I noticed they would listen to the song, make a chart, go out into the studio and cut it as if they have been playing it all their lives. Awesome! I also noticed they were saying things like, “the chorus is a 1,4, 6minor the first time trough, but lets make it a  1, 4, 5 the second time” and “on the diamond, let’s get a quick 5 in there before the turnaround”.

What tha? Yeah, I knew it was the Nashville number system, but I never knew it was that cool. (Meaning it is useful, but especially if an idiot like me is listening to a conversation and confused)

So, I have sat out to learn this, and to use it in all my live, and studio gigs. I think I have talked all my musician friends into it as well. It would make life much more professional and easier when getting together. How? you ask….well let me give some examples.

Say you are playing live at the local burger, beer, and jam place. A lady approaches and wants to sing “over the rainbow” (Sorry LOL). You know it in C, but she wants it in Eb. Hmmmmm Well you look to your band mates and say it is a 1, 4, 6, 5 in the verse and the chorus is a 1, blaa blaa, blaa…. and everyone plays through. Even easier if she brought a chart with her….she is a professional too.

Or lets say you lead a worship group at church. You spend time each week printing out chord charts in the correct keys. You have eight people in your group. Each one needs a chart. If the main singer gets ill, and you have a backup, they may want to sing it in a different key. That means you print out another bunch of chord charts. You just went from helping the soul to killing trees. You could have saved a few trees, paper cost, and time, if you would just print the songs out using the numbering system.

One chart, covering all the keys = numbering system. Wow!

…do I even need to use the studio example again? Good. I hope by reading you might catch on a little better. At the least, I will tell you where you can learn more near the bottom of this article.

Now, let’s see what Wikipedia says about it.

“The Nashville Number System is an informal method of transcribing music by denoting the scale degree on which a chord is built. It was developed by Neil Matthews in the late ’50s as a simplified system for the Jordanaires to use in the studio and further developed by Charlie McCoy. The system uses Arabic numerals and does not explicitly state the quality (e.g., major or minor) of the chord. By writing chords as numbers, music may be transposed easily. As a simple system of transcription, it can be used with only a rudimentary background in music theory, and may not be as intimidating to learn for musicians unfamiliar with traditional notations. If a set of musicians has basic familiarity, improvisation and jam sessions can be quickly explained using numbers, and chord changes can be communicated mid-song by holding up the corresponding number of fingers. The system is flexible, and can be embellished to include more information (such as chord color or to denote a bass note in an inverted chord) as the user desires. “

Now, let’s see if we can learn something together.

First, one must know the Major Scale. A Major scale is WWHWWWH, steps that is. Whole step, whole step, half step, etc. On a guitar it would be interrupted this way.

On a single string. A whole step has a fret skipped in between. A half step is the next fret in line.

In other words, the G Major scale on the low E string would be tabbed out as:

Fret 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15

Turn this into numbers with 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,and 8

Your 1 and 8 will obviously be the same only an octave apart.

So for the G major scale it would be

G A B C D E F# G

or G=1 A=2 B=3 C=4 D=5 E=6 F#=7 G=8

With the number system, the below is always true:

1 = Major, 2 = Minor, 3 = Minor, 4 = Major, 5 = Major, 6 = Minor, 7 = Minor Diminished

We will stop looking at 8, since it starts to repeat from that point as an octave.

So, taking the Key of G, as we used before…lets see what the chords are for each number. Then we’ll transpose it to a new key.

1 = G Maj

2 = A min

3 = B min

4 = C Maj

5 = D Maj

6 = E min

7 = F# min dim

Now – we’ll transpose it to the Key of D for and example:

1 = D Maj

2 = E min

3 = F# min

4 = G Maj

5 = A Maj

6 = B min

7 = C# min dim

One chart = All keys

You can learn this and become a better player with only a small understanding of music theory.

As we go along, I hope to post more about this system since it seems to be overlooked in the novice music world. That’s why we’re here also, so we can share ideas and learn.

Now for a handy chart, until it is all in memory:

As promised here is a resource I kept coming across while Google’ing about the Nashville numbering system. It is called The Nashville Number System by Chas Williams

© 2010, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

Black Lion Audio

Ok, so we’re wrapping up our review on Black Lion Audio and the signature modification on our Digi 002R. So far, everything has gone smoothly and to our satisfaction. We expect the end result to be the same or better.

