Mixdown Magazine #317 by Furst Media

#317 – 2021

IRON MAIDEN THE METAL LEGENDS RETURN TROPICAL F**K STORM, SHANNON & THE CLAMS, TAL WILKENFELD, TIMES OF GRACE GUITAR SPECIAL

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REVIEWED: SENNHEISER EVOLUTION WIRELESS-DIGITAL PRS SE STARLA STOPTAIL FENDER CORY WONG STRATOCASTER + MORE

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CONTENTS

8 10 14 16 18 20 22 24 30 32 33 34 36 58

PUBLISHER Furst Media A1 1-5 Weston St Brunswick VIC 3056 (03) 9428 3600

Giveaways Product News Iron Maiden Shannon and the Clams

PRINT EDITOR Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au

Tropical Fuck Storm Tal Wilkenfeld Times of Grace

Tropical Fuck Storm

Guitar Special Cory Wong

PG .18

Percussion

ONLINE EDITOR Sam McNiece sam@furstmedia.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER Erica May EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Will Brewster

Guitar column Bass column

ADVERTISING MANAGER Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au

Reviews My Rig: Matt Sweeney

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au

/MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU

CONTRIBUTORS Alasdair Belling, Andy Lloyd-Russell, Adrian Violi, Augustus Welby, Bridgette Baini, Benjamin Lamb, David James Young, Lewis NokeEdwards, Liam Mcshane, Nick Brown, Will Brewster

For breaking news, new content and more giveaways visit our website.

Iron Maiden PG. 14

Cory Wong PG. 30

FOUNDER Rob Furst

©2020 Fender Musicial Instruments Corporation. FENDER, FENDER in script, STRATOCASTER, and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender Guitars and Basses are registered trademarks of FMIC. Yosemite is a trademark of FMIC. All rights reserved.

GIVEAWAYS

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Audio Simplified Pedal Pusher

You would have to be living under a rock to not know what these are. The Rokit G4’s are KRK’s high quality powered studio monitors designed to give you an exceptional sound, and with their new front-firing port, they are extremely flexible in terms of placement within your room. We’ve got one pair of these sick speakers to giveaway this issue thanks to our friends at Jands.

Ever wanted to use a guitar pedal in your mix setup but haven’t found a practical solution? Audio Simplified have, and their rack mountable Pedal Pusher allows you to send and receive audio to external pedals while powering them simultaneously. They’ve generously donated one of these professional and unique units to give away this issue to one lucky Mixdown reader.

Black Diamond Jimi Hendrix Guitar String Bundle Our good mates over at JVB Strings have graciously donated two boxes of guitar strings for us to give away to one lucky reader for this issue. With one box of both Black Diamond Jimi Hendrix electric and acoustic strings of the winner’s choice, you won’t have to worry about buying a new box of strings for a year or more, and your guitar will sound all the better for it.

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

Evolution Wireless Digital

Evolving with you. Embrace the power of a digital UHF system, ready for any RF environment. Evolution Wireless Digital raises the bar by providing the highest dynamic range of any wireless system currently on the market, utilizing advanced features that simplify your setup and guarantee the most reliable connection. www.sennheiser.com/ew-d #EvolvingWithYou

PRODUCT NEWS

GK’s Fusion S Series provides tube warmth and punch with dedicated overdrive ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU Gallien-Krueger, leaders in bass amp design and technology combine their characteristic punch with stunning warmth courtesy of three tubes in their sleek Fusion S Series heads. The Fusion S Series features a 4 band active EQ, three 12ax7 tube preamps, push button voicing filters, 1/4” input, an XLR balanced DI output, two twist lock speaker outs, send and return, headphone output and even a dedicated tuner output. Needless to say, this thing is stacked. Get it wherever you purchase your music gear.

Classic cutaways, awesome offsets and Electro-Acoustic basses from Aria PRO MUSIC AUSTRALIA | PROMUSICAUSTRALIA.COM.AU New guitars and basses from Japanese legends Aria have landed on Australian soil. The excellent guitar manufacturers carry over 60 years of experience into their guitars, including a slew of familiar shapes like the awesome Aria 615 Frontier and MK2 T-style electrics, the STG S-style series and FEB Electro-Acoustic basses with stained finishes. These affordable offerings are available now, head to your nearest Aria dealer and check them out.

Iconic Ludwig Speed King Reissue lands in Australia

Fender and Kyser team up to create custom capo range

DYNAMIC MUSIC | DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU

CMC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU

Ludwig’s famous Speed King bass drum pedal has at long last been reissued and is available in Australia. The legendary pedal has been revitalised with improved cam bearings, a more reliable direct-drive linkage and heel plate bearings. Now pair this pedal with their award-winning Neusonic shell kit finished in Burgundy Pearl and an Acro series snare drum, and you’ve got a killer drum kit! Available at all good music stores.

Fender and Kyser, both legends in their respective fields, have teamed up to create a set of four capos customised to Fender’s electric guitar range. Kyser spared no details to ensure that the radius on these new capos pairs with every fretboard. The four inaugural Classic Colors nod to the legendary vintage instruments of the ‘50s and ‘60s, including some of Fender’s most recognizable guitars like the Stratocaster and Telecaster. Colour options are Butterscotch Blonde, Daphne Blue, Olympic White, and Surf Green.

John Mayer’s signature PRS Silver Sky is now available in Roxy Pink ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU

API unveil limited edition API Select hardware audio processors API | APIAUDIO.COM Legendary audio brand API have released a new range of pro audio mic preamps, equalisers and compressors alongside two new stompboxes. Designed and built in their US based factory, this new range of API Select products is made for standard rack units as opposed to their smaller form factor equipment made to fit in their classic ‘lunchbox’ processing units. The range features high quality tubes and componentry as you’d expect from the highly touted studio gear manufacturers.

As seen on his film clip for ‘Last Train Home’, John Mayer’s signature PRS has finally been announced in Roxy Pink. The single coil electric guitar is Mayers vision of what an electric guitar should look and play like. Featuring an Alder body, Maple neck, Rosewood fretboard and 635JM pickups, the guitar is round and full sounding with a musical high end. These are set to hit Australian shores early 2022 so stay tuned!

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PRODUCT NEWS

Pearl’s Stave Craft Snares combine bright hardwoods for sharp tones DYNAMIC MUSIC | DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU Just celebrating their 75th anniversary and following the release of the Duoluxe snare, Pearl have no intentions of slowing down, showcasing their Stave Craft Snares to the world. Made from two layers of either Thai Oak or Makha, Pearl has used “Dado-Loc” joints to increase the shell strength by 50%. Aimed at heavy drummers, this snare can take a whacking and still sound sharp and full-bodied.

Zildjian Professional In-Ear Monitors are a drummers best friend

Vic Firth’s Modern Jazz Collection has never been available to public, until now

Boveda Inc. Two-Way Humidity Control System now available in Australian music stores

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Cymbal manufacturers Zildjian have taken the plunge into in-ears with their aptly named Professional In-Ear Monitors. Designed to deliver high quality sound on stage, in the studio or in practise. With multiple silicone ear tips and the classic 3.5mm connector, anyone can utilise their Dual Dynamic Driver technology. They come with a convenient carry case, cleaning brush and ¼” adapter. Wrap your ears around these from your favourite Aussie music store.

Vic Firth is essentially ‘the’ name in sticks. Their Modern Jazz Collection was created alongside prominent tubsmen Jeff Ballard, Greg Hutchinson and Lewis Nash who collectively could fill a large, proverbial jazzy warehouse, with their knowledge of tone and feel. These unique sticks, which are available now, add to their range of tone shaping drum accessories including the interesting VicKick Beaters (available in felt, wood and fleece) and the extremely long American Concept - Freestyle sticks.

Wooden instruments shrink and swell depending on the humidity of their environment. If that environment is more or less humid than the environment in which the instrument was built, the instrument will perform poorly - or even worse, can be damaged. Boveda’s patented two-way humidity control effortlessly maintains the ideal humidity level in your instrument case. Boveda helps prevent warping or cracking, eliminates downtime for service and never goes off. Future-proof your acoustic now!

New Guild Baritone acoustic guitars have landed in Australia ZENITH MUSIC | ZENITHMUSIC.COM.AU For those unfamiliar with baritone guitars, they are tuned down five steps from a regular guitar and are expertly crafted to sit in this lower frequency range. Both Guild’s BT-240e and BT-258e baritone acoustics boast a deep fullfrequency voice sound. The 258e specifically features an extra two middle strings pitched up an octave to add sparkle to the mix and a Fishman GT-1 pickup system. They’re both available at your local music instrument dealer.

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Iron Maiden On December 25th, 1975, as the world celebrated a Christmas soundtracked by The Staple Singers and Bay City Rollers, a 19-year-old punk upstart by the name of Steve Harris would recruit four of his friends for the first iteration of Iron Maiden.

retrospective Legacy of the Beast world tour, which tragically had to be paused just before touching down in Australia.

This unrivalled energy comes straight down the phone line when he talks about the new record, waxing lyrical about the LP in a manner similar to most young bands after scoring their first record deal.

As Dickinson reveals to us in an exclusive interview, it was the momentum of being on the road that caused their creative cylinders to go into overdrive.

“We all met at Steve’s house and had this wonderful relaxed time - we would all play pool and just hang out while Steve was in the control room, and then he’d call out ‘hey boys, come here - I’ve got something’.

So significant was this event to the fabric of heavy metal, and indeed broader music history, that the event has its own wikipedia entry - a slightly more nativity for a band that many would go on to consider both the rulers and saviours of all things heavy metal.

“We thought we would dive into the studio and do stuff between this Legacy of the Beast tour while we were on a two-month break - Nicko came in and was really grumpy, he was like ‘I don’t know what we’re doing this for!’” laughs Dickinson.

Nearly 50 (!) years later, with millions upon millions of fans behind them, Harris and his band of merry Brits - Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Nicko McBrain, proud Irishman Janick Gers and pocket-rocket frontman Bruce Dickinson - have announced their 17th record Senjutsu (translation: sage techniques / tactics) and appear as hungry as ever. For many bands this deep into their career, a new record can be more symbolic of a will to continue rather than an artistic statement, with the odd new song or two making its way into a setlist for a month or so before being phased out in favour of the hits. Not so with Iron Maiden, who have released albums and proceeded to showcase a majority of the material in arenas and stadiums on subsequent concert tours - most famously in 2006/07 on the tour supporting A Matter of Life and Death, which saw many of the bands’ classics, including staple ‘Number of the Beast’, dropped from a set that featured their at the time new record in its entirety. Such commitment to new music has upped the stakes of each release significantly - and with Senjutsu Maiden have thrown it all at the wall creatively with a mammoth double album, their second such work after 2015’s wonderful, sprawling Book of Souls. Of course, it makes sense that the band wanted to produce a glut of new material, with the album being composed during a break in their critically celebrated 14

“To see a recording engineer with a razor blade slicing your two-inch master-tape... That’s how they used to edit across a cymbal smash - that’s amazing, that’s art.”

“We would all trundle in, and then jump straight onto our instruments and start rehearsing and recording - we just left the tape running the whole time. It was wonderful.”

“Of course it all fell together really well!”

Dickinson is quick to point out that using modern DAWs like Pro Tools has been a Godsend for the band, enabling them to flex their writing chops without fear of having to re-record entire five-plus minute passages of music (indeed, the final three tracks of Senjutsu each pass the ten-minute mark).

Dickinson has always occupied a special place in the folklore of heavy metal, with the 63-year old singer still jumping around stage in a way that would put more hardcore frontmen to shame.

“We used to work with tape machines the size of houses, you’d have 48 tracks… But if you made mistakes, you’d literally have to chop up the master tape and make sure that you didn’t repeat it - and that takes away from the flow of doing things if you’re a performer,” he recalls. mixdownmag.com.au

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“To see a recording engineer with a razor blade slicing your two-inch master-tape… That’s how they used to edit across a cymbal smash - that’s amazing, that’s art. But it was so precarious! “Back in the old days, if Steve came along and said he had a tune that was ten minutes long, we would lose the will to live learning it, and then when we would record it, and make an error two minutes in - it was awful. We’ve gotten better at breaking things down into sections.”

incarnation as a samurai, unveiled wonderfully in the bands recent music video for album lead single Writing on the Wall - something made all the more exciting with the Tokyo Olympics unfolding at the time. It felt, once again, that Maiden were having a tangible effect on broader pop-culture.

Of course, the major question on everyone’s lips is when Eddie will make an appearance onstage with the band (often appearing as a eight foot monster in the song Iron Maiden) - and indeed, how they plan to present an epic, 90 minutes of new music to audiences. In typical Maiden fashion, Dickinson even noted in a recent interview that the album seemed perfect for another front-to-back presentation. “It’s totally an idea (to play it all) - Steve and I discussed it, but our thoughts are at the moment to finish the Legacy of the Beast tour, with a few new songs off the album thrown in.

