Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy!!!

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Sweeping Arpeggios



















Choice your weapon wisely.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Recording Tutorials

Now showing...vids for your viewing pleasure.

http://guitarmatrix.mooo.com/Getting_Started.wmv
http://guitarmatrix.mooo.com/Bass_Guitar.wmv
http://guitarmatrix.mooo.com/EZ-Backing.wmv
http://guitarmatrix.mooo.com/Drums.wmv
http://guitarmatrix.mooo.com/FX_Send_Render.wmv
http://guitarmatrix.mooo.com/Auto.wmv


Most of the plugins and software in the videos are available via free download.

The volume leveling plugin used in the vids is a resource hog. I recommend using the TLs-3127 equivalent instead.

TLs Volume Leveling (free VST Plugin) - http://hem.bredband.net/tbtaudio/vstplugins/TLs-31 27-LEA_v1-0.zip

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Friday, November 20, 2009

OFR Shimming Guide

This is an easy guide to shimming your Original Floyd Rose saddles to get a close match to your fretboard radius. This way you can dial it in very fast to get very close to a perfect match for best action.

Note: Unless your guitar has a 10" non-compound fretboard radius, you will need to shim your floyd saddles if you want good action. This is because the ORIGINAL Floyd bridge radius = 10".

You can buy .2mm shims that fit Floyd saddles on the internet in packs of 6 or 12. Just do a google search. To find out how many .2 mm shims to add to each string saddle, see below (note that the D and G strings get no shim)


Thursday, November 19, 2009

Need a Studio?

Check these guys out....









Our dedicated staff of producers, engineers, session players and graphic designers relies heavily and play-off each other’s years of combined talents to reach one common goal, the Artists Vision. Tribe Mark Studio takes an honest approach to recording. Simply stated, we listen to the Artist's and create the plan that will convert the vision sonically, stage the session to compose an environment that will inspire and capture creativity. A recording studio should be an extension of the artist within it.

http://tribemarkstudio.com/


Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Control it... again

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The TranzPort is a beautiful thing. Most of its functions are obvious, but holding down the shift key even provides access to level adjust using the data wheel. It's biggest and coolest benefit is that it's RF 2.4ghz wireless. No line of sight required, and its still 2-way and has the LCD display - Yet even with the backlight on it uses an absurdly small amount of battery juice.

Source : Prime/rob @ The Guitar Matrix - http://guitarmatrix.proboards.com

Monday, November 16, 2009

BlackDroïd Guitars



















http://www.blackdroidguitars.com


Newest Gibson Signature

Click to enlarge...











Buckethead Signature Les Paul



EZ / SD drums, in ProTools...

The process is really quite simple. And i dont think I'll need screen caps as ProTools is more or less built around this concept in the use of multi-out Virtual Instruments. RTAS doesnt require extra steps - The multichannel plugin routing is just there all the time.

1. From the 'Track' menu select 'New' and create, at bare minimum - 1 Stereo 'instrument' track and 5 Stereo 'Aux input' tracks.

2. On the Instrument tracks Insert A, select EZ or Superior. If your project is set to anything other than 44.1khz - Go make a snack as EZD up-samples everything from its default 44.1khz sample rate. Now that youre full and EZ/Superior is loaded - Change the kit and go make another snack. lol

3. Click the Mixer button. Take note that all the pieces of the kit are routed to stereo pair 1 by default. This is what we must change. The reasons can be many. In EZ its because there is absolutely no access to per-drum dynamics control. In Superior its because, frankly, even though made by Sonalksis - The 'plugins' available to the mixer inside of Superior.... Are all Inferior..... 2.0

Barring the overhead, ambient and room mics - The aim is to route the outputs of all your drums to their own 'Aux In' 'tracks'. This is really a misnomer - Because, using this method - You are actually using the Aux 'tracks' more like busses. Which is exactly what they are. Set the Kick to go to out 2, the Snare top and bottom mics to 3 (if youre really anal and wanna separate 'em just add another aux), Hats to 4, Toms all set to 5 - This way you can manage the individual levels of the various sounds, relative to themselves - Inside of the plugin. And then control the groups overall levels using the Aux tracks we're about to address.

4. Click the Input notch on each Aux tracks IO section and set the tracks input. You'll have 3 options - 'Interface' - 'Bus' and, since we've got our Drum Instrument running - 'Plug In'. Hovering on this menu will reveal the numbered output channels from the plugin. Select the channel pair you want to be routed to that track from the EZ Drummer or Superior Drummer outputs.