When we left off we were about to ship the unit to Black Lion Audio in Chicago, IL. The shipping would be from West Texas to Chicago via UPS ground. I took the unit to a UPS store on Friday evening. I asked that they pack it very well and insured it for $1200.00. They stated it would be packed in a box with 4” of foam peanuts all around it.

The shipping weight was 18 Llbs, shipped on 7/28/09 and arrived on 8/3/09 at 9:50AM. All this for the low, low price of $57.63. You have to love the shipping prices these days. You could go cheaper if you insure it for less or not at all, but I wanted to make sure if it were damaged I could recover easily…or easier.

After that,  it was just a matter of waiting to hear back from BLA and pay the final 50% after they complete the modification. Then another wait for the unit to arrive back home safely. Then a full scale test!

I did notice, while browsing BlackLionAudio.com, that they have started modifying the Digi 96 I/O now. Wow, that would be nice…and it will be nice to remember. Maybe one day? However, I found the statement on their web site to be exactly what I want out of my unit. It reads as follows:

Within just a few years, we’ve built a reputation for providing high quality sound in a cost-effective manner. Given the current economic climate, it’s no wonder that major label project studios, audio software companies, and high-profile tracking and mix down engineers make up a significant portion of our client base.

You can hear our work on major television commercials for Fox and Chevrolet, and you’ll hear our work on upcoming episodes of “HawthoRNe” this fall. Our work has been utilized by prestigious organizations such as The Los Angeles Opera, major label projects by Jars of Clay, Rod Stewart, and The Donnas, as well as independent artists like Danielson Famile, David Bazan (Pedro The Lion), Sereena Maneesh, and mewithoutYou.

Our customers are made up of both home studios and professional engineers. We are proud of our satisfied customer base and make every effort to provide them with value. Feedback from our customers has a common theme. They are surprised at the dramatic improvement in sound that our modifications are able to achieve.

That is what people of our caliber are wanting. Professional sound quality at the budget we can afford. Looks like Black Lion Audio is working to help us achieve that goal. It looks like they have already done just that with some people above our caliber of budget from the reading above.

Ok – skipping toward the present a little. While I was working around the house on a Friday (some 4 days after my unit arrived in Chi’ town and only 2 days after the scheduled modification) I get a call on my cell…”This is Luke from Black Lion Audio” “Just wanted to tell you we’ve completed your signature modification.” My reply was “Sweet!”.

I asked about the invoice for the remaining 50%, to which he said we’ll send that out in a few minutes. I thanked him, he thanked me, and I ran in the house to grab the Mac Book. A few minutes later, I had it paid in full, via Pay Pal. I then sent a quick email asking for tracking information. I want to make sure I know when it will be here. Can’t wait!

7 ANXIOUS DAYS LATER…

UPS so kindly dropped it off on my front porch with out as much as a ring of the doorbell. I just happened to see them drive off from my upstairs window. I won’t complain now…because I could really rant about that, and this review is long enough.

I took pictures of the packaging as I opened the box up. I had read on many forums, that some people

were not satisfied withthe return shipping. I even read that some units were damaged. Not pointing blame, just wanted to document how mine was received. As you can see, it was packed fairly well…at least in my opinion.

There was some included documentation. The expected invoice copy, Black Lion Audio MicroClock mk2 Owner’s Manual, and an attention notice for customers with Tweak Head & Signature Series Modifications.

As expected, you’ve most likely seen and invoice, and an owners manual. I will note the owners manual is more for the eternal clock they manufacture. Now, I’ll skip to the “Attention” notice.

It basically warns the users that with the addition of the new power supply your 002 or 003 will run a little hotter. They recommend sufficient ventilation for the units.  They state that the new power supply will run at roughly 40-45 degrees Celsius. For the rest of us Americans – that means approximately 104 – 113 degrees Fahrenheit. They do mention this is well within the manufacturer’s allowable spec’s “however, minimizing heat is the wiser approach.”. It also states that the new power supply comes with an internal fuse. Should the fuse blow, they recommend replacing it with a 1 amp 250v slow blow type fuse.

Here are a few pics of the inside to compare against the stock internal pics – this is for all you electro-geeks!

I actually took the pictures down. After it being brought to my attention by a friend, it might have been possible for someone to find the tricks of the trade. I did not want to harm Black Lion Audio’s business in any way.

