Signal To Noise

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 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.

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!

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.

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!

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!

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!

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

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.

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.

It was a dark and stormy night… no….really. We recorded this podcast on June 6th and it was raining cats and dogs. Skype was giving us issues and we had to re-connect several times. It was a rough night with great conversation and in the end a good time was had by all. Due to a technical issue on my part, about half or better of the recording is missing. I explain in the podcast. Anyway, these guys are all great guys with interesting points of view, so if you want to see what else they are up to you can check them out here: Bruce: http://answersbybruce.com Nathan: http: Motherboard Earth Productions www.motherboardearth.net @MotherboardE on Twitter www.facebook.com/motherboard.earth.productions Wojo www.wojomusic.com www.facebook.com/wojomusic @WojoMusic on Twitter Roch: www.radioactivemetal.org Josh: https://www.youtube.com/user/JoshMolczyk Mike: Mike as you can tell from the show is NEVER short on jokes. Including when I asked for links. Here is his reply:  “Since I don’t have my own podcast, or you tube channel, or blog ( after all Aaron I’m only an idea man! Here is my contribution:  https://youtu.be/Iwuy4hHO3YQ. Had a genuine blast with all of you!”

My Holey Board covered in pedals. For years when ever I would use pedals, I would just toss them in my gig bag. When I finally decided to get a pedal board, I bought an SKB. At the time SKB was noted for its durable products and I got a lot of mileage from that board. It had built in power and a soft case. It did the job and saw a lot of mileage. Eventually I outgrew the board. It was big and bulky, but did not hold that many pedals. Thus began my search for a new pedal solution. I kept looking for pedal boards and most of what o found was quite boring. Then one day, and I don’t remember how or when, I discovered Holey Boards. Holey boards had my attention from the word go. They were beautiful wooden boards, looked like a skateboard deck and had two tiers. You know what else? No Velcro! It was my dream board! I loved the design, the look and the function, there was only one problem. The board came unfinished and I had no idea how to finish any wood products. So I emailed Chris at Holey boards and asked him what to do. He was super nice and emailed me back with instructions. It seems simple enough, so I ordered my board and then headed out to lowes to buy finishing supplies. Well, Chris was right. It was easy to finish and it turned out great. The board has become the focal point of my home studio and the design makes it perfect for “staging” pedals on the bottom and having my chain on the top half. As soon as I had completed the board I wanted to get Chris on the show to talk about the boards and I am pleased to bring you that chat! I had an absolute blast talking with Chris! We talk about pedal boards, effects, amps and even beer! Plus, Chris (like me) owns the Catalin Bread Echorec. It was great to talk with someone else who has used one. Sit back and enjoy the show!  

Sue’s Epiphone Les Paul holding pictures of us at a Nashville NAMM show My friend Sue is launching a new website (suzannedecree.com) so I had her on the how to talk about the new website and a few other other things. Sue and I have know each other for 20 years plus, have been to a few NAMM shows, several guitar shows, and have written a bunch of songs in that time. During this time we have had countless discussions on teaching methods and gear, which we share in this episode. Sue is not only a top notch guitar teacher, she also edits video for Digital Tour Bus as well as some promotional work for Dark Beauty. All of which we talk about in this week’s show. A couple other things we mention are Classical Guitar Corner, a classical guitar lesson site and podcast run by Simon Powis and Sue’s favorite site, Claus Levin. Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and Twitter feeds!    

My trusty Yeti microphone and Coke. In this episode I am joined by my friend Chris. Chris and I talk about everything from art and awards to baseball and building pedals. The big topic is “are we losing knowledge from generation to generation?”. Everyday I look around and feel like the world is lowering the bar instead of raising it. But then other times I feel like we have made quantum leaps forward. The whole show was inspired by a video on YouTube about building a tremolo pedal., So I posted that Video below. Tune and see what you think. Share your thoughts with me on Twitter: @sgnl2nz.    

I’m still on my Metallica kick, so be prepared for more Metallica. And I mean LOTS more Metallica. I love the bonus material on the “Ride the Lightning” box set and share my thoughts, plus I explain why this magazine from 1986 is the featured image this week. I also talk about how I look like Mr. Rogers, yet listen to Heavy Metal, my Buddy Don and just being nice. Plus the topic of the day: Why I use pedals. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram- @sgnl2nz  

I have been talking about this pedal for the last three episodes, and it’s finally here! This podcast was done partially along with a YouTube video of the unboxing of the pedal and partially as a stand alone quick and dirty demo. It was supposed to match up with both of the YouTube videos I posted, but hey I forgot to hit the record button on part 2. What can I say? I’m REALLY excited about this pedal. I will post more as I play with the pedal more. The first 3 minutes are just me opening the box and looking at the pedal. If you want to hear sounds right away, skip past those. Now I can’t wait to make some noise!  

