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Brands of Guitar Amplifiers

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 19:33:00 +0000

A wide range of instrument amplifiers is now available, some for general purposes and some designed for specific instruments and even for particular sounds. Traditional guitar amplifiers come up with a clean, warm sound, a sharp treble roll off at 5 kHz or less and bass roll off at 60 to100 Hz, often with built in reverb and tremolo units. Bass amplifiers have extended bass response and tone controls optimized for bass guitars (or more rarely, for upright bass).
Higher end bass amplifiers sometimes include compressor or limited features, which help to keep the amplifier from distorting at high volume levels. Keyboard amplifiers have a very low distortion and extended flat frequency response in both directions. Keyboard amplifiers often have a simple onboard mixer, so that keyboardists can control the tone and level of several keyboards. Acoustic amplifiers are designed specifically to produce a clean, transparent, acoustic sound when used with acoustic instruments with built in transducer pickups and microphones.
Some well known brands of guitar amplifiers
While there are almost innumerable manufacturers of guitar amplifiers, we will be discussing the most important brands that have created history in guitar amplification.
Carvin Corporation
The Carvin Corporation is a musical instrument and equipment manufacturer, located in San Diego, California, well known among guitar players for their guitars. Carvin was founded in 1946 by Lowell Kiesel, and originally manufactured guitar pickups. Carvin Corporation manufactures acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars and accessories, amplifiers, live studio sound equipments, microphones and lighting gears.
Korg Corporation
Korg Corporation is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments and guitar tuners. The company is one of the most widely used and respected names in the electronic music world. Founded in 1962 in Japan by Tsutomu Kato and Tadashi Osanai, Korg was originally known as Keio Electronic Laboratories because its fledgling offices were located near the Keio train line in Tokyo and Keio can be formed by combining the first letters of Kato and Osanai. Yamaha Corporation has always been a major partner of Korg, supplying them with circuitry and mechanical parts.
Marshall Amplification
Marshall Amplification is a British company which designs and manufactures electric guitar amplifiers. Marshall Amplifiers are well known and highly popular among guitarists. Marshall Amplifiers were originally built as direct copies of Fender amplifiers, but soon incorporated certain traits which made them more favorable to guitarists seeking a heavier sound. Like most professional level amplifiers, Marshall amplifiers still use valve preamp and power amplifier stages instead of solid state devices. Marshall also manufactures cheaper solid-state or hybrid devices.
Vox
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer, which is most famous for making the AC30 guitar amplifier and the Vox electric organ. Founded in Great Britain, Vox is now owned by the Japanese electronics firm Korg. In 1959, with sales under pressure from the more powerful Fender Twin and from The Shadows, who requested amplifiers with more power, Vox produced what was essentially a double powered AC15 and named it the AC30.
Roland Corporation
Roland Corporation is a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972 with 33 million yen in capital. Some of the recent amplifiers from Roland Corporation are Roland SH 201, Roland Juno G, Roland MV 8800 and Roland V Synth GT.