Over their tenure at the zenith of the metal pile, Maiden have earned a reputation as some of the most consistent craftsmen on the planet, barely putting a foot wrong across 17 LPs with an undeniable sound and image.

“That’s what people have paid their money to see - so we won’t be mucking around with that,” he affirms, a statement which should excite Australian fans, given the band had to cancel their scheduled 2020 May run alongside Killswitch Engage. “Let’s leave the idea of the album tour to the realm of the fantasy right now - but we do think it would be great to do the lot, because it’s such a great album. “Right now though, I just want to get out in front of real people, with real music, where everybody is allowed to jump around without a bag on their head.”

Key to their universe has been Eddie, the official nightmarish mascot for the band who serves as the centrepiece of their artwork and aesthetic for each album. From action figurines, to album sleeves, t-shirts and even appearing as an unlockable character in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, Eddie is one of the most recognisable figures in the world of metal, the cornerstone of Maiden’s brand, and a beloved piece of the puzzle for the band’s rabid fanbase. It was no surprise then that the internet was set abuzz with the revelation of Eddie’s latest mixdownmag.com.au

“Steve came up with the idea of samurai Eddie actually - we had the Maiden Japan EP back in the day, and the song ‘Sun and Steel’ (from the Piece of Mind LP) is about samurai swordfighting too - but we’ve never gone down the road of this Eddie - there’s so much that you can do with it,” says Dickinson. “So many of those old Spaghetti Western films, even some of the Clint Eastwood stuff, it borrows so heavily from those samurai stories - it felt like the perfect companion to have with this album release.”

With the lockdowns (seemingly) having somewhat of a manageable end in sight, and a new album on the horizon, alongside one hell of an unfinished tour and a band chomping at the bit to get back onstage, it’s hard to think of a more exciting time to be a Maiden fan. Up the Irons! BY ALASDAIR BELLING Senjutsu, the seventeenth studio album from Iron Maiden, arrives on Friday September 3 via Warner Music Australia.

Shannon and the Clams When one half of Shannon and the Clams – eponymous frontwoman Shannon Shaw and guitarist Cody Blanchard – join the Zoom meeting with Mixdown, they could not find themselves in more disparate scenarios. The latter is holed up in his attic, which has been converted into a makeshift studio. The former, however, is on vacation with her husband and wandering around her hotel room to get better reception. Despite being in such different situations, however, the two are immediately on the same wavelength when it comes down to discussing their music. This may well be the modern signifier of intra-band kinship – even when at a distance, the connection is still undeniably there. Connection, indeed, is key on the Clams’ sixth studio album Year of the Spider. It’s arguably their most personal to date, with Shaw addressing the turmoil of dealing with both the loss of her father and a stalker within quick succession of one another. What’s curious, however, is how these traumatic experiences are contrasted with the band’s vintage-filtered take on garage pop – see the deceptively-upbeat title track to see this in action. So, was the Clams’ plan to create their own Trojan horse? Not necessarily. “I have to write this song dealing with this super fucked up thing, but I don’t necessarily want that to be the first read,” Shaw reasons. “Occasionally it is conscious, to put it with an upbeat song. A lot of the time, though that’s just how it happens. In saying that, I feel like that goes along with a lot of the things I’m going through. I’m having to tell myself constantly to

learn from my experiences, bad and good. To keep my chin up, and make the best of things. I feel like that is kind of a theme that repeats through a lot of my songs about darker material.” For Blanchard as a songwriter, it’s not as much about the weight of responsibility in helping Shaw to exercise her demons – it’s ultimately about serving the song, and by proxy the album as a whole. “There’s a lot of times where one of us will write a song that feels like a really important or just really cool story,” he says. “That’s not a guarantee the song will work, though – sometimes, it just doesn’t. Either it’s cut for time, or we’ll take a song with five verses down to two. You can’t be precious about it. You’ve got to be a little tough with it.” With both the personal nature on Shaw’s end and the refinedgold approach of Blanchard, one could easily argue that Year of the Spider is also the Clams’ best LP. A blend of garage rock, soul and blues that can only come with both a distinctive framework and a solidified line-up that knows one another mile-long. This circle of trust, however, isn’t bound solely to the four members of the band. It’s also expanded to include Dan Auerbach, who plays in a small up-and-coming band called The Black Keys. When he’s not doing that, he is a record producer – and Year of the Spider marks the third album he and Shaw have worked on together.

“We brought Dan in to do my solo album, Shannon in Nashville,” says Shaw. “That was a different dynamic than when the Clams came in for [the last album, 2018’s] Onion, though. It took us a little bit to get started, and we had a lot of kinks to work out. Once we got going, that said, it was awesome. I felt like when we came in to do Year of the Spider, everyone knew what they were doing. Everyone was on the same page.” Blanchard agrees: “Everybody knew what to expect going in, and we’d established what everybody does,” he says. “It’s really easy once you’re there – Dan is so easy to talk to. We know and love all the same shit, so we’ll go out the back when we’re not recording and just put on albums for reference.” As it turns out, this isn’t the only bond that Auerbach has struck up with the Clams’ guitarist. “They send each other links to cool 60s shirts on eBay!” laughs Shaw. Anyone who’s seen Auerbach either live or in the studio knows that the guy knows his way around plenty of vintage instruments and gear, so the question is put to the Clams as to what kind of plan was in use when tracking Year of the Spider. As it turns out, it’s the colour blue short of a bridal dress in there – something old, something new and something borrowed is always in the mix. “We always bring our own shit, but we usually just use it for the first day and then start using other stuff,” says Blanchard. “I guess it’s because we already know how our own stuff sounds? To be honest, I’m not really a gear-head. There’s like 50 guitars on the wall in the studio, and I

don’t really know what they all do. Dan obviously knows all of them though, and our drummer Nate [Mahan] knows all about guitars. Usually, one of them would just pick out a guitar for me depending on the song.” As for Shaw, she’s faithful to her Danelectro bass – and plans on keeping it that way. “It’s easy to feel like a kid in a candy store when you’re in there,” she says. “You want to try everything! Will [Sprott, keyboardist] has probably played almost every keyboard and piano that’s in the building. But yeah, I just usually play my Danelectro. There was a really nice Harmony [H-22] that was in the studio that I liked playing, but I was told it wasn’t good for recording. I always end up back with the Danelectro anyway.” Shaw laughs, adding: “Maybe Danelectro should make Shannon and the Clams a signature model!” The Clams are then introduced to the Aussie slang of “sponno” – ie. getting a sponsorship. “We want that!” cackles Shaw. “A sponno!” BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG

Year of The Spider is out Friday August 20 via Easy Eye Sound / Concord.

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Introducing Duet 3

Legendary Sound Quality, Total Portability & Hardware DSP All Come Together in a Beautiful New Design Sounding Amazing Never Looked So Good

Featuring Built-in DSP with the ECS Channel Strip Duet 3 delivers hardware DSP recordiing made easy with the ECS Channel Strip tuned by Bob Clearmountain

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In 2007, the original Apogee Duet shattered the expectations of what a home studio interface could be. The all-new Duet 3 brings next-generation Apogee performance and features to a beautiful, ultra-low profile design. Duet 3 includes on-board hardware DSP that powers the Symphony ECS Channel Strip for zero-latency recording with FX. Tuned by Bob Clearmountain, the ECS Channel Strip includes presets custom crafted by the legendary mixer so you can dial in a pro recording sound instantly. Ideal for music creation, voice recording, streaming and even gaming, you can use Duet 3 with your Mac or Windows workstation in your studio or on the go.

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Tropical Fuck Storm Gareth Liddiard On Tropical Fuck Storm’s new record, trying anything in the songwriting process, and his unique relationship with his Fender Jaguar. The iconic Aussie supergroup’s third release, Deep States, comes out of a year that none of us will soon forget, a year rife with anger, frustration, and pointlessness, a year that frontman Gareth Liddiard understandably found creatively empty. “I just had that weird funk at the start that a lot of people had, everything felt pointless, I didn’t do anything.” The construction of Deep States not only came together through “necessity,” but became a form of catharsis for Liddiard and co, when there was some semblance of light at the end of the tunnel. “I never really thought of it as cathartic until the pandemic, then without doing gigs or making music, I got the heebie jeebies, I really realized I needed an outlet and a catharsis, getting back into it was really good for the mind and body.” Deep States follows Tropical Fuck Storm’s 2019 album Braindrops, a critically acclaimed release that’s not limited by genre, a special mix of sounds coming together for a remarkable set of songs. This approach being one that’s a constant through the respective music making careers of the supergroup, and assuredly carries through to Deep States. “It’s a history of listening to all sorts of shit. Erica [Dunn, guitarist] was a DJ on PBS for years, her show was pretty eclectic, she knows all sorts of stuff from Pop music to Mexican Mariachi music to Jazz, so she’s really knowledgeable.” With four members with vastly different tastes, the world’s never-ending supply of musical genres became a bottomless well for Tropical Fuck Storm to draw from in the creation of Deep States; “It’s endless. If you run out of ideas in the moment, but then just write things like ‘Hungarian Folk Music’ into Spotify, all of a sudden, you’ve just got all this shit that’s come at you from an angle you never knew existed. You can come and use it, you can take from things and then recycle them into your stuff, it gives it more life.” Not focusing too heavily on a genre definition bodes well for many of Liddiard’s musical ventures, where it could be considered that a love for many types of music keeps it timeless. 18

“We tried to make Deep States a win. It’s like a good book or a good film that you can keep coming back to, you’ll keep finding new layers each time, and as you change, it changes, it’s got some sort of depth to it.” Much alike the never-ending influences that seep into the songwriting, Tropical Fuck Storm’s limitless approach in the recording room is the special sauce that helps the group shine, and give them their distinct flare; “We’ll try anything. I mean, on ‘G.A.F.F.’, most of those drums are Ham [Lauren Hammel] playing with a drum machine on her phone, doing it with her fingers too, rather than just letting it run on some sort of sequencer. “Often I’ll have a chord progression, but sometimes we don’t have anything, the only rule of thumb is to try and make something a bit off kilter, a bit different. All bets are off, we’ll try anything” Gareth mentions. Our conversation moves onto the world of instrumentation, an area clearly of interest to Liddiard, with him noting the ‘try anything’ idea is something that’s bled through years of music making, and follows through to the instrumentation of Deep States. “Me and Rui [Pereira, The Drones Bassist] moved out after high school, and back in the day when gear was cheap, we accumulated a whole bunch of weird stuff, we were doing anything. But then we moved and had to sell all that stuff.” Recent times have seen the weird instrument roster build back up, with a browse through an online store unearthing a bunch of cool instruments that Tropical Fuck Storm used on Deep States;

“We got on things like Etsy, where you buy shit people make, you can find some pretty odd musical inventions on there. “They’re not expensive or anything, it’s things like little springs, welded on to the top of a tin with a contact mic in it, and you can put that through something like the Eventide Pitchfactor, it’s just wild, we’ll try anything” he adds with a laugh. One constant piece of gear throughout Liddiard’s many musical ventures has been his Fender Jaguar, popping up on releases from The Drones and a number of other albums, with it also being a mainstay on his touring setup. But as he puts it, it’s more of an SG or Les Paul as the Jag’s normal pickups have been canned for some PAF Humbuckers, giving Liddiard’s guitar its individual avant-garde rock vibe. Besides a few uses of a Gibson 335, which Gareth laughs ‘is just the same fucking thing,’ Deep States continued the use of his Fender Jag, which Liddiard notes, helps him focus on the guitar playing, rather than the feel of the guitar; “It’s nice having a guitar I’ve used since I was a teenager, because you just don’t think about it, it’s just an extension of your body.” “I like to approach guitar sort of intellectually, when I get a new guitar, it’s like having a bionic arm, you’ve got to figure out how to use it. When you pick up a new guitar, you have to deal with all the bits and pieces you’re not accustomed to. “I like to think about what I’m going to do before I do it, so I don’t relapse into habits and stuff, it’s more of a mental process for me, and I don’t need to be thinking about the instrument,” he adds. Gareth’s approach to guitar playing and songwriting on a broader scale has lauded him as one of the nation’s most well regarded songwriters. When combined with the musical prowess of Lauren Hummel, Erica Dunn and Fiona Kitschin, Tropical Fuck Storm’s Deep States is a masterclass in high quality songwriting. BY BENJAMIN LAMB

Deep States drops August 20 via TFS Records.

