum Set with Cymbals (Wine Red) Review

Ludwig Junior 5 Piece Drum Set with Cymbals (Wine Red)
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I have to say how impressed I am. This is not a "toy" kit. This is a real drum kit. It just happens to be small enough for children to play. I have been a drummer for 25 years and this kit is of the same quality as most of the kits I have ever played. Although I had no trouble setting it up I can understand that many people would like to have assembly instructions. I imagine many people who buy this kit for their child will not be drummers themselves and may not have put together other kits in their life. If you are buying this for your child and you are not familiar with drum kit assembly I recommend putting this together the night before you plan to give it to them, after they go to bed. It took me about an hour to put it together and I knew what I was doing.
With proper tuning these drums sound like a pro kit. It probably won't matter to your child at first, but when they start getting the hang of it you may want to look into how to properly tune drums. The internet has countless sites offering opinions on this subject. Do your homework then teach your child how to tune the drums for themselves.
The cymbal quality is the only thing about this set that is not pro quality. However, for the price, they will be fine as starter cymbals. You can't really expect pro cymbals as well for a total package price of $300. You could easily spend that much on cymbals alone.
We bought this kit for my son's third birthday. He can reach the pedals (which he cannot do on my full size set) and he has been having a blast acting like a little rock star. I'm sure this kit will be all he needs until he is big enough for a full size kit (if he sticks with it of course).

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JBL JRX118S Single 18-Inch 350W Continuous, 1400W Peak Passive Sub Bass Loudspeaker with Pole Mount Review

JBL  JRX118S Single 18-Inch 350W Continuous, 1400W Peak Passive  Sub Bass Loudspeaker with Pole Mount
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I own two of these subs and are MORE than satisfied! The bass is tight and punchy, but they can go low if you want them to. Make sure you use a crossover with a 24db slope and a good sound processor. I use a Behringer DSP 1424P sound enhancer and a BBE Max X3 crossover...GREAT SOUND!!!!!!!! Also the JRX118S has a 4ohm impedance, so make sure your amp is stable at 4ohms stereo. If are using one amp and are running two subs on one channel and your full range speakers on the other, make sure that your amp is stable at 2ohms. I recommend QSC amps!! These subs are complete over-achievers for the price!!!!!!

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JBLJRX118S Single 18 Inch 350W Continuous, 1400W Peak PassiveSub Bass Loudspeaker in a Robust Black Carpet Covered Cabinet with Pole Mount.

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Lanikai CK-B Curly Koa Baritone Ukulele Satin Natural Review

Lanikai CK-B Curly Koa Baritone Ukulele Satin Natural
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I bought this uke used from MusiciansFriend.com a while back. It is my first instrument ever and I am pleased to say that it is an absolute beauty. If you are looking for a stunning Ukulele for a reasonable price, definitely consider the CK-B. It sounds amazing and it is not too bad on the eyes either.
It is the only Baritone I have ever held and I don't have any desire to ever get rid of it.

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Behringer PMP3000 1,200-Watt 16-Channel Powered Mixer Review

