I absolutely hate manuals. Let me say it again… HATE. Typically dry, boring, bad illustrations, written from a prototype hardware product or 0.9 software version that never includes the final fixes (no wonder they seem so poorly written). That’s why I was so happy to discover HowAudio.com, whos’ motto is, “cause reading the manual sucks.” Ha! I knew I wasn’t alone. HowAudio.com is dedicated to providing the highest quality, easy to use on-line, video based training for the audio recording enthusiast as well as the working professional, and they got it right!

If the time and energy required to read the manual has become your learning disability, kiss your “mental block” goodbye. Looking through the HowAudio.com audio titles is like being the proverbial “kid in a candy store”.  And they are consistently adding new titles to their library to ensure that you have all the tools at your disposal to create the best music.

Is this awesome, or what!

Take a look at a few of HowAudio.com’s newest titles from the common to the esoteric:

• What’s New in Pro Tools 7.4
• Torq with Xponent
• Building Your Own GTR FX Pedalboard
• Cubase 4: The Essentials
• Ableton Live 7
• What’s New In GarageBand ‘08
• Acoustic Guitar Miking Techniques
• Preparing For Mastering
• FM8 - FM Synthesizer-Native Instruments
• Essentials of Podcasting
• What’s New in Propellerhead Reason 4
• Apple Logic 8
• Miking Techniques for Drums (studio)
• Analog to Digital: How to get sound into your computer
• and the ever popular titles such as Drum Tuning and Maintenance, How to Relic A Guitar, and ProTools LE (a comprehensive tutorial just under 10 hours!).

Constantly being updated, HowAudio.com offers two simple ways to subscribe: $199/annually or $19/monthly. Both options give you complete access 24/7 to over 1200 tutorials on over 40 subjects. HowAudio.com also sponsors regular FREE podcasts available on youtube.com, myspace.com and on the HowAudio.com website.

Register Your Namba Bag, Get 1 FREE Month of HowAudio.com

Now get this, when you purchase a Namba Gear bag or backpack and register your Namba bag online using the UPC code on the hangtag, Namba Gear will give you a month of HowAudio.com subscriber service to check it out. Decide for yourself. If you are like us it is pretty easy to get hooked on the idea of getting the most out of your gear for what feels like a very reasonable price. Cudos to Joe & Thiel, the co-founders of HowAudio.com. Learning audio has never been so easy.

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The Shaka Laptop Messenger bag is named for the famous Hawaiian Shaka hand sign that, like many Hawaiian words, seems to enjoy flexible meanings; in this case “hang loose, good, cool, aloha, and righteous”. The Shaka bag embraces all of these adjectives, but triumphs when it comes to “flexible”. The bag was created to provide an optimum carrying solution for up to a 15″ laptop computer along with personal essentials. As you look through the bag, just when you think you have located all of the compartments and pockets, you seem to discover yet another one.

Wondering How To Carry Your Hand-Held Digital Recorder & Laptop?

The evolution of the hand-held digital audio recorder makes the Shaka bag a perfect solution for carrying your laptop computer along with a digital recorder and a small mobile audio interface. Or simply use the Shaka Laptop Messenger as your day-bag for personal items,  which is also conveniently large enough to accommodate your laptop computer.

Lockable zippers for the laptop compartment provides extra security. A super thick shoulder pad softens and redistributes bag weight. The Shaka bag even incorporates a convenient carry handle and is available in Mayan brown, charcoal grey and olive green. We have road-tested this baby and are confident when we say, this is the flexible laptop bag that you will treasure for years, and wonder how you got along without it.

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As the Namba Gear designers were doing their research on the ultimate perfect size for the Big Namba Studio Backpack, they were also keeping in mind the current carry-on size restrictions of the airline industry. Although there is a standard, which is 22″ x 14″ x 9″ or 45″ total, every airline has their own size restrictions which can sometimes vary even within a single airline depending on the size of aircraft or the attitude of the check-in agent.

So we had to look at both the exterior size of the backpack as well as try to maximise the interior space to include the largest number of controllers. M-Audio’s Axiom25 was chosen as the measuring stick, because we knew that if we could get this “big boy” to fit and still follow the airline restrictions that we would be in good shape with most of the controllers on the market.

This lead to the development of the unhinging side on the large compartment, so that the backpack could open 180 degrees and the controller could actually be packed into a flat case.

Unfortunately, that did leave a few controllers unprotected and stranded on the sidewalk because they were just too big to fit our criteria for us to recommend them for the Big Namba.

