Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m going to do a rundown of what amps I’m using for pedal platforms, and why.
Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021]
Continue reading “2022 Review: Pedal Platform Amps”Studio Diary #36: Why Does My Fryette Power Station Squeal?
For the last couple of months, I’ve been dealing with a problem with my Fryette PS-100 Power Station: it emits an awful squeal.
I’ve figured out why: it was caused by a ground loop. Read on if you want to know the whole story.
Continue reading “Studio Diary #36: Why Does My Fryette Power Station Squeal?”#TweedTalk 4: Recording A Real Tweed Deluxe Amplifier
#TweedTalk is my occasional Tuesday column, where I talk about all things related to tweed amps and tweed-tone pedals.
This time around, I share my notes on how I’m capturing the sound of my Tweed Deluxe amplifier, and my thoughts on the experience.
Continue reading “#TweedTalk 4: Recording A Real Tweed Deluxe Amplifier”First Impressions: Axe-FX 3 Mark 2 As An FX Processor
I recently bought a Fractal Audio Axe-FX 3 mkII rack unit, for use at home.
Why did I get it, and how am I getting along with it so far? Read on for my First Impressions.
Continue reading “First Impressions: Axe-FX 3 Mark 2 As An FX Processor”TweedTalk #3: Mad Professor’s Little Tweedy Drive
Over on Twitter, my friend Alessandro asked for opinions about Mad Professor’s Little Tweedy Drive.
Yes, I have opinions about this particular pedal. I wasn’t a fan when I first got this pedal. Will that change, when I take a second look at the Little Tweedy Drive? Read on to find out.
Continue reading “TweedTalk #3: Mad Professor’s Little Tweedy Drive”Studio Diary #31: Attenuators Colour The Sound
Attenuators are one of the reasons we can enjoy valve amps at home without upsetting the neighbours. I’ve never really thought about how they affect the overall tone … until now.
In this blog post, I’m going to look at the two attenuators that I have – the Two Notes Captor and the Fryette PS-100 Power Station – and work out what they sound like. And I’m including some sound samples, so that you can hear the differences for yourself.
Continue reading “Studio Diary #31: Attenuators Colour The Sound”Short Term Review: Fender 57 Custom Deluxe (aka Tweed Deluxe) Re-Issue Amplifier
Last summer, I bought what is probably the bucket list amp for me: a re-issue of Fender’s legendary Tweed Deluxe amplifier.
Nine months or so later, how am I getting on with it? Was it a good decision, or do I regret paying the perceived Fender tax for an almost 70-year-old amp circuit that’s been heavily cloned?
Continue reading “Short Term Review: Fender 57 Custom Deluxe (aka Tweed Deluxe) Re-Issue Amplifier”Short-Term Review: The Fryette Power Station PS-100
Last summer, I bought a Fryette Power Station PS-100 as an emergency purchase, so that I could use my Tweed Deluxe at home volume levels.
Nine months later, how am I getting on with it? Would I buy it again if anything happened to it? And would I recommend it to you? Read on to find out.
Continue reading “Short-Term Review: The Fryette Power Station PS-100”New Arrivals: February 2022
This month is a tale of two eras: before land war in Europe, and after the war started.
My plan was to get Hedgehog back in action, and (if they came into stock) pick up a couple of things I felt I needed for some planned recording. And that’s how the month started.
Then Putin launched his invasion of a democratic European nation, while willy-waving his nuclear arsenal at the rest of the world. While we’re almost certainly safe from major consequences ourselves, I decided to bring forward my major planned purchase of the year anyway.
Continue reading “New Arrivals: February 2022”New Arrivals: January 2022
The Christmas break is always good for getting me to wire up and fire up the home recording studio, and the end of 2021 was no exception. It was a good reminder of just how much I enjoy making music (rather than just noodling around).
So, this year, I want to at least try and have a bit more purpose when I choose which new (to me) gear to try:
- Things that will help me record music.
- Things that will help me perform music.
- Bucket list items.
- Things that will help me learn about the gear I already have.
Last year, we had one month when there were no new arrivals to write about. I wouldn’t be surprised if we have several more this year. But not this month 🙂
Continue reading “New Arrivals: January 2022”