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New Goby Labs Surface Cleaner by Hosa Now Available

New Goby Labs Surface Cleaner by Hosa Now Available

New cleaner is safe on high-end equipment surfaces and anti-static

Buena Park, CA, April 2022 — Hosa is adding a long-requested addition to its Goby Labs line of cleaners and conditioners, Goby Labs Surface Cleaner.

The new Goby Labs Surface Cleaner is specially formulated to clean and polish even the most sensitive equipment surfaces without the caustic chemicals found in most cleaners on the market. Those can easily damage or corrode sensitive surfaces, making equipment look worn or affecting their performance.

When it comes to cleaning high-end equipment, any solution needs to be safe and effective on many kinds of materials. Goby Labs Surface Cleaner is safe to use on finishes, plastic, metal, and wood surfaces, including black piano surfaces. Rather than being an overly specialized cleaner, it’s a valuable “Swiss army knife” in any equipment maintenance kit.

Static build-up can be a nuisance when handling equipment and sometimes affect audio quality, which is why Goby Labs Surface Cleaner is also anti-static. Simply spray directly to a microfiber cloth and then apply on the equipment surface.

“We have had a lot of requests over the years for equipment cleaner, but up to this point, the Goby Labs line did not exactly have this type of cleaner,” adds Mayumi Allison, Hosa’s Chief Executive Officer. “This addition was a no-brainer that covers a lot of bases and complements the kinds of cleaners, sanitizers, and conditioners Goby Labs customers keep in their kits.”

The new Goby Labs Surface Cleaner is available at an MSRP of $12.05.

- Hosa

“Hosa Origins” Wins Addy & Telly Awards

Documentary tells the story of Hosa’s humble beginnings as the embodiment of the American Dream

Buena Park, CA, April 2022 — Hosa Technology, Inc., the leading provider of analog and digital connectivity solutions for the modern musician, has received award-winning recognition for its short documentary, “Hosa Origins“, released in 2021.

“Hosa Origins” tells the story of Sho Sato, founder of Hosa Technology, and how circumstances across the years took him from repairing audio equipment at an American military base in Japan, to taking a job in the United States, to starting his own business that would eventually become synonymous with the audio industry. In every way, it’s the story of the American Dream, with a sentimental pulse that can be felt and understood by any audience. The story is told through Sho, his daughter and current Hosa CEO Mayumi Allison, and a collection of long-standing Hosa employees and representatives. It was produced in collaboration with Kristen Aldridge and Original Stories Media.

For the 20-minute documentary, Hosa won a national silver Telly award for General Documentary – Branded Content. The Telly Awards annually showcases the best work created within television and across video, for all screens including non-broadcast video and television programming. Receiving over 12,000 entries from all 50 states and 5 continents, Telly Award winners represent work from some of the most respected advertising agencies, television stations, production companies and publishers from around the world.

Adding to the recognition it had already received, “Hosa Origins” also won a Los Angeles Bronze Addy award for Film/Video/Sound Branded Content. The American Advertising Awards (Addy) is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting nearly 35,000 entries every year in local AAF Ad Club competitions.

“When we completed Hosa Origins and debuted it at NAMM during a pandemic, we were so proud of the story it told,” adds Mayumi Allison, Hosa’s Chief Executive Officer. “There was a lot of amazing feedback from our peers in the industry, but these media awards really showcase the wider impact a story like ours can have.”

The full-length documentary can be viewed on the Hosa YouTube channel.

- Hosa

Hosa Adds Industry Veteran, Ken Fuente, as Director of Sales

Proven Sales Leader and Industry Veteran Joins the Hosa Team

Buena Park, CA, April 2022 — Hosa Technology, the leading supplier of analog and digital connectivity solutions to the musical instrument and pro audio industries, recently welcomed Ken Fuente as the company’s new Director of Sales.

Fuente will work closely with Hosa leadership and marketing teams to further expand Hosa’s existing global presence as a trusted manufacturer and supplier of professional audio and video cables. Fuente is a proven sales leader and industry veteran with decades of experience generating demand and revenue for well-known global brands. He previously held sales leadership roles at Peavey Electronics, Gator Cases, Korg USA, Samson Technologies, and most recently, TKL Cases.

“We’re so excited to welcome Ken to our growing team,” said Hosa CEO, Mayumi Allison. “His years of sales experience, proven track record, and rock-solid reputation will be critical in helping Hosa expand our business globally and better serve our distributor and channel partners around the world.”