The Korg25 is listed at 19.25″ inches long and although it is only .25″ longer than the Big Namba Studio Backpack’s interior dimension, it stretches the bag uncomfortably. The Novation XioSynth 25 which has on-board sounds as well as being a MIDI controller is a little wide at 12.54″. Likewise, the Stanton CM.205/CM.203 dj controllers are just a little fat at 4.29″ depth to recommend packing alongside your laptop. These Korg, Novation & Stanton controllers can be made to fit, just not with our recommendation considering the bag design. The Yamaha KX-25 at just under 20″ long and the Korg MicroX at 23.86″ long will not fit; don’t even try.

So what controllers do fit inside a Big Namba Studio Backpack?

KEYBOARD CONTROLLERS        

Alesis PhotonX25

DJ CONTROLLERS

Alternative Controllers

The result is a backpack that will accommodate a majority of controllers and should still fit in the overhead compartment of most airlines, bearing in mind that each airline can change their minds about size restrictions and some smaller planes will simply not accommodate anything much bigger that a construction worker’s lunchbox. Sorry about having to include the caveat, but it is true.

So what did we miss? If you have a question about whether a particular controller will fit inside a Big Namba Studio Backpack and it is not on the list, please comment and let us know so that we can investigate.

Check out this product SPOTLIGHT video of the Big Namba Studio Backpack

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If you are anything like our buddy, Dave, than we know that it helps to have a picture of how things work. Not that Dave is dumb, far from it, it is just that some of us are more visual than others (with Dave being exceptionally visual and occasionally visionary). You can show Dave specifications and give him explanations until you are blue in the face, but show him a 3 minute video and the light bulb goes on and you hear him say, “Ohhhh, so that’s how it works.”

Which was exactly what happened when we showed Dave our Video Product SPOTLIGHT on the Big Namba Studio Backpack. He suddenly understood what makes the Big Namba Studio Backpack so unique.

Captured by our friends and partners over at HowAudio.com, the video features Los Angeles recording artist, violinist,  and sound designer, Laura Escude. Laura is also known for establishing the L.A. chapter of the Ableton Users Group.

We caught up with Laura in the back patio cabana of the Sierra Cup in Monrovia, CA. Laura was working on some tunes and takes the opportunity to show us how she transports her entire mobile studio using the Big Namba Studio Backpack.

Take a moment to check out the video. The video’s accompanying music is courtesy of Laura Escude entitled “Nabhidance”.

Check out the Big Namba Studio Backpack Video SPOTLIGHT

Check out the Big Namba Studio Backpack on YouTube

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We proudly announce that the Big Namba Studio Backpack and Shaka Laptop Messenger bag have joined the original Kava Laptop Studio Bag in the Namba Gear product range.  As with the Kava bag, the Big Namba and Shaka bags are available in three colors: Mayan Brown, Charcoal Grey and Olive Green. Here is the word on these bags.

Big Namba Studio Backpack

I thought it might be interesting for you to see the designer’s thought process, notes & concerns, which goes a long way to explaining why the Big Namba looks the way it does and the special functionality of the bag. What follows are whiteboard notes from our initial design sessions.

Built for Security

Why do we need security (inside pockets) instead of accessibility (outside pockets)? We will carry a $2000 computer, with about $1000+ of software, a 25-key MIDI controller, a really nice $600 microphone, couple pair of headphones, USB audio device, additional hard drive, tons of different cables, plus notepad & pens, business cards, camera, cell phone, CDs/CDR, etc. A computer DJ might have a DJ controller and 12″control vinyls. When you have $4,000 worth of gear in your bag, security becomes a #1 issue.

The first thing you notice about the Big Namba Studio Backpack design is that it looks very different from other backpacks, with a sleek, semi-rigid, high performance construction and not much in the way of outside pockets. The reason for this is that most backpacks are built from a hiking model, where you WANT easily accessible outside pockets to get to the bug repellent. We are not hiking here… Lockable zippers and inside pockets go a long way to secure your gear from subway thieves or backstage bandits.

Designed by Musicians

Other than a secure design, what do we want in a backpack that will really help us as computer musicians/dj’s? Give Problem/Solution.

1. Can’t find cables or they are a mess - Cable Control, provide a cable management system to roll cables and provide cable ties for guitar & mic cables.

2. Can’t find my stuff inside the bag - Make bag interior a high definition contrasting color.

3. My other bags fall apart - Use extreme quality construction, dense padding, over-sew stitching, 1680D/poly nylon.

4. Need unobtrusive or “hidden” pocket - Provide secret stash pocket for tickets, passports, iLoks, etc.

5. Hate the sweat stain from wearing a backpack - Use material designed to wick away moisture and control sweat stains.

6. Heavy pack means the straps cut into my shoulders - Pad shoulder material and widen straps, add chest strap to help secure pack.

