We, at Professional Sound and Music, are proud and pleased to have been chosen again, by The Music Trades, as one of the Top 200 Music Product Retailers in America. It is wonderful to be recognized by a leading journal of the music industry for our service to the great sound and music makers who are our valued customers. Much thanks go to our customers and the music equipment companies, who have trusted us with their business.

JPapa was the original (and only) owner of these babies, and Lenny, in our service department, as requested, carefully reconed, re-diaphragmed and restored the components to their factory-new performance with original JBL parts. They were ultimately, lovingly, re-installed in the new soffits of the new home of Soundtrax (and complemented with Genelec 8030APM’s as “B” monitors).

Then, the fun really began: restoration of the ARP2600, the addition of an Anniversary MiniMoog Voyager (Signature Model – in a lovely, Maple hardwood case), and a new Korg Kronos 73.

(note the original film cel copy of Daffy Duck asking for “SOUND PLEASE!”)

Then came the certification and re-commissioning of the vintage AKG BX10 spring reverb, the beautiful wreck that is the original EchoPlex Ep-1, the Marshall Time Modulator and the original DBX 160 compressors. Add in two new Avalon VT737′s, a rack o’ 500 modules, all feeding to a shiny new MacPro with DigiDesign ProTools 10 HDX rig with Apogee Symphony 16X16, controlled by a C24 surface in a new Omnirax desk, and you start to get the idea.

Along the way, new Redco TT Patchbays and all-new TGS (the good stuff) cabling were fabricated and supplied.

Then the Ampex 16 track and 2 track tapes were brought to bay (as was JP…).

Telefunken (AR-51) mics, Blue mics, and Royer mics (among others) were added to the mic (formerly, gun!) locker.

JP created the “BRIGHT” room from original 70′s cedar panels,

…and the “quiet” room (with the Neumann M49),

…and the “dead” wall at the back of the control room- made as 2 feet thick sound-absorbing material, to “kill” the back wall and make the control sound and feel much bigger than the actual space permitted.

Not to forget the “Fritz” (Neumann KU-100 “dummy head” microphones) to be used as overheads and all over the place for glorious stereo-source recording (perfect stereo phase coherence and Neumann stellar quality detail, as always…).

Have questions about our installation, restoration or music production gear in general? Contact us here, or come by and say hi if you are in San Diego!

Mopho X4 Keyboard Synthesizer from Dave Smith Instruments
Price: $1,299
Double warranty! Free shipping in the lower 48 states

King of synth, Dave Smith, has introduced the Mopho x4 Keyboard Synthesizer that builds upon the lauded, award-winning voice architecture of the Mopho and Mopho Keyboard. In this evolved polyphonic design, the board is stretched out to 44 keys with three additional voices added, each composed of two analog oscillators. Given its 100 percent analog signal path, the result equates to a quadruple sonic powerhouse used for creating maniacal sequences, big thunderous basses and searing leads.

Augmenting their sensational output, the voices also contain two sub-octave generators and selectable 2 or 4-pole Curtis low-pass filters that have become signature attributes in units by Dave Smith Instruments.

The voices in Mopho x4 also boast:

• Three 5-stage envelope generators
• Four LFOs
• A re-latch arpeggiator
• And a 16 x 4 step sequencer.

Add to the scheme 20 modulation sources and nearly 50 destinations, and you end up with a dynamic and versatile synthesizer that you won’t find anywhere else.

The highly portable Mopho x4 is an expandable creature via its Poly Chain port, from which Mopho, Tetra and Prophet ’08 can all be used to increase voice count. Or when bigger means better, you can connect Mopho x4 to three Tetras for striking up a 16-voice analog super synth.

Every parameter of the new Mopho x4 is fully programmable and edit-friendly from the front panel, where a plethora of knobs and switches also reside for allowing you to easily enhance, manipulate or beautifully distend the sounds. Amateurs and pro-players alike can feast on the unit’s powerful functionality while gliding through presets and tapping along the semi-weighted, velocity-sensitive keyboard.

