Compact and Travelworthy Recording Gear

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to review my gear, so if feel its time I did a side by side comparison of some of the gear I am traveling with and using to record my music. In case you haven't noticed I can kinda nerd out when it comes to guitars and music gear, I will confess I am a gear head, I am always researching and obsessing over new gear. I often change guitars and gear and I love to take things apart, test things, see how they work and talk about gear. This is great for you as a reader because I aim to share my opinions, knowledge and experiences with the gear I use. My goal in doing this is to help readers make informed decisions when buying new gear and to help spread the word about some of my favorite guitars and equipment. I will post some details about the gear I am using but if you would ever like more information or to see my other gear you can visit my Guitar and Music Equipment Page, or of course you can always comment or Contact Me.

So I am currently using two different methods to record, the first is my Tascam DR-40 and the second is my Iphone 5s with iRIG interface and various apps. I often use these two interchangeably to record my ideas and original songs. For the most part though I use the Tascam to record high quality acoustic and vocal tracks (usually my finished songs), and I use the Iphone to record quick little riffs, ideas and songs that I do not want to forget. I also like to use the Iphone's modeling capabilities to play my acoustic guitar as an electric and to just play around with effects and lead guitar parts. I will be posting everything on my Sound Cloud Page, if you have problems listening just drop me an email or leave a comment and I will find other methods to post them. I would also love to hear your opinions and questions on the gear (or anything on the blog for that matter) as well as any ideas or suggestions you may have.

So, for this review I created 4 recordings of my acoustic guitar comparing these two methods as well as 2 recordings I made on my Iphone that are just for fun where I use some cool effects. Please keep in mind I am not claiming to be a guitar expert or a recording expert so try to listen more for the differences in the equipment than my ability or my playing style. I apologize if there is any background noise, I wanted this to be very raw so you hear exactly what you get strait out of the the recorder. If you wanted to you could edit your recordings on your computer using various software, if you just starting out or a hobbyist like me I recommend Audacity because its free and its relatively simple to use.

The first recording is with the Tascam. Here I am using the two built in condenser mics with no effects or any sort of editing or mastering. Listen Here.

Now compare that to the next recording in which I use my iPhone 5s built in microphone and the Garage Band app. Listen Here.

Just a note of recording with micraphones, the thing to keep in mind is that mic positioning and environment (as in the room or space your recording in) make a huge difference in recordings. I prefer recording with mics because you will never get the same thing twice and it sounds very natural and organic. After comparing these two myself I came to the conclusion that I prefer the Tascam recording because you can hear more of the harmonics and overtones of the guitar, but on the downside it also makes for a messier recording because the condenser mics pick up EVERYTHING including breathing. Although I prefer the Tascam I was pleasantly surprised in the quality of recording I got out of the Iphone, I expected much less. Also as a another side note, you may not be able to tell a difference on soundcloud but the Tascam is recording in stereo (using two different microphones), where as the Iphone just records in mono.

The next recording is the guitar plugged directly into the Tascam using a standard 1/4" guitar lead (same cable you would use to plug into an amp). Listen Here.

Compare that to the next recording in which I plug the guitar strait into my Iphone iRIG interface with no effects or modeling. Listen Here.

When recording like this by plugging strait in there are a lot more things to take consideration, such as the quality cables you are using, the interface you are using, input levels, if you are plugging strait into the recorder or going through some sort of amp or effects processor, and finally the quality of pickup (and preamp if you have one) that you have installed in your guitar. Fortunately all of these variables are easily controlled, to get the best recordings you should experiment with different cables, pickups, preamps, or any other gear in your "signal chain" (anything components between your guitar pickup and the recorder/ amplifier). In both of these recordings I used a cheap off brand acoustic pickup/preamp combo installed in my guitar and a cheap off brand lead. Personally I felt that the Iphone was a much better option for this type of recording. The Iphone was much simpler and much cleaner in this case. I had to play around with the input levels on my Tascam to get a decent sound and even in the one I posted you can hear some distortion and noise. Also because the Tascam has two inputs and the ability to record in stereo you will notice the first recording will only play through one speaker (this can be fixed with some mixing and mastering using a recording software). The Iphone also had some cool and fun effects you can play with that can be added before or after you finish the recording.

The next recording was just something I did for fun, I have been asked before if I can get some cool crunchy (heavy distortion) metal tones from my acoustic using the built in modeling in Garageband so I gave it a try. Here I recorded by plugging strait into the interface for my Iphone again, but this time I used the built in amp modeling and some effects to simulate a "heavy metal" style amplifier on the lead channel. Listen Here.

