So, you’re looking for some new gear. Where do you start? Well, no matter what kind of equipment you’re buying, it’s important to do some research.

#1: Know what you want before you buy it.

You don’t want to walk into your local music shop or warehouse type equipment barn without having a good base knowledge of what it is you want. Just saying “I want a new guitar” or “I’m going to buy a drum machine” is not enough. Generally, the people that are selling you music equipment either don’t really know what they’re talking about, or are working on commission. This means that you’ll end up with something that they want you to buy. Which may not necessarily be something you want.

#2: How do I know what I want?

There are a couple of ways to figure out exactly what it is you wish to purchase. A good starting point is to listen to some of your favorite bands. Find a sound you like, do some detective work, and find out what kind of gear they’re using.

www.guitargeek.com is a decent database of the guitars, basses, amps, and effects the pro’s are using.

From there, check out the guitar center website or the musician’s friend website or go to the actual manufacturer’s website and start browsing. There are decent product descriptions, specs, pictures, and some basic user reviews. This makes it pretty easy to compare different products.

Once you’ve narrowed it down to a reasonable number of options a great website for in depth gear reviews is www.Harmony-Central.com/user_reviews

#3: Try it out.

Most music shops will have no objection to you bringing in your equipment, plugging in, and testing out something you’re interested in buying. There’s no better way to get a feel for something than to actually pick it up and play with with it. Bring a friend along for a second opinion.

#4: Holy Crap, Mike! This stuff is expensive!

Well, I hate to say it, but good. If the gear you’re looking at seems like it’s really expensive, there’s probably a reason for it. This isn’t necessarily a blanket rule, but 95% of the time, professional sounding equipment is going to cost you a bit of money. Occasionally, you can find a nice piece of equipment for a good price, but if it comes down to something that sounds great or something that sounds okay for less money, suck it up and throw down the extra cash. If you cut corners, chances are you’ll end up replacing it down the line, so it may be cheaper to invest in something nice from the start. If you’re short on cash, Dave wrote a nice article about getting gear off of Ebay. Second hand equipment is always a viable option. It doesn’t hurt to shop around.

#5: Less is more.

One of the hardest lessons I had to learn about gear is that versatility is not a virtue. There’s a lot of gear out there designed to give you a wide range of sounds, but I’ve found that you end up getting a wide range of mediocre sounds. It’s better to decide what you’re looking for and then buy the gear that will give you that sound. Something designed to provide one quality tone will always sound better than something designed to give you a lot of options. Another bonus to buying simple equipment is that it’s easier to set up when you’re at a gig, recording, or just practicing. Something that only has one or two knobs will be easier to set up properly than something with a bunch of knobs and sliders and buttons.

So, lets recap…

• Know what you want: Explore some options, listen to sound clips, decide what you want out of your gear.
• Try it out: You won’t know what it actually sounds like until you plug it in or hit it or strum it or do whatever it is you do with it.
• Be prepared to spend some cash: Not all expensive gear is good and not all cheap gear is bad. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for and most good gear is expensive. If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably it.
• “Versatile” gear tends to be complex, and generally it sacrifices quality of tone for quantity of tones.

As a final thought, I’d like to point out that tone is completely subjective. What’s right for one person may not be right for someone else. You’ll probably end up trying out a lot of gear before finding what you’re looking for. Hopefully, if you put enough time and effort into it, you can save yourself some cash when all is said and done.

I’ve personally bought several nice pieces of musical equipment (Ampeg bass amp, Line 6 guitar amp, Washburn bass, Epiphone Flamekat guitar) from eBay and I’ve had good experiences with all of them. The only piece of equipment I had trouble with was the guitar amp which showed up damaged due to shipping, but I was able to return it and get a full refund on my purchase (and later bought a bigger amp).

One of the most important features of eBay’s system is theseller rating. This tells you how many people have rated this seller positively. You can also read people’s comments about their interaction with this seller. Some sellers are actually “stores” on eBay and these people make their living selling their stuff online, so it’s in their best interest not to screw people over.

Pay careful attention to whether the seller is showing a stock photo of the piece of gear or an actual picture of the gear that they took. It’s always better to see the actual picture because then you can get some idea of the kind of wear and tear the equipment has.

Make sure to look into how much shipping will cost you, when figuring out the cost of the piece of equipment you’re buying. Especially for something large like an amp, shipping can be pretty expensive, if its not included in the sale. Fragile things like musical equipment do sometimes get damage in shipping, so its always good to find out from the seller and the shipping company (FexEx, UPS, etc.) what will happen and how you will be reimbursed in case of damage.

The obvious disadvantage of buying gear online is that you can’t hold it and play it before you buy it, so I’d recommend going into your local music store and finding the piece of gear you’re looking to buy and trying it out before you fork out the cash and wait for it to show up in the mail.

In my experience most people on eBay aren’t trying to cheat you. If you’re smart and do your research you can save a good chunk of money buying your gear this way.

