Gear 1
Yamaha Acquires Ampeg
Big news in the musical industry happened on Thursday as Loud Audio, LLC announced the sale of the Ampeg brand to Yamaha Guitar Group, LLC. Established in 1946, by pianist/bassist Everett Hull and engineer and amp technician Stanley Michaels, Ampeg made its name, quite literally, with a pickup they designed for upright bass named the […]
Roland Releases TD-17 Drum Module
Roland’s highly anticipated new V-Drums module is finally here! The Roland TD-17 sound module features a sound engine inherited from the flagship TD-50 kit. This allows the kit to produce pro-quality, expressive sounds that can faithfully reproduce the playability of an acoustic kit. The TD-17 also has an array of built-in coaching functions to help […]
Orange’s OMEC is Reborn
British amplifier historians may remember or know of the oddball that was Orange’s OMEC — the world’s first digitally programmable amplifier. This solid state amp utilized transistor-transistor logic to emulate the sound of a traditional amp and even let users create and store presets — truly revolutionary stuff back in 1975. A range of OMEC […]
Audio Gear Brand Names: What Do Those Initials Stand For?
What does AKG stand for? What does JBL stand for? If you’re familiar with pro audio and recording gear brands, you’ll recognize many names that just go by their initials. But what do those initials and acronyms stand for? Read on for the stories behind those letters you’ve seen a million times on your audio […]
TC Electronic Releases Aeon Sustainer
The creative Danes at TC Electronic have just dropped their latest device — the Aeon Handheld Infinite Sustainer. Powered by a 9V battery, Aeon features two custom-made transducers that, when held close to a guitar’s strings “excite” them or cause them to vibrate and make audible noise with infinite sustain. The concept is likely familiar […]
Line 6 PowerCab 112 & 112 Plus
The rise of guitar amp and effects modeling in recent years has been hard to deny. Modeling systems have found their way into the touring rigs of countless progressive bands like Animals As Leaders and Periphery — and have even infiltrated bands long associated with the raw power of tube amps, like Deftones. Line 6 […]
Walrus Audio Teases a new Pedal
UPDATE: Turns out, this pedal is a one-off piece and can be yours if you’re lucky enough to win Walrus Audio’s Giveaway! Check out the instructions in their Instagram post below for your chance to win! Also…we’d like to go on record to say that we — along with several other commenters — were right! […]
Ernie Ball Celebrates String Packaging with Unique Campaign
The packages that Ernie Ball Slinky strings come in are nearly as recognizable as the artists whose names are listed on the back. This year, Ernie Ball is honoring both with The Colors of Rock ‘N’ Roll campaign that celebrates the legacy of their colorful packaging, and an update to the “Back of the Pack” […]
New Gear Report: Arturia RackBrute, MiniBrute 2 & MiniBrute 2S
If you’ve been looking to break into the rapidly expanding world of modular Eurorack synths, but are understandably intimidated by where to start, Arturia is aiming to give you a helping hand. Their new line of RackBrute Eurorack cases gives you an affordable, adjustable, and portable housing system to start building your snaking maze of […]
