http://visualsound.net/index.php/news/permalink en zac@visualsound.net Copyright 2010 2010-05-18T21:12:04+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/bob_tests_garagetone_in_china/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/bob_tests_garagetone_in_china/#When:21:12:04Z Visual Sound President Bob Weil journeyed to China earlier this month to see how the new GarageTone line was coming along.   As the pedals came off the line, Bob sat down and tested many of the units as seen here. As hoped, all of the pedals exceeded his expectations, and will be arriving here in the U.S later this month.  After secondary testing is performed, the GarageTone pedals will begin shipping out all over the world throughout the month of June.  So be on the lookout for the Oil Can Phaser, Drivetrain Overdrive, Chopper Tremolo, Axel Grease Delay, and Chainsaw Distortion in a store near you. 2010-05-18T21:12:04+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/the_2010_dallas_guitar_show_april_16-18/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/the_2010_dallas_guitar_show_april_16-18/#When:20:16:11Z The Visual Sound crew can't seem to get enough of the great state of Texas.  First SXSW, now the Dallas Guitar Show.  Steve Mikesell, Dana Weaver, and R.G. Keen will be there from April 16-18th showcasing the new GarageTone line, and of course the entire V2 series of Visual Sound pedals.   If our wonderful cast of characters is not enough to reel you in, come to the show and see Ted Nugent, Rick Derringer, Paul Reed Smith, Ricky Skaggs, and many others tear it up on the main stage.    2010-04-09T20:16:11+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/sxsw_2010/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/sxsw_2010/#When:21:16:57Z The Visual Sound crew has made the trek southwest again for the annual South By SouthWest (SXSW) convention in Austin, Texas.  They will be showing off the new GarageTone pedals, and taking time to get to know the good people of Texas. If you didn't have a chance to plug in and check out the GarageTone series at NAMM in January, here is your chance! Bob, Steve Mikesell, RG Keen, and Steve Bliss are looking forward to seeing you all in the Gear Alley Expo, Booth G-201, located at the Austin Convention Center, Level 4, Ballroom F & G. The expo will run from March 17th - 19th (noon - 6pm). 2010-03-16T21:16:57+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/and_the_winner_is...visual_sound_at_the_2010_grammy_awards/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/and_the_winner_is...visual_sound_at_the_2010_grammy_awards/#When:23:07:03Z Visual Sound is honored to be a part of this year's 52nd GRAMMY AWARDS ceremony. But this year was something different for Visual Sound, as it wasn't just our pedals and power supplies being used by some of the acts... Visual Sound is excited and proud to be a part of the inspiration and careers of 15 of this year's list of Winners and Nominees. We continue to strive to create, as do all of our artists, products that will inspire, as well as cut through the pack as we all reach for the top. Not only are we excited about the list below, we have great expectations for the upcoming release of our brand new line of pedals... GARAGETONE! The excitement that these pedals generated at the 2010 Winter NAMM show in Anaheim was even more than we had anticipated. With an eye towards the future, Visual Sound celebrates and congratulates, along with the world of music, our list, as well as all of the 2010 GRAMMY AWARDS Winners and Nominees!!! The Kings of Leon winners of 3 GRAMMY Awards - Record of the Year, Best Rock Song of the Year, Best Rock Performance, and nomination for Song of the Year! Keith Urban was the winner of Best Male Country Vocal Performance, and nominated for Best Country Album. Paramore was nominated for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture. The Fray was nominated for both Best Pop Performance and Best Pop Vocal. Jars of Clay was nominated for Best Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album. Third Day were winners of the Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album and nominated for Best Gospel Song and Best Gospel Performance. Clint Lagerberg's song, "Here Comes Goodbye", which was a #1 song for Rascal Flatts, was nominated under the Best Performance for a Country Song. (Clint is the amazing guitarist for all of Visual Sound's sound samples) Cary Barlowe of Luna Halo was nominated for the song he co-wrote for Toby Mac in the Best Gospel Song category.   2010-02-02T23:07:03+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/visual_sound_at_namm_2010/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/visual_sound_at_namm_2010/#When:18:51:21Z The crew at Visual Sound are making their annual trek to Anaheim for Winter NAMM 2010, January 14th-17th.  