Ok, enough already! Let’s know what this thing sounds like. Turn it up!

I hooked it back up in my project studio and first brought up some old mixes I did a while back. Call me crazy, but I heard all sorts of things I did not like – they were hidden before. I did some quick mixing and through it on the iPod, where the other old mixes lived. I even took the iPod out to the truck and had a listen. Wow, why did I not do this sooner.

I then decided I would track just me and an acoustic guitar doing some tunes. I sat up two mics, and hit record. I was amazed at how clear the vocals came through, as well as the guitar. It sounded more real to me – not recorded. Sorry, but that is the only way I can truly describe it. It sounded real! Like what my ears hear when I am in the room listening to the instrument or singer.

Just for fun, I recorded me plunking on the bass – DI’d into the 002 R. Something I would have never dreamed of doing before. It came across much tighter and fuller. None of the muddy, thinness that was there before. I placed three mics on a drum set – one out front in line with the kick about head height, and two on each side of the kit as overheads. Wow, I was convienced that I could seriously track a drum set like this with the sound I was getting. I guess Drum-a-gog will still be used, but not near as much.

Pearl Snap Music is in the design phase of a new studio, it will be around 1600 square feet of recording space ready to deliver quality recordings for independent musicians. The Black Lion Audio Signature Series modified 002 Rack is now, more than ever, ready to be the center of the studio.

I hope this review will help you gain a better – straight from the non-affiliatted client. In fact Black Lion Audio does not know about this review. This is just my honest opinion and experience. I think it is a smart move for anyone who wants a little more out of their 002 R, 003 R, or other units that Black Lion Audio modifies. Give them a call.

Now I need to email them to let them know I a truly happy with everything, and let them know I tracked the entire experience here on PSM.

Thanks Black Lion Audio!

© 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

When we closed the last article, we had paid the 50% down to BLA. BLA notified us that we needed to contact Digidesign about a new power harness. The power harness issue will cause the unit to cycle power in the middle of sessions and/or sometimes Pro Tools will not recognize the hardware until you turn it off and then back on.

So I contacted Digidesign through their support link on the website. Gave them the serial number of my unit and that I needed the power harness upgrade kit. I received an email two days later stating:

Response (Digidesign Technical Support) – 06/07/2009 08.53 PM
Hi,

If you have an issue with your hardware that requires repair you need to contact us via the ProAxess line.  If the call results in a hardware repair that requires an RA you will not be charged for the call.

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=54&itemid=23088

You can find our repair policies and procedures here:

http://www.digidesign.com/index.cfm?langid=100&navid=54&itemid=4915

The tech you speak with can determine if this is an issue with the power harness and if this is the case they can arrange to send you a repair kit.  Both the repair kit and call will be free. Your revisions does not typically have PSU issues just a possible issue with the harness,

Best regards,
Digidesign Technical Support

So I placed the call to ProAxess. Which will require you to give a credit card number and will initially bill you for the call by minute. Don’t fret yet, read on.

I made contact with a Tech Support Rep. named Louis H. He asked me what the issue was and I told him. He made it painless, said he would get the unit sent out to me, and all of this, including the phone charge was free. Now that was nice to hear. I was about to think that Digidesign was not very supportive of their customers and units. This changed the tune a little. LOL

Louis emailed me a Release of Liability, basically stating if I was to electrocute myself – they would not be liable. Totally understandable. After I replied to that email, he promptly sent me a tracking number and about three days later I received the upgrade kit for the power harness. You can see by the picture below it would be a simple upgrade/repair.

Power Harness Kit for Digi002R

So, basically I am ready to ship the unit after I receive the harness kit, but my day job had me really busy for a couple weeks working long hours. So I was thankful for the Aug. 5th scheduled date with BLA.

Here are a few pics of the inside of the unit as it looks now. I will take pictures after the modification as well, not sure what this will show anyone, but maybe it will at least show the quality of work Black Lion Audio does. We’ll see.

002R Internals

I have the unit ready to take to the UPS store tomorrow and will ensure they pack it as BLA recommends or better. They should know how to pack it better than I would. I’ll track the time it takes to get there, the price, and anything else important or note worthy. I’ll include all this in the final post when we fire up the unit and test it.

