Behind The Backline

In the good ol’ days, songs and albums were recorded without technology like compression. At that time, it was imperative to find the sweet spot manually.  Microphone positioning was everything.   These days, we tend to rely quite a bit more on technology and post production methods to achieve the desired sounds.  But what if there was a way to use new technology combined with the microphone positioning practices of the past to get those sweet spots even easier and quicker?   Brothers Jon and Mike Russo thought this very thing while they were playing in bands several years ago, asking “Wouldn’t it be great if there was some kind of remote controlled device able to adjust the mic placement and recall positions?”.   Flash forward a couple of years when Mike needed a final project for an app development course he was taking, he decided to combine his new skills with those he picked up earning an Aerospace Engineering degree to create an initial prototype.  The project was a success, getting an A+ in the class an

Taking online lessons for anything requires a lot of self-discipline, especially since your online instructor can’t necessarily hold you accountable like an in-person instructor can.  But what if the platform allowed you to interact with your celebrity-level teachers and your fellow students in order to help keep you on track and provide encouragement?   Musora is the parent company of online education platforms Drumeo, Guitareo, Pianote, and Recordeo, but its story begins with the birth of Drumeo. In 2002, Jared Falk was a (patient) drum instructor, yet found it frustrating to try and teach the same thing over and over again to each new student he brought on.  One of his students at the time was a bit of a tech guy, so they decided to try shooting a video at home to help educate drum students online.   The incredible success of their first video (roughly 12,000 downloads in a time before easy video platforms existed and dial-up internet was still more popular than high-speed) proved to them that there was po

What do aviation avionics and guitar pedals have in common? Paul Flattley, of course!   Achieving perfection in sound, quality, and personalization can be quite the daunting task when it comes to making custom guitar pedals, but when perfection is basically a requirement when you’re working in the aviation avionics industry, the idea becomes second nature and way easier if it’s something you’ve already been doing for 30 years.   Flattley Guitar Pedals is a small family run company in the Southwest of England.  Each pedal they make is individually created by hand, given a personalized touch, and rigorously tested until it meets their very high standards.  On top of that, most models can be fitted with a halo light plate with your choice of LED color. Can you imagine a guitar pedal being any more uniquely tailored to each player than that?   Their range of guitar effects pedals are used all over the world by many artists who were looking for that perfect high-quality sound. Paul prides himself on building indiv

Getting a compliment on the way you look can always make your day. But getting a compliment on the way your drum sounds when that person has never even seen the actual product but knows it right away in a crowded, noisy venue? That might be the best kind of compliment of all.   Making a snare drum that over delivers on sound quality is far from easy, but it’s also not that difficult when you have the passion and know in your mind exactly the sound you want to achieve. This passion and attention to sound quality is apparent in every snare drum that Beier Drums makes.   What else did we learn during this episode? The once-popular 15” snare drum had somehow all but disappeared from the music scene during the mid-20th century (before my time), being replaced by the now mostly standard 14” model.  However, just because something is standard doesn’t always mean it’s a good thing!   Jim Beier, owner of Beier Drums in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (we dare you to try and pronounce that!), joins us in this episode to share hi

Every business on the planet has a story that starts with humble beginnings.  Some companies are created with well-intentioned goals, while some are formed by accident out of a passion or hobby. Some start in fancy business incubators while some start in garages or grandma’s basement.   This is definitely one of those “hobbies in grandma’s basement” kind of stories.    SJC Drums initially began as a hobby by Scott and Mike Ciprari out of their grandmother’s basement in 2000.  What began as a basic operation of refurbishing and painting old drum sets has turned into a company that still prides itself on crafting high-quality drums that are custom to each drummer’s unique needs. Their tagline “Built with Passion, Played with Pride” is reflected in every product they make and every drummer that has the privilege of playing them.   They have built their brand around the quality of their products, the passion they have for building and playing them, the community of drummers and builders they have cultured and nur

Musicians love their wireless in-ear monitoring systems. It gives them the freedom to move around the stage without worrying about tripping over extra cables or getting tangled while playing.    But did you ever stop to think why you need to have a separate wireless monitor system when you already have an extremely powerful computer in your other pocket?   The guys at Audiofusion did, and after four years of development and testing, they are on the verge of bringing their technology and first products to market.   Audiofusion is pro-audio software for your laptop that turns your smartphone and tablet into wireless receivers for your in-ear monitors, thus getting rid of one extra bulky pack hanging on your belt.    And since it’s software-based, it gives each musician individual control over their own mix and takes away the requirement of being at the mercy of your monitor mix and always asking the sound guy to adjust what you hear.   The Audiofusion family is made up of three software products:   SoundCaster