All the usual suspects will be there; Bob, Steve Mikesell, Steve Bliss, R.G., and Zac.  Come by and see us at Booth # 5820.  Those at the show will get a sneak peek at Visual Sound's new GarageTone line of pedals. For your sneak peek, click below.  See you at the show!   2010-01-11T18:51:21+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/and_heeeeeeeeeeeres_johnny..._i_mean_conan_oooooobrien/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/and_heeeeeeeeeeeres_johnny..._i_mean_conan_oooooobrien/#When:21:48:48Z Growing up in a show business family, an NBC television family to be exact, it has always been exciting for me to be able to connect with what I have known my entire life... the behind the scenes production of television. As a kid, I grew up with all the great shows of the 50's and 60's as we lived our lives around the then very young medium of TV. In my house it was the Show of Shows, Soupy Sales, Dick Van Dyke, the I love Lucy Show and every western there was from Have Gun Will Travel to Rawhide and Gunsmoke... you name it, we watched it. But one show was almost a religion at our house... The Tonight Show. I can remember all the way back to the beginning with Steve Allen and then it was Jack Parr, and finally the man who would make late night television legendary forever, Johnny Carson. We missed very few shows when I was growing up. So for me, to be able to be involved with the Tonight Show in some way all these years later was not only a thrill, but also a reconnection with my childhood.   Four years ago I became friends with Late Night w/Conan O'Brien band member Jimmy Vivino. Jimmy became a lover of our pedals and began using them almost exclusively with the Max Weinberg 7, as well as his other band, The Fab Faux. Little did anyone know then that Conan would become the heir to the Tonight Show, and that the entire Max Weinberg 7 would go with him to Los Angeles and become The Tonight Show Band. Now, the face of late night television once again is taking on a whole new look as Conan and the band transform the show by reviving some of the old with his own brand of new.   Recently I was in LA and got to spend the day with Jimmy and the band. I was able to watch the entire process of editing out jokes to rehearsing it all for continuity, to finally seeing the taping of the show go down from the infamous Green Room... that is really GREEN. I was a kid all over again.   There I was where every night The Tonight Show is brought to life for millions upon millions of homes to view. I was able to see all the hard work that goes into making it come off without a hitch. I was able to hang out with and meet some of the interesting and unique people behind the scenes that make this whole machine work. Thanks to Barry Duryea (who is the tech for Jimmy as well as the band), I was able to go on stage, take pictures, as well as watch the actual afternoon rehearsal where planning makes for great spontaneity. It was a gas, gas, gas!   Visual Sound is proud to be not only the pedals of choice for Jimmy Vivino and the rest of the Tonight Show Band, but our 1SPOT powers almost all of what is on the music set every single night.   The thrill of being a small part of an American legend such as The Tonight Show is one of the greatest privileges I have had... especially coming from a past like mine!   Oh the thrill of being a kid all over again...     Steven Bliss - Visual Sound Artist Relations     Take a look! 2009-11-20T21:48:48+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/oh_canada..._visual_sound_at_miac_august_23-24/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/oh_canada..._visual_sound_at_miac_august_23-24/#When:16:28:17Z Visual Sound will be bringing a touch of Music City to Toronto, Canada this coming week, as we will be exhibiting our ever-growing line of V2 Series effects pedals at the Music Industries Association of Canada (MIAC) 2009 Trade Show.   Being held at the International Centre in Toronto, stop by and check out all of the Visual Sound pedals, including the new Open Road and Truetone pedals as well as the new, limited-editon Van's Warped Distortion pedal -- which recently joined the V2 Series' Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66, H2O, Double Trouble, Son of Hyde, Comp 66, Liquid Chorus, Route 808, Angry Fuzz and Visual Volume pedals.   Bob Weil, Steve Mikesell and Dana Weaver will be at Booth #228, ready, willing and able to answer any and all questions you may have about all things Visual Sound!   