FAQ: Do you sell computer speakers?

Yes! We do sell computer speakers.
Here are the speakers we carry that are suitable for home computers and media systems:

• Cakewalk MA-15D
• M-Audio AV-20
• M-Audio AV-30
• M-Audio AV-40
• Samson MediaOne 3a
• Samson MediaOne 4a
• Samson MediaOne 5a

The speaker systems listed here come in pairs and are 2 way systems (no subwoofer).

I recommend the AV-40 from M-Audio, as a good balance of price, power, and features.

Featured Equipment Of The Week - Novation Launchpad

Novation Launchpad
USB MIDI Controller for Ableton Live with Backlit 64-button Grid, 8 Scene-launching Buttons, Bi-directional Ableton Live Communication, and Ableton Live 8 Launchpad Edition Software - Mac/PC

Made for Ableton Live Triggering Mayhem!
The Novation Launchpad is made for Ableton Live — but it's ready to change any MIDI-triggering world! This controller puts 72 trigger buttons under your reign, making it an amazing companion to Live's Session View. The Launchpad's buttons are even backlit, so you always know which clips are playing, loaded, or record enabled. You've also got dedicated buttons for launching scenes. If you don't use Live, go ahead and use Launchpad to map map out the controls however you want — it includes Novation's renowned AutoMap software. Feeling wild? Use up to six Novation Launchpads at once!
See all the details for Novation Launchpad

Novation Launchpad 72-button USB MIDI Controller at a Glance:

• The perfect partner to Ableton Live's Session View
• Use up to six Launchpads together for 432 buttons
• Works for more than just triggering — use buttons for unique level control
• New to Live? Use the included Ableton Live 8 Launchpad Edition software
• Automap-enabled for easy plug-in control

Find out more and buy Novation Launchpad at Revolution Audio.

Featured Equipment Of The Week - Presonus Studio Channel

Presonus Studio Channel
The Studio Channel is a professional channel strip combining Class A tube preamplifier, VCA-based compressor and three-band parametric equalizer perfect for the professional and project studio. Great for all types of microphones, instruments, keyboards and synths, the Studio Channel has the sonic power and flexibility to achieve any tone you can dream of – luscious in your face vocals, crystal clear acoustic guitars, fat solid bass guitar, dynamic acoustic piano, cracking snare, punchy bass, huge MPC tracks and more.
See all the details - Presonus Studio Channel

TOP FEATURES

• 1 channel with Class A 12AX7 vacuum-tube mic/instrument preamplifier
• Variable VCA compressor
• 3-band parametric equalizer
• Master level control
• Backlit VU meter

Buy Presonus Studio Channel At Revolution Audio

Win AKG K44 Headphones from Revolution Audio

Sign Up for our newsletter and WIN cool recording gear!

The Prize - AKG K44 Closed Back Headphones

The K 44 are cost-efficient headphones for different applications, like Project Studios and Home Recording.
These closed-back headphones are a true all-round performer with solid bass and clean highs at a value price.
The AKG self-adjusting headband, leatherette ear pads, and gimbal suspension ensure good comfort. Find out more about AKG K44 Headphones


How To Enter - Simply reply to the newsletter we sent July 16 with your full name. Not on the list yet? Sign up to win. All new subscribers to the newsletter as of July 16 are automatically entered.

Winner will be announced in the August 1st newsletter.

Rules, terms and conditions: 1 prize will be awarded to a random eligible Newsletter subscriber. Must be a Revolution Audio Newsletter subscriber living in Canada. DO NOT spam your friends to get them to sign up.

DOs and DON'Ts of Acoustic Guitar Recording

DO keep your strings fresh (and keep the ends cut short)
DO wash your hands before and after playing
DO listen to the instrument to find the best mic placement
DO wear closed-back headphones to avoid escaping noise
DO find the spot in the room where the guitar sounds best
DO try to breath quietly through your nose (yes this is a problem sometimes!)
DO try to stay in the same position in front of the mics
DO try different thicknesses of picks for different sounds

DON'T forget to tune often
DON'T place your mics close to the sound hole
DON'T stop if you make a mistake
DON'T assume the built-in pickup actually sounds anything like your guitar, not to say it can't be useful at times
DON'T forget to empty your pockets of keys, change and cellphone
DON'T rush through the recording, take your time now to get it right.

Reason 6 Announced

All you need is Reason

Introducing Reason, version 6. The world's favorite music making platform is about to get a whole lot bigger, better, and ready for any idea you throw at it.
With version 6 Reason reclaims the spotlight. Combining all the features from Record, version 6 adds audio recording and editing into Reason, along with Propellerhead's acclaimed mixing console with masterfully modeled EQ and dynamics on every channel, multiple parallel racks, all the effects you know and love plus new ones to fall in love with, and much more of what you've always wanted in Reason.