- Hosa

Artist Spotlight: Nick DePirro

Hosa Music Artist Testimonials | Nick DePirro

Finding the Right Creative Flow

This month, we were fortunate enough to talk with riff wizard Nick DePirro, guitarist for Night Verses and Headcave about his creative process.

Between jamming in person and being able to quickly record and mix ideas, creativity is just as much about efficient workflow as it is about the instrument. Nick’s style is every bit about atmosphere as it is about the riff, so being able to quickly hear how an idea is turning out goes a long way to adding new layers and ideas.

Nick DePirro, Night Verses, Interview

My name is Nick DePirro, I play guitar in the band’s Night Verses and Headcave.

My favorite thing about playing music really is just the form of expression and being able to really get what’s in my head out in the form of a song or a riff. I feel like everyone kind of has a beat in their head, and when you’re listening to music it can be inspiring being able to actually play guitar and get those ideas out, it’s super satisfying. I’ve always enjoyed that; recording, performing it, it’s a lot of fun.

Finishing a song is one of the most rewarding things that I can experience as far as putting in the time to develop an idea, and seeing it grow into a full song, and then take that even a step further when you get to release that music and you see a response, whether it’s good or bad. If people enjoy it, it’s awesome because you created something from nothing.

We meet up, as Night Verses, to write songs pretty often in a practice space. We’ll jam in person and come up with ideas that way, or we bounce things off each other in the moment. But a lot of times, especially as of late, we’ve been meeting up here in my room where we can actually record ideas on the spot and try things and hear it in the moment, and what it could actually sound like as a finished product. I think that’s one of the best parts about being able to have this environment where I can have my computer right here and all of my effects and all my different tools to kind of fully get those ideas developed. It really helps speed up the process when you can record it, and mix it real quick, and hear things back. That’s something I’m super grateful for and I’m glad that I put the time in to be efficient enough to make that useful for my band and my friends that we work on music with. I think that’s one of the best things we have going for us is our demo process.

As a touring musician and as a person who’s recording a lot, you need reliable cables and you need the factor of that just to be gone as far as any issues you could have. That’s one of my favorite things about Hosa’s products, is that they just work. One of the coolest things too is they have varieties of cables. There’s different sizes. You can smash a bunch of pedals together because they make very accommodating cables in that context, so for someone like me who likes to run a lot of effects, it helps aid that scenario a lot, and it helps take away some of the worry that one might have running so many pedals. Everyone would benefit from having a quality cable because good quality cables last longer, they eliminate sound, and cheaper cables will provide more issues even if you’re just at home. I think Hosa’s for everybody, everyone from a professional touring musician to someone just jamming in their room.

Hosa Cables That Nick DePirro Uses

– Hosa Edge Guitar Cable
Hosa Edge Guitar Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver the most neutral, dynamic tone in their class.

– Hosa Pro Flat Patch Cables
Hosa Edge Speaker Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver exceptional quality.

– Hosa Edge Speaker Cables
Hosa Edge Speaker Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver exceptional quality.

– Hosa Pro MIDI Cables
Our low-cost, high-quality Hosa MIDI cable is designed to interconnect MIDI devices. Unlike other cables, the Hosa MIDI cable is wired 5-pin discrete and compatible with all MIDI standards, including SysEx. These durable MIDI cables come in several lengths, from 1 foot to 25 feet, so you can get the right length for your needs.

The History of Podcasting

As podcasts become a permanent fixture in modern entertainment, many consider this robust, new industry to be today’s digital gold rush. With an ever-expanding menu of episodes, hosts, and an array of niche topics, it’s clear that podcasts are here to stay.

Trending topics and innovative content on various audio platforms continue to drive traffic and interest to this still-growing industry, making it a viable income stream for many who make regular content for this medium. Listenership continues to grow alongside new creators and shows, making today’s podcast industry stronger than ever.

Looking to record your own podcast? Build the best podcast setup with professional-grade audio equipment from Hosa.

When Did Podcasts Start?

While iPods are no longer as popular today as they were during their debut in 2001, the history of podcasts is deeply intertwined with these once-prized devices. The existence of the iPod ushered in a new generation of portable audio entertainment, leading to the creation of the first podcasts. While the trendy iPod device may not have endured the test of time, the concept of portable, bite-sized audio content has become a lasting staple in today’s entertainment landscape.

