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#298 — FEBRUARY 2019
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INTERVIEWS — Gary Clark Jr, Julien Baker, Joyce Manor & La Dispute
REVIEWED — Framus Stormbender, Alto TS312, Tokai Terra Nova, Fender Performer Series,
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Earthquaker Swiss Things, TC Electronics DVR250-DT, EVH 5151III 2x12 Combo + many more
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS. All offers and discounted prices in this catalogue are part of a national sales program conducted by Yamaha Music Australia Pty Ltd and are valid only between 1 January 2019 and 31 March 2019 at participating Yamaha dealers which can be found at livingmusicyamaha.com.au. Not all products listed in this catalogue are available at all Yamaha dealers. While stocks last. The prices as set out or referred to in this catalogue apply for the duration of the program and may be sold at this price or lower. The Yamaha dealer participating in this promotion may not have sold these products in the past and where it has sold these products it may have sold them at more or less than the advertised price. The Yamaha dealer participating in this promotion may not have sold these products in the past and where it has sold these products it may have sold them at less than RRP. Errors and omissions excepted. Only stands, stools and accessories outlined in the product description are included. Participating dealers may charge freight. Lifestyle images are for illustration purposes only. iPhone, iPod, are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. iPad is a trademark of Apple Inc. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. *These are recommended retail prices (RRP) only and there is no obligation for Yamaha dealers to comply with this recommendation. Errors and omissions excepted.
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CONTENTS 08
Giveaways
10
Industry News
11
Music News
12
Cover Story: Alice In Chains
14
Joyce Manor
16
Gary Clark Jr
Foreword
17
Julien Baker
18
NAMM News
22
Guitar
It seems like only yesterday that we were getting ready for the first ever Download Festival in Australia, but somehow a year has passed and we’re gearing up for round two. We’re very fortunate to have Seattle legends Alice In Chains on the cover this month ahead of their appearance at the festival. On the product side of things, we’ve got you well and truly covered with this one. We’re running a special NAMM edition of our Product News section with our top picks from the convention and our review section is full of a heap of brand spanking new gear that has just landed. Whoever said that Christmas was the most wonderful time of the year obviously wasn’t a musician. Thanks for reading!
Julien Baker PG.17
Bass 23
Electronic Music Production
24
Percussion
26
Product Reviews
40
Directory
42
Show & Tell
Gary Clark Jr PG. 16
NICHOLAS SIMONSEN - EDITOR
/MIXDOWNMAGAZINE
@MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU
La Dispute PG. 14
For breaking news, new content and more giveaways visit our website.
MADE BY MUSICIANS, FOR MUSICIANS STREET: WEDNESDAY MARCH 13 AD BOOKING: MONDAY MARCH 4 EDITORIAL: TUESDAY MARCH 5 ARTWORK: WEDNESDAY MARCH 6 For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact us at: (03) 9428 3600 or email nicholas@furstmedia.com.au
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PUBLISHER Furst Media Mycelium Studios Factory 1/10-12 Moreland Road East Brunswick VIC 3057 (03) 9428 3600
ONLINE EDITOR & DEPUTY PRINT EDITOR Jessica Over jess@furstmedia.com.au
MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au
GRAPHIC DESIGNER Erica May
EDITOR Nicholas Simonsen nicholas@furstmedia.com.au
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Will Brewster, Josh Martin
CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gee, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, David James Young, Adrian Violi, Michael Cusack, Augustus Welby, Luke Shields, Alex Watts, Jessica Over, Aaron Streatfeild, James Di Fabrizio, Adam
Norris, Alex Winter, Will Brewster, Eddy Lim, Lewis Noke-Edwards, Josh Martin, Taylor Douglas
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GIVEAWAYS
Gary Clark Jr. This Land Vinyl Giveaway Gary Clark Jr. is renowned as a blues legend, generating such a unique signature sound that his stellar reputation precedes him. With well over a decade in the industry, Clark is set to impress yet again with the forthcoming release of his fifth studio album, This Land. Thanks to our friends at Warner Music Australia, we’re giving away a vinyl of Gary Clark Jr.’s new album absolutely free.
Last Month’s Giveaway Winners Bring Me The Horizon Signed Amo Vinyl Giveaway Bring Me The Horizon are back with new record Amo, the sixth studio album released by the metalcore heavyweights. If you’re a huge BMTH looking to add a priceless piece of memorabilia to your collection, you’re in luck because we teamed up with our friends at Sony Music Australia to give away a signed vinyl of Amo absolutely free and the winner is: Sarah from Adelaide, SA. Congratulations!
Sennheiser IE 40 PRO In-Ear Monitors Giveaway
Audio-Technica ATH-CKR7TW In-Ear Headphones Giveaway Experience the world of exceptionally pure audio with Audio-Technica’s ATH-CKR7TW in-ear headphones, designed to offer unparalleled accuracy and impeccable sound every time. Featuring 11mm drivers, dual-layer isolation and brass stabilisers, the latest ATH product is the answer to your audio problems. Thanks to our friends at Audio-Technica Australia, we have a set of these incredible headphones to give away.
Finding the ideal stage in-ears isn’t always an easy task, but the Sennheiser IE 40 PRO in-ear monitors are one of the most advanced options yet. This dynamic design is the entry-level model in the esteemed company’s new range of professional in-ear monitors. Thanks to our friends at Sennheiser Australia, we had a pair to give away and the winner is: Elias from Brisbane, QLD. Congratulations!
For your chance to win any of these prizes, head to our giveaways page at mixdownmag.com.au/giveaway and follow the instructions. *These giveaways are for Australian residents only and one entry per person. For full terms and conditions visit mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions
DRUM MASTERY 2019 THE SHURE DRUM CONTEST
It’s time for drummers to get the glory they deserve. Shure wants to recognize the unsung rhythm heroes out there, so we’re calling on talented percussionists from 44 countries around the world to enter our new contest Drum Mastery. Participating musicians will compete for a trip to London with drumming and miking workshops at Metropolis Studios. Plus $5,000 in Shure gear! Simply upload a video proving you’ve got the chops.
LOCK DOWN THE BEAT. FIND YOUR GROOVE. GRAB THE GLORY: DRUM-MASTERY.SHURE.COM Distributed by
www.jands.com.au 8
*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. See Official Rules at drum-mastery.shure.com for complete details, including eligibility & entry requirements, judging criteria and all deadlines. Registration ends at 23:59:59pm CET on April 15, 2019. © 2019 Shure Incorporated. See shure.com/trademarks. mixdownmag.com.au
The dynamic new album from the Grammy Award-winning maverick, bursting with rock ‘n’ roll, blues, jazz, hip-hop, reggae and punk.
OUT FEB 22 TOURING AUSTRALIA IN APRIL – tickets and album bundles available at garyclarkjr.com
INDUSTRY NEWS 5 Stats From The Hottest 100 1. Aside from topping the list with ‘Confidence’, Sydney band Ocean Alley also had three other songs on the list. 2. Sixty-five songs were from Australia, 22 from the US, eight from the UK, two each from NZ and Canada, and one from Scotland. 3. There were 55 solo acts and 45 bands. 4. Sixty-seven songs were from male artists, 22 from female artists, eight from acts including both male and female artists, and three from artists who identify as non-binary or genderqueer. 5. The shortest song was ‘Up In The Clouds’ by Skegss at 2.30 minutes and the longest song was ‘Underwater’ by RÜFÜS DU SOL, clocking in at 5.49 minutes.
Opportunity Knocks #1: Recording Grants The Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA), which collects royalties on behalf of record companies and artists, has again partnered with the Australia Council for the sixth round of its recording grants. Five Australian acts will receive $15,000 grants to assist in making new recordings. Since 2013, the grant has helped Courtney Barnett, Slava and Leonard Grigoryan, All Our Exes Live In Texas, Mia Dyson, Alex the Astronaut and KUCKA move their careers along. Applications close on Tuesday March 19. Visit australiacouncil.gov.au/ funding for application details.
Opportunity Knocks #2: Touring With Cat Empire The Cat Empire, who’ve been touring abroad incessantly since their very first record, are about to hit the road again behind the forthcoming release of their Stolen Diamonds album. In partnership with Australia Council, the band will take an emerging local band with them. Aside from financial support, the band and their management will mentor the emerging musicians. The 2019 recipient of The Cat Empire funded grant will be selected from the pool of applicants who apply for funding in the Australia Council February 2019 grant round. Visit the Council’s website for more information.
Can Councils Do More To Help Venues? Moves in Newcastle and Brisbane could see councils do more to help music venues. Newcastle City Council’s Draft Live Music Strategy 2019-23 suggests changes in law by the state government, a streamlined way to cope with complaints by residents, upgrading the National Construction Code to ensure standards for acoustic performance in building materials are given consideration, and providing government buildings like the Civic Playhouse and City Hall Banquet Room as venues for all ages gigs. These ideas are on public display for comment until late February. Over in Brisbane, Greens city councillor Jonathan Sri is pushing for council to consider financially helping venues to soundproof and changing zoning
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laws to ensure smaller music venues aren’t hampered with the same regulations as larger nightclubs.
Deadline For Gold Coast Music Awards The deadline for nominations in the nine categories for the Gold Coast Music Awards is Wednesday February 27 at gcmusicawards. com/nominate. Celebrating their fifth year, the awards are set to be held on Thursday May 2 at the Surfers Paradise beach. This year marks the introduction of a new category, Musician of the Year, open to instrumentalists and singers of all genres and at any stage of their career.
Aussie Music Biz Targets Stream-Ripping The Australian music industry is using the Federal Court to clamp down on streamripping sites. You’ll remember in 2016 the industry got the Federal Government onside in its battle with piracy which, under Section 115a of the Copyright Act, ordered ISPs to block sites such as Pirate Bay and Torrentz or risk being subjected to hefty penalties. The latest campaign is run by trade organisation Music Rights Australia on behalf of APRA, Universal, Sony, and Warner Music. They’re again using Section 115a to get ISPs to block stream-ripping sites. Studies show stream-ripping is a serious issue, with 38 percent of music consumers using piracy sites and 33 percent using stream-ripping. This rises up to 53 percent within the 16-24 age group.
Bands Boycott Perth Nightclub Perth nightclub Amplifier Capitol has made headlines after sending a memo to its female bar staff to start wearing low-cut shirts. If that wasn’t bad enough, it also suggested those not “comfortable” with this were “welcome to find employment elsewhere.” A staffer Instagrammed the difference between the male and female tops, saying she was expecting harassment by patrons. Social media pissed on club management from a great height and an apology was duly offered, but three acts
immediately moved their shows elsewhere in protest: Melbourne’s Storm The Sky, New Zealand’s The Beths and Perth metal band Make Them Suffer.
Radio #1: Commercial Stations Hit Peak Of 10.7M More people are tuning into commercial radio, with the popular stations hitting a new peak of 10.7 million in the five major cities, according to the sector’s peak body Commercial Radio Australia. It says Australian commercial radio audiences have grown by 12 percent in the past five years, with a 22 percent increase over the last decade. In further figures released by the association, 4.2 million Australians now listen to DAB+ Digital radio each week (up from 3.6 million in the 12 months prior), and most of the listening is done at home (42 percent, with 36 percent in the car), with a high rate (87 percent) of listeners coming from the 10 - 17 age group.
Radio #2: Electronic Watches To Measure Ratings Measuring commercial radio ratings is evolving, according to reports from Australian radio site Radio Today. For the first time, electronic and paper diaries won’t be the only way to record ratings. A new hybrid system will require participants to wear a special watch (with an electronic meter contained within) and download a smartphone app which picks up ambient radio.
Radio #3: FBI Tops Half Million Listeners A McNair community radio survey found that on average 504,000 people are listening each month to Sydney community radio station FBi, FM and digital. FBi Radio plays at least 50 percent Australian music, with 61 percent of its most-played tracks from 2018 hailing from Sydney, 71 percent from Australia, and 44 per cent from female, trans and non-binary artists.
Fender Donates Guitars To Schools Fender Music Australia has donated 300 new acoustic guitars to the Don’t Stop the Music campaign. They will be distributed to disadvantaged primary schools around the country. Don’t Stop the Music, an initiative led by Musica Viva, the Salvation Army and the ABC, has now gathered over 4,000 instruments for Australian schools.
Keep Sydney Open Party Unveils Drug Policy Keep Sydney Open Party, which will contest the NSW elections on Saturday March 23, has unveiled its drug policy. It includes introducing free pill testing, ending the sniffer dog program, reducing police stripsearch powers and pledging to legalise the use of cannabis in NSW.
NSW Gets Tough On Festival Drugs From next month, NSW festivals will come under a tougher regime from the government in response to the ongoing drug concerns. They will have to apply for a liquor licence similar to pubs and clubs, and will have to be approved by a panel that includes NSW Health, NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and Liquor and Gaming NSW. They’ll have to create “chill-out zones” staffed with doctors, nurses and paramedics, and provide free water. Those who fail to keep up with this could lose the right to run festivals. On top of this, media reports suggest that by the time the new rules kick in, promoters will be held personally liable if any deaths occur.
YouTube Picks Ones To Watch YouTube Music has compiled its inaugural list of Australian and New Zealand acts to watch for 2019. They are Bene (Auckland), Didirri (Melbourne), G Flip (Melbourne) JessB (Auckland), Kaiit (Melbourne), Kian (Castlemaine), Kwame (Sydney via Auckland), The Kid Laroi (Sydney) Triple One (Sydney) and Tyne-James Organ (Melbourne via Wollongong). BY CHRISTIE ELIEZER
mixdownmag.com.au
MUSIC NEWS
Catch Arctic Monkeys On Tour This Month
It’s About to Get Heavy: Download Festival is Almost Here
Eagles Hit The Road For First Aussie Tour Since 2015
Five years after their previous visit to Australia, Arctic Monkeys are set to return to our country for an arena tour this month. The tour will see the indie legends make stops in arenas across four city centres: Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Joining Arctic Monkeys as support will be Mini Mansions, the LA trio featuring members of Queens of the Stone Age and the Last Shadow Puppets. For full dates and details, visit Frontier Touring’s website.
Download Festival isn’t holding back for its second Australian instalment, with headliners like Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Alice in Chains and Judas Priest leading the way for what’s shaping up to be an unforgettable experience. Punters can also expect huge sets from local heavyweights, including Thy Art Is Mudrer, Polaris, High Tension and more. The heavy festivities will make their way to Melbourne on Saturday March 9, and to Sydney’s Parramatta Park on Monday March 11.
