EQ Magazine - September 2007 - (Page 4)

Talk Box MAKE BETTER RECORDINGS: LEAVE THE STUDIO! Well, of course, don’t abandon recording. But if you want to give your recordings a kick in the butt, play live. I’ve cultivated a studio tan for years, but throughout have kept an active playing schedule. The goal hasn’t necessarily been to return to being a full-time touring musician; been there, done that. But playing live never gets old for me, and, more importantly, the live experience is essential if you want your music to shine in the studio. Here’s why. First, if playing for an audience is fresh in your mind when you’re recording, that “live vibe” will carry over. Second, you’ll get feedback that near-field monitors will never provide — an audience will let you know in no uncertain terms what works and what doesn’t. (I always thought it was crazy for groups to cut 40 songs in the studio, then whittle that down to 10 or 15 for a CD. Why not just play those 40 songs to a live audience, find out what gets the best response, then go cut the best of the bunch?) Third, you’re forced to pay attention to every element of your playing, because there are no second takes live. I’m currently performing with EV2, a hard rock “power duo” with Brian Hardgroove from Public Enemy on drums, and me playing Gibson’s Digital Les Paul guitar (I play bass, rhythm, and lead parts simultaneously by exploiting the multiple outs and running them through various effects pedals). There’s no safety net, no backing tracks, and every note has to have maximum impact — or we’re hosed. This is a great antidote for “studio laziness, where it’s so ” easy to add another track to try and make a bigger sound, rather than take the part you have and make it big. What started out as a one-off gig for a three-day festival has taken on a life of its own, and, yes, we’ll be going into the studio before long. But when we do, we’ll strive to bring that powerful, live vibe into the process. Recording used to be about capturing the magic of a live performance — and that’s still a wonderful approach. Just remember that if the magic’s not there in the first place, no amount of cutting and pasting will compensate. NEWBAY MEDIA CORPORATE President & CEO: Steve Palm Chief Financial Officer: Paul Mastronardi VP Web Development: Joe Ferrick , IT Director: Greg Topf Circulation Director: Denise Robbins Marketing Director: Nancy Gregson Vol. 18 No. 9 September 2007 www.eqmag.com Executive Editor: Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com Editor: Matt Harper, mharper@musicplayer.com Managing Editor: Debbie Greenberg, dgreenberg@musicplayer.com Contributors: Jeff Anderson, J. J. Blair, Glenn Bucci, Garrett Haines, David Miles Huber, Chris Mara, Shane Mehling, Lily Moayeri, Michael Molenda, Phil O’Keefe, John Payne, Will Romano, Scott Rottler, Salvatore Russo, Max Sidman, Richard Thomas Art Director: Doug Gordon, dgordon@musicplayer.com Staff Photographers: Paul Haggard, phaggard@musicplayer.com, Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com Publisher: John Pledger Senior Account Director/West Coast: John Levy Tel: 818-994-3800; jlevy@musicplayer.com Account Director/East Coast, Midwest, & Europe: Jessica Sullivan Tel: 661-255-2719; jsullivan@musicplayer.com Director of Online Sales: Joe McDonough Tel: 212-378-0492; jmcdonough@musicplayer.com Account Director/Record Labels: Sage Litsky Tel: 212-378-0438; slitsky@musicplayer.com Manager of Specialty Sales: Joanne McGowan Tel: 650-238-0296; jmcgowan@musicplayer.com Specialty Sales Assistant: Darlene Labrecque Tel: 650-238-0297; dlabrecque@musicplayer.com Production Manager: Amy Santana MUSIC PLAYER NETWORK Vice President: John Pledger Editorial Director: Michael Molenda Financial Analyst: Bob Jenkins Production Department Manager: Beatrice Kim Group Project Manager: Lauren Gerber Web Director: Max Sidman Web Editor: Lania Cortez Marketing Director: Christen Pocock McFarland Motion Graphics Designer: Tim Tsuruda Sales and Marketing Coordinator: Molly Corman Marketing Designer: Joelle Katcher Systems Engineer: John Meneses Associate Circulation Director: Cheri McElroy Circulation Promotions Manager: Craig Diamantine Fulfillment Manager: Rosario Perez NEWBAY MARKET GROUPS VP Group Publishing Director, Pro Audio & Systems Division: , Adam Goldstein VP Group Publishing Director, Music Player Network: , John Pledger VP Group Publishing Director, Video Division: Doug Krainman , Publisher, Technology & Learning: Jo-Ann McDevitt Please direct all advertising and editorial inquiries to: EQ, 1111 Bayhill Dr., Ste. 125, San Bruno, CA 94066 (650) 238-0300; Fax (650) 238-0262; eq@musicplayer.com Please direct all subscription orders, inquiries, and address changes to: 800-289-9919, outside the U.S. 978-667-0364, eqmag@computerfulfillment.com Back Issues: Back Issues are available for $10 each by emailing backissuesEQMag@nbmedia.com EQ (ISSN 1050-7868) is published monthly by NEWBAY MEDIA. EQ is a trademark of NEWBAY MEDIA. All material published in EQ is copyrighted (©) 2007 by NEWBAY MEDIA. All rights reserved. Reproduction of material appearing in EQ is prohibited without written permission. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to EQ., P.O. Box 232, Lowell, MA 01853. Publisher assumes no responsibility for return of unsolicited manuscripts, photos, or artwork. All product information is subject to change; publisher assumes no responsibility for such changes. All listed model numbers and product names are manufacturers' registered trademarks. Periodicals postage paid at San Bruno, CA, and at additional mailing offices. 8 12 4 EQ SEPTEMBER 2007 www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - September 2007

Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly Ben and Vesper Kaiser Chiefs Toolbox Ozma Porcupine Tree Rush The Software Power User Guide Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drumheads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Chameleon Labs TS1 and TS2 Primera Bravo Se Disc Publisher Roland MC-808 Magix Samplitude Professional 9.1 Massey Tape-Head Big Fish Audio Revolucion Reggaeton Sonivox World Beats Sony Pocket Diva Adobe Audition 2.0 Cakewalk Sonar 6 Room with a VU: J Street Recorders, Sacramento, CA

EQ Magazine - September 2007

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