Daddy’s Blog

In the last couple blogs we’ve been talking about computer based recording interfaces for a variety of applications. Today I wanted to cover one interface in particular that is exclusive to Daddy’s Junky Music. More specifically, the interface itself is not exclusive, but the special software bundle that is packed in with it is the exclusive part. You don’t pay any extra for the added bonus software so there’s simply no reason to buy one anywhere else. The Presonus Audio Box.

Front Panel Inputs and Controls

Rear Panel Outputs and Midi

The Presonus Audio Box USB is a basic two channel USB audio interface. This unit is bus powered, which means that it does not need an external power supply to function. The power derived from the USB port on your computer is sufficient to power the Audio Box. It is capable of recording two tracks simultaneously, so it’s perfect for the home recording hobbyist or solo artist. A common application for an interface like this would be to record vocals and guitar. The beautiful thing about it is that it’s only $149.99 so it will fit into most peoples budget. The interface comes with a full version of Cubase LE recording software and a myriad of other great plug-ins and software. Remember what I mentioned before? You only get all the extra plug-ins and goodies if you purchase it from a Daddy’s Junky Music store. This box records at CD quality, 44.1khz so the audio will be up to par with the majority of the other products that are available for this type of application. If you have any questions about recording interfaces or computer recording products in general then you can email bfoley@daddys.com or call 800-373-8393 X100 anytime.

Last time we covered some all in one type solutions for getting your audio into the computer environment. That method is nice and easy, it provides you with a tactile interface that is more familiar for some, but it’s not always in the budget. Today I want to point out another product that will work well for those of you who need to find a more budget conscious solution to get your audio into the computer. My personal choice in interfaces are made by MOTU, otherwise known as Mark of the Unicorn. In my opinion they make the best combination of quality and price with what I believe to be the best support department that I’ve ever had the pleasure of dealing with. They have a large range of products that fit both casual and professional applications, but one in particular stands out for it’s value. The MOTU 8pre.

Front Panel Controls and Metering

Rear Panel Inputs and Outputs

The 8 Pre is a full 16×12 interface, that’s 16 inputs and 12 outputs by using the optical audio in and out located on the back panel. For the purpose of this discussion let’s just call it an 8 channel interface. So basically it will allow you to record 8 mics at once or 8 instruments. The inputs on the back allow you to plug in either XLR (mic) or 1/4″ line (guitar) connections. You can also use this products as a standalone eight channel preamp that you can integrate into your existing setup if you just need to add more input channels. These units retail for $549.99.

By using an interface like this you are presented with a couple of options. If you have an analog mixer that has direct outputs you can send the audio from your mixer channel strip directly into the 8pre. This would give you the ability to have that analog feel some people like so much. You can adjust multiple channels on your mixer at the same time and get real time feedback from the moment you turn a knob or move a fader. Working this way is great for those of you who like to use a physical mixer instead of pointing and clicking a mouse on a virtual on-screen mixer. The only thing to consider is what we touched on last time. More outboard gear means more noise. Again, good quality components go a long way for giving you a great sound with minimal noise, but the saying less is more in this case rings true. In the next blog I will be highlighting a couple of very basic recording interfaces for the budget conscious or home recording enthusiast. If you have any questions on any of the gear that you see at Daddy’s Junky Music you can always give me a call at 800-373-8393 X100 or email bfoley@daddys.com.