Legendary US rockers the Eagles are set to return to our shores for their first Australian tour in four years. The iconic group – with a lineup featuring Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Vince Gill and Glenn Frey’s son Deacon – will stop by Australia for a whirlwind east coast tour in early March. If the lightning-fast ticket sales for their 2015 tour are anything to go by, you’d best get in quick to secure your seat.
Hands Like Houses Enlist Three Local Favourites For National Tour
Nickelback Prepare For All-Ages East Coast Tour
Pond Prepare for Homecoming Tour, New LP
Canberra rock outfit Hands Like Houses are gearing up to hit the road on a huge national tour, and they’re bringing four stellar bands along for the ride. Alt-rockers Endless Heights, emerging trio RedHook, and Melbourne’s own Ocean Grove will join the 2019 tour, featuring shows in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. Hands Like Houses will tour off the back of fourth album – Anon in what will be their biggest headline tour to date.
Nickelback are set to bring their biggest production to date to Australia across three massive all-ages arena dates down the East Coast. Returning for the first time since 2015, the Canadian rockers will bring their ninth studio album Feed The Machine to Australian shores after boasting a run of 12 consecutive sold out tours around the world. They’ll bring breakout act Bad Wolves along for the ride when the tour kicks off in Brisbane on Wednesday February 13.
Perth psych-rockers Pond are set for a homecoming run of shows next month to celebrate the forthcoming release of their new album, Tasmania. The tour will see the band stop in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for what will be their first string of local headline shows in two years. The tour follows sell-out shows across two North American tours and a host of festival appearances. It all kicks off on Sunday March 3, with tickets on sale now.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Return For First Australian Tour In 12 Years
Tropical Fuck Storm To Embark On National Tour Next Month
Expand Your Musical Horizons at WOMADelaide 2019
It’s been 12 years since Red Hot Chili Peppers graced Australians with a headline tour, and they’re finally about to touch down for a huge headline tour this month. They’ll make stops in Sydney, Hunter Valley, Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth, plus a trip to Hobart for their first ever Tasmanian performance. The Chili Peppers will also treat audiences to their legendary live show at Adelaide’s Superloop 500 and A Day on the Green in Geelong.
Australia’s favourite supergroup Tropical Fuck Storm are set to take their live show on the road with a huge national tour early next month. Hitting the road in support of their mammoth debut LP A Laughing Death in Meatspace, TFS will grace Byron Bay, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Sydney and Wollongong with headline shows, plus an appearance at Perth’s City Limits Festival. It all kicks off on Saturday March 2 before winding up with a show at Wollongong’s UniBar on Saturday March 30.
WOMADelaide is pulling out all the stops for 2019, boasting a lineup featuring the likes of Angelique Kidjo, John Butler Trio, Khruangbin, Tkay Maidza, Liz Phair, Thando, Mojo Juju and more. The diverse festival will take over Adelaide’s Botanic Park from Friday March 8 to Sunday March 11, showcasing an eclectic mix of genres and musicians from around the world. The festival is also set to host 16 free workshops, including a vocal masterclass with the central Australian Aboriginal Women’s Choir.
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ALICE IN CHAINS BRING IT HOME Alice In Chains’ most recent album, Rainier Fog, was released in August 2018. The band’s sixth LP in a career spanning more than 30 years debuted in the ARIA and US Billboard Top 20 and scored a Grammy nomination. But it hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the Seattle band, who are headed our way for this year’s Download Festival. Debuting with Facelift in 1990, the hard rock four-piece quickly attracted global interest. The grunge movement, spearheaded by many of their Pacific Northwest contemporaries, was just hitting its stride. Capitalising on this momentum, Alice In Chains achieved a comprehensive breakthrough with 1992’s Dirt, which includes the enduring singles ‘Would?’ and ‘Rooster’. 1995’s Alice In Chains LP further boosted the band’s profile, reaching top spot on the Billboard album chart, but it was to be the last album featuring original lead vocalist, Layne Staley. Staley stopped performing in 1996 due to ongoing struggles with depression and substance abuse. These factors played a part in his untimely death in 2002, which put the band on indefinite hiatus. It didn’t last long, however, with vocalist William DuVall soon joining guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bass player Mike Inez. Instead of emulating Staley’s distinct throaty vocal style, DuVall and Cantrell decided to share lead vocal duties on the 2009 comeback album, Black Gives Way to Blue. Two more albums have followed, but the band members have never been inclined to churn out releases. “When we were younger we signed a seven album deal and we didn’t even make it that long,” says Cantrell. “To have that sort of a yoke on you, I don’t know that we could work like that now. I think it’s better and more freer that we’re able to operate on, ‘What are we going to do next?’ I think it’s good to not look too far behind you and not look too far down the road. Just be happy where you are.” Rainier Fog is closely tied to the band’s birthplace. The title refers to Washington State’s highest mountain, Mount Rainier, and Seattle’s famously foggy skies. The recording sessions took place in Studio X – the same place Alice In Chains was recorded. Coinciding with its release, the band took over a Seattle Mariners baseball game (Cantrell threw the first pitch), sent fans on an AICthemed scavenger hunt around the city, and hosted a secret gig and pop-up museum at Seattle venue The Crocodile. “We were talking about where we wanted to record and it just built from there,” says Cantrell. “It wasn’t a big grand master plan; it never really is with us. We just figure it out step by step. The first choice was, ‘Let’s got home and record. Let’s go to Seattle.’ Sean
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“THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO AS AN ARTIST AND IF YOU’VE HAD SOME SUCCESS IS NOT TO LISTEN TO YOUR OLD FUCKING RECORDS ANYMORE” was talking to me about Studio X. I believe the Nordstrom family owned it and he had heard that it may be being sold. And he was right, because a few months after we finished the record they shut their doors.” Seattle had already been on Cantrell’s mind, though. The song ‘Rainier Fog’ pays homage to the city’s incredibly fruitful late-‘80s/ early-‘90s music scene, which spawned the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Screaming Trees. The lyrics refer to the improbability of such a prosperous movement emerging from the Pacific Northwest: “You can find me writhing in the ghost of a song / Rising through the Rainier fog.” “We had the song ‘Rainier Fog’ and that kind of encompasses our whole existence, where we come from, who we are as a band – also where we are now,” says Cantrell. “It’s taking into account 1987 to here. “We’re very proud to be from the Northwest. It’s just a great place to live, to be from, to create in. So that was an important song and after we had recorded there, it made sense to call the record [Rainier Fog] too. It just all lined up.”
songwriter and his role has grown since Staley’s passing. He now takes responsibility for most of the lyrics and his vocal presence has greatly expanded. He confirms, however, that he’s not the boss of Alice In Chains. “A band is a band,” he says. “It is all of the members and it’s bigger than all of the members. So it takes all of us to make it happen. Everybody has specific and sometimes non-specific duties and gifts. “For me, I’ve been fortunate enough to write a lot of stuff over the span of the life of this band and the guys like a lot of it. It’s gratifying when I can play something to the guys and see them light up. But everybody’s got something to add. “We all bounce shit off each other. There’s a filter with four holes – four a-holes – and the music’s got to pour through that and generally what’s left when we’re done with the recording and writing session is what you get on the record.” Rainier Fog contains plenty of similarities to the early Alice In Chains records. Songs like ‘Fly’ and ‘Maybe’ wouldn’t sound out of place on Dirt. But despite the Seattle links, Cantrell’s primary focus is here and now. “The best thing you can do as an artist and if you’ve had some success is not to listen to your old fucking records anymore – unless you need to learn a song. When it comes time to writing and making a new record, don’t fucking listen to that shit. “The cool thing about this band, and it’s a goal that we always had, we start from zero every time. It doesn’t matter what we did before, how much success we had before or which records had more impact than the others. None of that shit. You’ve got to start from fucking zero every time. “The thing that carries over is us. We’ve been doing this a long time and William’s been with us quite a while now too. We know collectively and individually what this thing needs to be.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Alice In Chains will perform as part of Download Festival in Sydney on Saturday March 9 and in Melbourne on Monday March 11. Rainer Fog is available now via Warner.
Cantrell has always been the band’s main
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS Joyce Manor are set to return Down Under at the end of the month. They’ll be plugging tunes from their 2018 opus Million Dollars To Kill Me, which, six months on from its street date, Johnson admits is still growing on him. “I don’t have the same fondness for this record that I hopefully will later in life,” he says. “It’s easy to look back on the older records and romanticise that time, who we were hanging out with back then and what we were trying to do as a band on Never Hungover Again or the first record. It’s kind of like looking at old photos, you know? It kind of seems like those times were more fun. But I really do like [Million Dollars To Kill Me] – I think it’s a good representation of where we’re at right now.” Thus begs the question: where are Joyce Manor at right now? Somewhat paradoxically to what he just said, Johnson feels like they’re in the same position they’ve always been.
Joyce Manor Set the Record Straight It’s been a long day for Joyce Manor frontman Barry Johnson, and on a rare break from spilling his guts to thousands each night on a monumental US tour, he’s been tasked with mumbling down a shoddy phone line to some random music journo he’s never heard of, but knows is slightly obsessed with him (not in a creepy way, of course – I just know every lyric he’s ever penned by heart).
“A lot of people have been asking, ‘So, what was it like taking your sound in a new direction?’ But I don’t really hear it. A lot of the songs sound like a pretty natural continuation of Cody, or even Never Hungover Again. I feel like we kind of pushed the perimeters of what a Joyce Manor song can be a little bit with songs like ‘Silly Games’, where we used some unusual instrumentation and more harmonies. But it still feels very Joyce Manor.
One might think that recording an album would get easier with practice. Not so for La Dispute, whose fourth studio album, Panorama, proved the biggest songwriting challenge of their career. The post-hardcore group had burned through most of the time
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As for what they’re playing on tour at the moment, Johnson waxes lyrical of an especially diverse set that is sure to please longtime fans of the band. “I don’t want to just draw too heavily from the new records, or from Never Hungover Again,” he says. “I think it’s fun to play a ‘greatest hits’ kind of set, with songs from all over the place. And it’s cool to hear the songs next to each other – playing a new song right next to a song that we wrote, like, eight years ago. “It matters what the fans have to say as well. Some people are more into the old stuff, and some people only know the most recent songs. I think if you’re going to pay money and give your time to see our band, you deserve to hear all the stuff that you want to hear.” BY MATT DORIA
“I think that’s a narrative that’s been pushed on us out of nowhere, and it has been for a while now,” Johnson continues on the notion of Joyce Manor having ‘matured’ with their last two releases. “Everyone that wrote about Cody talked about how that was our ‘grown-up record’ or whatever, and they’re doing the same kind of thing with this one. But it was never our intention to write a more grown-up record – we’re just doing the same thing that we always do.” Whether their sixth album will see Joyce Manor embark on a true sonic revolution remains to be seen. Not that Johnson is cryptic about his ideas for the next record; he’s just not even thinking about that right now. For the minute, he’s enjoying a break from the harsh confines of the record studio.
Million Dollars To Kill Me is out now via Epitaph / Cooking Vinyl. Joyce Manor are touring in February and March.
“It’s hard to come to that point,” says drummer and keyboardist Brad Vander Lugt. “You work so long on something and no one wants to be that person that says, ‘Hey, everyone – maybe this isn’t working.’ This time, that was me. But, in the end, I think it was for the best.”
During the band’s early years, Vander Lugt drew heavy inspiration from jazz drummers. Recently, however, he’s been more absorbed by movie soundtracks than by jazz album. Vander Lugt singles out Ryuichi Sakamoto’s score for The Revenant and Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow’s score for Annihilation as particularly noteworthy.
La Dispute found that rigorously working out the kinks during songwriting paid off when they entered the studio. The band worked with Philadelphia-based producer Will Yip, whose previous credits include albums by Balance And Composure, Quicksand and Circa Survive, as well as La Dispute’s 2014 release Rooms of the House. A painfully exacting songwriting process and reuniting with an old collaborator helped create an optimistic mood that lasted throughout the recording of Panorama.
La Dispute work out the kinks
“It takes me a little while to get the engine running again with the whole songwriting thing,” he says. “I usually have to write a few bad songs first before I write anything useable, so I’ll wait until we have a break from touring to get stuck into all of that. Right now, I’m just focusing on trying to play as well as we can live, so that touring is fun. Because it can be kind of a drag if you don’t feel like you’re singing as well or playing your instruments to the best of your ability.”
“Will’s a very positive energy,” says Vander Lugt. “He had some awesome outside perspective on how we could accomplish what we wanted to accomplish this time, aesthetically and sonically. He’s a good friend of ours, so the combination of all that stuff made a lot of sense. He does have such an uplifting energy to him, and I think that’s something we needed after the writing.” Though Vander Lugt is often credited simply as the group’s drummer, he also contributed to Panorama’s programming and sound design. ‘In Northern Michigan’, a track with sparse use of drums, is where Vander Lugt’s influence on the album can most clearly be seen, he says. Other tracks, such as ‘Anxiety Panorama’, showcase his signature percussive style directly. Vander Lugt expects that Panorama will subvert fans’ expectations, but not so much as to alienate them. “It’s different, but in an accessible way,” he says. “Panorama is different to Rooms as Rooms was different to Wildlife… We tried to create something that’s fluent throughout, from beginning to end. My hope is that people can get lost in it – not just to listen to one song, but to listen to the whole record and have it make sense. It’s pretty dense, but it’s worthwhile to dive in and experience the record as a whole.”
“I know it’s debatable whether The Revenant is a good or bad film, but I thought the soundtrack was breathtaking,” says Vander Lugt. “I really latched onto that. It makes the movie, it really does. Without the score, the images wouldn’t be as powerful.” These scores are notable not just for their expansive and melancholy mood, but as examples of a shift away from the triumphant, booming themes of pre-2010s Hollywood and toward a subtler, motif-based composition. Throughout the 2000s, La Dispute operated together out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Now scattered across the world, the band have mastered the art of remote collaboration. Vander Lugt settled in Brisbane with his wife, who is Australian, in 2012, and has become enmeshed in the Australian scene. “I’ve really grown to appreciate it here,” says Vander Lugt. “Especially recently, there’s some cool stuff happening in the Australian music scene. Obviously, there’s some pretty terrible stuff, too. But, on the positive side, especially in the circle of friends that La Dispute has met over the last few years, there are a lot of younger bands who are doing well and pushing positive thinking – uniting people instead of tearing each other down.” BY ZACHARY SNOWDON SMITH
Panorama is out Friday March 22 from Epitaph Records.
