Jack White Pedal, Apple M4 Upgrades, The Cure: 3 Tops & Flops
"Blue Orchid" on your pedal board!
What a week this one was! There was gear. There was something for tech fans. And great music, too! The umpteenth Jack White pedal for that delicious Octa Fuzz sound came out. Apple pushed the complete consumer Mac range to M4 within three days. And finally, finally, The Cure released a new album – my highlights of the week!
Tops & Flops
Eventide Knife Drop – The Jack White Pedal for the Octa Fuzz
I was a bit surprised just how many pedals in Third Man’s black and yellow color scheme for Jack White‘s sound already exist. Third Man Hardware has released at least seven effects, mostly with other manufacturers but sometimes on its own in recent years. And this week, Eventide Knife Drop joined the club.
I have rarely been so torn about a pedal. Because I love crazy stompboxes. The ones that think outside the box, destroy sound, make cats howl (you know what I mean). And the Jack White pedal really does excel at that. It’s “Blue Orchid” in-a-box!
But at such a steep price… Okay, we’re in the land of Eventide. It’s very, very high quality. And sure, that costs. But almost four hundred euros for just three dials and an outdated mini USB port? Come on! My inner compass is moving slightly in the direction of flop… But if you have the budget and are a White Stripes fan, Knife Drop is a must!
Apple M4 Week: iMac, Mac Mini and Macbook Pro
Since last week, we pretty much knew that Apple would be overhauling its consumer Macs with the new M4 CPUs. Monday saw the release of the new iMac, which was refreshing in terms of color, but unfortunately still no 27-inch model. I still haven’t given up hope of an ultra-powerful iMac Pro…
The most exciting Mac release followed on Tuesday, coinciding with the Jack White pedal with the shrunken Mac Mini. The base model comes with 16 GB RAM and an M4 for 599 euros. Let that sink in (not you, Elon). What an insanely powerful package at this price point. And if you buy a Mac Mini with more RAM, the M4 Pro CPU and more hard disk space, you’ll get a studio and production machine that can handle huge DAW projects for a very long time.
Then, on Wednesday, the mighty CPU M4 Max was added to the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro line. But, let’s be honest, I max out my M1 Pro with at least 57 tracks with Omnisphere and Soothe. So, who in the audio world needs an M4 Max? On the other hand, Mac users who are still using Intel CPUs will experience a huge leap if they upgrade. And last but not least, yes, the Magic Mouse. It’s kind of cute that Apple is stubbornly sticking to the charging socket on the underside (at least it’s now USB-C).
New music: The Cure is back
Whether you like The Cure or not, many of you might know the feeling. There is a band or a singer that you’re practically married to. Their songs are the most important thing in the world. And then they take a break. And take another break. May play live from time to time. And then take another break. No new music for ages. You’ve almost given up hope.
Over time, you become more and more anxious about any potential new material. Your astronomical expectations after such a long break (Chinese Democracy, anyone?) can only be disappointed. Robert Smith took sixteen years to write The Cure’s new album, Songs Of A Lost World. But I have to say, it was so worth it. How good, how sad, how The-Cure-y it is! I really hope to see the band live again. Even more than hoping that there will be a cheap Jack White pedal.
Conclusion on the Jack White Pedal: What are your thoughts?
Now it’s your turn. Which pedal releases have you found exciting? What do you think of the new Macs? And what’s currently your most listened-to record?
Let us know in the comments! And before anyone suspects censorship, we activate all comments manually (as long as you stick to the topic). If it takes a moment, bear with us, it’s the weekend after all!
More on the Tops and Flops
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