Talking about the Empirical Labs Distressor got me thinking along the lines of other good recording products that I can show you guys. I’m going to spend time in the next few posts talking about some different types of recording gear that make things really easy for when you are getting involved in computer recording. A large number of people are more comfortable or prefer using recording products that are similar to the products of yesterday. One of the things that people are most reluctant to let go of would be their mixing console. There’s just something about being able to physically touch a fader or move an eq knob on the fly that still appeals to most recording enthusiasts. The problem is, most analog mixers would require you to have additional gear to get your audio signals from the outboard mixer into the computer. This can cost extra money, and time. If you’re anything like me, then you need to save as much time and money as possible. The more stuff you can keep self contained the better your recordings will sound. This makes for a strong case against using multiple pieces of equipment to duplicate what you can accomplish with one item. To put it simply, the more cables that you have running in between your gear before it gets to the computer, the more signal loss you will experience. Losing signal, is losing quality. Don’t get me wrong, in most cases it’s not drastic, especially if you use good cabling, but anytime you can eliminate noise and signal loss it’s a good thing. There are several manufacturers that offer products that are a combination of a mixer and a recording interface all rolled into one and I wanted to mention two in particular that are relatively low cost and high quality. The first is the Tascam FW1884.

FW1884 Front Panel

FW1884 Rear Panel

The Tascam FW1884 is a fully automated eight channel fire wire audio interface and mixer. It has a large selection of inputs and outputs, and will allow you to send multiple analog and digital signals, as well as midi to and from your computer with minimal signal loss. Another nice feature of the Tascam is that it has motorized faders. When you switch from one project to another inside your software, the faders on the mixer will automatically “snap” back to the setting that they were on when you were last working. This allows you to keep working from exactly where you left off without having to go back and manually set your levels a second time. Besides, if you’ve ever seen a mixer with motorized faders in person then you know that it has a real “cool” factor to it.  There are so many products like this out there that it would take days to go over all of them, but one other product that is very similar in price and features is the M-audio Project Mix I/O.

Project Mix by M-audio

Project Mix Rear Panel

As similar as all of these products are there is one difference that is important to mention. The Tascam, for example, is compatible with the majority of all major DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) software out there, with one major exception. It will not work with Digidesign Pro-Tools. Digidesign makes a specific Pro-Tools interface like these called the Digi 003. As some of you might know there is another version of Pro-Tools LE called M-powered. This version of Pro-Tools LE will work with licensed M-audio products such as the Project Mix I/O. So to clarify, Digidesign interfaces and M-powered compatible M-audio interfaces work with Pro-Tools LE, and the rest of the world does not. So if you are needing to use Pro-Tools as your software, then you will need to get either a Digidesign or M-audio box. Nothing else will work. Devices like the Tascam basically work with everything but Pro-Tools, so it’s really a matter of personal preference as to which software you like working with.  As time goes on more and more manufacturers are closing the gap between the different software products out there so you can exchange information between different programs.  Over the course of this week I’ll be talking about some other recording interface products and the different features and advantages of using them. As always, if there is anything specific that you would like for me to discuss in the Gear Blog you can either email bfoley@daddys.com or call me at the Daddy’s Junky Music corporate offices at 800-373-8393 X100.

There’s so much gear out there in the world that it’s really hard to know what to show you guys, but my hope is that by reading this blog you can get some knowledge about some more unique and interesting pieces of gear. So far we’ve looked at guitar related gear but today we’re going to shift to something that is much nearer and dearer to my heart. Recording gear! In addition to working for Daddy’s Junky Music for the last twelve years, I also do a fair amount of recording products and session work. I’ve been fortunate and had opportunities to work with some great bands over the years and during the fall last year got to participate in writing some jingles for Dunkin Donuts with a good friend of mine. It was very satisfying to be sitting at home watching American Idol with the wife and seeing one of our Dunkin commercials come on (I know American Idol… it’s a guilty pleasure for me) and thinking, wow, nobody knows it, but that’s my music. Having millions of people hearing something you did is not only humbling, but it’s also a very cool feeling to see your work broadcast on national television. Recently I took a really cool piece of studio recording gear in trade for Daddy’s. This is something I used extensively in the past, before I made the change to a totally computer based recording  setup. The easiest way to put it is that everything you run through the Distressor sounds better coming out the other end, and that’s no joke. It’s great for vocals, guitars, keyboards, drums and any other type of musical instrument that you can think of.

