Staff Blogs

Numak Company History: A Story You Won't Find Anywhere Else

July 14, 2011

After countless fruitless hours doing some internet-digging for the history of the Numark brand, we decided to just up and ask the brand itself. Not the actual brand, of course. There's people working at Numark — just people with no publicly available histories.

Offsite Link: Visit the official Numark website for more information

Friday Link Roundup: A Fest For All Seasons, But Mostly Summer

Staff Blogs

July 08, 2011

It's beginning to look a lot like Pitchfork/
Every where you go/
The ironically unkempt hair/
The practiced lethargic stares/
With Holga cams and iPhones all aglow!

Yes To Extra Picks, No To Duct Tape: The Gearwire Gig-Ready Gear Checklist

Staff Blogs

June 27, 2011

What to bring to a gig is one of those questions that's too often answered through trial and error. Well why don't you learn from the mistakes of others and peep our essential gig gear checklist. That's right; Gearwire just indirectly owned up to having made mistakes in the past.

Friday Link Roundup: You Click Our Links, We'll Click Yours

Staff Blogs

June 24, 2011

While a lynx is a large cat that calls mountainous regions its home, these links will take you to pages other than Gearwire. See kids? That's called a parallelism!

QSC Audio: A Highly Efficient Corporate History

Staff Blogs

June 23, 2011

Much like their power amplifiers, this profile of QSC Audio is light on text, but potent when it comes to content. In fact, in ten years, this article will be half the length but contain three times as much information!

Offsite Link: Visit the official QSC Audio website for more information

The Ten Best-Named Effects Pedals, According To Us

Staff Blogs

June 23, 2011

What would you rather step on the elevate your guitar tone to legendary proportions, something called the "OD-1" or the "Way Huge Swollen Pickle"? We thought so. What follows is a list of the greatest achievements in the effects pedal industry, pedal-naming subcategory.

When To True Bypass, And When Not To True Bypass

June 21, 2011

True-bypass effects pedals verses buffered bypass

Folks shopping for effects pedals get the phrase "true-bypass" thrown their way a lot. but what is true bypass, and why is it such a selling point. And, more importantly: is it a selling point?

Friday Link Roundup: Go On. Get Out Of Here.

Staff Blogs

June 17, 2011

We've enjoyed your company all week, but — and don't take this the wrong way — but why don't you bark up somebody else's root domain for a while? Dig? Here's a few suggestions for what you can do with yourself.

Native Instruments: A Brief Company History

June 16, 2011

The story of the founding of Native Instruments and the company's near-meteoric climb from a two-man operation to formidable international enterprise is one that could only have happened in America. Except it happened in Germany.

Offsite Link: Visit the official Native Instruments website for more information

Compression Vs. Expanding Vs. Limiting Vs. Gating: A Guide To Dynamics Processing

June 13, 2011

What's the difference between a compressor / limiter and a compressor / limiter / gate? First you need to understand what compression is and what it's used for. Don't worry, this intro to dynamics processing will have you discerning the differences in seven hundred words or less.

Friday Link Roundup: Send Jimmy Chamberlain Birthday Wishes

Staff Blogs

June 10, 2011

Or don't, we don't care. All we really ask you to do is peruse this Friday's roundup of links to things on the internet that are not on this website but are still of some interest so-say-us.

Peavey Electronics Corporation: A Brief History Of An American Original

June 09, 2011

Only Marshall Amplification can claim as long a continuous private ownership in the Musical Instruments sector as Hartley Peavey's of Peavey Electronic Corporation. Here's a condensed history of that company, as well as Hartley's origins as a determined kid who's dad wouldn't buy him a guitar.

Offsite Link: Visit the official Peavey website for more information.

Producer, Shmoducer, These Nine Did It Their Way

Staff Blogs

June 08, 2011

List of Procuers who are also performers.

Nearly every musician wants to record their music themselves nowadays, but if you're serious about making your work sound as good as possible it's usually a better idea to bring an objective ear into the proceedings. That's why it's so impressive that these nine artists also produced their own records: their albums sound great!

Yamaha Corporation: A Brief History Of The World's Biggest Musical Instrument Manufacturer

June 02, 2011

It's the biggest musical instrument manufacturer in the world, it's got roots in shogun-era Japan, and it helped build parts for the feared "Zero" fighter planes in WWII. Here, then, is our radically condensed retelling of Yamaha Corporation's truly epic history. Apologies to Torakusu and Seisuke.

Offsite Link: Visit the official Yamaha website for more information

The Best (Free) Online Banjo Video Lessons

June 01, 2011

Luddites and technology moralists warn that the internet is going to replace real human relationships. We don't know about that, but we do know this: it's going to replace the relationship you have with your banjo teacher. Here's a list of the top five best online banjo instructional videos.

Friday Link Roundup: Enjoy Your Long Weekend, Everyone

Staff Blogs

May 27, 2011

Did you buy your briquettes, burgers, and big-ass fireworks? If not: what the heck are you waiting for? Get out of the house and buy, patriot, buy! If you're set, though, spend some time with this quality link roundup.

