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Clyde Deluxe WahWe love guitars, and we’re always onthe lookout for guitar-related gear thatnot only excites us, but that we think you’ll be intoas well. With that in mind, we couldn’t be happier toannounce that Sweetwater is now a Fulltone dealer!Fulltone is a southern California-based manufacturerof boutique stompboxes and guitar effects that arefavored by some of the biggest names in the business,including Tom Petty, Lou Reed, and members of theRolling Stones.Fulltone pedals aren’t your everyday run-of-the-millRC-20XLEchoplex2880 SuperMulti-track LooperJamManE2 HeadrushStereo Memory ManSweetwater WelcomesFulltone!Getting Loopystompboxes. These babies are hand-built inFulltone’s shop using a variety of custombuiltand top-notch components. On theinside, these stompboxes use Fulltonedesigned3PDT switches, custombrass-shaft pots, and custom-made22-gauge copper-stranded wire withno tin coating. To make sure Fulltone’spedals stand up to the rigors of the road,they’re put together using proprietary constructiontechniques including a “thru-PCB” pot-mountingmethod for extra internal stability. The end result is aline of pedals that sound great and are built to last.The range of pedals runs the gamut from great distortionto mind-blowing modulation, and everything inbetween. Fulltone offers the Clyde Standard vintagestylewah, and the Clyde Deluxe wah, which sportsthree selectable sonic modes for a huge palette ofgreat tones. There are spot-on recreations of classicslike Jimi’s favorite fuzz box and rotary speaker emulator(the ‘70and DejaVibepedals). Thenthere are pedaleffects that arepure Fulltone, likeChoral Flangethe ChoralFlange,a stompbox that many players feel is the ultimateanalog modulation/chorus pedal. Whether you’re lookingfor an improvement on a time-proven design ora vintage-tinged modern classic, Fulltone pedals arebuilt for tone and performance.> > Fulltone Clyde Deluxe WahSweetwater price $261.97www.sweetwater.com/ClydeDlxWah> > Fulltone Choral FlangeSweetwater price $269.97www.sweetwater.com/ChoralFlangeRC-50The right guitar pedal in your signal chain can blow open the doors of creativity. With that in mind, nothing cantrigger new ideas like a looper. Loopers let you capture a phrase of your guitar playing (or technically any othersource sound if you want to get really crazy) and then layer additional phrases and tracks on top at your whim.Some modern loopers have recording times that extend to nearly an hour, providing a ton of fl exibility for buildingsoundscapes.Boss excels at creating user-friendly stompboxes with pro features but pocketbook-friendly prices, and Sweetwatercarries three hugely popular models from them, ranging from the large-format RC-50 to the stompbox-sized RC-2.The RC-50 offers up 49 minutes of mono looping capability and support for up to three stereo phrases at a time— perfect for building full arrangements or complex multi-layer guitar parts. The mid-sized RC-20XL offers muchof the same functionality with 16 minutes of record time. The ultra-compact RC-2 is a pedalboard-friendly model. Allthree incorporate built-in drum machines.The JamMan is a DigiTech recreation of the legendary Lexicon JamMan with over 24 minutes of loop time using theincluded CompactFlash card (upgradeable to 2GB for 6.5 hours of audio storage, perfect for recording multiple fullarrangements). Since its looping is based on removable memory and its equipped with a USB port, transferring yourrecorded loops to your computer is easy.Now on to a pair of manufacturers that don’t instantly spring to mind when you’re talking guitar effects, Gibson Labsand AKAI. Gibson offers up the digital version of the analog classic Echoplex. This digital rendition of the Echoplexlets guitarists record up to 198 seconds of music, and will play back previous material and record new materialsimultaneously. Up to nine separate loops can be recorded and recalled as required. AKAI, a new entrant into theContinued on page 7SWEETNOTES | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 | PAGE 5Happy 50thAnniversary,M160!Quick: Think of a classicstudio microphone that’sbeen used on some of yourfavorite classic tracks. Didyou think “U 87?” “SM57?”Perhaps a ribbon mic, or, say, anAKG 414? Before you think ofmore, consider this oft overlookedmic locker essential: theBeyerdynamic M160. For half acentury, this dual-ribbon microphonehas performed yeoman’sduty capturing everything fromdelicate strings to monstrousrock drums. And yes, it’s been onlegendary recordings (“When theLevee Breaks,” anyone?). Whatbetter way to honor this mic andgive it some long overdue attentionthan an anniversary model?The Limited Edition M160 50thAnniversary