The Distressor is an automatic gain (or volume) control device designed for pro audio applications. Basically, it electronically controls the volume of any source that you feed it in a very pleasing and musical manner. It adds fullness, detail and intelligibility to anything that you run through it. It brings out the subtleties that you might otherwise not hear. The Distressor is basically a “compressor”. If you’re not familiar with what a compressor does, basically a compressor regulates, or compresses an incoming signal to normalize, or make the volume uniform as it passes through the processor. A compressor is often used on vocal recordings to provide a constant volume level in case the vocalist does not sing at a constant volume. The compressor will “squash” or “compress” the signal based on the parameters that you give it and the end result is a nice even recording with no dramatic fluctuation in volume. To say that this is all the the Empirical Labs Distressor does would be selling it way short, but that’s the basic idea. Another thing that you can do with the Distressor is use it to “warm” up your sound. Some digital recordings can sound stale or “brittle” and by using something like the Distressor you can take your digital recording and make it sound more like an analog recording. I love it when they develop new technology to be able to give us the ability to sound like old technology. This is just one of many products that they use in major recording studios all around the world, and although it isn’t cheap, it’s cheaper when you find one and buy it used at Daddy’s! We’ve only got one and it’s going to go fast. So if you’re an analog musician living in the digital world, then the Distressor might just be the product that will give you the sound quality you’re looking for. Besides, any piece of musical equipment that has a “nuke” setting is just plain cool. If you have any other questions about this or any other music gear, don’t hesitate to call 800-373-8393 X100 or email bfoley@daddys.com.

So I was sitting around Saturday night with my man Jon Squeglia, who works at the Daddy’s Junky Music in Manchester, NH and we were talking about a couple of the pieces that I’ve posted here for everybody to look at. In particular he mentioned how much he liked the Fender Vibro-King amplifier. As we were talking about it he had mentioned that he likes amplifier’s with 12″ speakers in them because they have more bass response than a 10″ speaker. Jon was curious about whether or not the Vibro-King had enough juice on the low end due to the 3×10 design and I personally think it does.  For those of you out there like Jon who really like a fat bottom end, allow me to present an option to improve the low frequency of any guitar amp setup. The Rivera Los Lobottom Sub.

Rivera Los Lobottom Extension Sub

This cab is really cool. It’s two 12″ speakers in a high quality sealed back enclosure. It is completely self-powered, so all you do is plug it into an outlet, feed it some signal, and you’re ready to go. You’ve got a variety of switching and hook up options for it, but the premise is simple. It’s a self powered 2×12 sub extension cab. It works particularly well if you are drop tuning or using a 7-string electric guitar. Among the options it has a high pass filter that will allow you to keep the majority of the low end in the Rivera, while sending the remainder of the signal through the sub to your main amplifier or guitar head. This allows the Rivera to take the low frequencies out of the signal of your main amp which usually results in the ability to push the volume on your main amp a bit further because the Rivera is taking some of the work load away from it. You can also run the sub in full range mode, which means it will pass all the signal through to your main amp. This would be useful if you are just looking to add that extra “punch”.

Los Lobottom Back Plate

If you have any questions about the Rivera Los Lobottom extension cabinet or if you would like to take it for a test drive, you can either contact me at 800-373-8393 X100 or email bfoley@daddys.com. You could also give a call over to the Daddy’s Junky Music in Manchester, NH and talk to the assistant manager Jon Squeglia at 603-669-9346 or email manchester@daddys.com. Remember Daddy’s loves trade-ins so if you need a free quote for any items that you would consider trading then feel free to go to the Daddy’s website at www.daddys.com/traderequest/php, fill out the form and submit your request. We’ll get back to you as soon as possible with a trade quote for your item. You can also just bring any gear that you are looking to trade into your local Daddy’s for a free appraisal.

Yesterday I mentioned that one of the things that I love the most about my job is the ability to get my hands on equipment that otherwise I would never have the opportunity to see or play. The timing of that statement couldn’t have been more perfect. Take a look at this piece, it’s nothing short of amazing!

