Microphone Stand Tray Review

Setup using two Hercules DG307B's.

Once I began gigging with my new Electro-Voice (EV) EVERSE 8 it become apparent that a microphone stand for my mobile phone (with the EV QuickSmart Mobile App installed) would be great. I asked Uncle Google and it seemed like the Hercules DG307B: Universal Tablet/Phone Holder would be perfect.

Sometimes I sit down at gigs and operate my BOSS VE-8 Acoustic Singer, by hand, instead of using the foot switches. I thought a microphone stand tray, for the VE 8, would also be useful. I wanted the tray as small as possible and the Gravity GMATRAY1 Universal Microphone Stand Tray filled my requirements.

So once again, it was off to Mega Music, my local music store.

Unfortunately the clamp on the Gravity GMATRAY1 was too small (only just) to fit the bottom upright of my mic stand. After some thought, I decided to make my own tray using a second Hercules DG307B. So it was back to Mega Music who quickly exchanged the Gravity GMATRAY1 for a Hercules DG307B.

I made a tray to fit, using a Black Chef Inox Cutting Board (from Spotlight) and two Riley Nylon Midget Black Fairleads (RM168BLK) (from my sailing spares box). The fairleads created a front & rear edge to the tray. The DG307B tablet holder clamps provided a sufficient edge at each side of the tray. The breadboard dimensions are 250 x 400 x 12 cm. The 12mm was the perfect depth to fit the tablet holder clamps and one single cut across the board was sufficient to create a made to measure tray for the BOSS VE-8 Acoustic Singer (217 x 161mm).

Seems like a great solution, what do you think?

Electro-Voice (EV) EVERSE 8

I have been an Electro-Voice (EV) girl since 1996, when I purchased a 100M amp and two SX100 speakers. These days, gigging takes me to smaller venues, some without power. I was delighted to find the EVERSE 8 in my "what to buy" research.

My first gig with the Everse 8,
at La Chiquita Cafe in Fremantle

I am not someone who likes to fiddle with sound; when I find something I like I stick to it. With this in mind I went through each FX in turn and selected my vocal and acoustic guitar sound.

I only found two quirks with the EVERSE 8:

1. When recalling a preset, or if you switch the device off and on, any level above 10dB is set to 0dB.
2. The speaker volume cannot be saved in a pre-set.

Once you know about this, happy days.

I found out, by accident, that my android phone connects to the EVERSE 8 without Bluetooth turned on. This makes sense to me, no phone calls broadcast to the world if you forget to go to flight mode.

My first gig was two hours, café style and the EVERSE 8 was battery powered. Folks loved the sound; organic and pure.

The EV QuickSmart Mobile App is intrinsic and easy to use and the possibilities seem endless; it's up to me now.

PS If I'm using my stomp, I plug the stomp into channel 1. The guitar and vocal are mixed and then sent to channel 2 via a Boss Acoustic Singer VE-8.

Weatherised, battery-powered loudspeaker for indoors or outdoors.

Available in a black or white finish.

Compact and lightweight (7.6kg).

Wireless control & monitoring.

8 in. woofer and 1 in. titanium dome.

Large battery capacity (up to 12 hour runtime).

Maton EM100C-808 Messiah

My journey to purchase a new guitar, to compliment my Maton EM225 Dreadnought, began two years ago. I am not a collector of guitars. Until 2021 only two acoustic guitars have ever lived in my house, my first guitar, a "learn to play" Yamaha, purchased in 1974, and my trusted friend, my Maton EM225 (1996).

Trying out the Messiah at Kosmic Sound.

Two years ago the pickup in my EM225 developed a ground hum which could not be fixed even by Perth's best technicians. I thought I was destined to buy another dreadnought as I am a dread kind a gal. Then a chance discussion with a technician at The Rock Inn in Mt Lawley suggested that maybe the old pickup could be replaced with a new, state of the art Maton AP5 Pro. After discussions with Maton in Melbourne I said "let's do it." The AP5 Pro has breathed new life into my EM225 and opened up the opportunity for me to purchase a "different sounding guitar" as my new best friend.

For a couple of years I looked around and played many guitars from all over the world, but I always came back to Maton. In January 2021 Kosmic Sound had a great selection of Maton guitars for me to try out. I sat down in their practice room for two hours playing one guitar and then another. I kept coming back to the EM100C-808 Messiah. I was enjoying the beautiful chime of this guitar, the high notes sounded like a harp whispering on the wind; a very different sound to my dreadnought - exactly what I was looking for. The next thing I knew I was at the checkout and my 808 was in her flight case ready for the drive home.

Nothing like getting out in the bush and playing a few tunes.

Double the fun.

To say I am thoroughly enjoying my 808 Messiah is an understatement. I can seamlessly change from the EM225 to the EM100C-808 as the neck profile feels identical. At the moment I have the EM225 in standard tuning and the 808 in Double Drop D. My 808 has arrived just in time as I am working on recording my fifth studio album, Timing and Expectation.

I have just recorded my first song with my new 808, Help Me Free My Mind. In recent years songwriters have been encouraged to write songs about mental health to help bring community awareness to this most sensitive and important subject. I recorded the Help Me Free My Mind “lockdown video,” just as the sun was slipping below the horizon.

Every time I lay eyes on the Messiah I smile a contented smile. I think of picking her up and writing a song with her all the time. I bought the right guitar and every time the flight case catches my eye I think "Have flight case, must travel;" watch this space.

New album - due for release in 2022

Radial PZ-DI

It had been evident for quite a while that the piezo pickup, in my twenty year old Maton EM225 acoustic guitar, wasn't delivering the volume of sound I require at gigs with the 1/4" input plugged directly into the PA. This had been on my mind for so long that I nearly lost sight of the wood through the trees and thought of upgrading my guitar to solve the problem. Enter the Radial PZ-DI. This is the neatest piece of stage kit I have ever laid my hands on. Amongst other features, you can adjust the load to suit the pickup so it works well with my bass guitar too and there is enough sound colouring for my requirements with a variable low-cut filter that works like a charm.

This little box is so easy to use as all the input and output panel features are clearly labelled on top of the box so you don't have to keep picking it up if you need to make an adjustment. Of course I now have headroom beyond my wildest dreams; I should have bought a PZ-DI years ago.

Maton EM225 Truss Rod Adjustment

Jane with Maton EM225

After eighteen years, a truss rod adjustment on my favourite guitar was long overdue. I took her back to Just Music, the place where I found her in 1996. For only $100 the guys did a full service including a set of awesome Elixir strings. 

While I was hanging out in this great guitar establishment, I fell in love with the full bodied tone of an expensive Cole Clark guitar. Now my Maton is worried I may never look at her in the same way again. I keep telling her "nothing's going to change." I'll just think about the Cole Clark when I'm in bed at night; sweet dreams.

HP Envy - Broken then Fixed

Computer woes have held me up a little. My new HP Envy Notebook developed an overheating gremlin and after time in the workshop the problem persisted. Thanks to HP for coming to the party and issuing me with a new notebook.

Now I'm up and running again I'm thoroughly enjoying learning Cakewalk Sonar X3 and using it as a tool to develop arrangements for my songs. My bass guitar is out and about and once again life is sweet in Studio 453.

Getting everything together at Studio 453.

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!