I got up early and went down to Monster Music and Movies today for Record Store Day. It was a GREAT time! It was great to see so many people out buying music rather than downloading it for free on the Internet. So many different people of all ages were out getting music, and of all styles and genres. I put this episode together on the fly today to talk about Record Store Day and why I love it. In fact, if you listened t the last episode, you will know that Roch does not go to Record Store Day….. Well this year he did! While I was recording the show, he sent me a picture from Park Avenue CD’s. Stay excited about the music, because it’s why we buy the gear in the first place. Now get out there and make some noise!

My Zorlac Metallica skate deck and my Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal This Saturday is Record Store Day and one of my Favorite bands from youth are the ambassadors. I’m joined by Roch of the Radioactive Metal Podcast to discuss Roch’s gear from his band days, Kirk Hammett’s “Ghoul Screamer” pedal, our first Metallica shows, and what Metallica Release we are most excited about: the potential new record coming this year, or the Remastered Box Sets. Thanks for listening and follow us on twitter and Instagram at @sgnl2nz!  

The rig and the kit….they’re “Electric”. Boogie, oogie, oogie, oggie. This episode was a blast to record. My buddy Josh came over to jam and after we jammed for a bit we recorded this show. It’s Random, and distracted and hopefuly as entertaining for you as it was for us. Follow me on Instagram, Twitter and periscope: @sgnl2nz.  

Well Heck…It has been almost 3years since I posted a podcast. I’m not making any promises, but I do have a few show ideas mulling around…so hopefully this continues. Anyway, my buddy Mike hung out with me to discuss creativity, being a musician, and the updates to Garage Band on the iOS.

  I have to say I was really excited to put this episode together. It gave me a chance to try out a lot of things at once. First and foremost I got to sit down with the Germ from Caleb Cook at Hazel Effects and put it through the paces. I really like the sound our this pedal and how it changes from guitar to guitar. It enhances qualities already inherent to the guitar driving it. Next, I experimented with the wattage control on my Vox AD30 VT. One of the big selling points for me on that amp was the variable wattage (from 30 watts down to 1 watt) because I wanted to be able to record the sound I wanted at lower volume levels. So far, I am REALLY loving that feature. The last variable was using the iRig mic to record the amp straight into the Bossjock app for easier play back when recording the actual show.   It was the last variable that made me aphrensive and delayed me from the actual task. When I started recording digitally and recording live guitars, I could never get a sound I was happy with. I read every article and tried every trick the pros used, but still just lifeless sound. I finally made myself sit down and try to record and I used a technique I picked up from the Project Studio Network podcast. The technique is from a book called "Mixing with your mind" and it's a different way of looking at recording. The technique fir mic'ing the amp revolves around where to place the mic. What the Author says to do is place your hand between the mic and the amp and move your hand around while some one is playing the guitar. When the hairs on the back of your hand stand up, that is where you should place the mic. Sounds simple right? The first three samples were mixed with that technique and the others were not, so you can judge for yourself how it sounds. I am much happier with the first three samples. For the first three audio samples my signal chain consisted of my Fender Pawnshop '51 into the Germ and then into the Vox AD30 VT. On the Vox I used the boutique clean amp setting to take all the drive out. I wanted just the Germ pushing fuzz. The '51 has coil splitting built in, so I demo it with the bridge humbucker and the split out single coil. For the second set of audio samples I use the same chain, except I swap out the guitar to my Epiphone Korina G-400. The more I play that guitar the more I like it and want to re-wire it. I am jut not entirely happy with the pick ups. For the other sound samples, I have no Idea what all was used because I forgot to write it down (insert smiley face here, ha ha ha). I know my TS9 and my Demeter Tremulator made it into the mix, but I am not really sure which guitars we used. Last thing is if you have bee following my social media, you probably know that I am a fan of the Movie Sound City. If you have not seen it yet, check it out. That movie really inspired me to push things with my recording and I recorded a real guitar Amp in stead of using a plug-in. I might never go back. I am finally getting the sounds I have always wanted. Until next time... make some noise!    

