VLOG_010_The Thailand Vlog
The Complete Guide To Buying A Violin Pickup And PreAmp
My first professional fiddle job was in Cody, Wyoming and we played an hour a night for 120 nights in a row for the tourists headed to Yellowstone National Park.
When I started back then I used a Fishman violin pickup that slid into the space in the bridge of the violin (I do not recommend this). It sounded harsh and wasn’t the best option.
My Favorite Piezo Violin Bridge Pickup And Pre-Amp Combo
After a few months of research and asking every fiddle player I knew, this is the best violin or fiddle pickup I could find. People are constantly asking me what I use, because it truly sounds amazing, so here I’ve written a guide on fiddle and violin pickups, and how I chose mine.
What I, and most of my fiddle playing friends in the alternative country music scene use for on-stage, is an L.R. Baggs bridge pickup.
I also run my signal through an L.R. Baggs pre-amp to get the smoothest and most natural tone.
With those two elements, I’ve been able to successfully make my violin sound like a natural, clean, acoustic instrument when it used to sound harsh, thin, and fake.
However, you do need to take into account the violin you’re using. This makes a huge difference in your amplified sound. I am using a fairly new violin built in 2005 and has a deep, rich tone. It’s definitely not an antique, and in my opinion, sometimes the older violins can be harsher.
This fiddle pickup is road tested and after I had it installed on my violin, I’ve basically never touched it again. It always works, stays tight on the body of my fiddle, and always sounds great.
While researching for this post, I’ve also discovered that Sara Watkins, Mark O’Connor, and Lindsey Sterling all use the same setup.
Other Violin Pickup Options
If that setup isn’t what you’re looking for, you do have other options that might suit your situation better. I’ve jotted them down here for your reference.
The Band Violin Pickup – I’ve never used one of these styles and I’ve never known someone who has, but I believe they’re used more in the classical violin area. They may sound fine, but they definitely detract from the look of your violin.
Microphone Violin Pickup – This type of pickup is suited best for quiet environments for perhaps classical or bluegrass settings. I’ve seen a few people use these to get a very accurate sound from their instrument, but they do create issues with feedback in loud environments.
Let me know if I’ve missed anything here or if you have any questions about my setup. I’d love to chat!
To read more fiddle related articles like this, click here and to hear me play click here.
Free Violin And Fiddle Audio Samples
Hey there!
So I recently decided to start recording and releasing all my practice sessions via YouTube and I thought I may as well make the audio files available for download in case anyone wants to use the fiddle and violin samples in their music.
So in this post, I will compile all of my fiddle and violin practice audio files for download. Please know that some little licks or melodies may be copyrighted by someone out there but for the most part, everything I play is original randomness from my brain.
Please be cautious in using other people’s melodies but feel free to use my original randomness in your music. All I ask is that you give me attribution and credit in whatever you create. For linking purposes please link to https://www.rossobrown.com
Thanks for reading this and signup below to download the files. I want to release proper audio samples in the future so by signing up, I’ll be able to notify you when I finally do.
P.S. If you’d like a specific audio file in its raw format without any effects please let me know and I’ll send it to you, just message me at rossobrown@gmail.com
P.P.S. If you’d like to collaborate on producing a sample library to sell online, please send me a message!
How I Became A Digital Nomad Musician
The other day I was chatting with a friend over the phone and he kept asking me questions about how I’ve travel the world, make money online, and play music as I go.
He’d ask were you ever scared for your life? How much money did you need? Where did you find clients? Did you have health insurance?
And I went on and answered them all. After our call, we were both feeling inspired and he said I should write this all down somewhere, so here it is.
How I became a digital nomad musician/marketer/accountant/videographer
Workaway International
When we first decided to leave we went to one of our favorite websites ever, workaway.info
I always suggest people go and browse on here, even if they’re not planning on traveling because once you get in there and see that you could work on a huskie farm in Sweden in exchange for room and board, you’re much more likely to go and actually travel.
There are so many available opportunities on Workaway like to work on a horse ranch in Costa Rica, pick olives in Tuscany, or go Glamping in Portugal (we did all these)
We did Workaways in Europe because it’s more expensive to hang out there, and we only worked on our computers in the inexpensive countries in Asia.
Digital Nomad Life
A lot of people don’t realize that there is an entire community of people working from their laptops in countries all over the world. They’re called digital nomads because they float around to multiple countries while still working to pay for it all.
Thanks to the internet, these things are possible.
We managed Instagram accounts, created videos, did SEO, wrote blogs, ran Facebook ads, created websites. Pretty much anything that was creative, needed in the marketplace and could be done remotely.