Recording at Home Using a Computer or Hard Disc Recorder

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:03:46 +0000

Probably the first thing you want to think about before you start spending any money on getting a home recording facility together is, why do I want to record at home?
You probably already know the reason, but the clearer you are about this the better your results will be.
Do you want to just pick up your guitar on a whim and record the latest idea that’s passing by? Do you intend to record an album in its entirety at home and release it? Do you want to make podcasts to broadcast on the web? Do you want to ‘flesh out’ your musical ideas to get an idea of how the final product might sound. All are valid reasons for having your own home recording setup. Each one also suggests a particular amount of money you will need to spend to get the result you desire, and the amount of effort you need to expend making it happen.
What you will need.
From a basic standpoint you will need some way to record your performance or ideas – this could be into a Personal Computer[PC] or mac or onto a stand alone recorder. You’ll also need someway of getting the performance into the recording medium – whether that be via microphone or a piano keyboard. You will also need to find some way to ‘deliver’ your product – via mp3 mix/cd or podcast. All factors to consider as you set up you home studio.
What is best; Computer recording or stand alone?
I will confess that in my opinion and experience, the simplest and most effective way to record anything at home is with a stand alone recorder. Several years ago I recorded an entire album using Fostex DMT8, 8 tracks to do the lot- including backing vocals guitars and eveything. To those of you unfamiliar with what I mean by stand alone recorder then have a look at units from Fostex, Yamaha, Roland and others. In general they have a built in hard drive or media card which records data that you produce as a result of recording yourself. This can be as simple as engaging a ‘record’ button and playing or singing. There’s no fuss involved with this. Some of them also allow you to burn a CD at the end of the process so you can amaze your friends! There can be disadvantages as I will discuss later, but depending on your final aims as discussed earlier, you will make allowances for any shortcomings.
Recording onto a pc or Mac takes us into a more complex word, so if you’re not computer savy, or prepared to enagage in a long and sometimes frustrating journey I’d go with the stand alone unit.
Why is it more difficult to record into a PC?
Recoding into a PC has a minimum of 3 steps:
Input device-microphone/keyboard/turntable
Sound card-converts your ‘real world’ sound into computer language.
Recording software-does the job of ‘capturing’ your performance.
Once you have got your recording chain set up then it ‘can’ be as easy as using a stand alone unit, but to get to that point you have to deal with a number of factors-the #1 bugbear of most home computer recording nuts is a friendly tike called ‘latency’ .
Latency: ‘ something that is revealed later’.
For those not in the know, latency can be compared to hearing your voice echoing back from a canyon, heloooo-hellllllloooo. There is a gap between when you yell and when you hear your voice returned. If you plug in a microphone and set up your recording software and say the ubiquitous ‘hello’ you will get a similar effect!
Unless you invest in a super high end recording system such as ‘Pro Tools HD’, then this is something you need to work with as a home computer recording afficionado.
The reason we encounter latency is that the computer needs time to convert the analogue [physcal sounds via electrcity] into digital data; ones and noughts. With a good sound card this can take between 7 and 15 milliseconds [ yep that's 15 thousandenths of a second] and then about the same number of milliseconds to convert it from a digital signal back into an electrical analogue sytem that we can usefully use to hear the sound coming out of the computer. Bare in mind that our ear ‘notices’ a sound as an echo at around the 50 millisecond mark [ more on this later] – so if we have a sound card with 25millisecond [ms] input delay and 25 ms output delay then our ear wil perceive it as an echo- not much good to play along with as we will be out of time.
That’s pretty useless you might shriek, so how do people manage to do all this computer recording stuff at home? A-ha. Those clever people who make sound cards m-audio, Presonus, Yamaha etc have done something very clever, they instigated a process called ‘direct monitoring’.
Direct monitoring allows us to hear the incoming sound at its source- straight after you have plugged it in- instead of through the computer where you will pick up a substantive delay. You can still listen ‘though the computer’ if you choose, but in my experience it’s pretty distracting especially with large latency times. The other thing that your clever software program/soundcard combo will do is to record your new track in time with the others by making allowances for the current latency times.
In summary; For ease of use and less technology hassles get a stand alone hard disk recorder. For more complex productions consider getting a computer/soundcard/software combo, but be prepared for a sharp learning curve.

Alternative to a Piano – 88 Key Keyboard!

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 02:54:27 +0000

Why should anybody look for a keyboard with 88 keys? On first instance, the obvious reason that comes out is that one may not be able to afford a piano with the traditional looks – be it acoustic or digital. Cost, and to some extent the fact that it needs more space are the primary reasons for someone choosing a keyboard which has 88 keys. Somebody who has started to learn keyboards on 61 keys, and is inclined to go to the advanced level, will need a keyboard with 88 keys. Whatever is the style of music that you want to learn – classical, jazz, blues, etc. you will need 88 keys to play the advanced pieces. But moving to a digital piano is a costlier option than may be getting your 61-key exchanged for a keyboard which has 88 keys, if budget is of high consideration. If you add the advantage of portability to it, it seems even more rational to go in for that since you can even take it along with you if you need to perform. If you are worried about what sort of keys these keyboards will have, then relax. You get keyboards that have graded hammer action as well, similar to that on acoustic grand pianos. So the touch and feel of your keyboard is not going to change. You also have the option of attaching sustain pedals to these keyboards. There are a lot of manufacturers out there who make music keyboards that have more than 61 keys. You can explore Yamaha, Roland, and Korg keyboards if you are looking for 88 key keyboards.

