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Recording guitar and bass can be a fun time, but also an excruciating experience if you are missing some simple tidbits of knowledge. We assembled some of that knowledge so that you can easily get through the process.

SolidGold Surf Rider Reverb Pedal

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Everybody is always looking for a realistic Fender-style spring reverb simulator pedal. The Surf Rider pedal from SoldGold is quite convincing and will have you believing you have blackface Twin cranked up behind you. Warm and very authentic, the Surf Rider does both bright and dark-tinged reverb sounds. $245 is steep asking price, but sometimes reverb like that can't be bought at an entry level price.


Electro-Harmonix founder Mike Matthews is clearly a maniac, but we're still impressed with the new Freeze sustain pedal.



Croation pedal designers Dawner Prince have released a short sample of their new distortion/boost pedal the Diktator. No word yet on the release date or price, but we were intrigued by the double switch option which looks to be for distortion and boost. More info as it comes.

Via What's That Dude Play?

Announcement - We Now Have a Forum!

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Finally! We now have a forum where you can discuss the new music business, gear, websites and promotion tactics for your music. Todd and I often talk about our disgust with many of the forums today in the music biz. Unfortunately, mods let trolls and negativity run rampant in fear of alienating their users instead of trying to create a positive and productive environment. Our goal with the Musformation Forum is to curate discussions that are positive and intelligent in the music community. Feel free to go there and discuss anything about music. Enjoy.
Thounds looks to be an interesting way to collaborate with other musicians online. With interesting social features the site looks like it can open up some fun opportunities.

The Ultimate Boutique Delay Pedal Shootout

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We cover a lot of high end delay units on Musformation, and were naturally excited when we say a grand shootout of about 10 of the big boys. Candidates include: 1. Moog MF-104 2. Empress Vintage Modified Superdelay 3. Dr Scientist Sunny Day Delay 4. Way Huge Aquapuss 5. MXR Carbon Copy 6. Toneczar Echoczar 7. ElectroHarmonix Deluxe Memory Man Reissue 8. Diamond Memory Lane 9. Hughes and Kettner Replex 10. Roland SRE-555. Judging is a difficult task, but let the delay madness begin!



Last week we linked a whole slew of new pedals from Copilot Fx, and now they've added one more to their 2010 lineup - the Terra Fuzz. With 4 knobs of control, the Terra seems quite flexible and very responsive.  The pedal is up now on their site and can be ordered for $145. 
FredatConsole.jpgAfter beginning his career in France, Fred Kevorkian has been working in New York for over 20 years.  Initially an audio engineer at the internationally renown Sear Sound, he also has a thorough background in electronics as well as studio design.  Since branching off and working as a mastering engineer, Fred has worked with some incredibly impressive clientele including Ryan Adams, Iggy Pop, The White Stripes and The Walkmen.  Currently working out of Avatar Studios, we got together with Fred recently and dove deep into what mastering really is and how you can improve your recordings. 


Ok, we have to admit that this is pretty impressive. 

Solid Gold Fx Electroman Delay Pedal

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Even if the pedal did nothing at all, we'd still give it points for an amazing casing. Luckily, the pedals has sonic charms that match it's case. An 800 milisecond delay, the digital Electroman delay from Solid Gold FX has an amazing warp feature that really sets it apart from many other units.  This little boutique buddy does cost nearly $250, but it it quite unique nonetheless.  


Dominican-based pedal makers CopilotFX will be launching a number of new pedals in 2010 including: The Arrow (white noise generator), Caracol (Octave), Molecule (signal chopper), and Planetoid (ring modulator). More demos after the jump via What's That Dude Play?

Earthquaker Hummingbird Tremolo Pedal

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Handcrafted and carefully designed, the Earthquaker Hummingbird Tremolo is a pedal to be reckoned with.  Covering the natural amp-like vibrato tones all the way to some pulsing synth-like effects, the Hummingbird really excels in the chop department.  Certainly not your big box store trem pedal, the Hummingbird is already becoming one of our favorites and still comes in at less than $150.   

Wilson Effects Purple Nurple Haze Pedal

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Wilson Effects early version of the Purple Nurple (now supposedly called the Haze) uni-vibe style pedal. Some nice warble, a little chorus and some beautiful, lush tones. Rumor is that the pedal will cost around $150 and will be out shortly.
indie-band-survival-guide.jpgWhen we began Musformation, one of the first things we did is set out to see exactly what sort of material was out there for bands in 2010, both in print and online.  One of the first places many people recommended we try is was The Indie Band Survival Guide.  Universally recognized as ground zero for information on getting your group started and becoming successful, the IBSG was definitely an influence on the architecture of this site.  Recently, we sat down with Randy Chertkow, one of the esteemed authors, and got an earful on the music industry, money making opportunities and much more. 


Finally, a first look at the EH Freeze everyone has been buzzing about.  Also a quick look at the Germanium 4 Big Muff, Nano Clone and Magnum 44 Power Amp.

Programming Note - Off Today!

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klaxonsalbum050610.jpgAnother summer Monday of slow news. We are taking the day to work on the Musformation book and getting together some awesome articles for you guys for the rest of the week. Happy Monday.
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It is no secret that online radio is one of the best ways to promote your music. With services like Pandora, Last.FM, Jango, Blip.FM and other services not only can you get your music before the ears of listeners who like the type of music you make, but you can also get paid for your plays as you begin to dominate the online radio airwaves.






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What separates the winners and losers is how well you handle playing live and then getting your show on the road. Playing live and touring may seem easy but there are countless pitfalls that one can encounted over time. We show you all the new tricks of the trade as well as wise advice that has been passed down over the years.






Managing a group of people and keeping everyone on the same page and motivated is one of the biggest make or break factors of any sucessful group. There are many emerging tools that can make this easier and we sort through them, all the while dispensing valuable advice on how to deal with your members with minimal chaos.






Getting covered by blogs is fast becoming one of the things that everyone wants to figure out. Sadly, there is not a lot of information out there on how to do just this. We have quite a few articles with the techniques we use to get the bands we work with on to some of the top blogs out there.