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GARY CLARK JR. STEPS OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE Gary Clark Jr. has been singing the blues for well over a decade. His guitar playing, his sound and his style precede him – up to this point, you knew exactly what you were getting when you pressed play on one of his albums. That’s set to change with This Land, Clark’s upcoming fifth studio album, which sees the 34-year-old recalibrating and redefining his musical outlook by focusing in on his more niche, outside influences. “I was in my comfort zone,” confesses Clark. “In order to get out of there, I had to erase this idea in my head of what people wanted from me. I wanted this record to be about me and how I wanted to express myself. I was taking in everything to see how other people went about it. I was reading up on Quincy Jones and how he used to do things. I was reading up about Bruno Mars and what he does now. What I found was that I couldn’t go in and force things into existence. It’s about just letting it happen.” Clark namechecks people like Dr. Dre, DJ Premier and Swizz Beatz as influences on This Land – which, as you’re almost certainly aware, are far from your usual blues standards. As Clark will testify, however, hip-hop was just as big a part of his musical upbringing as any blues, rock or soul record was. “I grew up listening to artists like Common, OutKast, Warren G, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, the whole Ruff Ryders crew, Nelly... all those guys,” he says. “Being from Texas, there was a whole hip-hop scene going on in Houston, where I’m from. When I was coming up, we had acts like Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Chamillionaire all getting huge.” Clark also points to the Wu-Tang Clan as being a big part of wanting to bring his two musical worlds together in a collision course. “I remember hearing the Wu as a teenager, and they were rapping over Albert King licks,” he says. “That was a big realisation for me – it’s like, ‘This all goes together!’ If they could do it, I thought, so could I.” Having already released the album’s explosive title track, Clark is excited to talk about what listeners can expect from This Land. More specifically, he’s excited about what people won’t expect. “There are
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“WHAT I FOUND WAS THAT I COULDN’T GO IN AND FORCE THINGS INTO EXISTENCE. IT’S ABOUT JUST LETTING IT HAPPEN.” definitely moments on this record where I can already see people hearing it and being like, ‘What?’,” he says with a laugh. “There’s a lot on here that people won’t see coming, and I think that’s a good thing. I think, as an artist, you gotta find yourself doing new things and changing with the times. You don’t do the exact same thing every single day in your normal everyday life – why would you do that when you’re making records? You want people to have no idea what the hell’s going on.” Don’t be fooled into thinking this means there’s no guitar on This Land, however. Clark is still slinging a trusty six-string on the album cover, albeit via a black-on-white painting, and he has plenty of tricks up his sleeve as far as that side of thing goes. “When we started making the record, I was playing through my Fender Vibro-King amp,” says Clark. “After a while, my producer Jake
took me aside. He was like, ‘You know I love you, G, and I like your tone, but I think we can do better.’ “He gets me to play through this César Díaz 100-watt on top of a Marshall cab. We get some 4x12s going, we turn the amp all the way up to ten and we run to the control room to see what happens. The second I start playing, I prove him right – we could do better, and we just did.” Not only is this a record where Clark challenges the world around him and the status quo that allows it to be this way, it’s also a record where he goes up against his biggest creative obstacle yet: himself. “I’ve always been a very stubborn person, and I’m the first to admit that,” says Clark. “I get stuck in my ways, and nobody can tell me shit. As I’ve gotten older and had more experiences, though, I’ve come to realise that instead of shutting everyone out and insisting I’ve got this, I’ve got to open up my ears and listen. I had to learn to stop being selfish and learn how to be part of a team in order to make the best record possible.” BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
Gary Clark Jr will perform at Byron Bay Bluesfest which begins on Thursday April 18 as well as headline performances in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. This Land is out Friday February 22 via Warner Music.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS Uniquely vulnerable and astonishingly disarming, a mere slice of Baker’s indie-folk and slowcore blend is sure to leave a weighty mark. But the 23-year-old doesn’t want it to be all clouds and storms, as punters on her forthcoming Australian tour will soon discover.
Julien Baker Gets Personal When the world latched on to Julien Baker upon the release of Sprained Ankle in 2015, they became privy to some of the singer-songwriter’s most intimate personal details.
“I try to be a little bit warm to provide some levity to the set because otherwise it would seem so bleak,” she says. “I think that’s partially the reason why I make this music, so that it can go somewhere healthy and not all-consuming. It’s a really heavy place to sit in for an hour-and-fifteen-minute set. You need a reprieve.
Amongst it all Baker continues to navigate a hectic tour schedule, which in 2018 saw her touch down in Japan, twice in Europe and play her home country extensively. Her upcoming Australian run will stop via Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Byron Bay and Perth Festival, as well as a special show in Canowindra – the sleepy central west New South Wales hometown of supporting guest, Gordi.
“At least when I see an artist whose music is so visceral and so emotional and they are funny on stage or they’re just candid, it brings this amazing humanity to their work and it reminds me that they are not a caricature of themselves portrayed in their art. I think it’s important to be able to view people with that wholeness and that elasticity.”
“I felt so bad recently because someone asked me what the first stop of my Australian tour was and I couldn’t think of it off the top of my head,” Baker confesses. “I got a little bit embarrassed because I was like, ‘Oh I’m sorry, I don’t have it all in my brain right now, but I do know we are going to these cities, I’m just not sure in what order.’”
Following her debut, Baker delivered another bout of devastating ballads on Turn Out The Lights in 2017, as well boygenius (2018) alongside Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers under the project of the same name. For fans of each artist individually, this collaboration seemed a distinctively sublime fit, and Baker confirms that it all came together incredibly organically.
But despite her endearing brain fuzz, Baker says that she’s most looking forward to taking in the charming presence of Australian audiences.
“All three of us were touring so heavily, yet we found this one week where we all happened to be home in this magic triple Venn diagram, and we went out there with just fragments and bits and pieces of unfinished songs and we took six days, in the studio for 12 hours a day, to make a record, and it was totally insane but one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done,” she says. “All of us, I think, intuitively understood each other’s process, and I think because we were in the unique situation where as female creators we often operate in environments where there’s a bizarre power dynamic, we were all hypersensitive to that and aware of making the others feel valued and heard.
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“It was one of the most supportive environments I’ve been in, and besides being my collaborators and artists that I look up to and am a fan of, they are some of my very best friends in the whole world.”
“I would say that cities in Australia are a bit more engaged and I love that,” she says. “I love when people feel an entitlement to engage with the music, because then it takes some of the pressure off me as a performer, and we can have more of an exchange than a performance.” BY ABBEY LEW-KEE
Julien Baker’s Australian tour kicks off in Canowindra on Sunday February 17. Turn Out The Lights is out now via Matador/Remote Control.
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PAGE HEADER
NAMM NEWS
Akai Professional Force
Aston Stealth Microphone
ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU
LINK AUDIO | LINKAUDIO.COM.AU
Akai succinctly describes its newest product as eliminating the lines between “contemporary music production solutions and next-generation DJ performance technology.” To achieve this, Force boasts a selection of advanced features including clip-launching, step sequencing, sampling, synth engines and tactile touch screen control.
The Stealth is the newest addition to the Aston Microphones range, developed in partnership with 92 top engineers, producers and artists who participated in a series of blind listening tests designed to create the best possible sound.
The result is a device that offers an intuitive workflow and could easily become the centre of your performance toolkit. Force also integrates seamlessly with any Ableton Link compatible application or hardware device.
Stealth has active and passive modes with 48V Autodetect function. A unique built-in Autodetect function senses the presence of 48V phantom power and will automatically switch the mic to active mode to utilise the onboard class A mic Pre. This gives the mic a 40dB boost in signal and operates as a condenser mic.
Other notable features include custom dual real-time time stretch algorithms, automatic BPM detection, an 8x8 clip matrix, onboard XYFX, cue assign controls, and an extensive preset library.
Given its four settings and four different voicings, Stealth is essentially four professional microphones in one compact unit. There are two vocal settings optimised for different vocal tones, a guitar setting which is equally suited to Spanish guitar, electric guitar cab and steel string acoustic, and a dark, vintage setting, reminiscent of classic ribbon mics.
Ernie Ball Accessories 2019
Ernie Ball Music Man 2019 Models
CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU
CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU
Ernie Ball have announced an insane amount of new accessories as well as additions to their string, pick and pedal lines. The VPJR Tuner is the perfect combination two-in-one pedal, offering precise volume control with an enhanced definition digital tuner. The pedal features a fast and accurate chromatic tuner with graphic volume display that is visually attractive and easy to operate. Ultra and Burly Slinky’s are the newest additions to the Ernie Ball Slinky family. These new hybrid gauges combine popular slinky string sets, offering additional options in terms of tone and feel. Ultra set combines Regular and Power Slinky sets to form a 10”49” set, and the Burly set combines Power and Skinny Top Heavy Bottom Slinky sets to form an 11”-52” set. Other additions include new shapes and thicknesses for Ernie Ball’s Prodigy picks, new lengths in their cable line and a brand new Axis capo for six and seven string guitars.
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The team at Ernie Ball Music Man have unveiled their 2019 line of guitars and basses. The lineup includes new artist models for modern shredder Jason Richardson, Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue and country music icon Hunter Hayes, a limited edition short scale StingRay bass, as well as new finishes for the StingRay, Cutlass, Sterling bass and Bongo bass.
EBMM has also updated the John Petrucci signature Majesty line of guitars, including a limited edition Tiger Eye model. The rest of the Majesty line has also been updated with a plethora of gorgeous new finishes, as well as new custom DiMarzio pickups for Petrucci, the Dreamcatcher and Rainmaker. Some of these new finishes retain the divisive flame maple shield on the top of the guitar, while others have the shield omitted.
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NAMM NEWS
Fender Jimmy Page Telecaster
Framus Guitars 2019 Models
FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU
AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU
Fender has shared the first images of the modern recreations of Jimmy Page’s iconic 1959 Telecaster. The range offers four new designs in honour of Page’s 1959 Tele. Two models will be produced in the Fender Custom Shop – aptly titled the Limited Edition Jimmy Page Telecaster Set – and two will become part of Fender’s standard production lines. Warwick subsidiary Framus Guitars have announced a slew of new models for 2019, including a seven string model of the Devin Townsend Stormbender and a number of new additions to their Pro Series instruments.
of a mahogany body with matching wooden electronic compartment cover, a carved AAAA flamed maple top, a flamed maple neck tigerstripe ebony fingerboard with 22 Jumbo frets and fluorescent side dots.
The production line models will be available in White Blonde and a striking finish referred to by Fender as a “painted serpentine design.”
Canadian heavy metal star Devin Townsend has worked with Framus over the past two years to develop a guitar that looks like it’s fit for a stormtrooper. The Panthera II Studio Supreme is a metal behemoth, comprised
The remainder of the range features plenty of 2019 revamps, including various iterations of the Diablo II Supreme, Pro and Progressive X guitars.
Hartke HD508 Bass Combo
Line 6 Relay G10S Wireless System
DI MUSIC AUSTRALIA | DIMUSIC.COM.AU
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM
The HD508 is the newest addition to Hartke’s popular HD Series of bass amplifiers. With four 8” HyDrive speakers and a 500-watt Class D amplifier, the HD508 packs more than enough punch for any performance.
Line 6 has proudly announced the new Relay G10S guitar wireless system, which is as powerful as it is compact. The stompboxsized pedal offers professional features, rugged build quality, and plug-and-play operation at an affordable price. The system integrates seamlessly into any pedalboard or can function as a standalone unit. It features an impressive range of up to 40 metres line-of-sight, enabling you to move about untethered on any sized stage — and the Relay G10S works equally well with bass.
The Custom Shop models will be available in the painted Dragon design, hand-painted by Paul Waller and Page himself, or a periodaccurate White Blonde lacquer finish with eight circular mirrors.
The aforementioned HyDrive speakers feature carefully crafted paper/aluminium hybrid cone drivers. This hybrid approach allows for a perfect blend of warmth and attack. The use of four 8” speakers provides a wider range than a single 15” speaker. Weighing in at 22kg, the HD508 is the perfect solution for bass players wanting an amp that has all the volume and tone needed for the studio, rehearsal space or performance without weighing an absolute tonne.
The Relay G10S is the newest member of the Relay Wireless Family, a series of products that are embraced by professionals for their reliability, ease of use, and transparent sound. Thanks to the extensive experience that Line 6 brings to designing and
manufacturing wireless products, Relay G10S provides a clear and accurate instrument sound, free from interference.
Mad Professor Double Moon
Marshall Amplification Studio Series
MAD PROFESSOR AUSTRALIA | MADPROFESSOR.COM.AU
ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU
The Double Moon is the new all-in-one modulation pedal from the team at Mad Professor. A small, easy to use and super versatile pedal for a wide variety of modulation sounds, the Double Moon includes 11 different classic modulation effects available via the rotary switch at the top of the pedal.
Marshall Amplification has announced the Studio Series, featuring 20W versions of some of the most iconic amps in Marshall history.
On top of the plethora of effects available, the Double Moon is true bypass and features true analogue bucket brigade signal paths. The Control, Depth and Speeds controls allow you to further fine tune and adjust the effects for your desired tone. From mild to wild, the Double Moon has everything you need when it comes to modulation.
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A portable replica of the classic JCM800 2203, the Studio Classic takes the foundations of its ‘80s predecessor and kicks it up a notch. The Studio Vintage series is based on the vintage JMP 1959SLP. This inspiration dates back to the late ‘60s, where the original model made a name for itself for defining classic rock tones. The Studio Jubilee is a small version of the Silver Jubilee, which was first released in 1987 to celebrate 25 years of Marshall Amplification.
Each amp in the Studio Series is available in both a 20W head or combo, a perfect size for the guitarist wanting classic Marshall tones without the ridiculous volume of a 100W amp.
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NAMM NEWS
Mooer GE300 Multi-Effects Pedal
Presonus Studio Series USB-C Interfaces
JADE AUSTRALIA | JADEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
LINK AUDIO | LINKAUDIO.COM
The GE300 marks the latest expansion to Mooer’s extensive series of multi-effects processors for guitarists. The final prototype packs in a host of features including 108 digital amp models based on Mooer’s nonlinear amp modelling tech, 164 high quality effects, and 43 optional factory cab sims.
Presonus have updated their Studio Series interfaces with a modern industrial design and USB-C connector. All models in the range are supplied with both a USB-C to USB-C cable and a USB-C to USB-A cable so whether you have an old or new computer, you are good to go.