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Tal Wilkenfeld It’s been five years since the music world was rocked by the news that Prince had passed away. But while Prince is gone, his music is more accessible than ever. Multiple Prince albums have received the deluxe reissue treatment since his passing, along with a number of vintage live recordings. But 2021 brings us something unforeseen – a brand new Prince album, the contents of which have largely eluded bootleggers and superfans. Recorded in Prince’s Paisley Park home recording studio with the assistance of a crack crew of musicians, Welcome 2 America arrives more than ten years after its creation. The core of the record was tracked by the trio of Prince, bass player Tal Wilkenfeld and drummer Chris Coleman. Prince then brought in New Power Generation vocalists Liv Warfield, Shelby J. and Elisa Fiorillo to accentuate the album’s politically-charged narrative before sending it off to the NPG’s Morris Hayes for keyboards and additional production. Bass player Wilkenfeld first connected with Prince at a party in his Los Angeles home a couple of years before recording Welcome 2 America. Then, after Prince saw a video of Wilkenfeld performing live with Jeff Beck, he proposed they form a trio and entrusted her to find a drummer. Wilkenfeld brought in her good friend Chris Coleman and together they travelled to Paisley Park to get to work on what would become Welcome 2 America. The finished product is a fully realised 12-song album with a sharp socio-political conscience. Including lines like, “Land of the 20

free, home of the slave,” the title track sounds like a direct takedown of the Pro-Trump movement that was prevalent over the last four years. Like much of the album, it’s a salient reminder that Trumpism didn’t arise in a vacuum and that for all his cosmic funk eccentricities, Prince was one of the great social commentators of his era. Mixdown spoke to Wilkenfeld about working with Prince, the slapdash nature of the recording sessions, and what she took away from the whole experience. When you left Paisley Park in 2010, can you remember how you were feeling about the music you’d recorded? Were you eager for people to hear it? Tal Wilkenfeld: I never have expectations when I do a recording session. It’s my way of curbing my enthusiasm so that I don’t feel disappointed. But it did seem like Prince was getting really excited about the project because after we had all worked on it, he flew us back just to listen to the finished project; twice – two listening parties of the completed album. What sort of knowledge did you have about Prince before working with him? Would you have called yourself a fan? TW: I was a fan, but I was becoming a fan by interacting with him in real time. I kind of purposely liked to do that with artists I worked with. I don’t want to go and listen to every piece of their catalogue, because it can sometimes cloud my ability to think outside the box if I get too much of an idea of what they like and don’t like. You suggested Chris Coleman as the drummer. What made you think he’d fit the role?

TW: I already knew what a sweet, supportive guy he was and to have a trio, it’s all about having empathic communicators. There’s so much space and you could easily fill it up with garbage, so you need to find musicians that know how to tolerate the space, when to fill it up, when to leave it sparse, and how to manoeuvre. When the three of you were working together, did Prince spend much time discussing his vision for Welcome 2 America? TW: Not at all. There was no rehearsal, there was no even showing us the songs – it was like, “Hey, we’re going to go this chord to this chord to this chord and then we’ll hit the chorus and then back to the verse and then I don’t know how long the bridge is going to go, but we’ll figure it out.” He didn’t sing along – nothing. And we’d do one, maybe two takes and that’s how the whole album was made. Does that way of working suit you? TW: I love that way of working, but I’ve never done it with musicians that aren’t somewhat orientated around jazz music. Like, when I play with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea, it’s to be expected, but I didn’t expect that walking into a Prince recording. So it suited me great and he loved having people on the edge of their seats, not knowing what was happening. I think you can’t help but get a genuine, authentic response from someone when you’re like, “OK, now! No second chance.” When you heard the finished album those first couple of times, how did you react to your own contributions? TW: I remember being pleasantly surprised with how musical

everything had worked out and that’s always my ultimate goal. Like, if I’m doing the best thing to support the song then I am deeply satisfied. I was surprised at how well the drums and bass were supporting the song given the fact that we weren’t hearing the song. Were you surprised by the extent of political and social commentary contained on the album? TW: It wasn’t a surprise because we’d spent so many meals discussing spirituality and the music business and politics. That’s all he wanted to talk about, one of those three things, or music. So it wasn’t a surprise at all. What’s the main thing that stands out when you reflect on your time with Prince? TW: The fact that he trusted me as much as he did. He never told me what to play; he just trusted me to play whatever was in my head and giggled about it. Like on ‘Same Page, Different Book’, I had no idea that there was going to be all those bass fills. He’d look at me and then all of a sudden, “Fill!” And then I’d do it, and it would happen again, and a third time, and by the fourth time I was laughing so hard that you’ll notice that there’s no fill on that time round. But, yeah, it was just funny how much he was into Chris and I being our authentic selves. BY AUGUST BILLY

Prince’s posthumous record Welcome 2 America is out now through NPG Records.

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Times Of Grace In hawaiian surfing culture, you will often hear people talk about the ‘Waterman’ with reverence and respect. It’s a term used to describe someone who (on top of their elite board riding abilities), also exhibits an extremely high proficiency in various other aspects of the ocean. Swimming, diving, bodysurfing, fishing, reading weather patterns and tides-to be a ‘waterman’ is to be completely in tune with all aspects of ocean life, displaying an intrinsically deep understanding of it’s moods and in many ways literally treating it as a second home. While we don’t have a like for like translation in the musical domain, it’s safe to say that if we did, Killswitch Engage guitarist/Times of Grace jack-of-all-trades, Adam Dutkiewicz would be a more than worthy candidate. Since the earliest days of Killswitch Engage, right through to Times of Grace’s latest full length (Songs of Loss and Separation) the larger than life multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer and songwriter has continually immersed himself in every facet of the music making process. From his early days studying production, audio engineering, and bass guitar at the esteemed Berklee College of Music, before eventually finding fame as the lead guitarist and primary producer of one of the biggest bands in Metalcore, Dutkiewicz has always displayed an extremely well rounded and expansive skillsetfar beyond that of the traditional guitarist. “I know people probably say this a lot, but I genuinely just love music,’’ explains Dutkiewicz over Zoom. “I thinks it’s perfectly natural 22

to want to learn as much as you can about it and involve yourself in the process as much as possible.” It’s this same intense hunger for knowledge, the one that seems to be at its most potent in the downtimes between recording dates and touring cycles, that has led Dutkiewicz into interesting new musical territory with his latest project with Times of Grace. When Killswitch’s touring cycle for 2019’s Atonement was halted, roughly four days into the US leg of the tour (on account of the global COVID-19 outbreak) the unfortunate set of events proved the perfect impetus for the completion of the bands long awaited second LP. “That was definitely hard for us and still feels like unfinished business-having to head home midway through a tour like that. Still there are a lot of people going through a lot worse hardships at the moment and ours doesn’t come close to how tough some people are doing it right now.” Sonically speaking, SOLAS is a record underlined by consistent light/shade motifs and recurring musical contrast from track to track, with moments of quiet reflection expertly offset with outbursts of hard edged metal fury and riffage, weaving a sense of dynamic narrative through the albums 10 tracks. It’s an album that picks the listener up in one place, before dropping them off in a completely different postcode stylistically, possibly with twigs in their hair or maybe missing a shoe. For Dutkiewicz the breadth of scope present on SOLAS was more a product of natural inclination, rather than an attempt to lure the listener into a false sense of security. “Making this record was a chance to branch out from what people

normally expect from Jessie and I and what we do with Killswitch and it felt great to step out from that metal sound a bit on this record and work some other sounds into the compositions.” After listening to SOLAS, it’s only too evident that this focus on loud/soft dynamics extends not only to the composition, but to the engineering and production as well, with Dutkiewicz manning the controls and remaining heavily invested throughout. For Dutkiewicz, this same approach to compositional dynamics was echoed in the recording practices undertaken in the SOLAS sessions - particularly in regards to primary vocalist Jesse Leach’s vocal chain. “For Jesse, I’ll generally use something fast like an AKG C414 for the more melodic parts or if we need a bit of distance, and then use a handheld Neumann KMS105 up close for when things get growly. “I love that treble spike in the Neuman handheld and what it does to his voice in the screaming parts. I feel like pronunciation and diction is something that’s so easily lost in screaming vocals. It’s a scream after all- it’s supposed to have a bit of bite. “I definitely have a go to for my voice. It’s a Neumann U87, everytime.” he explains, with a touch of self deprecation. “It’s just better tailored to my stupid, boomy voice … Jesse’s voice is narrower and more in the pocket, frequency wise, but I really need something that can handle the boominess.” As an outsider, this ability to pair exactly the right piece of gear with exactly the right application, is a theme which has followed Dutkiewicz throughout his career, both as musician and as studio hand.

Adam is known for his longtime association with boutique maker Caparison Guitars, with the brand giving him his own signature model, based on his beloved Custom Caparison TAT special, complete with his signature Fishman Killswitch Engage Fluence pickup at the bridge. “It got to a point where I hadn’t used a neck pickup in years, so it made more sense to just keep it bridge only and use that placement as the centre of operations. The push/pull on our Fishman model is based on a favourite passive pickup of mine, so if you want a slightly more pulled back tone, you can just pull that and you have a second set of tonal options, without affecting the next stage in the signal chain too much. “Deep down, I am that guy, the romantic who wants to hear tubes screaming and cabs miced up, but relying on rental gear around the world, it’s stressful to say the least.” With the conversation moving closer and closer to touring logistics, it all begs the question: as someone so invested in so many different facets of music making and with so many different caps on his proverbial hatrack, is there one that he particularly enjoys donning? “For me, it always comes back to the guitar. That’s my homebase and it always will be.” BY PABLO FRANCOIS Times of Graces sophomore LP, Songs of Loss and Separation is out now on Wicked Good / Warner Music Australia

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At Home.

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BUILT FOR BIG THINGS Jacob Stibbie | Lead Guitar | Abstract Feedback

INTRODUCING THE NEW ZOOM G6 MULTI-EFFECTS PROCESSOR With state of the art amp modeling, powerful multi effects, and a touch screen interface, the G6 delivers what you need to take your sound with you, anywhere you go.

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GUITAR SPECIAL

Furman:

Powering Australia Unless you are actively involved in the playing of (and not the recording of) prewar blues, acoustic folk, or unamplified chamber music, chances are that you are probably incorporating electricity into your music making process, in some way, shape or form. Whether you are completely cognisant of it or not, in this day and age, it’s practically unavoidable. But what happens when the cart develops quicker than the horse? When the technical capabilities and sonic quality of our electric instruments, powerful recording/playback devices and digital signal processors distinctly follow Moore’s law of technological advancement, while the electrical source we continue to draw from is still roughly the same as it was 100 years ago? Jeff Mackenzie, engineering and training manager for Jands (Australia’s home to leading power conditioner brand Furman) explains. “When the grid system was first established, electricity was still in its infancy. It was designed for simple domestic use. Heating kettles and lighting houses – applications that were much more tolerable to random fluctuations and swings in nominal voltage,” he says. “Never could they have imagined we would be using grid power the way we are today in the studio and live audio industries. Now we are in a situation where the power supply we have is archaic and sub-optimal to our needs.” Mackenzie is not being precious either. Take one look around and the telltale symptoms of dirty power are all around us: in the whistling of a guitar amp, the buzzing of a playback monitor, the clicks and pops on a digital recording or in the worst case scenario, in an unexplained fire or blown piece of gear. Suffice to say, the recent boom in consumer and prosumer recording has been anything but smooth sailing down here in Australia, a perfect storm typified by cheap aftermarket power supplies, equipment originally intended for overseas markets and some uncharacteristically loose governance of the local power grid, allowing for a surprising amount of leeway between nominal (average) and maximum voltage (and with very little parity from state to state). “This inconsistency is at the heart of many of the issues that we as the audio community face here in Australia,” Mackenzie explains.

“For normal use, it’s fine, but for someone operating a PA or sensitive recording console, the difference between 220V in Sydney and 250V in certain parts of Western Australia can be devastating.” This is at the heart of why power conditioning devices (like Furman’s Classic Series-Export or AC-201AE) make so much sense in this part of the world. We have a particularly unique power situation that needs regulation, be it through legislation or through rack gear. Furman’s high quality offerings incorporate features like MultiStage Protection (SMP), Linear Filtering Technology (LiFT), and Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS), features that are perfectly in line with our particular predicament down under. “On the one hand, power conditioners serve as a buffer that ensures your power source is brought back to nominal, filtering out nasties and ensuring the consistent and predictable operation of critical audio equipment,” Mackenzie explains. “The other side of the coin is protection for yourself and your gear, against a whole host of potential power hazards – everything from a lightning strike to a random 3000V spike in the network. Furman units are a great insurance policy in that regard.” Hearing Jeff put it in such simple terms is something of a revelation to someone like me who has always eschewed the sparkier elements of audio theory. The longer we talk the more it becomes apparent that it’s not only pro audio boffins, commercial integrators and studio types who can reap the benefits and peace of mind that comes from good, clean power. These days, we are

seeing more and more guitarists turning to power conditioners to cure their tonal woes or protect their precious touring rigs. “Guitarists are particularly vulnerable to dirty power as they are constantly adding gain devices and additional power supplies into the equation,” Mackenzie elaborates. “This in turn brings up the noise floor through every pedal or amplification stage. Before you know it, you’ve compromised the lion’s share of your tone, not to mention boosted any other artefacts that might be present in the signal. “By regulating the nominal voltage of the grid power in whatever city you are playing, power conditioners can filter out these nasty artifacts before they leave their imprint on your sound, not to mention protect your equipment from whatever power they happen to be running in that part of the world.” As we continue our conversation, I find myself asking a lot of big questions. Technical audio questions, internalised questions about infrastructure and geography and circumstance and the influence this kind of banal utilitarian stuff can have on artistic process and workflow. As someone who has spent an inordinate amount of time trying to locate buzzes and interference within the recording chain, as well as having fallen victim to mild electrocution on multiple occasions, this conversation has definitely struck more of a chord in me than I first anticipated. I ask Jeff if he can think of any hotspots for dirty power here in Australia, any areas that could really benefit from power conditioning. His response is enough to make me want to cry in frustration. “I think of places like Brunswick in Melbourne or Ultimo in Sydney - places that were historically heavy industrial areas, but ended up being home to a heap of recording studios, multimedia spaces and music venues. I hate to think how much time might have been spent troubleshooting every link in the recording chain, when it was the mains all along.” Touché, Jeff. Get in touch with Jands to find out more about Furman Power Conditioning today. BY PAUL FRENCH

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© 2021 Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. FENDER, FENDER in fanciful script, JAZZMASTER and the distinctive headstock commonly found on Fender guitars and basses are trademarks of FMIC. All rights reserved.

