The crew down at Hillsong Church in Australia has done an incredible job pulling together some amazing resources for the songs on their new record, God Is Able. Checkout the new video tools that they have created to teach the lead guitar parts for each song on God Is Able! 

Do you like the way your acoustic guitar sounds but hate the way it translates through the PA?  We have been looking for better acoustic guitar pickups to resolve the prevailing issue of thin fake sounding guitars.

We recently went into the studio to compare the LR Baggs Anthem systems with older acoustic pickup systems.  The first comparison was between the LR Baggs Ribbon Transducer, which was LR Bagg’s older flagship pickup, and the new Anthem system.  The guitar used in this comparison was a rosewood and spruce Morgan.

Older LR Baggs Ribbon Transducer

New LR Baggs Anthem System

The second comparison was between an older Fishman under saddle pickup and the LR Baggs Anthem SL.  (The Anthem SL has the same components as the full Anthem without the blend control, phase switch, and battery check on the cotroller).  The guitar used in this comparison was a 1970s rosewood and spruce Guild.

Older Fishman Pickup

New LR Baggs Anthem SL System 

Both comparisons proved the LR Baggs Anthem system is a new generation of acoustic guitar pickups designed to deliver clearer more realistic acoustic guitar sound. These pickups sell for $299 and $199 respectively at Musician's Friend, and are an amazing value for such a significant upgrade to your acoustic guitar sound when leading worship.

Anthem System Details:
The mic is mounted to the bridge plate inside of the guitar to capture the majority of the guitar's tones.  The mic is much more feedback resistant than traditional acoustic guitar mic pickups. LR Baggs uses the Element Under Saddle Pickup to capture the lowest frequencies. The controller for the Anthem is mounted in the sound hole and has volume, mic/pickup blend, phase switch, as well as a battery check.  For more information and tech specs please check out their website! 

 

If you haven't seen this great video from North Point Chuch in Atlanta this past Sunday head over and take a look. They used multiple iPads and iPhones to put together a medley of Christmas carols to open their services.

We got our hands on two great guitars from Taylor a few weeks ago and were able to review them in the Tech Cafe. The were a lot of similarities between the 414ce and the 614ce, which are priced a little more than $1000 apart. But what we were after was what unique features and characteristics each guitar possessed.

We hope you'll come watch our video review in the Tech Cafe! If your interested in one of these great guitars go checkout the 414ce and 614ce at MusiciansFriend.

This is a new favorite of ours and should be for any songwriter, musician, podcaster or videographer. Right out of the box we were very impressed with the construction and stand for the Yeti. It is extremely solid and looks amazing. There are more tools on the Yeti than are on Blue’s well loved USB Snowball. It boasts new functions and sound capabilities.

To start the Yeti is a multi-pattern USB microphone. It combines 3 capsules and four switchable pattern settings which make it useful for recording in stereo, recording a single vocal or instrument or capturing an entire room of sound. There is a built-in headphone amplifier which provides zero-latency monitoring and volume control for monitoring purposes. There is also an instant mute which is useful during playback or if you are using monitors other than headphones. Another new feature is the microphone gain located on the back of Yeti. This gives the Yeti a flexible gain structure. It works like a microphone preamp rather than forcing you to adjust it with software. Having headphone controls and mic gain controls make the Yeti operate like an audio interface for your computer.

There is one major similarity to the Snowball, there are no drivers to install! Simply plug the Yeti into your PC or Mac, load up your favorite recording software, and start recording. Right away Garageband loaded the Yeti and we were setup to record and play back. One of the best parts of this mic is it lists for only $150. Even better than that is that we've got it in our Amazon store for only $100.98, which is so low you've got to add it to your cart to see the price. There is no better deal in recording. The Yeti is an amazing recording tool!

Be sure to checkout our video review in the Tech Cafe - then grab a Yeti for a $100.98 before they're gone at this price!

Any Electric guitar player will tell you that you can only squeeze the best possible tone out of your amp when the volume is cranked.  You’ll end up with a much punchier and more responsive sound when you do. Sadly this isn’t always viable option for everyone. 

As guitar players, I think we’re all aware of the age-old battle of stage volume vs. sound guy. This is especially true at churches.  The average church-goer is simply not used to the amount of rock a cranked AC30 brings.   Think of the blue haired lady in the front row of your 8:00 AM service.  She won’t take kindly to getting blasted in the face with a shredding guitar solo, even if you do sound just like The Edge.