Purchasing Used Electronic Pianos

Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:36:24 +0000

Electronic pianos are keyboard instruments are designed so they can simulate the timbre of an acoustic piano by using an electronic circuit. Pianos were widely used musical instruments in the old days. Almost every house had a piano. Pianos were the most popular musical instruments all through the 18th century and even after that. It was as late as the 20th century that the use of the electronic pianos came into existence. Electronic pianos were widely used and now, there are many used electronic pianos available for sale. The best part of the electronic piano is that they do not require tuning. The traditional pianos had to be tuned from time to time so that the sound quality remained the best.Used electronic pianos do not have to be tuned and hence they can be used as is. The used electronic pianos will be available in all the shops that sell musical instruments. But before you buy used electronic pianos make sure that you know what you want, like size, colour, weighted keys. Just do a bit of homework first. If you feel that you are a beginner and do not know much about pianos then it will always be better to take somebody with you who will be able to identify a used electronic piano as a good one. The advantage of buying used electronic pianos is that you do not have to pay the original price and you can save a lot of money.Beginners can start with a used electronic piano, and later, when you become an expert you can always get a new piano for yourself. You can also find used electronic pianos on the internet; there are many websites that will give great offers on used pianos. Just use the same kind of common sense you would on the high street and you could well pick up an incredible deal, and there’s a lot out there, you just have to find them.

The Advantages Of Electronic Pianos Over Acoustic Upright Pianos

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 22:07:32 +0000

Many years ago, almost every household used to have an upright piano. People took music lessons with a piano teacher. These pianos took a lot of space and had to be tuned from time to time, otherwise they would sound horrible. Today there are a lots of electronic pianos, which do not have this kind of problem and are also quite cost effective. A big advantage of choosing an electronic piano is that they are not expensive. They also do not require tuning and as they weigh less they can be moved easily from place to place. You can even buy a piano that will match your furniture at home.Before you buy one, you need to consider a few thing things. The first thing you need to check is whether it actually sounds like a piano. Also, check out the other sounds other than the piano sound. Many of these keyboards include sounds of different musical instruments as well so check them out. There are some models that will also provide drum sounds. The next thing you need to look for is that whether the piano has weighted keys. These weighted keys will make your electronic piano sound and feel real. If your child is learning to play then the option of weighted keys is a really a necessary one.Most electronic pianos have a midi sequencer onboard. The sequencer will help you record whatever you play. This will help you when you are composing and playing back music pieces. You can play tracks you have recorded later whenever you need it. The next thing to look for is whether the instrument has a built in sound system or whether you have to connect speakers to it to hear the sound. The final thing you need to look for is whether it as an 88 note keyboard. Acoustic upright pianos always have 88 notes. Sometimes, low priced instruments have fewer notes. Popular sizes are 49 note, 61 note and 76 note keyboards.

How To Choose A Digital Piano

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 19:30:10 +0000

Digital pianos are a very similar playing experience to an acoustic piano. Although a digital piano uses digitally recorded, or sampled, sounds, rather than a combination of hammers and strings, it can still offer a highly realistic playing feel.The main component of a digital piano is a keyboard with a weighted key action that contains sensors that detect the velocity with which you hit the keys. When you strike piano keys, the loudness of the sound produced is effected by how hard you hit the keys. As the piano is based on samples, a wider range of sounds, such as organs and harpsichords, can be realistically recreated within the piano.What are the benefits of a digital piano?

Digital Pianos are greater value than an acoustic piano with prices starting from £315 for a PDP220 Digital Piano by Gear4music, with professional quality pianos costing well into the thousands. Roland produce a range of advanced digital pianos including the RG-3 Digital Grand Piano with Moving Keys at £8919.

Features to considerIt is important to consider carefully what your needs are before buying a digital piano. Below is a checklist of things to watch out for when shopping for a digital piano.

Other things to think aboutUsing your digital piano for practice in the home makes it worth investing in headphones. Also consider where you will use the piano, and check if it comes with a stool.

Yamaha Digital Piano: An Overall Look

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 17:24:37 +0000

Since the Yamaha digital piano came into existence, many people have liked it and are particularly fond of this brand. It has remained the favorite of many musicians. There are many musicians who choose the Yamaha digital piano over the other brands present in the market. The Yamaha digital piano has been treated with great respect all over the world. There are various models of Yamaha digital pianos you just need to choose the right one for you according to your needs. You must be sure what features you want in your digital piano and then choose from those models.The Yamaha digital piano has many advantages. Firstly, the cost of the digital piano is considerably less than an acoustic piano. Digital pianos are also quite easy to handle and light to carry, which is especially useful for the working musician. A Yamaha digital piano does not even require tuning like older models of the pianos. These pianos also have another great advantage, they come with headphones, if you connect the headphones only you can hear the sound, and this is great for beginners and advance players alike, because there’s no chance of disturbing anybody who is not a music lover. Another great feature of the piano is that it has a MIDI. The MIDI is expandable. So you can connect your piano to other devices that have MIDI like, computers and other music keyboards.You will find a wide range of Yamaha digital pianos on the internet. The Yamaha digital piano can be used in schools, home, churches, and even on stage and other places where you can compose your own music. The Yamaha digital piano has an interesting feature which is known as the graded hammer effect. This particular feature gives the same grand feeling of playing music that is available with acoustic and grand pianos. There are heavy as well as light keys wherever required and the right combination gives the right feel and sound.