If you’re a guitar player, you already know there is an endless array of available guitar pedals on the market today that seems to provide any sound or tone you are looking for.    But what if there isn’t?  What if you still can’t find that perfect tone that you resonate with? Do you settle for the closest thing? Or do you take matters into your own hands?   Brian Wampler, CEO of Wampler Pedals, decided to take matters into his own hands.  Over a decade ago, he realized he just could not find the tones he was longing for.  So instead of being unhappy with stock tones, he started educating himself on electronics and tweaking and modifying existing pedals in an attempt to achieve the tones he kept hearing in his head.   Eventually, all of the modifying in the world wasn’t able to produce the tones he knew to be true to himself, so he started making brand new pedal designs from scratch that didn’t sound like anything on the market.  As a result, Wampler Pedals was born.   Brian joins us in this episode of Behind

These days it seems like there is an early learning process or product for everything, and it keeps targeting children at a younger and younger age. Except for the keyboard and “touch and learn” type educational toys for kids, there never seemed to be anything that truly developed a child’s imagination or nurtured their love of music and audio creation. Until now.   Introducing the Blipblox, a synthesizer and beatbox designed to promote creativity and audio exploration for children as young as 3 years old.  With its professional features and nearly endless ability to create new sounds, it’s a product that grows with you and works for adults as well!   Troy Sheets, founder and inventor, joins us in this episode to talk about what the Blipblox is, who it’s for, why he felt inspired to pursue and create it, and how it might be considered a good “gateway drug” for future musicians and producers. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/behindthebackline/support

As technology and music continue to mesh and evolve, musicians sometimes find themselves in new and awkwardly frustrating situations. For example, when attempting to learn to play the guitar, while watching video lessons, and trying to play or record on the computer, it can feel like we’re expected to grow another limb just to be able to manage all of the fancy new ways we need to multi-task.   With SMASHmouse, there’s no need for a third arm. Just add your feet! Robb Dillon, inventor of SMASHmouse, saw the need for a better solution to these simple yet familiar challenges. Now you can use your foot to control software and other applications on digital devices, allowing you to keep on playing without the headaches!   Robb joins us in this episode to share his story behind SMASHmouse, how it can help musicians now, and how the technology and ideas behind SMASHmouse can easily be adapted in the future for other applications, including gaming and assistive technology for those with special needs when controlling

Writing a song entirely by ear on your guitar and having a robot turn it into sheet music for you: sounds a bit like science fiction right?   Now with Frettable, the future is here! Frettable is a new app for your smart phone or tablet that allows you to record your music and get it automatically analyzed and transformed into sheet music.  Behind the app is a powerful, advanced AI engine that will immediately write the sheet music for you to save and print. It’s truly polyphonic, handling both notes and chords. Tabs are also generated for guitar and other stringed instruments.   Founder, guitarist, and music AI expert Greg Burlet joins us in this episode to share his story about how he created Frettable, why he was inspired to develop it, and how it is making an impact on the songwriting industry.   Currently, Frettable supports electric guitar, vocals, trumpet, trombone, tuba, french horn, saxophone, clarinet, flute, oboe, recorder, english horn and bassoon.  However, more instruments will be supported soon.

Every drummer in the world has their own unique way of setting up their drums, tuning their heads, and voicing their opinions on what sounds best and why. From those who love to over-muffle their kits to the purists who prefer getting a drum to sound the best it can without adding rings, gels or other unnecessary sound-altering products, the variations and range of sounds is almost endless.   Luckily, any drummer out there doesn’t have to settle for just one sound during a whole set or a whole song any longer. Enter the Drum Wallet and the Pocket Watch!   For generations drummers have attempted to alter their drum’s sound before muffling product were even available, using items like their wallet, pocket watch, and now even cellphones to give their sound a quick fix.  The Drum Wallet and the Pocket Watch are simple, yet powerful products that hang from your drum and give you the option to flick it onto to the drum or flip if off to change the sound whenever it feels right. --- Support this podcast: https://

Are you an audio engineer who’s part of a team that’s responsible for setting up stages night after night, weekend after weekend?  Do you feel like everyone on the team is always repeating themselves and having trouble trying to stay on the same page with how the stage is laid out and what device is plugged into which channel?  Where does the audio madness end?!   I have good news for you: Denver, Colorado-based superheroes Joey and Mike are here to rescue you!   While fighting this very evil, fellow audio engineer Joey came to the realization that there had to be a better way to keep things organized and better communicated when working either solo, with an audio team or with bands in general. Reaching out to his freelance-developer cousin Mike, they put their heads together to develop Signal Flow, a cloud-based app for iPhone and Android that allows audio teams to plan stage plots, document device input and output channels, and provide a way to notify everyone on the team when a setting or configuration cha

