Signal To Noise

Episode 43: Claus Levin on practicing

In Episode 43 I am joined by Claus Levin and Sue DeCree to debunk the myth of "Practicing 10 hours a day". Claus and Sue both have teaching sites dedicated to helping musicians everywhere to be play at their best and really enjoy playing guita. They also both used to make claims of practing 10 hours a day or more. As you will find out, while they did practice a lot it wasn't always quite whart they claimed. What they did do consistently was practice effectively and they are happy to share those experiences. 

Episode 42: Support your local guitar shops!

Episode 42 Comes to you live (sort of) from my hotel room in Tampa, Fl! It was my first time in Tampa and so I checked out a couple guitar shops (check out my Instagram feed for pictures) and some local beer (Thank you Tampa Bay Brewing Company!) While I was there I met a couple young guitarists, one who was just starting out and another who absolutely blew me away with his skills. And that's the topic of this episode. Guitar shops: Where guitarists can hang out and meet each other. We are full swing in the digital age and there are so many great things because of it. For example, I was able to record this podcast in my hotel room on my iPad and then upload it to my FTP site. I love the age we live in and I love being able to order anything I want or need at anytime. What I miss is the local guitar shop. They are dwindling. Where I currently live we only have two local shops and they are ok. One has been getting better and better. What's it been doing differently? focusing on the "community" aspect of being a guitarist. Community and having a cool place to gather, play and shop is what pushes the community forward. What are your Favorite shops? Share them with us on Twitter and Instagram.

Episode 41: Hands on with the KHDK Scuzz Box

In Episode 39 I spoke with David Karon of KHDK electronics about their line of effects and especially the Scuzz Box. After the interview (and during a hurricane) I ordered my Scuzz Box from The Guitar Guru Network on Reverb.com and waited with excitement for it to arrive. Well....IT's HERE!!!! So I opened it, put it on the board and recorded my first impressions for the show. My set up for the show was my Epiphone SG and Mexican Start into the Scuzz Box, then my Ghoul Screamer, then my Boss FBM-1, then the TC Electronic Wiretap, and finally my Vox AC4. I recorded everything with one mic, Blue Snowball, plugged into my iPad running Bossjock Studio. Ian torn between micing the amp and doing a "real" recording and the "live recording that i did. I opted for "live" because my ultimate goal is for you to hear the pedal as i hear it. For example, on the "Scuzz" setting you can hear the gate kick in and then hear my strings (acoustically) still vibrating even though the gate had kicked in.Let us know on Twitter and Instagram what you think!

Episode 40: The Swiss Army Knife of Guitar Rigs

In Episode 40 Sue Decree returns to talk guitar rigs. Sue and I have been making music together for the last 20 plus years and in that time she has maintained a predominantly digital rig. With advances in technology her rig has not gotten better and better sounding over the years, it also shrunk. She's gone from 14 guitars, 4 synths, a drum machine, and a 4-track recorder and an Apple II se to 4 guitars, her Mac laptop and line 6 port. We discuss why her rig has dramatically reduced in size and expanded in sounds and versatility. Let us know what your rig is like. Tag us in your Instagram posts: @sgnl2nz.

Episode 39: David Karon of KHDK Electronics

My Ghoul Screamer arrived in April. I unboxed it with giddy excitement and have not stopped gushing about it since. I am still THRILLED with that pedal and watch eagerly for every bit of news that KHDK puts out. Fast forward to July when the teaser video hit for the Scuzz Box. Now that giddy excitement has turned into a tone obsession, and getting the chance to talk with David about the KHDK approach to tone was a great experience. As a music fan first, i've spent hours, months and years obsessing over particular tones on records and struggled to replicate them, even using the same gear. Years go by and articles start to surface about how that original gear was "modded" to artist specs. What excites me the most about KHDK is that this is the first time we the general public are getting access to these "behind the scenes" mods. Talking with David, you can tell just how passionate he is about music and the "elusive" perfect tone. As I write this my Scuzz box is en route. I cannot wait to unbox it, get it on the board and start crafting. Hit us up on Twitter and Instagram and share your tone obsessions with us!

