
Fig. 1: Unlike traditional microphones, contact mics only pick up the vibrations of the surface they’re attached to.
Using a contact mic on your acoustic guitar has many advantages—and can open the door to some adventurous experimentation.
For example, during a chamber music concert, I placed a contact mic under the chess board as we reenacted, move for move, the legendary 1972 World Chess Championship Game 6 of Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, while rice grains were dropped on the board as the rest of the ensemble made an ongoing soundtrack. (I highly recommend watching HBO’s 2011 documentary, Bobby Fischer Against The World.) In short, it’s my go-to initial technique for making totally new sounds, textures, timbres, samples, and sound design that I incorporate into my music. Tighten up your belts, the Dojo is now open.
Vibration Positive
Before we start, there are many benefits of using a contact microphone. It can pick up sounds that are not audible to the human ear. For example, if you attach the microphone to a metal surface and strike it with a mallet, you will hear not only the sound of the mallet hitting the metal, but also the vibrations of the metal itself. Which is exactly how Ben Burtt got the blaster sound effects for Star Wars—by hitting a certain radio tower’s support wire (guy wire) in the Mojave Desert.
“It’s my go-to initial technique for making totally new sounds, textures, timbres, samples, and sound design that I incorporate into my music.”
Recently, I showed our students at the Blackbird Academy how to create new samples and sounds by attaching a contact mic to the outside of a 5-gallon water jug, then pouring water inside and hitting the side of the jug while gently swirling the water. We eventually ended up with an entire “water jug” drum kit.
Another benefit of using a contact microphone is that it can eliminate unwanted background noise. Because the microphone is only picking up vibrations from the surface it is attached to, it is less likely to pick up ambient noise in the room. However, because it is sensitive to vibrations, it may pick up unwanted sounds from handling or movement. Also, it may not capture the full range of frequencies that a traditional microphone would capture.
Lastly, they really come in handy for older vintage acoustic instruments that you may want to leave in their original state and have the flexibility to mic from any position without harming them.
Um … How Do I?
To use a contact microphone, you need to attach the microphone to the surface you want to capture the sound from. I only use Loctite Fun-Tak Mounting Putty because it is non-permanent, leaves no residue, and is non-tarnishing, malleable, and non-toxic. I simply place a tab of the Fun-Tak on the back of my contact mic and then mount it to whatever I want to record.
Check out Fig. 1. You can see I’ve attached my Zeppelin Labs Cortado MkIII mic ($159 street) to the headstock of my National Estralita Deluxe. This gives me that piezo/electric sound that I can in turn reamp or process with plugins, etc.
Be sure to experiment with different placements all over the instrument to find the sound you are looking for. Ever wonder what it might sound like inside your slide when playing slide guitar? Tape the mic on the top of your slide and play away. But don’t stop there! You could also place it on electronic kids’ toys that make noise (toy pianos, baby shakers, celeste, handheld electronic games), or pitched percussion, like kalimbas, log drums, vibraphones, and even cymbals. Or, think way outside the box—literally. Mount it on all kinds of cups, glasses, bowls, buckets, doors, and windows. Or on glass shower doors (outside the shower of course!), or the inside of your car windshield the next time you wash your car or it rains, flagpoles on windy days, park slides, merry-go-rounds, swing sets, and basically anything else you can imagine.
After you get some great source sounds, head back to the studio, keep what you like and process the sounds with reckless abandon. Until next time, namaste.
PG Contributor Steve Cook dives into the Darkglass Anagram—a deep, powerful multi-effects pedal made exclusively for bass players. With touchscreen control, 24 customizable processing blocks, and onboard mixing, it's a game-changer for both stage and studio. Whether you're chasing overdriven grit or pristine clean tones, the Anagram delivers.
Darkglass Anagram Multi-effects Bass Workstation
Purpose-built for bass, Anagram is a multi-effect designed to bridge your ideas and your tone. With powerful processing, intuitive control, and versatile sonic textures, Anagram lets you sculpt tones from vintage warmth to futuristic textures. It’s not just a pedal, it’s your sound, rewritten.
Learn more at Darkglass.com
A hyper-versatile algorithmic reverb with a new and groundbreaking Ensemble engine for generating orchestral-inspired pads is now available for your DAW.
Strymon Engineering has announced the release of the Cloudburst ambient reverb plugin. A direct code port of their award-winning hardware pedal of the same name, the Cloudburst plugin offers a vast library of reverb sounds and orchestral-inspired synth pads, all easily controlled by a simple and elegant user interface.Initially based around the Cloud algorithm from Strymon’s iconic BigSky, Cloudburst refactors the reverb at every position on the Decay knob, allowing it to be used not only for the other worldly dreamscapes that Cloud is known for, but also for hyper-authentic rooms and halls that complement any recording style or genre of music.Controlled by a single knob, the new Ensemble engine creates synthetic pads by analyzing 48frequency bands in the source audio and then generating corresponding upper harmonic partials of what it finds in each band. The result is harmonically rich and organic synth pads that closely follow the source audio, adding complexity and dimension to any sound it’s applied to.
