Ace Baker brings his StudioLive on the road with supergroup Chickenfoot, which as far as I’m concerned makes him a superengineer. A couple years back, he used a classic StudioLive 24.4.2 to record every show of Chickenfoot’s tour. He’s been the first-call soundman of choice for Tower of Power as well. As such, Ace is appropriately monikered, and will demonstrate the latest developments in cascading technology of the StudioLive AI series—doubtlessly alongside his unique flavor of humor for which he is almost as well-known.

Ace presents at the PreSonus booth every day of the show at 4:00-4:45, demonstrating the cascading technology of the StudioLive AI mixers.

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

Award-winning singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, session musician and Berklee graduate Katelyn Benton is a vet of the PreSonus NAMM stage. This time around she’ll be lending her velvet voice and instrumental prowess to demonstrate the potential of the AudioBox i-Series interfaces. If anyone knows DIY recording and production, it’s Katelyn—her EP Once was self-recorded and independently released in 2009. That was after winning Best Original Song in the World Championship of Performing Arts.

A monster talent, and we’re stronger for having her in our corner. She performs at the booth at 3:00-3:45 on Thursday and Friday, demoing the AudioBox i-series interfaces.

• Katelyn Benton on Facebook
• Katelyn Benton on Twitter

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

Ubertight heavy prog-rockers Nothing More are currently on the Juggernaut Tour with Periphery, and are the first band to tour with a StudioLive RM16AI, subjecting to the rigors of the road and rock stardom. So far, it’s holding up great while providing critical backing tracks and effects to their bombastic, shirtless live show. Fortunately for you, their breakneck tour schedule includes a stop at our NAMM booth on Saturday at 3 p.m. With these guys performing, we will probably have to bribe the sound police to keep our spot in Hall B next year.

• Nothing More on Facebook
• Nothing More on Twitter

Click here for more on ALL the presentations at NAMM this year.

David Gibbs is the Executive Director of The Blue Devils, the best drum and bugle corp in the world. They’ve come to rely on the StudioLive AI digital mixers as well as the StudioLive AI PA Loudspeakers.

• For more on the StudioLive AI mixers, click here
• For more on the StudioLive AI PA Loudspeakers, click here

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We will be offering a FREE demo of WorxAudio’s new speakers in Anaheim during the NAMM show, and it’s so free that you don’t even need a NAMM badge. This event will be held in the Topaz Ballroom of the nearby Sheraton, a mere stone’s throw from the convention center. But hey, we understand that you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your feet at the show, so we’ve arranged lots of shuttles. They’ll be available to pick you and your tired feet up from the Convention Center Courtesy Vehicles boarding area, next to Hall D, and will run from 3-7 p.m. Click here to register and get more info.

Sheraton Garden Grove Anaheim South
Topaz Ballroom
12221 Harbor Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA

Directions

Demos will be held from 4-6 p.m. all four days of the show. We’re bringing the V8, V8 Grid, TL218s, X2i, SuperSub, the V5 and X115. Come check ‘em out and get your ears cleaned.

It’s that time of year again—the new time, which means we’re all scrambling after postholiday gluttony to get everything ready for The Loudest Tradeshow In The World. For those of you able to make it out to sunny California’s Anaheim Convention Center for the 2015 NAMM show. First, the basics:

Show dates: 

• Thursday, Jan 22    10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Friday, Jan 23        10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Saturday, Jan 24    10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Sunday, Jan 25      10 a.m.-5 p.m.

The PreSonus Krewe, as well as the PreSonus New Stuff (sorry, can’t tell you what that is yet) can be found at in Hall B, Booth 5700. The Krewe will be the smiling, informed-looking folks in handsome PreSonus-branded apparel. Come on by anytime to get insight to all things PreSonus.

If you want to see any of this stuff (and you do), pencil any of the following presentations into your schedule. We will be featuring spotlights on these artists in the coming days, right here on the blawg.

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Furthermore, we will be offering a FREE demo of WorxAudio’s new speakers. It’s so free that you don’t even need a NAMM badge. This event will be held in the Topaz Ballroom of the nearby Sheraton, a mere stone’s throw from the convention center. But hey, we understand that you’re going to be spending a lot of time on your feet at the show, so we’ve arranged lots of shuttles. They’ll be available to pick you and your tired feet up from the Convention Center Courtesy Vehicles boarding area, next to Hall D, and will run from 3-7 p.m. Click here to register and get more info.

Sheraton Garden Grove Anaheim South
1221 Harbor Blvd.
Topaz Ballroom

Demos will be held from 4-6 p.m. all four days of the show. We’re bringing the V8, V8 Grid, TL218s, X2i, SuperSub, the V5 and X115. Come check ‘em out and get your ears cleaned.

Telecaster elite Jim Weider has been in the game for a lifetime. He’s one of those incredible guitarists that has somehow flown under the radar of many—but I’ll put it to ya this way: When The Band reformed in 1985, Jim was the go-to first-call six-stringer to replace Robbie Robertson.

You don’t get that gig without knowing your way around a fretboard. Jim didn’t just get the gig, but kept it for 15 years.

The Weider collaborator name-drop roll call reads more or less like a who’s who of Woodstock-era wunderkinds: The Band, Dylan, Taj Mahal, Paul Butterfield, and more. Further luminary collaborators include other folks you may have heard of—including a guy who calls himself “Keith Richards,” and someone else called “Mavis Staples.”

