Adam F7 - more than just studio monitors

Studio 453

When I'm gigging I always like to spend some of my preparation time in front of the microphone with my guitar plugged in. There is no better way to identify careless guitar work or poor vocals than with amplification.

I usually plug in and play through my EV 100M but I decided to test out the abilities of my Roland Octa-Capture and my Adam F7 monitors. I was blown away by the clean, soft sound that was easy on my ears. This new setup has taken my practice time to a whole new level of enjoyment and I'm very pleased to learn that my beloved Adam F7's have another trick up their sleeve :).

Adam F7 Monitors and a RODE NT2000 Microphone

The promise of a Rode NT2000 microphone for only $499 had me back at Kosmic Sound for the VIP preview night which was held before the big October sale.

I was still in the investigation phase over which monitors to buy. However hearing is believing, and while I was at Kosmic, I slipped into the monitor sound booth with a copy of The Waifs Up All Night in my hand. One switch was flicked after another as I sampled sound from Yamaha, Behringer, Adam and many in-between. I lost track of time in the darkened room and as closing time drew near I decided to take the plunge. A couple of the boys working behind the counter cheered when I announced "I'm going for the Adam F7's."

Back in my studio I smile every time I lay eyes on those Adam speakers. The sound is enjoyable and yet all the nuances can still be heard without making my ears tired; brilliant.

The new Adam F7 monitors.
How about my extra large National Folk Festival coffee mug?

Upgrading My Recording Studio

There comes a time when you must let go of the old and bring the new into your life. My Windows 98 desktop, coupled with an Aardvark Direct Pro 24/96 sound card and Cakewalk Pro Audio 9 DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) had served me well since 2003. My home recording studio had provided all the tools for my second album, The Moods I'm In, along with many other recording projects which are too numerous to mention.

But the old desktop is too long in the tooth to be reliable, and as Aardvark no longer exist, there are no upgrade drivers for my much loved soundcard. So on a blustery spring day, after hours of "forum" research, I came home with my new studio:

¯  Roland Octa-Capture Audio Interface

¯  Cakewalk Sonar X2

¯  HP Envy 17" laptop (Intel Core i7-4700mq processor, 16GB RAM and two 1TB hard drive)

I could hardly contain myself while my partner, Steve, configured the new hardware and software. When it was time for the taste test, I recorded one of my new songs and then waited with baited breath to hear the Octa-Capture playback to me for the first time. The sound was clear and clean with hardly any colour added; jackpot!