Watch Dave as he demos some magic of the Mopho x4:

Soundtower.com will soon provide a free, downloadable LE editor to edit and view the sounds while building and layering additional sequences.

Dave Smith’s pioneering circuitry is designed and manufactured in San Francisco — it always has been since he launched the company in the late 70s and introduced the world’s first microprocessor-based musical instrument, the Prophet-5. He was a key force behind the Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) specification in 1981, thus becoming known as “the father of MIDI” while being held in high esteem by musicians worldwide for his continued innovations in music synthesis.

Place your pre-order for the Mopho x4 Keyboard Synthesizer from ProSound today . We will have them in stock very soon!

The group became well-received in Indiana for their little acid-country-jazz-rock music, and eventually, after becoming a big fish in a very small pond, they set out for the big time of California.

Touring their way West in an old school bus, they eventually landed in San Diego, where they thought they had a gig at Dick’s-at-the-Beach, only to be told upon arriving, “Naw, never heard of you guys, there’s a nine-piece horn band from Chicago playing here tonight.”

Bandanna broke up, leaving John Baker (vocals, sax and slide-guitar), Jeff Grogg (drums), Ed Eastwood (guitar) and Mike Krewitsky (keys) here in San Diego’s paradise of palm trees, beautiful weather, girls in bikinis and fish tacos.

Shortly afterwards they teamed up with Ed’s brother, Tom Eastwood on bass, and formed the first version of Actual Size. There is one rare recording (unreleased) called 6 by 5 out there. Later, after much battering by life, Actual Size reformed with John, Jeff and Mike and Steve Burgess (guitar) and Reid Webb (bass). In 1979, bands practiced a lot, and Actual Size, following that path, started to sound pretty reasonable.

About half past 1980, Mike and Jeff, as a fledgling version of ProSound, landed the gig to supply and outfit the young Belly Up Tavern with sound treatment, sound system, and the most fun of all, a recording studio behind the stage based on a new Otari 8-track 1/2″ tape recorder.

Actual Size’s collection of eight songs represents, probably, the first recording done at the Belly Up, with Tim Schaeffer at the board. Shortly after, the band died from many of the usual stupidities that came with being in a band around that time — lack of communication between band members, giant egos, no money and lack of realistic record-company interest mixed in with generous helpings of girls, drugs, day jobs, babies and overall dumbness.

Below is a batch of original, never-released songs by Actual Size (the 1980 version) from that night at the Belly Up, all performed live and called ‘As Shown.’ Their original recordings were a bit questionable in quality by today’s standards, but the gig’s performance was fun and club-worthy.

Fast forward to 2012 — and guess what? Music technology has improved and we now have tools to make these recordings sound much better with noise-reduction equipment like Waves Restoration and iZotope RX2 plus mastering tools like Waves Masters and iZotope Ozone 5 and the wonderful Waves Vintage Aural Exciter to put back the sparkle and bang that time left out.

These MP3 versions have been carefully prepared (July 2012) using Apple’s guidelines ‘Mastered for iTunes.’

Shoeshine Boy
Thunder and Lightning
Video Queen
The Wave
Crush on Chromium
1957
Dancing in the Darkness
Recharge on My Soul

Enjoy! And let us know what you think. Also, if anybody cares, we can maybe dig up a copy of 6 by 5 and scrub it up, master it and post it here. It took only 32 years after all. Thanks for listening!

Bands and musicians seek her out for gaining exposure while fans of country-rock embrace the driving vocals she injects into her own catalog of songs. Meet singer- songwriter and talent impresario Cathryn Beeks, known widely as the host of  The Homegrown Hour, which airs at 8 p.m. on Sundays on 102.1 KPRI radio.

Cathryn is also the founder of ListenLocalSD.com, a website that cheers on a melting pot of solo artists and bands and the venues in which they perform. ProSound caught up with the busy artist as she encroaches on yet a couple new endeavors that include a new, five-member band named Garbo, scheduled to perform in a free concert at 8:30 p.m., July 17, at House of Blues in San Diego.

What are your criteria for picking and choosing musicians for your radio show?

