Andy's Music - Readers Choice First Place Award

October 29, 2006 - Andy’s Music has once again been selected as the best music store in the Mobile Register’s 5th Annual Readers Choice Awards. This award has been presented each year since 2002, and Andy’s Music has won first place for five consecutive years.

“We’re extremely honored to be selected as Mobile’s favorite musical instrument dealer”, says Jim Andrews, store manager. “Having been selected once is quite an honor, but to be selected five years in a row is very special”.

The Mobile music scene includes several specialty music dealers, and a national guitar chain. Andrews says, “We appreciate the confidence shown in us by readers of the Mobile Register, and we’ll continue to strive for excellence in customer service. In today’s competitive marketplace, you can’t take anything for granted, especially your customers!”

Andy’s Music, established in 1977, is a full-line musical instrument dealer in Mobile, Alabama. Andy’s sells and services most major brands of musical instruments and products include guitars, drums, keyboards, pianos, pro audio, band and orchestra instruments, and sheet music.

Andy’s Music is one of the few music dealers in the U.S. to represent all three divisions of the Yamaha Corporation: Yamaha Pianos and Clavinovas, Yamaha Band and Orchestra Instruments, and Yamaha Combo products (Yamaha portable keyboards, pro audio, guitars and drums). Their website address is: http://www.andysmusiconline.com.

In the Readers Choice Awards, readers are asked to nominate their “favorites” in 137 categories. These categories are in the major areas of Shopping & Services, Entertainment, Sports, etc. Readers nominated businesses by completing a ballot published in the Mobile Register. The newspaper announces a winner and two finalists.

The Mobile Register's primary area of circulation is the Mobile MSA. The MSA is comprised of Mobile and Baldwin Counties and is home to 397,945 adults 18+. The Mobile MSA is Alabama's second largest metro area and consistently ranks among the top 100 out of 320 metro areas in the United States.

Daily, the Mobile Register is read by over 219,000 or 55% of all adults in the Mobile MSA. On Sunday, the readership increases to 69% or 273,000 adults. During an average week the Mobile Register reaches 324,000 or 81% of all adults in the Mobile MSA.

Digital Multitrack Recorders - Audio Recording

Making good music is a succession of great moments, made even better when your musician friends are with you. Hours seem like minutes. Today's audio recorders let you capture your precious moments to share with friends and family, and maybe even the world. It's never been easier to record your music. Let's take a look at some of the latest digital micro recorders from Edirol, Zoom, and BOSS.

The Edirol R09 is ultra small and looks like a gadget, but make no mistake, it performs. You can even record and play back MP3 files. The R09 is perfect for capturing live music events, recitals, and rehearsals. It’s also handy as a songwriter’s sketchpad, ensuring that no moment of inspiration is lost. But the R09 has many valuable uses outside of the music world as well. Students can use it to record lectures. Broadcasters and journalists can throw away their antiquated cassette recorders and use the R09 for in-the-field interviews. Wherever, whenever there’s a need to capture audio, the R09 can do it hassle-free thanks to its built-in microphone and long battery operation.

The Zoom H4 Handy Digital Recorder is another "digital wonder" you can hold in your hand. The Zoom H4 features two studio-quality electret condenser microphones configured in an X/Y pattern for true stereo recording. It also includes 2 combination XLR-1/4-inch input jacks with phantom power for use with any external microphones of your choice. And the H4 is loaded with onboard studio effects like compression, limiting and mic modeling. An 1/8-inch headphone jack is also provided for monitoring.

The H4 records data to Secure Digital (SD) media, and a 128MB SD card is included with the unit. With a 2GB SD memory card, the H4 provides up to 380 minutes of recording in 16-bit mode (CD Quality), and 34 hours in MP3 stereo mode. To move your recordings to a PC or Mac, the H4 includes a USB mass-storage interface.

Third on our list (for no particular reason), is the new BOSS Micro BR Recording Studio. The Micro BR is so small you can put it in your pocket! It measures just 136.0 mm x 81.0 mm x 21.4 mm (5-3/8" x 3-3/16" x 7/8"). But even though it’s tiny, the Micro BR packs an entire studio’s worth of features into its tiny case. There are a dozen buttons on its front panel, nine knobs, and even a built-in microphone for quick capture.



At its core, the Micro BR is a four-track studio with four simultaneous playback tracks and two simultaneous record / input tracks. However, there’s more to this recorder than meets the eye. Each of the four main playback tracks also has eight companion V-Tracks (for a total of 32), so you can record take after take after take, then pick your best material for final mixdown.

And last but not least, is the new BOSS BR600 Recording Studio. The BR600 provides eight simultaneous playback tracks, but there’s more than meets the eye. Each of the eight tracks also contains eight V-Tracks (virtual tracks), which gives musicians quick access to 64 tracks of recorded material. They can record dozens of takes, and choose their favorites for mixdown.

Tracks can be manipulated with the powerful effects built into the BR 600. Derived from BOSS high-end recorders, these quality algorithms can give even the dullest tracks maximum impact — mistakes can be fixed, mixes can be mastered. Included in the effects suite: COSM guitar and bass amp models plus chorus, delay, reverb, and EQ for every channel. Pitch correction is provided as well.

Wherever musicians go, the ultra-portable BR-600 is ready to record. It can operate on six AA batteries (or AC). Quality stereo microphones are built in for point-and-capture recording on the spot. Whether for recording band rehearsals, gigs, or capturing ambient sounds, the BR-600 is all musicians need to get the job done with no hassle. It records its CD-quality digital audio direct to the included Compact Flash card, the international standard for reliable, portable storage, and even comes with a custom carrying bag and XLR-to-1/4” mic adapter.

Roland Digital Piano RD 700SX

The Roland RD 700SX is equipped with the most authentic and expressive multisampled grand sounds to ever adorn a Roland digital piano. The RD700SX represents the pinnacle of digital piano design and performance. It carries on the tradition of previous Roland digital pianos like the RD 300 and RD 150 of years past.

Driven by Roland’s most powerful sound engine, the RD-700SX enables the ultimate in sound and performance with two world-class grand piano waveforms at its core. It features 128-voice polyphonic performance, a Progressive Hammer-Action keyboard, and an expanded sound set (which includes brilliant electric pianos, authentic virtual tonewheel organs, and more). The Roland RD-700SX is an unrivaled new breed of Roland digital piano.

BUY IT HERE.