by Joe Giese | May 10, 2017 | Live Sound, Musician, Studio Engineer
First off, let me stress two things: 1, everyone involved in music, music production, recording, theater, etc should get their hearing checked regularly. 2, wear earplugs any time you’re around loud stuff. Your life depends on it. Take a second before reading...
by Joe Giese | Jan 13, 2017 | Musician
No matter what you play, the actual instrument your hands are touching is usually the most important part. In my case with an electric guitar, it’s still the wood and strings I’m most picky about, but the amp comes in close second, with the pedals coming...
by Joe Giese | Jan 13, 2017 | Musician
I counted, and there are 12,485 companies that make guitar strings. Well, ok, not really. But there are a lot. And there’s a new player from Akron OH called S.I.T. (Stay in Tune?). I got a few sets of their acoustic strings, and snagged a set of electric...
by Joe Giese | Dec 15, 2016 | Musician
Let’s be honest. One of the perks of being an electric guitar player is getting to play with the thousands of cool guitar pedals out there. To me, it’s like candy. Except the candy is a pallet of inspiring sounds! Granted, my setup is ever changing, but...
by Joe Giese | Dec 15, 2016 | Musician
Here’s a fun little game to play with a fuzz pedal and an overdrive. Usually, most people like to stack overdrives in order of gain amount (i.e. low gain first, then medium, then blasting!!!!) Reversing this, with a fuzz is a cool alternative, and here’s...
by Joe Giese | Dec 13, 2016 | Live Sound, Studio Engineer
A very typical nugget of audio wisdom is to use those highpass filters. Use ’em everywhere! It’s even number one on my list of “3 simple tricks to a better mix” blog. But, like most things, it doesn’t come for free. Let’s get (semi) technical....
by Joe Giese | Nov 3, 2016 | Live Sound
It’s a rare occurrence that you get to mix in a really nice room. The world is full of sub-par venues (acoustically speaking). While the gear and know-how is definitely out there, and getting more affordable all the time, not many places take advantage of every...
by Joe Giese | Sep 5, 2016 | Live Sound
Every sound tech needs a backpack. You need a cool bag to leave fully packed and ready to go at a moment’s notice, and make it a habit to take it with you to every gig! My current backpack is a $25 Targus from Staples and has lasted me well over 6 years, and I...
by Joe Giese | Sep 4, 2016 | Live Sound
Touring as FOH engineer for Jeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels band is a wonderful experience! Not only are they great people, wonderfully talented musicians, and have great audiences, but from a mix standpoint the show is highly challenging and therefore highly...
by Joe Giese | Sep 3, 2016 | Live Sound
Here’s a nifty little trick that I use live all the time. I’m sure I’m not the inventor of this method, but what the heck, I’ll name it after myself anyway! This is basically parallel (New York) compression with a twist, so here’s a basic...