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Hagstrom Guitars The Swedes have always been a crafty lot, historically punching well above their weight in a variety of design and manufacturing pursuits across the board. Combine this with a national love affair with all things musical and it makes a tonne of sense how a brand like Hagstrom, the quintessential Scandavian Guitar manufacturer, were able to not only permeate, but prosper in the cut throat international guitar market, developing a stellar reputation for excellence in the space, as well as a unique sonic signature that is entirely their own. The brand itself has its roots all the way back in 1925, when founder Albin Hagstrom first started importing accordions from Germany and Italy. Business flourished, and Hagstrom music shops began to dot the streets of Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Seven years later, Albin Hagstrom decided to take production into his own hands, establishing his new line of original accordions. He didn’t stop there either – the company founded a number of accordion schools, and it’s estimated that over 70,000 people have attended classes there. The company began to diversify into acoustic steel string and classical guitars around the early 1940s, but it wasn’t until 1958 when the first ever Hagstrom electric guitars – the Hagstrom Deluxe and Standard models – were built. Aesthetically, they incorporated repurposed elements from their accordion forefathers, including pearloid celluloid finishes, stamped metal logos, and of course, the liberal use of sparkles. Other noticeable features included a “Speed-O-Matic” plexiglass fretboard, and a H-bar truss rod which lowered the guitar’s action considerably. Their excellent reception led the company to further expand their catalogue, adding semi-acoustic, jazzfocused models and refined solid-body electrics to their line-up. In 1961, Hagstrom released their first line of electric bass guitars. This series included one of their most prominent models: the world’s first mass-produced eight-string bass guitar, the H8. Jimi Hendrix himself has been documented playing the H8 when jamming with Curtis Knight and the Squires and can be heard on the compilation album Summer of Love Sessions. 1965 saw the introduction of the Viking, Hagstrom’s first semi-hollow electric guitar. This particular model

was most noticeably played by Elvis Presley during his ‘68 Comeback Special, as well as Frank and Dweezil Zappa. The Hagstrom Swede, famously used by ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus, was next to follow, cut from a similar cloth as the Les Paul but featuring new all-original humbuckers developed in-house. In their home country of Sweden, Hagstrom became famous not only for their quality instruments and musical equipment, but also for their foray into music education. The company published a series of self-teaching books and mail-order courses that spanned a wide variety of instruments. The courses deliberately focused on the rising popularity of rock and pop, pushing the recognition of the electric guitar as a legitimate instrument, rather than a merely amplified acoustic guitar. Over the course of 25 years, Hagstrom sold close to 130,000 electric guitars, which found their way all over the globe. Unfortunately, the company was forced to end production in 1983, when they were outpriced by other guitar brands that had moved their production lines to Asia. It was a silent 22 years for the company, till their inevitable relaunch in 2005. True to tradition, Hagstrom Guitars still have a knack for pushing the envelope with their idiosyncratic body shapes and wealth of distinctive characteristics. Since returning to the forefront of manufacturing and design, the spirit of innovation burns bright within the company, and it can easily be noticed within their instruments. For instance; their (now renamed) H-Expander truss rod, which

further strengthens the guitar’s neck while permitting a slinky low action. Hagstrom’s ‘Resinator’ wood fingerboards, another element seen across almost all Hagstrom guitars, is another addition to behold. ‘Resinator’ fretboards are constructed from a wood composite, which the company claims is more stable and uniform in density than any traditional wooden fingerboard. Further proof can be found in the Retroscape series, which truly accentuates Hagstrom’s eccentric approach to the modern electric guitar. The Condor and Impala models – originally introduced in 1963 – feature the company’s intriguing switching array, housed upon a clean sheet of chrome. This cluster of switches allow the player to choose from an unparalleled amount of tonal combinations from the three Alnico 5 Retro-S pickups onboard. Combined with its asymmetrical double cutaway body, either the Condor or Impala are an absolute dream for players looking for something out of the ordinary, with the likes of Kevin Parker and Paramore guitarists Justin and Taylor York being spotted slinging both models in the past. And if you’re a bassist, don’t for one minute think that you’re missing out on all the action offered by Hagstrom’s new reissue range. The company also produces a number of four-string variants of its popular Swede and Viking shapes, offering thumping low-end tones and sleek aesthetics that hark back to the golden era of instrument manufacturing. Should you wish, you can even get your hands on the same eight-string Hagstrom H8-II favoured by Hendrix himself, just in case you forgot how good company these instruments tend to keep. In a market so heavily dominated by S and T-style shapes, Hagstrom Guitars are a much-needed breath of fresh air both in sound and in silhouette. The company is constantly redefining the norms of the guitar industry, putting forth original ideas and concepts that aim to take the electric guitar to the next level, and after nearly 100 years, they show no signs of slowing down just yet. On top of their distinctive instruments, it’s the original vision of Albin Hagstrom that’s really being sold here – quality and innovation without exception. To find out more about Hagstrom Guitars, get in touch with Pro Music Australia.

BY EDDY LIM

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GUITAR SPECIAL

McPherson Guitars

Carbon Series Overview The word ‘innovation’ might just be one of the most overused terms in the whole industry of marketing musical products. Too few musical companies today are actually within the business of innovation - that is, taking something great and tweaking its design to make for a product that genuinely makes a splash on the market - and it’s arguable that the future of musical manufacturing is at risk due to so many heavyweight brands just playing it safe; waiting to safely clone the next big thing, rather than take the plunge of creating it for themselves. Without any doubts, however, McPherson Guitars can be safely considered as innovators. For over 30 years, the Wisconsin-based cohort has been making bespoke instruments that push boundaries, with the small family-owned company being responsible for some of the most dazzling designs of the modern era. From the offset placement of their soundholes through to their proprietary bracing systems, cantilevered neck designs and beyond, McPherson is 100% dedicated to making products that stand out from the pack, and while their Custom wood builds are undoubtedly breathtaking in their own right, nothing exemplifies that dedication quite like the company’s Carbon Series. Historically, carbon fibre instruments have been approached tentatively by many consumers, and there’s a fair reason for this. Many guitarists can prove to be a little traditionalist

when it comes to selecting tonewoods or construction materials, and thus, it’s understandable for them to be wary about testing out new technologies that stray a little too far beyond familiarity for them. However, there’s a myriad of reasons as to why carbon fibre can be the ideal choice for anyone seeking out a new instrument. For starters, carbon fibre is super durable and incredibly lightweight, making for a killer combination when applied to the construction of an acoustic instrument. The Sable Carbon, which is the flagship model in the McPherson Carbon range, tips the scale at a seriously impressive 2.5kg; whereas its travel-sized sibling, the Touring Carbon, manages to scrape in at an astounding 1.9kg. For reference, that’s effectively half the weight of your average spruce-bodied dreadnaught, which makes the prospect of owning a carbon fibre guitar all the more tantalising for many a disgruntled singer-songwriter. Another huge drawcard for carbon fibre is the fact that it’s totally resistant to heat and humidity. Whereas traditionally-constructed wood guitars are susceptible to going out of tune or having their intonation go out every time there’s a significant change in the temperature - which, let’s face it, is probably going to happen a little more regularly thanks to global warming - carbon fibre remains totally steadfast even under the most extreme of conditions, making sure there’s no risk of soundboard warping or longterm damage from humidity. Considering the scorching heat and bone-dry humidity that much of Australia is subjected to on an ongoing annual basis, the notion of having a guitar that can withstand such harsh elements should be paramount for any bush-bound muso, and it’s here where the McPherson Carbon Series shines brightest. These guitars won’t ever warp, go out of tune or require a setup due to adverse heat or humidity, with the all-carbon construction of the range even negating the need for an adjustable truss rod.

McPherson’s offset placement of the soundhole is a sheer stroke of genius, allowing for a much more resonant playing experience, while the ‘hovering’ fretboard of the cantilevered neck also assists in improving the overall vibration of the soundboard. McPherson also ship both the Sable and Touring Carbon models with two different saddle heights to allow for low and medium action setups, which is a nice touch for anyone looking to switch up their action without having to take out the file. To make each guitar all the more versatile, the instruments in the McPherson Carbon range are factory fitted with an active L.R. Baggs Element pickup system, which also features a nifty feedback buster for when you’re dealing with gnarly PA systems. Each guitar is also shipped in a custom-fitted travel case courtesy of Reunion Blues, and comes with a very important cleaning cloth: as a material, carbon fibre is very prone to attracting fingerprints and little play marks, so the inclusion of a handy little wiping cloth is yet another killer gesture from the McPherson team. Of course, carbon fibre instruments aren’t going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but if you’re serious about making an investment into a sustainably built, sturdy and lightweight instrument that sounds great and lasts a lifetime, you can’t look much further than McPherson’s Carbon Series. These guitars are simply mind-boggling to play, and even though they are matched with a rather costly price-tag, it’s still incredibly good value for the quality of instrument that you’re getting. Innovation might not come easily for most companies, but for the crew at McPherson Guitars, creating such a forward-thinking and tonally supple instrument is nothing but a walk in the park. BY WILL BREWSTER

Beyond being lightweight, sturdy and heat resistant, however, it’s important to recognise that at the end of the day, the McPherson Carbon Series is just an impeccably well-designed range of instruments. While their more abstract appointments may be a little alarming upon first impression, these guitars absolutely sing when in hand, delivering a tone that’s rich in character, nuance and sustain.

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GUITAR SPECIAL

Cory Wong To celebrate the release of his new collaboration with Fender, funk extraordinaire Cory Wong sat down with us at Mixdown to chat about his signature Straotcaster and what’s coming up next for the artist. Here’s the bit where I’d ask about what people got up to over the lockdown period, but you’ve been really busy it seems! Can you talk about your ‘Cory and the Wong Notes’ sitcom-esc YouTube series and where the inspiration for it came from? I wanted to create a show that was like SNL meets The Late Show for musicians, if the musicians took over. I had the idea for that show for a long time and I just didn’t really have the vision for it. And then finally I thought, what a cool way to just make an album? What if I just built the set, made the show, and recorded my album on it. That way, I could make it work, and it’s like a fun way to promote an album, a fun way to make a show and just do something interesting on the internet. I really just wanted to create a show that showcased musicians, musician humour, something that’s for musicians, but also acceptable for the general public. Your record Meditations with Jon Batiste is a side-step from your usual funky solo work. How did you find working with him on that record and did you have to do things differently to create it? That album was very different to make than any of my other albums because Jon and I have worked together a lot. We’re really close friends and we just love playing together. We have a really deep musical connection and that’s turned into a deep friendship. The first time we met each other, it was at a sound check and he was sitting down playing and I walked in and I plugged in my guitar, and we just started playing for like a half hour. 30

And then before we even said hi, hung out, whatever, we knew who each other were because of the internet and music community, then we started playing together and sent voice memos back and forth to each other after a while. And we’re like, hey, this would be a cool thing to work on, because I play on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert with him as he’s the band leader. So, I would go into his dressing room and we’d just jam a little bit. We just start playing things. And then all of a sudden, we were like, this would be cool to try guitar and piano duets, but also a couple of other instruments. We thought it’d be cool to have Hammond organ and some really organic, of the earth sounding drums or percussion. So, we started texting each other voice memos back and forth. And then one week when I was in New York playing for the Late Show, he said, hey, let’s just go in and record this stuff. Basically what we had was six little jumping points, just little melodic ideas, songs, starters and finishes, like beginnings and ends of songs. And we kind of went through those. We just talked through them, we didn’t even play them. I said, all right, this is what I have in mind for this, this is what I have in mind for that, and let’s go in there and see what happens. What ended up happening is we just went in and started playing the first tune and 36 minutes later, the album was recorded. We didn’t rehearse the tunes. We didn’t listen back after each song. We literally just played the album straight down.