version adds aclassy chrome fi nish to this greatmicrophone; a wooden storagebox and shockmount are includedin the package. What’s more,Sweetwater is the exclusive U.S.dealer for this remarkable mic.But what makes it so distinctive?Most ribbon mics are known fortheir characteristic fi gure-8 pickup pattern, which isgreat for certain applications,but can be limitingwhen you want to avoid signal bleed from other soundsources. The M160’s hypercardioid pickup pattern isexcellent for outside sound isolation, making it a highlycontrollable overhead drum mic, as well as a greatchoice for amps and instruments. Extended frequencyresponse helps the M160 capture articulate soundfor instruments, while its natural ribbon sound givesyou that elusive “in the room” feel. This mic is alsocompact, making it a great choice for those no-roomfor-microphonesapplications.To get the most out of your studio, you need highquality,versatile gear. The Limited Edition M160 50thAnniversary gives you the kind of sound you just can’tget with a condenser or dynamic model, while itspickup pattern makes it a unique ribbon design. Takethis golden opportunity to grab a great limited editionmic — call your Sales Engineer today!> > Beyerdynamic M160 50th AnniversarySweetwater price $699.97www.sweetwater.com/m160AnnivDiscover the Sweetwater Difference 1-800-222-4700 or www.sweetwater.com

SWEETNOTES | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 | PAGE 6InsideChuck SurackLast issue I told you that we were very close tocompleting the new Sweetwater campus. Now I’mproud to say that after more than 2-1/2 years of hardwork, we’ve made it! The fi nal pieces of the puzzlehave fallen intoplace, and we canfi nally see the fruitsof all our labor. Thelast two things tobe completed werethe Sweetwater PerformanceTheatre/Training Auditoriumand the Russ Bergerdesignedrecordingstudios that serveas the home forSweetwater Productions, our recording studio division.Just this past weekend (I’m writing this early in January),we held our annual Sweetwater Holiday Party forthe employees here at the new facility. In addition toa wonderful celebration, this also served as the fi rsttime that many of our employees and their spouseshad the opportunity to wander around and explore thebuilding, and to hear live music in our new theatre.It’s really a thrill to see this dream come to fruition,I hope that you’ll come to visit. There’s sure to besomething interesting going on in the building, aswe’ll be opening up the theatre for all sorts of performancesby community groups and for other events.We’d love to give you a tour and show you around!You can also visit http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/expansion/to check out the new facility.More Thanks!It seems as though I’m thanking you for some newmilestone in almost every issue of SweetNotes.This time out I have to express our gratitude for theamazing year we had in 2007. Once again, for thefi fth consecutive year, we experienced more than 20%growth. In an economy that looks increasingly shaky,to say we’re grateful for this vote of confi dence fromyou for what we do here at Sweetwater is a tremendousunderstatement!We’re so appreciative of your support. There’s nothingwe love more than providing the best customer experiencewe can for you. It means a lot to us to knowthat we’re helping you achieve your musical dreamsand goals. Thank you for placing your trust in us. Youcan be sure that we’ll be striving harder than ever toprovide an even better customer experience and evenmore services for you in 2008!Sweetwater Unveils State-of-the-artPerformance Theatre and StudiosSweetwater’sPerformanceTheatreImpressive as Sweetwater’s newly completed campus is, the unveiling oftwo of its standout facilities — the Performance Theatre and SweetwaterProductions recording studio complex — were truly highlights of the NewYear. On January 8th, Sweetwater staffers were on hand to witness theopening of the 250-seat Performance Theatre and get a taste of what ithas to offer. Sweetwater founder and president Chuck Surack provided anintroduction and overview.Built primarily as a training and demonstration facility for Sweetwater’sSales Engineers, the Performance Theatre provides crystal-clear soundreinforcement for speech, product demonstrations, music playback, livemusic, and media presentations. Such versatility makes the theatre agreat showcase for everything from critical-listening product comparisonsto local recitals. The “under the hood” aspects of this innovativeroom are truly incredible: designed by the renowned Russ Berger, thetheatre features a highly integrated combination of impressive power,speaker arrays, video technology, and state-of-the-art signalprocessing —the