The Sound of V-Amp 2

In the previous article, I made a review about the Behringer V-amp 2 product. Here are some of the audio samples I‘ve recorded using the V-amp 2. This is a direct-to-PC recording using an MIK Squier Strat and Adobe Audition 1.5 software. The guitar backing tracks (with and without vocals) are available at http://www.guitarbackingtrack.com/.

1.   Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin cover)
2.   Let it Be (Beatles cover)
3.   Hotel California guitar solo (Eagles cover)
4.   Moonfairy (original composition recorded with my former band Sideslick of Toril)
5.   Always with Me Always with You (Joe Satriani cover)
6.   Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix cover)
7.   Spanish Romance (traditional Spanish music cover)
8.   Maging Sino Ka Man guitar instrumental (Rey Valera cover)
9.   Smoke on the Water (Deep Purple cover)
10. Hangin (Simply Pro Rock original composition)
11. Let The Music Set You Free (Simply Pro Rock original composition)
12. Aquarium (Simply Pro Rock original composition)
13. In Bloom by Nirvana (guitar cover)
14. Breed by Nirvana (guitar cover)
15. Tomorrow by Silverchair (guitar cover)
16. What's My Age Again (Blink 182 guitar cover)
17. When I Come Around (Green Day guitar cover)
18. All The Small Things (Blink 182 guitar cover)
19. My Own Summer (Deftones guitar cover)
20. Take A Look Around (Limp Bizkit guitar cover)
21. About A Girl (Nirvana guitar cover)
22. Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana guitar cover)
23. Play That Funky Music (Wild Cherry guitar cover)
24. Bakit Ba by Siakol (guitar solo cover)
25. Darkness Fell by Wolfgang (guitar solo cover)
26. Seek and Destroy by Metallica (guitar cover)
27. For Whom The Bell Tolls by Metallica (guitar cover)
28. Killing in the Name (Rage Against the Machine guitar cover)
29. I Am the Highway by Audioslave (guitar cover)
30. Interstate Love Song (Stone Temple Pilots guitar cover)
31. My Own Worst Enemy by Lit (guitar cover)
32. Name by Goo Goo Dolls (guitar cover)
33. Don't Speak by No Doubt (guitar solo cover)
34. I Wish You Were Here by Incubus (guitar cover)
35. Pare Ko by Eraserheads (guitar solo cover)
36. Stellar by Incubus (guitar cover)
37. High and Dry by Radiohead (guitar cover)

Behringer V-AMP 2 Review

 The Behringer V-AMP 2 is an amp modeler that is comparable to Line6′s POD 2.0, but aimed to undercut its price. I purchased this modeler three years ago at a local music store because of the 50% discount being offered. However, it was just lately that I discovered how it comes close to the amp and cab models it features, not to mention its built-in effects. The V-AMP 2 is a reasonable buy at a price you won’t regret. Although there are some disappointments about this thing, there are also many features that you would love with this machine.



Here is the list of features of Behringer V-AMP 2:
• 32 amp models
• 15 speaker simulations which can be selected independently of amp models
• 24-bit, studio-quality stereo effects include chorus, tremolo, compression, noise gate, delay, and many more
• Separate, manually or MIDI-controllable wah and 9 stereo reverbs
• 2 effect parameters which are directly accessible
• Chromatic tuner
• Tap tempo function for realtime adjustment of effect speed
• Adjustable stereo aux input
• Stereo line output with speaker simulation
• 3-band EQ
• Master volume
• Adjustable headphone output
• MIDI interface which enables realtime remote control, automation, data transfer, and access to additional    parameters
• 125 onboard presets organized into 25 banks
• 50 presets by renowned guitarists
• 5 practical configuration modes
• Presence control simulates negative feedback tube amps
• Preamp bypass lets you use it as a stereo effects unit
• Improved gate and noise-reduction circuits produce an impressive 90dB S/N ratio
• Dedicated controls for all essential settings
• Dual footswitch for preset selection and tuner control
• AC adapter
• Carrying bag

The Behringer V-AMP 2 is designed whether you play live, record, or just jam at home. However, many users complain when they plug it directly to the amp’s input. Take note that this is an amp modeler. So, what you need is a monitor speaker to sound the way you want it to be. In my opinion, if you will use it on an amp, it would sound great if you run it through the effects loop. In this way, it will bypass the volume and tone controls of your amp and would bring out this unit’s amp and cab model. The V-AMP 2 may not be the easiest thing to use, but you can’t expect any amp modeler to just plug and play. The tone you get from an amp simulator relies on other factors also. These include the very fingers of the musician, the guitar, the cables, the modeler itself, and the amp or speaker that it’s connected to. This means that the presets may not work particularly well relative to the user. You need to do some tweaking to bring out the best in it. For an easy tweaking of its patches, there is a free downloadable editor for the V-Amp 2. Just connect it through its MIDI interface to your PC and every function is right in front of you. Meanwhile, V-AMP 2 does great in recording. You can plug it directly to the PC or through a mixer. You will appreciate more of this unit when you hear its sounds captured in a recording. From super thick crunching distortion to ambient leads, to crystal clear shimmering clean, the V-AMP 2 can do it all.