In 2004, MTV’s Adam Curry and developer Dave Winer designed a program (iPodder) that allowed users to download radio broadcasts directly onto their iPods to listen to later. By October of that year, libsyn.com became the first podcast service provider, effectively allowing anyone to contribute to the podcast sphere and sync their content to other platforms for listeners to browse.

By 2005, Apple made podcasts an integrated part of the iTunes platform, effectively boosting usership through the next decade and beyond.

Podcasting Today

The podcast industry is projected to hit $1 billion in revenue by the end of 2021, with 100 million users. There are over 2,000,000 podcasts currently available, with 48 million podcast episodes in over 100 different languages.

From Apple Podcasts to Stitcher, Spotify, and Google, podcasts have become a varied and highly profitable market for platform developers, content writers, and host personalities.

Building the Best Podcast Setup

If you’re excited about this blossoming industry and curious about what it takes to create your own podcast, perhaps now is the best time to explore. Whether you’ve been considering starting a podcast or have already begun the process, it’s important to build the best podcast setup with the right audio equipment.

Listenership often depends as much on good writing and hosting as it does on the sound quality of your podcast. That means your best bet is to invest in quality equipment and audio software to record and edit your podcast masterpiece.

For a detailed listing of options and equipment, check out our previous blog on Equipment Needed to Start a Podcast.

Concept, Writing, and Voice

As you develop your concept or begin building your episode scripts, it is important to consider your audience. Developing a consistent approach to your content and sticking to your podcast’s core concepts will help you acquire and keep listeners.

Find a concept broad enough that it allows you to gather plenty of interesting ideas without becoming repetitive and lean into something you’re naturally passionate and curious about. It may also help to brainstorm some ideas for listener engagement, like user-submitted content requests, shoutouts, and more.

Think about how to build your following as a community using various social media platforms and marketing approaches. You may also want to think strategically about building a small team to help.

Microphones and Mic Gear

One of the most important steps to building good sound quality with your podcast setup goes directly to the source: your microphones. From high-quality mics and mic stands to professional microphone cables, having the best recording equipment means starting at square one.

There’s nothing more aggravating than having to stop or restart recording because of crackly microphones or unreliable stands. If your microphone is incapable of gathering high-quality sound, you’ll have a lot of frustration during the mixing process when you realize there is only so much improvement you can make on the back end.

Headphones

Quality headphones allow you to make sure the sound quality of your recordings is up to par. Noise-isolating headphones give you an accurate read on how your recording sounds as it’s happening, and give you an advantage when cleaning up your audio during editing.

By investing in quality headphones, you can easily find and fix any stray noises or audio quirks that you discover while re-listening to your recording track. Pair your headphones with quality components like professional headphone cables and adapters, and you’re investing in the sound quality and future viability of your podcast.

Audio Recording and Editing Software

From LogicPro X to GarageBand to Adobe Audition, there are a wealth of audio software recording and editing tools available to you. Many range in cost, some (like Audacity and Zencastr) offer free versions of their audio recording and editing software.

In order to use any of these platforms, however, you’ll need quality cables to run your recording equipment to your computer or device. Depending on your podcast setup, this may include HDMI cables, interconnect cables, or USB adapter cables. Finding the right cables helps preserve the quality of your sound by protecting and transmitting the smoothest sounding audio possible.

Ready to get started? Shop the collection of Hosa-approved audio gear to take your podcast setup to the next level.

Hosa Team

Interconnect Cables vs. The Big Three

Audio cables come in many varieties, including interconnect cables, as well as cables for microphones, speakers, and instruments (the “big three”). The quality and type of cable you use for various instruments and connective purposes can make an enormous difference in your sound quality and the basic function of your audio gear. While cables are a seemingly low-order issue, using the correct cable for your intended purposes can help you avoid poor sound quality and potentially costly mistakes. If you’ve ever been left wondering what the technical differences are between a guitar cable and a speaker cable, today is your lucky day!

Find specialty cables of all types in our Hosa-approved collection of audio cables.

Audio Cables: Three Main Types

If you’ve set up for band practice or built a home audio studio, you’re familiar with the process of hooking up your audio equipment. Cables that connect to your microphone, guitar, and speakers all have slightly different properties due to the type of signal they are expected to carry and shielding required to reduce interference. Knowing the difference and using your cables appropriately will prevent sound issues and possible damage to your equipment. For this reason, it’s crucial to keep your cables clearly labeled and use them only for their intended connective purposes.

