Gearbuds

Hey you, music person. Any interest in hearing about the fascinating process multi-talented and multi-handsome Colin Sipos used for mixing the forthcoming The Pedal Movie?

…We thought so. Winning the award for Most Prepared Guest, our new fave buddy kindly gives us a thoroughly listenable peek into his life as a mixer, composer, and engineer at Earhole Studios, Creative Mornings, and myriad film and tv projects while we gush over our dear friend Balthazar Amps and opine on the benefits of teamwork and working within limitation. Hank even gets jealous of Colin’s oddly-timed Neve summing rig!

Also discussed: Z.Vex/Chase Bliss Bliss Factory, Nord lovin’, George Massenburg, Ableton Live 11, the American Beatles (aka CSNY, apparently?), vintage cases in the snow, and Wurlies in the control room.

Wipe it, buddy.

We’ve almost made it through February friends, and your buddies have a special duocast just for the occasion.

This week we spend time on deals, deals, and more deals, including trading something old for something new, Hank’s new Nord Electro. Dave’s new old Hondo acoustic, and Dave making Hank feel better for deals that could not be. Remember: check sold listings. As if that isn’t enough, tune in for some controversial Big Boomer Energy recording opinions.

Also discussed: new gear in the D’Addario Pedal Tuner Plus and Harpad to turn your 6 string into a 12 string, Black Bobbin at guitar.com, a super cool sequencer gate by HY at Bedroom Producers Blog, bizarre Craigslist ads, partscasters with gross headstocks, and W. Eugene Smith.

Give your pets some extra love today.

Step right up, step right up! Get ready for some prog talk, nerds, as this week the Buds welcome Dani Rabin to the show. Dani is the Israeli-born but Chicago-living jazz prog mastermind behind the group Marbin.

We discuss Dani’s history growing up 20 miles south of Tel Aviv, making it to the States to attend Berklee, the history and formation of Marbin, tricking Paul Wertico into being in his band, and learning from Scott Henderson and Allan Holdsworth. We also spend time walking through Dani’s rig including his Suhr guitars, CAE amps, and a bunch of Vertex and Source Audio pedals going through a GigRig G2.

Also discussed: tips for setting up a monitor mix by creating an acoustic anchor in reality, Phoebe Bridgers calling David Crosby a little bitch, Chick Corea, seizing counterfeit guitars, skeleton guitars, Takeshi 69, compressor analogies, and the Red Witch Binary Star.

It’s 4:20 somewhere.

Howdy buddies - staying warm?

This week Hank and Dave get after it in a duocast and Dave comes in HOT after having his eggshells tickled by a particular lawsuit acoustic. After the usual shenanigans, the Buds also spend the episode talking through and committing to a custom dream build for Hank; SPOILER ALERT: there’s a lot of shell pink. 

Also covered: corrections from Balthazar Amps, Digital Systemic’s Giant Verb, Fender sunburst color and techniques (and a whole mess of finish talk), Sam Cooke, Korg’s NuTubes, Taylor guitars going employee-owned, Boss pedal price hikes, and selling used harmonicas in a pandemic. Also fuck Morgan Wallen.

Brown isn’t a color.

Smash that play button friends; we’ve got a big one for you. This week we are overjoyed to be joined by Jon Nuñez, guitarist in Torche, partner in Nunez Amplification, and engineer/producer/mixer at Sound Artillery Studio.

It feels silly trying to encapsulate the episode in a few words, but rest assured we get into settling into the studio environment, wearing socks and sandals, snakes, growing up in Miami, dishing the dirt on Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy, chasing bottom end since birth, forging a unique sound with Torche, finding yourself in the producer’s chair, recording a CME Session, and even forcing Daniel Escuariza to be your friend. We also get into adding USB ports to your brain and the band’s wild last show before lockdown. Stick around to the end for some breaking Torche news, fanfolks!

Also discussed: touchin tips’ with Balthazar, updates from Universal Audio and Daredevil Pedals, Kurt Ballou and Abominable Electronic’s The Coolest Noise children’s book, and Thin Lizzy.