Compare that to this recording which is essentially the same recording, but I switched amp models to a "fender style" bluesy amp with a more mild gain setting. Listen Here.

Keep in mind because I am using an acoustic guitar and a pickup with a preamp that's just meant to be plugged into a PA or acoustic amp, these last two recording would sound a lot more like an authentic electric guitar "rig" (guitar, effects and amplifier) if I had been using an electric guitar. That being said, the fact that I can get theses sounds out of an acoustic guitar is an awesome concept for anyone in my position that doesn't have the option of buying multiple guitars to lug around. This makes garage band a great tool for a traveling musician. Also worth noting is the fact that garage band allows you to change effects and modeling after recording, this is extremely helpful because you can record and just worry about getting the guitar playing to sound the way you want it and then you can see how that recording sounds through different amps and effects till you find the right tone for that particular recording. You can also duplicate the original recording and make it sound like multiple guitar through different amps. You can also overdub and add other instruments or recordings to the track and end up with a complete song that sounds like a full band using just your Iphone! The interface of the Garageband app is really cool and after a bit of playing around you can quickly learn how to use all of the features. There are many more amp models in Garageband, endless options to fine tune your tone and plenty of effects that are meant to model the traditional "stompbox" effects pedals. For example here are the effects I like to use a lot.

This is also only one of the apps that are available to guitar players on the Iphone and although you do have to pay for garage band there are many other great apps like this that are free.

All in all my opinion is the best mic'ed up acoustic recordings come from the Tascam but for a bit of fun or modeling the Iphone is the way to go. That's just my opinion though, make sure to comment and let me know your opinions. 

Until next time,

-Peghead
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Flying with a guitar, my experience...

So I apologize for not posting this sooner. In the last post I wrote back in the states I talked a little about packing my guitar and my plan for flying with it. In that post I promised that I would follow up on how everything went once I got to London and settled in. Well the settling in took a little longer than I thought and I have been seeking employment here in London as well so I have not been able to post for a while. In case you haven't seen the older post here is it: Counting Down To London!! 1 week left
So here it is my story of flying with a guitar, I complied a bunch of research on how to travel and fly with a guitar and I feel after all the advice and research I have came up with a pretty good way to go. I decided not to take an expensive full sized acoustic guitar, in stead I bought a lower end (but still good and plenty playable) parlor (or parlour) guitar. See the pictures below to see how I packed the guitar and equipment. The first flight I had was from Atlanta to Chicago. It was about a two hour flight. I got through security just fine with no issues what so ever, even despite my forgetting to remove the batteries from the guitars pickup and the tascam recorder I had in the case (which I had been warned to do). I never once had the case searched or got stopped by anyone from security about the guitar or equipment.We booked through American Airlines but when we got to the airport we hit the first snag in my plan. The plan was the carry the guitar on the plane with me in a soft gigbag which usually is is not a problem on long international flights in a large plane. The first and biggest problem we hit is that American Airlines had outsourced this domestic connecting flight to one of its smaller partners. The plane was much smaller than anticipated with stricter baggage restrictions and on top of that it was way overbooked (as they usually are). As we walked to the gate a lady approached me and told me that I couldn't take my guitar with me, if I wanted to bring it I would have to check it. Because of the baggage and passenger situation they had to route baggage on other plans so not only was I informed I would have to check my guitar and pay for an extra checked bag but my guitar would be checked all they way through to London! Here is where I had to take a few deep breaths and remain calm. I calmly asked to speak to someone else who could give me more information. I spoke to a manager and after some tactful persuading I was able to get them to let us check my wife's carry on all the way through to London for free and instead carry my guitar on. I was warned however that if it did not fit in an overhead or if there was no space that it would have to be checked. I have to admit I did my research on the size of the guitar and overhead compartments I was pretty sure it would fit, but not having a spare jet complete with overhead storage lying around I could not actually test this theory, needless to say I was a little nervous. Despite my fears though the guitar fit, luckily I found a man standing nervously by an overhead compartment where he had stowed his precious miniature sitar, because of the size and shape of both our instruments the fit together perfectly and we both assured each other we would take care when removing them so the neither instrument got damaged. So the guitar made it just fine to Chicago, I also have to give another shout out to road runner cases for the little brat. Because of the different options of straps I could either wear it like a back pack or hook up a separate shoulder strap I took of one of my other cases, which made it extremely comfortable and easy to carry around the airports. On the international flight I was warned again that if it did not fit the guitar would have to be checked through, of course this time it fit with plenty of room to spare and there where plenty of overhead compartments so I had no problems. Our flight was a little delayed but we had no issues with customs or anything else when leaving the airport. Also because I was using the shoulder strap I was able to easily throw on my backpack (which was overloaded but I still managed to pass it off as my personal item on both flights) and carry all my baggage along with the guitar on my shoulder. If you buy this case for your small guitar I highly recommend getting a shoulder strap or using one from one of your other guitar cases. When I opened up the case the guitar was in great shape, I had of course de-tuned the guitar. I loosened the strings just enough to take some of the tension off the neck but left them tight enough that when plucked they did sound an audible note. I believe this is the best policy when traveling because they still counteracted the tension from the truss rod but they weren't "pulling" on the neck so much, I personally feel this allows for pressure changes an humidity changes so that the neck does not get warped. There where no cracks, dents or any other cosmetic damage to the guitar so the case did its job. I checked the RH using the humidity gauge I mentioned in the other post and the planet waves humidipacs seemed to have done their job (see pictures below). The guitar played well right out of the case (after tuned up of course) but I did make a small adjustment to the truss rod after a few days of letting the guitar "adjust" to its new environment (its worth noting that I always wait a day or so after some careful observations before making any adjustments). Also I recommend making small adjustments while tuned to what ever tuning you plan to use the guitar in and waiting for everything on the guitar to "settle" before making additional adjustments (after all we are dealing with wood here and a "balance" of different tensions from different parts of the instrument). I am by no means an expert at setting up guitars but I feel comfortable making this sort of adjustment. If you are in doubt or uncomfortable with it at all, it's worth finding a good guitar tech or lutheir to do this sort of work. All in all I feel that the move went extremely well and I believe so far I have a great setup for traveling and even playing out or busking, which I plan to do soon and I will post more about my experiences in this area later on. Thanks for reading and as always please comment or contact me if you would like to talk more or give me any feedback.