As long as they’re playing somewhere in San Diego, I’ll play their music to promote their shows. As for ListenLocalSD.com, anyone’s welcome to play in our showcases, but they also have to be playing here in town for me to feature them.

You recently launched ‘Studio Sampler.’ What is it?

It’s a neat thing for anyone who is shopping for a producer in San Diego. The site now has 20 songs that 16 different producers put their marks on. It’s a nice way to hear musicians before and after the producers donated time to their music. The idea has always been rattling around in my head since I came to San Diego in 1999. It’s all digital and still kind of fresh.

Tell us about your new band Garbo. What does the name signify?

We formed Garbo in January of this year. It’s basically the members of the Cathryn Beeks Ordeal with the addition of producer Jeff Berkley of Berkley Hart. It’s all new tunes with the rock intensity of The Black Crows and Led Zeppelin. We’re releasing tracks a little at a time over the next six months. When we were forming the band, our drummer Rob Garbowski was diagnosed with cancer, so in his ongoing battle, we named the band after him.

What is your role in the band?

I play percussion, but no guitar. We’re all part of the writing process, and we all sing except for Rob.

Your voice has been compared to Bonnie Raitt. Would you agree?

I’ve heard that before and take it as a huge compliment. People have a hard time pinning me down since my influences started with The Judds and Melissa Etheridge and then I started getting into rock bands – and I listened to country music growing up on Lancaster, CA.

How does the music of Garbo differ from your previous works?

This feels like a whole new genre for me. Matt Silva and Jeff Berkley are coming up with some interesting licks – unique, syncopated funky stuff. In my CD, Mood Swing, every song sounds a little different because my band was on hiatus at the time, so I used my favorite players and backup singers. And for Desert Music, those are songs that I had been singing for years…my best hits if you will.

Cathryn and her husband, sound man Jon Edwards, have purchased mixers, amplifiers and microphones from ProSound, where they have also had dozens of repairs and service jobs performed over the years. Also, Cathryn recorded at Berkley Sound, which was built, supplied and supported by ProSound.

Call it a case of early musical repression that led Josh Damigo into becoming a heartfelt acoustic singer/songwriter with numerous awards under his belt. While starting piano lessons in the second grade, Josh’s fundamental Baptist parents allowed him to listen only to “safe music” on an oldies station. Marching bands were OK, too, although music by The Doors, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, for example, were forbidden.

“Their music was considered risque,” he says. “I’d have to switch stations real fast so that I wouldn’t get into trouble.”

After sticking to the piano for several years and then later taking up guitar, Josh began singing at churches and wrote his first song as a teenager. Today, the San Diego-based artist is preparing for a national tour timed to the upcoming release of his third set of recorded works, Hope, which was produced, recorded and mixed by Jeff Berkley of the band, Berkley Hart.

The CD follows an evolution of crisp and compelling material that includes Pocket Change: The Acoustic EP.  It was released in 2007 and earned him an audience that recognized his talent and love for acoustic music. A couple years later, he released Raw, from which the song Indescribable was used in an independent film titled Bad Faith (later renamed The Karma Killer).  Josh also composed and released for the movie a single called Love Again to coincide with the main character who loses his wife and moves forward with a new girlfriend.

The 17-track Hope takes on equally emotional subject matter. In Never Gonna Let You Go, the lyrically powerful song focuses on Josh’s younger brother, Nathan, who returned from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder and was subsequently sent to prison for an act of disorderly conduct.

“The night before he went to prison, I put my arms around him and he said, ‘Tell me it’s all a dream. Never let me go.’” In the morning, Josh recalls bawling his eyes out while driving to work. “I pulled over and wrote the majority of the song at the side of the road.”

In the track, Every Night, we learn of Josh’s romantic misfortune over a girl who stopped calling him the day he relocated to Los Angeles to be with her. They had been dating for several months and she moved to L.A. shortly into the relationship. (Listen to Every Night here.)

“I don’t know if she’s heard the song yet, but my imagination says she has — and that she cried herself to sleep,” he now quips.