perceived “size” of the room can actuallybe changed sonically! Using over 80 speakers and more than50,000 watts of power, the theatre has plenty of headroom forany audio application. The use of DSP processing and a completelydigital signal path means pristine sound quality, from asingle vocal at the podium to a full-on production in 5.1 surround.The addition of a LARES electronic acoustic enhancementsystem actually allows the Performance Theatre to takeon the sonic characteristics of everything from a dry room toa huge cathedral, with natural response throughout the room.Using overhead mics, an incredible amount of wattage, anddozens of speakers placed throughout the theatre, the LARESsystem presents a perfect perspective to every seat in thehouse — as does the video system. Using a 30' (diagonal)main screen and two 9' (diagonal) side screens, the high-defi nition videosystem provides a crisp, detailed view from anywhere in the room. Sixhigh-def cameras and a Vista Spyder video processing system allow forfl exible, top-notch product demos. “The video system lets us put multiplecomputer screen images onscreen at the same time,” according toSweetwater Technical Training Coordinator Greg Baitz. It’s an incredibletool for software/application demonstrations, and the system makes evensmall details clear to all seats.The theatre promises to be an powerful training tool. Says Baitz, “Whennew products such asmicrophonesare beingdemonstrated,we will be ableto really hear allthe nuances ofthese products.”He added that,“Each seat hasits own headphonejack, soSales Engineerscan have afamiliar listeningexperience” using their own headphones when a product is presented.If you’re at all familiar with Sweetwater’s history, you know that ourrecording studio operations actually predated our retail business. Like thetheatre, Sweetwater Productions’ A, B, and C studios were designed byRuss Berger (“…a guy who knows the physics of sound better than mostpeople on the planet,” notes studio manager Chet Chambers.) The levelof quality, fl exibility, and technology is stunning. Integrated control roomsfeature Digidesign D-Control, D-Command, and Command|8 controlsurfaces, and can be confi gured to work with practically any combinationof recording rooms in the complex, as well as tie into the PerformanceTheatre — effectively using it as a soundstage, or piping in audio andvideo from the studio for demonstrations. “Video and audio are bi-directionalwith the theatre, says Chambers.The studios are also laid out to be “tour-friendly,” giving visitors thechance to see them in action (including an eye-popping microphonecloset/display — a functional mic locker that doubles as a visual feastfor gear hounds). Studio C’s control room is also tuned to function as amastering suite, allowing Sweetwater Productions to offer start-to-fi nishproductions, as well as a range of other services. We’re looking forwardto putting these resources to good use, from providing the best employeetraining in the business to giving community groups the opportunity toperform. Recording studio clients can expect the same great service, witheven better sound and amenities. These great facilities are open for thepublic to see — and they’re all right here onthe Sweetwater campus!Sweetwater ProductionsStudio AView online versions of our print publications at sweetwater.com/publications/

SWEETNOTES | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 | PAGE 7FXpansion BFD 2When FXpansion fi rst introduced BFD, the software stunned us with itsrealistic drum sounds and sheer fl exibility. Whether we were working onrock, jazz, or even hip-hop tracks, our MIDI drum parts fi nally had the“soul” of a live drummer. Imagine our delight when FXpansion recentlyannounced BFD 2.0 — a 55GB drum library and software suite, featuringvintage, rare, and boutique drum sounds all recorded at the legendaryAIR Lyndhurst Studios in London!Like BFD, BFD 2.0 offers complete control over the most sought-aftermicrophones, giving you the true feel of a hands-on recording session.Each instrument is captured in stunning detail, with all audio routedthrough a custom Neve desk with Air Montserrat preamps into high-endA/D converters. An enhanced suite of premium effects gives you directaccess to EQs, fi lters, compressors, limiters, phasers, fl angers, distortion,chorus, and more. You also have fl exible submixing, routing, andsidechaining ability, further increasing the possibilities of your mix!One great new feature is BFD 2.0’s completely redesigned user interface. It’s evenmore intuitive, with kits and grooves better managed, making it easier to set up killerdrum arrangements in no time. BFD 2.0 also now maps easily to keyboard or padcontrols for trigging