Closer shot of 002R circuits

Until next time! Snap

Stock 002R power supply

© 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

Nick Edwards

NICK EDWARDS – Singer/SongWriter

Pearl Snap Music had the opportunity to interview local independent singer-songwriter Nick Edwards. Nick writes and performs both Christian and Country style songs. Read on and get to know Nick a little better, then go out and catch him at a show.

“I gave her all I had, and a little more”

Snap: So, let’s get right to the good stuff. When did you first start writing songs and what prompted you to do so?

Nick: I starting writing back in 2001. I started because my good friend James challenged me to do it. Ever since I started playing I’ve wanted to write as well, I just didn’t think I could do it. He encouraged me to start and I did.

Snap: How would you classify—if you can—the music you write?

Nick: Worship / Texas Country /Christian Rock / with a little bit of Blues in the mix

Snap: What is your first memory of being inspired by music?

Nick: Well, probably the Bluegrass Festival in my home town that they have every year. My family was good friends with one of the bands that played there every year, Hickory Hill. Besides the fact that they are killer musician and artists, they took the time to encourage me to play, teach me a few things and just let a little kid hang out when they practiced. Those guys are still one of my favorite bands.

Snap: Where do you find inspiration for your songwriting?

Nick: Lots of places. Predominantly from Jesus and my family but to be honest, a good majority of my songs come from really emotional times. I usually bust out songs when I’m jacked up…not all of the time but it’s a kind of therapy for me. I can be in a really bad place and knock a song or two out to help me figure out what going on in my head and that seems to make everything alright. Also, nature seems to get to creative juices flowing for me. The mountains are a good spot for me, but some days all I need is me front porch and a sunset.

Snap: How do you deal with writer’s block? Do you experience it?

Nick: Not very well and you better believe it. Three things help me brake it and not necessarily in this order…fellow songwriters, Johnny Walker and time.

Snap: What song of yours do you consider to be the most successful and why? (This doesn’t have to mean financially… Just how you would judge your songs personally.)

Nick: Reign Over All. This is one of my worship songs. I was asked to write this song for a sermon and had about two days to do it. When I was writing this one, I definitely felt inspired by God. There was nothing forced in the writing, it flows really well, it conveys the point really well and more than anything, I’ve gotten the best response from my peers about this song than any of my others. I just either need to become famous and sing it or find somebody that’s already there to pick it up.

Snap: So what are your goals? As far as your music is concerned?

Nick: You know, as long as I keep improving on my playing ability and songwriting…I’m good with that. Of course I want to be a successful artist and I would love to have this as my primary career but really, I just want to become as good as I can possibly be at what I do. The rest should work itself out.

Snap: Where can we buy your music? Or hear more of your music?

Nick: The NewSon stuff is on iTunes and CD Baby.

Snap: Thanks for your time and keep us posted on any new projects and venues you’ll be playing.

Pearl Snap Music gets the opportunity to interview local independent singer-songwriters from time to time. If you know of a singer-songwriter who you would like us to interview please feel free to contact us.

© 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

Black Lion Audio

These days we are all too easy to give into the best marketed product. I mean, it’s the way society is wired. They know what makes those impulses rage out of control until we have what we want. All to often it is all hype. So when Digidesign released their 003 line – I was feeling a little bit of a impulse to buy in.

I wanted to upgrade my studio. I wanted better sound quality mainly. I was happy with my number of channels, I was happy with Pro Tools LE, but I wanted the quality to be much better. I researched several different options which I found I could only afford if I won the lottery or sold everything I had including the kidos and wife – and then got a loan.

I had almost decided on a Pro Tools HD system, but was really disappointed in the wait it would take me to save up that much cash. I did not want to get a loan, or sale the family and house. I need them too. So I was leaning toward the 003R, but would the quality improve?

After doing some research on the 003′s I found that most people were claiming there was not that much, if any, improvement in sound quality. The one thing I did like was that Digidesign added the external clock BNC connections, which would allow me to buy a better clock and in turn improve the quality.

While doing the research, I came across Black Lion Audio. A small company out of Chicago that modifies the 002 Rack units, among several other manufactures. They also manufacture a few other pieces of equipment that is of their own brand and design. I was shocked. I never even thought of having my existing equipment modified to acquire better quality sound. This is something we’ve all done to our guitar amps, or other outboard equipment, and computers, why not the 002 or 003?

I focused my research toward BLA’s work and more especially the modifications they do on the 002 and 003 Rack. I found my share of negative reviews, but I know that bad news spreads faster than good news. I found that there was much more detail in the good reviews and most claimed that they were very pleased with the end results.

