la - The Deli

More documents

Recommendations

Info

kitchen recording equipment news Hardwire Guitar Pedal Series www.hardwirepedals.com Review by Howard Stock Right out of the box, you can tell the folks at Hardwire know what it’s like to schlep gear to some sticky dive bar with a stage so dark you can’t see your strings. They throw in extras that don’t have to, such as a fluorescent sticker that you can stick on the toe switch for blackout gigs, a rubber cover that fits over the knobs when you’ve got them where you want them—a particularly good idea for delay pedals where only one combination of settings will do—and they even include a made-tomeasure Velcro cutout to attach it to a pedal board. Even the battery compartment is designed with the minimum of fuss. The pedals are also handsome in their metallic paint jobs, knurled aluminum knobs and (mostly) blue LEDs. But as the saying goes, it’s what’s inside that counts. DL-8 Delay/Looper The DL-8 does a ton of stuff that’s really fun if you’re playing by yourself, and you can easily lose hours monkeying around making space noises and using the 20 seconds of loop memory to lay down a groove. It’s by far my favorite of the Hardwire line. Look at the options: you’ve got anywhere from 0.5 seconds to one, two and eight seconds’ delay, a reverse mode that’s just plain spooky, modulated, analog, a useful slap mode, grainier lo-fi and tape modes and then loop, which is so straightforward Hardwire prints the instructions on top of the pedal—Loop Record: Hold Pedal and Play. The DL-8 also features tap tempo for intrepid guitarists who manage to break free of this tar pit of self-indulgence and actually make it to rehearsal where they’ve got a drummer to coordinate with. As with Hardwire’s other delay effects, the DL-8 features dual inputs and optional stereo output. Playing alone and jacking up the levels, this “Luckily, the controls and the thoughtful design of the different modes means that guitarists with a light hand can quickly dial in useful delays.” pedal is incredibly inspiring, but like all delay pedals, it takes a great deal of discipline to use this wisely in a band setting. Luckily, the controls and the thoughtful design of the different modes means that guitarists with a light hand can quickly dial in useful delays, from U2 atmospherics to jumpy rockabilly slap back. The best effects inspire guitarists to explore creative directions they wouldn’t have discovered otherwise, and the DL-8 is definitely one of those pedals. RV-7 Stereo Reverb with Lexicon Reverb The promotional materials for the RV-7 regularly and enthusiastically tout Hardwire’s partnership with Lexicon, a company that makes top reverb rack effects and software. The result is a pedal crammed with seven different synthetic reverb modes. Reverb is a tricky effect—unless you’re going for all-out surf madness, you just want it to insinuate itself into your sound by adding a godlike resonance to your noodling. The RV-7 offers plenty of options for fans of both and throws in what the other similar pedals lacks, a reverse reverb mode. Hardwire’s RV-7 digitally models vintage favorites plate and spring reverb and adds room and hall modes for those looking to replicate the sound of an empty venue. The pedal also includes gated reverb, modulated reverb, which swirls a bit, and, of course, reverse reverb, which is intriguing but difficult to put to “The RV-7 does jacked-up ghostly sustains very well without sounding inorganic.” any practical use due to the effect’s odd time lag. The RV-7 does jackedup ghostly sustains very well without sounding inorganic, but politely takes a back seat when it’s set to more subtle levels and familiar modes, while offering dual inputs and stereo output. While there’s no replacement for a great reverb tank, Hardwire’s RV-7 brings realistic reverb and a ton of options for players who want more control than the real thing is able to offer. CR-7 Stereo Chorus Hardwire’s delay pedals are extraordinarily versatile, and the CR-7 is no exception. Chorus, an effect that is by no means loved by all, at least benefits here from its seven different modes. The differences between them are basically warmth and clarity. The studio mode, for example, has heaps of the latter, but sounds a little sterile as a result. One would imagine the modes would get less clear and more warm as each clockwise twist of the mode knob takes the pedal into vintage territory, but it’s not the case. The quirkiest one is boutique, right at 12 