And it was like this interesting duet of guitar and piano with the drums and the organ just kind of following along and helping the story be told in the moment. What’s funny about that is it was all instincts. It was all in the moment doing what we do and that’s the album that got nominated for a Grammy. That was my first Grammy nomination. It’s really kind of incredible, but I wouldn’t suggest it, and I’m not going to do that moving forward. It’s funny how, the same year I put out an album that was with a 60 piece Metropole orchestra – the most prestigious pop orchestra in the world probably, or whatever. I slaved over these arrangements for months. We had a week of rehearsal and a week of shows and we were recording on the last day. We so meticulously thought out every single aspect, which made that album great, and it did well. But it’s funny that the one that took 30 minutes and I mixed in one afternoon was the one that got the Grammy nomination. And it’s just kind of fun that, you just never know, what’s either going to be commercially successful or what’s going to be artistically celebrated or whatever, but that one just seemed to be capturing lightning in a bottle. It was really fun because it was such a departure from what I normally do. How was your experience playing with Vulfpeck at Madison Square Garden and what was going through your mind at that moment? It was an absolute dream come true. Now to give a little bit of context – first and foremost, Vulfpeck is just a group of friends and Vulfpeck existed as a YouTube thing for a couple of years with just four guys. And then I became friends with them. They came and saw one of my bands, we just

became really good friends. We started hanging out for about a year and then eventually Jack, the band leader, just absorbed me to be part of the band. It was all about just hanging out as friends and playing music. Of course, we take it very seriously on that side of things, as well. But first and foremost, we are just a group of friends and that’s how it started. My relationship, all of our relationships started as friendship. And when we were backstage about to go on at the Garden, we all huddled up and it was a really special moment to sit in there as friends, to look at each other and just like wow, here we are. All of us, at the top of Mount Everest and we’re getting to the peak. When you sell out Madison Square Garden, it’s a huge moment. And it was incredible for us as an independent band and for us as friends to go on that journey together and to see Jack as the band leader help take us there. There’s so much gratitude for each other, so much gratitude for Jack as a band leader, as a visionary. And our parents were there, our families were there. It was fun to look out and see our families and friends and the joy on their faces. I don’t know, just to see how proud every parent was when we got off stage, all the parents running backstage and just giving big hugs and the siblings and all of that. It was just a really special moment because it felt like there was so much work and so much dedication to something and a vision to something that’s a little bit fringe. We’re a group of musicians that has a big musician fan base, but we’re not on the radio. There was something really special that felt like the audience was a part of it as well. Onstage, it felt like, yes, we’re performing to the audience, but it felt so much like they were a part of the whole mixdownmag.com.au

GUITAR SPECIAL experience, and that might sound cheesy or whatever, but really, for anybody that was there, I think that it’s palpable. What inspired your Fender Signature guitar and why did you choose the Stratocaster? What makes the Cory Wong Stratocaster stand out as yours? I’ve been a Stratocaster guy since I was a kid. It has just been my main axe since I started playing guitar. When I first started playing electric guitar, I got this cheap little guitar from a pawn shop, and then once I started to realise I’m going to dedicate some real energy into this, my dad said, ‘alright, let’s go get you a Stratocaster’. I was like, ‘what do you mean a Stratocaster? Can I choose from other guitars?’ He said, ‘you could choose other guitars, but let’s go get you a Strat’. I was like, what do you mean?’ He’s like ‘look at this: Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jeff Beck, David Gilmore, John Frusciante, Nile Rodgers…’ He starts listing off all these people that are just Stratocaster players and goes ‘these guys are playing a Strat, we are going to get you a Strat’. I was like, ‘okay, fine’. So, I started playing a Strat from the time I was a teenager and

I’ve just stuck with it. No matter what instrument you play, you’re going to sound like yourself, but there are certain instruments that just draw your voice out of you effortlessly, and for me, that’s the Stratocaster. When I play the Strat, it just sounds like me, exactly what I want to sound like on the guitar and with my music. I’ve played the same Highway One Strat since I was a teenager. But when it came to my guitar, I wanted it to be a professional level guitar because my Strat that I’ve had for a while, has had a lot of work done to it. I’ve beat it up over the years, I’ve done some upgrades. With this guitar, it’s a different animal. It’s a different beast. In a lot of ways it’s a little more like an American Ultra meets Highway One in a certain sense. The only way it’s like a Highway One is that it’s a Rosewood fingerboard 22 frets, nitro finish. Now everything else about it is all brand new. It’s got an American Ultra-style neck shape with a modern D shape. The body shape is a little bit smaller than the average Strat, and is a little more contoured in the body shape, but it’s just to fit a little more comfortably in my hands and in my arms, so my shoulder isn’t up as high.

It’s made to get my sound, but also it’s got so much versatility like any Stratocaster, in that you can get thousands of sounds out of it. I developed these pickups, the Seymour Duncan Clean Machine pickups, and they’re similar to an Antiquity set but wound a little hotter. It’s got a stacked humbucker in the bridge to give a little more meat, a little more body to the sound out of that bridge pickup. My favourite thing about this guitar is the Fourth Position panic button. I’ve got a pretty wide strumming stroke so sometimes I’ll hit the pickup selector out of the fourth position. So to solve that, I thought of having a panic button in the tone two-knob where it’s a push-pull knob. I push it and no matter where the pickup selector is, it’s in fourth position. It’s a really fun thing that’s kind of unique to this guitar. How involved in the design process of the guitar were you? I was very, very heavily involved in all of the R&D and all of the sound. We tried a bunch of different things. We tried different woods, different body shapes, different finishes. We tried a bunch of different pickups, different types of headstocks, different types of neck shapes. And through the whole

process Fender was really amazing in just wanting to make sure that we really nailed it and that I was a hundred percent happy with this guitar. What can we expect from Cory Wong within the next year? Well, I have a couple projects that I’ve finished just recently. One that I’ve just finished and one that I’m still working on. I have some educational material that I’ve been working on because I love teaching – I used to teach a lot before I was touring and playing a lot as an artist. I miss that. I miss talking about that. There are a lot of things that I haven’t seen in educational materials that I think I’m going to talk about. So I’ve got some educational material coming out soon and also getting back out on the road and playing live. I’m doing a bunch of touring across the US, and Europe over the next year. I’m super excited about that. Head to Fender to find out more about the Cory Wong Signature Stratocaster today.

BY SAM MCNIECE

ADVICE COLUMNS

PERCUSSION

In Session

Prior to COVID knocking us for six again, I’d recently had the opportunity to squeeze in a recording session. In isolation (no pun intended), I suppose this is no big deal, but it never ceases to amaze me how interesting and rewarding (and sometimes frightening) recording sessions can be. Crucially however, I never stop learning from them. THE CONTEXT

PREPARATION

Not all sessions are created equal. Regardless of conditions or pay, a factor that can have a significant impact on your mental preparation/state of mind is whether you know the person(s) you are recording for, or whether you’ve actually been hired as a ‘session’ musician. In the latter situation there’s the artist and producer of which, you don’t know, and it feels like you’re effectively in an audition the whole time. I’ve experienced both, and either scenario can be pretty confronting. The former because you know the person, they’ve chosen you, and you want to make sure they get what they want. The latter because you also want to be hired again so you’re panicking about doing a great job.

There’s so many ways musicians prepare for recording sessions. Some decide that every little factor needs to be completely and 100% organised, right down to how they’ll pack the car. Other people don’t prepare at all and just roll up. I like to think I’m somewhere in between.

This time, the session was for an old friend I’ve known for a long time. It was some original work that he was trying to (finally) get recorded around the constant disruptions of lockdowns. The artist in question is a clever writer with interesting ideas and a clear vision of what he wanted from the drums. However, he was also open to suggestions too, which made things more organic and enjoyable overall. This, however, did not stop me being anxious about the session.

For this session, the artist had provided me with some reference tracks (guide drums) and practice tracks (click only and no drums) to work with before the day. Each song had a few notes over email about what the vibe was and how much liberty I could take. I decided that to be on top of it, I would chart the tunes, so it was clearer in the session as I also didn’t trust my memory. For me, these “charts” are more like cheat sheets or notes. Rough sketches of grooves (notated), sections, hits, repeats, notes to remember when I looked back at the chart – e.g. END – on the a of 1, no crash and so on. This manner of writing down (semitranscribing) actually helps to learn the songs too. I am, however, always floored at how some musicians have stunning memory capacity and they can learn whole sets of music by ear. I think this takes considerable experience/ practice and if this sounds like you – kudos! I wasn’t ready to risk

it so for me, cheat sheets were the way to go. A side note – if the charts aren’t too detailed, it still leaves room to just play and make it organic on the day.

WHAT TO BRING? I had discussed with the artist before the session about the overall vibe and type of sounds they were after. This would determine which kit I would bring along. The default is my 1960s Ludwig Super Classic (22x14 / 13x9 / 16x16). These drums have naturally shorter and more controlled tone that can be easily tuned high and open or low and thuddy. The other choice of kit might be a more modern affair like a Yamaha Maple Custom but sometimes, these drums need more attention to dial in under mics. The Ludwigs just seem to work in a variety of rooms and situations, and they got the green light for this session. I did, however, bring an arsenal of snares and cymbals along as I wasn’t completely sure what spontaneous sounds might be needed and love the idea of trying things and seeing what happens. Good to have options. I brought a 14x5” Ludwig Black Beauty and a 14x5” Ludwig Acrolite which both performed amazingly well overall for the majority of the session. Great in the mid-range, loosening just one lug yielded a lower and drier sound. I brought along a Yamaha 14x7” Oak custom to do the super low/thud 70s vibe and it did get a run. I also had a Ludwig LM400 Supraphonic and an 80s 14x6.5 Pearl Steel drum. Interestingly, these last two didn’t get a track in

the end, but were good to have in case. I had a stack of cymbals on the day ranging from small to huge. I always make sure to have lighter rides, heavier rides, brighter and darker crashes, crisp hats and trashy ones. Have less cymbals? Bring the most versatile ones as this gives a greater flexibility. Interestingly, I brought splashes but the only time I used one was on the snare going for a crazy breakbeat vibe. I added some dampening here and there – moongel, gaffa, zero ring, Big Fat Snare Drum and things were good to go.

IT’S ONLY NATURAL Overall, striving for as natural an environment as possible is key and always will be. As things turned out, the room was amazing and the artist was super flexible. I had a few moments that required me to consciously tell myself to relax when the take wasn’t just ‘happening’ but overall, the anxiety and nerves turned into energy, and I was able to be creative under pressure because I had good sounds and a good headphone mix. As the day progressed, we settled in. We were loving the sounds we were getting and were fascinated with how the mics were responding to the sounds and the room. Does it always work like this? No, of course not but you have to back yourself a bit, bring the right stuff and be prepared. You learn a bit more every time you do a session and even begin to enjoy the challenge because the creative rewards are great. BY ADRIAN VIOLI

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LET’S PLAY It’s time to reconnect with your playing and your sound! Find the sounds and styles that fit YOU, with Zildjian. Zildjian is proudly distributed in Australia by Dynamic Music.

ADVICE COLUMNS

GUITAR

My solos don’t sound right!

Well, ‘right’ is a subjective term in music so let’s expand this comment a little, taking our typical gunslinger about to ramp up for a solo. With their favourite Minor Pentatonic licks ready to burn they unleash and…..they work ok for some of the song but not for all of it. Hmmmm, what’s wrong?….. anyone else been in this position?

So let’s jump back a few steps. If a song is strictly diatonic, all the chords belong to the one key. That means one scale will fit quite well over all those chords. Yes, more advanced players will know how to navigate the chords and make this one scale sound good over all these chords but broadly speaking one scale will fit.

In response to the above gunslinger’s dilemma, the problem is typically that these are non diatonic chord progressions, meaning that not all the chords in the song are from the same key. In turn this means that one scale isn’t going to fit for the whole solo/tune.

How do you know if the song is diatonic though? Good question. This takes some knowledge of theory and is something you can develop. Let’s use a couple of examples to try and help.

Yes, you can wail away on many tunes for hours and hours with just the old favourite Minor Pentatonic (and many guitarists famous and otherwise have done and continue to do so), but there are other options out there, and times when you need/should use other notes and scales to make your solos fit.

