Sonic Sorcery, Part 1: A Peek Behind the Audio Curtain at Into the Unknown, by Roto’s Magic Act

BY JAMES ROTONDI — AUGUST 13, 2014

From The SoundBard’s desk: When my good friend James “Roto” Rotondi asked me if he could pen a series of essays about how to get great sound and what comprises great recordings for posting right here on The SoundBard, I immediately said, “Bring it on, brother!” Roto and I go […]

By |August 13th, 2014|Odds & Sods|Comments Off on Sonic Sorcery, Part 1: A Peek Behind the Audio Curtain at Into the Unknown, by Roto’s Magic Act

Building the 5.1 Wall: Producer James Guthrie Discusses Pink Floyd and Roger Waters’ Surround Sound Plans at Academic Conference

BY MIKE METTLER

Pink Floyd and music academia don’t usually mix. But that didn’t deter Gilad Cohen and Dave Molk from organizing the amazing “Pink Floyd: Sound, Sight, and Structure — Interdisciplinary Conference,” the first ever academic conference devoted to the mighty Floyd at Princeton University on April 10-13. In addition to scholarly discussions and live music, […]

What They’re Doing: Rush Set to Re-release Self-Titled Debut Album on 200-Gram Vinyl

BY MIKE METTLER

Call them the Re-Working Men.

On April 15, to mark Rush’s 40-year recording career, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will reissue the original Moon Records release of Rush as part of Universal’s reDISCovered vinyl series. Some history: In March 1974, Rush released their self-titled debut through the band’s own indie label, Moon Records, in Canada, and […]

By |March 14th, 2014|Odds & Sods|Comments Off on What They’re Doing: Rush Set to Re-release Self-Titled Debut Album on 200-Gram Vinyl

Re-Ledded and Reloaded: Led Zeppelin Soars Again With Upcoming Remasters Series

BY MIKE METTLER

Led Zeppelin soars again.

An extensive reissue program of all nine of the band’s studio albums will rollout in chronological order from Rhino/Atlantic/Swan Song, commencing with the June 3 release of deluxe editions of Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, and Led Zeppelin III. Each album has been remastered by Zep founder, guitarist, and producer Jimmy Page. The series will also feature […]

By |March 13th, 2014|Odds & Sods|Comments Off on Re-Ledded and Reloaded: Led Zeppelin Soars Again With Upcoming Remasters Series

The SoundBard’s Top 25 Albums of 2013

BY MIKE METTLER

Damn the naysayers — I say the album format lives! With that vital declaration out of the way, it’s high time to cite the records that caught hold of my expert ear over the past 12 months — the full-length discs and/or LPs I consider most worthy of purchase, hi-res download, and/or […]

By |December 31st, 2013|Odds & Sods|6 Comments

The SoundBard’s Top 25 Songs of 2013

BY MIKE METTLER

It’s that time of year: Time to cite the tunes that caught hold of my expert ear over the past 12 months — the ones I consider most worthy of purchase, hi-res download, and/or dropping the needle on at 45 rpm! Here, in reverse order, are my favorite 25 songs of 2013. […]

By |December 31st, 2013|Odds & Sods|Comments Off on The SoundBard’s Top 25 Songs of 2013

R.I.P. Lou Reed: The Great American Aural Novelist

BY MIKE METTLER — OCTOBER 28, 2013

The garage-punk poet laureate has closed his eyes and passed thru fire. Lou Reed died in Amagansett, New York on October 27, 2013, at age 71, from complications following a liver transplant back in May. As rightfully lauded as Reed is for his confessional, envelope-pushing songwriting and overall […]