Microphone Cables

Sound from your microphone gets amplified by your preamp, which means that any little sound interference or poor sound integrity also gets amplified. For this reason, microphone cables are made with large copper conductors in their core and increased cable shielding (typically braided shielding) around that core to block noise interference and maintain a clear signal. In this way, your microphone cable plays a fundamental role in maintaining sound integrity.

Instrument Cables and Guitar Cables

Like your microphone cables, instrument and guitar cables require adequate shielding and conductivity quality to preserve sound. They are also unbalanced, which means there are two conductors at the core of the cable rather than three and contain a signal wire and a ground wire. This means that you’ll want to keep your instrument cables under 25 feet in length, as they may be susceptible to low level interference. However, for the purposes of connecting your guitar to your amp, for example, these cables are just what you want.

Speaker Cables

Speakers operate at the highest signal level, and since the signal is already amplified, speaker cables do not need much shielding. However, speaker cables need a much larger conductor because it must be able to handle transferring audio as well as power. If a speaker is self-powered like nearly all studio monitors, then you don’t need a dedicated speaker cable and an interconnect works perfectly. However, if the speaker needs to be driven by a power amp, then you need a designated speaker cable.

What Do Interconnect Cables Do?

An interconnect cable is used to connect devices that use line-level signal, such as connecting an audio interface to studio monitors. Most digital and analog equipment will transmit line-level signal between one another. Interconnect cablesmay come in different connector types, including RCA and XLR varieties.

Interconnect cables are not a good option for instruments, microphones, and speakers, as they are not adequately shielded and do not have large enough conductors. This means you would introduce a lot of noise interference and could potentially damage your equipment (especially speakers). While your instrument and speaker cables could be used as interconnect cables, this is typically not advisable for cost effectiveness. Interconnects are the most affordable way to connect your source components.

What Differentiates Audio Cables?

Each type of audio cable is made with different components beneath the rubberized outer coating that is visible. There are various conductive materials and layers used in a variety of thicknesses inside your cables and each is customized to the intended use and signal capacity you’ll need. Typically, every cable includes a core conductor, often made with an oxygen-free copper (OFC) or its more conductive alternative, solid silver. Cables will also include additional layers and outer shielding to protect the signal transmitted along the conductor. Materials may also include aluminum, silver, and gold, depending on the quality of the cable you’re considering.

Signal Difference (AWG)

American Wire Gauge (AWG) is a categorization system for wires based on thickness. The higher the AWG number, the thinner the wire, and the more resistance there is to the flow of current. Lower gauge numbers (for example, a 12 AWG speaker cable) are thicker cables, which have larger conductors and allow for more current to be transmitted.

Different gear requires different capacities for voltage conduction, which is why there is such a big difference in thickness between cable types. For example, speaker cables (12 AWG) require a larger conductor to transmit signal power than thinner interconnect cables (24 AWG). This is mostly due to the nature of the voltage requirements for speakers.

Braided Shielding vs. Spiral (Serve) Shielding

Braided shielding refers to an outer layer of woven metallic fibers just beneath the rubberized cable coating that protects the internal cable signal against outside interference. Depending on the tightness of the mesh, braided shielding may reduce the flexibility of cables, though it does offer an advantage in shielding capacity. Instrument cables and microphone cables typically include braided shielding because quality braided shielding can provide 90-95% signal protection coverage.

Spiral shielding features metallic fibers that are twisted around the cable core rather than woven into a braided mesh. This type of shielding is more common in interconnect cables and also more cost effective to produce, as these types of cable uses tend to be stationary and have a line level less prone to interference.
Spiral shielding does offer lower signal protection benefits because as it is bent or twisted, the spiral shielding can easily open up to reveal vulnerabilities in the signal shield. For this reason, you shouldn’t use an interconnect cable in place of a mic or instrument cable because it isn’t properly shielded and will introduce sound interference. To learn more about Braided vs. Spiral Shielding, check out this Hosa News blog.

Shop the Hosa collection of high-quality audio cables for all of your connectivity needs.