• extra strings (extra guitars if you can)
• tuner (and extra batteries)
• extra picks
• extra guitar cables
• extra mic stands (especially if you’re a ska band!)
• notebook and pens (for mailing lists, writing set lists, etc.)
• your merch!
• some cash to make change when selling merch
• power cables (for amps, keyboards, etc.)
• power strip
• band-aids (some of us tear our fingers up while playing)
• finger nail clippers
• duct tape
• demos/one sheet (to give to other people who might want to book you)

One such way to acquire attention is to submit your music to print and online magazines for review. Now, it’s important to note that this is, by no means, an easy way to promote yourself. Submitting a CD will, however, expose you to new audiences and will give you more ammunition for self-promotion; I mean, having a magazine say that your lyrics are “poignant and well-spoken” is an effective way to make an impression.

Step One: Record Something Good—You might have to drop a dollar or two, but get yourself recorded in a way that represents your band. Don’t skimp out on this step; if you want reviewers to take you seriously, construct a clean recording that doesn’t compromise your talent and songwriting ability because you wanted to get it done quickly and cheaply. Also remember that it’s better to showcase your four or five best songs than to cram as much as you can onto an eighty-minute disc.

Step Two: Put It Together Professionally—Nothing screams “amateur” more than a CD-R with your band’s name scribbled on it in Sharpie, shoved into a plastic sleeve. Again, you might have to spend a few hundred, but get your disc duped by a company who does this sort of stuff professionally; they are easy enough to find on the internet (google “CD Duplication”). Slap some album art together (here, simpler is always better than complicated and cluttered) and get it printed on a two-panel insert and tray card. Foot for some on-disk printing and have it all crammed into a jewel case. Trust me when I say that your album’s artwork will make some kind of impression on your reviewer.

Step Three: Create A One-Sheet—It surprises me when bands don’t know what a one-sheet is, considering how valuable of a tool it is. A one-sheet is, literally, one sheet of paper that you send alongside your album for review or consideration. Include the following items…

Your Band’s Bio: Don’t get too in-depth here. In a brief paragraph or two, describe your band’s, mention your influences, and talk about the album (including its release date). This is a tool for the reviewers to know more about your band, so be careful not to sound too egotistical or aggressive. At the same time, try not to come off desperate, like your trying to pitch your CD.

A Picture: This can be live or promotional, but make it clear and aesthetically pleasing. A smeary, incoherent shot may look badass, but it’ll make the reviewer scratch his or her head in confusion; likewise, a boring looking shot taken by a Safeway disposable camera will make the reviewer think your band is lame-city. Try to get a picture that represents you accurately and looks nice at the same time.

Your Names And Instruments: I know. It seems silly. But the reviewer will want to mention some of you by name. Provide this information.

Your Band’s Accomplishments: Were you recognized as Q101’s local band of the week? Did you headline a tour along the East Coast? Is this your fifteenth album? List every one of your accomplishments in a proud but modest way.

Contact Info: Many reviewers like to gather as much information about the band possible, especially an e-mail address. Provide any links to your band, including Purevolume or MySpace pages.

One of the most important parts of the one-sheet is its layout. Putting this information together in a presentable, professional way will send promoters, labels, and reviewers that you have your shit together. Also, turn this one-sheet into a .pdf and post it on your band’s web page so anyone can access it easily and print it out.

Step Four: Compile A List Of Magazines—As a band, find magazines that fit your band’s sound. It would be silly to send your acoustic country album to a ‘zine like Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll because, even if they did review it, they’d tear it apart. A great way compile this list is to go to a place like Barnes And Noble or Borders. Check out the plethora of music magazines there and make your list accordingly. Also, don’t ignore the internet; everyone and anyone reviews albums nowadays. Try googling “(your genre) Reviews” and see what comes up.

Step Five: Send The Package—It’s important to find out the guidelines for submitting albums for review. Each magazine handles this stuff similarly, but you don’t want your album to get lost in the shuffle. The best way to do this is to go the magazine’s web page and check out their FAQs. It never hurts to send buttons or stickers, but (again) don’t seem too desperate. Again, as punk-rock as you might think you are, professionalism is your goal. Be willing to part with these discs; you will not get them back.

Step Six: Be Patient—After you send your CD, it sits on an editor’s desk for a few months before it is sent in the mail to the reviewer. It’ll sit there for a week or two before it is actually spun. Then, it’ll take a few days before a review is written and another month or two before it is printed. Keep in mind that hundreds of other bands want their album reviewed as well. While it might not hurt to e-mail an editor once every month or two (and, if you do this, inquire about the status of the album politely), sending an e-mail each week may ensure that your album will not get reviewed. Ever.

Step Seven: Take Your Review In Stride—It’s important to remember a few things once your album does get reviewed. First, remember who a reviewer is: a bored college student with too much free time who is self-important and has way too many opinions about music. Worse, many of these people have no writing skills. They don’t know your band and definitely don’t know how much time, effort, and heart you may have put into your music, so don’t expect them to. If your review is negative or off-target, remember that they are only doing their job and, yes, they are entitled to their opinion.

