The name of this product, SLOW GOLD, intrigued me.  What exactly is SLOW GOLD, and why did they decide on that name?  After playing with the product and working with it for a while, they reason is crystal clear...SLOW GOLD provides the tool to mine the "gold" in your music collection by slowing down the tempo without changing the pitch.  A fairly simple but extremely effective product, SLOW GOLD gives you the power to learn any piece of music you desire working at your own speed so that you can hear everything that is going on.  Using SLOW GOLD, you are able to practice along with a section of music and gradually increase the speed as your skill improves.

The SLOW GOLD software package comes in a book ("User's Manual") which is about the size of a standard music book.  The CD-ROM is in a plastic pouch in the back of the book.  The 24-page User's Manual is well-written and easy to follow, and helps you to jump right into the program with a minimum of fuss.  I was really pleased that the product actually came with a printed manual, since many other products these days only include manuals in electronic format (and I HATE having to look at those electronic files!).

SLOW GOLD is a pretty simple product, but it accomplishes its work extremely well.  SLOW GOLD takes WAV files and allows you to segment them into recorded sound loops, which can be played back at any speed from 5% of the original recording up to 200%.  Regardless of the playback tempo, the pitch remains exactly the same as the original recorded version.  This allows you to play along with your guitar (or any other instrument) at a reduced speed so that you can clearly hear all of the notes being played and, with practice, reproduce those notes on your instrument.  The music loops will continue to play over and over until you stop the playback, making this an incredible learning tool.

SLOW GOLD performs its magic by working with WAV files.  If you have MP3 files you want to learn, not to worry...SLOW GOLD will convert the format to WAV format for you.  Also, there is a built-in recorder that allows you to turn songs from old LPs or cassettes into WAV files.

The utility of SLOW GOLD in learning solos from very fast-fingered musicians (e.g., Eric Johnson, Alvin Lee, Tony Rice, Steve Howe, etc.) is obvious.  However, it is not limited to learning solos from songs.  How about all those tunes with either unusual chords, or very fast chord changes?  You can use SLOW GOLD to s-l-o-w---d-o-w-n the song to the point that the chords can be clearly distinguished and figured out, and this same process can be used to transcribe troublesome lyrics.

I was amazed at the ability of SLOW GOLD to maintain perfect pitch, so that you don't have to retune your instrument to play along at the reduced speed.  I was also impressed that this product includes pitch shifting, which allows you to retune music recordings that may not have been recorded in correct pitch; this can also be used by vocalists to transpose recordings into their key.

The use of SLOW GOLD is not limited to a particular instrument, and it can be used by musicians at any skill level (from rank beginner to advanced/professional) interested in any music style.  I can't wait to try it out with my mandolin and recordings from Sam Bush and Chris Thile!

Bottom Line:  Make no mistake about it, SLOW GOLD is an incredibly simple, powerful, and effective product.  I was absolutely blown away with the utility and effectiveness of this product.  The ability to take ANY piece of recorded music and slow it down to the point where individual notes and phrases can be clearly heard and understood is a very powerful learning tool.  No matter what your current skill level on guitar (or any other instrument), SLOW GOLD WILL HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS.  Highly recommended.

System Tested On:  IBM-compatible PC with an Intel Pentium-4 2.2 Ghz CPU; MS-Windows XP; Nvidia Geforce 4 graphics accelerator; 1,024 MB RAM; 40x CD-ROM drive; Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum sound card; mouse

Minimum System:  MS-Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP; CD-ROM drive (CD-ROM capable of digital recording and appropriate drivers are necessary to use the digital recording feature); sound card; 12 MB available disk space; 486/66 MHz computer or faster (Pentium 166 MHz or better recommended); 16 MB RAM or better (real-time slowdown or transposition requires a 300 MHz Pentium or better.

SLOW GOLD can be ordered online ($49.95) from the World Wide Woodshed.