Author: Stuart

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Studio Diary #25: The Roland SPD-SX and Universal Audio Luna

MIDI drums and drum samples. Love ’em or hate ’em, they’re a fact of life for just about everyone who records music at home. And, just as most of us can’t accommodate the noise of a real drum kit in the house, most of us have nowhere to keep a digital drum kit either. We’re left with using much smaller percussion pads, or we compromise and use something we can sort-of play like Roland’s SPD-SX.

But how do you get them into Universal Audio’s LUNA DAW in the first place? When I googled, I couldn’t find any instructions anywhere on how to do this.

So I wrote my own.

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New Arrivals: March 2021

It’s been a very quiet month for new arrivals. This time, it’s mostly down to me.

(The second hand market here is still a mess, but that’s a topic that probably deserves its own blog post …)

I’ve been enjoying both the Mad Professor Sweet Honey Custom and Sweet Honey Deluxe Overdrives so much, I’ve just not been very curious about the pedals that have been cropping up on the second-hand market this month.

But, you know me: I’m always on the lookout for tweed-tone pedals, and this month, I picked up a couple that are pretty rare in their own ways.

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Joe Gilder’s Latest Tips On Recording Fingerstyle Acoustic Guitar

This year, I’m learning how to record acoustic guitar. I’ve got a lot to learn. To help me learn, I’m keeping an eye out for any helpful YouTube videos from professional engineers and producers.

Like this one 🙂

Joe Gilder has just posted his tips for recording finger style guitar, as a five-step process that anyone can follow.

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#PlayAlternative: Heritage Guitars

Got a short-but-sweet one, for anyone who’s after an alternative to the mighty Gibson Les Paul.

Andertons have just posted a video introducing Heritage Guitars’ Standard Series to their audience. Have a listen!

In terms of tone, I reckon it’s all there. To my ears, the H150 model sounded like a good Les Paul.

Let me know if you agree or not, in the comments below.

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The PRS S2 McCarty 594 Is Finally Here!

PRS announced the S2 McCarty 594 back at Winter NAMM 2020. I ordered one the same month … and then shortly after, the global pandemic began.

I ended up cancelling my order later in 2020, as there was no sign of it actually shipping to the UK. Fast forward to March 2021, and the S2 McCarty 594 that I ordered has finally reached these shores!

What is it like? Read on to find out 🙂

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