The key of C Major has no sharps or flats, so the C Major Scale is C D E F G A B C. To create the diatonic chords in the key of C Major you build triads (1 3 5) from each scale degree. This then gives us C E G, D F A etc. I’ll help out if you don’t know chords and theory here to tell you that this then creates the following – C Major, D minor, E minor, F Major, G Major, A minor

and B diminished. Those are the ‘diatonic’ chords in the key of C Major! Have a quick scan through those chords and think of songs you know. You’ve probably played plenty of songs that have C, G, Am and F in them? Or C, F and G? Or C, Dm, F and G? One of the reasons lots of songs have used these chords is that they sound good together and our ears are used to hearing them through years of listening to music. What would you use to improvise over one of the aforementioned C Major chord progressions? The C Major scale is a good starting point. C Major Pentatonic is another good option (and this scale comes from the Major scale but perhaps is a sound that guitarists are more comfortable with when improvising). ‘I only know Minor Pentatonic’ I hear you say. Never fear, if you can work out the ‘relative minor’ key you can

use that Minor Pentatonic scale (cool hey). The 6th degree of the Major scale is the relative minor (A minor is then the relative minor of C Major). So, if you have a C Major chord progression, A Minor Pentatonic might be the scale you want to experiment with (mostly as it’s such a common and widely used sound). What if I had a chord progression C, G, F, Bb though? You could identify that the Bb chord doesn’t belong to the key of C Major – it’s non diatonic. Next time we’ll dig into how to tackle this non diatonic chord…. BY NICK BROWN

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ADVICE COLUMNS

BASS

Motivated Bass Playing Like many things in life, the musical journey on your instrument is filled with ups and downs. For most there is the initial spark of excitement that brings you to bass (seeing a gig, having a family member playing bass and showing you some notes, seeing a band video clip, being impressed by a mate that plays etc) and the eagerness to learn and improve. At some stage your development might plateau or your enthusiasm dwindles, but there will be little kicks along the way that keep the spark alive. Buying new gear, hearing a new song, joining a band, getting a new gig and hearing new music can all motivate you to practice/play/ learn and I think that regardless of your level/status/age, the excitement in having these little kicks of enthusiasm and inspiration is really what spurs you on and keeps you coming back for more.

What are some of the barriers that can inhibit our progression and development on the instrument? Not having goals/practice routine/ intention.

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Setting goals, having a practice routine, practicing with intent, documenting your practice and/ or topics can really help with your learning. Noodling can be fun and it’s great to sit down and just play whatever you feel like when inspiration hits or for composing. But practicing with intent and focus allows you to work towards a goal, and the ability to track progress can really help with enthusiasm.

Dealing with unrealistic expectations. An absolute beginner isn’t going to be playing Jaco’s ‘Portrait of Tracy’ within a fortnight of starting (usually!). But of course, it can also be hard to know what’s suitable/ appropriate when you start out by yourself. This is where a good teacher is an invaluable resource. They can point you in the right direction and build your skills appropriately. This allows you to progress and keep the enthusiasm levels up. If a teacher/lessons isn’t an option, then a good teaching method/ book or online resources can help. If you have access, ask musician

friends too. Having a realistic goal should be something that challenges you but is achievable and then spurs you onto the next step (learning the next section of the riff/song, adding extra scales etc). So – also think about breaking these goals into smaller/ manageable chunks. If this new lick is super tricky and 32 bars long… make your week 1 goal learning the first 4 bars. Hopefully you nail it, or get it close. Then there’s a sense of achievement and some incentive to tackle the next 4 bars.

You gotta put in the work. And then with players of any level – you need to relate your expectations to the amount of effort you are putting in. Unfortunately, you’re not going to improve without effort, and that effort needs to be focussed and consistent. For example - 15 minute practice sessions, six days a week is typically better than one 75 minute session per week.

And of course, the more practice you can do the faster this will happen (and hopefully in turn the enthusiasm continues to build). Anyway, hopefully some of these ramblings are relatable. Learning and playing music is one of the most rewarding things you can do (at any standard). Learning ‘Blister In The Sun’ can be just as cool as delving into a Brothers Johnson riff and music isn’t a competition, when it sounds and feels good it’s hard to beat! Take all the little wins along the way, do whatever it takes to keep motivated and don’t let the little speed bumps stop your progress. BY NICK BROWN

The more interaction you have with the instrument/concept/new material, the quicker you improve.

PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

FENDER

Cory Wong Stratocaster FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $3699

Cory Wong is a masterful guitar player, and that’s in no unreasonable sense of the word. His right hand technique is unfathomable, his internal metronome is on point and his groove untouchable - and that’s even before you discuss his Grammy-nominated composition and songwriting as a solo artist or as a member of his band Vulfpeck.

The Cory Wong Stratocaster is an American-made Fender, built out of the Corona factory in California. It’ll arrive safe into your hot little hands via a Deluxe Fender Moulded case, along with the case candy aptly included for fans of Cory’s. It’s an alder bodied Strat, with a satin lacquer offering the deep blue hues while still allowing the wood to breathe.

More often than not, whether you see him on stage, on his YouTube channel, or giving lessons on his Instagram feed, Cory is playing his prized Sapphire Blue Stratocaster. Perhaps an odd colour for a Fender, but a colour that suits someone so far outside of the ‘norm’ of modern playing.

The neck is maple with a rosewood board, and a compound radius fretboard that subtly transforms from 10”-14” the higher up the Medium Jumbo frets you travel. The back of the neck has a satin urethane finish, allowing you to noodle easily, fret big complex chord voicings and breeze across the fretboard, and the rolled edges of the rosewood are a welcome addition usually reserved for super high end or Custom Shop guitars. Rolled fingerboard edges are something you didn’t realise you were missing until you try it. The neck shape is a Modern “D”, so it pulls influence from the more modern Fender ranges such as American Ultra and American Elite.

It makes sense then that Fender would honour someone so devoted to not just pushing the boundaries of modern guitar, but one who brings his fans and followers along for the ride, leaving no stone unturned as he discusses his technique, practice routine and thought process. His approach to music is zeitgeist defining, and his new signature guitar is reflective of exactly that. The Cory Wong Stratocaster is a fairly standard American-built Stratocaster at first glance, but within its build are a bunch of great and very intuitive design additions. It features a modern neck shape and subtle changes to the body and headstock, as well as some crafty wiring options, but modern hardware to keep the guitar perfectly in tune, even if you’re wailing on the synchronised tremolo. 36

At the other end of the guitar is the six-saddle vintage-style synchronized tremolo and a four-ply white pearloid pickguard to match Cory’s original Strat. It includes locking tuners as well as a push/pull tone pot to bypass all switching and default to position four on the five way switching which is definitely all you should ever need. While all impressions may mistake this for a standard Strat, you’d be

wrong. The body of the guitar is slightly smaller than a standard Strat, forcing Fender’s famous original contour body into an even more comfortable position against the body, whether standing or sitting. The neck is super comfortable and is similar in feel from first to 22nd fret, thanks to the compound radius. The Medium Jumbo frets are a welcome addition, more vintage style fret wire can sometimes make guitars feel more jangly than most players may want, but Medium Jumbo is a great middle ground for more modern players and vintage purists alike. The pickups, a set of Cory Wong’s Clean Machine (with a Custom Stack Plus in the bridge) are articulate and clean, as their name suggests. There’s a subtle high mid or high end boost that lends itself clean, funky rhythm playing, helped along with the included hair tie that Fender claim is the secret to Cory’s rhythm tones. I beg to differ, I think the secret is countless hours of practise, an instinctual predisposition to groove and unparalleled creativity. This Stratocaster feels effortless, and it’s design and makeup pushes you to rethink how you play, all in the name of pushing the boundaries or whatever music we’re making - like Cory does. Overall, Fender has absolutely hit this one out of the park. I suppose it’s not so difficult when you’ve got a player as innovative as Cory Wong to produce an innovative

guitar, but this feels like more than that. Fender and Cory Wong have redefined the Stratocaster, and this guitar allows you to redefine your playing, while Cory’s influence pushes you to rethink how you approach playing, rhythm and groove itself. This Strat is a tribute to the clean tones produced by the Strat that have inspired so many styles and sounds, as well as Cory’s ability to blend sounds from music’s history into a modern melting pot of influence. The transparent Sapphire Blue is unlike anything you may have seen on a Strat before, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The neck shape is modern, and the body and headstock shape and size is refined for the modern player, and the satin neck finish, the rolled edges of the fretboard and fretwire all make for a comfortable, effortless playing experience. The neck shape itself and compound radius of the rosewood fretboard lend itself to comfortable fretting for more modern playing styles and sounds, while Cory’s very own Clean Machine pickups influence the final tone that emanates out of the guitar and into your amp. All in all, this is a Fender Stratocaster re-invigorated for 2021. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

VOX

Bobcat V90 Bigsby YAMAHA AUSTRALIA | RRP: $2999

Since the late ‘50s, Vox has been recognised as one of the most iconic amplifier manufacturers in the world, with the British company’s designs being responsible for some of the most well known guitars riffs, licks and tones of today, from the Beatles to Brian May and beyond. All of this is to say that Vox knows guitars, so it’s no shock that during the 1960s they would branch out into the guitar making world. One such creation, the Vox Phantom, was greeted with open arms by bands like the Rolling Stones before being adopted by the seminal post-punk bands of the ‘80s, who channeled styles such as surf rock, punk and goth in their guitar playing. Vox’s revisions of the Phantom were consistent, but the market also called for a hollow-body, and as such, the Bobcat was born. Featuring pickups and electronics configurations similar to that of the Phantom, the Bobcat was more traditionally shaped but offered an inherently ‘60s sound. More than six decades since the launch of these original models, Vox have now produced a new range of Bobcats, allowing for players to hark back to the roots of their influences and play an sonically important instrument in the modern day. They’re constructed from classic materials, albeit materials usually reserved for guitars in a much higher price range. They offer a range of options from different mixdownmag.com.au

pickup configurations and tremolos to hard-tails, one option being this Bobat V90 Bisgby, available in Jet Black or Sapphire Blue. The Bobcat is a tool for the modern player, bringing with it generations of improvements, resulting in a design that’s impossible to fault. It’s retro in its aesthetic and classic in its materials, but modern in the forward-thinking way that all of these aspects are melded together in one instrument, blended seamlessly and without fault. This particular iteration features Vox V90 soapbar pickups and a Bigsby Vibrato tremolo tailpiece. The guitar is modeled on a famous double-cut hollow body guitar, and is assembled from maple plywood. Running along the centre of the guitar is a centre block of weight relieved spruce. The neck is solid mahogany and it features an Indonesian ebony fretboard, providing an acoustic tone that is offset really nicely against the warmth of the maple body. Meanwhile, the set neck construction delivers superior sustain, as your tones resonate through the entire body and neck of the guitar. The Bobcat’s nut width is 43mm, so players of all creeds and preference will feel at home. Included is a hard case to protect the guitar moving from gig-togig, and the 3.5kg guitar will sing on stage no matter what you’re playing. It’s a fairly standard scale

length at 24 3⁄4”, and the whole affair is held in tune by open gear Grover tuners and a Tune-o-Matic bridge before the Bigsby tailpiece. In the hands, the Vox Bobcat is very resonant. While not becoming overbearing, even when amplified, it presents a nice tone acoustically, speaking literal volumes of its great build quality. Through an amp, the Vox V90s are cleaner than a standard P90s, again lending itself to great, rich acoustic overtones that offset the fatness and weight of P90-style pickups. The neck shape feels great in the palm of your hand; it’s slim, like a late ‘50s / early ‘60s-style electric, but is definitely far from broaching into super-Strat territory. The arched body nestles comfortably against the player, resonating like an acoustic guitar with a controlled voice. The scale length is comfortable, and the Bigsby is well within reach when strumming chords, as are the two volume and two tone knobs that control the pickups independently. The V90s are controlled by a three-way switch nestled comfortably between the controls and strings. The centre block assists greatly in preventing feedback, even when you push the guitar into a higher gain amp and push the limits of the V90s. With some gain, they become thick and creamy, retaining the clean, acoustic articulation from a dialled back volume and gain.