PRS Private Stock Semi-Hollow

Private Stock Closeup

I plugged this thing into the Vibro-King that I posted about a couple days ago and I think I’m in love. I rarely get excited about guitar gear, but I was playing through over $10,000 worth of guitar and amp and I have to admit, it was pretty special. The customer who originally purchased this guitar paid over $12,000 for it. Even the case is ridiculous, it’s completely covered in suede!

Original Suede Covered Hard Case

I could go on for days listing the features and special appointments on this guitar, but some of the highlights include 14K gold outlines on the turquoise bird inlays, Santana 1 pickups and electronics with the “sweet” switch, and a Brazilian Rosewood Fretboard. Just the Fretboard alone cost more than a lot of electric guitars. If you are interested in getting some more of the gory details on this amazing Private Stock PRS then go to http://bit.ly/WZcvp and check it out. You’ll find this and some other amazing instruments in the Premium Used Gear section of the Daddy’s Junky Music eBay store. If anybody has any questions about this guitar or any gear related questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m available by phone at 800-373-8393 X100 or you can email bfoley@daddys.com. I’ll have some more cool gear for you guys in a few days, I just took a trip with Candi to get a truckload of gear from Sully of Godsmack. We’ll be posting the list of gear that we acquired there in a few days. Before I go, I just have to post one more picture of this guitar. So pretty…..

Even The Back is Beautiful

Hopefully most of you have the day off and are at home enjoying some down time right now. For the rest of us out in the world it’s another Monday and the beginning of another week. The nice thing about my job at Daddy’s Junky Music is that I get to surround myself with the best gear out there. I get the opportunity to test new and vintage equipment and get my hands on the rare and hard to find items that most people don’t get a chance to play with. I’ve got a couple very unique pieces coming my way in the next couple of weeks. There have been quite a few pieces that I’ve seen that it’s safe to say I’ll probably never be able to put my hands on again.  I had to say goodbye to the Pete Townshend Signature J200 today. I think our IT guy was more heartbroken than I was, but hey, we’re here to sell guitars. That was one of those pieces that I’m not sure I’ll ever see another one like it. So far we’ve looked at a few different items and today’s is another signature piece that most of you will have at least seen on stage a time or two. The Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster!

Eric Clapton Signature Series Stratocaster

This guitar features an Alder body, satin finish maple neck, and maple fretboard. One of the nice features of the Eric Clapton Stratocaster is it uses Fender’s patented noiseless pickups. What’s great about the noiseless pickups for those of you who aren’t familiar with them is that they retain the sound of a single coil pickup without the buzz normally associated with that type of pickup. The Clapton Strat also has an active mid boost which gives you some more tonal options that you don’t get on a conventional American Series Stratocaster.

Fender Noiseless Pickups for Single Coil Tones without any of the noise associated with that type of pickup.

The Noiseless pickups basically work like a Hum-bucking pickup on a Gibson Les Paul. The Gibson style humbucker is arranged horizontally where the Fender Noiseless pickup is basically a vertically stacked humbucker. This guitar is available either in one of our retail stores, or on www.daddys.com. New they sell for $2019.99 and now you’ve got a chance to own one for much less. Daddy’s used Eric Clapton Stratocaster is selling for $1499.99 and there is not a single flaw on this entire instrument. Remember, we can send any instrument to any one of our retail stores at no obligation to the customer, so if you ever see anything here in the blog or on the website that you want to check out, all you have to do is pick up the phone and tells us where you want to check it out and we’ll get it there so you can take a test drive. Feel free to call 800-373-8393 X100 or email bfoley@daddys.com for more information. Remember Daddy’s loves trade-ins so if you have anything that you’re not using anymore to trade us towards the Eric Clapton, you can stop in a local Daddy’s Junky Music or go to www.daddys.com/traderequest.php and I’ll shoot you out a free quote for your trade.