Latest news with #Stratocaster
Forbes
20-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
PreSonus Eris Pro 6 Studio Monitors Are An Affordable Home Recording Upgrade
A successful mix starts with a high-quality studio monitor. PreSonus is an audio brand that's been bubbling around in the home recording market for 30 years and has its roots in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Founded in a garage by Jim Odom, a musician and recording engineer, and Brian Smith, an electrical engineer, the company initially concentrated on making affordable and high-quality audio equipment for musicians and audio professionals. Since 2021, PreSonus has been part of the mighty Fender Group, an American company that's imbued with the magic of the music industry and founded by Leo Fender back in 1946 from Fullerton, California. Fender is inextricably linked with guitar models like Stratocaster and Telecaster. It now owns brands like Gretsch, Bigsby and Squier. PreSonus Audio Electronics now produces a range of professional studio equipment, recording software, the kind of smaller equipment used in home studios as well as professional recording studios for mixing and balancing music. With the boom in home recording that was spurred on by the pandemic, coupled with the affordability of home recording technology, the market for studio monitors has boomed in the past few years. PreSonus has joined in with the studio monitor market in a big way producing budget speakers as well as more professional equipment aimed at high-end home studios. The new Eris Pro 6 studio monitors sit in the middle of PreSonus's three Pro Series of monitors featuring varying woofer diameters. The Eris Pro 6 Pro monitors have a compact and boxy design despite their considerable power. Thanks to a 6.5-inch woofer, these squat speakers can move serious amounts of air. The PreSonus Eris Pro 6 studio monitors are sold as single units but you'll want two for that stereo ... More mix. Designed as an upgrade from the kind of starter studio monitors made by brands like PreSonus, Yamaha and M-Audio, the new PreSonus Eris Pro 6 features a symmetric design that provides a consistent acoustic center for better phase alignment with a wider sweet spot and precise stereo imaging thanks to a symmetrical dispersion pattern. This makes the Eris Pro 6 particularly suited for Dolby Atmos and stereo-mixing environments. The wider sweet spot is also useful when there are many people crowded around the mixing desk all trying to listen to the playback. The wide dispersion of the speakers is partly due to the Eris Pro 6's horn-loaded coaxial design. This puts the tweeter at the heart of the woofer so that both drivers project their sound from a single acoustic point source that creates a more natural listening experience capable of revealing subtleties that a conventional design might not. The coaxial arrangement also helps produce a three-dimensional soundstage with a detailed transient response. The Eris Pro 6 monitors have a punchy low end with enough amplification for any home recording setup or a professional mixing room in a commercial studio. The higher frequencies are produced by a 1.25-inch silk-dome tweeter while the woofer surrounding it is a 6.5-inch, woven-composite cone that PreSonus says has a 'tight, clear bass, with plenty of punch.' The Eris Pro 6 cabinets are front ported and bi-amped with 140W of power that enables the monitors to delve down to an impressive 35Hz, while still offering a detailed transient response and the sort of dynamics that can produce a more natural-sounding and less fatiguing listening experience. The PreSonus Eris Pro 6 has a front reflex port and a horn-loaded coaxial arrangement of a 6.5-inch ... More woofer with a 1.25 silk dome tweeter at its centre. To get the most out of the Eris Pro 6, PreSonus has incorporated acoustic tuning controls as well as three-way Acoustic Space Tuning lets the user tweak the sound from the speakers to suit any room or placement. The Acoustic Space Tuning has three settings for placement adjustments such as corners, walls and open room. There is also a separate control for high frequencies with options for ±6 dB, center 10 kHz and continuously variable. A Mid Frequency control provides ±6 dB, center 1kHz and continuously variable settings. Meanwhile, a Low-Cut filter provides Flat, 80Hz, 100Hz @ -12dB / octave. PreSonus has also added something called a soft start circuit that stops the speakers from making the hideous thumping sound that some speakers can produce when they are turned on or off. Finally, there is a subsonic filter for eliminating any unwanted ultra‑low frequencies. The amplifier in each of the Eris Studio 6 is Class AB and bi-amped with a crossover set at 3.2kHz. The lower frequency response starts at 35Hz and the upper frequencies top out at 20kHz, which is wider than some floor-standing speakers. The woofer is fed with 75W of power while the balance of 65W goes to the tweeter. The maximum SPL is 106dB at 1 meter. At the rear of the PreSonus Eris Pro 6 are the inputs and acoustic tuning controls for tweaking the ... More sound of the monitors. Each of the PreSonus Eris Pro 6 cabinets is made from vinyl-laminated, medium-density fiberboard with rounded corners that give the cabinets the appearance of being made from high-quality polycarbonate. The cabinets are internally braced to reduce resonance while the bass frequencies can vent through a front‑facing reflex port. At the rear of the speakers, there is a solid metal plate where the controls and inputs are located. As usual with these kinds of monitors, each unit has a selection of unbalanced RCA phono, TRS balanced quarter‑inch jack or balanced XLR and there is a master rotary control to adjust the master input gain, The PreSonus Eris 6 Pro are designed to punch above their weight considering the relatively affordable price. While they are not intended to compete with the kind of ultra-high-end studio monitors from Focal, Neumann and others used in some of the world's best recording studios, the PreSonus Eris Pro 6 are designed to offer a significant step up from starter models made by the likes of Yamaha and Edifier. Aimed squarely at home studios looking for a premium mixing monitor, the upgrade to the Eris Pro 6 could reveal more detail than most budget studio monitors. The new PreSonus Eris Pro 6 studio monitors are shipping now priced at $279.99 / £349 per monitor.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How Much Will Kurt Cobain's Smashed Nirvana Guitar Be Auctioned For?