I have mentioned on several episodes and posts that I am metal head. I love Metal, and especially bands like Dillinger Escape plan and Periphery. Before I was a metal head, though my parents and grandparents made sure I had a very wide exposure to music. Growing up I listened to classic rock, big band jazz, 50's and 60's pop and rock. I enjoy the arrangements that went into some of the early pop music. Some songs were very sparse and some were quite elaborate. Some required some amazingly creative thinking on the part of the recording engineers to achieve a certain sound. But then I discovered Metal, in particular Metallica. Metallica had a symphonic quality about them and their longer song structure was like listening to a mini-symphony. But then the "Black Album" happened, and a lot of my metal heroes stopped being metal for a while. So I discovered the Post punk and hardcore scene of the late 70's and early 80's and what ended up being called alternative rock in the 90's. There was a raw quality to the music, and the arrangement was there once again. Of course that scene also dried up and distilled itself into watered down pop leaving me with a craving for something new or perhaps old. It seems while the music that I had enjoyed in my youth was thought to be dead, it was really just a Phoenix getting ready to rise from the ashes. And it turns out so was the post punk hardcore that I enjoyed. And today there is a thriving scene that allows us to not draw lines in the sand and just focus on making great music. And that is What Joe Carmadone does, he makes great music. Listening to the latest Album by the Icarus line is like listening to the audio equivalent of watching someone paint by throwing gobs of it from their brushes. At first it seems like chaos, then a melody emerges. That melody is nurtured and built into a song, and then it all starts again. Talking with Joe, I learned that he a modern guy with old-school sensibility. He knows when something calls for a high tech solution, or when a time tested 50 year recording technique will suffice. How does he know this? Because he is an artist. And artist knows what his tools, respects his tools, and more importantly, knows which tool is best for the job. Joe might have a huge mountain of gear and effects at his disposal, but he uses what is best for the song, for the creation. And that.... is what we discuss in Episode 22. Gear, creating music, and capturing a performance.  

  Years ago I worked for a small music store. I taught lessons, worked the sales floor, did minor repair, helped with piano moving and deliveries, and eventually built up the small guitar department. It was a fun job and I really enjoyed being a part of so many aspects of the music industry, may favorite part of the job was going to NAMM. We were a samll store so going to NAMM every year did not make sense for us, but we still went a few times, including a trip to the Anaheim show. What I loved about NAMM was seeing new gear before the general public. You always had the old standard guys, like Boss and Fender or Gibson debuting something new, but what I really looked for were the small start start-ups. The companies who did not have all the years of brand recognition behind them. Now don't get me wrong, the Fender booth was my first stop every year, but there is something exciting about discovering a product that could be the next big thing. Over the years I accumulated new sets of guitar strings, picks, Aluminum drum sticks(those things are BEASTS), and a cool light sensitive volume control that plugs directly into your guitar. Some of these products went on to make their mark,while others were not so fortunate. It was fun to see the inventive, entrepreneurial spirit alive and well at the NAMM show. My last NAMM Show was 12 years ago, but have no fear I have found a new place where the creative and inventive entrepreneurial spirit are turned lose everyday, and that place is Kickstarter. I have spoken and written about Kickstarter many times before, but it was not until I sat down to interview Peter Holm, one of the co-creators of the Firefly pick, that I realized what it was that drew me to Kickstarter over and over. It was being able to see a new product before it was released to the general public. The Firefly pick is one of those products that I would have seen at NAMM, tried out, and then immediately ordered for the store while seeing if they had any available for purchase at the show so I could take one home. I have played a lot of picks, and have enjoyed them for different reasons, but never have I seen any that marry design, technology, functionality, and showmanship in one product, until now. The technology used to design and produce this pick is a miracle of modern electronics, the circuit and components are so tiny I cant even imagine trying to solder them together as Peter described in the interview. Take away the virtual impossibility of this design, and what do you have? A pick that set's you apart from the other players out there. A pick that could allow you and your band to take your light show to a whole new level! The light up aspect of this pick is super cool, but that's only one aspect. Since it is motion activated, I am imagining some young band getting several of these an writing a song or two based on specific light and color. It brings a whole new visual aspect to guitar playing. So if you are looking for something new, and you want to be on the cutting edge, I encourage you to check out the Firefly pick on Kickstarter. And while you are there, see what else catches your eye. You might just find yourself backing the next big thing in guitar.    

  Since I discovered "Heavy Metal" in my early teen I have always been drawn to it's extremes. Whether it was the extreme speed of Metallica's "Master of Puppets" album, or the even more extreme speed and unintelligible vocals of Indestroy (early Death Metal), I have always been on the look out for what was next. I wanted heavier, faster, louder, crazier concepts. For me that is what Metal has always been about. Look at where we started with Black Sabbath. At that time no one sounded like that. Look at what Anthrax did with "I'm The Man". In 1987 very few metals would listen to any rap, let alone think of mixing it with metal. But Metal progresses, whether Metalheads like it or not. In the last few years I discovered a band called "The Dillinger Escape Plan" and they are classified by some as "Math Metal" or "Mathcore". When I first heard that term, I had no idea what that term meant. All I knew was, that Dillinger had something new, something extreme. When I listen to them I hear elements of Jazz. This is especially evident on the new record, "One Of Us Is The Killer". There are moments on the record where I hear what sounds like a mash up of the Miles Davis classic "kind of blue" with Black Flag's "Damaged".  Listening to this record is a sonic and emotional journey. In episode 20 we caught up with Ben Weinman, guitarist of Dillinger, and talked with him about his new signature guitar and what it has been like driving Dillinger all these years. We also discuss, pedals, The Mayhem Festival, and new music.

