Korg Pitchclip PC-1 guitar tuner review
Decent tuner.
I headed out to Sam Ash today to check out a Telecaster. It was good, but not good enough to make me want to buy it. Before I left I asked what guitar tuners they had in stock, and there was one selling for about 20 bucks that I decided to buy, a Korg Pitchclip PC-1.
The PC-1 is available basically everywhere. The going price at the time I write this is about 20 bucks. And yes it does come with a battery.
Up until now I've been using what was formerly known as the Planet Waves NS Tuner (now called a D'Addario NS Tuner), and I can best call that particular tuner "okay". Not great. Not bad. Just okay. In other words, it gets the job done, but not in a way where you would say "Wow, this thing is great" about it.
After using the Pitchclip for just a few minutes, I quickly realized it's much better than the NS tuner is, and I'll tell you why.
Easier to mount
Korg got the tension for the clip just right with the Pitchclip, as this thing can be used on anything from a cheap Squier all the way to multi-thousand dollar guitars with absolutely no fear of finish damage.
Easier to use
The Pitchlip has only one button, and that button does three things. Turns the clip on, turns it off, or if you hold it for longer than one second, it flips the readout of the display.
Being this clip doesn't rotate, Korg came up with the idea of just holding the button to flip the display readout, which in all honesty is a great idea because you don't have to worry about orientation. You just clip on, and if you have to do it where the display is upside down, no problem. Hold the button for longer than a second, the readout flips and you're ready to start tuning.
Easier to read
Each LED on the Pitchlip has multiple levels of brightness, so as you tune, the LEDs gradually get brighter or dimmer depending on pitch.
My only complaint here is that the display does have an indicator for sharps but not flats, so if you wanted to tune a half-step down, that would be D#, G#, C#, F#, A#.
Easier to change the stupid battery
Most clip-on tuners make the battery difficult to get to for whatever reason. Not so with the Pitchclip. Flip open the display and it's right there in easy reach; it doesn't get any easier.
Also, yes, the unit will power itself off automatically if not used for 10 minutes.
Conclusion
This Pitchclip is definitely better than the NS micro-tuner is. The wider/brighter LEDs with green and red are much easier to read from a distance (and even if you can't read the letter because of bad eyesight, you can go by color from the red and green LEDs), the clip tension is just right, clipping on/off is really easy when going from guitar to guitar, and the one-button operation is stupidly easy to use.
Korg did this tuner right, no question. I'm glad I bought it.
How to record like a pro for college dorm dwellers who have no space
Most college dorm rooms are really cramped. So cramped that it's sometimes tough to get anything done in them - especially when you want to record a song.
Below, I'll show you some ultra-compact stuff that gets the job done in fine style and won't hit the wallet too hard - and why you should get them.
What to record with? ZOOM R8
Why use this multi-track recorder and not a laptop?
Several reasons. Several good reasons.
It has its own drum kit built-in, meaning you can use pre-programmed beats or create your own. No need for drum samples from the computer.
It can run off 4 AA batteries or via USB power or adapter. The battery option is nice because that's one less cable to worry about.
It has the audio ports your PC or Mac does not have. Namely, not one but two XLR inputs.
The R8's XLR inputs are actually combo inputs that can accept XLR or 1/4-inch male connector. Very trick and very cool because the unit can accept anything from a guitar to a pro-grade condenser microphone and everything in between.
What you've got with the R8 is a multi-track recorder that can handle whatever you want to plug into it without the need for a mixer (if it's just you recording), a fantastic built-in drum kit (meaning no drum/metronome sync necessary since it's built-in), a ton of effects including amp modeling and many vocal effects as well. The R8 is a total powerhouse of a recorder. And yes, it can fully connect to PCs and Macs easily for use as a controller too. It doesn't get much better than the R8.
You'll be shocked at how inexpensive it is. Get one.
Which electric guitar to use? Fender Modern Player Stratocaster HSS
In your dorm room you can most likely only fit one guitar in there, and it has to be something good that's not too expensive that can handle any music style you want to play.
No guitar is better for that than the Fender Stratocaster Modern Player HSS.
Why this specific guitar? Because it's the Swiss Army knife of Strats.