Kurt Cobain's iconic smashed Fender Stratocaster, a piece of Nirvana history, is about to hit the auction block, and it's expected to fetch a hefty price. Starting on Wednesday, April 8 at 9 AM, the white guitar, which Cobain famously used and destroyed during Nirvana's 1992 European tour, will be available to the highest bidder starting at a cool $30,000. More from Spin: Kurt Cobain's Hair Returns to Auction After Previously Being Sold for $14K Charles R. Cross, Kurt Cobain And Jimi Hendrix Biographer, Dies At 67 RADIO FREE SEATTLE The Stratocaster had been heavily modified and repaired during the band's meteoric rise following the success of their 1991 album Nevermind. The particular guitar was owned and played by Cobain himself and was acquired by a former crew member who worked with Nirvana during their prime years from 1991 to 1993. It has since been authenticated and inspected by renowned Nirvana guitar tech Big John Duncan and is confirmed to be the real deal. While the starting price is $30K, a similar smashed Stratocaster of Cobain's sold for over $500,000 in 2023, and his blue 1969 Fender Mustang, featured in the 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' video, went for a jaw-dropping $4.5 million. The auction will be hosted online at GottaHaveRockAndRoll and comes just days after the 31st anniversary of Cobain's tragic death in 1994. Read More:How Hailie Jade Mathers Honored Dad Eminem With Her Newborn's NameVal Kilmer's Cause of Death Revealed by Family After Actor Dies at 65How Cher Paid Tribute to Ex-Boyfriend Val Kilmer After His Death To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.
Express Tribune
08-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Kurt Cobain's smashed guitar up for auction with $30K starting bid
Fans of Nirvana and late frontman Kurt Cobain have the rare opportunity to own a piece of rock history, as one of his smashed guitars is being auctioned off. The white Fender Stratocaster, which Cobain famously used and damaged during Nirvana's 1992 European tour, will be available for bidding starting at $30,000. The auction opens on Wednesday morning at 9 AM ET. The guitar, a left-handed Stratocaster personally owned and played by Cobain, was heavily modified and repaired throughout the band's rise to fame following the release of their groundbreaking 1991 album Nevermind. It was obtained by a former crew member who worked with Nirvana between 1991 and 1993 and has been authenticated by renowned Nirvana guitar technician Big John Duncan, ensuring its legitimacy. This Stratocaster is just one of many iconic instruments associated with Cobain, with another of his smashed guitars fetching over $500,000 at auction in 2023. Additionally, his 1969 Fender Mustang, featured in the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" music video, was sold for an astounding $4.5 million. The timing of this auction coincides with the 31st anniversary of Cobain's tragic death on April 5, 1994, when he died from a gunshot wound to the head at the age of 27. Despite speculation about his death being a murder, a leaked autopsy report from last year suggested it was a suicide, citing a suicide note and a heroin kit found at the scene. Cobain's passing left behind his wife, Courtney Love, and his daughter, Frances Bean. Now, a lucky fan has the chance to own an authentic piece of Cobain's musical legacy. The auction will take place on the GottaHaveRockAndRoll platform.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The World of Warframe Gets Weirder Than Ever With a Living Guitar
Her name is Lizzie, she looks like a fleshy Stratocaster and she has big feelings about being attached to the hip of a rock star named Flare. Long-running online shooter Warframe's Techrot Encore update amps up an already strange game by introducing, yes, a living guitar. That's also a flamethrower. In a world with eldritch child soldiers, a bending space-time continuum and robotic romance, it's hard to add new weirdness. A moody guitar with a penchant for instant messaging completely changes the game. While the Hex's story may have largely concluded at the end of the first major Warframe 1999 update, the new protoframes and Lizzie are about to unfold an entirely new story. Here's everything we know about this bizarre new Warframe character. Read more: Warframe 1999 Is About Time Travel, Love and Eldritch Gods – and It's Fantastic When players first meet the nonbinary rock legend and their instrument, their relationship will have a serious rift. Lizzie was born of the Helminth serum injected into Flare -- the same strain of infection that turned them into the Temple protoframe. This sapient infestation was forced onto the rock star, and they're inherently suspicious of the outcome. Lizzie has the capacity to feel, think and reason, but that doesn't mean Flare trusts their new forced companion. Neither party necessarily believes that the other is doing what's in their mutual best interest, especially since Flare's mind is clouded with anger as they try to get