Hmmm. Where to start?
It’s time to move away from the “everyone gets a gold star” mentality when it comes to product reviews. Consumers and manufacturers alike need honest feedback. We should be willing to call out the flaws and shortcomings of products, as well as praise their strengths.
Produce “in the box” refers to in the computer. Personal computers have made the musicians life ever so easy. Remember the days of tape recorders and 4-tracks? Now with audio plug-ins and DAW (Digital Audio Workstations), we can record and produce whole albums of audio in the comfort of our own homes. These new products are awesome and there’s a whole new world out there!
In this world, shopping for products online has become the norm. However, this can be tough on consumers as they do not always have the luxury of physically trying out a product before they buy it. If it’s not software or there’s not a local music store in your neighborhood – your out of luck.
My approach to reviewing musical gear, retailers, instruments, and software is simple: I will evaluate each product based on its features, performance, quality, and value for money. If a product meets or exceeds my expectations, I will praise it and highlight its strengths. However, if a product falls short in any of these areas, I will not hesitate to criticize it and explain why I feel that way.
Now, a little background on me:
As long as I can remember, music has brought me happiness.
I’ve been involved in one way or another since I can remember. I have learned a lot over those years, and can honestly say I am still learning. Every day. It’s what I love to do.
When I was growing up, my father had a Wurlitzer organ in our dining room. It just sat there. I remember hating that. That cool thing with 2 sets of keyboards, bass pedals, and all those switches to change the sound. Nobody played it. Ever. It was more a piece of furniture than an instrument.
I finally got my parents to pay for lessons. I must have played the theme from “Raiders of the lost ark” until everyone’s ears bled. I never mastered that instrument, but til this day those lessons have served me well.
As I got older, I fell in love with the bass. And of course, I was going to be a rock star – LOL. My father was able to get a P-bass copy “on loan” from his Godson that had a seriously warped neck. At that time in my life I knew bass was it for me. Eventually better instruments would follow. There were some days in my teenage years when I can honestly say I practiced 8-10 hours a day. I was in love.
Playing in bands opened a whole new world to me. What a rush. I’m sure if you’ve made it this far reading this – you may just know exactly what I’m talking about. Or maybe you’re just trying to start your own band?
Anyway, playing with other people really got me interested in writing my own, original music. Playing cover songs was a lot of fun. It really helped to lock me in playing with other musicians, but when you feel you have created something new – of your own, that just might stand up on its own? That was what I wanted to do. Songwriting.
The natural progression led my buddies and I to start recording these new songs. What a journey it has been. From small 4-track home studios when I was young, to Proffesional facilities with all the best gear, to my current Protools DAW system. Along the way, I have met some awesome, talented people. I have recorded with local musicians to assisting in sessions with grammy nominated artists.
I am a recording junkie. I love gear. From A.I. plug-ins to vintage microphones. From guitar strings to amps. Hopefully I can help you make the best informed decisions in your journey along the way.