The unit offers a full-featured IR loader, boasting the incredible ability to host impulse responses of up to 2048 sampling points each. Also incorporated into the GE300 is a tri-voice polyphonic synthesis module dubbed Synth Engine.
Every model in the Studio Series USB-C range includes Class A XMAX mic preamps and 1x1 MIDI I/O and comes with award winning Studio One Artist DAW software and the Studio Magic Plug-in Suite for MACOS and Windows. With the exception of the Studio 24C, all models offer DC-coupled outputs for sending control voltages to synths and other CV devices.
Users can enjoy an impressive array of functions in the all-new GE300, with other notable features including ten customisable footswitch controls, programmable stereo effects loop, 30-minute looper station, external device switching, direct USB audio and more.
Shure MV88+ Video Kit
Warwick Basses 2019 Models
JANDS | JANDS.COM.AU
AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU
Shure have announced the MV88+ Video Kit, an all-in-one solution for capturing high quality recordings on the go thanks to its digital stereo condenser microphone. The kit also includes a tripod, phone clamp and mount as well as iOS and USB-C cables, ensuring you have everything you need for producing professional recordings on the go. German bass manufacturer Warwick has unveiled new models joining roster for 2019 including Limited Edition Corvette $$ NeckThrough and $$ Bolt-On Bass Guitars. These two stand out very quickly because of their insane new finishes. Painting over a Selected California Buckeye Burl Top and Swamp Ash body, Warwick has given the Corvettes a natural satin and multicolour acrylic finish. Otherwise you’re getting the same high-end bass guitars, packing the craftman style
Built on the success and classic design of the MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone, the Video Kit is the latest addition to the Company’s MOTIV™ line of digital microphones and portable recording solutions. Perfect for podcasters, videographers and musicians who want to transform their smartphone into a mobile recording rig.
invisible fret technology, passive MEC MMstyle humbuckers and an extra long 34-inch scale neck. Warwick has also announced two new Skylar basses, in carved top and flat tops respectively. Both basses are fashioned out of flamed maple and a mahogany back. Picking one is a choice primarily between the Artist series’ active MEC vintage single coil pickups, or the Artist Line’s passive MEC vintage single coil pickups.
Yamaha CP Series Keyboards
Yamaha Revstar Guitar Models 2019
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM Revstar guitars feature custom hardware, hand-applied finishes, and custom-wound pickups, giving each model a unique look and sound that stands apart from the crowd and expresses the personality of the player. Offering a range of essential tones and unexpected styles, Revstar guitars invite players to meet their other half.
The Yamaha CP Series stage pianos are the new gold standard for the legendary company. Powered by over 100 years of piano craftsmanship and 45 years of synthesiser innovation, the CP73 and CP88 stage pianos boast authentic acoustic and electric piano sound. The CP models feature three main sections that can be split or combined as you please:
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Piano, Electric Piano and Sub. The Piano section boasts voices sampled from some of the finest concert pianos in the world – the Yamaha CFX and Bösendorfer Imperial. The Electric Piano and Sub sections are both full of classic and modern staples. No matter what rehearsal, gig or session you might have to tackle, the Yamaha CP Series has everything you could possibly need to get the job done.
RS502TFM features the unique aluminium tailpiece and custom-voiced P90 pickups of the original RS502T, adding a flamed maple top and an industrial-inspired hand-brushed finish. RS502TFMX reimagines the original RS502T with a flamed maple top, handbrushed finish, satin nickel pickup covers, and three-ply black pickguard. Revstar
702B is a variation of the original RS720B that features a solid gloss finish and P90 pickups, providing a modern expression of classic tone and style. Revstar 720BX has the classic look of a solid gloss finish, and medium output humbuckers for a more powerful signal.
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45 years of synthesizer innovation, the CP73 and CP88 stage pianos boast authentic acoustic and electric piano sound, realistic piano touch and an intuitive one-to-one user interface.
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* The prices set out in this advertisement are recommended retail prices (RRP) only and there is no obligation for Yamaha dealers to comply with this recommendation. Errors and omissions excepted.
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ADVICE COLUMNS GUITAR
BASS GUITAR
Altered Scale, V Chords and More
Odd Times
Last month we started to get a handle on using more than just the Minor Pentatonic scale when playing over a Minor Blues. C Minor Pentatonic over a C Minor Blues can be totally fine and tons of players on various instruments would use it as their go-to option. The issue that can come up with this is the V chord (G7 in the case of C Minor). Let’s revisit the C Minor Blues in Figure A below.
Odd time signatures are an important musical element and appear in a range of styles and genres. The ‘odd’ part of the name obviously refers to the fact that it isn’t even but don’t be fooled into thinking these odd time signatures have to feel awkward. Many cultures use odd time signatures as part of their musical output, a practice that is completely normal and comfortable to them. If it’s something you haven’t heard or played before, however, it might take some work. 4/4 is the most common time signature and can be heard everywhere in jazz, rock and popular music. On the other hand, 3/4 is another time signature you might be familiar with but haven’t really considered as odd due to its accessibility. 3/4 can be heard in the dance known as a waltz and is typically an easier odd signature to wrap your head around than 5 and 7 etc. Figure A takes the first eight bars from the jazz standard ‘Someday My Prince Will Come’.
You’ll notice the V chord (G7) only figures for two bars (in this version) out of the entire progression. Yes, the chances are that you can get away with C Minor Pentatonic over them and might not hit a Bb in those bars anyway. But being aware of those bars and having some more scales/licks in your arsenal can add some great flavours, especially in the last bar of the progression to set up some tension before it cycles back to the start (the I chord, C Minor). What can we use though? There are lots of options, but today we’ll take a quick look at the Altered Scale.
Try playing one note per bar (dotted minims) as a start, using just root notes to get your ear around the progression (Figure B).
Figure B shows two octaves of the G Altered scale. The fingering might require some slides or shifts but is still fairly compact. This shape is a good starting point to get used to the position and sound of the scale.
Next you might want to create some more movement. Figure C highlights one common rhythmic option to increase the forward feeling from one bar to the next.
Coming from the Ab Melodic Minor scale, the G Altered Scale is G-Ab-Bb-B-Db-Eb-F. Notice that it has the B natural, which works nicely on the V chord (G7) but also has an Ab (b9), Db (b5) and Eb/D# (#5). These notes can be used to create tension alongside the chord tones of G-B-F. Once you’ve got a handle on the scale, let’s move on to some licks. Figure C works with the last bar of the Minor 12 Bar Blues, starting on the root of G7 (G) and moving up through Ab and Bb before travelling back down in 16th notes finishing on the 7th (F) and finally resolving to G (the 5th of Cm), which would be the start of Bar 1 again.
One thing to note is the ‘swing’ feel often associated with this tune. When we’re playing dotted minims or dotted crotchets, we can’t ‘swing’ the rhythm as the notes are even. For the purpose of practising, try using a metronome or drum loop set to a swing feel in 3/4 and compare Figure B to Figure C.
Let’s try Figure D for another option. This combines minims and crotchets to add some bounce and also introduces more chord tones. Bar 1 uses root and fifth, Bar 2 uses the third of D7 (F#), while Bar 3 walks from Eb to F to G in Bar 4. Bar 5 utilises the minim and crotchet idea sticking to the root note before playing root and fifth in Bar 6. Finally we get root, fifth and then the root of F7 as a dotted minim to finish. Figure D also tackles the last bar of the Minor Blues. By using the b9 (Ab), #5 (Eb) we can again create tension which resolves in the last note of the phrase (G). Players from Robben Ford to Mark Lettieri to Wes Montgomery use these Altered Scale ideas. It can be a strong sound and when used sparingly (such as the one or two bars in the Minor Blues) you can play the scale very literally as a starting point and it still sounds good.
BY NICK BROWN
BY NICK BROWN
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ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION
Is it OK to Use My Audio Interface as a Headphone Amp? If you’re looking at new headphones to use in your home studio, whether it be for tracking, mixing or mastering, no doubt you’ve come across the matter of headphone impedance. It’s an area that gets murky really fast. Googling it will see you fall down a rabbit hole in some awful audiophile forum full of people with too much money, bickering over which $5,000 headphone amp is better. To sum headphone impedance up quickly, higher end studio headphones tend to have a higher impedance (resistance) rating as, thanks to some magical electrical science, they produce slightly less distortion and a more accurate sound. Normal consumer headphones sit around the 8-30 ohm range, but some studio headphones can reach the 600 ohm mark, meaning they need an audio source much more powerful than your average laptop headphone port to properly drive them. This is where a headphone amplifier comes in. A point I’ve seen people puzzle over a few times recently is whether an audio interface has a built-in headphone amplifier or is that something else they need to buy to run high impedance studio headphones properly? It makes sense to assume a decent audio interface has a bit of grunt running through the headphone output. It should be designed to run studio headphones, right? Well, unfortunately the answer is a resounding ‘maybe’. There are a lot of audio interfaces out
there, varying massively in size, function, power source and quality. Add to that the variations in headphones design and there’s not a concrete answer. Having spent a while browsing the tech-specs of the big brands of interfaces, a very rough guide could be USBpowered budget interfaces are good for about 80 ohms, mains-powered mid-range units are good for about 250 ohms, and high-end mains powered interfaces should be fine to handle 600ohmsv. Still, there were some surprising exceptions to these observations. It’s always best to try to track down the tech-specs of your audio interface (or contact the manufacturer’s support) before pulling the trigger on a fancy pair of 600 ohm cans. To make this even murkier, some 80 ohm headphones might be fine on the USB-powered interface, but others may not – different headphone drivers have different response characteristics. Different materials, different technology – it all plays a part. In an ideal scenario, you’d be able to take your interface into a headphone store and try them out (if you’re going super high-end with your headphone purchase this may actually be possible), but failing that, the best thing you can do is research, and try as many pairs as possible. And of course, hold onto that receipt in case it doesn’t work out. BY MICHAEL CUSACK
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ADVICE COLUMNS PERCUSSION
Advanced Inward Paradiddle Grooves
It’s no secret that I love the inward paradiddle. It’s the best of the paradiddles in my world. If paradiddles were Porsches, the inward would be the GT3 – cooler, serious bang for the buck compared to other cars (stickings), racier than its siblings and more effective (most of the time) in the hands of the right driver. I’ve spoken about the inward paradiddle many times in my columns and have even spoken about using the paradiddle as a fill or sticking as well as a groove. This month, I’m complicating things a little and opening a can of worms at the same time. Here are some more advanced ideas to get the wheels turning a little faster. Looking at the above notation, you can see Figures 1 to 3 demonstrating the inward paradiddle (RLLR LRRL) in a very common accent/sticking pattern I use often. Orchestration is right hand on hats and left hand on snare. All strokes are to be played soft (ghost notes) unless accented. If accented on the snare drum, a rim shot can be used and if accented on the hi-hat, the ‘shank’ of the stick can be used for a thicker sound. In the case of Figure 3, accents
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on the right hand attract a bass drum while accents on the snare drum are left to themselves. These three ideas are standard practice and everyone should mess around with some accents in different spots within the bar and apply this concept alone.
lose the flow and articulation. Taking things a little further, Figures 13 to 16 introduce 16th note doubles on the bass drum. Each figure places the double stroke a semiquaver later to ensure all parts of the bar have been covered. Standard, but tricky.
The idea to step it up is to leave the hands well alone for the rest of the exercises. The position of the hands will remain and the accents will stay. This becomes our ‘static’ groove. We’re still going to mess around with the bass drum parts, but slow and steady wins the race. Figures 4 to 9 look at some basic 8th note variations on the bass drum. Given the fact that the hands, with all their dynamic range and clarity, are static, this can be difficult. The bass drum can be any velocity you wish; a good, present sound is preferable, but you have to be conscious of not letting the bass drum interfere with the hands.
Here we get to the meat and potatoes part of this idea. Taking the concept of the double strokes on the bass drum, the idea is to create a polyrhythmic phrase under the static paradiddle ostinato. Figures 17 and 18 experiment with the idea over a single bar, separating each group of doubles by one 16th note, with Figure 17 beginning on the downbeat and Figure 18 beginning on the off beat. This in itself is rather challenging and will take coordination and technique to perform accurately, with full clarity in the hands.
Figures 10, 11 and 12 look at playing the bass drum on each of the semiquaver beats within a grouping of four notes. This too will be challenging, but only because you want to be so picky with the hands. Don’t
This idea actually ties in nicely with a column I wrote in September last year referring to a foot pattern I’d learned from watching Dennis Chambers. In the videos I’ve seen, Chambers would play left foot on the hi-hat and left bass drum together, followed by two right side bass drums. This
would be the ostinato. Chambers would then solo like a mad man over the top while the feet remained at a constant tempo. This time, we’re adding structure in the groove, but playing the pattern in the same way as the previous two figures. By allowing the strokes to keep stretching over the bar lines, we end up with three bars total before the bass drum starts repeating itself (Figure 19). The final figure takes the exact Chambers idea (LF RF RF) and applies this as left foot hi-hat and two right hand bass drums. This creates a three-note sticking with a continuous semiquaver feel ostinato in the feet. It’s important to remember there are so many ideas here which can be performed with any paradiddle or basically any combination of accents. Really, the options are endless. Your coordination will certainly be boosted, and these ideas might even help your driving.
