Mike Ward of Suncrest Christian Church introduces us to his little friend, the dbx DriveRack 480. It's the Alpha and Omega of his live setup.  

Thomas Faulds is an Ableton Live Specialist who moderates the Ableton User Group in Chicago, and his work with the groups brings him into contact with some of the most innovative musicians in the Windy City. In This video, he imparts some wisdom about using MIDI controllers while creating live loops with Vibraphonist Katie Wiegman.  

I figure that there's enough of a crossover audience between Lord of the Rings fans and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fans. Thus, Robert Plant would probably dig the Sones de Mexico cover of four sticks where his vocal line is played on a delayed out ocarina.  

Tom Stukel is the man behind the kit with Mikey Peterson and the Trust. The minimalist kit he uses live belies his percussive influences (Bozzio, Copeland).  

The streamlined step sequencer included with Cakewalk Sonar 7 handles so many envelopes, you could call it "The Mailman." Unfortunately, that nickname has already been registered by one Karl Malone, and you now owe him $2.67 for reading his name. Twice that if you're reading aloud to a friend -- see what charity gets you?  

Thou shalt not kill. Unless thou referreth to stage volume. Mike Ward of Suncrest Christian Church uses amp modeling, direct boxes and smooth talk to keep both guitarists and parishioners happy.  

It takes quite a bit of effort to distinguish a new "high-end" instrument cable from the many others that are already available, even if you're company name is already nearly synonymous with "audio cables." That's why Hosa isn't afraid to bust out phrases like "foamed polyethylene dielectric" and "picofarads per foot."  

Owen O'Malley attempts to pitch another one of Fishman's extraordinary AFX series acoustic effects pedals, the AFX Reverb. Unfortunately, he balks, allowing all runners to advance a base. You better work on that quick move to first, O'Malley, or we're sending you back to the minors!  

Vienna Symphonic Library has just added 47 brass and woodwind instruments to its ever-expanding roster of single instrument downloads. When is ICE going to wake up and start enforcing quota restrictions on this new flood of Viennese immigrants?  

With the ability to overdub in studio, sometimes bands have to be selective on which parts and instruments they can bring to the stage. Juan Dies shows us the Boss Super Shifter used in Sones De Mexico's "Four Sticks," which adds another imaginary member to the band.  

Fixed Noise KREATE by Speedy J is already receiving rave reviews, like this one from Brazilian Industrial DJ Pherro, aka P.H.A.D., on MySpace.

"Hello KREATE by Speedy J.

Thanks a lot in advance for the add.
Nice staying in touch...
Great software and work!
Congratulations!
All respect and admiration!
We're wishing all the best and all success!
We're connected...
Have great times and good vibes!

Greetings!"  

Its almost the end of DJ Puzzle's blind date with the Rane TTM 57SL and bundled Serato Scratch Live -- they're a package deal. Will the eligible Mr. Donnelly be breaking out that promise ring he's been hiding, or will we see him on the next season of A Shot At Love?  

Mike Ward -- head sound engineer at Suncrest Christian Church -- invited GW to soundcheck to check out the church's compliment of condenser mics, and to let us in on the "Good News" about the Countryman e6i headworn omnidirectional wireless element.  

Aside from the fact that we check out the metalicious crunch and lead channels on the Bugera 333XL, we also use the combo amp to channel RF interference. Where was this amp 20 years ago, when my bulging muscles and I would stroll down Venice Beach, shouldering the biggest boom box of them all?  

Apparently, there is more to Sugar Bytes Effectrix aside than the realization that the seams of reality are unraveling all around you. Bill Holland discovers what it is.  

What's that you say, Uli? You've got an acoustic modeler pedal based on the BOSS AC-2, and it retails for under thirty bucks? Alright, you got me. I'll try one out. . . But no promises, you hear me, Uli?  

Years ago while wandering through the forest gathering various berries, a young boy was captured by aliens, taken aboard their craft and taught the secrets of Rane Serato Scratch Live. He returned as DJ Abducted, and he is on a mission to spread the teachings of those hip cosmic captors from galaxies far beyond!  

Jody "Wonka" Dankburg leads us through the final stages of Randall Amplifier production in the fantastical Wasburn USA CUstom shop, somewhere outside of post-Dickensian London. In the final room on the tour, Mr. Dankburg surprises young Britton Wetherald with the news that he, Britton, has been chosen to take over the factory when Jody retires! Will wee Britton say "yes"? You'll just have to tune in for Jody Dankburg and the Smoked-Acryllic Elevator to find out!  

Sones de Mexico's Juan Dies gives us a little lesson in musical history, showing us some traditional percussion instruments used in Aztec and Mexican culture. These pieces were also used to cover "Four Sticks" by Led Zeppelin, and by design, they get the whole body involved.  

Owen O'Malley continues his examination of the Fishman pedals -- genus acousifecticous -- with a public dissection of the species steryodelae. It's sure to be a packed event, so arrive at the observation booth early and take care to avoid the anti-Fishman-violence protesters.  

Bill Holland goes Step by Step in this demo of the step sequencer inside Cakewalk SONAR 7. I mean that he lives in a van outside of the Lambert's house.  

DJ Puzzle Jason Donnelly unbundles the Rane TTM 57SL / Serato Scratch Live bundle and gets the software and the hardware talking to each other. I bet you didn't know that one of Puzzle's biggest influences is Henry Kissinger.  

Mike Ward, the sound engineer at Suncrest Christian Church, is faced with the task of keeping a full band under 95 DB. After all, it's a house of worship, not a Stryper concert.  

EathtWetht and Betht Thervith annouthed a follow up collection to their thelebrated library of loopth thuited for electro-houth, tech-houth, and minimal houth. Itth called Thynththon Produtherth Collecthon Vol.2, and itth thure to have DJth thimply thalivating in antithipathon!  

SMPlugins takes a really intuitive approach to translating guitar to the virtual instrument realm. It treats the guitar like six individual monophonic synthesizers that cooperate to provide some more authentic results.  

Big Bertha is a collection of some of the funkiest electric bass sounds ever sampled, from subscription content service Puremagnetik. Anyone who hears these samples and loops can't help but get down; maybe that's why they named it after the WWI-era German-made Howitzer mortar cannon.  

Peace Love Productions readies their spaceship for Uncharted Planets with the help of Ma Ja Le. Rumor has it, 120 BPM is slower in space.  

As the legend goes, Fishman effects are created by the fish that sprouted legs and walked out of the water because of evolution. Not much is known about this "fish-man" aside from his prowess for creating beautiful acoustic guitar effects like this AFX Chorus.  

In this video, Bill Holland takes a look at the step sequencer within Cakewalk SONAR 7. He overviews the features and controls before laying four to the floor.  

Mike Ward is the head Sound Engineer at Suncrest Christian Church in St. John Indiana, and he gave Gearwire a look at the house-of-worship's Bose PA. Among other things, Mr. Ward explained why the placement of the speaker enclosures ended up being a bit, shall we say, unorthodox.