or automation. If you own an electronic drum kit, BFD 2.0 fullysupports expressive hi-hats and can auto-sense the position of the snare for more realisticplaying — a very cool feature. If you’re not a drummer, but more of a musicianthan an engineer, BFD 2.0 also comes with a variety of high-quality presets, suitablefor nearly any musical style.With 10 full kits, including customized 10-, 18-, and 32-piece kits, BFD 2.0 boastscomplete control over tuning, damping, ambience levels, and velocity response. Therevised Groove engine makes it easy to edit patterns, and apply humanization effectsfor making your drum tracks more realistic. One useful new feature is the ability toexport individualGrooves as audio.You will alsoenjoy a revampedinternal engine,synced auditionpreviews, andan advanced pattern editor. BFD 2.0 comes loaded with more than 5,000 MIDI drumpatterns covering a diverse range of styles.With this impressive host of new features, and with excellent, usable expansion packsbeing released on a regular basis (see right for just two of these), Fxpansion’s BFD 2.0has already established itself as a leader in its fi eld. Put this virtual drummer to workwith your favorite VST-, RTAS-, or AU-compatible DAW!> > FXpansion BFD 2 Sweetwater price $399.99www.sweetwater.com/bfd2> > FXpansion BFD Andy Johns Classic Drums Sweetwater price $199.97www.sweetwater.com/bfdajclass> > FXpansion BFD Joe Barresi Evil Drums Sweetwater price $249.97www.sweetwater.com/bfdjbevilClassic DrumsThe new Andy JohnsClassic Drums BFDexpansion pack featuresAndy’s legendarydrum sounds! Recordedusing a classicNeve 80 series console through a Studer 80024-track tape machine, Andy carefully tunedeach drum himself. He used no compression— the console’s preamps and EQs were theonly processing applied. Johns hand-pickedevery component of every drum kit, bringingyou his ultimate drum vision.Evil DrumsPlatinum Samples JoeBarresi Evil Drumsfor BFD delivers over70GB of rock drums,all personally recordedby Joe Barresi — oneof rock’s great engineers! Joe used his ownpersonal collection of mic preamps, equalizers,and compressors to create this incredible,booming drum library featuring six fullkits thunderously played by Bobby Jarzombekand Pat Wilson.Getting Loopy • continued from page 5world of stompboxes, offers the E2 Headrush.The E2 packs 23.8 seconds of delay, simulatedanalog tape echo, and looping into a versatilepedal that any guitarist will fi nd useful. Perfectfor solo musicians looking to beef up their onstagesound, the E2 Headrush enables the stackingof multiple layers to create a virtual band toback you while you play leads.Finally, we’ve got a pair of loopers from Electroharmonix,the 2880 Super Multi-track Looper,and the Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai.The 2880 lets you generate multiple loops thatcan be shifted, pushed, pulled, and reversedusing four individual tracks — the creative possibilitiesare nearly endless. The Stereo MemoryMan packs a ton of modern capabilities into theMemory Man chassis, including multi-tap delay,reverse echo, and a loop function with up to 30seconds of loop time — all in true stereo! (Justin case you’re wondering what “hazarai” is, itroughly translates to “all the bells and whistles.”)With the ability to layer multiple tracks and havethem reproduced out of a single device, it’s easyto see how loopers can add to a solo performance.As a creative tool, a looper lets you pushyour playing in exciting new directions. If you feelyou’ve exhausted your possibilities with a guitar,pick up a looper and see where your imaginationtakes you!New Life For Old SoundsWhether you’re “cleaning up” audio for samples, distorted analog and digital tracks that mightisolating highlights for broadcast or podcast use, or otherwise have to be scrapped. DeClicker issalvaging sounds from vinyl, restoration software ideal for removing clicks, crackles, and popsgives you the specialized tools you need to get effectiveresults. Advances in the past few years have as digital glitches. When you want to pinpointfound in vinyl and cylinder recordings, as welltaken audio restoration from painstaking manual EQ noises, clicks, buzzes, and other anomaliesfi ltering, processing, and noise reduction exercises to accurately, the Advanced Spectrogram isself-contained operations geared to perform surgically exactly the tool you need. This RX moduleaccurate operations at the click of a mouse. The new provides a detailed display, with high resolutionthat lets you identify and fi x problemsMac- and PC-compatible RX application from iZotopetakes this technology another step forward, with six “under the microscope.”impressive restoration toolsets designed to let youSmoothing out intermittent