Expert Features

Have you ever used an AKG C414? If you are a musician, it's a pretty sure bet you have. This year, AKG took a chance and decided to improve upon an age-old standard. Do they succeed? Listen to Joe Waggoner and make up your own mind.  

Ableton's Huston Singletary wraps up his Gearwire studio session with an introduction to some new instruments in both Live 8 and Suite 8, and a gentle reminder to ask for help when you need it. Luckily, Ableton makes all of these things a snap.  

Huston Singletary never actually had to LEARN Ableton, we think he just sort of came into the world knowing how to do it. We benefit from that zenlike confidence in this demo of warping in Live 8 and Suite 8.  

Ableton Rep Huston Singletary is back, making everything look easy with Live 8 and Suite 8. But actually, you know, this program does make your work kind of a snap. Don't believe me? Watch Huston go to town...  

Huston Singletary from Ableton knows how to work that product. After this series of demos, you're gonna think you were born knowing Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8. And how can you not like a guy who sounds just like Tom Bodett?  

Sunday Sunday Sunday! Allen Gore from Yamaha dives right into his showmanship skills, and brings out the dog AND the pony, so we can all learn more about the awesomeness that is the Yamaha Pocketrak CX. Prepare to be amazed.  

Achieving natural sound is the constant challenge with these all-in-one music systems. The Yamaha MOTIF XS addresses that challenge with Expanded Articulation and a number of other technical goodies that you're just going to have to see (and hear) to believe. So let's get to it, shall we?  

Allen Gore from Yamaha (that's Allen, not Albert) came into the Gearwire studio the other day, and he seemed to have forgotten to bring anything to demonstrate. But no! He had simply brought the Pocketrak series, and both of those little buddies can fit right in your shirt pocket. Watch now as he gives us the rundown on the Pocketrak 2G, a field recorder for the space-challenged.  

Dan Lakin of Lakland Basses has a great affectionate interest in the Skyline Model, because... well, it's his company. He has a great affectionate interest in all of it. But seriously - Lakin explains how the foreign made Skyline model compares favorably to its US made counterpart.  

Need instructions on how to re-bind your Supro? How about the ability to pimp out your pickguard with some sweet Green Lantern action? Look no further than Guitar Kits USA, your source for a whole greater than the sum of its parts.  

Stand back, Julia Child! You're not the only one who can rock the sweet overhead cam how-to show. Our intrepid Roland rep whips up a beat without even pausing to put it in the oven. But with all due respect, if Julia were still around, you just know she would be throwing down some killer French House.  

Dan Kelley at Guitar Kits USA knows that the quality of a guitar depends largely on the details. When you're building your own guitar, you want to have as much control over those details as possible. So pickup rings are pretty important, dig?  

Dan Kelley from Guitar Kits USA takes us on a little runthrough of the Res-O-Glas guitar line, explaining the details and advantages along the way. If you've ever wondered why someone would bother with a guitar kit (particularly if they are not a trained luthier), Dan may have your answer.  

Curt from Roland is back, and he's gonna show us what the deal is with the 1.3 upgrade on the Fantom-G6. Since Curt actually makes music himself, he can fly through those controls like nobody's bidness. So pay attention!  

Back in the Lakland Bass workshop, we take a little Zen break to watch Fretmaster Kevin serenely lay frets into the neck of an infant bass. Enjoy the fruits of Kevin's labor both in this video, and possibly in a Lakland of your own.  

Curt the Roland rep, the most recent in our steady line of capable product demonstrators, brings us the Roland Fantom G6. This time, it has the new 1.3 upgrade. See the overview in this first of three videos.  

Dan Kelley from Guitar Kits USA is gonna show you how to make a Frankenstein guitar. No, really; a nice one that will actually make you want to scream, with gleeful insanity, "GIVE MY CREATION... LIFE!" Heh. Let us introduce you to the Res-O-Glas Guitar.  

We're back at the Lakland Bass factory, where everything they do is expressly for you. Well, that is if you want to buy a Lakland Bass. Hey, you might want to... and meanwhile, take a look at one of their skilled craftsmen as he preps a bass for electronics.  

Bo Pirrucello from Hanson Musical Instruments will admit that winding pickups isn't rocket science. However, there's still clearly a perceivable difference in quality between pickup X and Y, so what gives? The difference, Grasshopper, is tension.  

Dan Lakin from Lakland Basses is really into the Plek machine, a fret leveler from Germany that makes all the Lakland Basses turn heads and evoke provocative comments. After a genial introduction to the Lakland company, we get to see der Plekker in action.  

Scott Simon is back for his final performance with the Waves Tony Maserati Collection. For the closer, he presents the HMX Harmonics Generator, which apparently works for keys, vocals, and everything else by enhancing some nice stereo action.  

We're not exactly sure where Lakland Basses is located, since we had to consent to being blindfolded and driven through remote streets before arriving at the top secret location. Once there, however, the genial Matt was happy to show us how he makes the frets on a Lakland bass so conducive to smooth playing.  

In the penultimate demonstration of the series on the Waves Tony Maserati Collection, Scott Simon gives us a quick and dirty lowdown on the low end. With both a DI and a synth setting, he B72 Bass Phattener can make your bottom nice and phat.  

Since vocals are an entirely different animal than, say, a grand piano; they demand different treatment in post. Waves knows this, and has tailored a plugin specifically for vocal enhancement, namely the Tony Maserati Collection VX1 Vocal Enhancer. Yay Waves!  

Dan Lakin of Lakland takes us into the factory and gives us a little show-and-tell of their Decade model. Amid accounting books and some mysterious mechanized sound (perhaps the Pleking machine?), we learn about this bass from one of its proud parents.  

Scott Simon from Waves is still hanging around in the Gearwire studio, because there's just so much to go over in the new Tony Maserati Collection. The GTi Guitar Toner almost did him in. We did get him to take a break, eat a sandwich, go out for some fresh air... but the guy was all on fire to get back into the demo groove. After this one, we're totally taking him to the Polish buffet in Burr Ridge.  

If you've got some recorded acoustic guitar, and it took everything you've got to just get the sound "into the computer," well thank Zoolander, 'cuz now you've got something to make it sound real nice. The Waves Tony Maserati Collection ACG Acoustic Guitar Designer has swiped all of Tony's best tricks, and now they can be yours. Don't worry your pretty little head about it.  

Recently we were treated to a tour of Hanson Musical Instruments' factory in the Chicagoland area. In this first installment of our visit, we take a look at their lineup for the upcoming year. There's some pretty stuff here, so you might want to take a look.  

Every now and then, we at Gearwire like to mix things up with a demo series that rivals Tolkien in length and complexity. The Waves Tony Maserati Collection series of demos in the next in that series. We'll wait while you go grab a goodly glass of Pimm's Cup, and then settle down into your fainting couch for a leisurely look at this worthy plugin.  

When Freddie Sipo first mentioned his Fernandes Custom fretless we assumed it was a bass. This not only shows our lack of creative thinking but reemphasizes that when you "assume" you make an ASS out of U and ME.