BY ADRIAN VIOLI
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PRODUCT REVIEWS AUDIO-TECHNICA
ATH-CKR7TW & ATH-SPORT7TW True Wireless In-Ear Headphones AUDIO-TECHNICA AUSTRALIA | AUDIO-TECHNICA.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: SPORT7TW - $299 CKR7TW - $349
Airpods are a page out of the tried and true Apple publicity playbook: take an existing technology used primarily by a tech-interested audience, paint it sheer white, simplify and announce it like it’s a bold new step into the future. Despite the initial ridicule they received, Airpods were inevitably a giant hit, leaving premium audio companies scrambling to respond. Audio-Technica have made their commercial reply with the ATH-CKR7TW and SPORT7TW True Wireless in-ear headphones, marketing a superior Japanese pedigree. Out of the box, the design brief is grace and simplicity, arriving in black or grey. Both models bear the Audio-Technica stamp on the side, though the CKR has a deeper visible imprint than the SPORT. The CKR is larger than the SPORT, though both are relatively compact considering the electronics they house. The SPORT is more ovular, with ridges around the sides of the edge of the ear buds. Most of their bulk is relegated to their girth, due to the separation of the electric circuitry from the acoustic space. Their chunk admittedly doesn’t make for a 21st century look, but it’s not trying to emulate Airpods. One of the most frustrating elements of the market’s pivot to battery powered Bluetooth headphones is the constant monitoring of charge. Audio-Technica have latched onto this misgiving and tackled it two-fold: battery life and a portable charger. The CKR markets six hours of charge on continuous use, while the SPORT claims three and a half. Both figures seemed relatively close to the practical truth, getting five and three hours in testing respectively. This alone is enough for intended use (work, school days and average exercise), though the inclusion of the portable charger makes
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them unbeatable. It’s a cool little case too, allowing you to click the headphones in with a simple magnet and supplying nine hours of charge for the CKR and a staggering 14 for the SPORT. After that, a simple USB cable charges the portable case. I initially had difficulty getting the CKRs to stay steady in my ears, an issue made more obvious by how well the SPORT sticks. The “3D Wings” or attachable rubber wings included definitely make the fit a little easier, as do the range of ear tip sizes. It is worth finding a fit without the 3D Wings if you’re planning on a longer listening session, as they can grate on your ear. The SPORT could not be an easier or more comfortable fit, with additional ear fins to ensure they don’t fall out, regardless of activity. Sport Pro ear tips with a sweat guard are included, and you may want to reorder these; after a run without them, you don’t exactly want to share the headphones around. Both models have a superbly intuitive touch control that make them viable for any kind of listener; a single button controls playback, calls and volume adjustment on either side. To begin with, particularly on the SPORT, you will probably engage every feature apart from the one you want, highlighting the importance of the oldfashioned instruction booklet. Audio-Technica recommend you download their “connect” app to gain further customisation, though I found the addition of the SBS codec for a high quality connection more hassle than the average consumer is willing to handle, particularly if setting out for a run or morning commute. Conversely, the difference in quality is audible, so if you’re committed to the high fidelity, the option is there.
The lack of voice control in both models is a glaring lack of future-proofing that some might baulk at, though it’s likely AudioTechnica are allowing room for succeeding editions. The frenzy in true wireless headphones has been quick, so perhaps they’re not too keen to commit all of their tech quite yet. Both headphones are designed to include the same Digital-to-Analogue-Converter (DAC) ilk, though the CKR’s drivers are about double the SPORT’s (11mm and 5.8mm, respectively. The CKR’s 11mm drivers sit alongside a carbon coated diaphragm, pure iron yoke and brass stabiliser – highly sophisticated headphone tech, reflected immediately in the sound. Tested with a variety of music, the CKR beats any in-ear headphones at the price point. For rockier material, I tested them with Mitski’s garage rock record Bury Me at Makeout Creek – it was able to convey clarity across the trebly highs and a solid bass response that doesn’t verge on overbearing. Panda Bear’s Buoys showed it could replicate house sub-bass competently, though it was Pusha T’s highly produced hip-hop LP DAYTONA that best demonstrated its strength; lows, particularly the snares, had a kick, while the mids emphasised extremes. The highs are clear, but sit back in the mix comparatively. Provided you can correctly position the buds in your ears, the CKRs soundstaging contains strong contrasts across a wide spread of frequencies. The strong spread also provides adequate noise-cancellation, along with the strong seal the headphone makes. The SPORT is equally as excellent for its intent. Though its drivers don’t match the premium standard of its stablemate, it has been calibrated for a bassier, more active sound. The SPORT presumably corresponds
to the hip-hop, house, etc. more typically matched to exercise, though it also appeals to those who prefer booming lows. Used first in an exercise context, I found it impossible to discern the difference in sound quality – it was only when used at home that the distinction between the two models became clear. The SPORT also carries a neat “hearthrough” function, using the side-button to briefly pause your listening to hear your surroundings via the microphone. It is useful, albeit easy to accidentally engage. Audio Technica have smartly made a twopronged attack in the true wireless market with the CKR7TW and SPORT7TW. Although not perfect, they make a strong premium alternative to the tyranny of Airpods, with a swathe of extra features poised for updates.
HITS ∙ Impressive 9 and 3.5 hour battery lives respectively (CKR7TW & SPORT7TW) ∙ Premium, high fidelity sound ∙ Support for SBS, AAC codecs ∙ SPORT performs very highly for its price-point and purpose ∙ SPORT’s “hear-through” function ∙ Inclusion of range of ear-tip sizes and 3D Wings for comfortability MISSES ∙ Chunky ∙ CKR7TW difficult to fit into ear, affects the soundstaging ∙ No voice control
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FRAMUS
Devin Townsend Stormbender Guitar AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $5999 Devin Townsend is an absolute mastermind. Between Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Project and numerous other projects, he has released a ridiculous amount of music over the last 25 years, as well as produced some of the most pivotal heavy bands from the last two decades (Lamb of God, Misery Signals, and Darkest Hour to name a few). It seems absurd to me that it’s taken so long for the man to get the signature guitar treatment, but now the absurdity has come to an end. After playing numerous custom shop Framus guitars for the last few years, Townsend and the German guitar giants have teamed up to finally release a production model, the Stormbender – the perfect machine for the modern metal/prog guitarist. I’ll start by saying that the Stormbender is one hell of an impressive guitar. The spec sheet alone blew me away before the guitar itself reached my desk. The AA flame maple top, ebony fretboard, EverTune bridge, Fishman Fluence pickups and high-quality Graph Tech tuners show that no expense was spared in its creation. On top of the immaculate specs, the Framus team have delivered and then some when it comes to build quality. I traced over every inch of the guitar and every tiny aspect of its build
was utter perfection. Granted, it’s what you would expect from a guitar with such a hefty price tag. Townsend is renowned for being a dynamic player, so naturally you would expect his guitar to cover a lot of bases, which it does in absolute style. This is certainly not just another gloss black, one dimensional metal guitar. Of course, it absolutely sings when it comes to high gain and overdriven tones, but the Stormbender soars with beautiful resonance in cleaner settings. I couldn’t get over how clear and pristine the guitar sounded when playing larger chord voicings and how percussive/snappy single note passages were. I have to give Townsend’s signature set of Fishman Fluence pickups credit. I’ve never been a fan of active pickups as they always seemed so flat and docile, but the Fluence pickups have a lot of life and sound very rich. The added value of a push/pull tone knob allowing you to change the voicing of
the pickup was also a lovely surprise. Voice 1 sounded full and vibrant for high gain chugs and riffs, whereas Voice 2 was crystal clear and more akin to a passive, single coil pickup. This feature only added to the diverse range of sounds you can achieve with the Stormbender. I was a bit perplexed by a few of the specifications on the Stormbender, admittedly. The tiny toggle switch placed on the top horn of the body seemed odd, mostly due to the horn itself being quite long but the switch itself being very small, making it easy to miss when trying to change pickups on the fly. I was also astounded that such a high end instrument only came with a padded gig bag instead of a road worthy flight case. It would be safe to assume that any instrument at this price point would come with a fitted case to ensure the safety of your investment. Those little things aside, the Stormbender is a stellar piece of kit. It’s beautifully
crafted, incredibly dynamic and impeccably classy. While the aesthetic might be a bit too out there for some, I’m sure that any fan of Devin Townsend or progressive music is going to have a field day with this guitar. If you’re looking to invest in a high end guitar that can cover a lot of sonic territory and operate as a solid workhorse for live or studio use, then I would highly recommend taking the plunge on the Stormbender. BY NICHOLAS SIMONSEN
HITS ∙ Huge dynamic range of tones ∙ Flawless build quality ∙ Classy aesthetic MISSES ∙ The lack of hard case is mind-blowing
FENDER
American Performer Precision Bass FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $2299 Fender has made some tweaks to their range over the last few years, adding features, colours and options to meet an ever-demanding public. The newly introduced American Performer line is Fender’s most affordable Californian made instruments. Of course continuing the classic J and P Basses the line also features a Mustang Bass model for those wanting something different. Anything different with the P, I hear you ask? Read on. An alder body maple neck and either maple or rosewood fingerboard form the basis of the American Performer P bass. 34” scale length, 20 frets (medium jumbo sized fretwire), a modern C shape neck, vintage styled steel saddles bridge, lightweight vintage-styled paddle tuners and Fender’s new Yosemite pickups and Greasebucket tone circuit round out the instrument. This particular example came in Satin Lake Placid Blue finish, which looks great with the maple neck and black scratch plate. Other colours in the lineup include Penny, Three Tone Sunburst and Arctic White. Time will tell if more colours are offered but the mix of traditional colours and some modern/new looks will surely help to cater to a wide audience. Taking cues from vintage Fender P basses, the Performer not only looks good but plays beautifully too. The neck is easy to whip
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around and coupled with the low action on this example, it really was a breeze to play. Low single note lines, upper register licks and chords all felt good and benefited from the good intonation and playability. Fender’s new Yosemite pickups sounded good to my ears and provided a usable range of tones. The Greasebucket tone circuit is designed to have no loss of gain or fundamentals when cutting treble. It seems like Fender have put quite some time into most aspects of this new Performer Series. I was actually tracking some bass parts on a recording with a Fender J that wasn’t quite getting what I wanted. I Plugged in the Performer P, dialled up a blend of the split coil and bridge single, and instantly had a great tone.
My first impressions were of a comfortable weighted bass that looked the goods straight out of the gig bag, and this impression didn’t change throughout my time with the instrument. Of course the new colour offerings are cool and add some modern touches whilst keeping the traditionalists happy and the price point is very competitive. Good tones, a good player and a good price.
HITS ∙ New range of colours are on point ∙ Plays great and the P/J pickup combination is a winner MISSES ∙ None
BY NICK BROWN
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PRODUCT REVIEWS EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
Swiss Things Pedalboard Reconciler YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM EXPECT TO PAY: $479.99 EarthQuaker Devices has entered the switcher market with a phenomenal contender. The Swiss Things is an AB/Y switcher with two independent loops as well as an auxiliary tuner and an expression pedal output. The solid, inconspicuous black chassis houses true bypass circuity and secures the most silent switches I’ve ever used, so they’re perfect for tap dancing without the worry of clicks and pops between signals. Five switches, a phase button and boost pot grants the user a lot of routing and looping options, as well as cheeky additions to loops that aren’t even being used, and bright multi-coloured LEDs to ensure you know what is active when playing on dark or dimly lit stages. The EarthQuaker Devices Swiss Things is powered by a 9V adapter located top and centre of the unit, so it’s perfect for a pedalboard (as you’d expect for a switcher, but also from Earthquaker Devices). Bright LEDs inform the user of different routing that has become active out of the A and/ or B, effects loops and boost (red, yellow, green, pink, blue and aqua respectively). All the switches are EarthQuaker’s patented Flexi-Switch design for noiseless switching and feature isolated transformers for the effects loops. In addition to being an AB-Y switcher, the Swiss Things features
two effects loops, one buffered and one unbuffered. This is specifically to cater for drives and gain-based effects, and the separate unbuffered effects loops for time based delays and reverbs, and modulation effects such as chorus and flanger. The steel chassis can withstand any amount of stomping without fail, and intelligently located jack in/outs ensure you won’t accidentally yank cable when stepping forward for that blasting solo that use both loops, multiple amplifiers and the boost. In addition to the loops and routing options, empty loops can be switched to and used as a kill-switch if left empty. This can be particularly handy when muting for tuning, or for especially quiet breaks or pauses in songs. Long list of specs aside, the Swiss Things is mostly practically designed. On first use, it was a bit confusing that the A/B outputs are actually located as B/A on the unit itself, so it can take some getting used to remembering that the outputs don’t read from left to right. The ‘A/B’ and ‘Both’ are also located at the top of the unit, above the Loop 1, Boost, Loop 2 switches and Boost pot, so it could be precarious stepping over them to switch between amps. Admittedly though, it makes more sense to have the effects loops easily within reach.
Located front and centre is the boost’s pot and switcher, which can push an amp a little harder for a grittier tone overall or to poke through a dense mix when required. The boost works well, with plenty of gain, fairly precise control, and an even arc of gain as you dial the pot up to 5 o’clock. Overall, the Swiss Things would be great addition to any pedalboard. There are plenty of routing options, and it won’t get in the way. You can use two independent loops for different effects, as well as clearly see what you’re doing and when you’re doing it thanks to bright, multi-coloured LEDs. The labelling and layout is a bit confusing at first, but after plugging it all in, that won’t be an issue. The auxiliary outs for expression pedals and a tuner are a handy addition that pushes the Swiss Things to the head of the pack – not all AB/Y pedals include this feature. The Flexi-Switches are my favourite addition, as they feel smooth and sturdy but remain deadly silent. EarthQuaker Devices – as their names suggests, are a force to be reckoned with. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
HITS ∙ Silent Flexi-Switch switches ∙ Buffered and unbuffered loops for different effects ∙ A LOT of routing options ∙ Bright multicoloured lights MISSES ∙ Confusing labelling and location of in/outs
FENDER
American Performer Telecaster FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $2199 Perhaps slightly overshadowed by the Stratocaster at times, the mighty Telecaster is one serious tonal beast. Able to provide jangly rock, clean picking, warm round chords and bright rhythm and blues flavours amongst its arsenal, it is a guitar that any budding axe slinger should acquaint themselves with at some stage. Boasting a combination of classic Fender know-how and some modern stylings the American Performer series of instruments seem to have created much interest in the music community. With colours such as Penny and Satin Sonic Blue, the Tele is next on the agenda. Is it Copper? Light Brown? Bronze? Nope, it’s Penny according to Fender. Whatever the name I was greeted by a glorious copper coloured sparkle that really stood out. Contrasting nicely to the light coloured maple neck and board, the guitar has a bit of swagger without looking too over the top. Alder is the body wood of choice, maple is used for the 22 fret necks (with rosewood available as a fingerboard on some models). Jumbo sized fret wire seems to be the rage with a lot of manufacturers these days and the Performer Tele follows suit, while the radius is a middle ground 9.5” and the profile being described as a Modern C shape. Fender’s own Yosemite pickups can again be seen onboard this Tele along with ClassicGear machine heads, a vintage-styled three-saddle bridge and a Greasebucket tone system as part of the controls.
