The 31st Annual Na Hoku Hanohano Awards on K5 The Home Team
June 11, 2008
The 2008 Na Hoku Hanohano Awards will be televised locally on K5, and streamed live via internet HERE. Performances will include: Brothers Cazimero, Hapa, John Cruz, Hoku Zuttermeister, Opihi Pickers, Mighty J, Pilioha, Darin Leong, and Kamau.
Na Hoku Hanohano Nominations
May 28, 2008
I am so excited to announce that nominees for the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards have been selected, and I’ve received two nominations!
Instrumental Album of the Year, &
Most Promising Artist
This is a total thrill for me! It will be wonderful just to meet so many people I’ve admired and attempted to emulate since childhood.
To all Hawaii Academy of Recording Arts members, thank you for your continued support and see you at the Hokus!
Aloha,
Darin
Loop Pedals in Action
March 30, 2008
As many of you know, I’m a fan of loop pedals, and use one regularly during my performances. Here are a few great videos of other artists demonstrating loop pedals in action.
Howie Day – Ghost
KT Tunstall – Black Horse and the Cherry Tree
KT Tunstall Loop Pedal Demonstration on NPR
Standup Paddle Surf Video by Bob Babcock (Song: Goodnight – When Home is Far Away)
March 8, 2008
Interview with Andy Bumatai
March 7, 2008
Guitar Pedals
February 23, 2008
I’m often asked about my acoustic guitar set-up, so here it is. I use three main boxes:
1) LR Baggs Para Acoustic DI. This box serves as a DI box, as well as a great sounding, easy-to-use, EQ. You can really make a guitar sound “huge” through one of these.
2) Digitech JamMan. This little box actually degrades the audio quality slightly, but the benefits vastly outweigh the drawbacks. The JamMan is a “loop pedal.” You step on it and it starts recording. When you step on it again, it plays back exactly what you just recorded, allowing you to play multiple parts. You can do it continually, creating interesting combinations of sounds and textures. I’ve posted an example below.
3) TC Electronic G-Natural. This bulky box is the best all-in-one pedal available for acoustic guitar. I use it for compression, to give my sound a lot of clarity, and for reverb, which can make you sound like you’re in a big hall.
KGMB9 Morning News
October 30, 2007
Here’s the news segment for the Hawaii State Art Museum promo on KGMB9, early in the morning!
Video Interview on 808Talk
October 25, 2007
Here’s the latest interview with V-Brown on 808Talk!
Zoom H2 Field Recorder
October 2, 2007
In response to Mark Nelson’s in-depth review of the new Zoom H2 field recorder, I just had to try one. Now I’m hooked. The sound quality is amazing and it fits in the palm of your hand. Great for recording lessons, concerts, jam sessions, and random thoughts.
The H2 has several different audio fidelity settings, and also allows you to easily switch between mic patterns.
The sound quality is wonderful. Here are a number of clips of my song, “Manoa Morning,” recorded with different mic settings and at different audio fidelity settings.
The recordings were all done by placing the H2 on the table, sitting in front of it, pushing record, and playing. That simple. Enjoy!
Clip-On Tuners
September 11, 2007
I’ve used an Intellitouch clip-on tuner for years. It’s a useful tool, but often has given me trouble when there is a lot of croud noise, and has given me incorrect readings when attempting to stay in tune with other musicians on stage.
So, I recently ordered an Intelli-500 (also known as the IMT 500). I received the Intelli-500 in the mail a few days ago and did a comparison with the Intellitouch. I put new batteries in both tuners and put them both on the headstock of my guitar. I also switched the positions of the two tuners on the headstock, to make sure that the area where each tuner was placed on the headstock was not a factor.