I recently did a post on one of the James Tyler Variax guitars and immediately had to grab this gem by Roland and Fender. I was burning with desire to play it and compare its features. The Variax really impressed me with the instant tuning changes. The  Roland G-5-blk VG does not fall short in that area.

Both guitars really do the same tricks. Out of the box, I really did appreciate the aesthetics of the G-5 VG: the classic black color and  three single-coil pickup configuration makes this guitar nothing short of sexy! And, it sounds great too. That goes both for the (N) rotary knob selection – (N) standing for natural, or for straight up single-coil Strat circuitry – as well as the Roland COSM technology-powered, virtual Tele (T), Strat (S),  modeled Humbuckers (H), and acoustic (A) settings.

The guitar is really straight forward in selecting the sounds you need at any moment. And it feels, sounds and plays as well as an American Standard. Great job on this collaboration!

Category: News, Product Videos
Tags: electric guitar, fender, G-5-BLK VG Stratocaster, guitar, guitars, roland, v guitar, VG Stratocaster

The Roland Octa-Capture is one excellent piece of gear. Providing one with almost everything they might need for a start up studio. For one, it has very high quality converters allowing one to record at sample rates up to 192k on four channels. The unit itself can record up to 8 analog and 2 digital channels all at the same time using any of the other sample rates besides 192k. The most interesting feature of the Octa-Capture is its auto-sens feature. Essentially what it does is automatically adjusts the input to the optimum level. So when recording  the levels are not to soft and they are not too loud. So in the end you’ll have tracks that are easy to work with. Then on top of that this interface can double as a live mixer. It can run as a stand alone unit or it can work with the computer and record the show at the same time. On top of that, to make thing easier, Roland included 40 bit DSP into the unit. It has a compressor for each analog channel for giving extra punch to kick drums or making the bass a little smoother live. They also included reverb for every channel to give vocals or acoustic guitars more depth.  So if you need high quality solution for the stage and for studio the Octa-Capture is one of the few that could fit that bill. Something worth seeing.

Category: Featured Products
Tags: easy music center, interface, Octa-Capture, recording, roland, studio

Give this a try…Have fun with this!!!

Category: Bash 'Em with Bryan
Tags: bryan, Bryan Sanchez, drum fill, drum fill of the month, fill, lessons, roland, sanchez, Video Lessons

Robert Marcelo toasting the new GT-100 at NAMM after an AWESOME demo!

The NAMM show was needless to say one of the best experiences I have had both as a musician and as a salesperson at Easy Music Center. My eyes feasted upon the plethora of new and exciting gear from a full drum set played with nothing but your feet, to a brand new line of “intelligent” PA gear by Line 6. Though I digress, as a guitar player, one of the most exciting was the release of the new GT-100 by BOSS.

BOSS has done it again! (No surprise for those of us who live and love BOSS). The new GT-100 has a new sleek design, the most striking of which is the unique dual LCD screens. This new feature, along with the 8 easy grab knobs, makes it easy to tweak your sound on the fly. There are no menus and everything is easy to access and ready to go. Boss also remodeled the entire amps and effects section; they sound better than ever! Thanks to a new DSP engine, your COSM tones will soar higher than ever before. But, it wouldn’t be complete without a new set of vintage sounding amps from high-gain models to smooth and clean. The most impressive part of this new flagship has to be the new Accel pedal, allowing control of multiple parameters at once.

All in all, this is a MUST SEE pedal! I was blown away by Robert Marcelo at the NAMM show and his flawless execution of all it’s features as he proceeded to melt my face off. Be on the lookout for it here at Easy Music Center!  I wish my video didn’t come out distorted…Robert was killing it as always!

COMING SOON!!!

Category: Featured Products, NAMM, Pics
Tags: 2012, accessories, boss, COSM, GT-10, GT-100, guitars, NAMM, ROBERT MARCELO, roland

Changing the recording pattern on the BOSS RC-30 couldn’t be any easier. By watching the YouTube video below or following the few simple directions, you can change the recording pattern from RECORD/OVERDUB/PLAY to RECORD/PLAY/OVERDUB.

Step 1: While RC-30 is powered off, hold down the TAP TEMPO button.

