Everything is changing - haven't listened to the radio in a year because of all the great podcasts!

It is so cool to listen to something that is very similar to radio except it's exactly the programming you want and there are no commercials! Heck, ya might even learn something.

Here are some of my favorite podcasts:
A Prairie Home Companion's The News From Lake Wobegon (If you never heard Garrison Keilor tell a story, you are missing out.)
CD Baby DIY Musician's Podcast (Great stuff about marketing and promotion and the journey as a musician)
EM Cast (From Electronic Musician Magazine)
Inside Home Recording (Cool recording show)
New Yorker: Fiction (Great for long drives in the car - one story equals 60 to 80 miles or so!)
Sessions With Slau (More recording stuff - very cool)
Sonictalk (And more - this one with a Brit twist to it though there are a couple Yanks)
Sonicstate (Video podcast of gear reviews, recording, synths, guitar stuff, studio tours - very well done)
Sound On Sound (Along with TapeOp, the best recording/tech mag there is - this is their podcast, again a bit of the Brit)
This American Life (NPR's show about things you might never imagine, sometimes interesting and sometimes riveting, with subjects all over the map. Ira does a fine job!)

BAD ECONOMY AND MORE TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT - THIS TIME IT'S NATIVE INSTRUMENTS

I don't understand how a company can have such terrible support. It's like buying something from a guy on the street who takes your mmoney and then you never see him again!

Got the upgrade message for Pro Tools 8.0.1 LE and after upgrading my system locked up because the Native Instruments B4II is not compatible with the upgrade. Had to drag it out of my plugins folder. The worst part is N.I. is NO LONGER SUPPORTING THIS PLUG AND OTHERS. Arrggh! More money wasted on software that now is obsolete. I bought the B4 originally, then paid for the upgrade (less than a year ago) and now it's vapor. I will never buy another N.I. product again. I realize it's difficult to keep up with all the system upgrades etc. but isn't that what a company is in for when they go into this business? I am disgusted with this lack of support from N.I.!

Web promo suggestion to fellow songwriters

While watching a trailer on HBO there was a song playing that had the words "You addict me" in the chorus. There were some other lyrics that are now fading from my head like waking up from a dream. I thought it was a cool song and a great time to check it out on itunes. Couldn't find it.

I searched a while more and then wondered, if an artist whose song is on HBO is impossible to find doing a lyric search, what about me? So I googled one of my own oddball lyrics and it didn't come up. Then another - Nada. But on the third one I tried, from a more recnt CD, it came up on billkahler.com. (Check it out.)

Turns out it's a good idea to put your lyrics on your site somewhere in case someone hears a song of yours and wants to download it on itunes.

Of course that's just my opinion and I realize a lot of songwriters are afraid their songs are going to get stolen. Probably not. The bad thing is, no one will know about them at all.

Hammond Pro 44 update

So I finally got the extension tube for the Pro 44. It took a bunch of emails and calls to customer service before I finally got a reply. I was told I had to order the part (#MP-181) from a Hammond dealer. Strangest thing about it was that since it was drop shipped from Hammond, they couldn't tell me any details on cost!

I gave my credit card number and a couple weeks later got the package. Inside was a tube very much like the flexible gooseneck hose that originally came with the 44, only shorter - about 8" long. When you bend it and insert the flexible plastic hose, you gain about 2 - 3" which helps with the bending-over-playing position but it's not exactly ideal.

Originally I guessed the part would probably cost about $15 plus a few bucks for shipping. Ah, but hammond is really proud of their stuff and their price on this was $36! They apparently are very proud of their shipping too because for a one pound package shipped UPS ground they charged another $16, bringing the price for this up to $52 and the total for the Hammond Pro 44 to $602! Holy smokes.

This will be my last Hammond purchase I believe.

Had I known all this on the outset, I certainly would have figured a way to attach contact mics to my Hohner $125 melodica instead.

Then again, if one pays 10 times more for a Jaguar than a Honda, one doesn't get a 10 times better car. . . .