audio presentsrevamp and enhance audio effectively and easily.several different challenges at once, fromTaking a page from image processing technology, removing noises to actually “fi lling in” soniciZotope adapted digital imaging techniques for RX’s gaps. RX’s Spectral Repair module takesfor archiving and video production) — it’s also a powerfuland practical tool for forensics work, allowing youDenoiser function. Denoiser is capable of taking out information from the rest of the audio fi le and fi lls intape hiss, background noise, buzz, and even camera gaps seamlessly. It’s an impressive function, and it to highlight and “draw out” sounds. iZotope’s winningmotor noise. You can actually “train” it by playing a even follows pitch changes. All these functions work stand-alone restoration suite gives you an incrediblesnippet of the noise you’re trying to remove. Denoiser within an amazingly clear and intuitive interface that degree of accuracy while providing very naturalsoundingresults when you want them. Now you canwill lock onto the offending frequencies and take them lets you work based on time and frequency frameworks.You can assign any combination of tools andout, with minimal impact on the rest of the recording.get the very most out of your audio.Equally effective and specialized for electrical hum, automate processing on one fi le, or put RX to work onRX’s Hum Removal module isolates hum and removes multiple fi les at the same time. If you prefer (or need)it at various frequencies.to go back to earlier settings, RX lets you revert withits undo history view.> >One of RX’s most impressive features is its DeclipperiZotope RXSweetwater price $279.97module, which uses multiband processing to rebuild The ability to use several modules simultaneously notwww.sweetwater.com/rxclipped audio. It goes a long way toward “repairing” only works great for restoring audio (particularly usefulExlcusive videos, features, and hands-on reviews at sweetwater.com/expert-center

SWEETNOTES | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 | PAGE 8Hands OnBy Mitch GallagherLaney LionheartAmplifiersI’m always onthe lookout for agreat-soundingtube amp thatwould be convenientfor quickrehearsals, gigs,and grab-it-andgosessions.Unfortunately,many amps aretoo big and heavyto really qualify; and the smaller ones I tried oftendidn’t have the big sound I was after.Then the Laney Lionheart amps arrived atSweetwater. These amps belie their compact sizeand light weight — and reasonable prices — bypumping out tons of tone at surprising volume levels.Before you assume these must be high-gain metalscreamers, note that Laney has been in the tube ampbusiness for many years, and has designed theseamps to squarely compete with much higher-priced“boutique” amps. There are three models, eachfeaturing dual channels and all-tube single-endedClass A circuitry. First up is the L20H 20-watt amphead, and its matching LT212 dual 12-inch speakercabinet. Next is the L20T410, a 20-watt, 4x10combo. Rounding out the lineup is the cute and sassyL5T112, a 5-watt, 1x12 little monster.Each amp offers two footswitch-selectable channels,Clean and Drive, and has passive Bass, Middle, andTreble controls with a Bright switch. The power isprovided by EL84 tubes, while three 12AX7 preamptubes drive the signal. There’s built-in spring reverband an effects loop, and marine-grade plywood isused for all cabs and baffl es, with Celestion HeritageG12H speakers (Jensen P10-R in the L20T410). Abuilt-in tilt mechanism in each amp leans it back forbetter monitoring on-stage.These amps all have a rich tone and responsive feel.They aren’t high-gain designs, but rather have a fat,warm sound perfect for blues, jazz, rock, country,and other styles. The sound breaks up smoothly, goingfrom crystal clear to thick and crunchy; the ampresponds well to dialing back your volume controlto clean up the sound. The tone controls are voicednicely to let you dial in your perfect tone.Despite their similarities, there are differences in thesound of each, mostly due to the speaker confi guration.For a big sound, the 2x12 cab/head is a greatrig. The 4x10 offers a thick, throaty tone, with nicehighs. The little 5-watt 1x12 is the perfect amp-onthe-go.You’d swear you were hearing a much morepowerful combo — fi ve watts goes a long way!If you’re after boutique tone, look, and features, theLionheart series is made for you! Great tone, excellentportability, and affordable prices — that’s a greatcombo for a tube amp.Recording On The GoInspiration can hit you anywhere — it’s why artists of all kinds carry around anotepad and pen, attempting to capture their valuable ideas so they can revisitthem at a more convenient time. But, as musicians, we know that