Cloudburst Plugin Official Sound Samples | Strymon
“One of the fun things about using a plugin version of a hardware product you know very well isthe surprise and delight that come from using it differently in a session for the first time”, saidSean Halley, Strymon’s Head of Marketing and long-time recording professional. “The first timeI tried it on tracks I couldn’t wipe the grin off of my face - I put it on classical violins and guitars, drums, percussion and synths, and in every instance it could stay out of the way and remain infinitely professional, or it could change the genetic makeup of the sounds if I wanted it to.Even though the interface is very clean and simple, there is a virtual sonic universe in there to explore.” Gregg Stock, Strymon co-founder and analog circuit guru said “we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. We’re hoping that being able to easily run multiple Cloudbursts in a session really changes what users feel is possible, sonically. We’re looking forward to hearing the music!”
The Cloudburst plugin is available now directly from Strymon and from dealers worldwide for $79 US.
From devastation to celebration, Lari Basilio comes out on top with her latest album, Redemption.
The Brazilian guitarist’s soaring new instrumental record chronicles her recent journey from tragedy to triumph.
“The journey of this album actually coincides with my motherhood journey,” says Lari Basilio, speaking about her newest release, Redemption. “When I started writing the songs, I had no idea that I was pregnant. It was always a dream of mine to become a mom.”
However, tragedy struck shortly after Basilio learned of her pregnancy. “A few weeks later, unfortunately, I had to deal with the miscarriage of my very first baby. It was actually one year ago,” recalls Basilio. “It was a very sad time. These songs kind of became the soundtrack for this period of my life. And everything that I lived—the emotions—ended up reflecting on my compositions. Basically, my day-to-day life ended up inspiring me to write my songs.”
The guitar proved to be therapeutic for Basilio. As she learned to cope with the loss, Basilio found solace in her 6-string. Many of the songs on Redemption like the title track, “New Chapter,” “Heartbeat,” and “Forever" have a nostalgic, reflective quality. “Music and the guitar are definitely a place of comfort for me. And I kept working and writing the songs and finishing the album,” she explains. While working on the record, Basilio was met with a surprise. “In the middle of the process, I found out that I was pregnant again! And at the end, we’re here. I’m about to release the new album, and I have my baby with me. It feels like my redemption moment, you know? Everything is summed up in this moment for me”
Basilio gave birth to her first child, Liam, just 20 days before our interview. The past few years leading up to this moment have marked other significant changes in Basilio’s life. Two years ago, she uprooted to Texas to live in a peaceful place where she could raise a family, after a six-year stint in Los Angeles that started in 2017. She had emigrated from São Paolo, Brazil, then to pursue her music career after gaining notoriety through her eponymous debut album and followup release, The Sound of My Room.
For her third album, 2019’s Far More, she recruited an ensemble of A-list session players like drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist Nathan East, and keyboardist Greg Phillinganes. This album also featured Joe Satriani (whom she met after he invited her to be an instructor at his 2019 G4 Experience) as a guest on the track, “Glimpse of Light.” Continuing this trend, Redemption, Basilio’s fifth original release, features a return appearance by Colaiuta, in addition to bassists Leland Sklar and Sean Hurley (both of whom previously recorded on Basilio’s 2022 release, Your Love), and keyboardist Mari Jacintho.
“Everything that I lived—the emotions—ended up reflecting on my compositions.”
Redemption is Basilio’s fifth full-length of original instrumental music, and her third since moving to the United States in 2017.
Lari Basilio’s Gear
Guitars
- Ibanez LB1 Signature with Seymour Duncan Lari Basilio pickups
- Ibanez Prestige AZ24047
Amps
- Laney Lionheart L20T-212
- Laney Cub-Super 12
- Laney Cub-Supertop
- Laney Ironheart IRT-SLS
- Laney Black Country Customs Ironheart IRT60H
Effects
- JHS The Violet Lari Basilio Signature Distortion
- Laney Black Country Customs Secret Path Reverb
- Seymour Duncan Vise Grip Compressor
- GNI Music Delay
- TC Electronic Flashback Delay
Strings and Picks
- D’Addario Regular Light XL Nickel (.009–.046)
- Dunlop Standard Tortex Pick (1.0 mm and 1.14 mm)
While it can be intimidating to be in the studio with such legendary studio musicians, Basilio doesn’t really get nervous around them anymore. “I think I’m more relaxed now because we ended up becoming friends,” says Basilio who spent two days with them in Studio Two at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles, then finished the guitars and postproduction later. “But they never cease to amaze me. Every time I’m in the studio with them I’m absolutely blown away. Every time. So this doesn't change, because they’re amazing musicians—the way they put their emotions and their personality into the songs, into the performances, it’s just brilliant. I give them total freedom to put in their ideas and do anything they want, and they're always so polite, and they ask, ‘Oh, can I do that?’ Or, ‘I hope you don’t mind that I tried that.’ And I would sit there and you know, I just can’t believe that these guys are there playing my songs and we’re having these amazing moments and creating these memories together in the studio. There’s only one Vinnie. There’s only one Leland. I hope that maybe one day I’m gonna be able to do a concert with all of them together.”
