Fight Club: Audio vs MIDI Drum Loops

There is a lot of talk about drum plug-ins these days. "What's the best drum plug-in?" is a recurring question in classrooms, online forums, and control rooms everywhere. As I watch these conversations develop, one point of confusion I see coming up over and over is the term "drum loop". There are a two different kinds. Understanding their differences and how they will effect your work flow is critical to your peace of mind and wallet.

Fight Club: 50 Watt Guitar Amp Battle Royale

In my quest to find the perfect 50 watt guitar amp, I recently took the opportunity to test drive four different amp heads: the Marshall DSL50, Splawn Competition, Egnater Renegade, and Marshall JVM205H. I played them through a variety of 2x12 and 4x12 cabs, with a variety of Celestion and WGS speakers. I also used a variety of humbucking and single coil guitars in arriving at my opinions. Here are my non-scientific findings:

Sailing Aboard the USS "False Rhyme"

In every art from there are trends. Songwriting isn't any different. It wasn't too many years ago that perfect rhymes and glib wordplay were all the rage. But the winds have changed direction. Today's lyrics are more casual and conversational. To accommodate this sea-change, songwriters are charting a different course through the waters of rhyme.

And for the time being, the false rhyme is steering the ship.

On the Decline of Virtuosity

Recently I came across a discussion at guitar forum in which people were posing question like "Where is the new Van Halen?", or "Why aren't there guitar heros any  more?" Many were opining what they termed the "decline of virtuosity".

At the time all I could think of to say was "Huh?" Here is a more thoughtful response:

How To Make a Killer Gig Poster

 As much as we want to think otherwise, most musicians probably spend less than half their music-related time actually making music. The majority is spent humping gear, networking, attending wild parties, signing autographs, landing hot babes, and...making gig posters.

Creating a good gig poster is not as easy as it may seem. There is more to it than simply slapping your band name and date on a piece of paper. Below are my tips for making your posters more interesting and effective.

Top 10 Things Never to Wear On Stage

In an industry where getting and staying noticed are necessities, subtle dress is seldom the rule. Flamboyant threads are part and parcel of the whole rock star gig. Yet even in the midst of costumed excess there are certain things which must never be worn.

The following are the ten worst offenders.