Another song, Don’t Lose Hope, was inspired by a loyal fan with serious health problems. Josh was humbled by her selflessness as she went on to work for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“There’s a lot of maturity going on with Hope, as both a writer and a man,” adds Josh when comparing his latest CD to Raw, which was “more about fun and hanging out.” He also admits to the challenges of “trying to believe in yourself when you’re in a pop scene with Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift.”

Hope will be available through iTunes and CD Baby. Release parties are scheduled for August 10 at Witzend in Los Angeles, and August 11 at Lestat’s Coffee House in San Diego, where Josh is found performing the second Saturday of every month.

Josh was nominated this year for “best acoustic” by the San Diego Music Awards (SDMA), to be held August 13 at Humphrey’s by the Bay.

Among the music awards that he has already garnered are:

SDMA — Best local recording for Raw (produced by Aaron Bowen) in 2009; and best acoustic in 2010.
The San Diego H.A.T. Awards — Best male performer in 2006 and 2008; best new artist in 2006; best male singer/songwriter in 2006; and best male vocalist in 2006 and 2008.

He has also been featured in numerous publications throughout Southern California and has opened for established artists such as Jason Mraz, Shawn Colvin and Eric Hutchinson. His songs can be heard on Clear Channel stations and college radio, and he continues trailblazing the San Diego and Los Angeles music show circuits.

Josh has purchased a variety of cables from ProSound and recorded Hope at Berkley Sound, a full studio built by ProSound.

Since breaking from his progressive rock band days in San Diego and a wide variety of musical projects in Los Angeles, ranging from synthesizer pop to folk rock, Andy Robinson has excelled as a solo recording artist, reveling in the creative freedom to master numerous instruments for compiling songs stamped with reflective moodiness and unshakable melodies.

The mountain dulcimer is a particular favorite that Andy uses for achieving Tibetan-style undertones, which are evident in Supersong, a beguiling track from his most recent CD titled, Music Bucket.

“Because the mountain dulcimer is set up to be played in open tunings, a lot of what I play can sound like it has a far-Eastern slant,” he says. “With Dennis Caplinger on violin and octave violin in the song, you get that beautiful droning thing.”

In the track, Boojy, Andy switches gears to an upbeat vibe, using voice and a dulcimer riff that cops a 60s boogie feel, reminiscent of the classic sounds put out by Canned Heat during the era.  From the first song to the last, the entire CD offers varied compositions attesting to Andy’s instrumental aptitude.

Andy Robinson – Yeah

Andy Robinson – The Open Door

“The only reason I pick up a particular instrument is because I want to write something and record it,” he adds, referring to his keen abilities for playing kalimba, drums, percussion, harmonica, guitar, bass guitar, keyboard and bass synthesizer.

Music Bucket marks a technological evolution for Andy, in that he produced the CD on a computer with Logic software. His previous CD, Exotic America, was compiled on a Roland VS machine. “I went kind of nuts expanding my palette,” he says. Indeed, listeners will discover that Music Bucket carries more of an electronic edge, though without subscribing to the conformities of overdone studio works.

“I record mainly at home. Or sometimes I’ll go to a musician’s house and bring my gear,” he adds.

With nearly a half dozen albums and CDs under his belt incorporating fresh sounds, Andy’s musical past stretches back a few decades ago when he was signed to Arista Records and recorded 12 tracks with a power pop band named Elton Duck, for which Andy played drums. The band had a loyal following and had opened for The Tubes in a few cities. At a live showcase, the band grabbed the interest of Clive Davis, although as they recorded their debut for the label, Davis changed his mind and ended up shelving the album. But the works weren’t completely left for dead.

“After all these years later, they’ve come out in limited run,” notes Andy.

Sony Music Entertainment now owns the Elton Duck tapes and has allowed release of the music as long as the proceeds go to a charitable music education fund. With a listening party scheduled on July 13 at Stinkweeds Record Exchange in Phoenix, a fund was set up in the name of Elton Duck’s late guitarist. Anyone who donates a minimum of $20 to the Mike Condello Music Scholarship Fund will receive a copy of the limited-edition CD.

