Free VSTs

I love VST (Virtual Studio Technology) plugins. For every good plugin I can find, that's one piece of expensive outboard gear I don't need to buy (since I can't afford it anyway). I'm sure most plugins can't match the audio quality of a good, expensive piece of outboard gear...but I'm OK with pretty good, free plugins.

So, I thought I'd share some plugins I recently found that I really enjoy--and that have helped me record some cool stuff. In fact, although I'm not going to go through all my settings or how exactly I use the plugins (nothing out of the ordinary), I thought I'd share a recording I did and the free plugins I used (except for the drums) to make it happen.

I played a $150 ESP LTD M-50 electric guitar (which I think they don't sell anymore) through a $70 ART Tube MP Project Series preamp (just to get a nice, clean guitar tone into my Cubase software).

The drums were the only not-for-free VST I used. I used Native Instruments' Battery. Other than that, the rest are free. Here is generally how I used the plugins:

Compressor for drums, bass, and a little on guitar tracks.

C3 Multiband Compressor

Reverb for drums and guitars.

Ambience

I really like the Ambience reverb plugin. It has so many great presets, too. It's donationware, so you can use as much as you want and then donate when you feel like it. The bad news is that this plugin really sucks up CPU power, so if I run this on a handful of tracks, my computer starts whimpering and wheezing.

Tube-preamp to fatten up the drums and the bass.

Tal-Tube

Guitar effects obviously to create the guitar tones.

SimulAnalog Guitar Suite (specifically, Tube Screamer, Univox Univibe, and Marshall JCM900)

These are really the star of the audio sample. I recorded the guitar direct, without any effects, then used only these plugins (with some compression and reverb) to get my tones. If you have ever been interested in trying out guitar amp simulation for free, these are some great plugins to try!

Free Sampler

Following up on my last post, I wanted to link everyone to a FREE sampler by YellowTools, called Independence. I've downloaded this and it's really awesome. It comes with some usable sounds to give you an idea of what the sampler/virtual instrument can do, and it really is impressive. Go get it!

(photo courtesy of YellowTools.us)

SampleTank Deal

I like SampleTank. It's a software sampler for your digital audio workstation (DAW), or computer-based recording setup. I have the original SampleTank software, which I got really cheap on eBay a few years ago. It's easy to use, has some nice effects built in to the sampler, and is a no-frills solution for me. I haven't tried SampleTank 2, but I'm wishing I had some extra cash lying around right now because AudioMidi.com is having an amazing sale right now for this software.

Right now, you can get SampleTank L 2 for only $99 on AudioMidi's site! This includes 900 patches on a DVD, which is more than enough to get started and have a lot of options to add to your music. I don't record anything without some SampleTank sounds in there somewhere. If I weren't saving for a bass right now, I'd snag this. If you buy it on IK Multimedia's site it's over $300, so this is a screamin' deal.

(photo courtesy of SampleTank.com)

The Search for a New Bass - Part I

I need a new bass guitar. I've been playing a Dean Edge 09 for a few years now and it's time for an upgrade. Honestly, that bass is amazing for $99. I paid $120 and it is still a good deal at that price. It has a playable neck, it stays in tune really well, the action is decent, and it's super cheap. In fact, I think it would be hard to find a better starter bass at that price. I highly recommend it.

However, I have had my eye on Fender Jazz Basses for awhile now. Lots of bass players I admire play(ed) a Fender Jazz: Jaco Pastorious, Jannick Top, Marcus Miller, Victor Bailey, Larry Graham, and others. I love the character of the Jazz Bass, especially that bridge pickup. It has this biting sound that I love. Of course, an American-made Fender Jazz Bass is WAY out of my price range at this stage, so I've been looking into how I can get into a Fender Jazz Bass without having to save money for ten years.

My search began with my wife making me a jazz-bass birthday cake for my 30th birthday. It was awesome.





