Guitar Legend Paul Jackson Jr. Brings Session Authenticity to Video Series with Lectrosonics

Session guitarist Paul Jackson Jr., relies on Lectrosonics LT and LR Digital Hybrid Wireless transmitters and receivers for his live guitar rig. Now, Jackson is using Lectrosonics in his new guitar instructional video series, This Is How I Did It. Captured in partnership with Emmy-nominated director Keith O'Derek of Upfront Productions and three-time Emmy-winning location sound mixer Sean Garcia of SRG Sound, the team uses Lectrosonics Digital Hybrid Wireless products, including SMa, and SMQV transmitters, and a UCR411a receiver.

Filmed in Jackson's studio, the products capture three audio sources for the instructional series: Jackson's line-out from his pedalboard and lavalier and boom mics for redundancy on dialog. "Since Paul is wearing a guitar while speaking, his movements could easily cause clothing rustle," explains Garcia. "Having both a lav and a boom running simultaneously guarantees we capture clean dialogue without interruption."

Among other things, Jackson recorded with Ella Fitzgerald at age 19, played on Michael Jackson's Thriller and Bad albums, toured with Whitney Houston, and played on Daft Punk's Grammy-winning Random Access Memories. He has also scored nine seasons of American Idol and performed at the Oscars and the Kennedy Center.

Jackson created This Is How I Did It to address a common frustration with online tutorials: poor video and audio quality. "Keith, Sean, and I don't approach this like a simple web video; we approach it like we're filming a movie that will last," he explains. Currently hosted on the Udemy platform, the series features Jackson breaking down his original parts, sheet music, techniques, and studio anecdotes for hit songs. The first unit focuses on Michael Jackson hits like "P.Y.T.," "Dirty Diana," and others, with upcoming units covering Whitney Houston's "I Want to Dance with Somebody," and Daft Punk's "Get Lucky," and "I Feel It Coming." To ensure authenticity, Jackson even uses the exact 40-year-old guitar he played on the original Michael Jackson tracks.

For Jackson, maintaining a pristine signal chain is paramount. "Every piece of gear I have is the best because I'm trying to play the best, sound the best, and be the best," he says. "I have pedals on my board that cost $1,500 and very expensive guitars. Lectrosonics is the Rolls Royce of wireless systems. Why would I risk my signal on a cheap or second-rate wireless system? Other players have massive rack units, but the quality is nowhere close to what my tiny Lectrosonics set up delivers. It never goes down, always sounds great, and we never have a dropout. I swear by it."