I decided I would email BLA with some questions and then make a final decision. I was still, at this time thinking of purchasing one of the 003 units and then having it modified.

Here is a sample of how some of the email correspondence transpired. By the way, I emailed them a lot of questions, since this is still serious money to me.

Hello,

I hope I am not becoming a bother. I plan on upgrading my current system to a 003 R or 003 R Plus with one of your signature mods.

However, I few months back I received and email about the 003 Rack Plus mod which stated:

Only the signature Mod was available which included:

• • Analog stage op-amp upgrade on A/D and D/A sides
• • Analog stage electrolytic capacitor upgrade on A/D and D/A sides
• • A/D and D/A converter decoupling
• • A/D converter upgrade
• • External Microclock Bundle

My concern with this is the power supply. After reading your site several times over this seems to be very important.

I am trying to determine what unit I should send to you. The 003 Rack or the 003 Rack Plus. Or if maybe the power supply is in fact included in the 003 Rack plus Signature Mod.

Sorry if this is a bother, but I do look forward to doing business with you soon.

Any details will be greatly appreciated.

And they replied…

Hi James,

The 003r + modification is a Signature series modification for $1750 and includes the following:

Analog stage op-amp upgrade on A/D and D/A sides

Analog stage electrolytic capacitor upgrade on A/D and D/A sides

A/D and D/A converter decoupling

A/D converter upgrade

External Microclock Bundle

The 003r + Signature modification does not include the 2nd linear power supply or internal Signature clock due to space limitations.  Instead, we upgrade the A/D converter chips to higher headroom chips, and bundle in the external Micro Clock Mk2.

To be honest, I would recommend going with a regular 003r Signature modification.  It’s more bang for your buck.

Then I sent another…

One more quick question before I make my call…feel free to tell me to stop spamming until I “pay up” if you need to. I currently have a 002R and would like to know if upgrading to the 003R would be worth it – or should I just send in the 002R for the signature mod? WHich would be better for sound quality in your opinion?

And they replied…

James,
002R!  While the Signature Series modification to the 003R outperforms the HD rigs and puts you on par with high end mastering grade gear, the 002R still is edging it out by more than just a hair.  I would strongly recommend the 002R.  If you would like a detailed explanation then it may be better to call us so someone can walk you through the differences between the two units.  But I would recommend a 002R if you are looking for the best option in terms of sound quality.  And don’t worry, we really don’t mind taking an extra minute out to make sure good questions get good answers!  Thanks man, we’ll talk to you soon.

So, you get the idea. I emailed them a lot of questions. I was glad to see that they did not mind taking time out to provide answers to potential customers. It seems trivial, but these days you have trouble getting that even at a Taco Bell drive through.

I took up the offer on the phone call and had a great talk with Luke. He gave me some insight into their company and more than answered several of my questions around the modification of the unit of my existing 002R.

When I mentioned advertising – and how it took me a long time to come across their site or anything about them – he replied they would rather do business by word of mouth and their website. It helps keep their costs down and allows us to focus on quality.

He spoke about  their packaging being simple, their designs are simple and well…he even admitted kind of ugly…but it keeps the cost down, keeps the focus on quality. They want to give their customers quality.

They hand drill their “bullet proof” RF noise prison of a shell for the micro clock – it’s not pretty, but it does the job of a clock costing 3 times as much or more. So, it is nice to hear that their focus is the customer being happy with a quality job completed.

So, after the phone conversation and some thought, I decided to go with getting my 002 Rack modified by BLA and give it  a new life. I decided on their Signature Series Modification, which includes the following:

• ANALOG STAGE AND PRE-AMP UPGRADE – Burr Brown’s OPA4134 used in the mic preamp and line inputs.

• 220/270SP MASTER CLOCK UPGRADE – it features their field tested and proven third order crystal oscillators, it has an astonishingly low 1 picosecond of intrinsic jitter measured using a delta sigma average!

• A/D AND D/A CONVERTER UPGRADE – properly decoupling the 002R’s converters

• Power Supply Upgrade – a low-emission toroid transformer to power the analog and digital stages separately.

