November 12, 2007
More Gear For The Independent Solo Acoustic Musician (that you can afford)
EON10 G2 Powered Speakers: 7 bills+ ea. Canadian. http://www.jblpro.com/eong2/EON10G2.htm
If you have acquired a piece of gear that you are particularly fond of - share by Commenting. Copyright your music ideas, not your gear choices.
Note: The above gear took me years to acquire; it is NOT for sale. I am sharing this information with other musicians to help them in their search. I have no sponsors.
I spent about 2 years trying to figure out how to best piece together a PA that I could transport on foot. There is a few all in one choices, but I decided that it would be best for me in the long run to buy the pieces individually. One thing that I did discover is that an amp is usually quite heavy and can be a hassle to set up, These powered (have built in amps) speakers are about 23 lbs a piece and are made of a co-polymer material which is quite durable and sharp looking.
Extras: 125 Watt low/50 Watt high frequency bi-amped drivers.
2 inputs on each speaker; balanced and unbalanced trs.
90 Hz to 16 KHz frequency response.
Strong/lightweight black co-polymer enclosure.
Check the JBL site for more: http://www.jbl.com/
Check HERE for the mixer that I use in conjunction with these speakers.
Posted by i220 at 10:43 AM | Comments (2)
June 24, 2006
Bouts Reviews Apple's iPod
I wonder how many revolutionaries have an iPod.
I do/did!
I'll admit, I used to love my iPod; so much better than my "Discman" and having to cart around a bunch of CD's, only to find the album I really wanted to listen to is at home. It was great to have practically my entire CD collection at my finger tips.
That being said, I was on my way to work, sitting on the bus enjoying the view of the mountains. I decided that I wanted to listen to something a little different to get my morning going. As I was toggling through my list, I found exactly what I was looking for and pressed play. To my dismay, my iPod died. "It can't be the battery! It was fully charged when I left the house.", I thought.
I let my iPod sit unused for the rest of the day. I tried to play it again on my way home. It would turn on, but it would just shut itself off.
Knowing that these rechargeable batteries are very finicky, I was always sure to drain the power on my iPod before re-charging it.
The next day, I was experiencing the same problem (I had charged my iPod all night). I went online to the Apple website and found the customer service number.
After finally finding the right person to speak with, I found out that because I had, had my iPod for more than 30 days, I no longer qualified to receive tech support over the phone, unless I had purchased the extended warranty that would give me 2 years of coverage. Shouldn't a one year warranty cover this service??
The gentleman I spoke to on the phone directed me back to their web site, to fill out a request for repair form which I did. Only to find out that it was going to cost me $45 to get my iPod repaired. I haven't even owned it for a year. HELLO?????
What I really want to know is why a company like Apple, that is making billions and billions of dollars a year, chooses to take a big dump on the customers when their product goes to crap? Why don't they stand behind their product and offer full service for one year? Why do I have to pay more to be able to talk to somebody? Why do I have to pay to get my iPod repaired when this is obviously a manufacturer's defect? I'd call and ask their tech support, but I no longer qualify to be able to speak to an actual person.
I ask you, "Does this make any sense?"
Apple has cornered the market with their iPod. Some of their competitors have come close to trying to match it, but none have. As I said earlier, I loved my iPod and the convenience of it. But, if the manufacturer won't stand behind their product fully, how can I believe that they are superior?
Instead of wasting my money and supporting a company that doesn't care about their clients, I'd much rather cart around my Discman and a bunch of CDs. Yes, slightly inconvenient but better than supporting a company that only wants your money.
I'm curious to know, has anybody else had this sort of problem with their iPod or any other Apple product?
As far as I'm concerned, my iPod now makes a great coaster.
Posted by i220 at 09:53 PM | Comments (15)
August 22, 2005
Gear For The Independent Solo Acoustic Musician (that you can afford)
Mackie DFX6 6 Channel Integrated Live Sound Mixer: 3 bills+ Canadian. http://www.mackie.com/products/dfx6/
If you have acquired a piece of gear that you are particularly fond of - share by Commenting. Copyright your music ideas, not your gear choices.
Note: The above gear took me years to acquire; it is NOT for sale. I am sharing this information with other musicians to help them in their search. I have no sponsers.
This particular piece of gear has taken me about a year and a half to decide on - obsessive huh? I need a mixer that is affordable (duh), durable, lightweight (8lbs), and compact with all the built ins necessary. I'm on foot. I need a piece 'o gear that's travel with me on da BUS man! This is what I've come up with.
Extras: 5 band master EQ with individual channel shelf EQs (80hz & 12K).
32 bit built in digital effects. I HATE digital reverb but this one's... OK.
Master mute button that lets the "CD in" through for set breaks.
4 Balanced Mic Ins, 2 with inserts :)
Etc... Check the Mackie site for more: http://www.mackie.com/
Posted by i220 at 11:16 AM | Comments (3)
February 25, 2005
Gear: For The Home Producer (that you can afford)
Audio Technica large capsule condenser mic: Around 3 bills Canadian.
Presonus Pre100 tube preamp: About 2 bills Canadian.
Event TR8 reference speakers: 9 (or so) bills Canadian.
What do you own? C'mon share - Your ideas are yours but your gear choices could be invalueable to others.
Note: The above gear took me years to acquire; it is NOT for sale. I am sharing this information with other musicians to help them in their search. I have no sponsers.
I don't shop lightly when it comes to musical gear. Last year, while on tour I hit music shops in almost every Western Canadian town comparing reference speakers. The TR8's were turning ears all over the country. But, if you find the 8 inch speakers a little pricey then check out the TR5's. You could save yourself up to 3 bills CC.
The AT mic and Pre 100 took me over a year to buy. For the price, I feel there's no comparison but things are changing daily so if you know of any products that compare, don't hesitate to drop 'em.
Finally, I'm not interested in getting in a debate on quality as there is really no point. People's budgets weighed with their interest will determine what they need. But, I am interested in sharing these finds as it is hard to discover decent equipment these days. Everybody is making the next answer for the home musician but most of it is mediocre at best. This is where we can help each other out :) S'all about getting the most for the money.
Posted by i220 at 07:46 AM | Comments (2)
October 23, 2004
The "Gear (Sale/Trade/Loan)" Category
Use this space to find, move or swap anything from CDs to inflateable pop princesses** to a '78 Gibson Flying V guitar if you have it.
If you got somethin'. If you looking fo' somethin'. Let us kno! With enough music happy people bouncin' thru here daily - someone's bound to have/want your shit.
Dish pertinents out to: weblog@themusicalrevolution.com
If you HAVE or WANT something in this CATEGORY use the "Comments" button to reply*
And, fo' those who just love to "garage sale" online - keep checking back @ the Gear (Sale/Trade/Loan) Category.
*Note: When "Commenting", you will be asked for your name (or pseudonym ;) - and email. Make sure you use an actual email so the "poster" can get a hold of yas!
**DoubleNote: No pop princesses were literally harmed during this posting... much.
Posted by i220 at 11:15 AM | Comments (0)