Hosa Team

Artist Spotlight: David Wallimann

Hosa Music Artist Testimonials | David Wallimann

Finding Peace and Inspiration

This month, we were fortunate enough to talk with David Wallimann, better known for his YouTube channel of free tips & lessons to guitarists of all levels, and his online guitar instruction courses with Guitar Playback.

David had a unique journey to become an instructor online, one that spanned years of learning to give the best lesson to the first student and the tenth, and also find peace and balance in life. This also helped make David free to expand even more on teaching and sharing ways guitarists can express themselves even deeper.

David Wallimann, Guitar Playback, Interview

Well, I’m David. I live in Fort Collins, Colorado and I teach guitar online.

I basically help electric guitar players express themselves on the instrument, so it’s not so much teaching people how to play a song, or a solo, or a chord, it’s more equipping them with the tools that we use as humans to communicate, but in the music world. So, the idea is to help them just speak music.

I absolutely love it. I love it because first of all, I think I’m just doing what I’m meant to do: teach. I think it comes back to a time where I was teaching guitar in a school, which I loved, but when you’re teaching 1 on 1, and if you have like 10 students in a row, the 10th student would get a horrible lesson and pay the same price as the first one. I didn’t think it was really fair because there was the burnout, right? You start fresh in the day as a teacher and then after 8 hours of teaching, you can’t do it anymore, so that was not fair for the students. I don’t think it was fair for myself, like I was really burned out and almost to the point where my passion for teaching was suffering from it, and eventually I realized that making an online experience, an online course would maybe be the way to go. That’s how it started, to create the best guitar learning experience for students and at the same time be kind to myself.

I started it not really knowing because you never know before starting something, it just brought me a lot of peace. I used to work in a bunch of different work gigs like coffee shops, data centers — I never had peace about that. Here, I come here, I do my work, and I feel fulfilled and I go home. I get to be a dad, a husband, but I have peace about it. That’s the main thing, just peace.

So, Hosa is kind of the gear that is really hidden. They have it difficult because it’s not the kind of thing that you’re going to show right up front like a guitar or something like that. Yet, I couldn’t do it without it. Hosa helps me every day do my job. They connect every important piece of gear, and without it nothing would work. It doesn’t matter how expensive your amp is if you don’t have a good cable to go into it and out of it, it’s never going to do its job. It’s a great support tool and I couldn’t do it without it.

Hosa Cables That David Wallimann Uses

– Hosa Edge Guitar Cable
Hosa Edge Guitar Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver the most neutral, dynamic tone in their class.

– Hosa Edge Speaker Cable
Hosa Edge Speaker Cables are designed to provide a lifetime of outstanding performance. Genuine Neutrik® plugs combine with world-class manufacturing techniques to deliver exceptional quality.

– Hosa Pro Interconnect Cables
Hosa Pro interconnect cables are designed to interconnect pro audio gear with balanced or unbalanced inputs. It is ideal for use in touring, studio, and other live-sound applications. Hosa Pro relies on nickel-plated REAN® plugs for efficient signal transfer and superior durability.

– Hosa USB-C Cables
Hosa USB-C cables are designed to connect two devices with USB Type C interfaces. It is ideal for connecting an audio interface, external hard drive, or other computer peripherals to a PC.

Hosa

Properly Connecting Audio Monitors for a Home Studio Setup

Many audiophiles know the importance of investing in quality gear and equipment, but studio monitors also require proper knowledge of placement. Sound is particularly sensitive to the spatial parameters of a room, so studio design is key in producing and recording quality sound.

When setting up your home recording studio, it’s important to understand the properties of monitor angling and height, as well as how you design the flow of your audio studio space.

Shop Hosa products to find the equipment you need to optimize your studio monitor placement.

What is An Audio Monitor?

Audio monitors are an integral part of your home recording studio setup. Like speakers, they project sound into your space, but unlike speakers, audio monitors produce professional-quality and more transparently balanced audio that eliminates distortion and irregular audio frequencies. Linear phase response audio and increased power to control and project high-volume audio tracks makes studio monitors vastly different from your everyday speaker.

Monitor Placement and Height

Buying quality audio monitors is only the first step in creating your optimal home studio setup. Placing monitors at the wrong place and height in your audio studio can greatly reduce their impact and overall sound. You’ll want to create a triangle between yourself and the two monitors, which should be facing you in the seated listening spot at an approximately 30 degree angle. Each monitor should be equidistant from the listening seat and ideally at least 3 feet apart.