While it may look like an ordinary Strat, it's not. There's the dual-coil humbucker on the bridge, a single-coil in the middle and another single-coil in the neck. But there's an added feature not mentioned. The humbucker can be split to a single coil by pulling up on the bottom tone knob, giving you 7 different tones instead of just 5. Yes, that means the bottom tone knob is in fact a toggle between humbucker and single. And it works perfectly.
What does this mean? It means this Strat can handle any kind of music. Metal, rock, country, jazz, reggae, grunge, funk... you name it, it can do it.
And, fortunately enough, it's the least expensive Fender Strat you can buy while at the same time being a rock-solid, well constructed instrument. Great guitar all around and a very comfortable player. Get one.
Which guitar effects to use? DigiTech RP255
There is no room in a college dorm for a bunch of pedals. You need just one, and you need it to do it all.
The RP255 is the multi-effects pedal you want.
This multi-effects pedal, simply put, does everything. Two foot switches on the left and one rocker pedal on the right. The foot switches are for toggling on/off settings while playing, and the rocker is for things like wah-wah effect.
In addition, the RP255 is loaded with amp modeling settings so it is very friendly with multi-track recorders or software recorders. This unit is so good that you could even use a microphone through it if you wanted.
For any guitar effect and any style of music you'd want to play, the RP255 is all you need.
Which microphone to use? Blue Microphones Spark
There are a lot of microphones out there, but you need one that can record even when singing very quietly. For that, you need a condenser microphone, and Blue Microphones fits the bill here.
It might look a little weird (that's just Blue's style), but this microphone really has the goods where it counts. In particular, it has a "Focus" button which allows it to not "just be a microphone for singing only". With a press of a button you can from a full-range response to a more tightly focused field, meaning this microphone can record a lot of different stuff other than vocals very well. And versatility is a must for a microphone used in a dorm room.
What to use for proper headphones? Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Headphones
Good headphones are the kind where the response is "flat", meaning it's not "enhanced" at all because that makes for better sound monitoring. In other words, your recorded songs you hear through your headset should sound good on an iPhone or Android phone, in a car, on small desktop players and so on. Using studio headphones is the easiest way to know you have a "sounds good everywhere" recording.
Note: Gamer headphones are out. Don't use those for recording, because those are all "enhanced" and you can't "un-enhance" them. You need a proper headset.
The first thing you're probably thinking upon seeing the Sennheiser set is, "Wow, those are big." There's a reason for that. When recording anything in the room where the sound is coming in through a microphone, you absolutely need a set of closed-back headphones with proper sound isolation yet still deliver a true "flat" sound. And the 280 PRO set totally delivers that.
In addition, you need a headset you can wear for a very long time without getting "cauliflower ear". The 280 PRO set is insanely comfortable to wear. Much better than any ear bud you've ever worn. Besides which, recording music isn't a beauty contest, so who cares how big they are as long as they wear comfortable and sound right?
What do you use to quiet down the dorm room when recording? sE Electronics Reflexion Filter X
Dorm rooms have noise rules. Everyone hates them, but, well, that's the way it is.
Sometimes you will even get yelled at when playing an electric guitar with headphones on, because even though you're not playing through an amp, the acoustics of the electric can still be heard.
There are many ways to keep the sound down in a dorm room, but this way is arguably the best way to go about it/
There are several reasons why this thing is so great for a dorm room.
First, it's portable and does come with its own case. This is good because it does not have to be a permanent setup. Just use it whenever you need it.
Second, it's easy to position because it's so light. You can "huddle in" to it easily where sound is reflected back at you rather than towards the dorm room door.
Third is the best part. It is one of the cheapest ways to soundproof. Soundproofing by nature is really expensive. Even if you bought a 12-pack of studiofoam wedges, that will run you 200 bucks. The Reflexion Filter X is a lot less, much easier to handle and easily stores away so it's not bothering anyone, such as your roommate.
The Reflexion Filter X is not as big as it looks when you go to look at it, and that's a good thing, but wow does it work well. It is the just-right size that can fit in a dorm room easily (and be stored away easily as well). Also, one other note - it does not break any dorm room rules, whereas sticking regular studio foam on the door probably would.