The Vox Bobcat is, simply put, the choice for players looking to pay tribute to rock music’s roots while also investing in a modern player with consistent build quality and gig-ready electronics and materials. For the price point, it’s hard to find a similarly spec’d and built guitar with a maple body, mahogany neck and ebony fretboard, let alone any of those materials alone. Vox’s own V90 pickups bring new light to the big, fat single coil we’ve come to love. Vox are a company never content with having invented their own little pocket of tone and colour, but continue to innovate, push the envelope and reinvent themselves, and this couldn’t be more obvious than in this new range of Vox Bobcats. From this V90 iteration to one of the triple-threat single-coil models, there’s a Bobcat for every player. It can be a workhorse and a best friend, or a secret weapon for the studios and stage. A subtle shift in colour, tone or texture that may very well offer something that no one else can achieve with more conventional designs, materials and construction. Besides this model specifically, there’s single coil and hard-tail variants to assist in driving home any tone from the last 60 years of rock that you may want to pursue. Vox is there with you. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS

PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

SADOWSKY

Metro Express 21 Fret Vintage J Bass AMBER TECHNOLOGY | RRP: $1,299.00

Sadowsky is world-renowned for their exceptional boutique basses. Since the 1980s, the New York-based firm has manufactured bespoke instruments for the likes of Marcus Miller, Walter Becker and more, with their tonal and physical qualities being considered as legendary within the bass community. However, if there was ever a gripe to be had about the Sadowsky instrument range, it’s that they often tend to be quite expensive to purchase, especially in international territories. Of course, this is no slight to Sadowsky - a custom-built instrument is worthy of a fair price-tag, and all of their bespoke creations are 100% worth the asking price. That being said, under general circumstances, it does tend to be difficult to gaze upon a Sadowsky instrument and not immediately question your net worth. This makes the introduction of the wallet-friendly Metro Express range all the more tantalising for cash-strapped bassists across the globe. These instruments pack all the looks, tones and feel of a sturdy custom-shop Sadowsky without the same custom-shop price-tag, and their latest model - the Jazz Bass-inspired Metro Express 21 Fret Vintage J Bass - is a lightweight wonder that refuses to compromise in low-end sustain, making it a fantastic option for live performance and recording applications. The Metro Express range is the first of the Sadowsky basses to be factory made, but this does not by

any means a lack of consideration in its construction thanks to the partnership with Japanese luthier Yoshi Kikuchi, the beauties are built in Tokyo with the utmost passion. Not to mention, it also comes with a Sadowsky Portabag gig bag. The Sadowsky Metro Express Vintage J 4-String Bass Guitar comes with 21 nickel silver frets on a 34” long scale maple fingerboard. It is finished with a gorgeous vintage transparent tobacco burst with a high gloss polish atop its okume body and has a parchment pickguard on top, which is a winning combination. The first standout feature is its weight, which is a more contentious topic for bassists than it is for guitarists due to the importance of weight in sustaining low end frequencies. Previous iterations of the Jazz Bass particularly those based upon ‘70s era models, as this particular instrument is - tend to be incredibly cumbersome and tough to play onstage, and as such, their funky tones are relegated to the studio, where movement is usually kept to a bare minimum. How Sadowsky has managed to achieve optimal sustain with a bass that weighs just under 4kg is beyond me. I would suspect it may have something to do with its okoume, reduced-sized body, which provides the familiar mahogany tone with a warmer touch and is lighter in weight, but perhaps some other wizardry is also at play.

Any overwhelming heftiness is also alleviated by the Metro Express Vintage’s bolt-on maple neck, which is sturdy, straight and all too easy to navigate. All this, and yet it still feels so solid and well-built. It goes without saying, lighter instruments mean less back and neck pain for live gigging, and if you know, you know! Speaking of the wood, the Metro Express Vintage J Bass is decked out with a classy old-school transparent tobacco burst and high gloss finish, eschewing any fancy grain and figuring for a minimal, hard-to-beat vintage fibe. The neck and fingerboard are both made from maple to offer a slick feel at either end of the board, which also helps add a little bit of brightness and twang to the upper register of the instrument. The 60mm string spacing and 12” fingerboard radius also makes the neck a breeze to play, with the ample fretboard room ensuring a comfortable playing experience for small and large hands alike. Another sly - yet mighty - feature of the Metro Express Vintage J is the Sadowsky Just-A-Nut III nut, which helps inject some extra sustain to take your low-end tones to the next level. Sadowsky’s electronics are considered legendary among many players, and the Metro Express Vintage Jazz Bass certainly lives up to the standards its forebears have set for it. It’s loaded with an active two-way preamp and two passive Sadowsky J-style pickups in the bridge and neck position while four knobs

allow for immediate control over volume, balance, treble, and bass of the instrument. The tones delivered by the bass, meanwhile, are of the utmost quality, and you’ll be immediately impressed by their versatility and clarity alike. Whether you’re picking, thumping, slapping or popping, every string will slice through the mix to make an impact, and the versatile EQ of the preamp makes tone-tweaking easy. All of these seemingly simple considerations make a huge impact on the quality and sound that is hard to beat from this bass. Overall, this bass is super comfortable to play with its spaced-out strings, sturdy build and cutaway back. It’s incredibly light, meaning you can do long gigs, lots of gigs, and not have to worry as much about back pains. Our cabs are painful enough to lug about at the best of times, so having a bass that doesn’t dent your spinal structure is certainly a nice touch. The classic vintage looks of the Metro Express bass makes it all the more pleasing to play, while the killer tones offered by the Sadowsky-designed electronics are simply just too good to be true. Gigs might still be off the menu for the foreseeable future, at least - but once you make your mighty return to the stage, you’d be a fool to not have one of these basses at your disposal. Two thumbs up from us. BY BRIDGETTE BAINI

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

FENDER

Fender Noventa Jazzmaster FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $2199

It may lack the iconic tones of the Stratocaster or the workhorse appeal of the Telecaster, but the Jazzmaster might just be the quiet overachiever out of Fender’s 1950s electric designs. The guitar’s offset contours, distinctive tremolo system and intricate switching system may have garnered its fair share of naysayers when marketed towards jazz guitarists in the ’50s and ’60s, but in the decades that have followed, the Jazzmaster has been bestowed with a much cooler identity thanks to its association with seminal alternative, indie and grunge outfits of the ’80s and ’90s. Today, the Jazzmaster ranks among one of the most popular instruments in the Fender catalogue, with the brand pushing their maiden offset onto the market harder than ever in recent times through the Vintera, American Ultra, American Professional II and Acoustasonic range. They now look to keep the ball rolling even further with their new limited edition Noventa Jazzmaster: a triple P90 equipped model that serves as one of the most practical, no-fuss Jazzmasters ever produced by the brand. Fender have obviously designed the Noventa range with live performance in mind, and that ethos is immediately apparent when you’ve got the Noventa Jazzmaster in your hands. The offset contours of the guitar’s alder body make for a comfortable, ergonomic playing experience whether you’re seated or standing, while the maple neck features a Modern C neck profile with a mixdownmag.com.au

slight taper down towards the high frets, ensuring your wrist remains fatigue-free and ready to shred at any given minute. As with most modern Mexicanmade Fenders, the Noventa range makes use of either maple or pau ferro for a fretboard tonewood, the latter of which possesses a similar look, tone and feel to rosewood. This is complemented with a 9.5” fretboard radius and 21 medium jumbo frets, both of which help give the guitar a much more contemporary feel without compromising on the classic aesthetics you’d expect from a Jazzmaster. Compared to vintage-style necks, bending is a breeze on this neck and the size of the frets gives you a no-choke guarantee, while the tapered neck and fretboard radius ensures that chords and lead lines are easily manageable, even for those with smaller hands. If there are any two aspects of the Jazzmaster’s design that are deemed as contentious among some players, it’d surely be the guitar’s tremolo and switching system. Despite playing a pivotal role in the birth of shoegaze, the floating tremolo system is prone to causing a nuisance when pushed too hard by making the strings pop out of the saddle, while the roll-off Lead and Rhythm circuit controls located on the top bout of the guitar can be confusing for some players who are uninitiated with its function. With the Noventa Jazzmaster, Fender strategically remedy these quirks to make for a guitar that’s far more practical for those players

seeking to enjoy the Jazzmaster’s slick design without navigating the nuances of the original. The tremolo system is paired with a study Adjust-o-Matic style bridge for superior tuning stability, whereas the finicky switching controls are subbed off in favour of a simple five-way pickup selector switch. These tweaks, while not exactly a groundbreaking development from Fender, definitely benefit the overall playability of the guitar, and help make the Noventa Jazzmaster an instrument that everyone can enjoy. Shoegazers will be stoked to hear that the tremolo arm is still very capable of all the flutterstrumming you can throw at it, while the inclusion of a five-way pickup selector switch makes for a logical modification to suit the needs of the modern player. Another of the Noventa Jazzmaster’s biggest draw-cards is the inclusion of three Noventa M-P90 pickups in the neck, middle and bridge position. These pickups are designed to deliver extra output, and boast some rather impressive touch sensitivity that can really benefit the dynamics of your picking technique, and they sound absolutely glorious when saturated in a thick fuzz or treated with warbling modulation pedals. The neck pickup features similar sonic characteristics to that of the Stratocaster’s first pickup position, delivering crisp cleans that lend themselves to slippery leads and soulful rhythm playing. Positions two and three, meanwhile, see the middle pickup come into play and inject some fat warmth into your

tone, and it’s these two positions you’ll likely opt for when playing single-note runs or jazzy chord voicings. For those seeking a little more grit and twang from your tone, you’ll be immediately rewarded when you flip over to positions four and five, which excels in crunchy, aggressive rhythm playing and twangy leads alike. It’s worth noting that these MP-90 pickups are hotter than your typical Fender single-coils, so you might need to reach for your tone or volume knob to tame some spiky tones on occasion, but for the most part, they’re pretty damn reliable. Another key feature of the Noventa range is the exciting array of finishes each guitar comes with, and it’s arguable that the Jazzmaster boasts the best looking colours of the bunch. The particular model that we reviewed came out of the box in a classic ’70s-inspired Walnut finish to accompany its pau ferro fretboard, but if that’s not quite up your alley, there’s also Fiesta Red and Surf Green options with maple fretboards to choose from. Even when stripped down to its bare essentials, the Jazzmaster is a guitar that continues to impress and inspire, and the new Noventa model functions as clear proof of this. It’s a killer hybrid of vintage and modern, packing red-hot tones via its three MP-90 pickups and exuding sophistication and class thanks to its sleek design, making for a wonderful choice for a players on the hunt for a gigging Swiss Army knife. BY WILL BREWSTER 39

PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

PRS GUITARS

SE Starla Stoptail ELECTRIC FACTORY | EXPECT TO PAY: $1,199

Widely renowned as the modern maestros of electric guitarmaking, few companies can rival the influence of Paul Reed Smith Guitars. Since the ‘70s, Smith’s constructions have been favoured by some of the all-time greats, with their sleek looks, widely varied tones and killer playability taking them a whole cut above the rest. In the year 2000, PRS launched the SE range, introducing an affordable alternative for players to get their hands on a PRS guitar without needing to shell out big bucks. These Indonesian-made models are often crafted from exquisite woods and fitted with impressive electronics for guitars of their price range, and are almost certainly the best value brand available on the market today. The PRS SE Starla Electric Guitar differs from most Paul Reed Smith designs with its stripped-back, retro appearance. This particular model was first released under the Core Line, and has made its way to the S2 line built in Maryland following the success of the 2007 Mira designed by Joe Knaggs. Last year, the Starla was introduced into the SE range, making it more accessible than ever before. It features a traditional PRS scale length of 25” and a set-neck construction, which is becoming increasingly rare for guitars at this price-point. This SE Starla immediately grabs

me with its beautiful finish, its retro fittings and aesthetics, its shiny silver PRS DS-02 Humbuckers, and “old school” bird inlays to proudly announce itself as part of the PRS family. It feels wonderful, light but wellbuilt, and the flat top knobs boast a chunky feel that is undeniably cool. Meanwhile, the neck feels really comfortable in my hands and encourages a sort of robust, chord-laden style of playing, with a comfy little heel down in the neck pocket making for an all-round smooth playing experience. The SE Starla’s body and neck are both cut from solid mahogany, and are dressed in a deep, gorgeous powder blue. It’s a shade that suits many aesthetics, as opposed to a brighter or deeper blue. I look at it and can’t help but think “I would love to put a tortoise shell pickguard on it”, but also white is an excellent pairing and of course, a winning combo for a vintage look. The lighter shades contrast and complement its rosewood fingerboard which has 22 frets, and a scale length of 25” and displays the classic PRS bird inlays. The PRS designed nickel tuners are a cool-toned match made in heaven yet again, and of course while speaking of hardware, it’s hard not to go past the Grover two-piece bridge - an ever-reliable friend for any guitarist. Previous editions of the Starla once featured a Bigsby tremolo, and while a tune-o-matic and stoptail is

definitely a sturdier option, it could be cool to see a Bigsby-equipped model make its way into the SE range.

gets more pronounced. The bridge pickup sounds warm and full, and when split it sounds completely different, very jangly.

The SE Starla’s neck shape is fat and wide, and it really does make a difference when placing your fingers on the board. It’s funny that I should say it feels more like an acoustic guitar in some ways because when you split both of the pickups, it really can give an airy and light sound resembling one very much.

With gain, it is still a little bright but incredibly pronounced and the bridge pickup humbucker runs incredibly hot, great for classic rock sounds. The three-way pickup selector switch is also easy to use and feels super sturdy, although it does feel a bit misplaced between the volume and tone pots.

While this little beauty can certainly go hard on gain, its beautiful, sparkly twang when played clean is a unique sound not to be overlooked. The Starla is loaded with two DS-02s Double Slug humbuckers, which boast a very cool chrome covering on top, while spit-coil functionality allows you to play with a wild array of different tones. These pickups may look equipped for big riffs, but overall, they sound much twangier and brighter than what you’d expect of a classic sound. Both the neck and middle pickups really are quite versatile, being able to do vintage sounding cleans that have a jangle and sparkle to them, and classic rock gain sounds. Even styles that require more nuanced cleans, such as jazz, funk and neo-soul, are made easy by the Starla.