Step 2: Insert 1/4 INCH CABLE to power on the RC-30 (while still holding the TAP TEMPO button).

Step 3: (Display will read “RD” meaning Record/Overdub).  Press the UP ARROW button so that the display reads “RP” meaning (Record/Play).

Step 4: Press TAP TEMPO button to confirm selection.

Your RC-30 is now ready to go!

Category: Featured Products, How To
Tags: accessories, boss, boss rc-30, honolulu, king st., king street, kings, kingsley, pedals, rc-30, rc30, roland

Hey all you ladies and gents out there! Come check out the new RC-300 loop station pedal by Boss! Yes indeed, it is BOSS!

Featuring three separate stereo tracks with up to three hours or continuous recording time, a wide variety of effects for any musical instrument and much more! It is perfect for recording on the fly, uploading some tracks to your computer for editing or even loading some of your favorite backing tracks back onto the pedal!

Watch Isaac as he demonstrates the ease of use of the RC-300 and makes music on the fly with nothing but his voice!

Category: Featured Products
Tags: accessories, boss, guitars, loop pedal, Loop Station, rc-20xl, RC-3, RC-300, RC-50, roland

  There have been alot of changes and innovations in electronic percussion over the past two decades, but Zildjian has taken a huge step in an exciting new direction! No more of that lifeless “thwack” sound from a dead rubber surface on your digital drum kit. Zildjian presents the Gen16 AE cymbal as an addition or upgrade to your electronic drum set. Dig this, there are real metal cymbals: crash ride and high hats that actually sound and feel like cymbals, and that’s before you plug them in.  In the video below I will give you a brief overview of how these cymbals sound, operate and integrate into your existing drum set. Blue LED’s included.  Yes!  It isn’t just modeling.  These cymbals are mic’d!

Category: News, Product Videos
Tags: digital drum, drum, drums, Gen16 AE, roland, td12, zildjian

Get great vocals for the keyboard player. Create vocal harmonies with just a microphone and a midi keyboard.

Human Voice type: Female Choir, Boys Choir, Gregorian Choir and Jazz Scat. Vocal Designer type: Duet, Trio 1, and Trio2. The vocoder has 3 different types.

If you are a keyboard player and want to help with the background vocals, try this box. Want to step out front with some Zapp & Rodger talk box effects without the tube in your mouth, try the vocoder. It sounds great with built in reverb and phantom power for condenser microphones.

The Roland VP-7…Like most of my posts, I want one. I think you will want one too.

Category: Featured Products, News, Product Videos
Tags: keyboards, roland, studio, Talk Box, Vocal Harmonizer, vocal processor, vocoder, VP-7

This month I’ll show you how to do a cool trick with most digital delay units. Over the years I’ve been surprised to learn that a lot of my customers don’t really  know how to do this trick . If you’ve ever wondered how the edge from u2 gets that cool effect from a lot of their songs, then you should check this out.

Category: How To
Tags: accessories, accessory, billy reichling, boss, delay, easy music center, electric guitar, electric guitars, guitar, guitars, pedal, pedals, roland

Are you an aerobics instructor, lecturer, pastor, or street musician ? Are you someone who is just plain looking to be better heard?  Did you also mention you needed something portable with a wireless microphone included?   Then come on down to any one of Easy Music Center’s three locations ( Kapolei store opens Nov.  1st 2011), and check out the new Roland BA-55 portable PA! You cant go wrong with the light weight design, the battery or ac power  option, the three channel 1/4 , RCA, XLR  input  and mount for a speaker stand. But the stand out feature is that it comes with a built in wireless microphone w/ reverb with an extra channel for one more microphone ( sold separately…it comes with one standard) Heck, it even has a built in dinner bell/call to order chime. Perfect for small parties and crowds up to about 80 people.

In this short video, you can get a feel for how the BA-55 sounds outdoors. This video was shot 10ft away with an iPhone in light winds.  The BA-55 is running on only on eight AA batteries + two AA for the mic.

Category: Product Videos
Tags: BA-55, microphones, PA Gear, portable PA gear, roland, roland BA-55, Roland PA, wireless mcirophone system