revenge on the man who killed their bandmates. That doesn't mean the relationship will be broken forever. Flare and Lizzie will be available as new conversation partners on the KIM instant messenger system, where players will have a chance to build chemistry with the new characters and help them overcome their inner turmoils. This machine kills fascists. Flare and Lizzie might not be chums when players first run across them, but that doesn't mean the guitar isn't integral to the rock star's kit of abilities in-game as the Warframe Temple. Each time players activate one of Temple's abilities on beat with their built-in metronome, Lizzie grows stronger. When enough abilities are strung together, Temple can unleash their guitar with Exalted Solo, transforming Lizzie into a flamethrower to scorch surrounding enemies. If you've ever seen Mad Max: Fury Road, Temple is just like the dude who hypes up Immortan Joe's warband -- but far deadlier. If Temple fires the flamethrower on the beat of the metronome, electric sparks will fly, dealing additional elemental damage to enemies caught in the area of effect. Lizzie can be modded in the player's arsenal just like other exalted weapons, meaning she'll be a potent weapon that will scale up with Warframe ability strength. Players will be able to shred through enemies when Temple and Lizzie release on March 19.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The House Where 28,000 Records Burned
Before it burned, Charlie Springer's house contained 18,000 vinyl LPs, 12,000 CDs, 10,000 45s, 4,000 cassettes, 600 78s, 150 8-tracks, hundreds of signed musical posters, and about 100 gold records. The albums alone occupied an entire wall of shelves in the family room, and another in the garage. On his desk were a set of drumsticks from Nirvana and an old RCA microphone that Prince had given to him at a recording session for Prince. A neon Beach Boys sign—as far as he knows, one of only eight remaining in the world—hung above the dining table. In his laundry room was a Gibson guitar signed by the Everly Brothers; near his fireplace, a white Stratocaster signed to him by Eric Clapton. Last month, the night the Eaton Fire broke out, Charlie evacuated to his girlfriend's house. And when he came back, the remnants of his home had been bleached by the fire. The spot in the family room where the record collection had been was dark ash. I've known Charlie for as long as I can remember. He and my father met because of records. In the late 1980s, Charlie was at a crowded party in the Hollywood Hills when he heard someone greet my father by his full name. Charlie whipped around: 'You're Fred Walecki? I've been seeing your name on records.' Dad owned a rock-and-roll-instrument shop, and musicians thanked him on their albums for the gear (and emotional support) he provided during recording sessions. Charlie was a national sales manager at Warner Bros. Records and could rattle off the B-side of any record, so of course he'd clocked Walecki appearing over and over again. Growing up, I thought every song I'd ever heard could also be found on Charlie's shelves; his friend Jim Wagner, who once ran sales, merchandising, and advertising for Warner Bros. Records, called it the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame West. Charlie's collection started when he was 6. He had asked his mother to get him the record 'about the dog,' and she'd brought back Patti Page's '(How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?' No, not that one—he wanted a 45 of Elvis's recently released single, 'Hound Dog.' He'd cart it around with him for the next seven decades, across several states, before placing it on his shelf in Altadena. At age 8, he mowed lawns and shoveled snow in his hometown outside Chicago to afford 'Sweet Little Sixteen,' by Chuck Berry, and 'Tequila,' by the Champs; when he was 9, he got Ray Charles's 'What'd I Say.' And when he was 10, he walked into his local record shop and found its owner, Lenny, sitting on the floor, frazzled, surrounded by piles of records. Every week, Lenny had to rearrange the records on his wall to reflect the order of the Top 40 chart made by the local radio station WLS. Charlie offered to help. 'What will it cost me?' Lenny asked. 'Two singles a week.' Charlie held on to all of those singles, and the paper surveys from WLS, too. When he was 12, he bought his first full albums: Surfin' Safari, by the Beach Boys; Bob Dylan's eponymous debut; and Green Onions, by Booker T. and the M.G.s. He entered a Wisconsin seminary two years later, hoping to become a priest. There, he and his friends found a list of addresses for members of Milwaukee's Knights of Columbus chapter, and sent out letters asking for donations—a hi-fi stereo console, a jukebox—to the poor seminarians, who went without so much. Radios were contraband, but Charlie taped one underneath the chair next to his bed, and at night, while 75 other students slept around him, he would use an earbud to listen to WLS. 