Nashville is a town just bubbling over with music, musicians, and musical instrument companies. In Episode 18, I talked about Rock Block guitars and other guitar related endeavors. Well, what I didn't know is that Pearl Drums were also located in Nashville and that a friend of mine who lives in the area happened to just purchase a custom Pearl Drum set based on Pearl's Reference series. As you can imagine, I jumped at a chance to see it, play it and talk about it, so in Episode 19 I sat down with Chris of the band Saturn Rising to discuss his new kit. The kit itself is just stunning to look at. The shells are a beautifully customized Blue fading to natural wood grain color and each shell is quite heavy (for Hi-Res pictures click Here). When my friend Chris handed me the snare drum, I was quite surprised at the weight. I don't think that I had even picked up a marching snare that was as heavy as this drum. Then he turned it over to reveal the twenty ply (yes, twenty!) shell. It looked as if some on had taken a tree that was a decent diameter and hollowed out the center. Being the guitar enthusiast that I am, I appreciate the tonal differences that fine wood choices and workman ship can make, and I was pleased to hear (with my own two ears) that wood and craftsmanship make a huge difference, a even on an instrument that built to be hit. I really enjoy the tone of a well tuned drum kit, and this kit is very musical. As I listened to Chris demoing the kit, I was reminded of the huge drum sounds of some of my favorite drummers like John Bonham and Keith Moon thundering around their kits and using dynamics to make subtle statements in the songs they drove. This episode was once again produced with Bossjock Studio and the iRig mic. I know I have been talking about it a lot, but I really like the freedom that both products have allotted me. To record the episode, Chris and I sat on a couch in his drum room with the mic positioned between us. We did a couple checks to select the right volume setting on the iRig mic and then we just hit record and started going. Monitoring the levels during recording I am sure I had some clipping (which I will discover when I listen back to the show) and in hindsight, I should have probably back the mic off of us by another six inches or so, but hey....it was spontaneous and creative, and that is the joy of podcasting in general. I also captured the sound bites of the kit in this similar fashion. For a better representation on how this kit sounds, see the YouTube video below. As I keep using these new tools, I plan to refine my techniques. For theses early episodes however, I wanted to keep the "Pirate Radio" spirit very much in the forefront and just focus on doing a show live. I almost did not bring my iRig mic with me to Nashville. When I fly anywhere, I really try to keep my carryon light and only carry things that I would need immediately if I got stuck in the airport. After this trip I can confidently say that the iRig mic was a good choice to bring with me and could possibly be considered in the "need" category. Again, I know I have talked a lot about about Bossjock and the iRig mic since Episode 14 and I can promise you that I am not receiving any kind of compensation for talking about them. I truly like these products. Anytime I get new a tool that speeds up or improves how I work, I get excited and quite vocal about said product. That said, I am going to do my best to keep quiet about it ( at least for a few episodes), but maybe in the future I will do a segment on every show about how that particular show was put together.  

As I have made well aware on my blog and podcast, I really like the iOS App Bossjock. I have spoken on several occasions how I feel that Bossjock really liberates podcasters and allows media creators to bring their audio productions to life much easier than before and from anywhere. Since I had some travel coming up, I decided to put my money where my mouth is and give it a shot. This episode chronicles the guitar shops I visited while in Nashville, the new Tremelo pedal I picked while I was there, and it was all done in my hotel room. As far as travel goes, this set up was very practical. The iRig Mic is fairly compact and comes with a handy storage bag that protected the mic during travel. I packed it in my carry on to minimize shock, and it faired the trip just fine. I set up in my hotel room, plugged in a set of earbuds and went to work. The one feature that I would really like to see in Bossjock is basic editing. In this episode I had to pause the recording a couple times to cough, and I know that I said the same thing coming back from the pause, so there are probably a few places where I repeat myself. That said, this app really is nice and easy to use and I was able to go from recording to upload all in the app. While in Nashville, I picked up the Pedal pictured above at Rock Block Guitars. Rock Block is a very cool store, check out if you find yourself in the area.  

Back in Episode 14 of the Podcast I talked about an App for iOS called "Bossjock Studio". I really like the app a lot as I discussed so I tracked Down one of the co-creators, Dave Mansueto. He was kind enough to grant me an interview, so that is the topic of this show. Dave and I are both technology enthusiasts and cover everything from the old cassette 4-Tracks to the beginning of Podcasting, to where the iOS can take us. Looking back, I asked mostly questions about using the app and I forgot ask questions about developing the app....so that gives us plenty to talk about the next time Dave joins us on the show. Heck we open the show by talking about using Skype on an iPad over the cellular network with an Apogee Mic..... C'mon.... this is gonna be a fun one!