when song ideascome to mind, sometimes even slowing down to write can kill the fl ow — andwhen we’re away from our studios, out in the world, it’s just too easy to lose thoseprecious moments of inspiration.Fortunately for us, M-Audio brings the MicroTrack II — a user-friendly 2-channelportable digital recorder that’s roughly the size and weight of a deck of cards. Thislean, rugged device can fi t comfortably in your pocket, ready to deliver professionalsounding recordings at the push of a button — whenever inspiration next strikes.M-Audio equipped the MicroTrack II with a high-speed USB 2.0 connection andthe ability to record audio directly to MP3, making the MicroTrack II extremely easyto use for a number of applications. Whether you want to e-mail a song sketchto a bandmate, or add a recent lecture or sermon to your computer’s library, theMicroTrack II will show up as a regular USB storage device on your desktop; allyou need to do is drag-and-drop the fi les you want onto your hard drive. You caneven create and name the folders on your MicroTrack II, making it easy to fi nd andorganize your recordings.With its large, dimmable display, and easy-to-navigate button confi guration, theHands OnBy Mitch GallagherMost acoustic treatment products focus on taming theroom, because it has the most impact on the overallsound. But there are other things that can infl uencethe sound, including where the speakers are placed,what surfaces are nearby, and what the monitors aresitting on.For instance, I once noticed an unusual resonance duringplayback. It turned out the desk the speakers wereon was resonating. Several manufacturers noticedsimilar phenomena and now offer devices for isolatingmonitors from your stands or desk.Primacoustic takes this further with their Recoil Stabilizers,which are designed to prevent coupling withMicroTrack II records discretely in low light situations.New Broadcast Wave File marker ability letsyou insert marker points on your audio while it’sstill recording, great for noting when one song endsand the next begins during your set. Its lithium-ionbattery boasts between four and fi ve hours of lifeon just one charge, and offers an impressive threehours of life when using the onboard 48-volt phantompower with your favorite condensers.With balanced 1/4˝ TRS line inputs, a S/PDIF input,its own professional microphone, and the abilityto record all the way up to 24-bit/96kHz on CompactFlashmedia, the MicroTrack II is a versatile, portable, high-quality recorder,designed expressly to capture inspiration the moment your muse starts to sing.We trust M-Audio to bring us excellent, affordable recording solutions and theMicroTrack II is just that: an impressive portable digital recorder that’s user-friendlyand perfect for just about anyrecording application!Piano Miking Simplified!The sound of a well-miked acoustic piano in the studio or onstage is somethingto behold, giving your ears a feast of rich tones and transients. But too often, it’sdiffi cult to properly place microphones (or even obtainthe right type of mic) for that perfect sound — andeven if you do, you end up with an unsightly collectionof mic stands and booms…then there’s bleedfrom other instruments to contend with. Earthworkscreated an elegant solution to these problems withits PianoMic System, giving you a dual microphonesetup that’s easy to use and that sounds fantastic.Long renowned for their extremely accurate condensermics, Earthworks created the PianoMic System toreproduce the true, natural sound of a piano while greatly reducing the possibilityof outside noise bleed. Two high-defi nition condensers with omnidirectional pickuppatterns are mounted via adjustable goosenecks on a telescoping tube. This tubemounts safely and unobtrusively, spanning the width of the piano while sitting easilyunder the lid (regardless of whether it’s closed or open). You can easily face thePrimacoustic Recoil Stabilizersthe surface the monitors are sitting on and to eliminatephysical recoil during playback. It’s physics; when asound blasts out the front, the speaker moves back.