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Orange Rockverb 50 MKI

Hey there handsome!  Guess what time it is!  That’s right, it’s time for yet another installment of our Nashville Recording Studio’s never-ending series BEHIND THE GEAR!!!  What could we possibly have in store for you in today’s episode?  Why, it’s only one of the most used guitar amplifiers in rock n’ roll history; the Orange Rockverb 50 MKI guitar amplifier!  Nashville Recording Studio orange

What tone are you looking for for that awesome new track your working on?  Do you need a harmonically enriched, clean tone, or do you need some extreme crunch that would make Jimmy Page shed a tear of joy?  Well back in 1968, Cliff Cooper gave the world a gift when he founded Orange Amplifiers during the final leg of the swingin’ 60s.  What made these amplifiers an instant hit with guitar players around London was that Cooper developed his first amplifiers based around the needs and wants of actual guitar players.  Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green and Free’s Paul Kossoff both plugged into the earliest Orange amplifier models and their opinions practically shaped the design of the amp’s circuit board.Peter Green & his Orange Amplifier  The unique tones combined with the instantly recognizable orange enclosures, and Peter Green’s onstage use skyrocketed these amplifiers popularity.  By 1969, musicians like Jimmy Page, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown converted.  Orange amplifiers then shaped the sound of the 1970’s and are clearly still one of the most popular amplifiers used today. 

So let’s dive a little into the specs of our Orange MKI, 50-watt amp head.  It is an all tube amp with two channel selection (clean and dirty).  As you can see from the photo above the Dirty Channel has a three-band EQ, while the Clean Channel only has bass and treble.  The reverb knob controls the amount of verb in both channels.  Each channel has its own volume control, but the Dirty Channel also has the classic Orange Gain control that can give you that famous crunch.  For a full view of the specs you can check out Orange’s owner’s manual here.Nashville Recording Studio guitars

Thanks for tuning in to Behind The Gear.  We hope you’ll check out the rest of our blog.  And hey!  Don’t be a stranger.  Follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!

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Preamplifier: Avalon VT-737

We have a tasty treat for y’all in today’s installment of our Nashville Recording Studio‘s series Behind The Gear!!!  The Avalon Vacuum Tube 373 preamplifier, the world’s first Direct Recording Channel, is hands down one the greatest Microphone Pre-amps to have ever graced the walls of a recording studio.  Everyone who is anyone in the recording biz – like Abbey Road Studios, Prince’s Paisley Park, and Walt Disney Imagineering, just to name a few – have used this preamplifier to record hit after hit.  This preamplifier can make any voice or instrument sound absolutely unremarkable.  Here, at the Record Shop, the AD VT-737 has done just that time and time again.   Sound Engineer Rick Camp & his AD VT-737 preamplifier

Avalon has been known for making fantastic Microphone Pre-Amplifiers since its founding by Wynton R. Morro.  The company proudly boasts that each of its products, “…utilize 100% discrete, high-bias pure Class A audio amplifiers. These pure Class A amplifiers are incorporated into minimal signal path designs which include sealed silver relays, balanced DC coupled high-current “outside-world” drivers, fully discrete linear DC regulators, low noise toroidal power transformers and selected high quality active and passive components.”  In our Nashville recording studio, we love using this beast to get that classic, warm tube sound when tracking, especially on bass and vocals.  It has come to a consensus that female vocals are probably our favorite thing to run through with this preamplifier.  Personally, day dream about how heavenly the world would sound if every persons’ voice was put through the 737.A Front view of the Avalon VT 737 preamplifier

What’s so special about it already!?!?

Okay, okay, sheesh.  This baby packs a punch into your recordings using a combination tube preamplifiers, opto-compressor, sweep equalizer, output level and VU metering.  It has three, count them 1-2-3, different input selections; 1) a microphone input transformer with +48v phantom power, 2) an instrument DI input with jack on front panel, and 3) a balanced line input. The opto-compressor has amazing dynamic range.  You can obtain everything from soft compression to hard knee limiting with the threshold, ratio-compression, attack and release controls. The 4-band EQ control on this guy is bananas. You can also enhance mid bands with the X10 frequency multipliers.  The multipliers ever-so-sweetly enhance the high and low ends too!  One of our favorite features are the high-voltage circuits inside of the 737.  They reduce the amount of noise tremendously (-92dB) and leave you with ample headroom (up to +30dB).  Rear View Panel of Avalon VT 737 PreamplifierYou can go here to see ALL the specs & features of this incredible piece of machinery.

Thanks for checking out this segment of Behind The Gear!  If you’re interested in learning more about the rest of the gear at The Record Shop click here to view out complete gear list!  Don’t be a stranger; you can follow and chat with us on Twitter @therecordshop!

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Luke James wins Just Let Me Sing! contest and a session at The Record Shop

Luke James from JustLetMeSing.com

Charlotte, NC (PRWEB) April 11, 2011

Luke James from Bowling Green, OH has been named the winner of JustLetMeSing.com’s worldwide singing contest. To win, Luke beat out over 600 other contestants and made it through nine rounds of elimination singing a variety of cover songs and originals. The contestant search began in July 2010 and garnered entries from 48 U.S. states and 45 countries. Contestants uploaded videos and the public was invited to vote for their favorites at JustLetMeSing.com.

Luke received 154,000 votes to edge out the bluesy runner up, Anna McReynolds from Nashville, TN. The competition also had a parody category which was won by Tim Baggett of Newport News, VA. His finale video was a comical take on Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” called “We Didn’t Read the Label”.

While he was never into music while growing up, Luke finally picked up a guitar at age 18 and hasn’t stopped since. In 2009 and 2010 he made it to the Hollywood round of American Idol. After just missing the top 24 both times Luke decided to pursue a career in music and has been performing shows across the country.

Luke created his own videos, each with its own artistic flair. One of his more popular videos featured him singing Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” with over 30 wardrobe changes during the four minute song. Another is his original “We Fall” which showcases him playing guitar with broken strings in a suit and tennis shoes under a tree in the middle of winter.

As the winner, Luke receives the opportunity to record his own single at The Record Shop in Nashville, TN. He will also be performing on Balcony TV Nashville which is shot at The Hard Rock Café. Luke also receives a Virtual Radio Tour valued at $5,000, which exposes his music to radio stations across the country.

Season two of Just Let Me Sing will feature microsites hosted by local media partners in the U.S. and Canada. The site is integrated into Facebook and Twitter to increase the viral spread of the best videos. Anyone interested in becoming a microsite partner or contacting the artists please see below.

Contact Information:
Company: Just Let Me Sing, LLC
Web: https://www.JustLetMeSing.com

Sponsors:
CMC Promotions: https://www.CMCPromotions.com
The Record Shop: https://therecordshopnashville.com
Balcony TV: https://www.BalconyTV.com

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