As it is an affordable product, you would also expect some drawbacks. One of these is the absence of a power switch. Another one is the delay of about a half second between program changes. When recording, this poses no problem but in a live setting, it is noticeable. This tends to be noisy also especially in a live setting and when you increase its volume. Its construction is made out of plastic and the knobs tend to break easily.

On the other hand, its available effects are very warm and not fake-sounding as compared to other processors. These include chorus, tremolo, compression, noise gate, delay, auto-wah, a MIDI-controllable wah and 9 stereo reverbs. But what this unit is more capable of is its amp modeling and speaker simulation. Almost everything you need is already there from a full-stack Marshalls to an 8" practice amp. With this, you can select the amp and the speaker cabinet simulation independently. However, it might sound close but just don’t expect to be exactly the same as those being modeled.

Overall, Behringer’s V-AMP 2 is a great unit for the beginner to intermediate guitar player who is looking to explore new sounds on a budget. This works well also if you are looking for something for use on the desk. It can provide you with various decent tones at an affordable price. But if you are interested in a live setting, try to consider other options.

Ang Tunay na Pag-ibig ni Lolo Jose

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of our national hero last June 19, Cheche Lazaro presents “Ang Tunay na Pag-ibig ni Lolo Jose.” This is a 1 ½-hour documentary on the many loves and the greatest passion of Dr. Jose Rizal. This was aired last June 19, 10:30 pm on ABS-CBN Channel 2.

Videos courtesy of Unlimited Productions.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

How to Make a Delicious Pancit Palabok

Pancit Palabok is a noodle dish with shrimp sauce and topped with many ingredients such as cooked shrimp, boiled pork, crushed chicharon, tinapa flakes, fried garlic, etc. It is called palabok because of the bright orange sauce and toppings that make an attractive garnishing. Palabok is the Filipino word for garnish or embellishment, but the garnishings in palabok are more than just decorations. They make this noodle dish very special and incredibly delicious. It is a very tasty treat that will surely relieve your hunger.

This article presents you how to make this delicious dish.

Ingredients:
1 pack (1 lb) rice noodles (bihon)

Sauce:
2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 lb ground pork
1 tbsp anatto powder
3 cups pork broth
1 piece shrimp cube
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Toppings:
1 cup boiled pork, thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
2 pieces fried firm tofu (tokwa), cubed
½ cup tinapa flakes (smoked fish)
½ cup chicharon (pounded)
2 hard boiled eggs,sliced
½ cup cooked shrimps (boiled or steamed)
1/4 cup green onion or scallions, finely chopped
3 tbsp fried garlic
2 pieces lemon, sliced (or 6 to 8 pieces calamansi)

Cooking Procedure:
1. First, soak the rice noodles in water for about 15 minutes. Then, drain and set aside.
2. To cook the sauce:
    2.1 Heat a saucepan and pour the cooking oil.
    2.2 When the oil is hot enough, put-in the ground pork and cook it for about 5 to 7 minutes.
    2.3 Dilute the annato powder in pork broth and then pour the mixture in the saucepan. Bring to a boil. (Note: If you are using anatto seeds, soak them first in 3 tbsp water to bring-out the color).
    2.4 Add the shrimp cube and stir and simmer it for 3 minutes.
    2.5 Add the flour gradually while stirring.
    2.6 Add the fish sauce and ground black pepper. Simmer until the sauce becomes thick. Then, set aside.
3. Boil enough water in a pot.
4. Place the soaked noodles in a strainer and then submerge the strainer in the boiling water for about a minute or until the noodles are cooked. Also make sure that the noodles are still firm.
5. Remove the strainer from the pot and drain the liquid from the noodles.
6. Place the noodles in a serving plate.
7. Put the sauce on top of the noodles then arrange the toppings over the sauce.
8. Lastly, serve with a slice of lemon or calamansi.

Note: If you use fresh shrimps with head, you can omit the shrimp cube from the ingredients. You can shell the shrimp and remove the head. Then, crush the head of the shrimp and use its juice instead of the shrimp cube.

The Sizzling Sisig Recipe

As far as Filipinos are concerned, Sisig is the ultimate pulutan especially when partnered with beer. This original Filipino dish is made from parts of pig’s ears, snout, brain, and liver, and usually seasoned with calamansi and chili peppers. Usually, it is served in sizzling plate and topped with raw egg. Nowadays, there are various kinds of sisig that is being served such as pork, tuna, chicken, bangus and even tofu.