What to use to jot ideas down? Music Journal
Sometimes when in the dorm you'll be suddenly struck by inspiration and you need something to write that idea down right now. Well, there's no better thing for than a music journal.
No, this is not just a notebook with a treble clef on the front. This is an actual real music journal with regular lined pages on the left for lyrics, and staffed right-side pages for music writing. Also, the paper is the acid-free archival type (meaning it takes pen or pencil properly) and it's also a hardcover. Very cool thing to have.
Go to school and record happy! :-)
Avoid a bad guitar recording by turning down the treble
A common mistake a lot of guitar players make who record at home is that in order to make their guitars heard better, they turn up the treble, when the proper course of action should be to turn it down.
No midrange = sounds like crap
In a guitar player's mind, there is only low EQ, high EQ and nothing in the middle. Because of this, the end result is a guitar track that "thuds" and "screeches" at the same time.
A guitar that thuds is a huge no-no. As for screechy guitars, yeah that can work, but only if it's reserved for solo tracks usually.
I'm not saying you should make every guitar track "sound like a log" by turning down the treble. However, if the guitar being played is a rhythm track, it's not supposed to be front-and-center but rather blend in with the other instruments (as in drums and bass) being played along with it. A good blend makes for a much better sounding recorded song overall.
Amp modeling and purposely keeping it simple is the easiest way to get things done quick
My advice for recording at home is always the same: Don't use miked amps. Don't bother with microphones or creating a soundproofed area or anything like that. Just use amp modeling instead.
There are many ways to do amp modeling. Here are two of them, both of which are inexpensive:
Fender Mustang I guitar amplifier - This is a small 1x8 amp with USB out and 18 different amp models built-in, plus a bunch of other effects. Inexpensive, very easy-to-use, very easy to get "that sound" which is good for recording, all without using a single microphone.
DigiTech RP255 - I've mentioned this multi-effects processor many times and will continue to because it is one of the best floor units you'll ever own. A whopping 94 amp modeling settings and it's absolutely loaded with effects you can use. The RP255 may literally be the only pedal you'll ever need both for recording and live.
What does amp modeling do?
Amp models are basically equalization presets combined with digital filters of famous amplifier and cabinet setups of the past, all of which can be modified to get the sound you're looking for.
Basically put, you can simply select an amp model you think sounds cool, and then change the EQ (the RP255 in particular has a 3-band EQ for bass, midrange and treble), knock off some treble and bass and you've got a guitar sound ready-to-record. It doesn't get much easier than that.
Amp modeling is a million times easier than trying a miked amp. Getting the right sound for a miked amp takes a ton of practice and expensive microphones to do it with. Amp modeling on the other hand is cheap, available right now and much, much easier to get "that sound" you're looking for no matter what guitar you own.
this was the city
Dragnet 1967 is a television show from the late 1960s, and is actually the second version; the original was in 1951, and that originally started as a radio program of the same name that ran from 1949 through 1957. After Dragnet 1967 there was a (really bad) movie of the same name in 1987, then a television remake from 1989-1991, and then yet another remake from 2003-2004.
The 1967 version is the best of the lot, no question.
There are others who have pretty much picked the show apart to a degree I didn't think was possible. My take on Dragnet will just be on how the show relates to me personally.
I am a Gen X, so the show was before my time, but the way life was shown in Dragnet wasn't all that far removed from how I lived as a kid in the late '70s and early '80s.
The same General Electric rotary desk phones used in the show is what I used as a kid when I wanted to place a telephone call to someone. And a lot of the industrial landscape of LA pretty much looked the same as it did in New England during my childhood.
In Dragnet, driving shots through certain areas, you see tons of signs and utility poles, and I totally remember when pretty much all towns used to look like that, even from where where I grew up.
Back in the day, there were very few restrictions as to how a business could promote itself. Pretty much anyone could just throw up a sign on a steel post and have it be as short or tall as they liked. The end result in highly populated areas was this mishmash of signs everywhere of every color, combined with a sea of utility poles (many of them quite rickety) with wires hanging everywhere and a ton of road signs fighting for attention along with it. This was an absolutely and totally chaotic look that created a style all its own. That look mostly disappeared once more laws were written for what a business could and couldn't do for signage. That, and many utility poles were replaced with underground wire or the grid was rewired in a way where not as many poles were needed.