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Tuning seemed great on the American Performer Tele. It’s not always the way with a guitar straight out of the box but this example felt good, stayed in tune and looked the goods all around. The front pickup position gives you warm round tones for jazz and smokey blues with the tone pot rolled back. Open it up and you get a great jangle that can do rock and pop with lots of cut and clarity. The middle position is often underutilised on T-style guitars but I find it great for chirpy chords and lead lines that need something slightly different in the tone department. Switch to the bridge and you’ve
got bite that works well with clean tones and distortion. Country, pop, rock, heavier styles, funk and plenty more are all fair game on a Tele in my books. I really dig the American Performer series. Fender have gotten the price right and are offering some new features that add that modern touch but don’t stray too far from the tried and tested classics.
HITS ∙ Combination of vintage and modern looks and features ∙ Great price point and mix of tones MISSES ∙ Maybe a case instead of a gig bag?
BY NICK BROWN
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PRODUCT REVIEWS TC ELECTRONIC
DVR250-DT Controller AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $549 We reviewed a few of the Desktop Series of TC Electronics’ plugins a few months ago, and the DVR250-DT is a phenomenal addition to the collection. Working in the box seems to be the go-to for a lot of engineers both amateur and professional in 2019, but the ability to retain something tangible from analogue equipment is really something special. The DVR250-DT is a digital vintage reverb plugin with four levers for adjusting parameters and effects, as well as further fine tuning available within the plugin itself. The hardware is about hand-size, and resembles famed EMT reverbs with red and white faders and buttons. The plugin contains a lot of very usable presets that can slide easily and quickly into a mix. In addition to the reverbs themselves, the DVR250-DT offers further effects such as chorus and echo. The unit also offers time shift options for the phase to give subtle creative comb filtering effects that can help reverbs either sit forward or nestle in behind sounds to make them pop. Little additions like this make the DVR250-DT a one-stop shop, as these kind of effects would usually need to be part of a chain. The parameters for control of all these effects are really endless, if a little daunting at first. Admittedly, it can be easy to continuously tweak without making much progress.
Luckily, the plugin has a very organised preset option, for saving your own presets that can be tweaked for each project and/ or sound. It also encourages the user to use their ears and tweak the hardware, instead of scrolling through numbers on your computer screen. All too often we mix by numbers when working entirely in-the-box, but the DVR250-DT solves that by offering us both. Once a reverb type is chosen, nice bright lights clearly signify your changes to the time, delay, chorus, phase, reverb etc., as well as handy input/output meters on the hardware that mirror input/output settings on the plugin in your DAW. Installing the plugin itself is easy enough, and I’d recommend downloading the manual while you’re there. Because of the long list of adjustable parameters and options, it can be confusing to get your head around at first. The labelling on the hardware isn’t particularly clear, and it took a little investigating to determine what was being changed, turned up and turned off within the plugin. Once you’re past that though, you can really shape your reverbs. The DVR250-DT offers a heap of options such as different input transformers, as well as lower resolution reverbs for a grainier sound – something that’s particularly analogue sounding. The thing I love about the plugin
is how far TC has gone to emulate the sounds we’ve all heard on hit records. They’re not always blatantly clear, but they assist in helping elements of a mix sit together like nothing else, especially for digital reverbs. Overall, the DVR250-DT is a complete reverb and effect solution for a mix engineer of any level. The presets are entirely usable when mixed in, but the sheer level of detail you can get into can leave you with precise reverbs and effects than can serve any purpose you need them to. This is, of course, a blessing and a curse as you can easily wormhole into endless tweaking. The bright lights and meters let you know what you’re doing, and it’s handy to have a product that you can set and tweak with hardware instead of a computer mouse. Having a tangible
piece of hardware is a great addition, especially when there are even more options within the plugin itself. The DVR250-DT is yet another TC Electronic product that has made its way onto my wish list. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS HITS ∙ Lots of options ∙ Handy tangible hardware MISSES ∙ Parameters and control can be daunting or confusing
FAITH GUITARS
FKVCD Venus Electro Cedar Acoustic CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $1150 The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is supposed to be where guitar brands unveil their most exciting new models, though in recent years it feels like a new finish or a sparkly set of machine heads rank as good enough. Faith Acoustic Guitars are determined to exist in a different stream, with their Naked series jettisoning flashy looks for superlative quality with every release. The FKVCD Venus Electro Cedar is the latest and greatest, adding the titular solid cedar top for an even lusher tone. Although Faith advertise a disregard for cosmetics in their Naked series, the Venus Electro Cedar certainly tugs the brand toward a showier aesthetic. The new model sports stained mahogany back and sides with a satin finish and a few black fittings here and there. A mother of pearl “F” marks the 12th fret with some prestige, while the inconspicuous Indonesian ebony fretboard is deceptively intricate. The solid cedar top itself, although added to improve tone, also has a richer finish that looks like it matches the price tag a little more than previous models. The Venus Electro Cedar still has the same patented Patrick James Eggle construction, with its quarter sawn-spruce and X-Brace design, the architectural beauty of which can be seen via the soundhole. It’s hard to deny Eggle’s
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self-proclaimed status as the UK’s best luthier while holding a guitar with this level of immediate craftsmanship. As with all guitars from Faith, the resonance from the first strum will make you fall in love. The brand new cedar top, a tonewood more typically used for classical guitars, creates a tone with a bulky low end, softening the trills of mids and highs. The body’s orchestral/ classical inspired shape, crafted with a slimmer depth, produces a velvety sustain with plenty of volume. Some of that volume and balance can also be attributed to the NuBone nut and saddle, a synthetic material derived from TUSQ. Faith’s purist philosophy hasn’t stopped them from including a token pickup/preamp system. The input in the bottom is not impressive – bizarrely, it’s a tight fit for most
leads. The integrated tech is from premium transducer company Fishman, so provided you have a quality amplifier, the sound is accurate and clean with simple controls. The tuner in the side-mounted preamp panel is intuitive; however, its accuracy is fairly broad. Luckily, Faith’s precision chrome machine heads remained smooth and intonation was refreshingly pristine over a near-two week period of heavy usage. In a time when many luthiers at major guitar companies are satisfied to refine classics, it’s comforting to know some still believe guitar excellence is earned. Excellence is a concept that has been rendered meaningless by hyperbolic PR, though it’s one that Faith embody in the traditional sense with their craftsman build. At the price point, the Venus Electro Cedar is a worthy purchase as
a record-quality acoustic or a head-turning campfire beast. BY JOSHUA MARTIN
HITS ∙ Extraordinary build quality, with craftsmanship on show ∙ Cedar top enriches the tone ∙ NuBone nut and saddle’s volume boost ∙ Simple aesthetic beauty MISSES ∙ The pickup and preamp feel like an afterthought ∙ Output jack is clunky
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PRODUCT REVIEWS LINE 6
Shuriken Variax SR250 Guitar YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM EXPECT TO PAY: $2599 The Line 6 Variax Shuriken is the latest Variax guitar, created in conjunction with Twelve Foot Ninja guitarist Steve “Stevic” MacKay, and it’s a force to be reckoned with. It connects via VDI to Line 6’s Workbench HD software and allows the user to endlessly tweak presets that can be turned on and cycled through very easily. It’s available in 25.5” and 27” scale lengths, and feels like a solid, well-built guitar. The 25.5” scale length Shuriken is sleek, finished in black satin and feels fast. The distinctive body shape is comfortable to play, but is a little top heavy, and it includes a gig bag that is well padded and would keep the guitar safe in most situations. The Shuriken includes adapters and cables to connect to Line 6’s Workbench HD software, which is where the Shuriken really shines. Workbench HD gives the player the ability to choose from 50 guitar models and countless pickup and tuning combinations. Once installed, the Workbench HD software left me floored. The guitar itself features single volume and tone knobs, as well as two notched knobs to cycle through tunings and customised guitar models. It has a single bridge pickup, and a five-way pickup switch so the player can select different pickups and further customise the pickup selector itself. One feature that struck me was the customisable tuning, where each string can be
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cycled through at increments of a semitone. I love this because I’ve always struggled with how different tunings feel. A guitar tuned, intonated and se tup in standard never feels right in a dropped tuning, etc. The Shuriken does away with this problem, because the guitar is always set up and tuned, but the software changes the tuning. Further to this, Workbench HD can change the volume of each string. I’m a fan, and I haven’t even got to the guitar model reproductions. The Workbench HD software allows the Shuriken user to download model, tuning and string presets to the guitar itself. Scrolling through the models, there’s an array of guitars to choose from such as Les Pauls, Gretsches, a big body acoustic, Telecasters and Rickenbackers to name a few. Once a model is selected, the pickup position can be customised, as well as the angle and volume of the pickup. This allows the pickup selector to also act as a killswitch if
required. Something that struck me about the reproductions was how accurate they are, in that they can sound unpleasant. At times the acoustic was too boomy, and some pickup options made the guitars sound too thin. I love when gear can be pushed too far, and this is a testament to how accurate the Shuriken and Workbench HD software really is. It’s important to note that while the Line 6 software reproduces the sound of these with great accuracy, it’s reproducing their recorded, direct sound. Similar to the Shuriken’s software counterparts, such as the Line 6 Helix, Kemper or Axe-Fx, these units will never replace the actual gear they’re reproducing, nor will they sound specifically like whatever amplifier or guitar they’re emulating. But recorded, or played through a real amp, the Shuriken will faithfully reproduce everything it claims to. In conclusion, the Shuriken is phenomenal.
Once the Workbench HD software is installed it’s very simple to create and save presets. For people who tweak or love to experiment, it’s heaven. The Shuriken can become any number of normal electric guitars at the push of a button (well, the scrolling of a knob, but that’s less poetic). I highly recommend the Shuriken to creative players who want options, or who want to experiment and to create something new. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
HITS ∙ Easy access to higher frets ∙ Workbench HD software is great MISSES ∙ Top heavy
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PRODUCT REVIEWS ALLEN & HEATH
Qu-SB Compact Digital Mixer TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP | TAG.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $1799
There are a lot of compact digital mixers on the market these days, offering all manner of configurations and various interfacing options. They’re really only limited to the physical connectivity on offer, as the software capabilities can always grow with the needs of the user base. Now, I’ll come out and say it right from the get-go – I have seen and used my fair share of various compact digital mixers, but I certainly believe the one that most took my fancy over the last ten years is the Allen & Heath Qu-SB compact digital mixer. For those of you who have not yet had the chance to look at one of these units, I highly recommend it. The physical build of the interface and the software integration make it a standout device in a marketplace that understands quality and knows that meeting the user’s needs is paramount. Allen & Heath has always been known for quality builds in its mixers, and its offerings in the digital realm are no different, with the Qu-SB leading the way for compact digital mixing. I do love the design of the hardware unit. It reminds me somewhat of the classic tilt-back shape of a number of analogue synthesisers I used to own. It’s tough enough to be used on the stage floor in place of a traditional analogue stage box, meaning you don’t need long cable runs and expensive multicores to get the signals from all your microphones to your mixing position. For installation purposes, it can
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easily be connected to a LAN via network cables and be accessed from any network connection within the building, making it ideal for larger corporate installs and large venues alike. The Qu-SB is very well constructed and offers more I/O options than any other device I have come across for its size. With 16 microphone inputs, it’s going to take care of most live setups, although it can be linked via a dSnake connection to another device to expand the system to 32 microphone or line inputs. The same goes for outputs, with a good selection on offer. Ten mix outputs and a master stereo output are supplied on the device, allowing for front of house and plenty of monitoring options to be catered for. Plus, it acts as a USB interface to a computer for live recording of your performances. This means you can capture every moment of your performance to play back later, while mixing at the same time. When not performing live, it makes an ideal recording device in the rehearsal room. I don’t usually like to refer to any software platform as an ‘app’ as that tends to leave people thinking it is a simple platform, but with newer computer operating systems changing their labels on what a piece of software is called, the term ‘app’ now means you are getting something far more complex than just a promotional device on your mobile phone. One thing is for certain: this is not a simple mixing app. It is a fully fledged
mixing solution and gives you total control over all physical inputs and outputs as well as virtual channels within the software. There are a number of different apps that can be run with this device to achieve various goals. The Qu-Pad app gives you instant access to all your mixing parameters on one iPad so you can roam around the venue and make changes to any element of the mix as you please. You have four effects engines within the software, offering a wide range of dynamic, EQ and creative effects for your mix. Up to 11 monitor mixes can be created, with six able to be reassigned as three stereo pairs. Also, with the Qu-You app, up to seven separate iPads can be run on stage for different monitor mixes, allowing performers to adjust their individual mix to suit their needs, while being locked out from other critical mix functions. Even better, Allen & Heath has teamed up with Sennheiser, Shure and Audio-Technica to create a library of microphone preamp presets ready to suit a wide range of microphones from these three companies. Simply select the microphone you’re using and apply the intended purpose, and the software sets up the EQ just right to meet the criteria. Not only can you save your room EQ settings and patches for mix setups, but you can also easily adjust the microphone settings to instantly fit your rig. The Qu-SB pretty much takes the guesswork out of the equation for those who may not have advanced engineering skills.
Digital mixing is now very much an option for every musician on any stage, allowing you to add recording to the mixing process without the need to worry about splitters, additional computers, software or a recording engineer. It offers a number of recording options, including a fully-fledged 18 channel multi-track recording option at 24bit/48kHz quality. Playback is also an option through the Qu-SB, so you can bring limitless amounts of pre-recorded music to you events. In short, this unit is a musicians’ dream when it comes to live performance and recording. You can be the engineer from anywhere in the room, including the middle of the stage. Save your presets for each venue and setup, and there is very little work involved the next time. BY ROB GEE
HITS ∙ Excellent array of inputs and outputs ∙ Well-designed control software ∙ Excellent microphone preset library MISSES ∙ None
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PRODUCT REVIEWS GRUV GEAR
GigBlade Sliver CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $225 The gig bag has long been the perfect sidekick for a guitar. I can guarantee that it was the first accessory purchased to go with any guitar that has even been bought, and rightly so. With the investment that goes into purchasing an instrument, it’s also paramount that one invests in something to keep it safe and sound. Gruv Gear have released a number of high quality gig bags in recent years, with a focus on comfort, convenience and cool as hell designs. This month we got our hands on the GigBlade Sliver, the new slim and lightweight take on the classic GigBlade bag. I know what you’re thinking: it’s just another gig bag. Well, you’re quite wrong. The majority of bags that I’ve seen and used over the years implement a backpack approach, and the worst part about that is constantly having to duck to avoid the top of your guitar knocking doorways or overhead objects. The GigBlade Sliver implements a side-carry approach, which feels far more natural and eliminates the possibility of damaging your precious headstock. The Sliver is also half the weight of the original GigBlade, weighing in at only 2.5kg. I’ve seen a number of heavy
padded bags over the years, and while they are really sturdy and roadworthy, they also weigh an absolute tonne. The Sliver is incredibly lightweight, but that doesn’t compromise the security of your guitar in the slightest. It’s available for both bass and electric guitar, with the bass model only being slightly longer to accommodate the larger instrument. I know it’s silly to judge something like a gig bag on its look, but I really love the aesthetic of the GigBlade. The jet black colour scheme with bright orange highlights is striking and has a lot of character, ensuring that you look suave while your instrument stays secure. I definitely had my concerns about such a slim and lightweight bag being able to keep an instrument safe from harm. The bag’s padding isn’t excessive, but certainly enough to withstand any knocks without the contents receiving any damage. Gruv Gear have done a great job with the GigBlade Sliver. It’s the perfect gig bag for the musician who is constantly jumping around between classes, lessons, rehearsals and shows. It’s crazy that it’s taken this long for a company to come out with a side-carry gig bag, but Gruv Gear have finally delivered with finesse.