Sometimes it's easy to get lost in the gear. I am a gear head. So much so that I have walked right past scantily clad women at trade shows to see the cool new guitar or pedal not even noticing the women I walked past. I love what a new piece of gear can do to your sound and how it can inspire the creative process. But when it comes right down to it, nothing beats good old fashioned talent. Ezra Furman is that talent. Just one listen to his record "The Year on No Returning" and you will be hooked. He paints a picture with sound like artist with a brush. In Episode 16 I sat down to talk with Ezra about his creative process, his new albums, and his upcoming tour.

It's no secret that I am a fan of Kickstarter. I find the Kickstarter platform to be a great spring board for new ideas and young businesses. About once a week I head to their site, type "guitar" in the search bar, and then just explore. I am fascinated by the amount of new twists and turns out their from guitars, to guitar picks, to guitar pedals. A couple months back I discovered a project called "The Germ". This project caught my attention because it was a germanium fuzz pedal hybrid that is hand wired, once I heard the demo I was sold. The project was successfully funded, and at the time of this writing I am still waiting for my Germ. After all, it's being built completely by hand one at a time. So while I waited, I figured I would contact the builder, Caleb Cook, for an interview. Once my pedal gets here I will post an episode with some audio demos, in the mean time you can check out Caleb's Kickstarter page and the Hazel Effects website for more details.

In Episode 14 I try something completely new to me, podcasting without a computer. A year ago I would never thought this possible, but everyday someone somewhere seems to come up with a way to push the envelope of what an iPad (or any iOS device for that matter) can do. So let's back up to April 2011. In Early 2011 The iPad 2 had been announced, and with it Garage band for iOS. At the time of that announcement I was saving to get a Macbook to replace my 2005 iBook (which was still running quite well and still is today!). Once I heard Garage band was coming to the iPad, I did a serious needs analysis and did something that at the time was considered quite radical....I replaced my Laptop with an iPad. I realized that what I really needed from a laptop device was something I could write from (blogging, articles, emails, etc...) and something I could basic web surfing and research with, plus something to work as a notepad for musical ideas since my iMac was my main recording machine. A little research showed my that there were plenty of good blogging apps and Apple had released the iWork suite for iOS, so I was ready. When i first got the iPad, I admit I could not do everything on it that I could have done on my laptop, but I did anticipate that going in from the needs analysis I had done. While I know that we have a marketplace that thrives on planned obsolescence, when I invest a lot of money in something I like to be sure it will serve my needs for many years. So I had worked into my plan a transition period of about a year to completely move from laptop to iPad. The really good news is that I was able to make that transition to completely retiring the laptop in about 8-9 months. The once thing I discovered about the iPad when I got it is that it was very much like the Wild West. Everyone was moving there to stake out a cliam and try to make some money. This completion meant app prices going up and down, but most importantly, it meant that App developers were trying to "out feature" one another. For Example, when I bought my iPad I had purchased an app called Blogsy to do all my blogging from. It is still the best blogging app out there in my opinion. When I bought the app, it was limited but worked better than other apps. I found my self starting a post with Blogsy and then finishing it at my iMac. In about 6-8 months, that stopped. Blogsy was furiously making updates (and they still are) to make their App the best. That drive has allowed me to write entire posts with embedded media from anywhere I have an iPad and a data connection. Now that I have had an iPad for two years, the only things I do on the iMac are the "Heavy Lifting" things like mixing and recording songs in logic and of course my podcast. A couple months agao a coworker who learned about my enjoyment of podcasting told me about an app called Bossjock Studio. Apparently one of the co-founders of Libsyn (One of the best Podcast hosting companies out there) developed an app that was designed to let you do a "Live" podcast. I bought the app, but had no time to really try it out until now. I did open it from time to time and look around and read their blog to get tips for when I did use it. One of those tips was that their app worked really well with the iRig mic. As luck would have it, I was on Hello Music one day and saw a great deal on the iRig Mic (which as of right now is still going on, but do not expect it to last long). I had seen the iRig Mic in magazines, and really did not see the value of it, but for the price I took a chance. I was impressed. What I was expecting was a cheap, plastic, low quality microphone with a fancy logo. What I got was a really nice, well built metal chassy microphone that I would put on par with the look and feel of a Sure SM58. I downloaded the free Vocal Live App by IK Multimedia and gave it a test. Again, very surprised and quite happy. The mic sounded very clear and had three level settings on it depending on t...