Though Basilio maintains her public persona of guitar hero, she is also a lawyer. In fact, she comes from a family of lawyers. Her dad, husband, and two brothers are lawyers, and her mom graduated from law school, although she isn’t a practicing attorney.
Basilio at EastWest with her collaborators, from left to right: Leland Sklar, Vinnie Colaiuta, and Mari Jacintho.
Photo by Eduardo Orelha
Having a background in law, however, doesn’t mean Basilio strictly follows the rules on everything—least of all guitar. She sometimes employs an unorthodox fingerstyle technique where she keeps the pick tucked into her palm by using her right hand’s ring finger, while keeping the thumb, index, and middle finger free to pluck. Basilio says, “I think this is one of the things that came naturally. Every player has to try to find what is natural for them.”
This approach can be heard on tracks like “Seasons,” where Basilio plays percussively with her fingers. “I love playing fingerstyle. I play a lot both with a guitar pick and fingerstyle, and I kind of developed my own way to play fingerstyle out of the necessity of looking for new tones and new dynamics,” she explains. “And I love to incorporate it into my songs, to get those percussive sounds and lots of ghost notes. It’s so much fun.”
Redemption closes with the beautiful “Forever,” which showcases Basilio’s fingerstyle technique. The song also demonstrates her strong background in music theory, which she built thanks to the organ lessons she started at age four before her father, Jesonias, handed her a nylon-string acoustic guitar and showed her open C and D chords when she was around eight years old. “Forever” is Basilio’s first solo unaccompanied guitar recording, though she has performed that style many times in public over the years.
“This is something that I always did for my videos, for my YouTube channel, but I haven’t had a full song written that way,” Basilio explains. “I just sit down and try to play by myself, just me and my guitar. And I think it was about time for me to have a song written that way, and I’m happy I could do it for this album. It’s so much fun to try to develop it because at the end of the day, this songwriting process and style of composition is something that you develop by practicing. Some people might think that you don’t have to practice songwriting and composition, but I think it comes from practice as well.”
Flanked by her trusty Laney amps, Basilio wields her signature Ibanez LB1-BK.
Photo by Eduardo Orelha
YouTube It
Lari Basilio uses her unique fingerstyle approach to perform a delicate and ethereal unaccompanied intro to her composition “Running to the Other Side.” Once the band kicks in, she goes all out from precision picking to right-hand tapping to display her jaw-dropping chops.
Fall Headline Tour Scheduled to Kick Off October 31st with Special Guest Myles Kennedy GRAMMY® Award-nominated songwriter, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Wolfgang Van Halen is back with the latest single from the band he masterminds, Mammoth.
Mammoth: The End (Official Video)
“The End” is an adrenaline-driven rocker that kicks off with a signature lead guitar riff that has become a fan-favorite element in Wolfgang’s music. The anthemic build of the intro gives way to the driving verse melody with each part carefully created and performed by Van Halen and his returning collaborator Michael “Elvis” Baskette. The chorus is driven by the unforgettable vocal melody as the message of “Take your hand in mine and watch the end with me.” The song is now available for pre-save via all digital service providers here.
“I’ve had the tapping idea on the intro for ‘The End’ since before Mammoth. I was able to fit it into this world. It’s still over-the-top and shreddy, but it’s also melodic and controlled. Overall, I was doing some different things on the record, and I knew this was going to be a big step. Once we finished ‘The End,’ it felt really special to me,” explains Wolfgang Van Halen.To coincide with the single release, Wolfgang and Mammoth have released a music video for “The End” that is one for the history books and something rarely seen in music videos anymore. Wolfgang teamed up with legendary director Robert Rodriguez to do a modern-day interpretation of Rodriguez’s 1996 hit film, From Dusk Till Dawn. The video tells the story of a rock band that is booked to play a show at a dive bar and given an ominous warning from the club owner portrayed by Danny Trejo. Mammoth decides they know better, and things quickly turn dire for the band before a surprising revelation during the final moments tie the complete video lore from the band together. Friends of Mammoth including Slash, Myles Kennedy and Wolfgang’s mother Valerie Bertinelli all show up throughout the short film. Horror effects icon Greg Nicotero offered his talents to the video to create zombies, werewolves and vampires that all bring a deadly end to the attendees of the show.
With a short run of May dates creating excitement for a Mammoth tour, the band is announcing a Fall headline run. The End Tourkicks off on October 31st and runs for 5 weeks before it wraps up on December 7th. The tour will make stops in Las Vegas, NV (November 1), Atlanta, GA (November 8), Montclair, NJ (November 14), Chicago, IL (November 26) and Tempe, AZ (December 6) to name a few. Longtime friend Myles Kennedy will be the special guest on the run. Tickets will be on sale starting May 5th via artist presale and on sale to the public on Friday, May 9th. More information on all tickets and VIP passes can be found at www.mammoth.band