It is said to have originated from the local residents of Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga where they bought unused pig heads from the commissaries of the area. Pig heads by then were purchased cheap since they were not used in preparing meals for the US Air Force personnel who were stationed there. On the other hand, Lucia Cunanan of Angeles City has been credited with inventing such recipe. The Philippine Department of Tourism even acknowledged that her "Aling Lucing's" restaurant had established the city as the "Sisig Capital of the Philippines" in the year 1974. Cunanan's trademark sisig was developed around that year when she served a concoction of boiled and chopped pig ears and cheeks seasoned with vinegar, calamansi juice, chopped onions and chicken liver and served in hot plates.

Today, there are several restaurants and eateries that serve this wonderful dish either to go along with your favorite drink or to be chowed down with hot steamed rice. However, it is still good to know how to make one. This article will teach you how to make the classic pork sisig.

Ingredients:
½ kilo of pork cheeks
½ kilo of pork or beef togue
½ kilo pork or beef heart
½ kilo liver (beef, pork or chicken)
2 cups of water
1 cup of pineapple juice
1 teaspoon whole black pepper

For the marinade seasoning:
1 cup of chopped onions
¼ cup of vinegar
¼ cup of pineapple juice
3-4 pieces of siling labuyo (hot peppers)
¼ cup of calamansi juice
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of minced ginger
1 teaspoon whole black pepper, crushed
1 piece of crushed bay leaf
Salt

Cooking procedures:
1. First, mix the pork cheeks, tongue and heart together in salt, water, pineapple juice and crushed black pepper. Boil and let it simmer for about an hour. You can also wait until the meat is tender.
2. Then, drain and let it cool in a room temperature.
3. Grill the pieces and wait until the pork turns brown and crisp.
4. Now, it’s time to chop the grilled pieces into fine cubes.
5. Mix it with the marinade seasoning and store it in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
6. Take out of the fridge and cook in with butter in a sizzling plate.
7. While sizzling, you may also crack an egg on top. The sizzling sisig will cook the egg when mixed. Some also like to sprinkle lemon juice and/or chili sauce to a sizzling sisig.

Shaping Your Tone with Boss DS-1 Distortion Pedal: A Product Review

The Boss DS-1 is a distortion pedal for guitar. It is manufactured by the Roland Corp. under the brand name Boss since 1978. It is the first distortion pedal made by Boss and ever since, it has become a classic effect which is used by many notable guitar players such as Joe Satriani, Mike Stern, Steve Vai, Dave Grohl, and Kurt Cobain. It can provide a harder distortion effect for guitar instead of a toneless, fuzzy distortion. It can also faithfully reproduce all the subtle nuances of playing dynamics at any volume.

Boss DS-1 is the first analog pedal I bought, at 4.5K in Yamaha Music Store. It is very simple to use and it comes with a manual as well as some sample settings to help the user. You can get a nice smooth distortion, mild and soft sounds, or super grungy tones with this pedal. Basically, it has 3 knobs: tone, level, distortion. Tweak these knobs, and you’ll get your perfect distortion. Whatever amp you are using, this pedal sounds great. One of the best characteristics of DS-1 is it doesn't give you a lot of noise. It is rather quite. However, if you maxed out the level knob, you will get some feedback and noise. The effects of this pedal are endless and it's up to you how much distortion or how much tone you want. It is very versatile that you can get almost any sound you want from this pedal. It is designed for longer use since it is built well, very firm and won't break easy. Its compact design makes it very portable as well. So, overall, it is a great buy especially for those players on a limited budget.

Transcending the Field of Music with Fender Stratocaster

The Fender Stratocaster or commonly known as "Strat" is an electric guitar model which was designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in the year 1954. From then on, it is being manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation up to the present. The design of the guitar is double-cutaway, having an extended top horn that serves as a balance while standing. The Stratocaster is one of the most common and enduring electric guitar models in the world along with the Gibson Les Paul, the Gibson SG and the Fender Telecaster. It is also being used by many leading guitarists and can be heard on many historic recordings. The Strat can also be considered among the classic industrial designs of all time. Many Strats, especially those that have been used by famous guitarists are exhibited at major museums around the world.

The early Strat models was offered in a 2-color sunburst finish on a solid, deeply contoured ash body. It is a one-piece maple neck having 21 frets, black dot inlays and Kluson machine heads. Then in 1956, Fender started making bodies which are made from solid alder. Meanwhile, its single-ply, 8-screw hole white pickguard was a unique concept that allowed mounting all electronic components in one easily removed assembly except for the recessed jack plate. Today, the Stratocaster has been widely copied model by other electric guitar manufacturers and the term Strat, although a trademark of Fender Musical Instrument Corp., is often used generically to refer to any guitar that has the same general features as the original.