You’re probably not going to pick one up if you’re touring or flying around for shows, but if you’re constantly on the run around town and don’t want the cumbersome weight and size of a rock solid hard case, then the GigBlade is easily the best option on the market. BY NICHOLAS SIMONSEN
HITS ∙ Side-carry approach is great ∙ Slim and lightweight MISSES ∙ Nope
From $19.95
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Distributed in Australia by Amber Technology ambertech.com.au 1800 251 367 sales@ambertech.com.au
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PRODUCT REVIEWS TOKAI
Terra Nova TT-S4C2-HBGL JADE AUSTRALIA | JADEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $1295 The Tokai Terra Nova is a dreadnought acoustic guitar with a Brad Clark Supernatural pickup, preamp and cutaway. Featuring a beautifully coloured fingerboard and a glossy natural burst, the guitar resembles a more vintage-style acoustic guitar with the advantages and technology of its contemporaries. The pickup and amplified sound is easily tweaked by the onboard controls nestled in the sound hole, easily within reach and much more practical than knobs along the guitar’s sides, as is more common for electro-acoustic guitars. The Terra Nova is balanced, both physically and in its features and sound, with a practically positioned strap button that eases some weight and a well-designed and thoughtfully placed pickup that truly captures the essence of the guitar without colouring it, nor changing the sound when amplified. Both in features and looks, this guitar is beautiful. The Honey Burst is a classy touch that is reminiscent of more vintage stains on acoustic guitars. The body of the guitar is masterfully crafted and the ebony fretboard provides a delicate but rich and articulate sound. A sleek, pale finish veils the guitar’s modern edge and contemporary technology and design. The Terra Nova’s neck strap pin is located on the underside of the neck’s heel, providing a more balanced position when
standing, and does away with the familiar neck-heavy feel of a lot of acoustics. Nestled inside the sound hole are the EQ and volume controls for the Brad Clark Supernatural SDP-M Preamp. Featuring bass, middle and treble controls, the already beautifully full sound of the guitar can be shaped and controlled to fulfil any role in a mix, whether supporting a busy band or driving a melody behind a solo voice. The volume control is easily within reach, which allows the player to slip in and out of the spotlight, as well as a push button to toggle between four contoured sounds. Amplified, the guitar’s pickup is rich and honest. The Brad Clark pickup does a great job of capturing the guitar’s tone and colour. Both acoustically and amplified, the guitar sounds like a treated and tuned instrument. It sounds like the sparkly, rich and dynamic acoustic guitar heard on countless records. Notes are strong and clear, and each interval that makes up their chords resonates
supurbly Every ingredient of your music comes through when this guitar is strummed. The bone nut that comes as standard assists with the clear and sparkly tone, as well as keeping the guitar’s tuning solid. The neck plays beautifully and feels comfortable even at the higher reaches of the fretboard (made available by the cutaway). Admittedly, the relocated strap button gets in the way just beyond the 15th fret, but this is only an issue if you plan on fretting chords up that high. This guitar is a phenomenal instrument. It plays well, tunes easily and holds that tuning. The addition of the Brad Clark preamp and pickup capture the honest sound of the guitar’s resonance transparently, but the amplified tone can be further coloured via the onboard pre-amp and EQ controls that are easily accessible as they sit nestled in the sound hole. The guitar’s acoustic sound is that of hi-fidelity recordings, and inspires mouse-quiet chord passages or full
blown sing-song strumming. The guitar responds dynamically, but notes and chords remain strong. Each note within the chords sings with intention and clarity, making for more stark and precise harmony. The vintage stain and glossy finish are a sight to behold. It’s a shame that these guitars will be played and loved and used as they deserve to be hung up on a wall and admired. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
HITS ∙ Great sound and tone ∙ Very playable ∙ Balanced weight MISSES ∙ N/A
EVH GEAR
5150III 6L6 2x12 Amplifier FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU RRP: $2499 The first Peavey 5150 was produced in the ‘90s for Eddie Van Halen, and subsequent models have pushed the boundaries for controlled, articulate tone. In the early 2010’s, Eddie Van Halen began producing amps under the EVH banner. Enter the EVH 5150III (continuing the namesake after Peavey 5150 I & II). The EVH 5150III comes in a variety of models, from 50-100 watt heads with matching cabinets, or robust combo amps. The EVH 5150III 6L6 2x12 combo amplifier is one such variation, a 50 watt amplifier with matched Celestion 2x12 speakers. This 2x12 combo has enough features to satisfy a bedroom guitarist or studio musician alike. Featuring a sweepable power control, the amp can be pushed hard without annoying neighbours, as well as an addition speaker cab input for extra mic’d cabinets when recording or live. The EVH 5150III 2x12 is a three channel Swiss Army knife, and you’d expect nothing less from EVH himself. Channel One is the cleanest of the three and is very clear, almost like a DI. It takes effects and drives well, while retaining the bottom end character that every model of 5150 is known for. Channel One and Two share EQ controls, but have independent gain and volume knobs (ingeniously designed to be a combo chicken head and rotary-style knob that only occupies one knob space). Channel
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Two is a grittier clean, with more character and bite that could easily be a main rhythm tone. Channel Two responds better than Channel Three to dynamic playing, and your playing is articulate and clearly defined. Channel Two also takes drive well, and pushed with a Tube Screamer or similar you can dial in pretty classic 5150 tones with modern edge and control, as well as dial back the gain for cleaner but iconic lead tones. Channel Two also gates well, because of the dynamics and strength behind the notes. The third channel has the most gain of the three, but is by no means muddy or messy. Even without pedals, Channel Three on any of the 5150III series reminds me of a high-gain amp pushed to its limit, with an additional drive pushing its pre amp. The third channel is tight and aggressive, snarky but controlled. The third channel delivers the cabinet womp, but cuts through without being overbearing. Besides three entirely usable and practical channels, the 5150III 2x12 combo amplifier also has a great reverb, but beware, this reverb can sound wet. It sits nicely at barely Seven o’clock, and beyond the Nine o’clock mark it becomes very prominent, but not unpleasant or messy. It quickly goes from a little reverb mixed in behind a tone to a definitively affected sound. The combo also has a dedicated headphone output. When headphones are connected, the speaker
output is muted for silent recording or practice. The back panel of the amp also features a resonance knob for fine-tuned bottom end response. The internal speakers can be disconnected and hooked up to external cabinets in an isolated space for recording or live use, or in addition to the internal speakers for different flavours on stage. As expected, the 5150III combo is a home run and functions exceptionally, even with such big shoes to fill. The advantage of the combo makes it great for home practice, but extra speaker outs make it a great option for studio use as well. This amp is designed to cater for any player pursuing a tone that will make their own mark on the world. The design on the knobs complement the sleek looks of the amp itself, as the dials and controls are all function with no unnecessary embellishments. Power level attenuation from 1-50 watts is a massively useful feature, as
well as clean channels that are ready to be affected, and dirty channels that are ready to go. There’s beautifully dynamic colour and tone from the three-band EQ, presence and resonance controls. This amp is everything you need and nothing you don’t. It’s the tone we all pursue, tidied up in a robust 2x12 box. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS
HITS ∙ Instantly usable gain channels ∙ Lots of options for routing ∙ Tone colour and control options are great MISSES ∙ Reverb very wet ∙ Clean channel very transparent
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ARTIST:
MADE TO PERFORM INSP ECTO R:
MOD EL:
COLO R:
PICK UPS:
TUNE RS:
NECK :
SERIE S:
FRETS :
INTRODUCING THE AMERICAN PERFORMER SERIES TM FEATURING ALL-NEW YOSEMITETM PICKUPS, HANDCRAFTED IN CORONA, CALIFORNIA
© 2019 FMIC. FENDER®; are the registered trademarks of FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA PTY LTD [ABN 34 613 081 191]. Only Fender Music Australia can authorise these trade marks for Australia. Yosemite is a trademark of FMIC. All rights reserved.
PRODUCT REVIEWS SVS
PB-3000 Subwoofer SVS | SVSOUND.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $2990 The SVS PB-3000 is an 800 watt subwoofer speaker designed for home and professional use. The multitude of connection options make incorporating it into any existing system easy, and the tuning options ensure it’s a great professional reference monitor for mixing (or blowing away bands and A&R reps!). Featuring a 13” speaker and dual ports allows the speaker to reproduce even the lowest octaves with startling clarity, and even an untuned room can benefit from the low end rumble that you feel as well as hear. The back panel features EQ, a phase switch and volume on clear, backlit meters. SVS also offer an app that controls these parameters remotely, so you can tune from wherever you’ll be listening. The PB-3000 arrived safely in a wellpackaged box and included a power cable, optional speaker grille and manual. The speaker ports were filled with foam rollers to keep them clear in transport, and pulling away all the packaging revealed a classy, elegant sub. A dark wood stain covers the speaker enclosure and bevelled edges make for a sophisticated looking piece of audio equipment. The dark stain keeps the sub inconspicuous, which is important for such a sizeable speaker, coming in at 557mm H X 465mm W X 660mm D. Whether situated in your lounge or a home studio or professional
space, this speaker will look the part. The EQ and phase options make this a great reference monitor for mixing, as you can easily shift the low-pass filter to wherever your main monitors stop reproducing sound. The volume can easily be cranked for fine tuning bass in your mixes or checking masters, then dialled back via Bluetooth. The back panel of the SVS PB-3000 offers RCA inputs and outputs, as well as a USB space to be used with the SVS Soundpath Wireless Audio Adapter for connection to an existing system, or through Bluetooth via the SVS app as well. Multiple options make the PB-3000 a great option for a system of any age or level of technology. The back panel of the PB-3000 features a low pass filter that can be set at anything between 30Hz and 140Hz, so you can really air the low end rumble or potentially problematic areas in mastering, especially for vinyl. This sub reproduces frequencies that are not usually reproduced on reference monitors, depending where the crossover is in your speaker setup. There’s a volume control with a nice gradual increase, but the speaker retains focus even at lower volumes, and the phase can be set anywhere between 0° and 180° for maximum bass and minimum phase cancellation. The sub can be situated where convenient and easily tweaked so it still sounds perfect.
SVS has produced a subwoofer worthy of studios of any level, or home listening experiences looking to be raised to the next level. Intuitive design, handy and practical controls make for a product that can be specifically dialled in for any room and any setup. A handy remote app allows you to set-and-forget, but also tweak when you need ensuring the sub serves every purpose you’ll ever need it to. The low end response is clear at any volume, so it doesn’t need to be cranked when fine tuning the endless fight between kick drums and bass in a mix. Alternatively, you can still feel the rumble of film sound as you watch at an acceptable level at home. A myriad of connection
options ensure it can be incorporated and connected to any setup, which really makes the SVS PB-3000 a no brainer. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS HITS ∙ Great response at low volumes ∙ Lots of connections options ∙ Remote controlled via app MISSES ∙ Large size
LINE 6
Powercab 112 and Powercab 112P YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM EXPECT TO PAY: 112 - $1119, 112P - $1599 Line 6 take their modeling very seriously. The Helix (and original POD) offer amps, cabs, and effects tones to use in the studio and on stage to give you a huge sonic palette with a myriad of tweaking options. Further developing this concept, Line 6 have introduced the Powercab range of active guitar cabinets designed as a live sound reinforcement device. Yes, it takes on the FRFR ethos that many modelers utilise, but it also incorporates specific cab sounds for added tonal flexibility. Going the more traditional route, the Powercab has a cool combo/small cab look to it as opposed to the PA speaker aesthetic that many modelers use. Grabbing it out of the box I was surprised at how light it was – great for those sick of lugging big rigs. Housing a 12” speaker designed in collaboration with Eminence and a 1” high compression driver made by Celestion, the Powercab already has some street cred on its side. Rated at 250 watts, all the connectivity is on the back panel. There are some variations between the Powercab and the Powercab Plus, with the latter having additional inputs and a USB interface. Otherwise, essentially you get combo XLR/TRS inputs, an XLR out, MIDI in and out/thru, ground and low cut switches, power switch and Line 6 Link/AES in and out jacks. The standard Powercab has a push button to cycle through the speaker
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emulation options, which are colour coded for easy reference, while the top of the Powercab Plus features a volume knob, home button, backlit display, save button and select knob. This makes it so easy to get started, you can really just plug your Helix in and crank it up. In ‘Flat’ mode the speaker emulation is disabled and you get a clean and clear representation of your modeler tones. This is great for reproducing your finely tweaked sounds but can also be quite confronting at first as it really exposes those sounds you’ve been crafting at home. In the long run I feel this is a good thing though, and it just means you’ll get exactly the sounds you’ve been looking for – especially with all the effort put into modeling/profiling classic guitar tones. Line 6’s angle with the Powercab is then the speaker emulations, which offer vintage, green, cream, jarvis, bayou, essex and Hf off models. The idea now is that you can add some cab emulations to your tones for even more shaping. Line 6 have covered most of the typical speaker faves here too with clean, sparkly F type sounds, rock tones, chimey brite sounds and some American sizzle. All of these can be accessed quickly on the Powercab’s top panel and saved as presets or easily scrolled through on the standard Powercab. Of course there’s great
HITS connectivity when combined with a Line 6 Helix. FRFR mode is great for your modeler tones, with the feeling and look of a 112 cab. Then add in the speaker emulations and you could tweak ‘til the cows come home to really hone in your favourite presets. BY NICK BROWN
∙ Traditional cab looks with modern functionality ∙ Lightweight and portable ∙ Two models adds choice of features MISSES ∙ Price may exclude some punters
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PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
American Performer Stratocaster FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU RRP: $2149 The Fender/Gibson dichotomy has never been stranger than in 2019. With Gibson filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May of last year, the brand’s focus has been financial restructuring. Fender have won the battle of the icons for now, but where do they go from here? A dizzying stream of rebrands of their signature models has arrived over the past year – think Parallel Universe, Alternate Universe, Professional and Player series – and now we can count the Performer series amongst their midst. Taking a look at the Stratocaster, it’s hard to know if this is a triumph or just a victory lap. As you might expect, the Performer series’ modus operandi is playability. The Stratocaster is historically the most playable of the Big Two’s flagship guitars and this incarnation, I will happily report, is its best yet in this respect. The Performer Strat boasts a handsome maple neck in a modern “C” shape and a glossy satin finish that is as easy to play as it is to look at. The 22 jumbo frets and the balanced 9.5” rosewood fretboard are set for particularly expressive playing. The effect was so unexpectedly profound that other guitars played afterward felt obstructive in design. It evoked the philosophy of Omar Rodriguez Lopez’s modded guitars - lightweight and unintrusive instruments made for intense performance. The addition of ClassicGear machine heads
on the oversized headstock are a nice touch also; their 18:1 fine-tuning ratio provides a finesse that goes a long way in high-pressure live or recording situations. Elsewhere, Fender continue their vintage kick with the doublecutaway alder body – a very ‘60s shape. The Performer Strat has a spritely, dynamic tone with plenty of warmth from its three single-coil Yosemite pickups. It’s the result of new tech designed by in-house pickup whiz Tim Shaw. The new Alnico 4 Alnico magnets reverse wind the middle pickup with reverse polarity, while using push/pull tone pot to add the neck pickup in parallel, producing a greater span of tones in positions one and two. Using the five-tone pickup switch is as much of a joy as it ever has been. With the bridge selected, plenty of low-end snarl can be conjured while the neck pickup in isolation has a buoyant twang, bolder than previous editions. Pushing the five-tone pickup switch to giddy new heights is the Greasebucket circuitry. In testing, it heightened tonal control in the upper registers and kept the sound clear. For soloing, this is fairly indispensable (try Funkadelic’s ‘Maggot Brain’ on this one, or any Frusciante solo). The push/pull tone pot added some welcome versatility, particularly in a live funk-band setting where the blending of the neck pickup at will is useful for soulful tones.
