Guitar Effects Pedal

Lots of guitarists are obsessed with stomp boxes which are another name for guitar effects pedals. You will tend to find that many guitar players have a least five or six pedals in their collection. A pedal board (a board usually made out of wood which houses a certain amount of pedals) is useful to keep your stomp boxes in order. They can be used in the practice room or on stage. A useful gadget that some musicians own is a zip up pedal mount which makes transporting and keeping your guitar effects pedals together much easier.
The focus of this article is analog effects but other kinds of effects are available including digital effects processors which are generally representations of analog effects. Guitar modeling as become much more popular in recent years and the technology itself as become much better in terms of sound quality and picking dynamics and response. Nowadays you might find that some amplifiers are built around amp modeling software and hardware whilst others have effects units built into them. The circuits in analog guitar effects pedals can be integrated into valve amplifiers and can, therefore, act as an extra overdrive channel. It is not uncommon for reverb (short for reverberation) to the built into amplifiers. Spring reverb can sound very natural whilst digital reverb in generally of lower quality. The discerning musician usually has a good ear for music and will be able to tell the difference whilst a newbie guitar player might not mind the lower quality alternative. Some stomp boxes have great reverb which can sound like the real thing. This can be extremely useful if your guitar amplifier did not come with spring reverb built in or as a particularly low quality sounding reverb or the wrong variety of reverb for the sound that you are trying to achieve.

The most popular types of guitar effects pedals are overdrive, distortion and delay. But the types of effects that are available are many including compressors, phasers, flanger, chorus and even an acoustic simulators.
Compressors can be used to even up your sound and add sustain.
Phasers and flangers are similar sounding modulation effects pedals. The flanger has a more pronounced sweep.
A chorus pedal can be used to add a full sound to your mix and is heard in many professional recordings.
An acoustic simulator can make your electric guitar represent similar tonal qualities to an acoustic guitar.

Why Do You Need a Bluetooth Speaker?

We all love to listen to music. However, at times, we might not enjoy music as much as we would love to. Consider owning one of those luxury headphones and using it to listen to music and compare it to listening to music in a different manner. Similarly, if you only have a laptop, you might not enjoy listening to music.
So, how can you listen to music in the best way?
Enjoying your music outside of your house used to be a messy situation involving extended speakers and lots and lots of cables. With the advent of technology, which brought to us the outdoor Bluetooth speakers, life has become so much easier! All our iPods, MP3 players, phones and laptops now come with a Bluetooth enabler, and it is just so much simpler to hook them all up to one good Bluetooth speaker for amazing music that we can pick at all our parties.
Whether it's a party on your patio, a late Sunday brunch you want to enjoy in the lawns, a barbecue shindig with a bunch of your closest friends, or even just a night under the stars with that special someone, you no longer have to worry about providing the perfect music for each occasion. And you don't even need an official DJ! Mix your own music according to your taste, create your playlists on your devices, and just connect them with your conveniently built, smart devices. The best part is, it doesn't even create a space crunch! Most of these devices are built to be smart, portable, small and neatly confined to very little space.

So you can just discreetly place these devices around your outdoor venue and connect them all to one source, and treat yourself and your guests to a varied selection of music that you can all enjoy without the added fuss of wires that someone could easily trip over. With these compact devices, not only can you enjoy outdoor events, but you can also relax to your playlist when on a camping trip, or even by the pool.
Worried that a battery powered device like a Bluetooth speaker might be damaged by its exposure to the elements? New Bluetooth speakers with waterproof ad weatherproof qualities are now available to cater to your every need; they are the most rugged speakers, and the most compact in size- you could just throw them in your rucksack when you decide to go off on a camping trip with your friends!

How Does HID Lighting Work?

