FREE PRO TOOLS PLUGS

Massey is not exactly a new name in plugs but, there are still many who don't know about this small and very cool company. There are two things that make these doods mondo cool.

First, they make great plugs for cheap. You can snag a mastering quality limiter for $89. We compared it to the Waves L3 and had a hard time telling the difference at moderate settings. There is a distinct difference when you crank each to settings you should never use if you're making audio for humans.

Second, Massey has a unique demo deal. They give you the plug for free with no expiration. There are some feature limitations but, no beeps, no static, no crapping out every 30 seconds. You can use the demo with full audio capability in a realistic way. The demos reset to default when you close a session but, hey, they're free. Again, if you like the plug, it's so cheap you'd be half a lunatic not to just buy it.

High level pros use Massey plugs for real. At a recent audio panel discussion in LA, all 5 speakers, who mix audio for the movies, video games, and cds you groove on, gave high marks to all Massey plugs.

Here's the link. Go get yourself some free stuff.

http://www.masseyplugins.com/

HOW MUCH GEAR DO YOU NEED?

This question is a bear we all have to wrestle to the ground in our own way. Hardware and software are fun to buy and even more fun to use. Every new piece may be the missing link that saves you from hours of tweaking the same old stuff. Finally, when you're released from debtor's prison, you realize that you could have gotten by on less.

One artist has taken "less is more" to the extreme. It's John Mellencamp and on his new record he said no to gear. The equipment list reads like this...1 microphone and 1 reel to reel tape recorder.

One microphone. That means mono folks. Above, you'll see an excerpt from the album credits that states it plainly. He ain't kiddin'.

We previewed some tracks and it certainly doesn't sound like anything you're hearing on the radio...or anywhere else. It's like your great grandparent's 78s without the scratches. Still, Mellencamp writes good songs and usually, no piece of gear can keep a good song down.

What we took away from this was that, when everyone is pushing the limits of auto tune, multi fx processing, grid perfect editing and a dumpster full of mod studio tricks, there's only one way to go. The other way. Of course, a lot of that ground has been covered and re-covered in recent times so, maybe you have to get into the wayback machine with Sherman and Mr. Peabody and visit a time not so heavily traveled.

Getting all retro has been cool for a long time but, this record transports you to an era that nearly challenges the beginnings of magnetic recording. We can't wait to see who tries to top that.

RADIO ON TV

Maybe it started with WKRP. That's as far back as anyone here could remember. Then there was Newsradio. Both great shows set in radio stations that resonated with a lot of people. More recently, VH1 gave us Freeradio. We're lazy on research today so we didn't check to see if it's still on but, you can probably get past eps at least.

With radio coming under fire from many angles lately, would anyone consider making another tv show about this medium in transition? Why not? It's actually a great time to capitalize on all the wild stuff that's going on and how that affects the people in the biz. And who better to do it than a guy who is actually doing morning radio right now?
The creator is LA morning dood Larry Morgan and he's made a pilot for a show called "Indie". It's a funny, inside look at what's happening at a station in trouble. We'll skip the recap and just give you the link. No laugh track, no budget, just good comedy.

http://vimeo.com/13444308

LATE NIGHT MUSIC THIS WEEK

Here's the deets on late night talk show musical appearances. Remember, Coco comes back in November on TBS.


Monday, August 9

David Letterman: Bettye LaVette (R)
Craig Ferguson: Vampire Weekend
Jimmy Fallon: Menomena

Tuesday, August 10

Carson Daly: Surfer Blood (R)

Wednesday, August 11

Jay Leno: Los Lobos
Jimmy Kimmel: Joanna Newsom
Tavis Smiley: Carolina Chocolate Drops

Thursday, August 12

David Letterman: The Dead Weather (R)
Jay Leno: The Whigs
Jimmy Fallon: The Walkmen
Daily Show: Arcade Fire

Friday, August 13

Jay Leno: Alejandro Escovedo

VIRAL ADS

Viral has been a big buzzword in marketing. Creating viral content is powerful. For example, that goofy, hamster-voiced kid Fred, turned his viral youtube fame into a movie deal with Nicolodeon.

So, how do you "go viral". We don't have the answer but, maybe you can figure it out by watching these top viral ads compiled by Advertising Age.

http://www.visiblemeasures.com/adage

RUSH MONTH UNDERWAY ON FIREPOWER

What a year it's been for Rush. Just a few months ago, a documentary was released that chronicled their entire career. This summer, they released two new songs online that will be heard on their upcoming album Clockwork Angels. They appeared on The Colbert Report which was their first American tv appearance in about 30 years.

With the new album likely to drop in the coming months, we thought it would be great for our classic rock Firepower users to have some specialty imaging and workparts to create the appropriate buzz around this amazing band.

This is the start of a new feature on Firepower. We'll be doing more of these artist theme months to fatten up your classic rock imaging arsenal. During an artist theme month, you'll still get regular beds, sounds, sweepers etc. The theme is a bonus.