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A piezo transducer is basically a crystal mic element. Also, you can wire it backwards for a simple speaker. They're found all over the place in toys, musical birthday cards, watches, computers, etc. Look like a 1 or 2 inch metal disc with a couple of wires soldered to the back. When you...

Yep-- just go to www.rolandus.com and choose "Product Manuals" from the Support link. You register once to get a free login (and sign up for newsletters if you want 'em), then you can access the whole manual library. I've used it for all my Roland gear.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions-- hadn't tried the Yamaha Pacifica. I'll look for one at my local shops. I've been underwhelmed by the Squiers I've played, but maybe I've just been playing the wrong ones. Are you serious with the rondomusic site? Assumed that they were the Behringer of...

The time has come to buy my first electric guitar and I could use your help with recommendations for a short list. Been practicing on a half-decent Yamaha steel-stringed acoustic for about six months and doing a lot of reading here and elsewhere on what to consider for my first electric. I'm...

I honestly don't know. Preferences in monitors is a highly subjective thing. I have a pair of SP-5Bs myself, but I got 'em cheap and didn't want to spring for a monitor power amp. The quality of the drivers in the kits is likely higher than that in most of the cheaper powered near-fields out...

I've bought drivers and supplies from www.partsexpress.com over the years and have been happy. Everything from small home stereo speakers to modest PA systems. They have a few "monitor" kits that look like a nice balance between cost and quality, designed by the guy that wrote the Loudspeaker...

If you're recording vocals, try putting the mic in a closet full of clothes. The fabric absorbs a lot of the reverb and ambient noise. I've also had simple success by hanging a couple of opened sleeping bags on the back of doors opened in a V shape, with the singer facing into the V. Absorbs...

I would assume that it's all in the practice. With speaker reconing, as with the other things you list, the first time is really difficult and gives you dubious results. By the 500th time you do it-- should be pretty simple. I know the theory behind reconing, and have seen others do it, but...

I've also found that in some instances you can push the dome back out from behind if the tape and/or vacuum aren't working. Many pro drivers have a vent through the magnet assembly on the back of the driver, so that the voice coil is cooled by the air pumping back and forth. (Sometimes the...

I probably should have offered a bit more info for those reading along at home :) You're absolutely correct about the sensitivity of the speakers, though ultimately they're just electric motors. I first tried the tape trick, but these caps are a poly material of some sort and the tape didn't...

Ummm... not quite. Expression pedals are a generic term for pedals that aren't just on/off but have a varying range. Like a knob on the front panel of a keyboard versus a switch (like a sustain pedal). Many/most keyboards use them to control volume, synth parameters, tempo, fx depth, etc...

Used to work with a guy who's band was playing a Halloween show. The drummer used a trigger converter to take 8 signals from cheap radio shack piezo elements to drive a drum machine via midi. All relatively standard, except he mounted the piezos inside of 8 carved and lit pumpkins! Smacked...

For the footsteps, you might also try a space covered with small gravel. The grit used for horse arenas comes to mind. If you're looking for a running in snow sound, then driving a knife or stick into a sack or bin full of rice will give a fast crunchy sound. Coyote howls-- I'd try and get...

I have a pair of M-Audio SP-5Bs that I like a lot. Especially since I got them for $50 from a gracious member of the group here. He was trading up, and the center domes in the woofers had been pushed inward by his kids. Spent 30 seconds attacking the domes with a vacuum cleaner hose and they...

Yeah-- what he said :) I have an X6. Definitely closer to the XV series sounds. Patches from that series can be converted/loaded using the Roland apps. The X series can load samples into user memory via USB or sneakernet on a memory card, if there's some "must-have" sounds you need...

Depends on what kind of sounds/music you're into. My main boards are a FantomX6 and a V-Synth, and I use the V a lot more than the X. Romplers are good for the bread-and-butter sounds, but the weird synth stuff is where I like to focus. If you like the sounds in the various romplers, then...

There's a lot to consider if you want to modify the sub enclosure. Most important in your case is to keep the volume of air behind the sub driver consistent. The enclosure is tuned to the driver (kind of like the tuning in a pipe organ). The volume of air supports the driver and helps it...

Agree-- it's a personal preference. I'm pretty much a Roland synth user, and am used to their bender lever vs a pitch wheel. Therefore, I've grown accustomed to a whole step for the lever in most situations. Synth bass I tend to like at a multi-octave range so I can do a larger accent slide...

I cut my teeth with the Paia kits (www.paia.com) in the early 80's, and they're still making new ones now. Variety of music-related kits, great documentation, and if you completely screw up you can send it to them for repair/completion. I've built the Gnome, spring verb, vocoder, and some of...