A few weeks ago, I went to Guitar Center to check out their line of Jazz Basses. Now, I'm no bass expert. I was just looking for the differences between the different types in terms of how they feel in my hands, the sound of the pickups, and very importantly--the neck. I want a thin neck. The neck on my Dean bass is narrow and thin, and that's what I'd like to stick with for my new bass.

I had the sales guy hand me a Standard Fender Jazz Bass (MIM or Made in Mexico), an American Deluxe (with active pickups), a Geddy Lee signature model, and a Squier Classic Vibe (checking out the cheap end of things). The American Deluxe was nice. Lots of tone options. The tone was pretty sweet. I was not a huge fan of the neck. It was thicker (not wider) than I expected. And it was MUCH thicker than the Geddy Lee, which had a razor-neck. I'm talking guitar-neck thin. The Geddy Lee was actually my favorite. The neck was fast and thin; the tone was nice; and it's $850 brand-new. The Squier was pretty lame, with sub-par pickups and a neck I didn't like much. It was no worse, in my opinion, than the Fender Standard, which I pretty much hated. It felt unplayable to me, mostly because of the neck--and the action, at least on that bass in the store, was pretty much garbage.

So I walked away from Guitar Center feeling really good about the Geddy Lee bass, but also thinking, "I'll be saving up for literally years to be able to afford this thing on my budget." Then, I came across the Squier Vintage Modified Jazz Bass. It's $280 at most places, which is a straight up steal if this bass is any good. And it is!

I read about 25 reviews on the instrument, generally saying that this thing is worth way more than they're charging for it. It has Duncan-designed pickups, a nice neck, decent action, and a great sound. Now, I don't like wasting my money. So I wanted to be sure this is a bass I'm going to really enjoy and want to play--so much so that I won't want to go back to my Dean--otherwise it's not worth buying in my opinion. Reviews were generally really great. In fact, I don't think I read a bad review of the bass. Then I watched every YouTube video I could find with someone playing this bass. I even found a video comparing the Squier to the Marcus Miller Jazz Bass. The Marcus Miller bass sounds nicer, but the difference is really subtle. And for around $1,000 LESS, the Squier wins for me at this stage of my life!

Then I went to a local music store (because the local Guitar Center did not have one) to go try it out. I LOVED it. It was so much nicer to play than the Fender Standard Jazz, and even though I still like the feel and sound of the Geddy Lee better, the Squier is over $500 cheaper than the Geddy Lee, so I can actually buy it. I don't have the money to buy it yet, but I'm saving. At this point, I'm pretty sure that's the bass I want. Now I just have to be patient.

Introducing the Cash-Strapped Musician

Welcome! Isn't that what people who start blogs are supposed to say in their first post? Here is the deal: I have been playing music, in some form or another, for about 25 years. I'm no viruoso on any instrument. In fact, I wouldn't even consider myself to be "great" on any instrument, but I do enjoy it. I play guitar (both acoustic and electric), drums, electric bass, and piano/keyboards...all the rock instruments.

I also happen to be a student in marriage and family therapy, the father of a 7-month-old boy and, consequently, pretty poor. I love to write and record music, but I just don't have the money to buy all the expensive gear I want. So I've had to make some compromises over the years. I have had to find the best deals that I could--gear of reasonable or good quality for cheap.

On this blog, my goal is to share cool, inexpensive gear I find or have bought, share things I learn about music recording and some samples of things I'm working on, and just generally vent about my music obsession. It's what I do to keep myself sane amidst a crazy school, work, and family schedule.

To start, I'd like to share what I think is an amazing deal going on right now. Line 6 seems to be either moving away from their TonePort line or at least moving on from old versions. These are hard to find, because they're selling out everywhere, but check these out: The GearBox Gold Bundle. It comes with Line 6's TonePort USB DI box plus the GearBox Gold amp modeling software for bass and guitar. This thing's MSRP is $700. Right now, on closeout, it's going for less than $100! This is a really, realy good deal. Audiomidi is one of the few places I've been able to find it right now. It's sold at at most online retailers. Go get it!