ReviewUniqueSquared Pro Audio Blog

PRO AUDIO

Taylor
April 8, 2013

Roland SPD-30 Octapad and BT-1 Bar Trigger Pad Review

The last video in our series of Roland electronic drum videos has Trevor Root showing off the Roland SPD-30 Octapad and the Roland BT-1 Bar Trigger. The SPD-30 Octapad is similar but also very different when compared to the Roland SPD-SX. The looping features are similar but you get a lot more sounds inside the Octapad. The main difference between the two are that the SPD-SX is meant for loading in your own sounds, while the SPD-30 Octapad is loaded with tons of its own percussion and FX sounds. The BT-1 Bar Trigger pad is a simple trigger for either expanding your existing electronic drum or drum pad setup. It can also function as a simple solution for adding electronic elements to your existing drum kit. Here is our review of both the Roland SPD-30 Octapad and the Roland BT-1 Bar Trigger Pad.

Roland SPD-30 Octapad

Things We Liked

The first …

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Taylor
April 2, 2013

Roland SPD-SX Sampling Pad Review

Its been close to a decade since we last saw a sampling pad from Roland with the SPD-S. The latest version in this sampling pad line, the Roland SPD-SX, is the combination of features from Roland’s own engineers as well as those requested by the public in terms of what they wanted to see on a sampling pad. Sampling pads are nothing new in the world of digital based percussion but with new crops of rock bands and electronic music makers using them in live scenarios, more and more drummers are starting to utilize the expansive technology within pad triggered sampling devices. For drummers looking to expand their pallet, this is a great tool which you can completely customize so you can leave the laptop at home.

So maybe you’re a DJ looking to add more dynamics to your live set, or maybe you’re a drummer who wants to …

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Paul
January 11, 2013

Arturia MiniBrute Overview

If you read much about the Arturia MiniBrute in synth forums, you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone outside of the most absurdly elitist of synth snobs saying anything bad about it. While it is their first foray into proper analog hardware, Arturia have brought into the world a tough little synth with features not often aligned with the price point of the MiniBrute. They have been hard to get ahold of, but I finally picked up one during the brief second we had them in stock.

One of the nicer features that I don’t really touch on during this brief overview video is the aftertouch. While I mention it in passing, I don’t go on and on about just how rad aftertouch on an affordable analog synth is. So let me do it here: OMG YOU GUYS!!!! AFTERTOUCH!!!!

That said, it really is quite a nice option to have …

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MOBILE STUDIO

Taylor
December 27, 2012

Moog Factory Tour: Etherwave Theremin

In this part of our Moog Factory Tour series, Jim Debardi explores the history of the theremin and its relation to Moog Music Inc. The theremin is not only the oldest electronic instrument, but it’s also the instrument that laid the groundwork for Bob Moog’s legacy with electronic instruments and synthesizers. Be sure to check out our Moog Factory Tour Introduction and be on the lookout for the remaining parts of this series.

Just like in our last post, we will use this post to give you the latest news from Moog Music Inc. On the heels of the release of the Animoog V2 iPad App comes the incorporation of the Grateful Dead Expansion Pack. This pack takes the sounds from the Grateful Dead’s Feb. 14th 1968 performance at the Carousel Ballroom and turns it into a pack that features 82 presets and 45 timbres for use within the …

PRO AUDIO

MOBILE STUDIO

Taylor
December 20, 2012

Moog Factory Tour: An Introduction

While at Moogfest 2012 we were fortunate enough to have Orbital and Chad Hugo demo the sounds they created for the new all white Moog Slim Phatty. We also got an exclusive demonstration of using control voltage with the Moog Minitaur and a selection of Moogerfooger pedals. Even after the amazing shows at Moogfest we still wanted more Moog so we asked Jim Debardi to take us on a tour of the Moog Factory to show us how they make their instruments, the history behind Bob Moog and the factory, and a sneak peek into the new technologies they are designing.

In our introductory video Jim gives us a brief history of Bob Moog while also providing some infromation as to how the inner workings of the factory function. All Moog products are hand made (with the exception of the t-shirts, hats, and knick-knacks we couldn’t leave Asheville without) …