(Remember science class? “Every action has an equaland opposite reaction…”) Primacoustics says recoilaffects the sound quality.It’s logical, but I was skeptical. Then the company sentme a pair to try in my studio. The Recoil Stabilizersare surprisingly heavy, with a thick metal top wrappedaround a dense foam base. I placed my monitors onthe Stabilizers and began to listen.In a word, I was shocked! The effect wasn’t subtle;the bass tightened up and was punchier, and themidrange became clearer and more focused. Later, at> > M-Audio MicroTrack IISweetwater price $299.97www.sweetwater.com/microtrack2mics toward or away from the keys by switching the direction of the tube. Plus, theadjustable nature of the tube lets you emphasize low or high strings, and the gooseneckmic mounts allow even further adjustment.These microphones are perfect for capturing the tonalityand nuance of a piano, with frequency responsefrom 9Hz to 40kHz. They’re also able to withstand extremelyhigh sound pressure levels without distorting.Earthworks gives you incredible piano sound reproductionwith minimal bleed while virtually eliminatinglive feedback issues — not to mention doing awaywith external stands. It’s an amazingly clean setupthat’s easily reproducible, and best of all, it installs ina snap! If you want great pianosound with a minimum of fuss,you owe it to yourself to check outthe Earthworks PianoMic System.> > Earthworks PianoMic SystemSweetwater price $3595.97www.sweetwater.com/pianomicsysthe Primacoustic booth at theAES tradeshow, several of usheard similar results — eventhrough the noise on thetradeshow fl oor.I admit I was wrong. Primacoustic’sRecoil Stabilizersreally work, and they workwell! If you want to optimizeyour monitor system, don’toverlook these.> > Primacoustic RX7 Recoil StabilizerSweetwater price $99.00www.sweetwater.com/rx7fSee hi-res photos of nearly every guitar we have in stock at Sweetwater.com/guitargallery

SWEETNOTES | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2008 | PAGE 9Inside theHands On Fishman Aura and AFX seriesBy Mitch GallagherUsing an acoustic guitar live can be a royal pain in the posterior regions. Saddle and soundholepickups have come a long way, and mics have gotten better. You can get a great soundusing them, but it would sure be nice if there were an easier way to achieve a trulynatural acoustic sound. Fishman may just have the answer with Aura and AFX pedals.Jeff RadkeIt almost goeswithout sayingthat our salesteam is veryinvolved withthe process of creating and recording music. A while back I conducteda survey and found, for example, that the average Sales Engineer ownsfi ve guitars, eight microphones, and seven computers. 100% of them(including managers) have home studios ranging from basic song-writingsystems to full-blown Pro Tools rigs and racks of outboard gear.What might not be apparent is that our company is literally fi lledwith musicians in every single department. I was really struckby this recently when a manufacturer ran a promotion with usthat requested holiday songs from our employees (it was calledthe 2007 Christmas Celebration, a collection of works that wereperformed, arranged, produced, engineered, and/or written bySweetwater employees). Within a month, we had received over 50entries that fi lled three CDs with an incredible variety of music fromindividuals and groups of employees from departments throughout thecompany, including reception, sales, marketing, service, studio, tech support,shipping, and even management.Pretty much every fl avor of music was represented, including classicrock, electronic, jazz instrumentals, rap, country, prog rock, heavy andspeed metal (dare I say “thrash?”), pop, classical, a cappella vocal work,blues, and some material best suited for Dr. Demento. To be honest,there was more variety than I can adequately attempt to classify.The Aura pedals offer a new approach to getting a great acoustic guitar sound through aPA or to a recorder. What Fishman has done is analyze the sound of a miked-up acousticguitar, and created digital “image” algorithms that are applied to the signal coming from yourguitar’s under-saddle pickup. It’s conceptually similar to how a convolution reverb works. Each pedal in theseries is optimized for an acoustic guitar body style — dreadnaught, jumbo, concert, orchestra, 12-string, andnylon-string — and contains 16 different images captured in Fishman’s state-of-the-art recording studio.Does it work? Yes! I plugged my trusty Taylor 314ce into the Aura Concert pedal, and was quite impressed. Thesound was realistic and natural, and it felt right to play the guitar — there was no latency or other artifacts.Fishman has also launched the AFX series of acoustic guitar-optimized effects pedals, comprising AFX Chorus, AFX Delay,and AFX Reverb units. These operate like traditional stompboxes, but have been custom-tailored to sound great withacoustic instruments. I took the Aura Concert and the three AFX models to a church for a solo steel-string guitarperformance. I used the pedals to create a sound that wasn’t heavily effected, but that was rich, spacious, andambient. It couldn’t have been easier. I plugged my guitar into the Aura, then connected the AFX pedals betweenthe Aura and a direct box feeding the house PA system. The soundman pushed up the faders, and there it was, afull, punchy, wide, real acoustic