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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
June 27, 2013
at
02:16PM
The market for instrument amplifiers is incredibly diverse and large. There are the time tested setups like a 100 watt tube head with a full stack of speakers all the way down to the 1 watt tube amplifiers with a built in six or eight inch speakers. Throw in everything in between as well as...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
June 19, 2013
at
10:48AM
Sony has already pulled this firmware update from its site until they sort out the problem. This is why I usually wait a week or so before doing a firmware update.
Read more about it here.
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
June 12, 2013
at
10:40PM
Sometimes we get to do an in depth review of a product that requires tons of explanation. Other times we find that the product is so simple yet does exactly what it claims to do. Today I present the Swiss Pick. Not named for a country of birth but more for its resemblance to something that...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
June 5, 2013
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09:04AM
If you suffered through my recent amplifier tech articles you know I'm looking for the ultimate tone machine in a combo design. I need tone and I'm not willing to compromise on that. You'd think I'm willing to compromise on volume and projection to get the smaller form factor but here's where...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 29, 2013
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10:51AM
My son has a forbidden love that dare not speak its name: the love the delay pedal. I like delay effects but I find them often overused and this is one sound that can definitely get tiring when used a lot. Previously my son was using a Boss delay pedal that worked very well but lacked one...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 22, 2013
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11:43AM
One of the most distressing news about the Xbox 1 before its release was that the system would not play used games. Some sites have said it will then I found
this article, which if it is correct, means it will but at a cost for each user. If Microsoft wanted to give Sony a major selling point...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 21, 2013
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10:58AM
We're approaching the end of this series of articles. I know that it seems very tedious - musicians tend to be the type of people who want to plug in and get a perfect sound. Sadly, it takes a lot of work to get the exact sound you are looking for. That's what this series was meant to do -...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 20, 2013
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10:15AM
We've seen tons of conjecture about the specs of the new Xbox tentatively called 720 by fans. We'll see the unveiling tomorrow but in the meantime here's
a positive article on the state of gaming in general. Expect much more GPU and CPU power in the new machine as well as Blu-Ray What may be...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 18, 2013
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10:23AM
I hope you've read the previous solid state vs tube amp article and the amplifier tubes article where I covered tube characteristics as well as some tricks to get better tone. There are some situations where solid state amps really shine through. Towards the end of the article I'll give you a...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 13, 2013
at
10:09AM
In my last article we covered the
solid state vs. tube amp argument. My view on this is that you have to use the right tool for the job at hand. If you picked a solid state amp there is still some info in this article you might find interesting. If you picked a tube amp then lets help you get to...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 8, 2013
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10:03AM
Every so often I'd post one of my 'rants' here but I've tended to stay away from that format. Basically I give you my 2 cents worth but not in a review of a particular product. Lately all the mail I've been getting are "why don't you test this amp" or "you seem to have a bent against solid state...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 2, 2013
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11:17AM
Looks like the smaller tablet market is about to really heat up. With Android based options, smaller iPads, and now a smaller surface pad.
Read the article and let us know what you think.
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
May 1, 2013
at
10:05AM
A pedal I got recently after my son's praise was this BBE Sonic Stomp. I've heard BBE's rack mount sonic maximizers so I wondered if this pedal could capture what one of those does.
How does it work?
What's a sonic maximizer? I'll let this quote from BBE's website try to explain it:
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 29, 2013
at
10:14AM
A good friend of mine Chuck was an early adopter of the original Kindle Fire. After I played with it at work I bought one for my wife after carefully debating the Fire vs. iPad. Of course the iPad has gone through many changes since then but so did the Fire. I had thought it was definitely time...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 29, 2013
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10:11AM
With the release of Samsung's S4 we get a chance to see one user's first impressions.
Read the article and let us know what you think. Obviously without Apple's latest offering hitting the market at the same time it will be hard to take a stance which phone to go for but if you were due for an...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 26, 2013
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09:24AM
As my son's pedal board kept growing it became painfully obvious he needed a noise suppressor. Without it there was always the noise that is a byproduct of many effects pedals - whooshing sounds, hum, even feedback. The standby pedals I've always used are made by Boss (Roland). One problem I've...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 22, 2013
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09:51AM
Recently I reviewed an Actiontec device that allowed you to use the wiring in your home to broadcast your network. I found it a very clever solution for getting network access from one area of the house or office to another without running new cables. What if you wanted to show everyone in your...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 12, 2013
at
10:30PM
Interesting read here from the LA Times. One thing that the article doesn't point out is that smartphones have more power/usefulness for a similar price.
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 11, 2013
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09:07AM
I've been using the same Boss overdrive pedal for almost 25 years. When you find something that works for you that's how it goes. I also have an Ibanez distortion pedal on my board that I've had for even longer. While my son was using the Boss overdrive for a performance recently the pedal went...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 9, 2013
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10:02AM
In a world where data and media seem to be everywhere you can run into the peculiar problem that you create files on your computer but need to access them on your i or Android device. I've always just emailed these files to myself which could be a little tedious but that also created the problem...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 4, 2013
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10:31AM
Interesting idea - a ring as the remote. Can't wait to lose that remote though. Guessing that the opening price of $1500 makes this product have a great price point and the add on tablets (that may interact with the on screen content) could make viewing very different.
Check it out here.
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
April 3, 2013
at
10:16AM
Some interesting stuff in this short article but the most significant is that iOS 7 is running behind schedule. Apple tends to release a new OS with new phones and then make it available as an upgrade a couple of weeks later for older hardware users. This all affects the next iPhone release...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
March 25, 2013
at
09:59AM
Normally the words bass and combo together means a small amplifier used for practice without many of the features professional musicians desire for their needs. Today we are looking at a possible solution from Hartke. Combos offer a lot of convenience - the speakers and amplifier are housed in a...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
March 14, 2013
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03:16PM
Guess what the most practical device out of this last CES was? 'The little solar lantern with a big impact.' Think about this. Until millions were left without power after recent disasters how many were aware of the disproportionate amount of electrical power we have available to us? People in...
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By
Victor Oshiro |
Posted
March 7, 2013
at
09:04AM
Today we have a rare treat for a review product. I've been using the Bowers & Wilkins P3 headphones for some time now. These headphones aren't the type you use for unrealistically high bass but rather for natural pure sound. Let me explain:
Although we interpret sound as merely what we hear...