I've never been to LA and have no real desire to go there. I know that the city depicted in Dragnet is absolutely nothing like it is today. Nobody knew in the '60s what would happen in the early '90s there or this year for that matter.
I know that not all of LA is bad. To classify all of LA as "bad" would be the same like classifying all of Tampa Bay Florida as "bad" when it isn't. Does the Tampa/St. Pete/Clearwater region have its crappy parts? Of course it does. So does LA. You get that with any city no matter where you go.
Dragnet, to me, is a time capsule in the form of a television show. It's written by Hollywood scriptwriters of course, but police dramas in particular do have to base a lot of what they write from real-world events of the time to make it believable. And yeah, Dragnet does capture the essence of what late-'60s American life was like. I'm not saying it's 100% true (even though they said it was at the beginning of every episode), but it's a fun watch. I dig it.
This is the first episode from '67 with the infamous "Blueboy". It's a ridiculous season opener and you'll find out why when you watch it. The ridiculousness of the story is what makes it fun to watch.
You should definitely watch it.
i hold 22,755 floppy disks in the palm of my hand
I bought (and received today) a 32GB SDHC card. In the palm of my hand, that's the equivalent of holding the capacity of over twenty thousand floppy disk's worth of data storage. Price paid: Exactly $25.05. That's roughly 78.3 cents per gigabyte. Not bad. Although I'm sure by mid-2014 the price will be down to 50 cents per gig of SD storage if not lower.
Just for fun I did the math on how many 1.44MB floppies it would take to total 32GB of raw capacity, and the answer is about 22,755 of them. I'm pretty sure that many floppies would fill up a garage easily.
Are floppies still usable today?
No. A 1.44MB floppy will barely hold a single 4-megapixel image, and being that your average email is 8K in size, a floppy can't even store 200 emails. If they were plain text emails, that would be a different story and the messages would be much smaller. But just about everyone uses formatted email these days, so yeah, 8K is pretty much the average.
Do kids today even know what floppy diskettes are?
Most don't, and that's okay because there haven't been any computers made with floppy diskette drives for years.
Some kids today do know what the 3.5-inch 1.44MB diskette is and can recognize one if they saw it, but none of them know the 5.25-inch.
Heck, the 5.25-inch was already old and completely phased out in the early 90s when I first started using PCs.
Do I miss the days of floppies?
No, because they were notoriously unreliable.
Actually, correction. The 3.5-inch was the unreliable one. The 5.25-inch on the other hand was always better, and that was due to three reasons.
First is the tactile experience. When you hold a 5.25-inch disk, it is physically flexible, so the thought of, "I'd better be careful with this" is sent to the brain. Just from that your disks do last longer.
Second, the 5.25-inch drives were built much better because there's really no way to build one cheaply. This is why there are 30-year-old 5.25-inch diskette drives that still run fine to this day whereas just about any 3.5-inch diskette over 5 years old drive was tossed in the trash many moons ago.
Third, not too many 5-25.inch drives required the diskette to be jolted in or out of place which I'm sure is part of the reason 5.25-inch diskettes last longer compared to 3.5-inch. On most 5.25-inch drives, you slipped the diskette in, then turned a lever and the diskette was ready-to-use at that point. When ejecting, you turned the lever and pulled the diskette out. No harsh movements whatsoever.
If I had to use floppies again...
...I would purposely use the 5.25-inch 1.2MB high-density flavor not only for the reliability but also because it just makes for a better tactile experience. In addition, it's much easier to store and sort them as you can put a bunch in a box made for those disks where you can flip through them like you would address cards on a rolodex.
You can, amazingly, still find new 5.25-inch disks for sale easily, but I'm assuming all the ones for sale are new-old-stock and not actual-made-this-year new.
I mean, if you're gonna use floppies, you might as well do it right and use 5.25-inch.
And no, I would not use 8-inch diskettes. That's a little too retro, even for me. :)