The only reason we knew how to do these things was because of a wonderful website called YouTube.com
Here you can learn any skill you need, then prove the results you can deliver and people will hire you. That’s how I’ve learned so much of what I do every day today.
Remember in The Matrix when he just loads up a file into his brain and he suddenly knows how to fly a helicopter? YouTube is like that, by typing the right questions into the search box you will have learned how to do it in less than 5 minutes.
I’ll link all of my favorite websites, tools, and resources for digital nomad jobs below, they just might inspire you.
How To Make Money While Traveling
This is the number one question that everyone asks, and for good reason. There are a million ways to make money and live a nomadic lifestyle but the easiest way is to convince your current job to let you go remote.
The second easiest way is to get a new job that encourages remote work, or has a fully remote workforce.
If you want to see what’s available, you can check out the remote job boards at the bottom of this post, or you can get started teaching English online.
We’ve found this to be one of the easiest ways to make money while you travel. Almost anyone can get signed up and you can do it from anywhere in the world, plus they pay well.
We’ve recently discovered an amazing platform that is helping thousands of people pursue a digital nomad lifestyle, and build experience in an in-demand industry.
Digital Nomad Training & Certifications
When looking for remote marketing work I realized that there’s some certifications that employers really like to see on a resume, so I highly recommend taking time to study and get certified in Hubspot, Salesforce, Instagram, and Google Ads (links below).
Travel Safety
The world is a safe place. You don’t realize it but you’re living in a total bubble in America. You think you know what life is like but you really don’t until you travel.
Fear is a powerful emotion that is berated at you daily but we said it a million times over our journey, people are good.
We always tell everyone don’t party, drink, do drugs, stay out late, hang out with unsavory characters, and you’ll be fine. It’s the same status in America if you hang out with crazys and do crazy things, stuff might happen to you.
If you find the right people, you will be rewarded with amazing friendships. The people we’ve met are truly amazing.
One thing you should look out for is air pollution. This is no joke in certain places and I had an asthmatic effect that I’d never experienced before, we met Americans developing Asthma from being in Ubud, Bali. Be careful and get a purifier, and use a mask.
Travel Music
So I’m a fiddle player by trade and I did bring it with me. I wanted to write songs, produce music, and play in epic locations around the world and that’s what I did. I even started a band while I was out and we played a show in Cambodia. I also played about 10 shows in Australia and a house concert in Canada.
While out I built a kind of mobile studio into a Pelican case which I wrote a post about HERE, and that really helped me get organized. I started producing cover songs on YouTube and wrote a good amount of original music about travel as well.
Digital Nomad Visas
As an American, you can go to just about any country and get a Visa On Arrival, it usually permits you around 3 months so it naturally, keeps you moving.
Visas are never really a problem, especially if you have an American passport. While traveling we realized how much of a luxury American passports are.
Long-Term Travel Insurance
The insurance that most everyone uses is called World Nomads.
This company provides a very good plan for a very good price, they cover too many things to list here, but I suggest you check out their site below.
Digital Nomad Ergonomics
When working while traveling, you end up in some strange positions. You might be sitting in a lounge chair on the beach, crammed between people at a Starbucks, or sending emails from the floor of an airport.
That being said, I highly recommend focusing on your working posture and getting ergonomic computer equipment to make sure you can do this long-term.
I like to think of myself as an athlete. The soul lives forever but the body is only temporary so take care of it. I’ve listed some of my favorite ergonomic office supplies below, and trust me, I’ve tried all the options.
Conclusion
Whenever I talk to a friend about traveling the world I let them know that it is easier than you think, it’s not as scary as you think, and it will open your eyes and breathe depth into your life.
I highly recommend the digital nomad lifestyle and I believe we should take advantage of this opportunity in our lifetimes. The people before us could only dream about living a life like this!
Have fun out there
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Digital Nomad Jobs
- Teach English Online – The easiest way to get paid for remote work – This is a game changer!
- Fiverr – Freelance website where you can sell any digital skills you have.
- Upwork – Freelance website where you can sell any digital skills you have for more money.
- RemoteOk – Remote work website where you can be hired as a full or part-time employee.
- WeWorkRemotely – Remote work website where you can be hired as a full or part-time employee
Digital Nomad Lifestyle
- Nomad List – Research website to see the best countries and locations to visit as a digital nomad.
- Workaway – Find work in exchange for room and sometimes board in amazing places doing amazing things.
- Home Exchange – If you have a home, use this site to trade houses in other countries.
- Trusted House Sitters – If you love animals, this site allows you to pet sit and house sit around the world.
- World Nomads Insurance – We found this to be one of the best industry standard insurance offerings.