7. Packing my controller into narrow opening is hard - Create side hinges that will unhinge so bag lays flat for packing.

8. With so much room it would be nice if it were more flexible - Internal padded divider between laptop and controller can be removed to transport other items.

9. A pocket to hold my phone that is not inside the pack - Create pocket on strap for iPod or cell phone.

Designed to hold up to one of the largest 25-key MIDI controllers on the market (Axiom 25), the Big Namba is still airline regulation friendly. If you need to transport a MIDI controller along with your laptop and other music studio items, the Big Namba Studio Backpack may be the perfect bag for you.

Shaka Laptop Messenger

The Shaka bag began it’s design from an inexpensive, unpadded, canvas laptop bag that was given to me for attending a seminar. What I discovered was that although I did not feel comfortable putting my laptop inside the unpadded canvas, this was the coolest “day bag” a guy could ever wish for. Lots of pockets and spaces to put things and the laptop compartment was big enough for a 15″ computer and notebook and paperback and spare t-shirt. I used this small bag for everyday use & short air travel, kind of like a “man-purse”, and wished that I could put my laptop inside too (but the lack of padding and cheap material scared me).

I showed this bag to our factory operations manager and he asked for the bag and told me that he would apply the Namba Gear construction methods and high performance materials and we would see what developed. I was stunned with the result. We made a few small improvements and… OMG, is this a cool bag. If you do not need to carry a MIDI controller and an audio device (or you use a compact model like the USB Transit from M-Audio), this may be the perfect bag for you. In fact, if you just need a great laptop bag that will also hold your personal essentials, the Shaka Laptop Messenger may be the perfect bag for you!

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Namba Gear owner, Woody Moran was the featured interview on the Dennis Logan show on internet radio www.YouRockRadio.com for the week of April 28 - May 3. In this interview Woody discusses his music and debut CD, “Tu-Toned Stranger“, as well as the current state of the music business and changes that effect our ability take our studio with us and record on our own terms. (Unstated for the interview was that you need to get a Namba Gear bag to transport your laptop and audio device.) After May 3rd, you can still listen to the show by going to Past Shows.

Woody meet Dennis Logan as part of the peer-to-peer review process on Broadjam in the Folk-Rock category, and they became great fans of each others music.

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In continuing my story of the wonderful things we learned in J. Maarten Troost’s book, Getting Stoned with Savages, we’ll push ahead to the “getting stoned” part of the book. If you haven’t read the first bit ‘o blog,  go to: The Danger Of Reading Travel Essays When You Are Trying To Name Your Company. But first, I want to give my disclaimer right here and now that I/we do not endorse nor condone nor even suggest non-prescription or illegal narcotic usage, but only present the following information for the edification of our interested readers… whom we are sure would never imbibe or participate in any illegal narcotic usage themselves. OK, then.

Kava is a (quite legal regionally) narcotic liquid that is used in Fiji, Kiribati, Vanuatu and the South Pacific islands in general. We even stumbled upon some photos of Prince Charles having a shell of Kava. Some cultures reserve it for special celebrations; others restrict the use to men only, while other cultures think of Kava like we think of “happy hour” at the neighborhood bar. So pay close attention as here is what Mr. Troost has to say on the subject.

We Humans Are A Mysterious Species

“Fortunately, I was now in Vanuatu, where getting profoundly stoned every night is a venerable tradition. In the gold hour before sunset, the men of Vanuatu gather in a nakamal, typically a clearing under a banyan tree, where they consume kava, which, to the uninitiated, is the most wretchedly foul-tasting beverage ever concocted by Man. Kava derives from Piper methysticum, a pepper shrub that thrives high in the hills of Vanuatu. Traditionally, the kava is prepared by having prepubescent boys chew the root until it becomes a mulch of pulp and saliva, whereupon it is squeezed through coconut fiber, mixed with water, and swallowed all in one go from a coconut shell. Pondering this, you have to wonder And whose idea was that? I could not think of any circumstance where it would occur to me that consuming some kid’s globby spitballs might enhance my well-being. But we humans are a mysterious species, willing to try anything for a buzz, and fortunately for us, a long time ago, somewhere in Vanuatu, and enterprising individual discovered the secret to the most satisfying narcotic available for our pleasure.”

A few pages later in the book, we have this exchange.

“It doesn’t look very appetizing,” Sylvia said. “It looks like muddy water.”

“Wait till you taste it,” Patricia added. “You’ll wish it was muddy water.”

…What concerned me, however, was not the taste but the possibility that this bowl of swirling brown liquid may have had as one of its essential ingredient the spit of unseen boys, which, frankly, I found a little off-putting.