2009-08-18T16:28:17+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/the_1_spot_powers_the_worlds_largest_pedalboard/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/the_1_spot_powers_the_worlds_largest_pedalboard/#When:20:13:07Z How do you power 75 pedals with just one power supply...and, quietly, too? Simple!  Just use a 1 SPOT adapter! That's exactly what happened in Nashville, TN on July 16, 2009 at the second annual "World's Largest Pedalboard" event, which coincided with Summer NAMM 2009. Last year's initial "largest pedalboard" included a whopping total of 142 different stompboxes.  And, despite challenging economic times, this year's pedalboard was even larger, with 147 pedals being provided!   Included in that number was the entire line of the Visual Sound V2 Pedals: Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66, H2O, Double Trouble, Son of Hyde, Comp 66, Liquid Chorus, Route 808, Angry Fuzz, Open Road, Truetone, the brand-new limited edition Van's Warped Distortion, as well as the Visual Volume. As it did last year, this year's event also featured a silent auction to raise money and awareness for the National Kidney Foundation. The hosts and organizers of the event were friends of Visual Sound, Jaux King, and Aljon Go and his wife, Kristen. Visual Sound founder and president, Bob Weil, was credited with being a major part of "wiring things up to the last minute and [making] it all work", according to Go, "Mission accomplished!" Will there be another, even bigger "world's largest pedalboard" next year?  Time will tell.  But, if there is, rest assured Visual Sound will be a part of it - with its awesome pedals and incredible 1 SPOT powering it.   2009-07-22T20:13:07+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/visual_sound_nashville_summer_namm_2009/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/visual_sound_nashville_summer_namm_2009/#When:18:56:54Z The theme for  the Summer NAMM 2009 in Nashville (July 17-19) is "Opportunity Rocks", and Visual Sound is taking the opportunity to rock "Music City" to its very core! Come by and visit Bob Weil and the entire gang of Visual Sound at Booth #911, Hall B at the Nashville Convention Center and check out the entire line of V2 Series pedals, including the two newest -- the Open Road and Truetone.  In addition, there's the newest of the new: the limited edition Vans Warped Distortion pedal. Following a slow, but steady roll-out, the entire line of V2 Series has been out and wowing the music world for two years now.  This exciting new line includes all-new and improved versions of the Jekyll & Hyde, Route 66 and H2O pedals, as well as a new dual-effect pedal - the Double Trouble. The new V2 series also has a whole new line of single effect pedals! Long requested by musicians, these pedals bring your favorite Visual Sound effects into single effect pedals: Son of Hyde (distortion channel from Jekyll & Hyde), Comp 66 (compressor from Route 66), Liquid Chorus (chorus from H2O) and the Route 808 (one channel of Double Trouble in a single pedal...our interpretation of the TS-808 but with a bass boost and lots more volume).  As if that weren't enough, there is also a new, original, single effect pedal - the Angry Fuzz, which will totally blow away any other fuzz pedal you've ever tried!  We hope to see you again this year, at Summer NAMM in Music City.   2009-07-16T18:56:54+00:00 http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/vans_warped_tour_partners_with_visual_sound/ http://www.visualsound.net/index.php/news/vans_warped_tour_partners_with_visual_sound/#When:19:17:03Z Visual Sound has partnered with the Warped Tour to create a limited edition guitar effect pedal, the Vans Warped Distortion.    With appropriately named knobs like Grind, Edge, and Loud (translation: Drive, Tone, Volume…), the Vans Warped Distortion is totally geared towards Warped Tour inspired guitarists.  With grinding low-end distortion, it will make you just want to turn all the knobs to “10” and let it rip.  Visual Sound has put all the road-tested features of their renowned V2 Series pedals into the Warped Distortion, so you won’t ever have to worry about it dying on you in the middle of a gig.   The staffs of Vans and the Warped Tour were stoked when Visual Sound brought this pedal to them.  So many bands on the Warped Tour use Visual Sound products, so it was a natural fit.  The pedal looks and sounds amazing too!    FREE TICKETS AND PEDAL!   As part of this partnership, Visual Sound is giving away 4 FREE tickets to the Warped Tour, along with a FREE Vans Warped Distortion pedal.  One lucky winner gets all of it!   All entries must be in by June 17, 2009.  The drawing was held on June 18, 2009, and the winner was Cody Blankenship.  Thank you to everyone who entered the contest!   For complete information about the Vans Warped Tour, go to www.warpedtour.com   2009-05-29T19:17:03+00:00