Andy currently produces videos full time for the Neil A. Kjos Music Company, which publishes sheet music. But that hasn’t stopped him from generating new, unique material as a solo artist.

“I’m hoping to get something new out by August, a mini suite of songs,” he says, admitting that he takes longer with the overall creative process compared to most other musicians. “I draw all of my inspiration from hearing sounds that I like. I come up with melodies and throw together chord progressions and then decide what kind of instruments I want to apply to them.”

Over the years Andy has relied on ProSound for repairs and advice, as well as PreSonus audio interfaces and various microphones and accessories.

Apogee MiC
ProSound Price: $199

The Wall Street Journal cites the new USB Apogee MiC as “foolproof” when it comes to laying down high-fidelity licks and audio tracks by plugging it into iPhones, iPads and Macs. Chuck Dawson (a.k.a. Geek Dad) of Wired effuses that the palm-size microphone is “dead simple” to operate, adding that he discovered more uses for it than he originally dreamed possible.

Since making its market debut at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) earlier this year, the cardioid condenser device has been proven to pack walloping punches in terms of loud, clear audio. Lauded also for its portability, the MiC allows consumers to easily build tracks through iPad apps such as GarageBand or through iProRecorder when using iPhones.

The metal-constructed MiC is a premium digital converter that uses PureDIGITAL technology for achieving unprecedented results in everything from video dubbing and advertising jingles to web-radio interviews, blogging, musical vocals and instrumentals. The product has even been embraced by law firms for recording clear depositions as well as by everyday, non-musically inclined consumers taking field notes for leisure and business.

“The MiC behaves like a $1,000 pro-audio cardioid condenser,” says Michael Krewitsky of ProSound, who has been using it as “a sound grabber out there in the world.” Customers of the new MiC have included a Hollywood film composer using it for sketch scoring and a financial talk show host utilizing it for Podcasting.

“It’s like having a professional-level recording studio that you can set up on your desk,” Krewitsky adds.

Simply plug the MiC into your device and you are ready to record. No drivers are needed and the MiC is completely bus powered. When choosing to work hands-free, the product features a compact tripod that makes it ideal for desktop recording. The MiC also connects to any microphone stand.

A LED indicator on the front of the MiC allows users to easily detect the status of their connections. Blue means “not ready.” Green shows that the MiC is connected and working with your software. And red indicates that you are overworking the MiC and will need to turn down your sound level with the input gain control knob, a rotary thumb control located on the side that allows you to fine tune without having to refer to your software.

When using the MiC with iOS devices, you will need either an iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPad, iPad2 or any iOS versions of 4.3 or later. For Mac OS, an Intel internal processor is required as well as OS versions of 10.6.4 or later. Compatible Mac software includes GarageBand, Logic Pro, Mainstage, Pro Tools (versions 9 or higher) or any Core Audio compatible application.

The MiC also comes with a USB cable and a 30-pin cable that plugs directly into your device. Since the MiC essentially attaches to your device with a cable rather than directly, it provides better mobility and more freedom of placement when recording. Longer cables can be purchased separately.

In an early review of the MiC posted by Guitar Salon International, the writer declares: “The fact you can play with placement means that you can get some proximity effect if you want it. It doesn’t feel hyped at the top or the bottom. It just sounds like a good mic.”

Among the artists that have been quick to adopt Apogee’s sleek, pocket-sized MiC are classical guitarist Yuri Nugmanov and popular indie lyricist Gabe Bondoc, who applauds the MiC for its “professional studio-quality sound” on many of his recordings. Both musicians have used the product with GarageBand.

Indeed for both novice and professional audio recorders on the go, a breakthrough has arrived with the new MiC, in that it doesn’t compromise audio quality just because you are on the move. By all accounts, it has been named the world’s first condenser microphone to connect digitally to iOS devices and Mac computers.

Apogee Electronics ranks as one of the best-known makers of high-end studio converters and interfaces on the global market. Based in Santa Monica, CA, the company made its initial design splash in the sound industry by introducing anti-aliasing filters that were credited with solving many of the early problems associated with digital audio. The latest MiC reflects a modern, convenient piece of technology that gives sound recorders an all-in-one solution for capturing a range of clean and condensed audio within freelance, personal and commercial projects.