…Those of us who had had more than a couple of shells had become strangely mute, as if lost in some distant reverie. I was happy to note that I wasn’t the only one who had lost the urge to speak. This wasn’t from any lack of sociability on my part. Indeed, I was beginning to feel as one with all. Sam was seated next to me on the bench. He turned to me and said apropos of nothing: “America.” It wasn’t a question, just a word, an image, an idea, and it hovered between us for a long moment, enveloping us. We silently communed about this thing called America. “Yes,” I said finally, after we had exhausted the topic.

…It was two days before I returned to Earth, and many more before I ventured to another nakamal. I felt like I had been mugged, taken unawares, slugged from behind, and now I was wary. …”I asked the people at work, ” Sylvia said, “And they said you had way too much kava. You should have stopped at two shells.”

“Well, maybe they should put a warning label on their kava.”

So with this little story, we bring you the Kava Laptop Studio Bag from Namba Gear, which like the earlier disclaimer has nothing whatsoever to do with illegal drug usage; and I know that you are scratching your head looking for the tie-in for the bowl of Kava and a laptop bag. Let me put your mind at rest… other than the fact that there is still so much that is wonderous and unknown about the people of earth, there is none; Kava is just such a cool name we had to use it.

By the way, if you have ever had Kava, give us a shout and let us know about your experience and if Mr. Troost described it accurately.

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We decided that it was time we got with the program and started networking with the largest collection of musicians in cyberspace. Namba Gear is happy to announce that we now have a MySpace presence at www.myspace.com/nambagear,  and our “friends network” is really taking off.

As a result of our new Musicians MySpace, some of the folks from Ableton recently stopped by and expressed an interest in our products and Broadjam just purchased Kava Laptop Studio Bags for all of their employees! Many thanks to all of you guys for your support.

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I recently attended the NAMM trade show in Anaheim, CA, where I was showing off the Kava Laptop Studio Bag as well as my first prototype sample of the Big Namba Studio Backpack. One of the questions that keep being asked was, “where did you come up with the name Namba Gear for your company? Once I told the story, it seemed unanimous that I should share it with my readers. So here is the story, with the warning that if you are easily offended by the word “penis” that you shouldn’t read any further.

A Short History of the Differences Between The Big Namba and The Small Namba

I came across a little known piece of “new” information when I stopped at London’s Heathrow airport at the beginning of 2007 on a flight from Berlin to Los Angeles. Well, at any rate, I didn’t know it and none of my friends knew about it, so it was new info to us.

I love the bookstore at Heathrow as they always seem to have a great selection of travel essays. And this is where I stumbled upon the writings of Mr. J. Maarten Troost and his travel book, Getting Stoned With The Savages. It seems that Mr. Troost gave up his Washington D.C. lifestyle, World Bank employment, and dress shoes to move to the South Pacific and become a “flip-flop man.” This move took him to the 83 islands of Vanuatu and his humorous adventures of discovery that he had relocated to an island on the Pacific Ring of Fire, including the world’s most active volcano, daily earthquakes, largest number of fatal shark attacks, alternating seasons of cyclones and mosquito attacks, and the last known cannibals. Needless to say, it wasn’t quite the idyllic island life that he had imagined.

(more…)

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In conjunction with Broadjam, Namba Gear has proudly enhanced the Broadjam Song of the Month contest prize package with a Kava Laptop Studio Bag. Namba Gear will be giving away a free Kava bag with a retail value of $99.95 to each month’s winner of Broadjam’s Song of the Month for 2008.

Designed by musicians and DJs, Kava Laptop Studio Bag is made to comfortably carry all of your gear. It holds a 17″ laptop, 12″ LPs and audio devices, has a cable management system and a secret stash pocket. To learn more about how you can win a free Namba Gear Kava bag by entering the Song of the Month contest, go to www.broadjam.com, click DELIVER MUSIC and look for the CONTEST DESTINATION.

ABOUT BROADJAM

Broadjam Inc. provides easy-to-use and affordable web services to help independent musicians promote themselves and get their music heard. Offering artist services such as turnkey website hosting and desktop promotional tools, broadjam.com has become one of the world’s largest music communities on the Web. The dynamic community serves independent artists and fans from all 50 U.S. states and over 110 countries around the world, and hosts a massive online database of searchable independent music. Providing musicians a place to call home, broadjam.com includes a song review system, artist web pages, the ability for artists to sell their music downloads, over 175 Top 10 Charts, opportunities to place music, classified ads, song contests, the ability to transmit music (give private access to download songs), and more. The company’s premium membership with web hosting allows members to build a professional music website without graphic design or web building experience.

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