Episode 38: TC Electronic WireTap

Welcome to Episode 38! This episode is all about the Wiretap by TC Electronic. A few weeks ago I wandered into a Guitar Center and found the Wiretap featured as the "Pedal of the week". I really didn't know much about it other than it was a recorder. So I sat down, plugged it in and started noodling. Right away I fell in love it. It's not sexy, it does not change my sound at all, but as I noodled with it I realized that with as easy as it was to use, I would never lose a riff again. Literally a day or two before I have been in my studio, working out ideas and had a knew one hit. by the time I got my iPhone out of my pocket and ready to record, I had completely forgotten the riff. 

 With the Wiretap, that will never happen again. It sits on my board at the end of the chain right before the amp and it's always ready to go. Step on it to record and that is it. I know it's not the first "guitar focused" recording device. Line 6 had the back track that was designed to be an "always on" recorder. I thought line 6 had a cool idea, but I don't like editing. If I am working on an idea, I want to hear that idea, not sift through hours of noodling to find it. I love this pedal because when I am ready to record, I just step on the pedal and capture the idea. step on it again to turn it off. 

Another cool feature of the pedal is the App that TC Electronic built to compliment the pedal. I can easily sync my idea to phone and share the idea with a band mate. there is one quirky feature of that app, but that is something you will have to listen to to find out. Enjoy!

Episode 37: The Dark Beauty of Viberant Chords

A running theme in my episodes lately has been around the music industry itself. What's the current state? Where is it headed? In Episode 37 I sat down with Sue DeCree and Liz Tapia to talk about the music industry and how two women who also happen to be Metal Heads are making their mark on music. Sue and Liz are very talented musicians who not only like the heavy stuff but also happen to have some classical training as well. Their perspective is insightful and entertaining!

Episode 36: Signature Guitars

In episode 36 we discuss the new Pete Townshend signature stratocaster from Fender. I'm really torn on this guitar as I discuss in the episode. Until early this guitar came out I did not bat an eye at signature guitars, but this one made me question everything. Also in this episode I am trying something new. I'm using an audio OM-2 mic to record myself and I'm also demoing pedals live at the same time. It's the first time I've tried this and I already learned something.... Always set up a way to monitor. At the end of the show when I record the direct signal, I did not have any headphones on and had no idea what was happening so I missed the fact that there was no distortion on that signal. I'll play with it and try again on a future episode. Hit me up on Twitter and Instagram and let me know your thoughts on signature guitars. @sgnl2nz

Episode 35: Radio Gaga

This Week's episode is all about the Radio! Growing up I was fascinated by radio. It was my only way to consume new music as a kid so I searched up and down the dial and would wait for hours to tape my favorite song. I am joined by Bryan Ganey who used to work in Radio. Bryan pulls the curtain back and exposes the mysteries of radio for us. For more about Bryan and his amazing journey that he shares at the end of the show visit his Blog.

Episode 34: The "Art" of the record industry

After Episode 33 went live, I got a message on Instagram from my buddy Bob asking when he could be a guest on the show. I asked what his ideas were and next thing you know we had the outline for this week's episode. Bob has a background in graphic design and has not only made graphics for me to use at work, he also taught me just enough in photoshop to be dangerous. Since he has an extensive knowledge in design, iy was fun to sit down and talk about his thoughts on how Image and graphics impact a band's image in today's market. Bob has some great insight and it's alway fun to talk to a fellow Pittsburgher about the old haunts and hangouts. Bob and I discuss the Altar Bar in this episode (which is the featured image), and what a great place it is to see a show as well as other Pittsburgh venues. If you want to see Bob's work check out: www.noxstavern.com. It' not only a website he designed and built, it's also his Sister-in-law's Tavern and a great place to grab a burger. Let me know your thoughts about the show on Twitter and Instagram.