In stores September 30th, 2011

Find out more: http://www.propellerheads.se/reason6/

Featured Equipment Of The Week: M-Audio Venom Synthesizer

The M-Audio Venom 49-key synthesizer combines the character of classic analog synths with modern digital processing to deliver an aggressive, infectious new sound.
Whet your appetite with the included presets, then sink your teeth into creating original sounds—from atmospheric and subtle, to angry and downright nasty. Easily tweak parameters from the intuitive top-panel interface, or explore endless sound design and configuration possibilities with the included software editor. Perform bass lines, leads, and more with a full-size keyboard designed to satisfy serious players. You can even use Venom as an audio interface with Pro Tools* and other music software—forming a powerful production machine to take your music in dangerous new directions.
M-Audio Venom - Find Out More

 TOP FEATURES

• the warmth of vintage keyboards combined with modern digital processing > aggressive new sound
• 512 single-sound patches and 256 layered patches > start playing right out of the box
• intuitive real-time performance controls plus software editor > endless sound design possibilities
• 49-key, full-size, synth-action keyboard > great playability
• Pro Tools compatible USB audio/MIDI interface > ready for the stage and studio

Purchase M-Audio Venom at Revolution Audio

Featured Equipment Of The Week - Primacoustic London 8

Primacoustic London 8 Complete Acoustic Treatment Kit
Primacoustic room kits have been carefully designed to address primary acoustical concerns that are common to all rooms by combining various components such as wall panels, bass traps, diffusion and hardware into an easy to use format.
Find out more

The Primacoustic London 8 is the perfect ‘studio in a box’ for those that have small rooms but plan on growing! It features a selection of 14 high performance Broadway panels for optimal sound absorption and maximum control.

The London 8 presents an ideal solution for smaller post production suites, gaming effects, voice over and home studios. 

• Complete recording studio in a box
• Live-end, dead-end (LEDE) room design
• High performance fabric covered acoustic panels
• Includes easy-mount hardware and screws

Buy Primacoustic London 8 Complete Acoustic Treatment Kit

IK Multimedia iKlip Giveaway

Sign Up for our newsletter and WIN cool recording gear!

The Prize - 1 IK Multimedia iKlip Universal stand mount for iPad*

A multi-angle lightweight iPad microphone stand adapter. Now you can take your favorite iPad™ music apps on stage for live performance.

The new iKlip for iPad makes it easy for you to use your iPad in any live setting - on stage, in the studio, at school or in the boardroom. With its multi-angle adjustable design, you can now securely position your iPad for optimal viewing and accessibility, while all controls, buttons and connection ports remain free from obstruction.
* Note - not compatible with the iPad2.

How To Enter - Go HERE and sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter. All new subscribers to the newsletter as of July 1 are automatically entered.


Rules, terms and conditions: 1 prize will be awarded to a random eligible Newsletter subscriber. Must be a Revolution Audio Newsletter subscriber living in Canada. DO NOT spam your friends to get them to sign up.

6 Tips for Great Electric Guitars Without Amps

With direct guitar recording into virtual amps you can now rock out through the guitar chain of your dreams in the comfort of your home studio and without the neighbors calling the cops.
In this article I've outlined a few tips and best practices for getting great guitar tones without amps or mics.

1. Go Direct - 'going direct' means connecting your guitar into your recording interface by means of the high impedance (HI-Z) instrument input if available or through a DI box (Direct injection box). A direct box converts the hi-impedance signal from the guitar to low-impedance, mic level signal to connect to any preamp. Great results can be had with either though the best results come from the best signal chain including quality cables and DI box. The Radial JDI and J48 are professional studio standards and are actually quite affordable.
2. Avoid hum and buzz - LCD and LED monitors (computer screens) are now the norm and while they don't emit as much noise as CRT  monitors some noise can still be picked up by your guitar pickups. Computer fans, cell phones and even a wrist watch can be sources of unwanted noise in your guitar tone. To reduce and avoid the noise sometimes you just need to move around the room a little and the noise will be gone. Additional noise suppression is best done with a noise gate plugin in your DAW.
3. A virtual guitar rig - The quality and quantity of virtual guitar amps has increased dramatically over the past few years to the point where you may not even want a real amp anymore. Amplitube 3, Guitar Rig 4, and POD Farm 2 (to name just a few) are all top notch virtual guitar processing systems. They've really raised the bar in sound quality. The flexibility and ability to select from hundreds of pedal, amp, cabinet and mic combinations at will makes them invaluable tone shaping tools for guitar, bass and beyond.
4. Latency - With guitar recording, the lower the latency the better. 128 samples is good, but 64 samples or lower is ideal. Latency affects the way you play and you want the immediacy that plugging into a real amp has. You'll need a good firewire interface to achieve this kind of stable low latency.
5. Timing and tuning - As always, timing of the performance and tuning of the instrument are so important. Most of the major virtual amp packages have a tuner option, check the tuning often! With a DAW you can actually see and hear how far off your timing is. Record each section of the song multiple times, choose the best or best bits of each performance and edit a composite that's in time and in tune.
6. Filtering out the bad stuff - Virutal amps don't sound 100% real but they're getting closer all the time. Where the current virtual amp systems fall short is in the cabinet and microphone options. I always use an EQ after the amp plugin to get rid of the harshness and fizz that can make an amp sound fake. If you boost with a sharp Q between 3kHz and 12kHz you can usually find 2-3 really nasty areas. Isolate the frequency and cut it out by a few dB. Here's how that sounds: No EQ (mp3) | Fizz Cut (mp3)
   

These are just a few tips to get you started with direct guitar recording. If you'd like to see more on this topic leave a comment below.