'And I would hear records, and I would go, Oh my God, I gotta get this record. I have to. ' Seminarians could go into town only if it was strictly necessary, so he'd break his glasses, and run between the optometrist and the five-and-dime. That's how he got a couple of other Beach Boys records, the Kinks' 'Tired of Waiting for You,' and the Lovin' Spoonful's 'Daydream.' Charlie dropped out of seminary in 1967, at the end of his junior year. All of those five-and-dime records had been in his prefect's room, but when he left, the prefect was nowhere to be found. So, Charlie got a ladder, wriggled through a transom, and got his collection, stored in two crates which had previously contained oranges. ('Orange crates held albums perfectly,' he told me.) Then he hitchhiked to San Francisco and grew his hair out just in time for the Summer of Love. He moved into a commune of sorts, a 16-unit apartment building with the walls between apartments broken down, and got a job hanging posters for the Fillmore on telephone poles around the Bay Area. He'd staple up psychedelic artwork advertising Jefferson Airplane, Sons of Champlin, the Grateful Dead, or Sly and the Family Stone. (He still had about 75 of those posters.) He worked at Tower Records on the side but would hand his paycheck back to his boss: The money all went to records. Anytime one of his favorites—Morrison, Mitchell, Dylan, the Beach Boys—released a new album, he'd host a listening party for friends. When he moved back to Chicago, his music collection took up most of the car. The record store he managed there, Hear Here, would receive about 20 new albums every day to play over the loudspeakers. When Charlie heard Bruce Springsteen's first album (two before Born to Run), he thought it was such a hit, he locked the shop door. 'Until I sell five of these records,' he announced, 'nobody is getting out of this store.' Next, Charlie worked his way up at a music-distribution company, starting from a gig in the warehouse (picker No. 9). Later, at Warner Bros. Records, he'd work with stores and radio stations to help artists sell enough music to get, and then sustain, their big break. To sell Takin' It to the Streets, he drove with the Doobie Brothers so they could sign albums at a Kansas City record shop; to help Dire Straits get their start, he lobbied radio stations to play their first single for about a year until it caught on. He was also on the shortlist of people who would listen to test pressings of a new album for any pops or crackles, before the company shipped the final version. Charlie held on to about 1,000 of those rare pressings, including Fleetwood Mac's Rumours and Prince's Purple Rain. He moved to Los Angeles in the '80s to be Warner's national sales manager, and in 1991, he bought his home on Skylane Drive, in Altadena. Nestled in the foothills, the area smelled of the hay for his neighbors' horses. Along the fence was bougainvillea, and in his yard, a magnificent native oak that our families would sit beneath together. He started placing thousands of his albums on those shelves in the family room, overlooking that tree. In Charlie's house, a record was always playing. He had recently papered the walls and ceiling of his bathroom with the WLS surveys he started collecting as a child, in his first record-store job. Every record he pulled off the shelf came with a memory, he told me. And if he kept an album or a memento in his house, 'it was a good story.' A gold record from U2, on the wall next to the staircase: 'All bands, when they first start off, they're new bands, and nobody knows who they are, okay? … I went up with U2, on their first album, from Chicago to Madison, and they played a gig for about 15 people, and then we went to eat at an Italian restaurant. I went back to the restaurant a couple years later, and the same waitress waited on me, and I said, 'Wow, I remember I was in here with U2.' And she goes, 'Those guys were U2?' I was like, 'They were U2 then and they're U2 now.'' In the kitchen, a poster of Jimi Hendrix striking a power chord at the Monterey Pop Festival: 'Seal puts his first record out, and I have just become a vice president at Warner Bros. And I go to my very first VP lunch, and I announce, 'Hey, this new Seal record is going to go gold.' The senior VP of finance says, 'You shouldn't say that. Why would you make that kind of expectation?' And I'm like, 'Because I know with every corpuscle in my body it's gonna go gold' … So we make a $1 gentlemen's bet. About six weeks later, it's gold.' At the next lunch, he asked the finance executive to sign his dollar bill. Just then, Mo Ostin, the head of the label, walked in and heard about their wager. 'Mo said, 'So Charlie, is there something around the building that you always liked?' I was like, 'Well, that Jim Marshall poster of Hendrix.' And he goes, 'It's yours.'' *Illustration sources: RCA / Michael Ochs Archive / Getty; Stoughton Printing / Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times / Getty; Warner Brothers / Alamy; Sun Records / Alamy Article originally published at The Atlantic
