How-To Guides 4
A Guitarist’s Guide to Thick Studio Tone
As the only guitarist in a three-piece band, I sometimes struggle with maintaining a full, thick tone. I’ve compensated by adapting my playing style to be a hybrid of rhythm and lead at all times, and choosing my amps, cabs and effects wisely in live settings. When my band hits the studio, it’s a slightly […]
Overdrive vs. Distortion vs. Fuzz
Overdrive. Distortion. Fuzz. We’ve all heard the terms before. But how exactly are they different? While there are players whouse the words interchangeably, there are distinctive differences between the three types of signal clipping. When I first started playing, the word “distortion” covered the entire gamut of clipping tones. I knew Kurt Cobain used a distortion […]
How Do Headphones Produce Bass Frequencies?
To reproduce low frequencies accurately, loudspeakers need to be big. It’s why dedicated subwoofer speakers often use large drivers, commonly around 18″ wide for live sound reinforcement, and at least 8″ or 10″ wide in the recording studio. Yet headphones use comparatively tiny drivers — usually no larger than 50 millimeters, and much smaller for in-ear […]
A Primer on Power Tubes
As you gaze lovingly into the warm glow of the tubes in your favorite amp, you may wonder: “What exactly do these glorified lightbulbs have to do with powering my amp, let alone shaping my tone?” The answer to that question is: “a lot.” Each type of power tube, whether EL34, KT88, 6L6 or otherwise, has drastically different […]
Understanding Musical Tempo
Welcome to Beat Connection, a series dedicated to promoting modern and vintage dance styles the only way we know how…by providing you a musical starting point to help you create that beat. In our previous post, we showed you what constitutes a song, providing you a basic structure you can use to arrange beats into songs. […]
Confessions of a Guitar Synthesis Addict
Nobody says, “when I grow up, I want to be a guitar synthesis addict.” Well, my name is David, and I have been addicted to guitar synthesis for quite some time now. My own journey through pursuing “synthesizer” sounds on my guitar began with a major realization at a buddy’s show at the Burlington in […]
Studio Amp and Effects Modeling with Positive Grid
Getting the perfect tone in the studio can be tough. Whether you’re in your home studio or dishing out the big bucks to track in a professional studio with tons of gear, there are still endless combinations of amps and pedals, all of which behave differently depending on the space they’re in. It’s certainly not […]
The Elements of a Song
Welcome to Beat Connection, a series dedicated to promoting modern and vintage dance styles the only way we know how…by providing you a musical starting point to help you create that beat. Last time we showed you the way around grid notation – essential info for understanding your way around drum machines and recording software. Today, we go forward […]
How to Deck or Block Your Tremolo
As one of the most distinctive features on perhaps the most famous (and most imitated) guitars ever, the floating tremolo system as found on the Fender Stratocaster (and other guitars like it) is one of the most-played hardware systems out there. The system allows players to create natural, fluttering vibrato, akin to what early jazz and blues […]