Please visit billkahler.com.

Hammond Pro 44 melodion review - the good and the not-so-good

I've been a big fan of melodicas - nothing else sounds quite like them - a cross between a harmonica and an accordion. Their sound can be quite mood evoking in the right settings with the right amount of reverb o echo or whatever.

I just picked one of these up and the first thing I have to say is it wasn't cheap. I bought my first melodica in 1978 for 10 or 20 bucks. My second purchase was about 8 or 9 years ago for a Hohner that's not too bad and it was about $125. They were glorified toys really.

The Suzuki Hammond is $550 right now! Phew! But, you get what you pay for right? Sort of.

So what's the deal? Well, after reading the review in Keyboard magazine I decided it was going to be a cool addition to my instrument arsenal, and it was right around my birthday so I had the perfect justification.

It's much more of an instrument than my other melodica. The sound is at least 75% better, fuller richer. The wood finish looks like the fine wood grain on a Lexus (key words -" looks like " - it's really plastic), and the internal mic seemed like a good thing to have when playing with a band. The keys feel pretty good an don't click and clack like the Hohner but they are thinner and smaller than the Hohner! ?

The Keyboard review talked about the tone, volume, keys and was overall very positive. While the info in the review was true, there were many things Michael Gallant failed to mention.

The air hose is cheap, like a Mattel toy, and it's really short. You have to hunch over while playing the thing if it's sitting on your piano. Hammond says they are looking into an extension. We'll see - I hope so. They said it may take 30 days before one is available. I'm hoping they aren't just saying this so that the short tube comments don't start showing up on the forums, denting possible sales. I will keep you posted as to whether this problem gets worked out. This is a real make-or-break deal for me. (Hammond, are you listening?) If an extension hose or another hose all together is not offered, I will be left to rigging up my own air hose with some Home Depot shopping. An item that is played by blowing into it is not returnable. Truth be told, I'm not sure I would return it if I could - I really do like the thing. But. . . .

The goose neck air tube is heavy and awkward - so I far I can't see any use for it. Interestingly, the 44 is louder with the goose neck than it is with the air hose - probably because more air can get through it.

The mouthpiece is a cheap-feeling piece of plastic. I would have expected some sort of replaceable cork and a hard rubber mouthpiece similar to a saxophone type set up.

It is quite prone to feedback and it is quite a challenge when playing with a loud band. It is controllable but tricky.

The volume control is on the right hand side makes no sense. (My Moog also has this. Do the designers ever go out and play the prototypes of instruments? Sems like they could figure out a volume control on the left makes way more sense.)

The backpack design of the gig bag is really weird. Is anyone really going to put a strap over each shoulder and wear this 3 lb. instrument bag like a backpack? (I picture little kids walking to school - but these would be spoiled little kids to have such an expensive toy.) It should have one decent strap and a better handle. (Designers again - how would you carry this thing? Do straps make sense?) I will be looking into some sort of case for it to protect it better. Again, this should have been more thought out. This is a really small thing.

In my opinion, for $550, it should be an overall better instrument. I like it but I'm somewhat disappointed so far - if it were $250 I'd be fine with it. I can overlook straps on the gig bag - who cares? I can deal with controlling the feedback - turn it off when not in use etc. I could probably rig up a better mouthpiece system with the help of my instrument repair guy. The biggest let down is that darn air hose. It should have been longer and of better quality. What happens if the cheap plastic gets a tear in it and they no longer make the 44? Home Depot again!

I am beginning to suspect manufacturers get a nod and a wink in Keyboard magazine reviews for an exchange in ad revenue. I'm told by the editor this isn't so. Check out my previous notes about the stuck-in-the-eighties-bad-key-action Juno Stage. Keyboard raved about this one as well.

LA2A DIY

Just built an LA2A clone using a PCB and T4 module from dripelectronics.com. It sounds fantastic - very quiet, clean and smooth. Makes a vocal sound like chocolate cream pie! Took these pics while doing a few tweaks.