I wrote a bit about DI boxes in our recent article – Tips For Improving The Sound Of A DI Bass. That post talked about how to improve the sound if you recorded your bass guitar parts with a DI box. The assumption then was that DI boxes are undesirable but sometimes necessary for recording. But things are often very different in the live sound world.
Here is an article talking about the many advantages of using DI boxes when using a PA system for live performances:
http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/church_sound_files_the_many_advantages_of_di_boxes/
Live Sound
Microphone That Fun's Nate Ruess Used On Saturday Night Live
The band Fun appeared on Saturday Night Live on Nov 3rd, 2012, performing their songs, Some Nights and Carry On. Fun’s lead singer, Nate Ruess, was using a stylish gold-plated wireless microphone that was different form the Shure SM58 mics the rest of the band were using. It turns out that Nate’s mic was also a Shure – it was a Shure UR24D/SM58 microphone.
I’m not certain where you can get a gold-plated one like Nate’s, but I’m guessing that if you can afford the Shure UR24D at about $2,300 ($4,659 for a pair), it would be nothing to pay extra for a gold-plated one.
If you are in the market for a high-end wireless hand-held microphone, you can get a pair of Shure UR24Ds like Nate’s by clicking here, though you’ll have to settle for the standard black color, unless you have a friend at Shure who can get it plated in gold for you;). And if you don’t quite have that in your budget, you can be like the rest of the band and pick up a Shure SM58 for a small fraction of the price of Nate’s gold one (literally!) for about $98 by clicking here.
Native Instruments Traktor Pro 2.5 and Kontrol F1 For DJs
For the DJs out there, or folks interested in getting into the DJ world, you might be interested to know about Traktor Pro 2.5, Native Instruments’ update to the awesome Traktor DJ software that lets you mix multiple decks, do remixes, loops, etc. The Traktor Kontrol F1 is a hardware controller that works with Traktor – giving you lightening fast and control over Traktor 2.5.
In this package, Traktor 2.5 Pro comes with the the Traktor Kontrol F1 in one package for $249 (and free shipping from B&H!).
Below is a video that talks about the update and also provides an overview and tutorial.
Tascam DR-07 Portable Digital Audio Recorder On Sale
B&H Pro Audio has a great deal on the Tascam DR-07mkII Portable Digital Audio Recorder right now. The regular price is $149.99, and the sale price is $119.99, the lowest price on the internet!
The reasons that this portable/mobile audio recorder is so awesome include its ability to adjust the two microphones for different stereo recording configurations (X/Y or A/B), as well as the fact that it records both high-quality WAV (16 and 24-bit) or MP3 (32-320 kbps VBR) formats.
It’s perfect for recording interviews, rehearsals, sound-design elements (like sound effects you’d use in video/movie projects), or live music shows. It has a 3.5mm stereo mic/line input so you could record the output of a mixer (great for live performances). It also has the same sized (3.5mm) stereo output (headphone/line) so you can connect additional equipment, even speakers. You can transfer recordings via its mini USB 2.0 port or the microSD or microSDHC cards it records on. IT runs on 2 standard AA batteries, or by USB bus power, or from a USB AC wall adapter.
It is always handy to have a pocket-sized digital recorder and now you can get this awesome one for a huge discount. To get yours, or find out more, CLICK HERE.
Vocal Microphone Rufus Wainwright Uses On Stage
We just saw a CBS Sunday Morning segment about Rufus Wainwright where there were several clips of him performing on stage, always with the same microphone. Since it was clearly not your typical Shure SM58, used by so many lead singers on stages around the world for decades, we decided to start rooting around the internet to figure out what mic he was using. I’m not ashamed to say that Lisa figured it out first – but only by 60 seconds;). Anyway, it turns out that Rufus Wainwright uses the Shure KSM9 Handheld Microphone as his vocal mic on stage – at least in the footage shown in this piece.
Of the KSM9, Wainwright’s front-of-house engineer Suneil Pusari said in an interview for Mix Magazine that the mic has a great openness and detail that accurately captures the different aspects of Wainwright’s voice. That article mentions other cool microphones they use for the live shows. Read that article here: http://mixonline.com/live_sound/tours/rufus_wainwright_live_sound//index.html