Welcome to episode 13 of the Signal To Noise Podcast. On this episode I am joined once again by Scott Thompson of Focus On Metal to talk about our most fun and unique finds in the great gear acquisition quest! Inspired by TV shows like "American Pickers" and "Pawn Stars" Scott and discuss all the great place we have acquired used gear. When you have G.A.S (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) you learn that soon your wallet can not keep up with your desires. But what to do? Turn to the used markets of course! Hear Scott tell the legend of Daddy's Junky Music stores. Listen to Aaron spin yarns of Powder Pink Peavey Vandenberg (say that 5 times fast) guitars. Want to hear about a killer deal on a Joe Perry Boneyard? Check! $25 for a Digitech Scott Ian Black 13 pedal? Check! Whether is be a pawn shop, a used gear store, a guitar show or even a flea market, we cover it and what we have found there.Looking for a guitar show in your area? Head on over to Guitar Digest's Events calendar to find one near you. Here are some Pictures of our finds:

Welcome to Episode 12 of the Podcast! In this episode we sit down to talk to bassist Mike Watt and we bring you a new piece of gear to check out. First up is Frank Fyock of Lifeblood Guitar Picks. Frank Started designing guitar picks after a hand injury made it difficult for him to play guitar. Frank's design focuses on forming picks to the natural curve of the hand so the pick moves less. We talk to Frank about how all this started and why he launched his Kickstarter Campaign. Next up is legendary Bassist Mike Watt. Mike was part of the famed California Hardcore Punk scene where he and his bandmates in the Minutemen forged new musical directions that merged Punk and Jazz together. Mike and I discuss the gear he uses in the studio and on tour. Mike also has a new book out and you can learn more about that at Iron City Rocks. Featured at the Top of the show was the song "All is Lost" by the band "Bleed The Freaks". I recently spoke with guitarist Mike Roberts for Iron City Rocks, and really enjoyed their music. Check them out when you have a chance. Until next time, make some noise!

In Episode 11 my co-host Sean and I discuss all things Ibanez as the company celebrates 25 years of the RG series! Topics Discussed: The History of the Hoshino Corporation The Launch of the RG Series Iconic Ibanez Guitars Iconic Ibanez Players Sean's RG 550 30th Anniversary TS-9 Getting an effects pedal through Airport Security  

Welcome to Episode 10 of the Signal To Noise Podcast! In this episode I have another guest host, my buddy  Sean (the owner of the blue Ibanez RG 550 I wrote about a while back). Sean and I talk about the the 30th anniversary edition TS-9 that Ibanez released this year. We also talk about the gear we are lusting after and some classic effects like the Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal Pedal. In our interview with Nick Catanese, we discuss Nick's newest Paul Reed Smith Signature guitar, his signature Dean Markley Strings and Black Label's upcoming European tour. Guys like Nick are a great thing in the music industry. Nick is a great player, yet still humble and modest about his abilities. It's that kind of attitude that has kept Nick grounded and pouring out great music with Black Label Society year after year. Nick was a delight to talk with and...he is a Star Wars fan! Check out this picture of one of Nick's guitar Picks.  

The January NAMM show is one of my favorite events of the year. It's the show where all the music gear manufacturers pull out all the stops and show off their new products. Months are spent planning for this show. In this episode I am joined by Scott Thompson of the Focus On Metal Podcast where we discuss our highlights of the NAMM show.   

Since the dawn of music there have always been musicians who challenged the norm. Bach was notorious for telling off the nobles that supported him. Mozart was probably the original wild lifestyle rock star. And really who can blame them? In the times of Bach you had to be a very skilled musician to earn a living and you were barely paid for it. Now fast forward to 1950’s. Rock and Roll was taking off and stars were born every minute. Some became famous and made a ton of money, and others were slaves to the "nobles" of the time, you probably know them as Record Labels. Fast forward yet again to today and the music world is in turmoil and the labels blame illegal downloading. Looking at the last 400 years of music history, and realizing that is was essentially the same business model, I say something have to give. We live in an exciting time. It's easier than ever to make and distribute music. Thanks to the Internet, we now have easier access and more choices of music than ever before. And we also have a new emerging way of helping to raise money to put out your album, Kickstarter. Kickstarter lets anyone with a dream or an idea raise money to get their project off the ground. Filmakers, artists, writers, musicians, you name it, someone has a project for it on Kickstarter. I like Kickstarter because it is a pledge system with "rewards" for different levels of contribution. But most of all I like it because your project is funded (or not funded) based on the merit of the project and your hard work to promote it and get backers. If you are a solo musician who has been working really hard taking every gig you can and building a fan base, chances are you will be able to use Kickstarter to raise the money. One of my favorite artists, Hamell On Trial, has started a Kickstarter Project to raise money to record his next record. He set a modest goal of $7,000 dollars and in a about two weeks he reached that goal. In fact with 15 days to go (at the time of writing this) he has currently raised $8,023. In Episode 8 I talk to Ed about his Kickstarter project, his next steps and his approach to recording in the studio. If you have never heard Hamell's music, I recommend you start with "Tough Love" and then either "Ed's Not Dead" or "The Terrorism of Everyday Life". And after that, go see him live. You will never anything like a Hamell show. You will laugh,sing, shout, and probably have the best time you have ever had at a live show. I also encourage you to go to Hamell's Kickstarter page and make a donation to support the next great Hamell record. I am already backing it and I am waiting with anticipation to get my copy of the new disc. And since we are talking about the recording studio, we also feature a segment on Peavey's Revalver software done by Scott Thompson of the Focus On Metal Podcast. I have been using amplitube for about 5-6 years now and other than being a resource hog, I have been happy with it. Hearing the Peavey software and seeing how affordable it is, will make me a convert.