HID, or high definition, lamps are typically required when high levels of light are needed to cover large areas. They are the lights you see at ballgames and theme parks, at stadiums and in gyms.
There is a high demand for HID lamps because of their efficiency on a wide scale and their ability to clearly cover huge areas. They come in several versions: mercury vapor lamps, metal halide lamps, and standard high-pressure sodium lights.
Mercury vapor lamps were the first commercially available high definition lamps (HID). They are swiftly becoming outdated by newer more efficient counterparts like high-pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps.
High-pressure sodium lamps generally emit a more yellowish light, but are available with whiter light. They are usually the most efficient, and thus most commonly used, type of HID light. Metal halide lamps produce a beautifully white, natural light, but are also less efficient.
How do HID lamps produce light?
High intensity discharge lamps produce light when the gases inside the fused alumina tube are heated to the point of evaporation. Tungsten electrodes are kept in the alumina tube, and when the metal elements begin to heat up, they strike the tungsten electrodes, creating an arc of light.
Similar to fluorescent lights, HID lamps need a ballast (a device used to start gas discharge in a lamp and limit the flow of electrical current) to even start producing heat. If they don't have the ballast, the reaction won't begin, and there won't be any light.

What are tungsten electrodes?
Tungsten is a chemical element that is known for its high melting point and robust physical characteristics. It is used widely in electrical applications like lighting because of these properties. It is a hard, non-alloy metal that ranges in color from steel gray to tin white. It is shaped, or "drawn" into the very thin metal wires you see inside a light bulb.
What applications are there for HID lamps?
There are numerous applications for HID. They are in high demand in areas that require lots of lights, like stadiums, football fields, warehouses, parking lots, roadways, sidewalks, and more.
However, they have come into habitual use in smaller areas as well, such as department stores, houses, indoor gardening, and a number of other applications. Because of their bright, natural light, HID lamps can also cause those extra bright headlights blinding you across the road.
They are such a powerful light source, in fact, that high definition lights have come into use on the airbus 380- super jumbo airplane.

An Introduction to Handbag Manufacturing

Where Do Handbags Come From?
Have you ever wondered where your designer handbag came from and what went in to making it? And how does a handbag go from an idea to a finished product and why do they cost so much?   Bringing a handbag or purse design to life is an involved process-and the higher the quality of the bag, the more thought goes into its creation. The process usually begins with a sketch; however before any drawings can move into production, the designer needs to consider the latest handbag trends to ensure that the finished product will fit into current styles, meet consumer demands and offer enough differentiation to make the bag unique from others on the market.
A skilled pattern maker will use the drawings to create a paper model or prototype of the bag and an official pattern that will be used to create the entire luxury handbag collection. But before the bags can be made, the materials and colors must be selected. For example, one handbag could come in several colors or types of leather, from soft, calfskin leather to ostrich. The silhouette plays an important role in selecting the type of leather; a structured shoulder bag should use a more durable and stiff leather while a hobo or slouchy handbag would use softer, more pliable leather.  After the materials are selected, a leather cutter will cut the leather for each handbag and prepare it for stitching. This is a delicate process that requires a skilled leather worker, which contributes to the cost of an authentic handbag. Each piece must be cut perfectly to correspond to the handbag pattern-only an experienced leather cutter will know how to best work with specific types of leather to ensure that the end result is perfect.

The next step in making a handbag is stitching. A banconista or assembler will recreate the paper handbag model from the leather cutouts. The leather is either hand-stitched or stitched with a sewing machine. This job requires the utmost craftsmanship to be able to stitch fine, straight seems on leather, in particular more rigid leathers-one wrong stitch would leave a permanent mark in the leather, ruining the entire piece.  The more details the handbag has-like hardware, and inner pockets-the more complicated the fabrication process. The final quality of a handbag is determined during this stage of the process. Any mistakes will affect how the bag looks and will hold up over time.  The next stage is the finishing. The bag will still look different than the prototype, as it is missing hardware, zippers or closures.  During this process, each handbag is inspected for defects and all hardware is added. The leather handbags are now ready for shipping. Each handbag is individually wrapped in a cloth bag ad shipped to the customer or boutique. 
Handbag Costs
As you can see, manufacturing an authentic handbag is a lengthy and involved process. The cost of a handbag is determined by:  

• The prestige of the brand
• Quality of materials used to make each handbag
• The experience of the leather artisans
• Production and facility costs

So the next time you're shopping for a new luxury handbag, you'll have a better understanding of what goes in to creating the finished product.