Every purchase of the Performer Series Stratocaster arrives with a fairly superfluous certificate of authenticity and a padded soft gig bag. The bag has a cool guitar pick zip; however, you’re likely going to want a hard case to hold an instrument of this calibre. It’s also worth pointing out that the Performer Strat is now the cheapest American-made Strat on the market, almost without sacrifice of prestige. To serious collectors and players this means little at the $2000 price mark, though to prospective beginners looking to make their dream guitar purchase, it’s a gift-in-waiting. It’s not a bold new step forward in the guitar market, but the Performer series makes market sense; there is growth in the emerging market, and this forms part of a shift away from the gear nuts who’ve seen it all. BY JOSHUA MARTIN
HITS ∙ Ultra-playable with the 22 jumbo frets and wide neck ∙ New Yosemite pickups are versatile and bright, pairing with the Greasebucket technology to offer tonal control in higher registers ∙ Enviable finish, beautiful ‘60s construction MISSES ∙ At the lower price point it’s hard to fault a new edition of an improved classic
AF LE TNOD EPRR O F F E S S I O N A L
TS312 Powered Speaker ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU EXPECT TO PAY: $545 Alto is a both a staple and underdog of professional live audio. You’d be hard pressed to find a live audio rig at venues around the world without at least one piece of Alto equipment, or to speak to an engineer who hasn’t used something from the range at some point. Their products are robust, high end, road worthy and stylish. The 2000 watt Alto TS312 embodies all of these things. It would see endless uses (it really is limited only by your imagination) in a studio, home or live venue. A 12” two-way powered loudspeaker, the TS312 will be at home as a front of house speaker or onstage monitor, or alternatively an amplifier for guitar and bass emulation software, with some features on the back panel to assist with perfect sound in any of these situations. The TS312 is a member of the Truesonic 3 Series, all of which feature varying sizes of main drivers and a high-temperature voice coil. The TS312 can deliver 2000 watts from its 12-inch low frequency driver and 3” voice coil. This loudspeaker is powerful, pleasing to listen to and unapologetic in its delivery, reproducing everything from 53Hz to 20kHz. This ensures a clean and precise bottom end that doesn’t get muddied by super low sub frequencies. The TS312 is solid and sturdy, but lightweight and portable enough to move around as part of a live guitar rig, or
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for musicians to own their own monitor that they feel at home on. Alto has customengineered super-efficient class D amplifiers with a passive cooling design that ensures the speaker runs quietly without a fan, and will work as a mainstay of your rig for longer. The back panel features two combo XLR/jack inputs, with independent volume controls and an XLR mix output. There’s a ground switch to prevent earth hum, and a contour switch that gives the speaker an overall low boost, mid scoop and high frequency sparkle. While the contour mode isn’t as clinical as a flat response, it can serve its own purpose when chasing a more rounded tone for onstage monitoring, such as when powering an AxeFx or Kemper (or Helix, or Mooer, ect…) system. The contour responds like an amplifier speaker cabinet, in that it’s slightly scooped and gives the amplifier ‘womp’ that we’ve grown so accustomed to. The speaker is powerful and aggressive, even without the Contour EQ engaged, but is not harsh or fatiguing on your ears – and the contour EQ simply pushes this further. The TS312 is designed for angled use as a stage monitor, but is also pole mountable as well as being stable in an upright position. The powerful and customisable sound has uses that extend beyond live use, such as re-amping room sounds, tweaking room mics for drums
(i.e. live playback of drums while you’re recording), monitoring isolated amplifiers in the studio, or playback in reverb chambers and rooms. The Alto TS312 is a phenomenal example of a monitoring or playback solution in studios or live sound. Products like this continue to raise the bar for a musician’s performance and monitoring experience, and you should expect nothing less from Alto. The TS312 is a powerful tool that can serve the purpose that most loudspeakers also serve, but with its own style and ingenuity. Multiple inputs, an output and a Contour EQ switch combine to transform the two-way, 2000 watt speaker into a less clinical monitor and more powerful amplifier for whatever you need it for. The TS312 is a speaker that is ready to do its job, and that job is whatever you need. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS HITS ∙ Powerful, unapologetic sound ∙ EQ and in/out options MISSES ∙ N/A
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DIRECTORY
EVOLUTION MUSIC
SKY MUSIC
DANGERFORK PRINT CO
A | 8/2 Northey Rd, Lynbrook VIC P | (03) 8787 8599 E | info@evolutionmusic.com.au W | evolutionmusic.com.au /evolutionmusicaus
A | 4/2181 Princes Hwy, Clayton VIC P | (03) 9546 0188 E | info@skymusic.com.au W | skymusic.com.au /skymusiconline
A | 1-5 Perry Street, Collingwood, VIC P | (03) 9417 5185 E | info@dangerfork.com W | dangerfork.com / dangerfork
(Recording Studios) A | 230 Crown St, Darlinghurst NSW P | (02) 9331 0666 E | bookings@damiengerard.net W | damiengerard.com.au /damiengerardstudios
AA DUPLICATION
FIVE STAR MUSIC
THE AUDIO EXPERTS
MAKE MERCHANDISE
A | 84 Nicholson St, Abbotsford VIC P | (03) 9416 2133 E | sales@aaduplication.com.au W | aaduplication.com.au /AADuplicationServices
A | 102 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC P | (03) 9870 4143 E | websales@fivestarmusic.com.au W | fivestarmusic.com.au /fivestarmusicoz
A | 2065 Dandenong Road, Clayton VIC P | (03) 9545 5152 E | sales@theaudioexperts.com.au W | theaudioexperts.com.au /TheAudioExpertsAus
(Screenprinting, Embroidery & Promotional Products) A | Unit 22/7 Lyn Parade, Prestons, NSW P | 0423 740 733 E | sales@makemerchandise.com.au W | makemerchandise.com.au /MakeMerchandise
EASTGATE MUSIC
NEWMARKET STUDIOS
LEARN MUSIC
SOUNDS EASY PTY LTD
A | 1131 Burke Rd, Kew VIC P | (03) 9817 7000 E | sales@eastgatemusic.com W | eastgatemusic.com.au /Eastgatemusic
A | 87-91 Arden Street, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 9329 2877 E | callum@newmarketstudios.com.au W | newmarketstudios.com.au /newmarketstudios
A | 311 High Street, Kew VIC P | (03) 9853 8318 E | learnmusic@bigpond.com W | learnmusic.com.au /kewlearnmusic
(Music Technology & Instruments Retailer) A | Suite G05, 15 Atchison St, St Leonards NSW P | (02) 8213 0202 W | soundseasy.com.au /dsoundseasy
JABEN AUDIO
VINYL REVIVAL
BINARY MUSIC
SOUNDS ESPRESSO
HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS
MELBOURNE MUSIC CENTRE
CONWAY CUSTOM GUITARS
GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY
EASTERN SUBURBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
DEX AUDIO
MONA VALE MUSIC
TURRAMURRA MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Printing/CD & DVD Duplication)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Headphone Specialist Retailer) A | Shop 2 398 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 9670 8231 E | info@jaben.com.au W | jaben.com.au /jabenau
(Rehearsal Rooms) A | 18 Duffy Street, Burwood VIC P | (03) 9038 8101 E | hydrastudios@bigpond.com W | hydrastudios.com.au /hydra.rehearsal.studios
(Music Lessons) A | 10 Floriston Road, Boronia VIC 7 Sahra Grove, Carrum Downs VIC P | 0421 705 150 E | essm@essm.net.au W | essm.net.au /easternsuburbsschoolofmusic
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Music Production Studio)
(Vinyl and Record Specialist) A | 405 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC P | (03) 9419 5070 A | 128 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC P | (03) 9448 8635 E | info@vinylrevival.com.au W | vinylrevival.com.au /vinylrevivalmelbourne
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 525 North Rd, Ormond, VIC P | (03) 9578 2426 E | info@melbournemusiccentre. com.au W | melbournemusiccentre.com.au /melbournemusic.centre
(Audio Visual Retailer)
(Screenprinting & Design Service)
(Audio Visual Retailer)
(Music Education)
(Music Instruments Retailer & Education) A | 48 Bloomfield St, Cleveland QLD P | (07) 3488 2230 E | sales@binarydesigns.com.au W | binarydesigns.com.au /binarymusic
(Luthier) A | Wynnum, QLD P | 0408 338 181 E | info@conwaycustom.com.au W | conwaycustom.com.au /conwaycustomguitars
(Music Instruments Retailer)
A | 393-399 Macaulay Rd, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 8378 2266 E | mail@dexaudio.com.au W | dexaudio.com.au /dexaudioaustralia
A | 55 Bassett Street, Mona Vale NSW P | (02) 9986 0589 E | info@mvmwarehouse.com W | www.monavalemusic.com / monavalemusic
DAMIEN GERARD STUDIOS
(Record Store & Café) A | 268 Victoria Road, Marrickville, NSW P | (02) 9572 6959 E | soundsespresso@hotmail.com W | soundsespresso.com.au /soundsespresso
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 280 Victoria Rd, Gladesville NSW P | (02) 9817 2173 E | mail@guitarfactory.net W | guitarfactory.net / GladesvilleGuitarFactory
(Music Instruments Retailer)
A | 1267 Pacific Hwy, Turramurra NSW P | (02) 9449 8487 E | general_sales@turramusic.com.au W | turramusic.com.au / TurramurraMusic
Not In The Directory? C O N TA C T
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J E S S @ F U R S T M E D I A . C O M . A U
T O
S E C U R E
Y O U R
P L A C E
mixdownmag.com.au
SHOW AND TELL
Andy Marsh Guitarist for Thy Art Is Murder What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? My Ernie Ball Music Man Monarchy series Majesty 7 string. How did you come across this particular item? I’d been familiar with Music Man guitars for quite a while through one of my favorite players, John Petrucci. After many years with other brands the weight and playability had been causing me a lot of fatigue on the road so it made sense to move to something lighter and more comfortable for my wrists. What is it that you like about it so much? The playability and the contours, the way it fits to my body playing live and the playability of the instrument. The stainless steel frets are a massive bonus for me and the Music Man trem is super stable and fun to play on. How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music? I use the guitar in the studio and on the road, it’s the exact same guitar, setup with the exact same strings from Ernie Ball. Having the same instrument with you at all times forms a bond, an intimacy between the player and the instrument and it just feels so second nature to grab it to figure out a riff you’ve been singing in your head at home, to tracking guitars in the studio for 12 hours a day, to slinging it around on stage. Tell us a little about what you have coming up? Plenty more touring in 2019, and again in 2020. We return to Australia after hitting arenas in Europe with Parkway Drive and Killswitch Engage to play Download Festival in Australia, and we can’t wait to get out of this cold! Thy Art Is Murder will perform as part of Download Festival in Sydney on Saturday March 9 and in Melbourne on Monday March 11. Dear Desolation is available now via Human Warfare.
Cameron Eyre Vocalist/Guitarist for SETMEONFIRE What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? I have my Ormsby Hype GTR 6 multi-scale guitar in Toxic Green. How did you come across this particular item? I noticed a few fellow players had recently been endorsed by Ormsby, with whom I was unfamiliar with at the time. It was great timing as I was personally looking to test the waters elsewhere after playing ESP Guitars for several years. What is it that you like about it so much? The first thing that drew my attention was the look. I’m a total sucker for aesthetics, and that fish hook headstock certainly lured me in. Ormsby were kind enough to send me a guitar to try out and it proved to be the workhorse I was looking for. Their production models continue to improve with each run. How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music? Looks aside, the multi-scale really works for what I do. I tune to drop G but still have plenty of lead work and chord voicings. The multi-scale allows more stability on the lower end without sacrificing playability in the higher register. I’ve played standard baritones and found it very uncomfortable for playing leads and chords, so this gives me a great middle ground with the low-end clarity that a baritone scale offers, but with the playability of a more standard scale higher register. Tell us a little about what you have coming up. Our debut album LOWTECH is out Friday March 1 followed by a release tour in May.
LOWTECH is out Friday March 1.
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