Future Retro are one of the lesser known analog synths brands that we carry from the US, always putting quality and design above cost and quite happy to do some fairly bonkers designs when the feeling takes them. Well, we say “them”, it’s actually just one guy called Jered beavering away in Austin, Texas
All posts by chris
Rubadub meets Snazzy FX
Modular Synths are getting a LOT of interest at the moment and one of the nicest thing about the whole movement is that unlike the mainstream manufacturers, it’s usually fairly easy to contact and speak to the actual designer of the equipment you are using, the person who did the graphics, the person who packs the boxes and the person who runs the company. In fact it’s most often all the same person.
You only have to look at a Snazzy FX module to know that you’re dealing with a person or people who are a little bit off the beaten track. With their tripped out graphics and company strapline of “Travel At Your Own Peril” you can tell you’re going to get something a bit different here… Continue reading
Stems: a new audio format from Native Instruments
Native Instruments are always looking to push the art of DJing forward. They were among the first to allow control of digital sound files via timecoded vinyl with their Final Scratch package, and since then have provided a myriad of other controllers, giving DJs an increasingly wide range of instruments on which to perform their music and hopefully come up with some next-level sets.
Enter Stems. Continue reading
The essential headphones: Sennheiser HD 25-1 II
The humble Sennheiser HD 25-1 II.
Sound-engineers, DJs, musicians and audio-enthusiasts worldwide love these headphones. At Rubadub it’s probably one of our favourite bits of equipment. They are insanely durable, every part is user-replaceable, they provide almost unparalleled isolation from outside noise and they sound tremendous. Almost all of the Rubadub staff own a pair, which speaks volumes, and if you only ever want to buy one pair of headphones for mixing records, for production, for the daily commute or, well, whatever really, then you need to own a pair of these. Continue reading
Focus on Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and 2i4
The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB Audio interface, and its bigger brother the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4, are a great way into Focusrite-quality sound recording at an affordable price.
These little boxes are truly portable USB audio interfaces. They take their power from the USB cable so in theory you could take one and your laptop on battery power and record anywhere. In practice you’ll probably want to plug your laptop to the mains so that you don’t lose power mid-take but at least it’s one less plug in your setup to worry about.
Both models come with Focusrite microphone preamps, +48v switches to power condenser microphones and a direct monitor function. What that means is you’ll capture a great sound through the preamp as you record, you’ll be able to use a decent condenser microphone without having to carry another power supply for it, and when you are recording you’ll hear the sound you’re making directly in your headphones without that annoying time lag that can happen when recording to computer. Continue reading
The cans that can, and the cans that cannot
If it’s time to replace your headphones; those faithful friends have given up their last dying whimpers and have gone to meet their maker; then what should you replace them with?
It can be a bit of a jungle out there with a massive range in price and all sorts of claims over what each model can do.
The older among you will remember there used to be one headphone for monitoring: the Beyer Dynamic DT-100. Close your eyes, think of any classic photo of a recording session and there they are in all their teutonic beige ugliness.
DJ Equipment and Digital DJ Tools
Here at Rubadub we stock a wide range of the best modern DJ equipment and Digital DJ tools around. In fact, many of our staff are regularly to be found sweating over a hot mixer at the back of a club or bar near you, so we like to think we know a thing or two about the tools of the trade! Continue reading