“I was first drawn to Vox Amps as a kid through the music I loved -the Beatles, Queen, The Stones, etc. Gradually, I learned that most guitar players I admired had VOX in their mix of amps, almost always. When I began touring regularly in the early ‘80′s, AC30s were always one of the backline options and that’s really when I became a lover and user…I also got to test-drive a good many of them from old to new, which helped me learn what I really liked.

The AC30 is my favorite by far – a tone all its own, yet as versatile and living as the player playing through it! It fits anywhere you want it to fit and not limited to a style…I love that! The top boost is a go-to setting most of the time for me, I also love the Master Volume Bypass on the Hand-Wired Series. The AC30HWH is one of the most well-rounded amps ever! In my home studio, having the head in with me and the cab elsewhere is a charm…live, I can choose which cab to bring with me according to the need, be it a Blue or Green, day or night!

The AC15 is also a wonderful amp and still one of the best clean sounds around. It takes pedals extremely well! Honestly, you can use this amp most of the time and get most of what you’d need from it, and you can’t beat the size. I personally prefer it with the Alnico Blue.

I’ve found the Tonelab LE to be a great tool and have recorded with it a good bit. I love the convenience, user friendliness, and it really does sound good! It’s very well designed around most applications a player would need. I love the loop, allowing other effects to be inserted, and the assignable pedal (volume, wah, or other.) I’ve tried other similar units and put them all back in the box…this is one I truly use!

VOX is synonymous with good music and have progressed along with the times, making them just as relevant now as ever! Their willingness to listen and learn from players makes them a real friend to players, giving them some of the very best colors to paint with. VOX Rocks!

-Tom Lane

www.tomlanemusic.com

To learn more about VOX products visit www.voxamps.com

Are you responsible for setting up the sound at your portable church? Check this out. Start small and add components as needed for your growing congregation. From a simple 600 watt system for 50 people up to a 3600 watt system using the same components.HK Elements Demo English

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Recently my good friend Gary Zandstra and I were discussing the possibility of hosting a training event in his neighborhood of Grand Rapids MI. Out of this conversation we were discussing God’s laws. As you know  there are spiritual laws that when broken can lead us away from God and if followed to their end can result in spiritual death. When we break them , forgiveness is offered and can be applied and lead us to restoration, salvation, sanctification. There are also physical laws that the Lord has established. Gravity for instance is one of God’s established laws. If you try to break these laws it can result in physical death. Gary decided to expand the the idea into a post which can be found in his newsletter (which I subscribe to and suggest you do  as well) and on Pro Sound Web , a great resource for all who serve in technical ministries in your church.

This came in recently from a friend in Ohio, Gene Simonalle. I thought I would share his impressions of the Presonus Studio Live 24.4.2 Digital Mixer..Thanks Gene.

We’ve had an evaluation mixer from PreSonus at our church four weeks now.  It’s the Studio Live 24.4.2, a 24 channel digital mixer with 4 sub-groups and a stereo main out.  We’ve been researching replacements for our worn out Mackie 24-8 mixer that I compare to a vintage 1980’s 7 Series BMW.  The Studio Live is like a 2011 Toyota Prius. Read More

This post was given to me by my friend John O’Neal, who has been the FOH engineer for the Newsboys for almost a decade. They have just gone through some major personnel changes as you may know and what better time than to audition some new gear. I want you to read what he has to say about their new microphones from Audio-Technica.

My name is John O’Neal, and I am the FOH engineer for the Christian Pop/ Rock band, “Newsboys”.  I have been working with band for almost 9 years, and have done and seen just about everything that a touring engineer can see out there.  As I have been with the group for going on 9 years, the group has been going at it for over 20.  All that to say, we are pretty particular about sound, all the way from the Speakers and consoles, right down to the microphones in our workbox. Read More

One of the most frustrating things that we deal with as worship leaders or from behind the mixing console is working with vocalists who don’t know how to use  microphones. It is imperative that we as team leaders, worship or tech, take the time to instruct our team  how to use microphones effectively. Think of yourselves as the team trainer and reinforce good habits repeatedly.
Let’s start by looking at the types of microphones that we use most often:

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I had an epiphany this last week in Dallas at a little conference in Ft Worth TX called Kairos. Call it providential but do you know what this greek word means? In classical rhetoric, the opportune time and/or place, the right or appropriate time to say or do the right or appropriate thing. Adjective: kairotic.

As you may know I travel around the country teaching musicians and techs how to improve their skills as it applies to  our worship services. Those who are called to serve in worship or tech ministries, are for the most part volunteer and don’t occupy themselves full time in this vocation. As a result, we have many serving who don’t have real life experience or practice in running sound, lights video or even playing music proficiently. I am always trying to teach in layman’s terms but I find that even while trying my best to make it simple stupid, I oftentimes miss the mark.

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Have you ever attended a worship training event that had all the latest and greatest technology: digital consoles, line arrays, jumbo HD screens that rival the one in Cowboy land, lights that could have been used for the last Pink Floyd tour only to come away feeling depressed?

I know that we’re not supposed to be anxious about such things but amidst all the production quality it’s hard to go back to our little church with the speakers on sticks, overhead projector and fluorescent lights. I also know that we don’t need that stuff to worship. I know!

However, wouldn’t it be great if we could give an environmental lift to those who come to our meeting?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if everyone in our congregation could hear the Word and the music at the right volume, clearly and intelligibly and see the lyrics to sing along with?
Yes! It would!

But now I see I’ve depressed you again because you’re thinking.. “Our church of 100 members will never be able to afford such things .” or..”nobody in our church is technically adept enough to operate it” or…. any other reason you can come up with to be depressed.

Well, guess what? The time for depression is over. Hallelujah!
There have been recent technological developments that will rival the stuff you’ve seen and heard in the mega-church but are only a fraction of the cost. The difference would be the scale we’re on; much like your home theater system vs. a Regal Cinema experience.

We know that we can rival the experience of seeing a movie in a stadium-like environment in our own home theater right? We can also rival the experience of the big church production in our little tiny church in much the same way.

Digital Consoles which were expensive and difficult to operate are now within reach of any church, no matter how small and even if you’re an insurance salesman running sound on the weekend, you won’t have to go back to night school to learn how to use it. in fact, I dare say, the technology is getting so simple, that your Pastor may even be able to operate it. OK, maybe not.

Check it out:
Presonus Studio Live.

This thing can pretty much do all the things the big bad digital boards do for $2500MSRP.

Besides being able to fulfill all of your Front of House duties, it will also record everything coming into it onto a Mac/PC computer simultaneously through it’s Firewire interface and supplied recording software. Once done recording, you can bring the tracks back through the mixer using all the onboard dynamics, effects and eq to mix with on your own system… the band doesn’t have to be there anymore to fine tune your settings and your mix.

Tune in next time and we’ll show you some new speaker systems perfect for small environments, easy to set up and that can satisfy the most critical audio nerd.

Faith Comes By Hearing.