Camera Awesome Review

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Camera Awesome
Function: Camera App for iPhone and iPad
Price: Free
What’s New: A powerful new photo/video app for iPad and iPhone, Camera Awesome definitely lives up to its name.  With a great-looking interface and easy-to-use features, Camera Awesome offers several upgrades to a standard apple camera app including ability to set separate exposure and focus spots, a level for the horizon, and 1-tap sharing to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, SmugMug, Flickr, and others. Editing includes an “awesomize” slider that automatically adjusts contrast, colors, and exposure to the optimum levels and allows the user to choose how much “awesome” to add. Camera Awesome comes with 36 different effects with more for optional purchase.  If that isn’t enough, the most awesome feature is the fact that the video records five seconds before you hit the record button, ensuring that you capture the exact moment you’re looking for. 
 
For more information about Camera Awesome visit www.awesomize.com.

 

-Andy Toy

 

Worship Leader Interview with Radial Engineering President and Founder Peter Janis

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Radial Engineering is a pro audio company based out of Vancouver, Canada.  Since its inception in 1991, Radial has introduced numerous innovations to the live audio and studio markets, such as their JDI and JDV direct boxes, which have become an industry standard and are considered by many to be the best direct box available today.  In addition to pro audio, Radial also markets to musicians with the Tonebone brand and sells acoustic treatment product with the Primacoustic brand.  Peter was kind enough to answer a few questions about the company, house of worship, and the inner workings of a new EQ circuit he’s particularly fond of. 
 
WL Mag: What made you decide to start Radial Engineering and how long have you been in business?
 
Peter Janis: 
Radial began operations in 1992. But getting involved in developing products started when I took apart my dad’s stereo at age 12 and built my first speaker cabinet a year later.  In the 1970s, I was a musician and back then, the gear selection was really limited. We built a guitar switcher and tube distortion pedal, then a   3-channel guitar amp. During the 1980s I was hired as product director for Fender in Canada and after 10 years of service, decided to set out on my own. My ex-partner had a small cable shop that was the nucleolus. We began making concert snake systems and a few years later, the first Radial DI appeared in 1996. The Radial logo actually represents a piece of quad cable.

 

WL Mag: When you are working on a new product, what are the key things you have in mind?
 
Peter Janis:
Right now, we have about 60 products in either development or at some stage. Some are on hold, others moving forward. Deciding which product to work on depends on where we see the biggest opportunity or where a hole may exist in the market. My experience of over 35 years in the business gives me a huge advantage in that I come from the user’s side of the business. I also spend a lot of time backstage with the technicians and engineers that put shows together. So when we are working on a new product, I can contact the very top guys in the business, get their input and this generally results in a product that is right from the beginning.  It is all about achieving a balance between performance, ease of use, price and sonic quality. The good news is that our customer is the professional. So we are not trying to save 3 cents on resistors or capacitors to hit a price point.

 

WL mag: Many of your products, such as the JDI, JDV, SGI, and most recently the Workhorse have become the industry standard of their class.  In your opinion, what sets Radial apart from other companies?

 

Peter Janis:
We truly are honored that so many of the world’s top artists, technicians and engineers choose to use Radial as part of their live and studio setups. I think they gravitate to us because we build tools for professionals. I bought a hammer for my son last year… it was an Eastwing. This is a more expensive hammer than others, but he will have this hammer in his workshop for the rest of his life. This is where Radial lives. We build tools. We are also about pushing the creative spirit. Pick up an acoustic guitar, put on a capo and you will immediately play differently. Put that down and pick up a 12 string, and again, you will instantly change the chords and phrasing if you let your creativity flow. A well-designed product should also inspire. I know we have nailed a product when I close my eyes and am enthusiastic. The new Radial Q4 class-A parametric EQ does this to me. You listen and you get excited. Play with a Workhorse and your world will open up. Coming up with creative new toys is what makes my job the best one in the world.  

 

WL Mag: You mentioned a little bit about the Q4 Class-A Parametric EQ.  From what I understand, this particular circuit is extremely rare in Parametric EQs, could you tell us a little more how you got the idea to make the Q4 and how it sounds compared to traditional op-amp circuitry? 

