Top Toys and Tech from SXSW Gear Expo 2015
By: Christopher Jordan
When I was a kid all I ever wanted to do was play with circuits, whether they worked or not I did not care, they fascinated me. I wanted to know as much as possible from the schematic symbols that seemed like some alien language to the reason the parts worked together. As I grew older these were the same feelings I had about music and sound. I wanted to know how the recordings were made, what gear was used in the studio and on stage. Little did I know that these traits would be the basis of not only my ongoing hobbies throughout my life, but the corner stones of my career as an audio engineer and guitar pedal modifier. So when the opportunity came for me to not only cover the South by Southwest Gear Expo, but take part in it as an exhibitor I jumped at the chance. Hmmm, let’s see four solid days of uber-geeky goodness surrounded by some the latest and greatest toys in the industry…you better believe I’m there! So there I am, gear and fliers in hand when the doors open on the first day of the SXSW Gear Expo 2015. It was incredible. Before I knew it the pedal exhibit I was taking part in was thronged with people playing the latest pedals from major manufacturers as well as local makers. While preparing for the event I was actually very surprised to find out that while SXSW is around 20 years old, the Gear expo is actually a fairly new edition to the festival. But that did not stop them from having everything a musician could want was there. From the latest guitars from makers like PRS and Martin to toys and instruments from Yamaha, QSC and even Telefunken Microphones made an appearance. While there were new toys and technologies being shown off at the expo there were four in particular that stood out amongst the crowd as not exceptional, but forward thinking and downright innovative for an industry so proliferated with a “toys for toys sake” mentality.
First amongst these items is actually from a manufacturer local to the Austin, TX area. The Hungate guitar case by Eric Hungate is a light weight solution to a heavy gear problem. I own many guitars and subsequently many cases, both soft and hard cases. Many is the time that I have brought my electric guitar to the gig and had to carry an unwieldy case that is heavy and other than holding a guitar fairly function unfriendly. This unique design incorporates the ease of a soft sided case with the rigidity and protection of a hard case, while including four individual modular pockets for stowage of cable, tuners, strings or various other accessories that are always necessary in the field. Add to this the awesomeness of a built in stand and you have just shaved off pounds and room when it comes to load-ion/load-out at your next gig. The Hungate case will be available on the market soon and information as well as upodates on new models and more can be found at www.hungatecases.com
The next piece of gear that we saw as a game changer was a nifty pedal sized device that ranged in around $300. The Beat Buddy is an inventive solution to that all too pesky problem of a rhythm section for solo artists. Now I know what you are going to say “Hey now, no pedal can take the place of a real drummer!” While that may be true I am here to tell you that as an electronic musician, an audio engineer and circuit designer this thing is out of control. It has some of the most realistic samples I have ever heard…EVER! If you don’t like the veritable cornucopia of beats built in from Reggae to Country to straight Blues and time signature options out the wazoo then simply take your exported .Wav file of your favorite drum track and load it in via the built in SD card slot. That’s right you can import your own pre-made beats to play along with. Add to that the easily read multi-color display that changes colors as it counts bringing you back in on beat all the time every time. All of this power and versatility as well as the convenience of all of this in a guitar pedal size package makes for one hot ticket item for anyone wanting to either practice seriously on the road or add some real spice to their next solo gig. For some amazing demo videos and more information about the development of this amazing product visit them online at www.MyBeatBuddy.com
Up next in the countdown of the top toys and tech at the 2015 SXSW Gear Expo we move from the realm of physical products into the realm of digital distribution. In this day and age of digital music and user friendly apps it can not only be hard to find a means by which to easily provide the music you make to the fans you want. Sure there are traditional places like ITunes that charge you an annual fee…whether you sell or not, that is if they even deem you or your independent music message worthy enough to be a part of their service. That is where Smart Phone Records comes in. With eye to the future and ear on the heartbeat of musicians this innovative new app is not only free, but allows the user to create their own profile as an artist, post tracks of original music for sale, name the price of each track for sale from free to whatever price you want as well as deciding on method of payment…all from the convenience of your mobile device. Once on the market you are then available for the whole world to hear. I went on and downloaded the app from the Google Market to my phone and within 15 minutes had a profile and tracks for sale. The fact that you can now sell your art worldwide with no cost of production is absolutely amazing and when given opportunities to take your music to a larger audience, I say take advantage. This innovative new app is sure to take the market by storm and hopefully provide an entirely new crop and generation if artists with a voice and medium through which to share their art with the world. For free versions of this incredible app visit the Google Market, ITunes Store or www.SmartPhoneRecords.com.
I remember when I was a kid and the first video appeared on MTV. Who knew what prophetic words were contained in The Buggles hit Video Killed the Radio Star. Little did we know that years later our beloved Music Television channels would become riddled with the likes of reality television and the art of the music video would be lost, until now! The good folks at Band NuNu have changed the face of music video distribution as we know it. Used to be your wrote a song, you shopped a song, you found a label you made a record, you made a video and then you went on tour…that was the model. With the change of the music industry and the turn toward individual music distribution Band NuNu has changed the concept of the music video channel, by making it part of digital consoles around the world. Having recently signed a digital distribution deal with Microsoft and Xbox 360 and presently in talks with Sony for rights on the PS4 platform Band NuNu has brought back the glory of the music video by allowing independent labels, producers and artists a chance to get their music videos out to a world-wide audience. For more information about the services offered and submission standards visit www.BandNuNu.com.
From the latest music to the latest technology South by Southwest has become synonymous with innovation and the offerings this year at the Gear Expo were no exception. We live undoubtedly in one of the most fortunate of places with the panoply of music to choose from and so many tech companies that even Google test beds products here. Sometimes we need a little world-wide craziness like SXSW, insane crowds for weeks on end and the wide-eyed amazement of those from out of town to remind us how lucky we are to live in this weird little corner of the world and exactly how much of an impact this town has on the musical world at large.
~Christopher Jordan has been a live audio/video engineer and recording artist for over 15 years and owns AustinHotMods.com an Austin,TX based pedal modification and repair company and is host of The Talking Sound Podcast www.TalkingSoundShow.com.~
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