I do my little turn on the catwalk.

What do we call this? Duocast? Budscast?

Whatever it is that’s what’s coming at you this week, as Hank and Dave riff through the little NAMM news we actually get this season. Covered: Korg’s Gadget VR software/ARP2600M, Fender, Squier, Gibson Signatures, Way Huge, Jackson Audio, Walrus Audio’s Mako Series, Earthquaker Devices, and low-end machines from Yamaha, Sandberg, EMG, and Tech21.

Also discussed: Gearslutz name change, our new subsegment Touchin’ Tips with Dave, the smarts in iPhone Notes, Jazzmaster pickguards, boomin’ on Craigslist, slippers at the space, Madonna docs, and a little Dave/Focusrite gearnews.

Gonna see more bumper than a bodyshop.

Fender folks, we’ve got a big one for you today; we are beyond thrilled to share our talk with Fender Master Builder Carlos Lopez.

Tracing his musical history, Carlos warmly and hilariously walks us through his path from East LA and the Musician’s Institute to being one of a dozen of the most heralded guitar craftsmen in the world. We discuss philosophical differences with the Custom Shop and Masterbuilt instruments, getting tools into the hands that use them, and finding your passion and living it. We also take a deep dive on the lineage and inspiration for the Fender Brawler and Marauder, advice for finding your own path, and even found the time to dispel some vintage Fender myths.

Also discussed: a special hello from Chris Garza of Suicide Silence and his incredible 7-string Strat, NAMM talk, Fender and Squier’s new releases, Moog mural opportunities, a free transient shaper plugin, The Song Remains the Same, and some pretty amazing Pat Smear stories.

Master Builders - they’re just like us!

We made it through another year-long week; why not celebrate with some fresh Buds?

Today we welcome the hilarious and kind future-person Ben Fulton, owner of Red Witch pedals and designer and partner with Seamoon and the soon to launch Imperial Electrical.

Ben walks us through his history including his lifelong devotion to the music of Jimmy Page, leaving The Shire for an epic journey with 2 of the other 7 people who live in New Zealand (ie Flight of the Concords), important early friendships with Z.Vex and True Tone, respectfully accosting Buddy Guy, outfitting one’s children in basketweave, and Red Witch as a gateway pedal drug for Dave (with a bonus deep dive on the history of the Fuzz God!) Be sure to listen until the end for full detail on an exciting Gear Scoop.

Also discussed: New Gears Resolutions, Korg buying Aguilar, Gibson acquiring Mesa, virtual NAMM and CES, KISS subverting expectation, and Parliament Funkadelic.

Burritos. That’s it, just burritos.

Welcome to 2021, Buddies. This week we got to chat and make some New Gears Resolutions with the multi-hyphenated Nick Broste.

Let’s get the most important bit out of the way first: Nick has never played in a ska band. That said, to call him multi-talented is a huge undersell - engineer, producer, mixer, masterer, composer, studio-owner, trombonist, kind human, crabby when hungry - all of these descriptors fit. Nick helps us weave together this story, considering the necessary nature of music education, purity tests in jazz school, playing with Wilco, making gear choices on need vs. optics, and even sharing some brass recording and master buss mix tips.

Also discussed: Cherry Audio’s new free synth plugin, Hank’s new computer and interface (plus Kemper integration tips), CME’s 2020 best of vintage video, JHS trolling Reverb(?), The Animals, and fantasizing about sitting in what The Duke.

8am on Saturday is the best time to make a hit record.

Happy Holidays, buddies.

The dudes spend this episode cutting it up with each other about Hank’s new Universal Audio Apollo Twin X and Mac, holiday geargift memories, buying fake IDs with your drugs, image listing tips from some oldheads, wholesome Facebook holiday swaps, and Craigslist shitposts.

Also discussed: free downloads from Native Instruments and Arturia, Pixar’s new movie Soul, Hank Buds 2020, getting schooled by grandpa about Hammond iPad organ apps, and our least favorite new Reverb feature.

What are blues?