I contacted BLA via email to see what process I needed to complete and when my scheduled date would be. They returned an email to me advising me that my scheduled date would be August 5th, as well as an email with the down payment invoice. It also stated the prefered ways of shipping the unit to avoid damage, and an interesting note about the 002 which follows:

“If your serial number ends in A – F, please contact Digidesign and order a new power harness and new power supply, then have it sent to you directly before shipping it to us, unless these have already been replaced. These have inherent problems on the early 002R units that were not addressed by Digidesign until after revision G. The part and shipping should be of no cost to you, and will help to avoid harness-related failures in the future.”

I checked the serial number of my unit and found that it ended with an F. I only wish I had known about this earlier. Maybe Digidesign released this information, maybe they didn’t. None the less, I never received it. I would recommend that BLA post this somewhere on their website. That way, if someone is thinking of modifying their 002, they can already have this part taken care of.

I paid the invoice via PayPal and got a confirmation soon after. I have emailed Digidesign about the power harness and powers supply, but due to it being a Saturday, I have only received a standard auto-response email back.

If I do not get a response back from Digidesign by noon Tuesday, I will follow up with a call to them. I will take note of the correspondence with Digidesign as well, and include it in the next post. I have never had to deal with Digidesign for support, so it will be interesting to see how well this goes.

This is where we are for now. The next time we visit this will be when I receive the response and the power supply, and power harness from Digidesign; package and ship the unit to BLA, wait, then receive the unit back from BLA. We’ll have a third segment on the actual testing of the unit.

In the mean time you can do your own research and check out Black Lion Audio for yourself.

BlackLionAudio.com
info@blacklionaudio.com

Black Lion Audio
1800 W Cuyler
Suite 2 East
Chicago IL 60613
773-549-1885

Hope you find this series useful – keep it real!

Snap

© 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

The little button on the left - lit up blue with a metronome - that's what your looking for. Click to Enlarge

I stumbled across this somewhat by accident. If you click the metronome icon on your transport you will see the window below.

Click/Countoff Options window.

If you’ll take notice it gives you an option for output. I found Xpand and Mini Grand in there. I thought ….hmmm…maybe I can use this. Obviously they made it to use right? Right! So I set it to Xpand, since there some decent sounds in it that one could use for a click.

I created a click track (see channel image below) with no input and no output.

Then I created an instrument track and inserted Xpand with no input and an output going to bus 9-10. I set Xpand to some hi-hat sounds. I sent an output to the headphones for “count off” purposes and I also sent the main output of this channel to a bus. Bus 9-10 in this case.

This is what my Xpand window looked like. Click to Enlarge

Then I created an audio track to bring in and record the Xpand audio. I set the input to bus 9-10, since that is the output bus I used on my Xpand track, and the output to my main output (Analog 1-2). I will use this audio to “pocket” my tracks to.

Your channels should look something like this. Click to Enlarge

Audio click track for pocketing

If you don’t need this audio…just skip this the bussing to an audio track.

Audio click track I/O

Now, when tracking, don’t forget to arm the audio track you are sending your click to. At least one pass of the song. Or you could do this before hand and then make all the other referenced click tracks inactive to save CPU resources.

You can obviously set up any sound you wish. I used hi-hat in this example because it is a more natural sound. I find that something like the hat sounds tend to make a click a less violating sound to the musicians when tracking. There’s more than one way to skin a cat though.

Anyway, I hope this helps. I hope I made it clear how I did it. I hope you enjoy much better sounding click tracks. I know I, and the others I record with will.

© 2009 – 2010, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

Another Christmas review. This time it is the Zoom H2 recorder.

Zoom H2 Recorder

As songwriters, we have learned that pocket recorders are sometimes life line savers. You’re crusiing home from the day job and a melody pops in your head and you begins singing lyrics….then you get home and the wife and kids bombarid you with all the great things that happened in their life and you visit and eat you dinner with them. Then you retire to the studio for a bit to work on the new song you came up with on the ride home. Uhh? How did that go? This is when you need a pocket recorder.

I have had the old micro tape recorders. They work, but don’t leave them in direct sunlight….you’ll never make out what is on the tape. IF the police get hold of it – you may go to jail for slaughter. LOL Now days, the technology is really making things like this nicer.

So here is how a typical song writing session goes with my little group. Or how we try to do it anyway. We all meet up and do some short talk on the ideas we’ve been pitching around. We choose an idea and see if we can make anything happen. This usually means one or two playing and signing while one is busy trying to catch everything and write it down or type it on a laptop. This works, but too many times there is the old “What was it you said before the last line?” Suddenly everyone’s mind is erased and they can hardly remember their own name.