Behringer PMP3000 1,200-Watt 16-Channel Powered Mixer
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We bought this powered mixer to replace a defective one at our church. Our sanctuary can seat 900 people and so it is a fairly large auditorium. The mixer has more power than the previous powered mixer and many more features. I especially like the individual channel mute buttons so we can kill a mic without having to move the gain adjustments. The only thing I did not like about this mixer is there was no block working diagram available. So we had to construct one for ourselves. To a trained eye, by using a block schematic diagram, it is easier to know how to set up the mixer for different applications and to troubleshoot a problem.
The actual steady state power output is more like 200 watts (each of the two stereo outputs)for our 8 ohm speaker system but still is greater that the old powered mixer. That is a total of 400 watts as compared to the (at first glance) advertised 1200 watts. We do not have to use the maximum gain on any channel so the output is fine for our use. There is also a headset output that follows the actual powered signal which can give you a better idea of mixed signal that is sent to the speakers and to our DVD and CD recorders.
The people at Behringer were able to answer all my questions without any problems so tech support was great. We did have a little difficulty in figuring out how to use the FX special effects (reverb, etc) generator but once we did figure it out, using it was just as advertised. You can probably guess that the instruction manual is not extensively done. But with a limited budget for an emergency purchase of a powered mixer, we are thoroughly satisfied with the quality and price.
The price is exceptional and caused a few doubting comments about how could we get what we needed for such a small price. We have been using the unit for two months now with absolutely no problems.
My suggestion is that before you purchase this unit, download the instruction manual from the Behringer site. You will see the output connection is not a 1/4 jack. If that is what you have, you will have to buy an adapter or convert the present cable connection to the new type. The adapters or connectors are not very expensive (Neutrik NA4LJX Speakon To 1/4" Mono Jack Adapter)and cost under $11 including shipping. You can optionally by the Speakon connectors and convert the speaker cable to the new connector type.

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If you need superior stereo sound for small club gigs, churches or speeches, but have to keep the outboard gear to a minimum, the 16-channel PMP3000 can deliver. This 1,200- Watt mixer has built-in mic preamps and an FX processor, as well as enough power to drive mains and monitors, thanks to dual onboard 600-Watt power amps.

Massive Mono or Stunning Stereo The PMP3000 gives you the choice of 2 x 600-Watt stereo, 2 x 600-Watt dual mono or 1,200-Watt bridged mono sound. Whether the center of attention happens to be a folk trio, a speech, or a synth-rock band with mind-boggling stereo patches, the PMP3000 can accommodate. This sonic versatility also makes it an excellent choice for churches, where vocals and stereo recordings often share face time.
Classic Control, State-of-the-Art Sound Leave the mic preamps at home, because the quality of sound that was once only available in the studio is ready to go wherever you do. Eight built-in, boutique-caliber mic preamps with switchable +48 V phantom power make it possible to use either dynamic or condenser mics with the PMP3000.
Built-in Digital Effects Processor The PMP3000 is also equipped with a 24-bit FX processor, giving you 100 mind-blowing digital effect presets such as delay, chorus and reverb. Apply them to any channel, as well as to the monitors and main output. In case you're pulling double duty as sound engineer and performer, the FX processor features a footswitch jack for remote on/off.
Changing the Channels The PMP3000 gives you excellent flexibility to accommodate whatever a performance requires. Channels 1-8 are for mics, guitars and other mono instruments. Stereo channels 9-16 are ideal for keyboards. All mono channels have 3-band EQ, switchable Low Cut filter for eliminating infrasonics, and Clip LEDs to indicate when the input signal is too hot.
The Ins and Outs Use the CD/TAPE IN RCA inputs to feed in external stereo signals from CD players or tape decks. The VOICE CANCELLER switch eliminates the vocals from pre-recorded music for karaoke applications.
CD/TAPE RCA outputs send line-level signals from the mixer to a recording device. Left and right output 1/4" connectors are there in case you need to connect more power amps. Connect your monitor power amps or active monitor speakers to the MON SEND output.
A STANDBY switch mutes all mic channels during breaks, preventing the microphones from picking up noise or interference. You can leave all faders untouched while you play a CD via the CD/TAPE inputs.
The FBQ Feedback Detection system automatically shows you which frequencies are causing feedback. Just touch the FBQ button and watch the red LEDs on the 7-band graphic EQ pinpoint which frequencies to adjust for optimized sound, without the feedback.
Speaking of Optimized Output The PMP3000's POWER AMP switch toggles between three operating modes: MAIN, MON/MONO and BRIDGE (the power outputs of A and B on the back panel are added and provided at OUTPUT B). Dual mono mode allows you to use Output A for mono Mains and Output B for monitors. This clever functionality powers both your mains and monitors without the need for an additional power amp.
What's in the Box Behringer PMP3000 Powered Mixer, Power Cable, User's Manual

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