For the socially-conscious, it should also be known that Apogee has supported numerous non-profit organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, UNICEF, Save the Children, Corazon de Vita, Conservation International and others. Additionally, Apogee was founded in 1985 by Betty Bennett and the company became certified in 2010 as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

ProSound offers free shipping of the Apogee MiC in the lower 48 states, along with a double warranty! Weekday customer service via email or phone is also provided. Call now to learn more or to order the microphone that is the first in its class: (619) 583-7851. Or, you can contact us here!

CHECK OUT THE APOGEE MiC » 

Check out this video of Ted Gowans from Tegan and Sara laying tracks with the Apogee MiC, JAM and Apple GarageBand on an iPad:

Inspiration for the spot’s soundtrack came from Steve Goble’s experience at a Postal Annex+ training store, “As I listened to the postage metering machine, the copy and package label machines all working at the same time, each had a different sound, a different rhythm. It hit me, ‘This would be a great way to tell people what we do.’”

To see the spot, and hear the original machine-sampled composition, visit www.GlenAubrey.com.

Customers Glen Aubrey and Creative Team Resources purchased CD recorders and CD duplication systems from ProSound, Inc. while Dan de la Isla (DLI Productions) got a full Pro Tools HD rig set up by us. So proud to have you guys as customers!! If you are interested to learn more about CD production gear or Pro Tools rigs, contact us here or call: (619) 583-7851.

Ask Neal Fox about nearly any social issue, the power of audio branding and the frustrations that musicians experience when signing onto major record labels, and he can likely answer with a provocative CD, multimedia show or television jingle he composed.

Neal’s illustrious career has spanned from producing music for hundreds of commercials (Coke, Disney, SeaWorld, Lazy Boy) to recording nearly a dozen CDs under his own label, Wire Duck Records. In earlier days, while working under contracts with RCA and Polydor, he released the hit dance song, In the Jungle, from his 1976 album A Painting. Aimed at raising public awareness over the destruction of the Amazon Forest, the song’s success set him on an artistic path to social activism that has earned him kudos from mainstream and underground audiences alike.

While working as a partner with Patterson, Walz & Fox, he co-created audio sketches for hundreds of network television shows, including Eye to Eye with Connie Chung and Public Eye with Bryant Gumble. Among his most notable and profitable network gigs was devising the long-running theme for the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, which Neal took further in later years with a critically acclaimed one-man show and CD, Thank You, Dan Rather.

The show chronicled Neal’s career transition from making good bucks in the jingle biz to losing that steady income once Rather was dropped by CBS for falsely documenting George W. Bush’s dubious military past. (Neal credits ProSound and Mike Krewitsky for mastering the Dan Rather CD with Genelec 8040AMP Speakers, ProTools and Waves Masters plug ins.)

The Brooklyn-born, highly prolific Neal, however, persevered. Working often from a garage studio at his former San Diego home, he went on to make his first full-length musical, Meat Street, plus a multi-media show knocking record labels, called Pigeonholes. Subsequent works include the edgy and provocative CD, Now It’s Personal, along with the politically incorrect music video F**k the Fed, which earned him two film festival awards in 2008.

When living in San Diego, Neal regularly stocked his studio with equipment from ProSound, saying he’s been a customer since the company launched in 1978.  Since moving to Florida five years ago, he’s taken the equipment with him and continues beefing up his studio with items such as KRK speakers, Apogee Duet, Universal Audio Solo 610 microphone preamp and Waves plug ins.

Neal’s latest projects include a show in the making titled, Conspiracy, which blends video, sound, animation and artwork. Once completed, he plans to conduct it in a theater and record it onto video. “If I develop enough interest, then I’ll take it on the road,” he says.

In addition, he is illustrating and writing the poems for a children’s book, geared to kids 3 to 10 years old and due for completion next month.

To learn more about this fascinating artist’s past, present and future endeavors, take a surf through his newest web site: TheRealNealFox.com.