Another way is to get in the studio, fire everything up, arm the tracks and check the levels, etc. etc. Just to loose the moment with all the technical stuff.

So, this is where I find the Zoom H2 to be one of the best.

I can turn it on, place it on a mic stand in the middle of the room. It’s four mic’s do a great job of picking up the instruments and vocals. It saves it as two stereo files (when using all four mics). I then import it into Pro Tools after the session, and add to it there. Then we can progressively develop the song until it is ready to be cut in the studio.

Here are a few features of the Zoom H2 I found worth mentioning.

· The capability to use the recorder as an external USB audio card for your computer. Once connected to your computer via USB, you can use the H2′s mics to record audio directly to your recording application. (Garage Band, Pro Tools, Audacity, etc.) Zoom does not include any computer recording software, but I don’t feel that is a problem now days. Audacity is free. Get it here.

· includes settings for low-cut filter, automatic microphone gain control, compression presets, sound-activated recording, track splitting, a two-second prerecording buffer, metronome, an instrument tuner, and A-B audio looping.

· the inclusion of four built-in microphones instead of the stereo pair found in most recorders. This allows the H2 to pull off some neat recording tricks, such as the capability to selectively record from the front or rear of the recorder, to record a stereo mix using all four mics, or to record a four-channel mix using all the mics (recorded as two separate stereo files). The four-channel recording option, which is unique to the H2, is useful for capturing surround sound recordings or making live recordings that allow for some mixing flexibility in post-production.

· fairly simple to use, and once set-up to record in the format preferred, can be rolling in only a few seconds from power-up.

· Level metering and elapsed time information are displayed on the screen.

· powered by two double-A batteries, and will record for about 5 hours on a fresh set. Expect that the H2′s battery performance will vary depending on the recording resolution you’ve selected.

· supports SDHC storage cards as large as 16GB, although it can make continuous recordings only in 2GB chunks

· it can fit in a pocket, so it’s easy to carry everywhere, ready to capture sound on a moment’s notice.

Now the con’s:

· Small screen which is difficult to read in sunlight

· Feels fragile and cheap. Plastic.

There are a few other complaints I have heard reading other reviews, such as long startup time. Maybe they need to update the firmware, mine only took approximately 5 seconds. Which is fine with me.

In spite of the Zoom H2′s low price and cheap construction quality, its list of features outstrips many of its high-priced competitors. At $180.00 street, you can’t beat this unit.

It’s a pocket-sized device with four built-in mics, designed for quick and easy recording to SD memory cards. The mics do a great job at picking up stereo ambiences and, sound from all directions at once. Zoom H2 is capable of a wide range of recording resolutions, including 48Kbps to 320Kbps MP3 and 44kHz, 48kHz, or 96kHz WAV recordings at 16 bits or 24 bits. Depending on how you have the Zoom H2 set up, a continuous 2GB recording translates to 23 hours of 192Kbps MP3, or 3 hours of 16-bit/44kHz WAV.

The H2 offers various processing on the inputs: Automatic Gain Control, Compression and Limiting. Mac and PC software for converting the H2′s four-channel recordings into 5.1 files, which can be played back on most consumer surround-sound receivers. Several people have created software for converting your H2 recordings into 5.1 surround. Here is a link to the on I use on my Mac. http://www.radio.uqam.ca/ambisonic/zoom2five.html

I would recommend this unit to any songwriter as an invaluable tool for catching the moment at a songwriting session.

© 2008 – 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

TC Helicon VoiceTone Harmony G

I wanted to take some to review some equipment I received this Christmas. I mean I’m a musician, I am not famous, I am not paid to review these things, and I love to share my opinion. So here we go…

One of the many wonderful gifts I received for Christmas is the TC Helicon Harmony G. I had been wanting to try one out, but Santa sent me one before I could. Once all the family had went home and the kids were calmed down, I slipped upstairs to the studio.

First for a little background of why I wanted to try one.

I have a cheap 4 channel Harbinger PA system. I use it for rehearsals and acoustic shows. It sounds ok, but do not use the one and only so called delay effect it has on it. It sucks. Sorry for being so honest. The other problem I had was only 4 inputs. I usually play with at least two other guys when we play. Without separate acoustic amps – we end up short on channels.