After working for 30 years at one of the biggest names in guitars, it can be hard to accept and adapt to a change like retirement. So what's the alternative to that?  Did you say start a new business, acquire an existing line of popular guitars, and keep the passion going? That’s exactly what we were going to say!   Jack Schwarz joins us this week to tell us about his lifelong love of guitars (or as he puts it, his life’s addiction), his 30-year tenure with Fender Musical Instruments Corp., and how he was given the opportunity to start Desert Son Musical Instruments in late 2016.   Desert Son Musical Instruments is the (new) parent company of Fano Guitars (and Aero3 Guitars). What makes a Fano Guitar different is that every instrument they make is hand-built by a single builder from start to finish. There is no factory or assembly line. Their focus is on the fine details of each guitar for each player who knows what they want: quality, reliability, style and performance. --- Support this podcast: https://a

Drum solos and stick twirling are so last year! Drummers need to continuously find new ways to stand out, demonstrate their worth, and get their share of the love from fans. So what’s a poor drummer to do?   Light ‘em up! (without starting on fire!)   Jeff Sevaldson, co-founder of DrumLite, joins us in this episode to tell the story of how DrumLite started in their college dorm room (move over Facebook!), why everyone from local drummers to national acts love their products, and what they’ve learned and conquered over the years through continuous development and manufacturing trial and error that has made DrumLite a world class brand among percussionists. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/behindthebackline/support

What do you get when a drummer who’s had enough of individually tuning up to 20 points on a drum comes to his senses and realizes there’s got to be an easier way? You get Welch Tuning Systems!   Welch Tuning Systems CEO Samuel Welch joins us in this episode to share his story of how his frustration when tuning his drums came to an end with the creation of his single-point tuning system.  Using a bass guitar tuning peg, he and his team eventually figured out how to replace the multiple tuning pegs on a drums with a single wire system to ensure both heads on a drum were tightened exactly the same, making it easier for drummers to find their sweet spot and adjust a drum’s tuning in mid-performance.   While it isn’t publicly available quite yet, their presence at NAMM this year proved to them that there is a ton of potential, demand and excitement for what they are doing. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/behindthebackline/support

What’s it like to come up with an idea for a drum teaching tool just a few short years ago and then be named the Best Teaching Tool in 2018 at the NAMM Show?   Tony McNally, popular drummer and inventor, joins us from his studio in the UK to share his story of how he came up with the idea for the ToneAlly, the success he’s had with it so far, the feedback and testimonials he’s received from some of drumming’s major players, and the incredible experiences he’s had at NAMM and bringing the product to the international stage.   You can learn more about Tony at https://www.toneally.co.uk/about-me   You can find the ToneAlly on the web at https://www.toneally.co.uk   ToneAlly on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toneallys/ --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/behindthebackline/support

Are you a parent looking to get your kids started on piano or drums but either can’t afford to purchase yet or don’t want to purchase one yet due to size and volume? Or are you a music industry veteran looking for a fast, convenient and affordable piano or drum option to take on the road with you?   Mukikim, a toy brand based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has released a line of portable tabletop musical instrument products called “Rock and Roll It!” that allows you to do just that: rock out during your practice time and roll it up when you’re done!   Robert Sheets from Mukikim joins us to discuss what the products are, who they are for, and the inspiration behind why they created them. He also fills us in how how to pronounce the name of the company and explains where the name came from too! You can learn more about the Rock and Roll It products, along with all of Mukikim’s products, at mukikim.com/rock-and-roll-it.html Find Mukikim on Facebook: facebook.com/mukikimtoys/ --- Support this podcast:

Episode 1 Are you a DJ or lighting technician who is sick of not having "true sound activation mode" on your fixtures? Greg Notaro, co-founder of SN3 Innovations Lighting Entertainment, joins Matt Jacoby of Octave Media in our first-ever podcast episode of Behind the Backline. After meeting Greg at the 2018 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California this past January, we learned a great deal about the limitations that come with most professional entertainment lighting products on the market today and what SN3 Innovations has engineered to solve these issues.  View the show notes on this episode's web page: http://octv.me/2pwVBaO --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/behindthebackline/support