KRK Systems: Yet Another Brief History Of A Three Letter Acronym

May 26, 2011

Like JBL, KRK Systems gets its trademark from its company founder's name. Also like JBL, KRK's founder and namesake split with the company to form a separate business interest (though he maintains close professional ties). Also like JBL, KRK's founder was named James Bullough Lansing. One of these facts is made up.

Offsite Link: Visit the official KRK Systems website for more information

Great Records, Terrible Recordings: Seven Albums That Endure Despite Their Production

Staff Blogs

May 25, 2011

Seven Great Albums With Terrible Production

Why did The Boss produce Nebraska on a Tascam Portastudio? Was it to prove that the song is king? Even if that wasn't his intention, we're still convinced. Here's seven more albums that have found their way into the collective unconscious despite embarrassing engineering.

To USB Mic Or Not To USB Mic; Aye, That's A Stretch Of A Headline Reference

May 24, 2011

When even the White House has a podcast, you know it's time to buy a USB Microphone. But wait: what if what you need is actually a USB or Firewire audio interface with multiple inputs and the option to expand your humble setup down the road? Confused? Read this off-the-cuff buyer's guide and be less so.

Friday Link Roundup Goes For Broke(n Links)

Staff Blogs

May 20, 2011

What would you do if you knew the world were going to end tomorrow? Surf the inter internet? Us, too. In fact, we were going to do that anyway. Here's some links to help.

JBL Professional Company History: An Acronym By Any Other Name. . .

May 19, 2011

Have you ever wanted to know where the letters "JBL" come from? They come from the alphabet, silly! But did you know that when they're arranged in the above fashion they also denote a product crafted by the company that was founded by a guy who's real last name is the same as a popular cocktail the name of which is of origins unknown? Well didja?

Offsite Link: Visit the official JBL Pro website for more information

A Gravity Blast By Any Other Name: Top Five Amateur One-Handed Roll How-To Videos

May 18, 2011

Top Five DIY Freehand Roll YouTube Videos

Jojo Mayer didn't invent the one-handed roll, but he does offer a solid explanation of the technique in a new instructional DVD from Hudson Music entitled Secret Weapons for the Modern Drummer. If you're the type, however, who mistrusts high-production values and concise demonstrations, boy have we got the five amateur single-hand snare-roll YouTube videos for you.

Offsite Link: Visit for more information

Smashingly Huge Guitar Tone, Tiny Amps: A Little Recording Signal Pathology (Video)

April 20, 2011

Cherub Rockin' Guitar Tones, Explained On Video

This vid is the greatest/
vid I've ever known/
Can’t live for some other vid/
It’s prolly much too long/
I burn my eyes out/
Before I get out.

I don't know what those last two lines are about.

Gearwire Book Club: Gino Reviews Two Essential Guides To Vintage Instruments

February 25, 2011

Gruhn's Guide To Vintage Guitars And Electric Guitars and Basses: A Photographic History Book Review

Co-authors George Gruhn and Walter Carter have a pair of photo-rich tomes dedicated to the history of electric guitars and basses that'll turn any vintage-hound into Pavlov's dog. Gino Robair reviews Gruhn’s Guide to Vintage Guitars (3rd edition) and Electric Guitars and Basses: A Photographic History.

Offsite Link: Visit the official Hal Leonard website for more information

Nashville Flooding: Damage Report And Donation Information

May 14, 2010

The Nashville music industry is still reeling from the past few weeks' unprecedented flooding. Fortunately the industry at large has been quick to setup charitable and relief funds to help those musicians -- many of whom are without insurance -- who've lost untold thousands of dollars' worth of irreplaceable gear.

Blog For Alicia Keys: Singer Seeks Superwoman With Wicked Wordsmithery And Sicky Social Media Skills

April 15, 2010

Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Alicia Keys has posted a job opening on Monster.com for a "Head Blogger" position. Of course, if your resume is the one chosen, you'll have to report for work in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, let's hear it for New York, New York, New York.

Offsite Link: Check out the original Monster Jobs posting here.

Lexicon BD-30, A $3500 Blu-Ray Player, Is A Re-Packaged $500 Oppo Blu-Ray Player

January 26, 2010

Lexicon BD-30 Oppo BDP-83 Blu-Ray Player Scandal

As reported at Wired.com, the new Lexicon BD-30 Blu-Ray Player may just be an Oppo BDP-83 with a different faceplate. . . and a price increase of $3,000.

Offsite Link: Visit the official Lexicon consumer audio website for more information

Propellerhead Record Journal, Part 2: Blue Encore 100 And Acoustic Upright Bass In Long Island

January 05, 2010

From Philly to Long Island traveled GW's Owen O'Malley for this next installment of the Propellerhead Record recording journal. After tracking harp in a three-story brownstone, he sets up to get down some upright bass in a barn loft.

Offsite Link: Visit Propellerhead's official website for more information

Propellerhead Record Journal, Part 1: Owen's Mobile Recording Rig On East Cost Tour

December 30, 2009

Owen puts Propellerhead Record through its paces as he tracks acoustic guitar in Chicago, harp in Philadelphia, and upright bass in Long Island, though not in that order.