With the Harmony G I can plug my guitar (Carvin C980) and my mic (SM58) into the Harmony G. Run the mono signal out of the Harmony G to one of the PA channels and go. The Harmony G will also run stereo outs – one wet with your vocal, the FX’s, and the harmonies – the other dry. This allows the board man to mix to his taste. I knew this “summing” feature, along with the FX’s, would be enough to please me. And, with everything else, I would try it out, let my friends hear it, and then hopefully they will purchase one. LOL It usually goes that way – I am the Guinea pig.

I started with all knobs on the 12 o’clock position, after everything was plugged in and turned on. I played a few tunes with the harmonies off. I noticed right away how it made the mix sound better. Then I started pressing the buttons. Amazing! The voices are of high quality and the FX are great too!

I won’t go through the entire unit here, just the things I found of interest.

Tone Button – Using the tone button is similar to taking a pillow off of your mic. The default setting, it has 4, worked best for me. It made my voice cut through the mix better and seem overall brighter. But not a “tinny” kind of bright, more of a sweetened top end. It didn’t kill my low end either.

Double Button – The Double button, does just as you would think, it produces a doubling effect on the main vocal. Doubling the parts to thicken them up. This FX worked really well and made my voice fatter and gave it a professional sound. I started loving my PA system instead of just putting up with it. LOL

The combination of these three things, without the Harmonies, made for a very satisfied me. It really made me sound great, and that made me sing better. I found myself wanting to focus more on the vocal and guitar instead of just hammering through a song. I would have bought this unit for that alone.

Then I decided to stomp the harmonies on. Sweet! I suddenly started doing some Eagles tunes, etc. My father-in-law was down stairs and came up to investigate – He stated I thought you were playing along with a radio or something. Not sure, but I think that was a compliment. LOL

I was really flooded with ideas of how to use this in a live show. It is amazing how it made me want to focus more on my performance. Especially when you kick in the two part harmonies. Simply amazing.

So, go try one…no just buy one. It is a solid built unit. About the size of my H2O pedal (two stomp boxes in size). It added no noise to my signal chain. It cleaned the sound up and made it all sit better. The auto level feature, keeping the guitar and vocal mixed to one another was awesome. All this at the bottom of your feet will make you feel like royalty.

One last thing I think I should mention here, to make sure everyone is aware of this, if you can’t sing in pitch…it won’t help you get there. I promise…I tried that out too, which was easy for me to do. LOL It will help you sing better, by letting you hear the mix better and the harmonies…you’ll want to perform better.

The TC Helicon Harmony G – it’s Snap!

Check it out at the link below!

http://www.tc-helicon.com/VoiceToneHarmonyG.asp

© 2008 – 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

Believe me it was a shock to me as well. They came by the house to unload some luggage before the gig at Wild West – opening for Jack Ingram. We told everyone where to sleep, shared some homemade wine, and started shooting the latest news at one another. Jack Clark stopped by to say hi to the guys and as he was leaving he said “Can’t catch y’all tonight, but maybe next time!” He walked out the door and Jeff asked Warren “You didn’t tell him?”. Warren replied “I didn’t have the heart too.”

I picked up on the little something going on and screamed “What is going on?”. Warren decided to put it blunt. “This is our last show out here” he stated. “You mean in Lubbock? Why?” I replied. “Yes, and no. This is our last show out here and the next one in Lufkin is our last show forever.” What the crap?

I was shocked, upset, and well a million things. They have decided that it is a road they’ve traveled long enough. They are going to look at settling down a bit and “get real jobs”.

Incase you have not never got to see them or hear them. South First Band rocks, damn it, rocked! I hate past tense.

I’ll just say this Doug Eberman was here when they dropped the news, and he just sat here with his mouth open and pretty much speechless.

I don’t care who it pisses off. I am putting a few of my favorite SFB song’s on here for download for free. Go to the downloads page ….

So, here’s one to South First Band.

© 2008 – 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.

They are currently running Songwriter Showcase/Open Mic Jam on Wednesday nights. Everything from single acoustic to full bands welcome. Just make sure its your material.

So come out and sing a few or kick back, listen, and have a brew.

Address: 3216 4th St.,
Lubbock, TX 79415
Phone: 806.747.7766

© 2008 – 2009, Pearl Snap Music. All rights reserved.