What if there was a way to make both you the guitarist and the sound man happy that didn’t involve a ton of cash or a sacrifice in tone?  Enter Reason Amps.  Reason is a small shop amp company out of St. Louis, MO that really cares about tone and quality and they have recently introduced the Reason Bambino, an 8W amp that is the perfect church amp.

Why is this the perfect church amp?  Historically, there haven’t been many great amps under $1000, much less amps that are versatile and won’t make your ears bleed.  The Bambino has all that.  Powered by an NOS set of 6AQ5s and 3 12AX7s in the preamp, this is an all tube monster in a small package.  With what are essentially three channels, the Bambino gives you a multitude of vintage voicings allowing you to take on anything the modern worship scene throws at you.

So it sounds good, what else?  The amp is portable and incredibly light-weight.  We tried out the head and cab and both can easily be carried in one hand.  Additionally, not only is the amp 8 watts and switchable down to 2 watts, you can run silently via the amps direct out.  The direct out is like none I’ve ever seen before because it simulates the frequency response of a speaker and totally hits the mark.

Check out our rundown of the Bambino below in the Tech Cafe!

If you’re interested in buying a Bambino of your own, check out the Reason website or email them at info@reasonamps.com.

It has been a long time since a new competitor showed up in the live mic venue.  For the last 30 years the market has been dominated by the Shure SM58.  Recently Blue decided they wanted to challenge the status quo.  With Blue’s innovation and design in the studio, they have the tools they need to build a quality live mic.  The question is whether the enCORE delivers.

To build a great live mic it has to have quality sound, price, and robustness all summed into one product.  The enCORE is definitely robust.  It is heavier than the SM 58 and feels like a tank.  The mesh grill is very strong.  I guess only time will tell if it will last 30 years of being dropped and mouthed by countless people.  One definite is the price is great.  The enCORE 100 sells for $99 and the enCORE 200 sells for $149. With quality build and price both wins in my book, the big question is how does it sound?

We wanted you to hear the enCORE 100 and 200 next to the SM 58 and Beta 58 so we recorded vocals with all 4 microphones and put them back to back.

Click the links below to listen to full audio recording for each mic...

Blue Encore 200

Blue Encore 100

Shure SM 58

Shure Beta 58

Since the enCORE 200 was my favorite mic of the bunch, I wanted to highlight what makes it unique.  The 200 is an active dynamic meaning it requires phantom power.  The reason is because it has a transformer on the output.  This gives the mic a more “condenser” like quality.  The enCORE 200 is brighter and more detailed than the Shure microphones.  Beyond the recorded test we used the enCOREs in a couple church services as well as an artist showcase.  From the services I felt the enCORE 200 kept better presence and detail as the vocalist distanced themselves from the mic.   The 200 also cut through the mix better than a SM 58.  My church just built a 1400 seat sanctuary in a warehouse with concrete floors.  This is a very hostile sound environment.  Gaining vocal clarity without having to raise volume is extremely important.  The 200 definitely delivered.

One concern of mine was that with the added brightness and response there would be potential for excessive feedback.  We did a feedback test with a Beta 58 and the 2 enCOREs both rang equal or less than the Beta 58.

Blue has announced they will add an enCORE 300 to the lineup which will be a condenser microphone.  It will sell for $200 which is very exciting since my favorite live condenser (Neumann KMS 105) sells for $500.  We will definitely be adding it to this comparison in the future. 

I am a big fan of the enCORE line and think they are a fantastic newcomer to the live microphone venue.  Any microphone that can make the live music and worship experience better is a beautiful thing.

Special Offer from Blue and Musician's Friend
Add a Blue product to your Musician's Friend cart, use the Coupon Code BLUE in Secure Checkout and receive 10% off your order (normal shipping and tax charges apply). Coupon code valid from Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, through Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009 on purchases at www.musiciansfriend.com only and cannot be combined with other discounts.

Go give yourself and enCORE!

As worship leaders, many times the responsibility of purchasing sound and lighting equipment with the church budget falls upon us. Church music has become a major target audience for most gear manufactures and is a growing market while other markets are shrinking. 

Churches are becoming much more tech savvy and in some cases have worship rooms rivaling the best music venues in the country.   