No Or Low Sound? How to Troubleshoot Your Guitar Rig in 7 Steps

Ever have one of those "DUH" moments? A time when the solution to a problem was staring you in the face, but you just couldn't see it?
After 30+ years as a gigging guitarist you would think that I could pretty much figure out the solution to nearly any equipment problem that arises on stage. In my years as a touring musician I had just about seen it all, and should know how to handle any issues or adversities almost as second nature - right?......Wrong!
My "DUH" moment started a few weeks ago on a gig. As we were playing a set I noticed that my guitar amp seemed to be losing power. The output had diminished to the point where I had to crank up the volume to almost double the normal level I play at just to be heard.
In my infinite wisdom as an experienced pro guitarist, I naturally assumed that the pre-amp tubes in my amp were going out and needed to be replaced, so the next day I ran out, bought some new ones and put them in. Problem solved...or so I thought.
Next gig comes along and I fire up my rig with confidence knowing I've got new pre-amp tubes and things are going to be great....Not!
Same problem, my signal was maybe half of the norm, and I was pushing the volume knob almost to 10 just to be heard!
Again, my highly enlightened powers of deduction told me that, since I had just replaced the pre-amp tubes in my amp, the problem must be with the power amp tubes, so I whip out the credit card and order a new set of matching bias 6L6's, just knowing that I will be back in business.
I slap in the new tubes, go to the next gig and hook everything up, only to find that the problem still exists. Almost no signal coming out of the amp.
With the gig scheduled to start in a few minutes I started to panic. But then, like an early morning ray of sun, a moment of clarity took over, and I resolved to go back to basics and troubleshoot the problem like I learned to do many years ago.
As I began the process of troubleshooting by reaching for cables to unplug, the problem jumped out and slapped me in the face. Looking down at my trusty Boss ME-50 multi-effects processor, I noticed that the "level" knob on the compressor section had been inadvertently turned down to almost zero!
I turned the knob back up to my normal playing level and...presto...problem solved!
In the blink of an eye, several weeks of frustration (and expense) were wiped clean and all was right in the world again.
And the sad part was, it could have all been avoided had I just initially done what I've always known I should have done. Take a deep breath, and a step back, and troubleshoot..."DUH"

If you're experiencing problems with your guitar rig - no sound, low sound, scratchy signal, unwanted distortion, etc. - here are some steps to tracking down the problem.
1. First of all, realize that there are many things that can cause a problem. Especially with a guitar rig that uses a number of effects pedals and processors. Never assume to instantly know where the problem is coming from to the exclusion of all the other possibilities.
2. Break the rig down to its lowest common denominator. Unplug all the pedals, cables and processors and just plug one cable from the guitar to the amp. If there is still a problem, or no sound at all, try another cable that you know works properly.
3. If the problem persists, you then know that the problem lies either with the amp, or the guitar. Try plugging the guitar into another amp, or a channel on the PA system to ensure that it is working properly. Conversely, try plugging another guitar into your amp to see if the amp is working properly.
4. If you get a good signal when plugging the guitar directly into the amp then you know that the problem lies somewhere in the signal chain of the pedals, cables and effects processors that are between the guitar and the amp.
5. Isolate each pedal or processor with cables that you know work, and try to determine which pedal might be causing the problem. It may be as simple as a bad battery in a pedal.
6. Check each cable in the chain to see if there is a loose solder connection or bad ground in one of them. Bad cables are one of the most common problems that arise in a guitar rig.
7. Put the rig back together one piece at a time and check the signal after each step. This will ensure that you will catch anything you may have missed initially.
At this point you should have narrowed down the problem and at least be able to isolate it before the gig starts. You may have to go forward without your favorite pedal, but at least the show can go on!
As a fairly experienced guitar player, I'm almost embarrassed to share my "DUH" moment with you. I've already taken a good amount of ribbing from my bandmates over it, so why invite any more abuse?
In the hopes that you'll never have to suffer the shame that I have!