You’ll also want the monitors to be at ear height for maximum listening quality, avoiding any possible sound reflection off of nearby surfaces on the way to reaching the listener. Audio monitors should be placed a minimum of 6-12” inches or ideally 2-3 feet away from any walls.

Studio Monitor Stands

For optimal and easy placement, find studio monitor stands to elevate your speakers and free up the usable surface space in your audio studio. You can also find small stands to use on your desktop to keep the monitors isolated from the desk. If your monitors sit directly on your workstation, the surface noise and vibration will affect your ability to hear the pure signal from each monitor. There are also specially-designed foam pads you can use to help accomplish more isolation on top of your workstation.

Cables & Connectors

Building quality sound happens long before the audio comes through your monitors. Finding cables for your instruments, monitors, and other gear is key to building a functional, high-level studio. Since monitors will be receiving line-level signals from an audio interface, the best place to start is with balanced interconnect cables, which come in different configurations of ¼” and XLR, depending on the connections you require. If you have an interconnect cable already, you may be able to use an adapter to achieve the connection type you need, but it’s always more ideal to have a single cable where possible.

Important Considerations for Your Home Studio Setup

In addition to proper studio layout and functional flow, there are several other considerations in setting up your home recording studio. The first and perhaps most important consideration is sound treatment. This is not only to prevent sound from leaving out, but also to help contain and balance the sound that’s being produced. Frequencies interact with walls and space differently for each room, so there are many options available for sound treatment and consultations on balancing the audio in your recording space.

Room size can also affect your studio by altering sound quality; many experts insist that the smallest ideal size for a recording studio is 14 by 8 feet. Overall room volume is also an important factor, so the higher the ceilings, the better. Last but not least, you’ll want to make sure your home recording studio is outfitted with all the necessary gear.

Other Essentials for Your Home Recording Studio Setup

Perhaps you’re just beginning to design your home recording studio, or perhaps you’re looking to optimize your current set up. Either way, it’s important to make sure you have all the audio recording essentials for your growing studio. If you’re taking the leap from amateur hobbyist to professional-level producer, you’ll want to add these items to your repertoire.

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and Audio Interface

If you’ve experimented with audio programs before, you likely already have a computer to pair with a digital audio workstation (DAW) and digital audio interface. A DAW is the software that works in conjunction with your physical interface to capture and convert the audio produced by your instruments and gear. The digital audio interface converts all inputs into the same audio format for easy mixing and quality audio production. Taken together, your DAW and audio interface are the lifeblood of your home studio setup.

Headphones

Investing in a quality set of headphones is a key part of building your home audio studio. Typically, it’s recommended that you begin with closed-back headphones for sound isolation and cost-effectiveness. Being able to clearly hear the details of your audio during recording and editing is key to achieving the sound you want.
If you’re upgrading and expanding your studio headphone collection, you might consider upgrading to open-back headphones. These luxury recording headphones offer increased sound quality, but are more susceptible to audio leak both in and out of the headphones, so they’re best used in well-insulated soundproof studios.

Microphones, Pop Filter, and Mic Stands

Over time, it’s highly probable you’ll accumulate microphones and mic stands for various purposes. To get started, start with one or two, which you’ll want to choose based on what type of sounds you plan to capture. For vocals, you should opt for a large diaphragm condenser mic, while sounds with high frequencies like piano, acoustic guitar, and cymbal sound better with a small diaphragm condenser mic. Pop filters and windscreens are typically used in front of a microphone used for vocals and help filter out any accidental sounds like popping or scratching.

Cables

As you’ve likely already experienced, various types of cables will quickly become a natural part of your home studio setup. From power cords to AES/EBU cables, adapters, instrument cables, microphone cables, and MIDI cables, finding the right cables for each individual studio need is crucial to building your functional recording space. Equally important is storage and cable organizers to help your home studio stay decluttered, safe, and easy to use.

Browse a wide variety of Hosa audio recording products for your home studio, including cables, stands, adapters, and more.

Hosa

Hosa Sponsors Corazón de Vida’s La Noche Blanca

$225,000 Raised to Support Orphaned Children in Baja, Mexico

Buena Park, CA, September 2021 — On September 11th, Hosa was the presenting sponsor for La Noche Blanca, a fundraising dinner and outdoor event through the Corazon de Vida Foundation (CDV). The event raised $225,000 to provide life-changing support for the orphaned and abandoned children in Baja, Mexico. Corazon de Vida delivers quality of life improvement services to the local orphanages. In addition, it invests in the children’s future by funding higher education. Their mission is to break the vicious cycle of poverty from perpetuating child abandonment.

