Weekly round-up: February 1st to February 7th
| Posted in News
YOUR ONE-CLICK INDEX OF LAST WEEK’S REVIEWS
Marshall JMD100 review part 1Garritan Personal Orchestra 4th Edition review
Jimmy Page Les Paul No. 2 review
Budda Superdrive 18 Series II review
Budda Superdrive 30 Series II review
Epiphone G-310 Emily the Strange review
Epiphone Valve Junior amp review
Orange Amplifiers news round-up
UA 710 Twin-Finity and UAD-2 bundled
Akai MPD26 pad controller replaces MPD24
Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection
4MidiLoop Traktor Controller and Mixer
And there’s still more to read! Click the link to read the rest of this DV247 Blog weekly round-up for exclusive reviews, breaking news and the best in expert opinion!
THE BEST OF THE BLOG
Wednesday and Thursday saw DV247′s guitar guru Marc Noel Johnson eagerly plug in to a Marshall JMD100 amplifier head, the flagship amp from the JMD:1 range. Using his reviewing combination of a Stratocaster and a Les Paul, MNJ explored the amp head’s hybrid digital preamp/valve power stage, ultimately deciding that “there is not a bad sound to be found”.
Garritan Personal Orchestra 4th Edition Review
Production expert Paul Dakeyne conducted a masterful review of the Garritan Personal Orchestra 4th Edition sample library on Thursday, delving deep into the collection’s offering of “strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion and keyboards alongside variations of Steinway grand pianos, Stradivari violins and some renowned Project SAM brass samples”. Paul even uploaded an MP3 to demonstrate his use of the software for key switching.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Epiphone G-310 Emily the Strange review
The Epiphone G310 Emily the Strange guitar started the week for Rob Sandall, as he reviewed the “brightly-decorated SG-style axe, clearly aimed at those intent on drawing a fair bit of attention with their instrument”. Rob decided that the design – based on a character from the Santa Cruz skateboard company – was “on a guitar that’s already a winner”, making it an intruiging option.
Orange Amplifiers news round-up
Marc Noel Johnson brought news of the latest Orange amplifiers on Monday, including the Rockerverb 50MKII, the Orange Thunder 30 and the Terror Combo. Also included was a rundown of how the manufacturer’s Orange Crush amplifiers have been revamped, with Marc noting how “the guitar combos now look more like their bigger counterparts, with basket weave tolex grilles and the distinctive picture frame edging”.
UA 710 Twin-Finity and UAD-2 bundled
Ending the day’s blogging on Monday, Barney Jameson discussed how an announcement from Universal Audio had suddenly reinvigorated interest in the UA 710 Twin-Finity microphone preamp, with the manufacturer bundling a free UAD-2 Solo DSP card into each purchase.
Epiphone Valve Junior 5W Tube Amp Review
Tuesday began with Marc Noel Johnson discussing the Epiphone Valve Junior 5W tube amplifier, which distinguishes itself by only having one knob. MNJ decided that the Valve Junior is “far from just a practice amp”, but added the single knob made it more difficult than usual to find the sweet spot. In his conclusion, he decided users would get “a lot of amp for the money, even if there is only one knob to play with”.
Akai MPD26 pad controller replaces MPD24
News of Akai’s decision to replace the MPD24 pad controller with the new MPC-flavoured MPD26 excited Barney Jameson on Tuesday afternoon, as he explored the potential of MPC technology being incorporated into the new unit. First among the features, explained Barney, was the inclusion of MPC Swing.
Continuing his series of in-depth music technology reviews, Paul Dakeyne took a deep and detailed look at the Rob Papen RP-Verb AU, VST and RTAS plug-in. Declaring himself a Papen fan and having used the software for several days prior to the review, he concluded that it is “is a fun, powerful, musically kick ar*e, creative juice exploding and quite ‘individual’ sounding reverb plug-in”. We think he likes it.
Waves announces Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection
Plug-in developer Waves introduced its new Chris Lord Alge Signature Collection on Wednesday, promising six application specific plug-ins based on the legendary mix engineer’s own working practices. Following it was a sister collection based on the work of Jack Joseph Puig.