Digital Nomad Tools
Digital Nomad Ergonomic Office Supplies
Digital Nomad Training & Certifications
[Video] 7 Digital Nomad Jobs
Im The One by DJ Khaled – Violin Cover
Violin Covers of Ed Sheeran Songs
When we were traveling through Australia and New Zealand, Ed Sheeran released his new album Divide. From that moment on, we heard this album playing everywhere we went.
I’ve been taking my time and producing covers from this album as we’ve been traveling so please take a listen and share me with your friends.
So far I’ve done Dive, Galway Girl, and New Man is coming up next.
Galway Girl
I started with a beat in logic then added bass, guitar, and fiddle.
We filmed it in Helena, Montana in my mom’s horse pasture!
Dive
This was my first attempt ever at producing a track like this. I put the song into Logic and re-created it exactly to a click. Then I learned and overdubbed every part and performed it live on video.
Thanks for listening and watching please subscribe to my YouTube channel below!
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Rainey Street
Like many of my friends, I’ve spent many great nights on Rainey Street in Austin, Texas. If you’re looking for songs about Austin Texas then this is for you.
Send me a message if you’d like to use it in a video.
Rainey Street by Ross O Brown
Please subscribe on YouTube by clicking the button below!
Lyrics:
We drove to a house, and pulled up on the yard
paid a man 5 dollars so we could park the car
He said take a look at Rainey Street cause it ain’t gonna last
they’re tearing down the houses and building way too fast
We stumble in the street and the cars always stop
Most bars don’t really care if you smoke a little pot
All the girls are beautiful and they travel in large groups
They all end up at the Lustre Pearl spinning hula hoops
Chorus:
The sky is falling on Rainey Street the sky is falling on Rainey Street
It’s an empty bottle of spirit a 20 dollar bill, that’s turning obsolete
The sky is falling down, down on Rainey Street, the sky is falling down
Down on Rainey Street
Now a few years have passed and the Lustre Pearl is gone
Scrolling through my phone, I found this old song
So here’s to Rainey Street it’ll always live on
But if you want to go there you’ll have to listen to this song
Chorus
Travel Music Recording Studio
This post may contain affiliate links.
I built this portable music recording studio while in Australia and it allows me to easily perform and record with my computer and duet, while running mainstage or logic.
The most difficult thing about performing with a computer is you have nowhere to put it on stage. You’re worried it’s going to get tripped or stepped on. That’s why I researched pelican cases and imagined a way it could work.
With the case I’ve built, I just open the lid, plug in one USB connection and open my software to perform. It’s very sturdy and all the connections are hard wired to the foam so your computer feels very safe and confined.
Here’s what I bought (or already had)
Pelican Air Case 1535 with Foam
The Portable Music Studio Build
Since I had all the music equipment already, that’s basically all I needed except for audio connection adapters etc. I ran to the electronics store like 5 times buying little things.
I used my AirBNB hosts’ serrated kitchen knife to cut the bottom foam. It worked really well and the keyboard fits nice and snug. Just make sure you cut slow if you want straight lines.
To do the pull and pluck foam I used toothpicks to mark around the edges of my hardware pieces. Then I’d go back and assess to make sure I’m clear on where I want things to line up.
Once you put your fingers in the foam you’ll understand how the pull and pluck works, it’s very simple. I also learned that it’s best to take out in chunks in case you want a shallower depth of the cutout.
I made my case into two levels with stuff set into foam on the bottom layer that is not pick and pluck, and the top layer which is pick and pluck. I did this by cutting a piece of cardboard the exact shape and size of the foam insert.
So the top, removable layer, kind of has a floor, so the items don’t fall through on removal. This way I can fully utilize the space in the bottom of the case as well.
You can’t see it in the pictures but my Bluebird mic is set into the foam underneath my computer as well. That’s where I’m laying microphones and other items.
I used the box at a show in Newtown and it ran great. Might even be the first time I’ve actually gotten it all to work with in-ear monitors, and mainstage processing.
I’m now using the case at home as kind of a docking station to charge some peripherals and work on music. Instead of unpacking all my gear and setting it up on a table I just open a case and plug-in my mic.
Update: I bought a Looptimus Pedal and I found a spot for it to slide in the back. A picture to follow.
I also zip-tied together a wiring harness that has the input lines, an iphone charger, and mini usb for the keyboard.
I’ve used it live a few times and I’ve been using it for mobile session work constantly. Everything is always plugged in and setup so at the drop of a hat you can be up there making music.
I’m very pleased with what I came up with, let me know if you’re starting a similar project!
e- mail me or comment if you want to chat!
Update 08/06/19: I’ve decided to sell this entire setup so if you’re interested in it please send me a message below. It’s in great condition and all the hardware is included except for the computer.
rossobrown@gmail.com
updated photos:
