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Songbirds Summer Practice

Summer Practice Tips for Musicians

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School is out for summer, and you may find yourself as bored as Alice Cooper if you’re not careful! It’s challenging to stick to a steady summer practice schedule between trips to the beach, pool, vacations, and a general relaxed routine. However, summer is an excellent opportunity to pivot your focus and work on some bonus aspects of music that might need a little extra work. It’s our job as musicians to always analyze our progress and be objective. If you’re doing that regularly, you likely already know some weaknesses of your performance that need work. Everyone has them, and summer is a perfect opportunity to focus and tackle those pesky pieces that bother you. Here are some goals for summer practice – stick to these, and you’ll come back to school and the new year with new and honed skills!

 

Metronomes, ugh.

Yes, I know: only three people in the whole wide world enjoy practicing with metronomes, and those people are strange. However, you MUST use a metronome regularly, as every musician has to get in touch with and nurture the inner pulse. You know, the little beat in your body that helps you keep time and prevents rushing, dragging, and tempo mistakes.

Here’s the tip: try practicing with a drum track. You can use one of the many free examples on YouTube, or you can use an AI drummer on your favorite digital audio workstation like Logic. Many free standalone drum machine apps can create fun drum loops for you.

Why is this better? Many musicians find that playing to a drum track helps lock in to the groove and feels more natural than using a basic metronome. I definitely play tighter with a drum track. It’s easier to find the stressed beats in the measure, and you may even find yourself creating your own drum loops and compositions after you practice.

 

Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall:

Regardless of your instrument, every musician can benefit from practicing in the mirror. Use the irregular summer practice schedule to branch out and get some dedicated mirror time. Look at how you’re holding the instrument, how your fingers and hands are placed, and every aspect of your overall posture. If you experience soreness, pain, or discomfort after playing, I guarantee that mirror work will give you clues about why that’s happening. Then make steps to correct those issues.

Don’t be afraid to experiment! Mirror work is an excellent tool for trying new performance techniques and will show you how you appear to an audience. You’ll likely discover some strange ticks or habits that you didn’t know about, and that’s okay! That’s why we use the mirror – it makes you a well-rounded and informed musician.

 

Back to Basics:

Think of it now: that one simple part of your instrument that you should know better. That one thing that you might feel a little embarrassed about. That tiny little detail that you might not want to ask your teacher about. Things like stringed instruments (fretted and classical) not knowing all the notes of the fretboard, pianists not knowing all the notes of the required scales or chords, guitarists not knowing triads, woodwinds and brass not knowing all of the alternate fingerings and positions for notes, drummers not knowing the required rudiments, and more.

We ALL get swept up in the musical journey and develop cracks in the foundation. That’s part of being a musician. It’s also our job to shore up those cracks and be as well-rounded as possible. Take this summer and pick that one pesky thing to work on, and I guarantee that you’ll feel better when fall comes around!

 

Listen Up!

Going on a road trip, vacation, or drive to the beach this summer? Why not pick a new artist or genre and do a deep dive? Listening to all types of music and styles really helps grow your musical brain, and it can give you new ideas for playing, writing, and performing. You might even like what you hear and fall in love with a new artist!

Me? I still haven’t listened to the entire Chappell Roan album, so I’ll be doing that. Even if you don’t like what you hear, I guarantee that you can find some part of the music that applies to your playing. And in the rare occurrence that you can’t find anything useful in what you hear, it’s important to critically listen and be able to articulate why you don’t find the new music appealing.

 

Take a Big Bite:

I always find that summer practice is a great time for a new project or big piece that might be out of your comfort zone. Try choosing a new song that you know is beyond your current ability. If you stick with it and go slow, you will find that the perseverance really pays off when you go back to easier material. Just like when we try hard music and need an easy tune for a brain break, it often pays to leap ahead and bite off more than you can chew. It might just kickstart your development and help you get over a hurdle or plateau in your musical journey!

This also applies to musical projects. Have you been putting off recording or writing something new? Have you found yourself tinkering with your instrument or endlessly selecting new music instead of just jumping in and going for a big goal? Now is the time – get in there and take the first step!

 

Play with Others!

Most musicians would agree that playing with other people is the reason why we practice so much! Music is a language, and it’s not super fun to speak it alone. Grab some friends, family, or acquaintances this summer and play music with them. Easy stuff, hard stuff, new stuff, anything. The important thing is to just play in a group. If you’re new to this, just remember that every single musical group of all time, from a simple singer-songwriter duet to a full orchestra, sounded pretty bad at the beginning. It takes time and repetition, so be patient and play some fun tunes along the way! Playing with other musicians is the single best way to improve your abilities.

 

I hope that you have a lovely summer and that you get some time to focus on music! Stay tuned for the next edition of the Songbirds Knowledge Blog, and stay cool out there!

Songbirds Summer Practice
NotPedals Launch

NotPedals Launch: Behind the Scenes

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NotPedals, a new and exciting online marketplace for unique and boutique instrument effects, is about to launch! I thought it’d be interesting to pull back the curtain and write a bit about what making that launch was like. Songbirds Effects is debuting FIVE brand new pedals for NotPedals, and we are super excited about it! Here’s some information about what the journey was like, and be sure to check out the NotPedals launch on May 3rd, 2025!

 

1: Choices, choices.

The first step in bringing any product or service to market is deciding what exactly you’ll be selling. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to recreate classic circuits that sound incredible and have stood the test of time. Some builders will be designing their own scratch-built ideas, but I got the impression that most creators will be marketing clones of existing circuits or producing effects with slight variations on those circuits for the NotPedals launch. I landed on the latter option – taking classic circuits into the modern era with slight tweaks, upgrades, and modifications that I think make them sound and function better. After countless hours of digging through schematics and tinkering with existing circuits that I had built, I chose five that I believe will sell and that will appeal to a wide variety of players.

 

2: Design!

This is the fun part for me, although many builders loathe this step. Having Songbirds Music, Art, & Dance Center as my home base, I had lots of creative options for making the five circuits really stand out. At the end of the day, we all play music. I believe that our pedal boards and effects should be representative of our personalities, and at the very least, they should be appealing and make you excited to play music with them. The cosmetic look of the pedals is just as important as the sound. I settled on Captain Bubbletron’s design right away – this is the effect with the epoxy pond and little plastic ducky. I’ve never seen a pedal that uses epoxy pouring as decoration, so I wanted to venture forth into uncharted territory and bring a playful, whimsical piece to the market.

In the same vein, I fell in love with the idea of a tactile experience in adjusting pedals – something that puts just a bit of the creative process into the hands of the player. I knew early on that I wanted to make the Reactor Core pedal with a system that incorporates interchangeable fuses. This took some time to work out the kinks (more on this later), but it turned out great in the end.

Super early on in my pedal-building endeavors, I hand-painted a pedal enclosure with an image of one of my favorite childhood characters: the lovable space alien muppets from Mars, the Yip Yips. I love how that painting turned out, but I knew that I couldn’t reliably reproduce it over and over again if the pedal line took off. Therefore, we figured out a way to make permanent printed faceplates for the pedals that feature the fuzzy creatures.

One of my favorite boutique pedal companies, Fairfield Circuitry, did a limited run of their most famous pedal that they burned in a bonfire. This resulted in some subtle but beautiful discolorations on the aluminum, and I knew that I wanted to take that idea to the next level. For the Scavenger pedal, I experimented with burning enclosures to the extreme in order to really sear and discolor them. There were some setbacks as it took a while to determine the proper heat conditions – several enclosures were melted, cracked, and lost in the name of science. What’s more, I have a bunch of old non-functional vacuum tubes that I’ve saved from amp repairs and restorations. There’s not much that can be done with them, so I decided to feature them on the Scavenger as a beautiful and illuminated decoration. The history lives on!

The last pedal design took a lot of back-and-forth, but the Sagacious pedal boasts a sleek, boutique faceplate from laser-cut acrylic. I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to incorporate a numerical LED readout screen on one of the pedals, and it became clear that Sagacious would be the lucky winner. However, designing that functionality was far more difficult than I anticipated…

 

3: Research and Development!

I’m a bit of a strange builder: this is the part of the process that I despise the most. Many effect nerds love the breadboarding stage. This is where you translate schematics to the real world and tinker with circuits in a temporary setting to craft the exact sound and effect that you’re seeking. However, I find this step to be the most strenuous, and it’s easy to spin your wheels and get lost in the minutia. I’m a recovering perfectionist, and I frequently have to remind myself of two musical mantras that apply to building, performing, recording, and more:

1: Perfect is the enemy of good.

2: If it sounds good, it is good.

It took a long time to develop the circuits for the NotPedals launch and get them where I wanted them, and that was mostly due to…

 

4: Problems to Overcome.

Every new design has at least one critical problem spot. After all, it’s rare that a circuit works partway. They either work or they don’t. Here’s a list of the biggest issues that I faced with each pedal.

1: Captain Bubbletron was relatively straightforward, although it took some trial and error to design a 3D printed tray to contain the epoxy pour without leakage. It also took some experimenting to find an adhesive that could resist temperature fluctuations and permanently hold the ducky to the top of the pedal’s knob. Hint: any type of CA glue is not the answer as they all fog and discolor plastics.

2: Reactor Core had two big ones. The external fuse holder had to be attached permanently in a way that can withstand frequent pulling and pressure while also protecting the connected wires that run through the faceplate and to the rest of the circuit. I also had to figure out how to fabricate the fuses and adjust them for four unique tones.

3: Yip, Yip, Brrrrring! uses old-school germanium transistors. These components are rare and hard to find, but I have a stash of new-old-stock parts from the USSR. I also have some GE and Motorolas, but those transistors don’t have enough gain on tap for this circuit. The issue here is that the Russian ones have the wrong polarity. You can build the circuit, but it will need a special power adapter, and no one wants that. I had to figure out a way to either beef up the weak transistors or adapt the circuit to a different polarity with the Russian transistors.

4: Scavenger was a lot of fun, but I ran into similar transistor woes. Another “feature” of germanium transistors is that they vary wildly in spec and tolerance, plus they can become unstable when heated. It took a long while to settle on reliable modifications to Scavenger’s circuit that make it loud (it is a boost, after all) while giving it great tone.

5: Sagacious was extremely difficult and resulted in hours of hair pulling. I wanted to use the numerical LED readout for voltage sag and build the rest of the circuit around this feature, but that isn’t as easy as it sounds. First of all, voltage and current are inherently not the same thing. You can adjust voltage pretty easily, but this is an unstable method that frequently burns up neighboring components. I had to figure out a stable way to starve the circuit of voltage that was also reflected in the LED readout. Some effect circuits respond well and with interesting tones when they are deprived of voltage, but most don’t. It took a long while to create a circuit that sounded awesome when at full voltage (around 8-7.5vDC, slightly reduced from the standard 9vDC supply) but also had response and usable sound when sagged down to 2.5-3vDC.

 

5: Sourcing Parts and Assembly:

With all of the circuits finalized and ready to roll for the NotPedals launch, it came time to order parts. This may sound simple, but it takes a long time to create a spreadsheet and order over one thousand components that were needed for the launch batch of pedals. There’s added pressure to get it right – my supplier is in Thailand, and it’s no fun to wait around for a second order if I forgot to order something. I ordered this launch batch before the onslaught of tariffs, so we’ll see how much more expensive the second batch is when the launch pedals sell out. The same worry applies to PCB orders as most of those come from Asia.

Assembly is usually pretty fun, and it’s easier to make a small batch when you can run it like an assembly line. I created unique drilling templates for each of the pedals and began to piece them together. In the midst of assembly, it was time to create marketing material for the NotPedals launch. This entailed photos, video, sound recordings, and in-process shots of the builds. Oh, and don’t forget the detailed descriptions for the website, blurbs, pricing, and more.

When I got burned out from all of the building, I designed and ordered the packaging “candy” that goes in each pedal box. From warranty cards to informational inserts to stickers, each box is stuffed with extra goodies and care. Of course, getting those small items ordered and delivered takes time, and since the inception of NotPedals, we’ve all been up against the clock. It takes A LOT to launch a brand new online marketplace!

 

6: Testing and Debugging.

No matter what you do, there’s always a pedal or two that has an issue. Just when I thought that I was out of the woods, several of the pedals needed debugging. It didn’t help that I decided to rework two of the circuits entirely, Scavenger and Sagacious, in order to tweak them and make them just right. The final week before the NotPedals launch was filled with ultra-late nights and sleep deprivation, but it was worth it to nail the final product and have a batch that fills me with pride.

 

7: The Next Step!

When you get this far into a project, your brain floods with ideas… especially when the first step is over. I’m already planning the release of brand new circuits and designs for the future. However, it’s important to note how all of the inefficiencies of your work flow become apparent when you’re that far into the woods. I’ve built many pedals in the past, but the logistics of how to make a successful launch with quality products on a timeline surprised me. I have a wild respect for any pedal company that has worked out the kinks in supply chain and logistics to make their products successful. I’m excited to keep making these five pedals and to produce new ones, but I’m most curious and hopeful about improving my workflow with the existing circuits. As we build, we find those inefficiencies and aim to correct them.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed peeking behind the pedal builder’s curtain, and I can’t wait to see you at the NotPedals launch on May 3rd, 2025! Stay tuned for more awesome circuits from me and Songbirds Effects, and in the meantime, check out our other blog posts and the legacy circuits on our pedal page. Rock on, and make noise!

NotPedals Launch
Repair Stories Songbirds

Silly Tales from the Bench: Volume 1

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Happy December, and Happy impending Holidays! This post is a bit unusual, and it kicks off an annual tradition of sharing interesting, crazy, and silly repair stories about fixes that have happened over the past year. Since this is our first one, I’m throwing in some classic repair stories of Songbirds legend. Going forward, I’ll just mention tales that have happened over the past year. We really enjoy instrument repair around here, but most clients don’t see “behind the curtain” – here’s a peak at some of the silly stuff that goes on! So, grab a cup of hot cocoa, a nice blanket, and let’s have some laughs!

Shameless Plug: Just a reminder that Songbirds does instrument and gear repairs on site! We fix combo instruments (guitars, amps, pedals, speakers, etc.) as well as band and orchestra instruments! Contact us and check out our Repair Page for more information!

Disclaimer: If any of the mentioned repair stories sound familiar, no worries! We aren’t poking fun, and crazy things happen to everyone! If you provided one of these silly incidents, thank you, and we’re glad to have helped with the fix!

 

Aw, Rats!

I complete a decent amount of acoustic piano tunings throughout the year, and I’ve got a few silly repair stories to go with them! A lot of clients get pianos as gifts, heirlooms, or for free on local marketplaces. Of course, this means that the origin and history of the instrument may be a bit nebulous. One time, I was at a lovely home with a lovely family. They had just found a free piano on the street and had spent a lot of time refinishing it. Goodbye 1970s chipped lacquer, hello gorgeous white wash! I was nearly completed with the tuning when I dropped one of my tuning mutes down inside the instrument. This is pretty common – I’m clumsy. The mute fell behind the action and ended up in the bottom of the piano. I popped off the bottom panel to retrieve my mute, but I was surprised to find a big rat’s nest at the bottom! Someone had a lovely and warm home, complete with ambient music from the keys. The client had no idea and was horrified, but I’m sure that they got it all cleaned out. You wouldn’t believe how many rat nests I’ve seen on the job…

 

It’s Electric!

Here’s a story that implicates yours truly. The first thing that every tech learns about electronic repair is that tube amps are incredibly dangerous. They carry higher-than-normal voltage that can seriously hurt and kill you. We are lectured and warned time and time again to be careful and avoid accidents. It only takes one shock to kill.

Well, we are human after all. I had a tube amp on my bench and was checking the voltages at the tube pins with a multimeter. I forget why, but somehow a metal piece of debris shifted inside the chassis and rested against one of the pins. I unplugged the amp, but I completely blanked on the rest of the normal safety protocol. Friends, removing a piece of metal debris with a metal screwdriver is not the best idea. Even though the amp was unplugged, I got a nasty shock and a huge dose of adrenaline.

That was the end of my repairs for that day. I’ve been extraordinarily careful since then, but I’ll never forget the horrible feeling that I could have been found on the shop floor…

 

Who You Gonna Call?

Electronic repairs are funny. If there’s an issue with the circuit, usually nothing works. It’s either fully functional or not at all. Some rare times, you get a partially-working circuit that behaves like it shouldn’t. Haunted electronics, I say!

Very recently, I had a dead circuit that wasn’t doing anything at all. I plugged in my audio probe and oscilloscope. After carefully tracing the entire audio path, I powered on the circuit again only to have it work completely. To clarify, I didn’t do anything that warranted a fix. It just… magically worked.

I’d be lying if I said that this was the first time something like this happened. Sometimes, the electric ghosts are on your side.

 

Money!

I do a lot of “house calls” for local schools and their band programs. Recently, I had a bunch of keyboards to fix at a piano lab classroom, and many of them had annoying clicking and sticking keys. These repairs are usually simple as those symptoms indicate mechanical issues like foreign objects. Well, let me tell you, I got a big pay day! There must have been a coin-collecting hooligan at the school, because every single keyboard had multiple quarters shoved beneath the keybed. One was even from the 1970s and may be worth something, so that’s cool! Money sabotage!

 

GOOOOOAAAL!

At another acoustic piano tuning, things were going as well as could be expected. The instrument was old and needed to be put out to pasture, but I was having success in getting it close to where it needed to be in regards to tuning. When I was about halfway through, the client approached and asked if it would be a problem if they “put the game on” while I finished the tuning. The television was in the same (small) room, but when faced with an awkward situation like this, you can’t really say no to the homeowner. I agreed and tried to hurry with the rest of the tuning, except…

The family was from a country in South America, and their team was playing in the game. That game was the FIFA World Cup. All of a sudden, a ton of new guests were in the living room and the noise was deafening. TV volume: up. Shouting: up. Tuning ability: dismal.

 

Magic Smoke!

We have a silly joke in the repair business, and it goes something like this: there is magic smoke hiding inside every electronic device. If you let the magic smoke out, the device stops working.

I had a PA speaker repair on my bench, and after checking the fuse and the mechanical connections, I powered it on. The client had said that it wasn’t working at all, and in “dead” cases like this, there usually isn’t a lot of danger in powering it up to get some test voltages. I flipped the switch, and immediately thick white smoke billowed out of the speaker from the grill, from behind the back panel, from everywhere! I have a propensity for gallows humor, and let me tell you, the smell in the building reeked of chemicals and cancer.

It turns out that the full wave rectifier had completely failed. AC voltage was running through the entire circuit and fried everything!

 

Not Rats… Cats!

Of all the repair stories, this one takes the cake. Unfortunately, I’ve had this one happen twice. The more memorable situation went something like this:

We got a call from our affiliate warehouse that there was an issue with a keyboard that was just dropped off. The guys there had stored the keyboard upright, and when they moved it to put it on the truck and get it to our shop, they were horrified to find that the keyboard “was leaking”.

Excuse me, what? Keyboards don’t have any fluid inside of them, and if they do, that’s usually a death sentence. That’s all the information that we got until the instrument arrived at my bench.

Guys. That was cat urine. I took the keyboard to a neighboring room, closed the door, put on a mask and heavy-duty gloves, and got in there. I think that I burned an entire roll of paper towels. I used diluted bleach. Rubbing alcohol. Febreeze. Air fresheners. Dawn dish soap. One of our admins came into the room to ask a question, not knowing what was going on, and immediately asked why it smelled like her cat’s litterbox.

The keyboard still smells. It’s in storage and is in need of new PCBs that have not been used as a bathroom. Maybe some day I’ll be able to resurrect it, but until then, I’m staying far away!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for our next post to the Songbirds Knowledge Blog! Happy Holidays, and may your gear never break (but if it does, let us know and we’ll fix it for you)! Our next volume of repair stories will be out around this time next year.

Songbirds Harpsichord

Harpsichord Hands-On Evaluation

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The average person has probably heard mention of the harpsichord through shows, movies, and that general music class from elementary school. However, they’re incredibly rare to see and hear in the wild! I recently had the opportunity to tune and play a local harpsichord, and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to write about this historic piece of musical innovation and how it compares to the modern piano.

 

What Is It?

The harpsichord is the predecessor to the piano. It was first invented in the 1400s, or the late Middle Ages. It looks similar to a piano because it has a long, elongated wooden case that is elevated on legs, many metal strings that run the length of the case, and at least one row of keys that look similar to modern piano keys. Also like a piano, the lid can be propped open to allow maximum sound projection while performing. While it traditionally had a different tuning system than a modern piano, it can commonly be tuned and played in equal temperament tuning, meaning that all of the keys sound just like a piano.

 

Under the Hood:

There are a couple of key differences (ba dum tss) between a piano and a harpsichord which we’ll discuss in a bit, but the biggest variance is the way that the sound is produced. With a piano, a wooden hammer that is wrapped in felt strikes a group of strings when the adjoining key is pressed. The hammer strikes with higher or lower velocity, or strength, directly depending on how hard the key is struck.

In the case of the harpsichord, a tiny plectrum, or pick, produces the sound. Much like a guitar pick, these plectrums were traditionally made of quill but are usually plastic today. Pressing a key on the harpsichord moves the plectrum against and past the correlating string, which results in a plucked guitar-like tone. A massive difference here is that changing how hard you press the key has no resulting effect on how loud or soft the produced sound is. No matter what, the harpsichord has a continual and constant volume without variance.

 

Speaking of Volume:

I was shocked at how quiet the harpsichord is. It’s notoriously low in volume, but the real sound in the room was still surprising. I’m not sure how people at court in the Middle Ages heard the harpsichord, especially considering that it was often played with stringed instruments and singers. Just imagine if someone coughed or sneezed – you’d miss everything! Most of this volume loss is because the instrument has difficulty with resonation. A modern piano has multiple strings per (most) notes that are tuned to the exact same pitch. For most of the range, the piano has three metal strings per key. The piano also has the strings pulled across a heavy metal harp, or soundboard. This combination greatly improves the resonance and can result in thunderous projection that can easily fill a recital hall or stage.

The harpsichord struggles with volume on both of these fronts. The plectrums attack the strings gently, which honestly is good because they are fragile and getting in there to replace them is frustrating. This produces a low volume output at the start, but in addition, each note is only produced by a single string tuned to the correct pitch. The final nail in the coffin is that the remainder of the instrument’s soundboard is made of wood, a dampening, soft method of projection that can’t hold a candle to the modern piano.

I’d be remiss in mentioning that the harpsichord commonly does not have any pedals. There is no ability to sustain notes which also results in decreased volume and overtones.

 

Quirky Bonuses:

It’s not all doom and gloom for the harpsichord, though. It does produce a completely unique and pleasant sound. It also comes in several variations. The instrument that I got to tune has two separate rows of keys much like an organ. It also has three manual levers that can be adjusted while playing to change how the harpsichord sounds. For example, a small lever in the center of the front panel can make the bottom keybed sound muted. The resulting tone is fun and is similar to pizzicato strings or palm-muted guitars.

The remaining two levers add or remove additional octaves. Each note of the harpsichord has an adjacent string that is tuned either an octave higher or lower than its neighbor. When the correct lever is activated, a single note resonates with the fundamental pitch and the corresponding higher (or lower) octave! This is pretty cool, and it definitely produces the quintessential harpsichord sound.

 

Speaking of Octaves:

The particular instrument that I tuned really struggled with staying in tune in the higher registers. I’m sure that this isn’t the case for every harpsichord, but it was challenging and frustrating to coax it to pitch. The tuning pegs on a harpsichord are much smaller and less sturdy than on a piano, meaning that they like to be sneaky and move on you when you’re not looking. I’d expect that musicians who own harpsichords are used to frequent (if not constant) upkeep and tinkering to help it sound its best.

 

Overall Review:

Just like in the case of an organ, it is apparent that a harpsichord is not a piano. Sure, pianists can make pretty sounds on it, but properly playing and learning the instrument requires different technique and know-how. The keys on the harpsichord are notably smaller than on a piano, and I found myself stumbling over simple melodies and chords because my hands were used to the proper piano key spacing. I’m glad and grateful that I got to tune it and play with it, but I can’t overstate how much I would never want to own one (that is, unless I had ludicrous personal wealth, extra time, and space). It’s an incredible piece of history, but the tinkering and upkeep required (not to mention the sizeable footprint that it occupies) makes it a hard pass for me.

Sounds like a perfect time to dust off those harpsichord plugins and emulations on your favorite digital keyboard, MIDI instrument, or digital workstation. At least those ones don’t go out of tune or break quills!

I hope that you learned something interesting about the mighty harpsichord, and stay tuned for more installations of the Songbirds Blog! In the meantime, enjoy rocking out to Vivaldi, Bach, and all those other great composers who composed for the ancestral piano back in the day.

Songbirds Electric Pianos

Electric Pianos: A Forgotten World

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There’s a fascinating and awesome world of electric pianos that often gets overlooked in music. No, I’m not talking about electric keyboards like the ones that you can purchase at Songbirds or other stores. I’m talking about bonafide analog electric pianos from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. These incredible instruments occupied that special space where musical innovation blossomed out of necessity – technology wasn’t advanced enough yet, but music couldn’t wait. I’ve recently fallen back in love with my vintage keyboard sounds, and I’ve become increasingly aware of how many of my favorite records, both new and old, use these sounds heavily. If you’re a composer, it’s a great idea to experiment with these tones. And, if you’re a music nerd, read on and learn a bit about this hidden realm of music history!

 

The Reason for Innovation:

In the 1960s, rock and roll was taking off. Big bands, swing bands, jazz, and Hawaiian shows were starting to take a back seat, and there was a brand new need for portable piano sounds for rock shows. If you’ve ever tried to move an acoustic piano, you know that they are extremely heavy. They require multiple adults to lift, plus ramps, dollies, and lots of tylenol for that inevitable back pain. What’s more, acoustic pianos need frequent tuning and upkeep, especially after being moved. If you’re planning on throwing an acoustic piano in the back of a truck every night after a show, you’d better have a piano tuner and technician on board. It boggles my mind that, in his book, one of my favorite modern pianists and composers, Ben Folds, admits to starting his career by doing just that – lugging a real piano to all of his gigs.

Another challenge of acoustic pianos in loud rock shows is that they are notoriously difficult to mic. The piano has the widest range of any common instrument, so the sound technician has to adequately capture all of it. The piano also produces and ‘sprays’ sound in all directions – it’s not like an acoustic guitar with an obvious sound hole in the front. Combine these challenges with a loud noise floor on the stage and antiquated sound technology (remember, the Beatles played their first stadium shows with just a few amps!), and the acoustic piano was a dreadful nightmare for audio engineers.

 

Hit the Rhode

Invented after World War II by Harold Rhodes, the Rhodes electric piano is still considered the king of the niche. Often called a “suitcase piano” for its portability and rough, road-worthy Tolex covering, the Rhodes acts like a combination of an electric guitar and an acoustic piano. When a key is played, a hammer strikes a thin metal rod called a tine. This tine is connected to a larger piece of metal (called a “tone bar”) which vibrates at the correct pitch. This vibration is picked up (pun intended) by an electric pickup just like on a guitar. This allows the instrument to be plugged into an amplifier and negates the need for microphones. What’s more, most models included an onboard preamp and some rudimentary effects like tremolo, EQ, and even a patch bay for use with other outboard effects.

Rhodes produced a smaller bass version as well as full piano models that had 73 or 88 keys. Much like with their acquisition of the Leslie rotating speaker, Fender produced the Rhodes piano as an already-completed product with the Fender name slapped on. When someone speaks about a vintage electric piano sound, the Rhodes is likely what comes to mind.

 

Wurlitzer

Invented by Benjamin Miessner and first introduced in 1954, the Wurlitzer electric piano is the sister instrument to the Rhodes. It uses a real piano action and hammers to strike a metal reed. This causes vibration which is then “heard” by an electrostatic pickup, a different technology than the more traditional coil pickup found in the Rhodes. Most Wurlitzers are smaller with only 64 notes, and they currently are more expensive and harder to find on the used market than the Rhodes. While both brands sound similar, the Wurlitzer has a distinctive “bark” that cuts through a mix more sharply. If examined under an oscilloscope, the sound of the Rhodes resembles more of a natural sine wave while the Wurlitzer looks more like a saw wave. This is a more abrasive sound, and today, saw waves are commonly found in synth leads and bit-crushed synth guitar effects.

 

Yamaha CP-70 and CP-80

The Yamaha CP-70 and CP-80 stand out as notably different from the style of the Rhodes and Wurlitzer. Boasting 73 and 88 key models respectively, the Yamaha CPs are about the size of a modern miniature baby grand piano. They use the same piano action as a Yamaha full grand piano, but the strings and harp assembly are much shorter and smaller. Real hammers and felts strike real strings just like on an acoustic piano, but the full instrument is wired with piezo pickups. This allows it to be plugged into an amp or a PA, plus most models include rudimentary onboard effects and a patch bay. Unlike the Rhodes and Wurlitzer, the Yamaha CPs sound just like a regular acoustic piano, but amplified. Sure, you can get wild and creative by adding outboard effects, but this instrument does not sound like an electric piano, rather an amplified piano. This instrument is the most piano-like model in this category, and has been heard on countless piano-centric albums made by Billy Joel, Journey, Genesis, Elton John, and more.

Songbirds has a Yamaha CP-70! Let us know if you’re interested in seeing it or purchasing it for your own studio.

 

Clavinet

Featured prominently on albums by Stevie Wonder, the Clavinet has a unique and distinct sound unlike the other listed instruments. The clavinet was invented by Ernst Zacharias in Germany around 1964. Produced by the famous Hohner company, most Clavinets have 60 keys and are most at home in reggae, rock, and pop. The Clavinet sound is produced by small rubber mallets that are struck against metal strings. This sound is transferred to a series of traditional pickups like in an electric guitar or the Fender Rhodes electric piano. Each string is further dampened by yarn, preventing the string to vibrate in excess and ring out. The sound of the Clavinet is distinctly sharp, “barking” and the most in-your-face of all the instruments in the electric piano family. Just listen to the opening riff of “Superstition”, and you’ll immediately know the classic Clavinet tone!

 

Honorable Mentions:

Rock and roll wouldn’t be the same without the Hammond B3 organ. This instrument doesn’t quite fall under the same category as the rest, and I’m sure I’ll write a dedicated post all about Hammonds in the near future. In the meantime, check it out and get used to the awesome, swirling sound of the B3!

Another honorable mention includes one of the first commercially available digital synthesizers, the Yamaha Dx7. This one is historically important because it fits into the category of vintage piano sounds. The tones and modeling that it attempted sound nothing like the real instruments that it is emulating, and that’s exactly why it has solidified its place in the electric piano hall of fame. It sounds bad, and that’s the charm.

 

Practicality for Today:

If you’re like me, you may have played a bunch of different electric and digital keyboards that include “electric piano” patches. Or, perhaps you’ve experimented with plugins and effects on your computer or digital audio workstation. The problem here is that many (dare I say, most) of these patches don’t sound very good. They also usually aren’t specifically labeled, so you commonly end up with some cheesy, outdated tones that sound like they belong in a K-Mart advertisement rather than your newest hit song. Most manufacturers focus on the actual piano sounds and leave the electric piano patches as an afterthought.

So, what do you do if you’re hunting a real Rhodes sound, for example? You can look at the used markets – they’re not super uncommon yet, but they are steadily rising in price. I’d be wary of buying a real vintage one unless you have the studio space for it. Any of the above discussed instruments are amazing, but they all do require upkeep, and I wouldn’t feel confident dragging them to gigs. This is one example where modern technology has done a really, really good job at copying the tones if you know where to look.

My personal favorite option is the Korg SV-1 or SV-2. I’m biased as this is the keyboard that I gig with and have in my studio. It’s my baby. I love this option because Korg set out with the goal of specifically capturing the electric piano sound. The other patches on the keyboard, like acoustic pianos and strings, punch well above their weight class and will get you through a demanding multi-genre cover gig. However, Korg really nailed the Rhodes, Wurlitzer, and Clavinet sounds. When you power on an electric keyboard, the first patch that auto-loads is usually an acoustic piano. Not the case here – Korg proudly presents the Fender Rhodes front and center.

The flagship electric keyboard brand has been Nord, pretty much forever. The sight of a sleek red chassis on stage inspires awe and envy for those in the know. Nord is expensive, but their emulations and patches can’t be beat. There’s heated debate about which is better between a Korg and a Nord for the electric piano sounds, and the general consensus is that Korg beats Nord if you are just looking for Rhodes and Wurlitzer patches, but Nord has more versatility and edges out the competition for other sounds. For example, I admit that the organ sounds on the Korg are lackluster, and most players prefer the Nord in this department.

I’ll also shout out Yamaha for their work in emulating electric piano tones. While their patches may not be as accurate as Korg and Nord, many players opt for a flagship Yamaha like the CP-88 for their all-around excellence. (Note: the CP-88 mentioned here is a modern digital keyboard, not the vintage analog electrified piano. Confusing, I know.) Much like Fender and Gibson fans in the guitar world, Yamaha has a healthy cult following in the keyboard universe. From their lovely, reliable keybed and action to their utilitarian tones and versatility, you can’t go wrong. Many players who need a lot of diverse sounds at a gig or in the studio grab a flagship Yamaha before upgrading later to a Nord.

 

It’s Electric!

I hope that this post has inspired you to dive into the beautiful and hidden world of electric pianos. If you listen closely, you’ll start hearing Rhodes and Wurlitzers everywhere! Let us know if you have any questions, and we’ll see you for our next blog post!

Songbirds Electric Pianos
Songbirds Magnatone Vibrato

Magnatone Vibrato: How It Works

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In the 1960s there were plenty of amplifier manufacturers that were clamoring to compete with giants like Leo Fender. Of course, competition breeds creativity, and many companies struggled to find their niche. Silvertone, for example, secured their place as the “budget-friendly” Fender competitor and monopolized the mail-order catalog. Ampeg cornered the bass amplifier market. Vox and Marshall voiced their circuits in a distinctly different way that produced the “British sound.”

Enter, Magnatone. Known for their clean, but not as sparkly as Fender, tones and their stiffer, less-responsive overdrive, there wasn’t a wide-open field for their company to shine. Sure, the Magnatone sound is different and excellent in its own way, but it wasn’t spectacular enough to dethrone the Fender royalty. Except for one special thing; one secret and proprietary effect that would cement Magnatone in the halls of amplifier history: true vibrato.

*Magnatone ended its run in the mid 1970s, but there has been a modern revival. If you are enamored with the sound, you can purchase a brand new reissue of one of the classic circuits. Or, you can always try your luck at finding a vintage one that’s hoping for resurrection. Most fans now lovingly refer to them as “Maggies”.

 

Vibrato versus Tremolo:

Let’s clear up a confusing detail right away: the difference between tremolo and vibrato. Many vintage and modern amps include onboard effects like reverb. The most common and ancient effect is tremolo. This is a post-amplification effect that modulates, or changes, the instrument signal by rapidly changing the volume. Commonly, you can alter the intensity of the tremolo, or its depth, as well as the speed at which the volume change happens. This allows the player to layer on a slow, rhythmic pulse all the way to a fast, trembling warble. Remember: tremolo is a manipulation of output volume.

Vibrato is a change in pitch. Say, for example, someone sings the musical note “C”. Vibrato happens naturally in healthy singing, and if you were to look at a recording of that singer, you’d see an audio wave that subtly fluctuates around the note “C” by going slightly sharp, then flat, then sharp, then flat, etc. Vibrato sounds organic and is commonly heard in the human voice, orchestral strings like the violin, and even guitars and fretted instruments on longer notes.

In the 1960s world of amplifiers, it was pretty simple to create tremolo, a fluctuation in volume, but extremely difficult to create vibrato, a fluctuation in pitch.

The difference between tremolo and vibrato is easily confused, but it’s further convoluted by the fact that Fender called their effect “vibrato” on many of their amps (and still do!) when in reality, the effect that they were producing and manipulating is tremolo, a fluctuation in volume, not pitch.

 

Hold Up:

You may be wondering if the difference between tremolo and vibrato is noticeable, or if it even matters. Yes, it is noticeable, and yes, it matters! The two effects are closely related, but they do have distinctly different sounds. Check out this video from one of my favorite technicians of all time, Uncle Doug. Around the 18:30 mark, you can hear a side-by-side comparison of tremolo and vibrato… plus, he’s using a vintage Magnatone amp!

As you’ve probably surmised, Magnatone figured out a way to create real vibrato in their amplifiers. They coined their effect “true vibrato”, and kept the circuit a secret. That didn’t work for long, though, as amp technicians were able to get their hands on the Magnatone true vibrato, trace the circuit, and see how it works under the hood. Speaking of…

 

How Magnatone Vibrato Works:

Traditional tube tremolo (like the kind found in Fender amps) is pretty straightforward: take a tube that can function as an oscillator, then have it throttle the audio signal before it gets to the output section of the amp. It can also be done by oscillating the signal at the phase inverter, which is technical nerd jargon for “you can have the audio signal cancel itself in rhythm to create the effect”.

Magnatone true vibrato uses a rare and super special component called a varistor. A varistor is a type of semiconductor that is kind of like a common resistor. Instead of being one permanent value, however, the varistor can change its electrical resistance based on how much voltage is applied to it. They are most commonly found in surge protection, so think of it this way: if current is flowing normally through a circuit, the varistor will have very little resistance. If a voltage spike happens and the circuit starts to overload, the varistor will “see” this irregularity and will quickly increase its resistance until the spike has been resolved. This helps protect the rest of the components.

Now, this isn’t helpful for audio. Magnatone realized that a partner circuit had to be employed to make the varistors shine. This is an LFO, which stands for a “Low Frequency Oscillator”.

LFOs are incredibly common with audio. Most modulation guitar pedals, synthesizers, and keyboards use them. They simply generate an audio wave that is too low for human hearing. Then, this wave can be controlled like a common amp tremolo circuit by manipulating the intensity and the rate. Most importantly, other audio signals, effects, or controls can be attached to the LFO and “ride” it to create interesting and novel sounds.

 

So, in combination, the magic and mystery of Magnatone true vibrato is this:

Instrument audio signal enters an amplification tube. At the same time, an LFO signal is being injected into the same tube. This LFO is strong enough to rhythmically vary the voltage at the tube, meaning that the output signal of the tube also varies accordingly. The tube has a separate varistor attached to both the positive and negative outputs, so the out-of-phase audio signal (which has been juiced with the below-human-hearing varying signal) gets squeezed and “corrected” by each varistor. When the two out-of-phase signals are combined at another amplification tube, the summed sound is the smooth, musical vibrato that we love. If you’d like to see an explanation using a schematic, check out this video at the 34:05 mark.

 

The Maggie, the Myth, the Legend:

Much to the despair of amp technicians back in the day, Magnatone was one huge step ahead: they kept the values, construction, and technical details of the varistor close to their chest. The actual component doesn’t have any markings on it, and attempts to recreate it have been futile. That is, until the Maggie revival in the 2010s. The current company that produces these amps spent a ton of time, research, and development in reproducing the varistors, and while their construction is still a secret, it’s refreshing to know that the knowledge of how to make them hasn’t been lost to time.

 

Is It Worth It?

To me, a vintage nerd, technician, and enthusiast, yes. Yes, the Magnatone true vibrato is a completely unique sound unlike any other, especially in comparison to traditional tremolo. It’s a subtle, musical, and organic sound that sits with the music. Tremolo interrupts the music more – it sounds choppier and more abrasive once you’ve tasted the sweetness of vibrato.

That being said, the Magnatone sound is a sum of its parts. An all-tube ensemble, vintage (often sub-par quality speakers), and the ability to jumper channels on the amp give the vibrato a charming grittiness, warmth, and mojo.

If you’re looking for just the sound of the vibrato and don’t need the full amplifier, there are some great modern pedals that try to faithfully emulate the Magnatone vibrato sound. Check out the Equilibrium by Alexander Pedals, Magnavibe by Bigfoot FX, SurfyVibe, and Killer V by Crazy Tube Circuits.

 

Wrapping Up the Vibes:

Thanks for learning about this unique and magical circuit from the 1960s! Keep in mind that not all Magnatone amps have the true vibrato circuit under the hood, but models that do can still be found in the wild. Keep an eye open for vintage ones at places like the Orlando Guitar Expo, and there’s always Reverb. Stay tuned for more interesting and nerdy offerings, and contact us if you have any questions!

Songbirds Magnatone Vibrato
Songbirds All About Analog Reverb

All About Analog Reverb

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Before our modern era of digital technology, pioneering musicians and inventors had to figure out how to create complex effects like reverb in an all-analog environment. This caused a lot of difficulty, in particular with reverb, as it is a natural acoustic phenomenon that is hard to capture in a compact and easily portable way! In this blog, I’ll go over the basics of how analog reverb works, give some examples of units that were produced, and discuss why non-digital reverb may be worth exploring.

 

What’s Reverb, Anyway?

Let’s pretend that you clap your hands once in an empty room. That sound will emanate out in all directions before bouncing off the walls. The reflected sound that returns to your ears will first appear as echo, or delay, (in a particularly hard-surfaced room) before quickly washing out into the sum of many reflections. This ambient noise is called reverb. It’s the sound of the room and the resulting responsiveness of the space.

Obviously, you can’t take a huge empty room with you on tour, and different venues have a lot of variance. That’s why audio engineers had to figure out how to recreate the sound of reverb for portable use!

 

How Does Analog Reverb Work?

When you play an electric guitar, bass guitar, or other amplified instrument, the acoustic signal is transformed into an electrical signal by the instrument’s pickup. This most commonly happens by manipulating a magnetic field. The steel strings vibrate close to magnets that have been wrapped in a conductive coil, and that disturbance creates a tiny electrical signal. An amplifier takes that signal and makes it many, many factors louder in order to move a speaker and knock the walls down at a concert.

Analog reverb uses this same concept but in reverse. If you take that amplified signal, increase it some more, and send it through metal springs, the resulting sound has reverb. But how? At the end of each spring, there is a small component called a transducer. The incoming electrical signal is strong enough to create a mechanical disturbance, or vibration, effectively transforming the electrical signal back into an acoustic wave. This wave is transferred to and through the springs where another transducer converts the bouncy, wiggly acoustic signal back into an electrical signal. This vibration that has occurred through the length of the spring causes the reverb effect that we all know and love. At the output point, the signal is sent through more amplification stages before driving the speaker.

 

Why So Much Boosting?

Astute readers will notice that we’ve amplified the instrument signal a lot, and many times. This is because all of that signal transfer through springs and conversion is really, really inefficient. Signal loss is problematic with all types of analog reverb, so we have to hit, or drive, the springs really hard. It’s also vital to pick a recovery circuit after the reverb effect that can boost the signal without adding more unwanted noise. It turns out that the audio that comes out of the springs is pretty low-fidelity compared to what went in, so the recovery stage also has to do some heavy lifting with tone shaping and equalization. In many reverb circuits that use tubes, one tube does the input boosting, and another takes care of the output recovery. Solid state reverbs use transistors, but many more than just one are required on each side of the springs.

 

Some Milestones on the Road to Reverb:

The first successful models of amplifiers didn’t have onboard reverb. It hadn’t been invented yet! Early tweed Fender amps like the 5e3 Deluxe, for example, were built without any effects. When spring reverb exploded onto the music scene, in particular with the craze for surf and Hawaiian-influenced music, manufacturers like Fender rushed to meet the demand by introducing piggy-back units.

The Fender 6g15 was first produced in 1961 and was intended for use with the current Fender line of amps, the brown and cream-colored models (now referred to as the “brownface” era). This unit, and others like it, act like a giant effect pedal that sits between the input instrument and the amplifier. Our custom Chickadee is a product that we built from scratch and is heavily influenced by the 6g15. This model still remains one of the finest examples of standalone spring reverb ever made.

It didn’t take long for Fender and other competing brands to figure out how to insert the spring reverb circuit into an amplifier. This was a much more attractive concept to the average player – who wouldn’t want everything in an easy-to-carry package? Fender introduced the Vibroverb amp in 1963, their first combo amp that included onboard spring reverb. With few exceptions, reverb was forever destined to stay in amps, delighting players and adding extra dimension to their music.

Tube reverb (and tube amp circuitry), would eventually be challenged by the advent of solid-state technology. More affordable and durable transistors could handle the job of amplification, and spring reverb was no exception. In 1966, Fender pioneered the FR1000, a short-lived piggyback solid-state spring reverb. While it didn’t find much success, the FR1000 paved the way for using transistorized circuits in amplifiers going forward. Most amps today use solid-state technology for their onboard reverb, which even includes circuits that use digital reverb emulation.

On this long arc from invention to ubiquitous implementation of spring reverb, the guitar world had some interesting and quirky detours. Also in 1966, Fender produced a reverb unit using licensed technology from the Tel-Ray Morley company. This product was named the Echo-Reverb and produced the reverb effect by passing audio signal across a spinning metal disc. This disc was coated in electrostatic oil (which is why this and similar units are referred to as “oil cans”) and could delay and modulate the sound in addition to creating ambience.

In 1973, Roland started producing the Space Echo, an incredible magnetic tape delay unit that also boasted onboard reverb. Until then, most tape delays focused on the echo, but Roland combined the magic of tape with a miniature onboard spring reverb unit.

More popular in the recording studio versus on the road, a different but related innovation called plate reverb was booming through the 1960s and 1970s. This technology creates the reverb effect by injecting audio signal on one side of a large metal sheet. Much like with spring reverb, this creates an acoustic disturbance which is converted by a transducer. Plate reverb is still used today but has a distinctly different sound than spring reverb. While springs can sound bright, bouncy, and erratic, plate reverb often sounds dense and lush.

 

Why Choose Analog Reverb Today?

There’s a bit of magic to hearing audio signal pass through real vibrating springs, but most of the secret sauce comes down to two factors: preamplification and spring specifications. Units like the Fender 6g15 piggyback are great because they use real tubes to boost and recover the signal. Even if the spring reverb effect is disengaged, you can use tube circuits like this to further boost, saturate, and enrich the sound of your guitar or instrument before it hits your amplifier. Transistorized circuits do this too, of course, but the ability to use them as a preamp pales in comparison to tubes. Almost all modern reverb pedals use solid-state technology. Spring specifications matter because there are a million differently-sized reverb tanks (springs) that are produced. Extra-long springs can handle long, ambient delays that are darker and richer than modern pedals.

If you’re into vintage and some of the quirky side-quest units that were mentioned above, there really isn’t a substitute. Those effects are ultra-unique, and while modern pedals that emulate them come close, they don’t quite hit the mark. Of course, most of those examples are like a top-shelf aged whiskey: definitely not for everyone, an acquired taste, and best explored in moderation unless that’s really your thing.

Let’s be honest, though: the biggest perk to using a real analog spring reverb today is the ability to manipulate (and abuse) the springs in real time. If you kick, bump, shake, or rattle the spring reverb, you create a thunderstorm of clattering, banging, echoing, reverb-y goodness. The song Decks Dark by the rock band Radiohead uses the unmistakable sound of spring reverb for rhythm and ambience – check it out! A little noise and controlled chaos can go a long way in making your music stand out.

 

Go Forth and Sproing!

I hope that this post cleared up some of the mystery of spring reverb. I also hope that it has inspired you to experiment with it and hear some examples for yourself! Let us know if you have any questions or requests for future posts!

Songbirds Tubes vs. Solid State

Tubes versus Solid-State

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There’s a lot of information (and confusion) out there regarding the constant debate over tube amplifiers versus solid-state amplifiers. Everyone has their own preference, but in general, most professional players agree that tube amplifiers are superior. Let’s look at why that is the case and compare how both tube and solid-state amps are constructed and function.

 

Note: With a few exceptions (looking at you, gorgeous Roland JC-120), I am firmly planted in the Tubes-Are-Better camp. I’ll be as unbiased as possible in discussing the pros and cons of each, though.

 

Overdrive Tone:

The real conflict between tubes and solid-state swirls around the way that each product produces distortion and overdrive. When an audio signal enters the amp, it gets amplified by either tubes or transistors. Transistors are smaller, more cost-effective devices that have a cut-off point. When the incoming signal gets loud enough to reach that threshold, the transistor clips the signal, or cuts off the tops and bottoms of the audio waveform. This gets further amplified by other transistors and eventually results in a distorted sound at the output.

Tubes don’t have a cut-off point in the sense that they clip the audio signal more gently, as if in a curve. This results in a more organic, smoother sounding distortion that most people find more desirable. There’s also the addition of even-order harmonics with tube amplification, which means that faint distorted frequencies ring out at higher octaves of the fundamental note. These harmonics aren’t produced with transistorized circuits, and their inclusion rounds out and enriches the overall audio signal.

The lack of hard cut-off point with tubes results in the touch sensitivity that many players enjoy. You’ll often see this referred to as “edge of breakup”, meaning that, under the right conditions, the instrument can be played without distortion when the strings are picked lightly, and with distortion when they are strummed with more force. This trick is more difficult to achieve with transistors. What’s more, tube overdrive and distortion creates a natural audio compression that helps the audio signal sound richer, warmer, and fatter, especially at high volumes.

Speaking of high volumes, tube amps need to be relatively hot to work properly and sound their best. Most tubes sound anemic and hollow at low volume, where transistor circuits do just fine at a whisper. A lot of players don’t have the luxury of knocking the walls down with added volume.

 

Durability:

Tube amps are much more fragile than solid-state. Tubes are made of glass and hold an internal vacuum. Even though they are protected by the amp’s cabinet, a wrong bump or smash can break a tube. Tube amps also run on significantly higher internal voltage than solid-state, and although the components are rated to handle the current, it’s still a lot of energy running around and causing stress. Solid-state amps can usually be thrown off a moving truck and still function (please don’t try this at home!), but problems at the component level are more difficult to diagnose when they arise.

 

Repair:

Unfortunately, most solid-state amplifiers are built to be disposable. It’s much more challenging to fix a broken solid-state amp, and hourly repair costs can quickly balloon when the required fix is complicated. When solid-state amps fail, it usually is a matter of weighing the cost of repair versus putting that money towards a new amp or better model. The transistors that amplify the signal in solid-state amps require more connected components to function correctly, and the circuit boards are always more populated and intricate. In digital circuits, proprietary chips may be involved that can only be replaced from the manufacturing company, not repaired.

On the other hand, tube circuits involve larger and fewer components. The tubes do all of the heavy lifting, so in a super simplified sense, the other components are just carrying current and making the necessary connections to help the tubes do their job. Most tube amps are designed with future repair or modification in mind. In short, it seems like most solid-state manufacturers don’t want you to repair the product, while most tube manufacturers know that you will eventually.

 

Realness:

Tube amplification was invented before solid-state, so the natural progression of technology is that solid-state will forever try to capture, emulate, and improve on the sound of tubes. Has it happened yet? Many players including myself would argue no, not at all. Solid-state sounds close to the real deal, especially with digital modelers, but that extra five percent of je ne sais quoi is what has yet to be accurately captured. The combination of even-order harmonics from an amp’s tubes, plus the volume saturation, plus the physical act of moving air in the room from the speaker is, as of now, the missing piece from solid-state products.

 

Cost:

There’s no bones about it: tube amps are far more expensive than solid-state. This is because the tubes themselves are costly on a parts-level, plus tube amps require expensive output transformers whereas solid-state usually relies on transistors to do the job in the output section. Tube amps that have onboard effects like tremolo, true vibrato, and reverb usually have extra transformers, chokes, and tubes for those sections as well. What’s more, tube amps that are intended to last decades are often hand-wired or constructed with point-to-point wiring, meaning that all internal components are easily accessible and visible in case a repair is needed. Building an amp in this fashion requires literal hands-on work, so labor costs are higher.

 

Mojo:

Guitars and cars are always compared, so a tube amp is like a classic American muscle car and a solid-state is like a brand-new vehicle that just came off the line. You may find enjoyment in both, or you may prefer one over the other. At the end of the day, your amp should be like your guitar – it should make you want to play more! I find that tube amps have extra mojo and “coolness” that gets me excited to pick up my instrument and play some tunes. Your goal is always to find that piece of gear that makes you want to do the same.

 

I hope that this helped shed some light on both sides of the eternal tube versus solid-state debate! Let us know if you have any questions, and if you’re interested in your own custom tube amplifier, check out our custom amps page!

Songbirds Active Listening

Active Listening for Music

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Believe it or not, this isn’t going to be a post about relationship advice or communication. This one is all about how to listen actively to music! This post came about as my oldest toddler has been really getting involved with listening to music and has started to collect some favorite artists and songs. Watching him experience music has refocused my brain on how to listen actively as I’ve found myself needing to explain it to him! Active listening is a skill that can be learned to increase overall musicianship, pattern recognition, songwriting ability, and more… plus it’s easy! It’s also extra fun as an adult and music-lover to go back and listen to music that was heavily played and important during those formative years (especially the tweens and teens). At least in my experience, songs sound different now than how I remember them, and practicing active listening helps me appreciate them more! Read on to learn some tricks and help grow that musical brain.

 

Active vs. Passive:

Both types of music enjoyment are important, and one isn’t better than the other. Passive listening occurs when you have a song on in the background. Maybe you’re on your drive to work, cleaning the house, or at dinner with live musicians. Your brain isn’t focusing on the music and it doesn’t have your full attention. You may tune in (pun intended) at times, but the music is there to set the mood, make you happy, or help you focus.

Active listening is when you focus most of your attention on the music. Usually, you analyze it or deconstruct it while it’s playing, but that doesn’t have to be the case. As long as you’re thinking about what’s happening, musically, your brain is working and fine tuning itself (one again, pun intended). Active listening doesn’t have a specific roadmap, but here are some tips and tricks to get you started. I’ve broken them down into attributes of a song, which should make it easy to pick one specific item and go from there – which is particularly useful if you have a toddler in the back seat.

 

Structure:

Music is based on patterns both small and large. Our brains love a good pattern and some tasty repetition. In his book The Storyteller, rock icon Dave Grohl describes how he thinks of sections of songs like giant Lego blocks that can move around, interlock, and build on each other. When you’re practicing active listening with a song, try:

  • How many different chunks (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.) does the song have?
  • How long are the chunks? Are they all the same, or are some longer than others?
  • If the song doesn’t have words, can you find parts (themes) that repeat?
  • When sections of the song are repeated, how are they different from the first time?

 

Rhythm:

A great definition of music is organized sound. Without rhythm, we don’t have music! Rhythm is one of the easiest musical attributes to track, especially for young listeners. Try the following:

  • How many beats, or pulses, does each measure have? Can you count out the beats? The song most likely has four beats per measure, but if not, can you tell?
  • What are the drums, or the percussion section, doing? Can you track that part when you’re listening?
  • How does the percussion change to introduce a new section or song structure?
  • Can you hear how the bass (guitar, synth, or lowest instrument) interacts with the percussion? Start with the kick drum and the bass instrument relationship.
  • Can you find patterns within the drum or percussion part? For example, can you track or count what the cymbals are doing in relation to the snare drum?

 

Pitch:

When we think of “music”, we often first think of pitch, or the melodies and harmonies in a song. This section is all about identifying the form and shape of the melodic lines. For example:

  • Is the singer vocalizing high or low? Can you sing the same notes comfortably?
  • Do the instruments sound like they are playing high or low notes? For example, is the piano using the high end, low end, or both?
  • Latch on to a specific melody. What is the shape of that phrase? Are the notes getting higher, lower, or making a musical rollercoaster?
  • How do melodies change to introduce new sections of the song’s structure?
  • Is the singer using any vocal tricks like whispers, slides, or affectations?

 

Instrumentation:

This category is my favorite for active listening, and it’s all about identifying the unique instruments, plugins, effects, pieces of gear, and tonal colors in a piece of music. Like with other sections, the sky is the limit, but I find that you can get into some interesting rabbit holes here:

  • What instruments (or samples) are being used in the song?
  • Can you track each individual instrument through the song?
  • If you were to see or play this song live, how many different instruments and people would you need to make it sound like the recording?
  • How many vocalists (or how many layers of harmony) can you hear?
  • What effects are being used on each instrument? For example, is a guitar clean or distorted, or are the drums electronic or acoustic?
  • Do you recognize any sound samples that you’ve heard in other songs?
  • What instrument or sound is the main focus in each section of the music?

 

Innovations:

Once you’ve practiced a lot of active listening, or when you’ve heard your favorite music so much that you know it inside and out, it’s fun to imagine (or write!) what you would do differently if you had been the original composer or recording artist. This is also a lot of fun to think or talk about after hearing a new piece of music for the very first time. For example:

  • Is the song too long or too short? Why?
  • Are the melodies catchy? How would you edit or improve on them?
  • Clunky lyrics? Change them!
  • Strange mixing decisions? Is it difficult to hear a specific instrument?
  • Weak bridge or other section of the song? Write a new one!

 

Conclusion:

Active listening is a lot of fun, and it’s a huge asset for musical growth and development. Aspiring and pro musicians should be like a sponge absorbing all types of music across various genres. If you try something and don’t particularly like it, active listening can inform you as to why, and at the very least, it can help you find the silver lining in a song… or better yet, inspire you to write your own take on it! Let us know if you have further questions about songwriting or active listening, and stay tuned for our next installment of the Songbirds Knowledge Blog.

Songbirds Active Listening
DIY Leslie II Songbirds

DIY Leslie Part II: The Reve-less-ion

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Around this time in 2022, I attempted to build my own DIY Leslie Rotating Speaker. The honest and unfiltered process is documented here, as well as the loose guide that I followed from Premier Guitar. Ultimately, building that was a frustrating but fun experience, and after using my DIY Leslie a couple times, I moved it to storage. I’m sure that it’s not as bad as I remember, but I filed this project in the deep and dusty mental bin labeled “failed projects, may experiment later”… knowing full well that I’d probably never get to it. To recap, the Leslie worked, but the effect wasn’t as pronounced as anticipated, there was a decent amount of operational noise that I couldn’t tune out, and it took up a lot of space. Plus, I was forever scarred from trying to get that styrofoam baffle to spin on a perfectly balanced axis. Still, I wanted to find a usable Leslie tone for the studio. Even with my DIY Leslie build, I could tell that there was some magic in the sound of the baffle spraying the sound through the air as opposed to using a pedal or some other type of simulation.

 

Enter, Don:

Recently, I was scrolling the local online marketplaces (as one does, when one has an obsession with finding vintage gear), and I came across a listing from a local musician with a Fender Vibratone. We’ll call this person Don, in homage to the inventor of the Leslie Rotating Speaker, Donald Leslie. The Fender Vibratone was produced between 1967 and 1972, and is the exact same thing as the Leslie 16, just with a Fender logo slapped on. In short, it’s a real deal vintage rotating speaker that you can use with guitar or keyboard. There’s an incredibly detailed article here that explains everything you’d ever want to know about the Vibratone.

I don’t have much luck with the marketplace that I was on at the time. You know, the one that starts with an “F” and ends with “-acebook”. It’s rare that anyone responds at all, but our new friend Don was quick to communicate and eager to meet up. You see, his original listing stated that he might be interested in trading for other vintage effects, and it just so happened that I had several weird and wacky pieces that I had restored. They were looking for a new home. Don made it clear that he loves finding “effects that he’s never heard of” – we’re evidently kindred spirits in that regard!

After arranging a time, we both walked away with a happy trade, an incredible deal for both parties, some arrangements for future work and jamming, and in my case, some extra back pain from the Vibratone. That’s right – after two years, I had my hands on a rotating speaker.

 

Guts and Dust:

After getting it home, I took time to restore it with some trusted 303 vinyl cleaner and elbow grease. For being as old as it is (I’m guessing 1970?), there were surprisingly few creepy crawlies inside. Just a few eight-legged audio engineers who spent their lives laboring to keep the Vibratone running smoothly. They have since been evicted and laid to rest in the bottom of my vacuum cleaner bag. There were some creaks and squeals from the motor that sounded shockingly like a baby pig, but those have been sorted out with the help of Bill over at BB Organ and some special motor oil.

The Vibratone is unique in the way that it sprays the sound around the room. The DIY Leslie (and most real Leslies) operate on a horizontal axis, meaning that the speaker (or speakers) are mounted parallel to the ground and shoot up towards the ceiling. From there, the styrofoam baffle spins and sprays the sound around the room in all directions. The Vibratone works vertically, meaning that the speaker is mounted perpendicular to the floor like a normal guitar amp, and the baffle spins parallel to the floor. The Vibratone sound is sprayed to the sides and top of the cabinet, meaning that the strongest effect is heard when standing beside the Vibratone.

This model works with two separate but connected motors. One is responsible for the “chorale” setting, a slow speed of about 40 revolutions per minute, and the other controls the fast “tremolo” speed which is around 340 revolutions per minute. The hardy and molded styrofoam baffle is spun with a cloth belt, and a magnetized control quickly jumps an axle barrel in between both motors when the different speeds are engaged. Rubber grommets and wingnuts hold the motor assembly to the pine cabinet to prevent knocking and excess vibration during operation.

For better or for worse, the Vibratone utilizes an audio crossover system. Long story short, it has to be driven by an amp as the actual speaker is passive. The crossover connects in between the amp and its speaker or connected speaker cabinet. Due to the inductors in the crossover, the guitar signal from the amp dumps all of the midrange frequencies to the Vibratone, and the amp’s speaker gets only the treble and bass frequencies. This creates a unique wet/dry blend as the input signal is shared by two separate speakers. Most players opt to bypass the crossover and send the entire frequency range to the Vibratone, but the intended crossover system sounds excellent as is. The “advanced mode” layout consists of using two separate amps, one for just the Vibratone mids and one for the rest of the frequencies, which allows you to balance levels and further craft the tone.

 

Self-Indulgence:

So what does it sound like? Absolutely incredible, that’s what. The slow setting is a very subtle phasing that sounds simultaneously trippy and disorienting. The fast speed is a watery, complex amalgamation of sonic bliss. This effect is musical self-indulgence: it’s tricky to capture live or on a recording in its entirety, so it’s really for the player in the room. Ripping tired blues licks and strumming cowboy chords never felt so good. Even the most rudimentary songs sound interesting, fresh, and complex with the Vibratone engaged. If you are a guitarist or keyboardist and get the chance to play one of these (or buy / trade one), do it!

 

Okay, but Pedals:

The burning question that everyone has: can a pedal do what a Leslie / Vibratone does? The answer is yes, and no, not really. Like any piece of gear, you’re going after a specific sound for a certain reason. If no one in your audience can tell if that cool keyboard lick uses a Leslie or a digital plugin, does it matter? I’d argue no, and in that regard, you don’t need a real rotating speaker to get the sound of one. Any good pedal that gets close or in the neighborhood (like flangers, univibes, vibrato, etc.) will be just fine unless you’re hunting the real deal. Which brings me to the other half of that answer: there is no substitute for a real rotating speaker in a room. There’s an extra five percent of magic and je ne sais quoi that comes from the air spraying around the room. It’s pure musical bliss, and I can’t help but smile when I play it. For me, this Vibratone is already a staple part of my rig that I’m not giving up. It’s truly incredible. That doesn’t mean that I’m crazy enough to take it to a gig, though. Your mileage may / will vary, of course.

 

The DIY Side of Things:

So, after all this rambling, let’s compare the Vibratone with the DIY Leslie that I made. Even before I met Don, I was doing some rudimentary research on the Vibratone and found some pictures of it open and in an exploded view. The genius of the design is that the baffle rotates parallel to the floor, and that there is a metal bracket on each end that keeps the styrofoam from wobbling and getting out of balance. I bet that I could apply some kind of bracket to my DIY Leslie speaker and make it a lot more reliable.

People rag on vintage gear for its simplicity. Don’t get me wrong, the motor and assembly inside the Vibratone is ancient by our modern standards, but it’s all sturdy and is specifically designed with quality in mind. It’s meant to do its one job and never break down, which is a stark comparison to what I was able to cobble together with my DIY build. As Eric Haugen said in this awesome demo video of a Vibratone, “everything is just a little bit broken all of the time”. I’d rather take the vintage and creaky model with quality parts than the new DIY Leslie build with questionable life expectancy.

Speaking of quality parts, I was super surprised by the firmness and durability of the Vibratone’s baffle. The molded styrofoam is hard. My DIY version looks like tissue paper in comparison. In addition, my DIY Leslie model has a motor controller that can set the speed wherever you like within the designed range. While the old-school Vibratone only allows for two locked-in speeds, I’d rather have that than one variable option. What’s that saying about how limitation encourages creativity?

In my research, I ran across a good amount of forum posts, reddit posts, articles, and blogs of people that also built their own DIY Leslies. Some went from scratch like I did, and some used old motors and baffles that they had rescued or cannibalized from old vintage models. Across the board, every builder seemed ecstatic and claimed that their project had turned out perfectly. To the true scratch-build DIYers: I don’t believe it, unless you used reliable parts and/or vintage specs. To the vintage cannibals: Maybe, I’d have to hear it. In my limited experience, it seems like there isn’t quite a substitute for the real thing.

 

If I Were to Do It Again:

If you’re trying to do the DIY thing, I bet you can implement some massive improvements. I’d use my previous article to get started, then try the following, in order of suggested importance:

  1. Mount the baffle parallel to the floor like the Vibratone.
  2. Get a vintage baffle, or find some way to mold styrofoam or other lightweight material. Low density foam won’t cut it.
  3. Install a metal (or otherwise sturdy) bracket to keep the baffle axle straight and noise-free.
  4. Get a quality motor that won’t cause wobble or noise. There's no comparison between the cheap, but functional, motor that I purchased from Mr. Bezos and the heavy-as-a-brick-murder-weapon motor that came installed in the Vibratone.
  5. Find ways to lubricate the motor and axle to reduce noise (felt pads for oil, like the originals)
  6. Find ways to dampen everything with rubber grommets and/or insulation. No noise!

Let me know if you try your own build, and once again, if you get a chance to play a real Leslie or Vibratone, do it! It truly is unique and sonically incredible. 

DIY Leslie II Songbirds

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