Enhance Keyboard Performance with Keyboard Accessories

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:47:11 +0000

Keyboards are considered as the most important instrument in a band as a keyboard player has the main responsibility to play tracks and at the same time play the keys with the song. You can say that it is the spinal cord of any usual musical concert provided they are not putting emphasis on any particular musical instrument. Apart from this, if there is any concert that will highlight keyboard players, then its quite sure that you will get to hear some unusual sole touching as well as entertaining music.
A keyboard is a complete musical instrument, but still as most human beings have the typical characteristic of demanding more, there are many keyboard accessories that are introduced to satisfy this desire of the musicians.
Keyboard accessories like stand, bag and cases are some common accessories that you will get to see with every keyboard players. But many who are new in this field may not know that there are many different categories among these common accessories also.
If you go to buy a keyboard stand in market you will find minimum four to five types of stands – Single X Stand, Double X Stand, Table Top Stand, Double Tire Stand and 3-Tire Stand. You can find these models in any good musical instrument store. Apart from these models there are many more sophisticated models. Similarly, there are many types of keyboard bags and cases also manufactured by different companies. The most common differences that you will find in various bags is that some are padded and some are non-padded and of course the size of the bag. You can differentiate cases with the help of size and weight. Some cases also have wheels for the carrying convenience.
Now come the accessories that can be also called as keyboard gadgets. Musicians use them to boost up the level of performance. Brands like Roland, Casio, Korg, Yamaha and many other keep on introducing accessories with new utilities. These keyboard accessories help to produce different sound effects and give a totally different experience to the listeners.
Roland EV5 Expression Pedal, Moog Music EP2 Expression Pedal, Yamaha FC7 Volume Foot Control Pedal, M-Audio Expression Pedal, MIDI Solutions Merger 2 Input MIDI Merger, MIDI Solutions Thru 2 – Output Active MIDI Thru Box, MIDI Solutions Quadra Thru Processor, Boss FV50L Stereo Volume Pedal, Akai MFC 42 Kit etc. are some of the very famous keyboard accessories.
The expression pedals are connected with the keyboard and is operated usually to control the volume up and down while playing some musical piece. The MIDI Solution Merger combines two MIDI input into one, the 2 MIDI accessories give an output of 2 MIDI from a single input.
You can easily buy these keyboard accessories online. There are many websites who offer different online sale of these accessories. You may also get huge discount while buying online. But it is very important to be careful while purchasing these accessories online. And it is always better to buy from reliable dealers.

Tips On Buying Portable Keyboard

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:17:44 +0000

Buying a portable keyboard can be a very confusing task when you are not sure what to look for out of so many different interesting models. So it is very important to acquire some knowledge about the manufacturers, number of keys each model has and the connection i.e. whether it works with MIDI port or USB.
There are many well-known synthesizer brands in the market like Yamaha, Casio, Korg, Roland and some more. Apart from these there are many cheaper alternatives too, but you cannot expect equally good quality output from these brands. You may not find a good quality portable keyboard at a cheap price, but rest assure paying higher will be worth it. You will not get much confused if you keep your mind set for some particular brand.
There are keyboards in market with 32, 49, 61, 76, and 88 keys. Choosing the number of keys depends upon your use and knowledge. If you are a beginner then keyboards with 32 or 49 keys will be enough. Those that are with 61, 76 or 88 keys are good for the professionals or players who have completed a few levels.
A full sized piano has 88 keys. So if you want to learn piano with the help of a keyboard then an 88 keys full-sized keyboard is a must. The lesser the keys the more is the keyboard portable. The more the keyboard is handy, lesser will be the price. The only problem with the less key keyboards like 32, 49 and 61 is that while playing a full composition, transposing is needed.
There is another option of touch response in a portable keyboard. With the help of this touch response a keyboard sounds like a piano. It also gives greater control while playing. It improves the grade of performance as the keys are sensible to your touch. If you touch the key softly then the sound will come a little low and if you press the key harder then the sound will be a comparatively louder.
There is a LCD display on portable keyboards that helps to see the settings with which you are playing it. The modern portable keyboard also shows other details such as the modes or about the lyrics or scores of the song etc. This display makes them much easier to use.
All these portable keyboards can be connected to computers. They are connected with the help of special MIDI interface or USB cord. Most of the portable keyboards also have the option of recording. With the help of this you can record songs into your keyboard and can play it whenever you like. This option is very useful as you can record what you have practiced on your keyboard and can use it to improve your performance.
You can buy your portable keyboard online, as there are many good online dealers. There are even possibilities that you can get them at a lower price as most of the websites usually quote a discounted price.