Until next time,

-Peghead
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DIY small scale feedback buster

Here is a cool DIY video of an idea I came up with just by trying different ways to combat the feedback I was getting at loud volumes with the pickup in my parlor guitar. Hope you enjoy, leave me some comments and tell me what you think. More videos like this to come.

-Peghead
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Arrived in London!

This post may be a short one since I've been so busy with preparations and traveling. So... we have arrived in London with all our luggage (including the guitar which arrived in great shape). I'll post details on how I packed and traveled with my guitar when I have a chance.I have created a page for my guitars and gear, and I'm in the process of creating pages for the places we travel to along with contact information where you can reach me. I am also linking this blog to my YouTube channel where I will be posting videos about traveling, music, and DIY projects, so check it out. I do have one update about the guitar I am taking with me. I have made a homemade feedback buster from the lid of a can of folgers coffee. Check out the guitar and gear page for more info. If I have time I'll post a DIY video and an entire post about the feedback buster. It's really easy and really beneficial  for anyone that has a smaller guitar with a smaller sound hole. We are getting settled into London this week and next week we will be in Paris for my wife me's 1st wedding anniversary, but I'll try to post as regularly as I can. Keep checking back because I have a lot of cool guitar and travel stuff I'll be posting soon.

-Peghead
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Counting down to London!! 1 week left