It's been a while since my last episode, but I am Back! Episode Seven features Paul Hanson, Boss Clinician and host of Boss Tone Radio.  Paul is a true musician. He understands and applies music theory, writes and records his own music, and he has amassed a backlog of stories! In one of the most interesting interviews featured on our show yet, Paul talks with us about a variety of topics from working as a guitar coach on the movie "Back To The Future" to the column he wrote for Boss and Guitar World Magazine called "The Pedals That Make The Tone". Paul was once an instructor for GIT (Musicians Institute for those of you who were not guitar players in the 80's like me) and has worked with and influenced a lot of the players we know today. Paul also writes and records his own music, the latest of which is available for free on CDBaby.com. Need your Rock and Metal Fix? Don't forget to visit www.castironring.com to get the best Rock and Metal shows the net has to offer!

In Episode 6 of the Signal To Noise Podcast we sat down with Rob Caggiano of Anthrax and Ted Aguilar of Death Angel to talk about their current Tour. In 1990 I saw Death Angel play at a little place called "City Limits" it was an old Roller Rink that was used for small shows. It was one of my favorite places to see a band because you could get right up against the stage. It was small, but probably still held 500 people. After that show Death Angel seemed to just disappear. This was in the days before the internet, so I really had no idea where they went. It was great to sit down with Ted and talk about where they have been and how far they have come now. We discuss everything from Ted's guitars to the guest appearance from Rodrigo y Gabriela on their latest Release "Relentless Retribution". 1991 I saw Anthrax for the first time ever on what may been the perfect show for the times. The bands were in order: Young Black Teen Agers, Primus, Public Enemy, and Anthrax. It was probably one of the best lineups in a show I had ever seen. I have followed Anthrax since 1986 or 1987 and to this day there is still nothing like the sound of Anthrax. They re-defined the term"heavy" and the set bar in a place where few bands will ever be able to reach. 20 years after that first show I saw Anthrax again. And now I can can say that the show I just saw was probably the best line up for a show I have  ever seen. I had the opportunity to sit down with Anthrax's lead guitarist, Rob Caggiano, and discuss his role as a producer and how he captured the classic Anthrax sound while still sounding modern.

In Episode 5 we discuss using Garage Band on the iPhone, The Boss TR-2 Tremelo pedal, and we hear from Hank III about his gear. Apple just updated the Garage Band App for the iPad this past week, and the biggest part of the update was making the app available to the iPhone and iPod touch. This makes Garage Band one of the best portable composition tools on the market. Other Updates include being able to do 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures as well as being able to make custom chords for the smart instruments. I am a big fan of Boss Pedals because they are reliable, consistent and virtually indestructible, in this episode I sit down with the TR-2 Tremelo pedal and expolore some of the tones you can create with it. A special treat for this show was Hank III taking a moment out of his day to talk gear with us real quick. Hank is continuing the family tradition of putting out great Country music and causing a ruckus. Join the ruckus at Hank3.com .

I first started doing home recording in 1992. I had a Fostex X-28h, a Boss DR-550, a guitar and my P-Bass. It was a cassette recorder and was one of the best home units at the time. The recordings were rudimentary at best and rarely had more than 4 tracks. Still, I did a ton of writing and even recorded some other people. 8 years later I upgraded to the boss BR-8. Now I had 8 tracks, built-in drum patterns for roughing out ideas, COSM amp and mic modeling and it was all digital. In just 8 years home recording had changed DRASTICALLY. A year after that I started using my computer to do my recording, and in 2011...I can now record on an iPad. Garage band on the iPad blows me away. It boggles my mind to think that this self contained flat piece of glass and metal has more recording power in it than the Beatles had to record "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band". And yet here it is. I started my recording endeavor on a cassette tape, and there are no moving parts to be seen and it is a much more graphical interface than I ever had. What I like best about Garage Band for the iPad is that not only is it a great platform for sketching out ideas. It is also an empowering platform. With "Smart Instruments" it gives the beginner a solid starting point. It is nearly impossible to play a wrong note and it teaches chord theory in a round about way. Recently,  I had the opportunity to watch this empowerment first hand. I work with guy named Mike. He does not play any instruments, but he loves music and can sing. I thought Mike would enjoy a program like Garage Band, so I sat down with him, showed him the basics and let him go. In three weeks I watched him go from music enthusiast to music creator. The best part is with each song he writes he learns something and uses the smart instruments less and uses what he has learned from the start instruments and applies it to the other instruments in Garage Band. And that leads me to this episode. In episode 4 we talk with Mike about his transformation into music creator and how the iPad can be a viable tool for all musicians. All the Music in this episode was created by either Mike or Myself and done entirely on the iPad. So sit back and enjoy!

