Yamaha’s Silent Brass Systems for French horn (SB3XC), trombone (SB5XC), flugelhorn (SB6XC) or trumpet (SB7XC) allow horn players to practice while listening to hi-fidelity sound that only they can hear. The systems’ small pick-up mute offers outstanding sound reduction and a natural feel. The included Personal Studio attaches to an external audio player in order to practice with prerecorded material. The brass mutes are ideal for warm-up, evenings, hotels, and other silent practice situations.
Todd Hobin does a gear review of the Mono Case.
Designed especially for bass, this Electro-Hamonix Crying Bass wah/fuzz pedal provides the smooth response and sound that can go from smooth funk to rude growl. its 21st century chassis design has no moving parts and lightening fast response. The fixed low-pass filter control ensures you never lose any bottom. Whether anchoring the bottom or stepping out aggressively, the new Crying Bass wah/fuzz lets a bassist express themselves with an organic sound and feel.
RODE Microphones’ smartLav lavalier mic provides convenient, crisp, high-quality audio, directly into a smartphone or tablet. It is equipped with an omnidirectional condenser microphone to pick up sound from all directions and its foam pop filter eliminates vocal plosives. Although designed for the RODE Rec app for Apple iOS devices, any app that accepts input from a headset connection is compatible.
The new Fender Vaporizer tube amp looks like it teleported here from the ’50s. Featuring two ten-inch, 16-ohm, special design Vaporizer speakers, two inputs, and a quarter-inch speaker output, it stands a tidy 17-inches tall. It has stripped down controls, a built-in reverb, and a retro-styled, single-channel, 12-watt amplifier. The “Space Race” looking chassis is available in Surf Green, Slate Blue, and Rocket Red.
An unfortunate reality for musicians is that, if they play out at all, they’ll probably lose gear at some point. Sometimes it’s an innocent mix-up where cables get lost in the shuffle, picked up by mistake, or something gets left behind. But, unfortunately, other times, it’s malicious.
Richard Formidoni demonstrating the Korg RK-100S keytar at the 2014 NAMM show.
A guide to capos. Often, a capo is used to transpose a song up a whole or half-step. This helps to accommodate a singer’s range when a guitarist provides the accompaniment. It can also make the fingering of certain chords easier.
David Kalt has always loved guitars. As owner of the iconic store Chicago Music Exchange, he’s surrounded by guitars all day. Recently, Kalt combined his two biggest passions, music and technology, and founded Reverb.com, an online marketplace for musicians. The site boasts 9,000 unique visitors every day, and has grown 35% each month since its February launch.
In this video, Todd Hobin to discuss his pics for the best modeling amps. A modeling amp is an easy-to-carry, affordable, and often great-sounding alternative to the beastly amplifiers you’d normally take to a show. Watch our video to learn more.