 

Peter Janis:
When we decided to build the Q4, we looked into the various circuits that are being used. I wanted our EQ to sound wonderful, so our engineering department started on the path of a 100% discrete solution. Most manufacturers employ integrated circuit op-amps that combine a bunch of parts into a chip to create a thousand multiples of gain and then the designer applies significant levels of negative feedback to keep it under control.
This is clearly shown in a basic schematic where the signal goes into the pp-amps’s positive lead and then the output is fed back into the negative lead – and the negative feedback is controlled using resistor #2. Combining everything into a single chip is highly efficient and very quiet, but the cost is a ton of negative feedback.  

 

Instead, by using discrete components throughout, we can control each individual gain stage and optimize the negative feedback so that the negative effects are minimized. The moment I plugged it in, I was amazed at how open sounding it is.  To characterize it…. when you kick up the high end, it does not sound harsh like a traditional mixer EQ.

 

WL Mag: How do you feel your products fit into a church/worship setting?

 

Peter Janis:
House of worship has changed dramatically over the past 10 years. Gone are the days of long boring sermons in Latin. Today, it is about enjoying and rejoicing in the experience of sharing Faith with others. This has brought ‘rock band’ level sound systems into the venues along with all of the required production tools to get the job done. This includes direct boxes, backing track switchers and room acoustics, something we produce under the Primacoustic brand.  This has also opened up the door for Christian artists to produce and sell recordings. This of course means studios have to be built and many of our Radial and Primacoustic product also fill this niche.
WL Mag: What would you like your customers to know/remember about your products?

 

Peter Janis:
Quality without compromise. We will always do our best to build a product that you can count on. And whether you have 200 people in a small church or 20,000 screaming fans in a concert, making sure the show will go on is critical. I think this is the hallmark of a Radial product and the main reason why we have gained a strong global following.

  

For more information about Radial products visit www.radialeng.com. 

 

-Andy Toy

 

VMeter Review

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Function: USB MIDI Controller
Price: $59.99
What’s New: Blue lights, a sleek black exterior, and touch sensitivity, what’s not to like?   VMeter is a USB MIDI touch strip designed with the electronic musician in mind.  The touch-sensitive pad allows you to control different parameters with a flick of your hand, with blue LED lights to mark the last position of your finger.  Touch position, pressure, touch/release, note on/off, pitch wheel, and crossfader are some of the many output possibilities of the VMeter.  Practically, the VMeter has almost unlimited applications, such as track volume, pan, effect send volume, delay feedback control, string vibrato, filter pass, and many more. 
            The VMeter is extremely light but feels sturdy and durable enough to travel with in a gig bag or laptop case.  The touch sensitivity is great and works incredibly well, even giving the ability to jump to higher or lower levels instantly and an unlimited amount of VMeters can be plugged in alongside each other. 
            While many might scoff at a MIDI controller with a limited scope of controls, a single dedicated fader control can actually be a lifesaver, especially in low-light situations, or if you are a drummer or guitar player running tracks, it’s a great way to control track volume, start/stop and digital effects.  At just $59.99, this unique, great looking USB controller is a great asset to any computer musician. 

 

For more information about VMeter visit vmeter.net.

 

-Andy Toy

Phocus for iPhone

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Function: iPhone case and lenses

Price: $119.95

 

 

 

What’s New: Phocus for iPhone is a sleek camera case designed especially for the new iPhone 5.  Included in the 3-lens package is a case for the iPhone (that allows full phone functionality and access to all features) and a macro, wide-angle, and telephoto lense for the built-in iPhone camera.  Phocus offers increased stability and camera quality as well as tripod, monopod, flash, and microphone mounting ability.  Easy to use, portable, and inexpensive, Phocus is a great utility for shooting high quality photos or videos on your iPhone. 

For more information visit http://www.smartphocus.com.  

-Andy Toy

TC-Helicon Voicetone Mic Mechanic Review

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Function: Microphone Effects Processor
Price: $149.99
 
What’s New: The Mic Mechanic is an effect pedal for vocalists featuring reverb, delay, EQ, compression, de-essing, gating, and even pitch-correction. The simple interface includes 8 presets of reverb, delay, and a combination of the two, a mix knob, a correction knob, and tone button. Powered by an included power adapter, the Mic Mechanic sports XLR in and out and a side mounted gain control and “mic control” for use with the separate TC-Helicon MP-75 mic.
 