As pastors and stewards of God's resources, it is our responsibility to make "God inspired" decisions on spending church money. So I thought the following guidelines might prove helpful when you get ready to make that next A/V purchase:

1. Do your research. Getting good advice is a huge part of making a smart purchase. Read information on-line. Visit other churches and see what they are using. A sound or lighting consultant is well worth the cost.

2. Make a positives/negatives list for each product. This makes it easier to compare products, especially complex products like a front of house mixer or a lighting package.

3. Target upper mid-line versus top of the line. There is diminishing return on products once they reach a certain price point. For example, a Shure SM58 is a great mid-line mic for about $100 and most of your congregations would tell a big difference over a $29 mic. However, the average person could not tell the difference between the SM58 and a mic costing twice as much. There is a diminishing return. The following chart represents this fact:

  

There are some exceptions to this, especially churches that double as a concert venue or if the ministry is tech driven to achieve its ministry goals. But for most churches, you can waste a chunk of precious church funds on high end gear that no one will appreciate other than your musicians and the person that sold it to you.

4. Leave room for growth. It doesn't save money to buy a 16 channel mixer if you will need 24 channels within a couple of years. The cost difference to move up is usually way less than trying to re-sell and buy again.

5. Buy used when possible. There are really good deals out there on "experienced" gear. I especially recommend this for items that have a long life such as mics, lighting, amps, guitars, drums and rack gear.

Remember, to be as frugal as possible. Every dollar you save could be a real blessing to someone in your church that is sick or hurting financially. Blessings!

Right now, for a limited time only, Musician’s Friend is offering the White version of the Shure SCL3 In-Ear Headphones for the incredibly low price of $59. Normally priced at $149, this is an incredible deal that you shouldn’t let pass you by. We’ve used these ourselves and can assure you there is no other set of in-ears that will give you this level of sound at this price!

The Shure SCL3 Sound Isolating Earphones are designed to offer the demanding audio monitoring quality required for live performance. With a sleek, low profile design, the SCL3 earbuds combines WideBand MicroDriver technology and incredible sound isolation for detailed highs and enhanced bass across an extended frequency range.

Head on over to Musician’s Friend and get yours today! 

Want to turn your office or bedroom into a studio for $100?  Blue Microphones has developed a USB condenser microphone that is an all-in-one solution for a number of applications.  The mic is called the Snowball.  We got a couple of these for our studio here at the office.  The intent was to provide them for our writers so they could create quick demos in their writing sessions. Immediately, I realized how useful these little mics could be. They are so simple, and the cool factor is a 10!

Gunk & Gutie Gear Review: Blue Snowball USB Mic from Worship Together on Vimeo.

Listen to a demo of Matt Maher's "Lay It Down" that we made in 10 minutes using the Snowball:

How It Works
To start, there are no drivers or software to install. It is a true plug and play product.  Second, this is a studio grade condenser microphone.  The quality is far beyond anything else in this price range, costing just $100.  Third, there is nothing else to buy.  There are no XLR cables and no interface. Everything you need comes in the box.  The Snowball even comes with a sweet little desktop mic stand.

If you are a Mac user, plug in the USB cable, open up Garageband, and create a new “real instrument” track. Then go to preferences/Audio-midi, and select the Snowball as your audio input. That’s it; you are ready to go.  If you are a PC user, just plug in the USB cable, choose the Snowball as your sound recording device in the control panel, and open up your audio software of choice.

Potential uses for the Snowball
I would imagine a lot of you are worship leaders that have either written, or thought about writing songs.  You can use this mic to create quality recordings of your songs to burn to a CD or record ideas and melodies that are being developed.  My wife plays piano and sings, but she has trouble finishing songs simply because of time and unfinished lyrics.  While I have my studio set up in the next room, I don’t want to record her songs until they are finished.  Last night, I handed her the laptop and the Snowball and told her to demo her ideas.  At the end of the evening, she had 3 great sounding demos.  I can see the Snowball being used for a number of church applications as well.  It is perfect for podcasts, video voice-overs (for all those low budget church videos), as well as simply recording church services.

Get the Snowball, Recording Software & Headphones for $99
Now through the holidays Costco Online is offering the Snowball, Mackie Tracktion 3 Recording Software (a $100 value) and Koss UR40 headphones all for just $99! This deal won’t last forever.  It’s a $240 value, so we encourage you to go get it today!