5. Sit back and breathe a sigh of relief that you can now control your drum tone with any and every plugin you have available, to get EXACTLY the drum sounds you want. No more settling for almost, or close enough.

---------------

This is a method I stumbled on. Havent read the manuals, rarely do until theres a problem. lol But in theory and reality - This is the most efficient method for routing in ProTools because you arent creating actual audio tracks. Since they are Aux Input tracks, they take up less resources all round including memory, CPU cycles, etc. ad nauseum.

Now..... Go beat on those skins.
:-* :-* :-* :-* :-*

Friday, November 13, 2009

What trems fit where?

OK PEOPLE, HERE IT IS, WHAT TREMS FIT WHERE!!

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Source : Megatron @ The Guitar Matrix - http://guitarmatrix.proboards.com

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Taylor Guitars Tour



Some interesting facts regarding availability and seasoning of woods, etc.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Ringo Knobs

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1. Buy a "RINGO" knob from any provider. Mine are from QParts. They come in chrome/gold/and black (not really black but smoked chrome, like cosmo black).
They come with all kinds of tops in assorted colors.

2. Rubber "O-rings" from Ace Hardware Large: #13 Smaller: #12

3. Snap the #13 into the bottom groove, snap the #12 into the top groove.

4. VIOLA' Your new modern version of the Classic Ibanez "beehive" knobs with rubber inserts. The only differences are these only have 2 rubber inserts & the rubber inserts don't sit as flush as the old "beehive" knobs

The finished knobs look GREAT and work even better, especially for volume swells.
AND, you can buy a supply of the rubber O-rings for replacing cracked dried out rubber inserts. Each rubber O-ring costs about 50 cents.

Source : fretrunr @ The Guitar Matrix - http://guitarmatrix.proboards.com


Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Fender Factory Tour



Featuring SRV, Jimi Hendrix and others.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Beginners Guide to Scales

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OK. Some people wanted a guide on the basics of scales and modes, so here it is. It’s by no means comprehensive, just sticking to the popular modes/scales used by most musicians. Some people who read this may already be familiar with some of the patterns needed to play various scales (pentatonics etc), but don’t really understand how it all works, or simply haven’t read an explanation that makes the theory ‘click’ in your head (no little light bulb of comprehension lighting up). Hopefully, fingers crossed, I’ll explain in a simple way that makes it clearer to you (or maybe not, lol). So here goes....

Source : Ouija @ The Guitar Matrix - http://guitarmatrix.proboards.com

Friday, November 6, 2009

Chicka-booma-chick!


Thursday, November 5, 2009

Control It....

Nothing sucks more than using a software DAW, and being fader-less. A control surface increases productivity and its just a way more effective way to mix.

Unfortunately - Control surfaces are not typically cheap, or even 'affordable'. But $140 can net you the Behringer BCF and give you everything an 003 does, except audio ins and outs and an LCD screen. What it does give you is FULL Mackie HUI functionality via a simple firmaware update. This works on all platforms, and virtually EVERY DAW - Incl. ProTools, Reaper, Logic and DP. Best CS on the market anywhere, and the price is absurd. My unit has never had a moments problem - Excited to have the two new white ones on the way to extend my 'mixer' to 24 faders, needless to say.


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Source : rob @ The Guitar Matrix - http://guitarmatrix.proboards.com

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

PRS Factory Tour


Monday, November 2, 2009

Basic Home Recording - Part II





Reaper is great and with ReWire capability - It is in effect compatible with Pro Tools. Among many of its cool features is VST plugin compatibility.

VSTs, unlike RTAS, are an open-platform. There are literally THOUSANDS of free plug ins. Many of which emulate classic hardware. And they do a pretty damn good job of it too.

Take a look at www.kvraudio.com to get started. Search through their database - You need it, they probably have 5 or 6 free plugs that do it. I even use them in PT sometimes with the VST-RTAS Wrapper.

You should also consider where your drums are going to come from. Tedious MIDI sequencing is an option. Though not terribly conducive to the creative process. Drum loops always kinda suck because they are just that, loops. They tend to lock your brain into one creative path. I like to riff over a click track and then play drums over the riffs. KVR has several free drum sampler plugins that are similar to the original dfh Superior.

And of course as Prime mentioned - EZ Drummer is just that - EASY as hell to use and quite affordable. And you can use any GM drum file with it straight away.
Source : Prime/rob @ The Guitar Matrix - http://guitarmatrix.proboards.com