That said, it’s important to realize that these reviewers do this regularly (if not professionally) and aren’t always totally elitists with a chip on their shoulder (sometimes they are, though). Be ready to take their comments to heart and use them constructively, especially if these comments are reoccurring. No, they aren’t attacking you or your art; they are merely speaking their mind and there is something to that.

Step Eight: Know What To Do With Your Review—Try to create a “Press” section on your web page and archive anything printed about your band here. Make .pdfs of the magazines’ printed reviews and upload them there. Link the online reviews directly from this page. Quote snippets of the review (credit the magazine, of course) and add them to your one-sheet. However you decided to organize these, don’t be afraid to use your press when you send the album to labels and promoters.

Repeat these steps with every new release, but don’t be surprised when new fans come up to you at shows to compliment you or if promoters suddenly recognize your name. No work ever goes unrewarded.

What can this site do for you band? The site has a page for every band that gets listened to. On this page you can edit a wiki-like description of your band, upload pictures, and see how many people are listening to your music. Here’s the page for Davenport, because of the potential issue of multiple bands having the same name (which is a problem for my band), this page represents two bands, as is stated in the artist description. Another nice feature is that you can upload your mp3s to the site by calling yourself a label (this is what they tell independent artists to do) and then whatever music you choose to upload will be available for preview on the site. Also your songs go into rotation on their online radio station. According to the stats I have, Davenport gets between 40 and 60 plays a week.

Last.fm is a fun site for musicians and music fans alike. There seems to be a pretty good community on the site and it’s defiantly worth playing with a bit. Enjoy!

The key to avoiding this artistic ambiguity is meta data. This is basically data about data. In this case we’re adding information about your song to your song file.

If you use iTunes, select your band’s song from your library, right click, and select “Get Info”. From here you can edit the track name, artist, album, track number, as well as lots of other information about your song. The more you can provide the better.

You can also do your tagging through the file system in Windows. Go to the folder that contains the mp3s you want to tag, right click on the mp3, select “Properties”. In the Properties window select the Summary tab and hit the Advanced… button. From here you can edit various data about the track.

After you’ve made these changes to your files, then you can put your music up for download and this data will stay with the file.  Now your listener has a band name and song title to associate with the music they downloaded.

With that initial rage expressed, I have to concede that MySpace has become a valuable tool for musicians today. When people want a quick and easy way to hear a few of your songs and look for some show dates, they often turn to MySpace. It is easy to get in contact with a lot of people very easily, though the downside of this ease is that people become desensitized to your show announcements and friend requests, as they have already received hundreds, if not thousands, from other bands (and porn sites). Given the painfully undeniable usefulness of this social networking site to musicians today, I aim to help make your MySpace page suck as little as possible.

When customizing your layout the best route you could take is to actually learn CSS and understand how to put your layout together yourself. I understand that this is not for everybody, so when using and tweaking templates try to avoid setting things up that make it harder for your future fans to learn to love you

Avoid tiled background images – these look tacky and it’s hard to read text over them

Make your text contrast with your background – dark text on a light background, light text on light background, readability is key!

NEVER make anything trail behind the mouse – you’re a band, not a 13 year old girl (unless of course you’re a 13 year old girl in a band… and even then, you still shouldn’t do it)

Don’t make a video load with your page – if you want to include a video on your page, don’t make it auto play, let your fans press play or else it will just be an ugly mix of noise from your music an your video.

Don’t make mouse rollovers on links make the text larger – this shifts around the content of the page as people browse it and just looks bad

Be careful with opacity – I’ve seen several pages where people abused the ability to make things semi-transparent and made EVERYTHING semi-transparent. Very hard to read.

Upload music that sounds good – I understand the desire to get your new music out to your fans, but putting up music that’s recorded to roughly to be enjoyable can be detrimental.

Have a good variety of pictures – It’s good to have a mixture of live and press photos on your page. Seeing live pictures of a band gives your fans an idea of the type of show you put on and press pictures make better content when your groupies want to make a shrine in your honor.

Keep your shows up to date - This seems like no brainer, but make sure to put in as much info as you can about the show; address, price, other bands, etc.

Well, this should get you started in making your fan’s MySpace experience as painless as possible. Something tells me, this won’t be the last article I write about MySpace though.

Let me start off by introducing myself. I’m Dave. I run this place. I’ve been playing in bands of various styles for about 10 years and doing some sort of web design for about as long. I’m currently playing guitar for an aggresive indie band called Davenport. You can read more about me here, if you’re interested. In all the bands I’ve been in, I’ve enjoyed taking control of the “tech side” of things. With all the resources out there, musicans can keep things cheap and very DIY, while turning out a very professional product, if you know where to look and how to use what is available.

I hope to soon tap the minds of some of my other musicaly inclinded friends to help bring some more perspectives to this site and I would like to encourage people to discuss the articles posted here. If you have any ideas for thing that you’d like to see written about here or added to the site, contact us!