Fit snug, unlike my previous ones.
Notes:
Soldiering required (better that it is).
No instructions to assembly. You can find a simple overview on the manufacture’s website. Not too difficult to figure out.
Very tough to tighten down in the final step of assembly. There is a special tool for it but I was able to use a locking wrench to do it.
I bought a Canon 5D Mark II with the understanding that at some point, I’d like to take amazing HD footage. Awesome footage is made or ruined with sound quality, and I looked at multiple reviews online and at sites [...] and others, and the Rode Stereo VideoMic got good reviews for a “starter” microphone.
Being a photography buff, I figured that this would be good enough for me to get started with. I’m amazed at the sound quality and range that I get with the microphone. With the onboard mic from the 5D, I’d sometimes catch myself breathing heavily (which sucks to have good footage ruined by that.) With the Rode mic, it’s gone. The mic fits into the Canon’s hotshoe and plugs in just fine. The Rode mic also includes the awesomely named Dead Kitten, to block wind noise (Canon’s internal microphone is pretty good at picking it up.) I’m really surprised at how much it blocks. While shooting friends goofing off outdoors over the weekend, I got to shoot video with my point and shoot and the 5D + Rode rig. The point/shoot picked up more wind noise than my friends and the Rode mic didn’t pick up any of the wind.
I haven’t gotten a chance to do anything indepth, such as use Magic Lantern for the 5D Mark II so I can do things like manual gain control, look at on-screen audio and things of that nature. I bought this because I wanted a good stereo microphone without having aspirations of making the next big feature at Sundance. The fact that I can put the microphone on a boom pole and have it work well is just an added bonus (but then I’d have to bribe friends to hold it for me since I only have so many hands!)
I’m happy with it, and I generally dislike most electronics. That says a lot.
Doesn’t everyone have these in their bag? If you don’t, I urge you to consider a pair. You have no idea how handy these come at parties (portable music), in the car with your kids, grade school teachers, stress busters, you name it, they’re fabulous. As gifts they’ll love you for it. (Yes, even AFTER they look at you funny!) Trust me on this one.Basic Beat Egg Shaker
I bought this for use with my electronic drums & amp AFTER some friends had 238 volts go through their mixing board and monitors. Luckily, nothing was damaged.
I find the volt meter to be a help when first powering up before a gig to make sure there is adequate voltage on the circuit. The front mounted dimmable lights are a plus. If you need to know what your amperage is, just look at the tags on your connected equipment.
A great addition to your equipment, and at a very affordable price!
Kala Mahogany Soprano Ukulele w/binding
The Kala KA-S Ukulele (with binding, as shown here), is a decent starter ukulele for the young and young at heart. It is a decent starter ukulele if you want to learn and don’t want to break the piggy bank. This is a standard (soprano) size ukulele with little frills. However, it does not have the toy ukulele look or sound, and the binding around the body adds a bit of class to its appearance. It has geared tuners, not friction pegs. This makes tuning the ukulele a tad easier.
There is also a version without the binding, but for the same price Kala Mahogany Soprano Ukulele with No Binding.
Though the name implies it is made of mahogany, it is actually made of laminate nato, which is referred to as “eastern mahogany” and is often used in inexpensive guitars and ukuleles. However, don’t let the make fool you… this baby sounds impressive. I still play with a KA-S every now and then, and I use it as my beater uke. It’s not solid wood, and therefore does not have the solid wood sound. But it is still an impressive little instrument. I generally do not like to purchase music instruments online, but I would make an exception with these.
Kala production models tend to already have decent action (not too high or low), though some might complain the action is a bit high. It is easy enough to sand the saddle down to your preference. The nut is glued, but can come off with a bit of effort. Make sure you get the ones with Nylgut strings (Aquilla) and not the GHS, because it will make the ukulele sound so much better. If it comes with other strings, you can always change the strings (it’s quite easy). Also, keep in mind that the strings are usually nylon, and are prone to stretching, so don’t be surprised if it seems that it is off tune by a half step (or a whole step even) a few hours after tuning. Give it a week or two of having to retune every day (or in between every song, if you play a lot). After the strings are stretched out, it will generally stay in tune.
Comparing qualities and build, it is comparable to the Lanikai LU-21. There is little difference between the two, and for the price, the Lanikai is cheaper by ~ and eligible for Amazon Prime (free shipping!).
I’ve bought many piano instruction books over the years (mostly blues and jazz) and this is the best I’ve ever found. What I like best is that the musical tracks and lessons really sound like music (and gospel or worship music!), not lifeless drills. The author clearly writes from inside the genre — he’s not somebody with no feel for the music teaching a few simple elements to beginners. Most of the blues books, for example, will teach you elements of the style but never really sound like very good blues. Here, the musical tracks are really lovely. They efficiently illustrate a single musical idea but also are beautiful and expressive — prayerful,joyful,rollicking, triumphant, meditative, sad, moving etc.
The book moves swiftly but comprehensively through a series of simple musical ideas — many of which I haven’t seen expressed anywhere else. The lessons are not belabored and they are well organized. Each isolated idea is relatively simple and bite-size but usually very fruitful. If this were the whole book it would still be worth the prize. But the real bonus is the quality of the written musical examples with their audio tracks which illustrate each idea. They provide a vocabulary of nice rhythmic motifs, bass parts, melodic themes, grooves and styles which are very musical. The way the tracks are performed provides additional great instruction in gospel phrasing, dynamics, feel & timing etc.
I’m an intermediate player and although the book is only 80 pages, there’s a lot of material here. I’ve had the book about three weeks and I’m still exploring and working through the ideas in the first ten pages after the first chapter of recap explanatory material.
I hope the author keeps going writing additional books.
This is a rather handy device. I needed something that I could just quickly record some song demos and send to band mates over the web. It does as advertised and sounds surprisingly crisp. I am currently using the “mp3″ setting at 320 and the two built in mics. Have not tried a separate mic yet. I have recorded with “wav” but could not send a 3 minute song via e-mail attachment because it was “too big” of a file to send so I went back to “mp3″. Frankly, could not tell the difference in sound quality. Menu is easy to set, too. I attached the base of unit to a mini-tripod (camera) stand so it doesn’t tip over–that’s a really nice feature. Don’t know about battery usage yet–seems fine so far. Once hooked up to a computer you can “rename” your songs and that also shows up on the PalmTrack, too after you disconnect. The unit is very plastic-y and I don’t recommend dropping it! Best advice–get the little mini-tripod camera stand.
As an avid fan of Charles Mingus, naturally this book is a must have. The compositions featured are very accurate and precise, it is always a treat to not only be able to see the music, but to know its origins. Even those who are not fortunate enough to be a musician can pick up this book and enjoy the commentarys and the other fun tidbits(i.e the Mingus Cat-alog and the comic stip). I highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of Mr.Charles Mingus. Anybody (musician or not) can enjoy this product.
This book is technically accurate and somewhat entertaining for young students. Combined with other books at the same level you can maintain interesting and challenging lessons for the student.
|
|