Oh, and Jim was born in Woodstock, New York. Just sayin’.

Jim’s Nimbit store is largely focused on his most recent effort, PRoJECT PERCoLAToR, a notable diversion from his rootsy roots. PRoJECT PERCoLAToR is a little more on the experimental side of things, instead focusing on multi-layered guitar parts and looped drums and percussion. The result is a series of groove-driven efforts that offer a fresh direction for Jim—one  that listeners familiar with Jim’s pedigree may be surprised by. Studio and live albums are both available.

Something we don’t see every day in the merch section of Nimbit stores is instructional resources. Jim’s got a bevy of guitar instructional DVDs covering blues, country blues, and rockabilly—all of which are available autographed! Also available is the exhaustively researched Get That Classic Fender Sound DVD, an exploration of vintage Fender guitars and amps from the 50s and 60s that gear geeks will flip a chrome tailpiece for.

• Click here to keep up with Jim Weider on Nimbit.
• Interested in Nimbit? Sign up for free here.

One listen to Lori’s voice and you’ll understand why she’s an award-winner; she was recognized in 2010’s Great American Songwriting Contest, and received Pulse Magazine’s Best Female Vocalist award in 2011 and 2012. Evocative of renowned songbirds like Sarah McLachlan and Joni Mitchell, Lori’s warm, emotive, and pitch-perfect voice conveys vulnerability and confidence in simultaneous and equal measure.

Add capable multi-instrumentalist Fred Abatelli to the mix and you’ve got something of a quiet powerhouse on your hands. The instrumentation on the four CDs available on their Nimbit store is largely piano and acoustic guitar driven, making for a collection of songs that are absolutely perfect for unwinding after a hard days’ work.

Their recordings reward repeat listenings through judicious use of vocal harmony and divergent instrumentation—but never too much of either. Lori’s voice and lyrics are the real stars of the show, here, and the arrangements sensibly give them both plenty of space. Given the duo’s thematic focus on empathy, it seems just that a portion of all of their CD sales go to support NEADS—a nonprofit organization that provides independence to people who are deaf or have a disability through the use of canine assistance

Of particular note, Lori is maximizing the potential of Nimbit’s Calendar feature. Her show listings include not only the critical information of where and when, but even screen caps of the venue’s location on Google Maps to help attendees get their bearings.

A smart move. Also included is venue contact info, links to ticket purchases, and Lori’s own thoughts about the venues and festivals she’ll be performing in, which is a nice personal touch, likely appreciated by venue owners—a little goodwill can go a long way toward repeat bookings. Lori has clearly created some demand for her shows and is planning ahead, as her calendar has bookings well into October of 2015!

• Click here to keep up with Lori Diamond & Fred Abatelli on Nimbit.
• Interested in Nimbit? Sign up for free here.

Our free StudioLive training series has been such a smash that it’s been extended due to popular demand—and this time around, we’re upping the stakes. One attendee at each of these training seminars will receive a free upgrade to Studio One Professional—and a single lucky winner who attends an SAE training in January, February or March of 2015 will be entered to win a StudioLive RM16AI digital mixer! You must be present to win.

SAE Institute branches in New York, Atlanta, Miami, Los Angeles, Nashville, San Francisco, and Chicago have free classes coming up on the following dates:

• 02/14/15
• 03/14/15

Click here to visit presonus.com/SAE to register for this event and make all your friends jealous.

They Might Be Giants’ uniquely avant-nerd brand of pop/rock has seen a lot of evolution over the band’s career of 30+ years. While the band remained a plucky duo for the first phase of their career—John Linnell and John Flansburg—the release of John Henry found the band to take on… well, a band. While some critics might be inclined to leverage this transition to allege some sort of “maturation,” longtime fans know better. Short-time fans just need to throw “Doctor Worm” for a spin to see what I’m getting at.

Given TMBG’s somewhat surprising sonic evolution—a move that alienated what few boneheads existed among the ranks of their fans—it’s great to see (hear) First Album Live—a live full-band treatment of TMBG’s eponymous 1986 debut, informally/aka Pink. Hearing classic tracks updated with full-band arrangements (and the infectious hollerin’ of enthused concertgoers) brings us a tasty mix of the familiar and the new-ish—a real treat for longtime fans. And that band. Chops tapeworthy.

Or discworthy. Or Edison cylinder-worthy. Whatever. Point is the live arrangements of these songs as interpreted by said band deserved to be committed to history, and it’s happened—in part due to fan demand, and in part due to Sceptre monitors!

First Album Live was mixed by Scott Bozack, “Prez” of Big Gig Productions, who has been touring the world over with the ‘Giants since 2008 as their Tour Manager, Production Manager, and FOH engineer. He says, “I really love the CoActual horn design. It really creates an amazing image, and helps me visually place instruments in the music. Less EQing is required to to carve out space. Love them!”

John Flansburg, guitarist and vocalist of the band notes, “With the definition of the Sceptre S6 monitors, Scott Bozack was able to translate the power of They Might Be Giants’ live sound to a proper recorded mix.”

First Album Live is free, and can be downloaded by clicking here. Enjoy!