guitar tone. No EQ or adjustments needed.Next I used the Aura to record a solo fi ngerstyle steel-string track direct into Pro Tools, adding just a touch of reverb. Iplayed the track for numerous recording engineers, musicians, and producers, and not one guessed the track wasrecorded completely direct. Every single one assumed I had used a mic.For live sound applications, the Aura and AFX series are hard to beat — you’ll get great sound with little orno effort whatsoever. For studio use, the Aura provides great sound all by itself, direct into your recorder,or it can serve as an excellent auxiliary signal to blend in with the live sound you capture with mics.Highly recommended!Hands On IK Multimedia SampleMoogI was blown away by the creativity, musicianship, and the overall qualitypresented on the discs. I knew we had a lot of talent in the building butsome of these people can fl at-out play and sing! As I listened to theCDs, I was struck by the fact that these folks aren’t simply employeesat Sweetwater defi ned by a job title. We aren’t “just” Sales Engineers,Receptionists, Shipping Specialists, etc., we live this stuff! Music is anintegral part of who we are individually and as a team.Working with a group of talented and creative musicians makes fora highly charged, entertaining, and fun work environment. I feel veryblessed to be surrounded by so many bright and artistically inspiredpeople. It’s both humbling and energizing.So, what does this mean for you? Most importantly, you can be confi dentthat you are working with kindred spirits here at Sweetwater. Employeesthroughout the company speak your language and relate to the desireand effort required to achieve musical goals. If you aren’t getting thesound you want or if the tools you’re using aren’t cutting it, we can helpget you what you need to get back to making music. We care about thegear (most of us readily admit we’re gear geeks), we care about theprocess of making music (we’re producers and engineers), we careabout the end result you achieve (we’re musicians) and we care aboutyou (we’re long-term industry professionals).Rock and Roll!Jeff (VP of Sales)By Mitch GallagherThere’s no question that Moog synthesizersare some of the most reveredanalog synths around. Whetheryou’re talking about a vintageMinimoog or a brand new Voyageror Little Phatty, Bob Moog’s inspiredcircuit designs have stood the test oftime, and are still innovative today.For those who want the trademarkMoog synth sounds, but in software,several companies have come up with virtual instruments that pursuethe elusive Moog richness and depth. I recently had a chance to putmy hands on the latest of these — and arguably the most comprehensive— IK Multimedia’s SampleMoog. This new virtual synthesizerruns on Mac (including Universal Binary) and Windows (including XP/Vista) and supports Audio Units, RTAS, and VST plug-in formats. It canalso run as a standalone application. Any sound can be monophonic orpolyphonic. Polyphony is only limited by your computer’s power.SampleMoog offers up to 16-part multitimbral operation, and includessounds from 16 classic and current Moog synths: Modular Moogs,Minimoog, Polymoog, Taurus, Multimoog, Memorymoog, MinimoogVoyager, Little Phatty, and more, including an Etherwave Theremin. Youcan load and play individual sounds or “combis” that mix and layer upto 16 sounds/parts simultaneously. The front panel gives you completecontrol over each part’s fi lter, envelopes, LFOs, velocity sensitivity, zoneand velocity splits/switching, and more, plus each part has separatecontrols for 3-band sweepable midEQ, compression, and the built-ineffects, which include reverb,chorus, delay, fi lters, phaser,fl anger, auto-pan, rotary speaker,distortion, and many more. Eachpart can have up to four simultaneousindependent effects on it. Verypowerful sound-shaping stuff!Which brings me to the best partabout SampleMoog: Yes, you can use it to reproduce the classic analogMoog sounds. But there’s a ton of power for creating your own soundsby loading different presets, editing, mixing, and matching, modifying,and effecting. An even bigger plus is that SampleMoog is quite efficient. It’s based on samples of actual Moog instruments that are processedby the synth engine, so the load is less heavy than with somemodeling-based virtual synths. Latency was never an issue, whetherrunning standalone or as a plug-in within Pro Tools or Ableton Live.A powerful combination of vintage and modern, IK’s SampleMoog hasalready found a permanent spot in my virtual synth lineup. It serves avariety of functions, from lead to bass, pads to effects, and covers allbases with ease.> > IK Multimedia SampleMoogSweetwater price $249.97www.sweetwater.com/samplemoog