A guitarist since 1996, Sergio played guitar in The Junior Varsity from 2002-2007 and a handful of times since, as well as playing in many other bands. In addition to guitar, he plays drums and owns and operates recording gear. Sergio is a sci-fi fan, a lover of dogs, and big, loud amps. Sergio is the Senior Guitar Copywriter at zZounds, as well as the manager of the Guitar category, and works as an audio engineer with the zZounds video team.
Big Muff Trio Shootout
First introduced in 1969, the Electro-Harmonix Big Muff has become one of the most ubiquitous pedals in the world. If a guitarist has a fuzz pedal on their board, chances are pretty good that it’s some sort of a Big Muff, or boutique clone of the circuit. While the Big Muff is a popular pedal […]
Perfect Pairings: Electro-Harmonix
SYNTH9 and Source Audio Ventris Dual Reverb
Peanut butter and jelly. Ice cold lemonade and a hot summer day. Jeans and a T-shirt. Some things are just better as a pair. In this edition of Perfect Pairings, we’re pairing up the Electro-Harmonix SYNTH9 Synthesizer Machine and Source Audio Ventris Reverb to produce some cosmic magic. Electro-Harmonix’s “9” series continues with the retro-cool […]
Using Varispeed in Your Recordings
Varispeed recording is a really interesting and easy studio trick that can add textures and otherworldly timbres to vocals and instrument tracks. I happened to be listening to some Ween recently and thought the way Gene’s vocals sounded on some songs had a slightly unreal quality to them. As I thought about it a second, […]
Double-Tracking Electric Guitars
Ever since digital recording surpassed analog as the norm, musicians have been exploiting the format to its fullest capabilities, not only to streamline workflows, but to also create new and interesting sounds. The ability to copy and paste regions in your DAW has really helped producers and mixers push creative boundaries in the last few […]
Perfect Pairings: Korg Prologue 8 and Electro-Harmonix Canyon
Certain situations call for certain combinations of gear. With that in mind, we here at zZounds want to share some of our favorite pairings with you. In this edition, we’re pairing up the Korg Prologue 8 and the Electro-Harmonix Canyon pedal for some swirling synth sounds. Korg Prologue 8 Korg’s new Prologue synthesizers combine that fat […]
Guitar Amp Microphone Placement
Recording electric guitars seems like a pretty easy feat of engineering. All you have to do is place a microphone in front of a speaker and call it a day, right? As it turns out, there’s a little more to the equation than that. In a process where fractions of an inch can dramatically change […]
Analog vs. Digital Delay
The analog vs. digital delay war has been raging for several years now. Those in the analog camp love the lush repeats and rounded character of the trails. Digital delay folks know that those razor sharp repeats will continue to cut through any mix and keep the true sound of your guitar intact. While volleys […]
Eric Johnson on his Thinline Stratocaster
For over 40 years, Eric Johnson has dazzled audiences with his unique style of shredding. Throughout almost his entire career, he’s has used a Fender Stratocaster as his axe of choice. While he’s had his own signature Strat and pickups for some time now, Johnson and Fender have collaborated once again with stunning results. Introduced […]
To DI, or not to DI
If you’ve spent some time on any stage or in any studio, you’ve probably seen or used a DI box before. What is it about these magic boxes that seems to make every engineer’s job easier? Let’s take a look behind the curtain to reveal a little bit of information about DI boxes, as well […]