Features: Like its name implies, the Mic Mechanic is a Swiss-army knife of a pedal for vocalists. 8 presets include settings for three reverbs: room, club, and hall, 3 more each with echo, plus a simple echo and a slap delay. A single knob allows you to navigate between the presets, while a separate knob allows control of the wet/dry mix. A third knob controls the amount of pitch correction and an on/off switch bypasses the pedal. A tone button activates EQ, compression, de-essing, and gate while a knob on the side controls mic gain. An indicator lights turns from green to red depending on how much signal it sees, and XLR in and out are located on the top of the pedal next to the power input, and provides phantom power if necessary. The pedal is extremely light for a pedal its size, making it extremely convenient to carry around in pocket of a flight case, laptop bag, or even purse.
 
Sound: An industry standard in digital effects, TC Electronics has always impressed me with the quality of their reverb and delay. Verb, delay, EQ, compression, de-essing, gate, and pitch correction is a huge list of effects for one pedal, and all performed incredibly well. In short, I was extremely impressed with all the features of the Mic Mechanic! Not only do the effects sound great, but the entire pedal is very, very useable, and the effects are subtle, warm and easy to use.
 
Reverbs: The reverbs are all incredibly useable with the Hall my favorite and the Room a close second. The club definitely has a vibe and provides a cool effect especially when paired with a quick echo.
Hall: This is a big, extremely warm, smooth reverb. What I love about the Hall is that it is big and long but subtle at the same time. It never gets cheesy or too “digital”-sounding; it’s a nice, big verb that sounds great under your vocal.
Club: The club reverb is a medium reverb that has almost no trails, simulating a microphone in a medium to small sized club. For big rock vocals, a hint of the club makes the vocal almost sound doubled, and paired with the echo, it makes a great effect.
Room: Last but not least, the room setting simulates singing in a small to medium sized room. If you’re looking for something subtle, the room is perfect. Warm and short, this preset gives the vocal just a little space, which is nice if you’re singing in a quiet, intimate environment.
 
Echo: The echo is a simple, straightforward delay that has tap tempo and feedback controls. Only one style of echo is available, a digital echo that is clear and clean sounding. Feedback is controlled by holding the tone button and moving the dry/wet knob to the right or left. Tap tempo is quite effective and is controlled by holding the bypass switch until the LED flashes, then tapping it to the desired tempo. When paired with a reverb, the controls are a little bit more limited, the dry/wet controls both the reverb and the delay level, so there’s no way to bring up the level of one effect without affecting the other. This for me is the sole drawback of this pedal, because I like to set my reverb high with just a hint of echo for added ambience. The slap is a great sounding quick delay, that’s perfect for folk or country style songs.
 
Tone: All the other effects (besides pitch correction) are activated by pressing the tone button. The effect is subtle at first, but after a little bit of singing, I recognized a huge difference in sound. The first thing I recognized is the EQ: the tone button cuts boomy lows and adjusts to the frequencies you sing to give a good quick mix, even compressing the spikes in high sibilant frequencies (de-essing). Compression works incredibly well, almost inaudible except when the vocal goes from extremely quiet to extremely loud, the mark of a great vocal comp. The gate adjusts to the ambient noise on stage, but was never too much and was almost indistinct.
 
Pitch Correct: The pitch correct is very subtle, providing a gentle nudge to the pitch if needed, but never too much, even when the correction knob is turned all the way up. The pitch correct adjusts each note to the chromatic scale, making it useable in any key. While I’m not a fan of hard autotune, this understated application was quite a nice touch.
 
Value: The TC-Helicon Voicetone Mic Mechanic is a vocalist’s dream come true. With a tap of the foot, it engages all the nuances utilized by great studio and live sound engineers to make your voice sound great. The biggest strength of the Mic Mechanic lays the subtle nature of all the effects; the engineers at TC did an outstanding job of fine-tuning the effects to be perfect for any voice, male or female. I was amazed at the difference the Mic Mechanic made on stage and at just $149.99, it’s affordable, sounds great, portable, and subtle enough to bring to any live situation. While not every singer needs one, it certainly brings a highly polished quality to the vocal sound, and helps fine tune things that your sound engineer might not be able to do. Overall, the Mic Mechanic is an outstanding tool for any vocalist and a great value for the price.

For more information about the Mic Mechanic and other TC-Helicon products, visit www.tc-helicon.com.

-Andy Toy