o’clock, which has a pleasant warmth but the chorus’s warble sounds fake and digital. But far the most aurally satisfying is the gorgeous jazz mode, which manages to sound more vintage than the vintage mode, and is so much warmer. For stage use, though, I’d stick to the studio, multi and modern modes. Analog and vintage shoot for old, but neither does it as well as jazz, and the boutique mode falls well short of all the others. The pedal’s speed and depth controls are very responsive and allow a great degree of sonic shaping, and the pedal offers two inputs and two outputs, so if you use two amps or want to combine wet and dry input signals there are plenty of options. In short, if you want a chorus stomp, the Hardwire contains several very good options in a single pedal. The Hardwire line also features a Tremolo, Metal, Valve Distortion, Overdrive and Tuner pedals. For full review, visit www.sonicscoop.com. the deli LA_18 winter 2011
kitchen recording equipment news ADK S-7 & A-6 www.adkmic.com Review by Shane O’Connor Gear manufacturers far too often act like pimps hustling their goods under the veil of trendy marketing terms and “celebrity” testimonials. ADK takes a different stance and talks frankly about what they sell and how it can aid in the recording process. I received one S-7 and one A-6 large diaphragm condenser microphone. The build quality of both mics is extremely solid. There is no question that ADK is making products that are meant for serious studio use. The S-7 is an FET based mic intended for high SPL sources such as guitar speaker cabinets or drums. I cranked a number of guitar amps in front of it and it never came close to breaking up. Two pads on the microphone can be useful to get a less compressed guitar signal. On guitar amps, the S-7 is extremely clean and open but doesn’t fizz out. It is usable as a single mic, especially for cleaner country oriented sources, but it really shines in addition to a Shure SM-57. The S-7 worked well further away from the speaker, and it’s particularly useful for its accurate low end, which is ideal on chuggy distorted guitars. When placed outside of a kick drum tunnel 3 feet away from the beater head, the S-7 again gave me a very flattering low end, which I compressed with an 1176 to pull it back up. When placed about 4 feet away from the snare the S-7 gave me a useful mono picture of the entire drum kit without hyping the cymbals in a harsh manner, which complemented the other drum mics. I should note that the drummer I was testing this with was heavy handed. ADK advertises the A-6 as a more “all around” studio condenser microphone that is great on acoustic instruments. I placed the microphone about 5 inches above middle C on a honky-tonk upright piano. I was looking for something to pop out of the mix without overwhelming the guitars. The A-6 nailed it. The dynamics remained clean and worked well with hefty compression and limiting. I had a few chances to use the A-6 on acoustic guitar and results were very satisfying. A slightly brighter mic, the A-6 handled the high end EQ boost on jangly acoustic guitars very well. I started testing these mics while unaware of their price point and was shocked to find out that they are available for under $300 each. They are on par or better than similar ones worth 4 times as much. If I were selecting microphones for a new studio, a stereo pair of each of these would be on my must have list. INDIE BANDS & SONGWRITERS the deli tasty tunes from the city of angels WHAT’S THE POINT OF MUSIC CHARTS IF THEY AREN’T RIGHT??? Sign Up for free @ www.thedelimagazine.com/signup Many websites for musicians feature music charts that are limited to their subscribers. What’s the point of that? The Deli charts include ALL the big names of your scene, and they are organized in detailed regions and genres, including Alt Rock, Indie, Country, Electronica, Songwriters, Indie Pop, Post Punk, Alt Folk and many more, to allow you to find the right niche for your music. the deli LA_19
Page 1 and 2: the deli tasty tunes from the city
Page 3: HEAR. MY MUSIC. HEAR. MY LIFE. HEAR
Page 6 and 7: BestofL.A. 2011 Emerging Artists Ba
Page 8 and 9: Best of L.A. 2011 #2 By Pepper Rabb
Page 10 and 11: BestofL.A. 2011 Emerging Artists Be
Page 12 and 13: BestofL.A. 2011 Emerging Artists Be
Page 14 and 15: the snacks the deli’s CD reviews
Page 16 and 17: kitchen recording equipment news Av
Page 20: kitchen best selling gear Affordabl

la - The Deli

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?