In this post I wanna talk a little about how I plan to pack and travel with my guitar. I have decided after some research to take a small scale guitar in a gig bag and carry it on the plane with me. I have checked and although my guitar is too long (it is built to be the dimensions of a "traditional parlor guitar") to fit the requirements of most airlines' carry on policy, it should still fit into an over head compartment. In case any readers are wondering what the measurements of my A&L AMI parlor guitar are here is a link to the website with all the manufacturers specifications: A&L AMI. I have also done extensive research on the specific policies of the airlines we will flying with and plan to have print outs of their policies in my case and ready to be shown to anyone that doesn't comply. One thing to keep in mind is that policies differ from airline to airline even if they are owned by the same company so be careful with connecting fights. I also plan on calling the airlines to confirm their policies on musical instruments and just as a backup I plan to pack my gig bag with extra cushioning (socks ect.) and take a picture with a current newspaper to document how well it's packed, the condition it's in, and the date in case the worst happens. I've also been playing around with modifications to the guitar and gig bag to make it safer for travel.  After doing research on some of the ways guitars can get ruined during travel I realized that the end pin is a weak point and I have a way to reinforce it. It is basically just a large washer with a piece of cloth between it and the body of my guitar. I installed it on my end pin jack so if it does take a rough drop the force of the drop will be distributed over a larger area instead of one small point that's on the seam where the two halve of the body come together. I would also recommend to anyone in a similar situation, just removing then end pin while traveling. This is easy to do and a similar, maybe even more effective way to avoid the same tragedy, although if your guitar has an end pin jack it's not so simple. I have also use and old travel bag for toiletries to hold my recorder, tuner and other more fragile accessories. This bag fits perfectly under the neck of my guitar in the gig back and with some cushioning should help hold the neck in place. I am using a road runner little brat gig bag made specifically for 3/4 scale guitars. It was very reasonably priced, you can buy them here: Road Runner Little Brat. Its not as protective as a hard case but it has a thick layer of padding and plenty of pockets. I plan on locking the main compartment on the bag with some TSA approved master locks in case I get told it has to go to the coat closet or, heaven forbid, I'm forced to gate check it.The bag fits the depth of my guitar perfectly, it fits the width good except for around the upper bout where its a little loose, and lengthwise it is a little snug. I want it to be snug when I pack it to travel so I will just fill in the gaps with things like shirts and socks and I will pack the head stock area very tightly and carefully to help avoid a head stock break. Another travel tip I have picked up may seem obvious but I will say it anyway, make sure you loose the strings with flying with a guitar, they don't have to be completely off but they do need some slack in them to take some the tension off the neck. Keep in mind even when carrying on your guitar it will go through a lot of pressure, temperature and humidity changes when changing flights, boarding and even in transit. This is why I'm packing my guitar with a planet waves humidipack to help with humidity changes. If I have time I will try to post pictures of my packing methods ect. next week before my flight and I will post a follow up after I arrive to talk about how well everything went.

Until next time,

-Peghead
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2 weeks till London

So in two weeks we will be leaving to go to London. It's really exciting but all the stress of last minute planning is setting in.  As far as my music gear goes I have a small parlor guitar and a roadrunner gig bag and I have manages to fit everything I believe I will need into that case. The guitar is an Art & Luthierie AMI parlor guitar. I looked at several 3/4 size, parlor and travel guitars while looking for my new traveling companion. Some of my favorite options included the Taylor GS mini, the voyage air folding OM body style, the traveler speedster electric guitar and the little Martin lx1e. I didn't really care for the complicated folding guitars and the voyage air just didn't feel like it suited me well. The Taylor played the best and sounded the best but it was larger than the other small guitars I looked at and it seemed more fragile than the Martin. During my search I came across the AMI on Craigslist, it played great and sounded great and it's a parlor size so it will be easy to travel with. I upgraded it with an under saddle pickup and Gotoh tuners. At first it was working out great but recently I have had some intonation and setup problems which I'll go into detail about later. I'm also bringing my Tascam DR-40 recorder, Snark tuner, an amplitude IRig, Paige Capo and then all the other usual accessories like assorted picks, maintenance tools and a brass slide. I feel like I have a pretty good setup but I plan to test it all at an open mic before we leave (if I get the time between all the other planning and getting ready). I will also post updates about how well this set up travels, there are a lot of issues to consider including airline guitar policies.

Until next time,

-Peghead
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First post!!!

Hello World Wide Web. I would like to take advantage of the first post of my new blog to introduce myself and talk a little about what this blog is about. I am a young professional working in the field of geomatics and mapping. I'm from a little town just outside of metro Atlanta (Georgia, USA). I love music, traveling, antiques, the outdoors, my job, God and my church, my family, cars/trucks and anything manly. I am married to a wonderful woman who is very supportive of my career and hobbies. Just a few months ago my wife got an opportunity to go to school for archaeology in London. We both love traveling and have always wanted to live abroad, so this is a dream come true for us. It's not only a great opportunity for us to advance our careers, but also to take some chances and go for our dreams. Besides traveling, I love playing and listening to music. I love all types of music from old fashioned delta blues to heavy metal to country to worship music in church. I play guitar and sing, and I have written some original stuff of my own. I would still consider myself a moderate-beginner guitar player. I have never been serious about it and I haven't really played in public much. But I have decided to change that and really go for my dream to becoming a working musician. I want to put my music out there where people can hear it and appreciate it. I hope to take advantage of this opportunity we have been given to travel and to follow my dreams of being a musician. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences, and establish a connection with my readers that will allow for a mutual learning experience. And also to encourage other traveling musicians who are considering going for similar dreams. Feel free to comment and give advice or ask for advice or just say what's on your mind. I look forward to writing and to connecting with anyone reading this blog.

-Peghead
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