Piano Keyboards to Keep You Playing: What To Look For In a Keyboard

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:34:34 +0000

When looking for a new keyboard, consider the name brand manufacturers of piano keyboards. Look at your budget and then go from there. Does that budget allow you to check out some of the premiere makers out there? Does your budget require you to go with a lesser-known manufacturer?
Some of the names in piano keyboards are Korg, Kurzweil, Roland, Yamaha, Kawai and Moog. There are a host of others as well, some with a wide model line available. Check each manufacturer’s products from low-end to high-end and compare across companies for features offered. Sometimes a lower-priced model may suit you just as well as a higher-priced one that has many extra gadgets you may never use. The main thing is to make sure any model you choose has a clear, full sound resembling as close as possible a traditional piano sound. You don’t want a tinny sound that is more annoying than pleasing.
If you base your decision solely on price, investigate consumer reports and product reviews that may alert you to product flaws. You may find some high-priced models receive more bad press than lower-priced makes. Regardless, don’t let a piano keyboard purchase blow your budget. You can always upgrade down the road.
One important consideration when purchasing a piano keyboard is the warranty. If you’re buying a new brand, make sure the warranty is suitable with no unacceptable “except for” clauses. If you’re buying used, try to buy from a dealer who offers even a six-month warranty on a used product. They’re out there; you just have to look for them.
Consider the type of keys your fingers will run across when you look at piano keyboards. Do you want traditional weighted keys that have the feel of an acoustic piano? Do you want touch sensitive keys that spring into action with little downward pressure? Both are available, and checking them out will ensure that it suits your touch. I would certainly recommend that you get both of these features so your keyboard not only sounds but also feels like a normal acoustic piano.
Consider whether you want a full 88-key piano or one with fewer keys. It depends on what you plan to play, how much you want to spend, and the space you have in a room. You don’t want to feel cramped with a keyboard whose length barely fits into a small room. On the other hand, if you plan on getting better in a hurry, then get an 88 key keyboard from the outset so you won’t have to worry about outgrowing it.
Another thing to consider in a piano keyboard is the number of controls a model has for sound modification. Many keyboards come equipped with settings to make the piano sound like different musical instruments. Some also have voice settings, so certain keys sound like a choir singing. Again, if you want just your typical piano sound, you may not require all these sound controls. To keep your costs down, it’s best to buy a model with only the features you will use.
An important consideration, especially if you live in an apartment or condominium, is sound control. You want a keyboard that allows you to set the volume as low as possible while maintaining quality and clarity of sound. You also want a keyboard that allows for headphone plug-in, so you can play as loud as you need without disturbing anyone.
With today’s “going green” concerns, you may want to investigate the energy use of keyboards. Keyboards that are green friendly are sure to be the latest models and can save you dollars on energy bills. With that extra money, you can upgrade to a higher-priced keyboard later.
Additional things to consider are any special benefits or bonuses for buying. Some music studios sell keyboards and may offer lesson or music book discounts for purchasing from them. Some music stores offer music lessons on premises and may offer free introductory piano lessons with a keyboard purchase.
The final thing to consider when purchasing a keyboard is its capacity for attachments. Aside from the headphones (and you’ll want them for sure so you can practice silently), you may want outlets for an amplifier or a Musical Instrument Digital Interface outlet. This allows you to hook a keyboard into a computer. Of course, the computer also has to have a MIDI input. If your computer doesn’t, you have to buy a USB MIDI adapter. With the proper software program in place, you can play notes on a keyboard and have them show up as written music on your monitor. The computer plays the notes back, and the program stores the played notes on the computer. If this looks like an attractive option, seek a keyboard with this outlet.
Take the time to investigate all the piano keyboard options available to you on the market. There are makes and models to suit your exact requirements. All you need is an investigative attitude to search out the one that’s right for you.