Recording - January 2010 - 48

which can act as pseudo-sequences similar to a ZVex Seek Trem, or even mimic an arpeggiator depending on your playing style. My favorite is Two Speed mode, which allows you to set up two different tremolo rates and then change between the two with a touch of the Tap button, acting much like switching speeds on a Leslie cabinet. Not content to stop there, Empress Effects also added some extra features that can only be found on the virtual version. These include a sophisticated DAW tempo sync, selectable phase choices that allow you to alter the strength and timing of the tremolo’s pulse (i.e., on the beat, on the off beat, and in-between), and unlike the guitar pedal, the plug-in is stereo. Said stereo can further be alternated between the left and right channels ping-pong style, and can even act as a full blown sync-able autopanner. If you are thinking that sounds like a lot of functionality for a mere tremolo plug-in, you are correct—and as such, the Empress Tremolo plug-in makes not only a great addition to a virtual guitar set up, but is also a slick sound design tool that in my mixes has found use on keys, bass, vocals, and drums. While I have not heard the original analog version, to my ears the plug-in has a sonic character that sets it right along side UA, Waves, PSP and more. At $79, this is an easy choice! Since it’s Christmas time: “Dear Santa, give me one Empress Tremolo and please get them to make a plug-in version of their delay pedal next!”—PV Price: $79 More from: Empress, www.empressplugins.com Keith McMillen Batt-O-Meter Whether in the studio or onstage, if you use stompboxes, active pickups or wireless systems, you need batteries. You never know how much ‘juice’ they have left, or if it will suffice for the entirety of your next show or session. Most musicians aren’t good with voltmeters, so we tend to trash and replace batteries without knowing their life expectancy—a waste of money and bad for the environment. Keith McMillen offers us a solution with the Batt-O-Meter, a musician-friendly battery charge meter. It’s a plastic enclosure smaller than a typical stompbox, with a built-in short cable ending in a special 1/4" TRS plug/voltage probe. Guitar pedals or guitars with active electronics that use 9V batteries can be tested with the battery still in the unit, if the unit is turned on by plugging in a 1/4" plug. Otherwise, you must take out the battery and test it by holding it against a contact plate on the side of the Batt-O-Meter; there are + and – terminals for testing a 9V battery, or you can test a AA battery by touching the + end to the contact plate and holding the tip of the 1/4" probe to the – end. Whatever method you use, the Batt-OMeter will display the battery’s voltage (“Vol”). If you test a battery inside a pedal, it estimates hours of remaining life (“Hr”), and if you test a battery externally, it shows percentage of charge remaining (100 down to 0).RECORDING JANUARY 2010 It includes a three-position slider switch (Alkaline, Rechargeable, Carbon-Zinc) to specify what type of battery you are testing, in order to get accurate results. How do you know if your battery is Alkaline or CarbonZinc? Well, if it doesn’t say Alkaline or if it says Heavy Duty, it’s Carbon-Zinc. It’s important to make this distinction as the rate at which each type burns out is different; you won’t damage anything, but the readings for hours and percentage will vary depending on settings. It’s a good idea to test the Batt-O-Meter’s own 9V battery on occasion. Just press the test button on the left side panel without connecting a battery—the display will show “SLF” (Self-test) followed by device status and battery life percentage. When testing batteries inside pedals or guitars, make sure that you press the 1/4" probe firmly into the input jack of your device and hold it in while using it, as it sometimes pops back out slightly and alters the readings. If a device uses multiple 9V batteries, such as the Dunlop Crybaby Slash Wah (which requires two 9-volts), the Batt-OMeter will display an error message—it will only test one 9V battery at a time. In this case you will have to remove the batteries and test them individually via the contacts on the side panel. Though I’m not sure of the accuracy of the unit’s “hours remaining of normal use” feature, the percentage battery life and voltage readings proved quite useful. [The manufacturer states: “To answer the reviewer’s question about the accuracy of the hours remaining reading, we’ve found it to be very accurate and consistent. This has been echoed by several of the artists we’ve had test it out. Most $500 voltimeters allow for 5% deviation and Batt-O-Meter gets only 2% deviation. The only thing that would change the hours remaining would be if the presets on the pedal/instrument changed, as that would change the load being put on the battery”.] Since it arrived for review, I’ve carried it in my pedal board and it’s proven very practical for gigs and recordings. I highly recommend the Batt-O-Meter for those who want to be better informed of the available power in their gear. Can you believe there’s still no iPod/iPhone App for this?—FC Price: $34.95 More from: Keith McMillen, www.keithmcmillen.com

http://www.empressplugins.com http://www.keithmcmillen.com

Recording - January 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - January 2010