The guitar is quite a curious instrument. It can sound as huge and devastating as a hurricane, but it's also quite delicate. For example since most guitars are made of wood, they react to the element. Think of it like this. You know how in the summer time when it is super humid your door frames stick? And then then is the winter they work really well because it is so dry? Your guitar reacts in the same in the same way to the climate changes and this can cause the wood in the neck to warp. And if the neck warps... your guitar is done. Most guitarists are very aware of this and take steps to regulate the climate in their houses to keep the guitar and neck in good shape, especially since the neck has so much to do with tone. There is another part of the guitar that has a big effect on tone as well, a part that as guitarists we overlook, the bridge. The bridge is one of two contact points for the strings. It is also the contact point that controls the intonation of the guitar. If the bridge is junk or in bad shape, then the guitar sounds bad. Even that vintage Les Paul. In Episode 03 we talk with Wookie of TonePros where we discuss his life on the road in various positions, and how his time as a guitar tech lead him to TonePros. And don't forget, The month of October is a special month for our Sister Podcast, Radioactive Metal. Snowy will watching 31 Horror Movies picked by the listeners. so head to their Facebook page and toss in your suggestions!

In Episode two we celebrate drummers! Joining us in this episode is Rick Hughes, Artist Relations Manager for Crush Drums. Everyone at Crush Drums is a drummer...except rick. He's a bassist. Which makes perfect sense! Who better to work with drummers than a bass player? Rick talks to us about the innovations that Crush has made in the drum market in just under two years. From customizable lugs to non-traditional materials, Crush is causing quite a stir in the Drum industry. I really want to thank Rick for coming on the show. We also feature an interview with Crush Drums Artist, Scot Coogan. Scot is pulling double duty as the drummer for Lynch Mob, and Ace Frehley. When the Lynch Mob rolled through Pittsburgh last month (more about that show Wednesday), John from Iron City Rocks invited me to join him in interviewing Scot before the show. We talk to Scot about life on the road with Lynch Mob, Ace Frehley and his new Crush Drum kit. Also in this episode we discuss the new Zoom H2n, the Digitech iPB-10, and the Samson Meteor Mic. I plan to feature some new products in the show each month and eventually I hope to do some full on reviews. The Zoom H2n is an updated version of the H2. I own the H2, and I am happy about the updates on the H2n. In general it looks easier to use. If you want to hear the H2 in action, check out the Scot Coogan interview in this Episode or check out The Mayhem Festival show on Iron City Rocks.  The mayhem interviews were conducted  in an open noisy outdoor room. The H2 was set to use the front and back Mics and was about two feet from each person talking, just to give you an idea on quality. The iPB-10 just looks cool, and is the next installment in the ever growing list of iPad accessories. I have used Garage Band and Amplitube on the iPad and would love to try something like this that has high quality in's and out's. The Samson Meteor mic is a new USB mic from Samson technologies and is the Mic I happen to be using on this episode.

I have been listening to podcasts for at least 5 years now. It started with a podcast on recording, then several podcasts on recording. I was even learning Japanese at one point via a podcast. I always wanted to produce my own, but I just could not quite figure out how it all worked on the backend.I knew how to record and produce a podcast, just not how to syndicate it. Then last year my buddy John over at Iron City Rocks gave me a great opportunity, he invited me to to do some interviews for his show. I was so excited! I was finally a part of a podcast. And if that was not enough, John started letting me completely produce some shows on my own. Well, thanks to working with John, I started the blog you are reading right now. And also thanks to John, I attended the Pittsburgh Podcamp last year. It was at that "un" conference that I discovered a plug-in for Wordpress called "PowerPress" by the Blubrry network. And that plug-in is what has allowed me to start podcasting on my own today. Now, not only did John get me started in podcasting, he also helped me get the first interview. It is with great pleasure that I present to you an interview with Elliot Rubinson the CEO of Armadillo Enterprises, the company that owns Dean guitars. I chose Dean guitars for the first Podcast because this past Saturday was Dimebag Darrell's birthday. He would have been 45. I though it would be nice to talk with Elliot about how he re-kindled Dean's relationship with Dimebag and how they keep Dimebag's legacy alive. So enjoy this first official Episode and as a treat enjoy this video of Dimebag. Getcha Pull!!!