This is Corazon de Vida’s 11th annual La Noche Blanca fundraiser and the 4th year Hosa has been a key sponsor. Beyond just the single fundraiser, Hosa is a Corporate Angel and provides monthly support to Corazon de Vida. Hosa employees have also gone on several trips to the orphanages in Mexico to spend time with the children. Those days are filled with games, activities, and preparing food.

Corazon de Vida’s founder, Hilda Pacheco Taylor, was born and raised in Baja, Mexico. As a single mother barely able to provide for her children, Hilda’s mother had to make the tough decision to place her four children in an orphanage. Hilda and her siblings spent eight memorable years of their childhood in an orphanage until she reunited with her mother. Understanding how vital these orphanages can be in children’s lives, Hilda founded Corazon de Vida.

“We are honored to sponsor La Noche Blanca for the 4th time and continue our close relationship with Corazon de Vida,” adds Mayumi Allison, Hosa’s CEO. “The responsibility of helping children is a human issue that doesn’t stop at any border. The team at Corazon de Vida has done incredible work changing lives and we couldn’t be any more proud to play a part in supporting their efforts.”

Hosa

Wiring a Guitar Pedal Using Guitar Patch Cables

Every guitarist’s collection likely includes guitar pedals or a full pedalboard setup. Whether you’re just beginning to build your pedal collection or looking to optimize your existing setup, it’s important to know what configuration works best for you. From cables to couplers, pedal order to power sources, there are some key basics to follow when beginning your guitar pedal setup project. After that, creativity can be your primary guide.

Find what you need to make your music happen with guitar cables in all lengths and styles from Hosa.

 

What Are Guitar Pedals For?

If you’re just getting started, it’s possible that you’re discovering the tonal limits of your guitar amp. Perhaps you’re looking to expand your audio palette with more versatile and varied audio effects, such as echos, distortion, delays, and repeated loops. The possibilities are seemingly endless, and once you begin to layer these different options into your routine, you may find yourself discovering new signature sounds and effects.

Experimentation is key to discovering new sound combinations and techniques, and building your own guitar pedal collection is the first step in finding new sonic possibilities.

What are Guitar Patch Cables?

Guitar patch cables help connect your pedals together, and also connect your pedalboard to your amp. Short right-angle guitar patch cables help connect pedals side-by-side into a single chain to reduce cable clutter, maximize pedalboard space, and preserve sound quality. You will also want slightly longer patch cables to connect to other pedal chains or to the input and output of your amp. Pedals may have input and output jacks on either top or side locations, which may dictate what length your pedalboard patch cables need to be.

What Are Couplers?

Similar to guitar patch cables, guitar couplers connect pedals in your guitar pedalboard setup. It is very important that you only use couplers for pedals that remain on and therefore do not require you to step on them to engage them. This is because the rigid connection of the coupler can easily wear down your jacks and ruin gear if placed under the frequent torque stress of foot-activated switches.

For pedals that remain on or are connected to a loop switcher, straight guitar couplers for equal jack placement or Z-type guitar couplers for uneven jack placement can help you save space and reduce cable clutter.

How to Set Up Guitar Pedals

One of the most important parts of wiring a guitar pedal chain is planning order and layout. Once you have a small collection of pedals, you may want to consider investing in a pedalboard to hold and organize them all in one compact space.

A pedalboard is a single organizational backboard piece that allows you to place and reorganize your pedals while also reducing cable clutter. They are also useful for securing a pedalboard power supply unit to maximize the power supply potential for your pedal collection.

When planning your guitar pedal setup, you want to use as little cable length as possible to connect the pedals. This is because longer cables can reduce sound quality. Many pedals are “true bypass,” meaning when they are off, the signal transfers through them without any added coloration. While that’s great for transparency, any pedal that does not act as a “buffer” to add strength to the signal means it’s essentially adding cable length, which can start to degrade the sound in unbalanced instrument cables. For those reasons, short 6-inch right angle guitar patch cables are preferred among guitarists.