Budda Superdrive 18 Series II review
Rob Sandall plugged in for the first of two Budda amplifier articles on Wednesday afternoon, focusing on the Budda Superdrive 18 Series II amplifier head and reporting: “you’ve got a rough-and-ready bite for blues and rock here, and the modern-mid setup will add metal flavour to the already colourful depth”.
Budda Superdrive 30 Series II review
In the second of his two Budda amplifier features, Rob Sandall concentrated on the Superdrive 30 Series II amp head, noting its popularity with celebrity endorsees before adding that “it’s clear that Budda has busted a gut to produce an amplifier that will withstand the needs and rigours of touring, while offering enough tonal versatility to allow any guitarist with harder aspirations to find the blues, rock and metal sound they want”.
Jimmy Page Les Paul No. 2 Review
Marc Noel Johnson’s week was made when he reviewed the Jimmy Page Les Paul No. 2 on Friday, declaring that “even if you don’t like the shaved neck and the low fret job, the sound of this baby is simply awesome, and that’s not a word I ever use”. Marc spent his review devouring the tonal combinations on offer from the guitar, ultimately deciding: “this guitar is an epic release and the Gibson Custom Shop has triumphed yet again”.
4MidiLoop Traktor Controller and Mixer
Back in the world of DJs, Paul Dakeyne reported news of a teaser video circulating on YouTube for a new controller and mixer combination called the 4MidiLoop. While no official details were available on the controller, Paul watched carefully and speculated on what the features might be. He also noted the possibility of an appearance by the controller at the forthcoming Musikmesse exhibition in Germany.
Korg Wavedrum WD-X reviewBringing a touch of the 1990s to Friday afternoon, Rob Sandall gave the Korg Wavedrum WD-X a good slap as he reviewed the electronic percussion instrument. Rob conceded that some might see the Wavedrum WD-X as a novelty, but he dismissed the notion, deciding instead that “It can be played as a one-man-band in its own right, or otherwise I believe that it will be used for creating quick additions to songs”.
Saturday and Sunday saw Marc Noel Johnson discussing the history and current output of one of the World’s most unique guitar brands, Steinberger. MNJ explored the range of Steinberger guitars now available, including the ZT-3 Custom and the Synapse range.
THE WRITER’S BLOCK: OUR OPINIONS, YOUR COMMENTS
Paul Dakeyne: Remix Methodology
As a renowned and much respected producer and remixer alongside his DV247 contributions, Paul decided to let DV247 readers in on his remixing secrets, describing in detail exactly how he goes about creating a mix from start to finish. Within a day of posting, UK DJ and ‘Hacienda’ legend Graeme Park referenced this post for one of his DJ/remix lectures.
Rob Sandall: 10 ways to leave your band
Never one to shy away from a friendly disagreement, Rob Sandall offered 10 suggestions for anyone wanting to shed themselves of their band-mates in his Writer’s Block column this week. Our favourite? Definitely joining a band with Billy Corgan.
Marc Noel Johnson: The Family That Sings Together…
Following inspiration from a long recording project, Marc Noel Johnson discussed the benefits of asking family members to provide vocal harmonies on tracks, and the special sound that can be captured as a result.
Barney Jameson: Can a song be too honest?
With a gig looming and a new song waiting to be played for the first time, Barney Jameson wondered aloud if singing very honest lyrics in front of a small room of friends might incur pub gossip rather than fan adulation.
About Barney Jameson
A contributor, editor and in some cases creator of more music and pro audio magazines than he cares to remember, Barney Jameson is a veteran of writing about gear, and a pretty keen singer songwriter to boot.
Having started his musical education reading old copies of the Melody Maker while riding the tube to University in the mid-nineties, Barney once sang in a band called Sugarstone, troubling record company chequebooks not quite enough to make it a career option. Instead, he achieved his goal of starting a music magazine of his own when he founded Playmusic in the early noughties. Later on, having exploited VIP access to as many festivals as possible, he wrote about the pro audio industry throughout Europe and the Middle East, travelling to far-flung destinations such as Dubai, Doha and Muscat (nice mountains).
As the latest addition to the DV247 team, Barney has big plans. But when he’s not plotting online domination of the musical instrument world, he keeps himself busy writing songs on a battered old acoustic guitar and playing them to audiences in his home town.
Tags: Garritan Personal Orchestra 4, Marshall AFD100, Weekly Round-up