Powering Your Guitar Pedals: Voltage, Current, and Polarity

It is crucial to match the voltage of your pedals to the voltage of your power supply. The standard 9V pedal should connect to a 9V power supply. While most guitar pedals are a standard 9V, you may find that vintage or specialty guitar pedals range from 12V, 18V and 24V. This means that different voltage pedals may need their own individual power supply, unless you have a multi-voltage power board unit with various voltage outputs.

It’s important to pay attention to the voltage of your power supply and pedals and match them appropriately so you don’t risk ruining your pedals.

Power Supply Callout

You must also have a power supply with enough current to power the pedal(s) it’s connected to. For example, a pedal requiring 100mA (milliamp) of current must have a power source that can accommodate this current level, or more. It’s perfectly safe to use a 1000mA (1A) to power a 100mA pedal, as the pedal will only draw as much as it needs. This will also allow you to connect more pedals to this power source. Having a higher mA output on your power source may allow you to daisy chain several pedals to one source (see below).

Lastly, make sure your power source polarity (negative or positive) matches the polarity of the pedal you plan to attach. Typically, both will have a center pin with negative polarity, though it’s always a good idea to make sure they match to avoid damaging your equipment. Both items should have a matching polarity emblem:

Negative and Positive Polarity

Single Power Source and The Daisy Chain Method

The daisy chain power supply method involves connecting an assortment of pedals together with guitar patch cables to use one singular power source. It is crucial that all pedals share the same voltage. Similarly, you must ensure that the mA output of the power supply can handle the aggregate mA current load of all the pedals connected. You can also use a daisy chain extension cord to connect your pedals directly to the power source if you only have a few pedals, rather than running power through shorter guitar patch cables between each pedal. Be wary that sharing a power supply can sometimes introduce additional noise depending on the amount of pedals or voltage involved.

Power Source Unit

Once you begin to accommodate more pedals, you may find that you need added versatility and power options. Power source units are a great way to ensure that you’ll be able to easily power your growing collection of guitar pedals and reduce cable clutter when building your pedalboard. Some can accommodate different voltages, which also means you won’t have to worry about finding separate power sources for pedals that differ from the standard 9V format.

Battery Powered Pedals

If you’re looking for portability and minimal cable use, you can also power many pedals with 9V batteries. Some guitar pedals are designed to accommodate either a plug-in adapter power source or battery power. The battery-powered option is typically good for up to three pedals, as larger pedal collections may require costly battery replacement with use over time. You also might not want to risk having your battery-powered pedal die in the middle of a performance. If you like having the battery option for practice, however, you may want to invest in rechargeable 9V batteries to help reduce long-term battery costs.

Order of Guitar Pedals: Building Your Effect Signal Chain

Once you’ve figured out your pedal specs and compatibilities, you’ll also want to consider the order in which you attach your pedals. Pedal order may alter tone or effects, so make sure you’re thinking about sound filtering and placement. While there are some recommended setup orders, you may find it best to experiment with pedal order to see how each change affects your overall sound.

Several types of pedals are typically connected early in your pedal chain in your preamp section, which are then connected to the “input” jack of your amp. These include:

  • Tuner – adjusts tune of guitar input to improve overall sound
  • Volume – adjusts volume of your input sound (including any preceding pedal effects)
  • Distortion/Overdrive – increases the gain of your audio signal and saturates the notes being played
  • Wah & Filter – serves as a low-pitch filter and changes the tone of your signal
  • Compressor (Dynamics) – levels the audio dynamics of your instrument for a cleaner sound
  • Booster – increases signal level of your guitar and allows for louder overall volume range potential

Other pedals can be connected in an amp loop created by the “Send” and “Return” jacks on your amp, which processes the signal after the preamp. These pedals might include:

  • Delay – records sounds and replays them at programmable time intervals
  • Reverb – creates an echo and “spacial” effect to produce a fuller sound
  • Chorus (some Chorus pedals also work well preamp) – replicates and delays instruments by milliseconds to create the sound of multiple instruments being played

Ultimately, you’ll want to experiment with how the order of your guitar pedals affects tone and sound quality. Each pedal modifies the sound it receives from previous pedals, so keep this in mind when determining your pedal order and connecting your guitar patch cables.

Once you’ve figured it out, you may want to diagram or design a quick and easy way to remember the guitar pedalboard setup you most prefer. This could include clear labelling or a fixed setup on your pedalboard.

Shop Hosa guitar patch cables to create your custom pedalboard and discover your new favorite sound.

 

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