It looks good, sounds great, comes with a gig bag, is a third of the price of its predecessors… overall, it’s really hard to fault the PRS SE Starla, and especially when it comes in such a striking Powder Blue finish! Although it’s not built in Maryland in the S2 line, it is undoubtedly strong, well-built and feels sturdy, proving that the PRS SE plant is right up there with the very best. This guitar definitely surprised me in its versatility in sound. It surprised me with its comfort of feel, and it’s definitely worth checking out for anyone looking to add a new workhorse to their inventory. BY BRIDGETTE BAINI

When on the neck pickup alone, it has a robust, rounded but not overly boomy sound, and when you split the pickup, this sound

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

GRETSCH

G2655T-P90 Streamliner Center Block Jr. Double-Cut P90 FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $1349

Gretsch’s Streamliner series takes its name from one of their earliest designs, that was a close relation to more conventional archtop and jazz-box style guitars. In the modern day, the Streamliner is Gretsch’s most accessible line of electric guitars that range from solid body single cut electrics to more traditional hollow-bodies. The range is conventionally built with humbuckers, but the new G2655T-P90 range - as the name suggests - features a pair of Gretsch’s new FideliSonic 90 pickups. The neck and body are primarily built from mahogany, with a dark laurel fretboard littered with classy pearloid ovals. The Centre Block Jr. style is smaller than a more traditional hollow body but bigger than a standard electric. Gretsch’s Streamliner range is continually growing, expanding and morphing, resulting in an impressively comprehensive line of guitars equipped for every genre - with the colourways to match! This guitar specifically is finished in Two-Tone Midnight Sapphire with a vintage mahogany stained back and sides. Classy aged white binding surrounds the guitar and an eye-catching tortoise shell guard is balanced really nicely against the deep hazy blue of the Midnight Sapphire. But enough about the looks! How does it play? The body size of the G2655T-P90 is one of its biggest selling points. You can feel the acoustic quality resonating against you, but you’re mixdownmag.com.au

at no risk of feedback, while the body also provides a generally drier tone than big, hollow body guitars. The neck is a comfortable, more modern take on Gretsch’s classic neck shapes, with some particularly fat necks from the ‘50s. This Streamliner is great to glide around on, and even unplugged, sounds loud enough to noodle away, or push yourself to finally learn ‘Giant Steps’... by taking baby steps and fretting the chords noteby-note. The G2655T-P90 is great for all styles, from aforementioned jazz to blues and rock, and the addition of P90s even making it an option for metal and doom, providing great grit and fuzz when pushed into a dimed distortion or overdriven amp. The arch of the laminated mahogany body is subtle, but enough to make it feel succinctly different from a solid body and provides gentle assistance when picking and strumming. The double cutaway design provides unabashed access to the 22 medium jumbo frets, and the Bigsby is well within reach for subtle modulation or all out psychobilly wailin’. The G2655T-P90 is a hollowbody guitar with a centre-block running up the middle of the body to prevent feedback and reduce the liveliness of the sound being captured by the FideliSonic 90 pickups. Assembled from arch laminated mahogany and coated in a gloss finish, the G2655T-P90’s body is coupled with a nato neck,

a wood known for reflecting both maple and mahogany-like qualities both tonally and structurally. The laurel fretboard is a deep brown colour, and feels somewhere between ebony and rosewood, providing the spank of hard ebony, and the warmth and tone of rosewood. One end of the guitar features a synthetic bone nut, die-cast tuning machines and black gloss headstock, while the opposite end is an Adjust-o-Matic bridge before a Bigsby B50 vibrato tailpiece in classic Gretsch fashion. More high end and boutique Gretsch’s do away with the more modern Tune-o-Matic and adjustmatic bridges, offering a more limiting, but period-correct bridge. The Streamliners goal is to bring Gretsch’s rich history of innovation and modern guitar building techniques to the masses, all assembled in a classy little TwoTone Midnight Sapphire package. A three way switch toggles between each or both of the P90s, while each pickup has an independent volume control before the signal is routed to a master tone and master volume. The pickups themselves are modelled on classic P90s, but on closer inspection you’ll notice the staple shaped magnets that begin to explain why the guitar sounds the way it does. From early single-cut guitars featuring similar single-coils in the ‘50s until 2021, Gretsch has harnessed all of their hi-fidelity designs into one range

at a super accessible price point. Whether this is your first or tenth axe, a G2655T-P90 might be your next guitar. The Streamliner range as a whole has pushed the envelope for guitars available to people of all levels of expertise and preference, and the G2655T-P90 is another tool in the belt of the modern player, providing Gretsch’s own take on a classic pickup: the P90. The FideliSonic is an instant classic with Gretsch’s own flavour, tuned to resound more closely with a hollow guitar, doing away with the mud sometimes associated with solid guitars and P90s, pushing the acoustic quality that sings from those F-holes a little further. The G2655T-P90 is a great choice for those delving into hollow body territory, or for those more accustomed to the acoustic richness of hollow bodies and wanting to dip their toes into more solid, smaller bodied electrics. They’re well built and designed, created with top quality materials and put together in a way that speaks to every improvement along the way since Grestch began in Brooklyn in the 1800s. Continuously a company looking to bring ‘that great Gretsch sound’ to everyone, whether they knew they were looking for it or not, the G2655T-P90 is a shining example of Grestch’s ability to create instruments for every player. BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS

PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

ZOOM

G6 Multi-Effects Guitar Processor Pedal DYNAMIC MUSIC | RRP: $799

Multi-effects pedals have come a long, long way in recent years. Even as early as ten years ago, most floorboard units were cumbersome, loaded with poorly modelled sounds and were controlled by a crummy calculatorlike interface. They were to be avoided like the plague - that is, until sophisticated effects processing came along and changed it all. Since the arrival of technologies such as impulse responses, cab simulation, audio-over-USB and touchscreen interfacing, the multieffects market has flourished into one of the most profitable today. Among those brands leading the pack is none other than Japanese firm Zoom - a company who were at the forefront of multi-effects innovation, even in the dark days - and their new device, the G6 multi-effects guitar processor, is emblematic of their toils. The Zoom G6 Multi-Effects Guitar Processor Pedal is seriously something to get excited about. It’s one of the most functionpacked processor pedals that you can get at its price point, and considering Zoom’s reputation within the space, you can bet you’ll be getting exceptional tonal quality too. This sturdily built, well-sized unit has six different amp models to choose from, with each amp being custom designed and tweaked for inclusion. There’s also an impressive 22 cabinet emulations, with 70 pre-loaded full impulse responses providing various 42

options for microphone positions and rooms. If this wasn’t enough, you can also upload your own favourite impulse responses (IRs) via the SD Card slot. The G6 Multi-Effects Guitar Processor Pedal has Zoom’s very own effects designed and developed over the span of 30 years; such as, reverb, delay, drive, modulation and more. All of these effects sound great in operation, and unlike some other processor effects, don’t sound noticeably digital - something that many an a tone enthusiast will be impressed by. It has a 4.3 inch colour touchscreen with a really easyon-the-eye and user-friendly interface with its drag and swipe functions that’ll help you get to your preferred setting quickly and with ease. On this LCD screen, you can create and edit patches and swap effects among other many functions. You can save up to nine effects on each patch and easily access them through the play mode footswitch which also has the options for looper, memory, and effect board. To make navigating the device easy, the Zoom G6 has six pedalstyle stomp footswitches for seamless switching, and a very nifty expression volume pedal for real-time manipulation of your sound. There’s also the effects loops available at the back of the board via mono send and return, that will allow you to integrate your stompboxes, amps and external effects.

And, just in case that wasn’t enough it can be used in itself as a USB audio interface and you can connect it via Bluetooth application to be remote controlled, the app acts as a secondary interface. The USB connection allows you to browse and update Zoom’s GuitarLab software that contains various amps, effects and patches. There’s a whole bevy of awesome content available through this software suite, and we highly recommend you take full advantage of everything on offer. Through the effect board play mode, the colour screen depicts your custom pedal chain with colour coordination, and understandable icons and signs so you don’t have to think too hard when performing or setting up. A little light above the icon for the footswitch on the screen lights up when you engage and effect and turns off when disengaged. Editing the parameters of the effects is yet again, a breeze as you simply press the image of the stompbox and away you go. The G6’s memory mode even allows you to pre-program your entire performance. I really appreciated this function, as you can group any combination of your custom made ‘pedal boards’ or patches into groups of four, which I would argue is more than most would need for a live setting. That’s four completely different signal chains, in one bundle so you can have vastly different sounds per song, or even each

section if you wish. This not only works great in live situations, but also in the recording studio if you prefer a more hands on approach to tweaking your sound. I know I certainly do. Back to live performance, creativity, and practice, I will always say that a looper is your best friend in most situations, and of course, the Zoom G6 multieffects guitar processor pedal is decked out with that as well with a whopping two hours worth of loop time, plus more if you decide to expand via SD card. It has so many effects, including new distortion and modulation effects, and thanks to Zoom’s engineers you have access to carefully crafted hybrid amplifier models that take iconic sounds and blend them with other timeless selections for new, unique tones. Speaking of practising, you can also play along to any one of 16 rhythm patterns across an array of time signatures and genres. Honestly, it’s hard to find fault in the Zoom G6; these guys have really picked a winner here. What a dynamic, resourceful device at such an incredible price. While it’s not micro sized, it does not take up too much space and it certainly doesn’t break the bank. I would highly recommend checking it out! BY BRIDGETTE BAINI

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

WARWICK

RockBass Corvette Double Buck Bass in Natural Satin AMBER TECHNOLOGY | EXPECT TO PAY: $1,699.00

In the gear world, there’s only two truths: everything can Djent, and all the best products are designed in Germany. This sentiment rings particularly true when it comes to brands like Warwick, who’ve been responsible for some of the best bass guitars made over the past 25 years. Renowned as pioneers of creating versatile basses with exceptional tonal precision, Warwick have just released the latest entry into their affordable RockBass range, the Corvette Double Buck Electric Bass in Natural Satin. It comes with an oddball design that combines a bizarre (yet very comfortable) body shape with an upgraded 24-fret fingerboard, making for a commanding combination that bassists of all calibres will come to appreciate. Straight out of the case, it’s clear that this bass has form, function and comfort. The Corvette shows off an impressive sustain of intonation and tuning from one fret to the next and sports a beautiful flat ash body, three-ply maple neck with ekanga veneer stripes, and a wenge fingerboard. It is also paired with Warwick’s ergonomically angled machine heads, chrome hardware and a two-piece Warwick bridge, all of which help to round out a pretty impressive spec sheet. The RockBass Corvette Double Buck has a bolt-on maple neck with ekanga veneer stripes, which means that sustain is its middle name. The instrument’s ability to hold consistent tuning from

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one fret to the next is a standout feature with 24 extra high jumbo nickel silver frets, a 34” scale length and a 20” fingerboard radius. The tonewood that Warwick has opted to use for the body on this particular model is ash, creating a transparent, fluid tone that is perfectly suited for styles like rock and metal. It sits really nicely and is comfortable to play with its flat body shape and of course, as Warwick would ensure, its weight is a perfect 4kg on average for optimal low-end sounds. Now, let’s talk about that body shape. Some of the more immature bassists among us may laugh at the Corvette’s curious contours, and the bass has unfairly been the butt of many phallic jokes on the internet. However, the Corvette is actually one of the most comfortable body shapes available today: the ergonomic curves of the body allow for a breezy playing experience whether standing or seated, and the unique design will almost certainly provoke conversation with the support act at your next gig. The Warwick Corvette Double Buck also has Just-A-Nut III Nut and a quick access truss rod cover for intricate adjustments to tone and intonation, but even better still is its two-piece Warwick bridge. This bridge, a feature on all Warwick basses, allows you to adjust on all four points, up and down, and back and forth, for intonation and comfort adjustment, right down to string

spacing so you can adjust the feel to suit your playing preference. The strings also come over the top of saddles and angle back into the body into the tail piece for vibration and sustain, ticking all the boxes of function, form and comfort. This bass is one that really accommodates the trained ear, making it suitable for audio and recording enthusiasts and those in need of a flexibly built bass to cover all… bases. The selections available for fine tuning sound are vast with its passive EQ with two push/pull volume and a single tone control. This allows exceptional control of its two passive MEC MM-style humbucking pickups, which lets you access a huge range of classic low-end tones. Bass frequencies can be one of the more difficult things to mix in a band or recording setting, naturally, our ears have a little more trouble hearing it, so when you find people sweating the small stuff on their bass rig, it’s probably warranted. Warwick does not mess around when it comes to solving many of the hurdles faced by bassists and audio engineers in this field.

and will be far more touchsensitive. The accompanying switches are simple yet highly effective, with two push/pull volume knobs and one single tone control. Bass can be rather temperamental when it comes to sitting correctly in a mix, so the more options to fine tune there are, the better. The option to switch the pickups from series to parallel is a fantastic addition that expands your tone control tweaking options, making it optimal for recording. In series mode because impedance is combined, you can get a very high output and more prominent low and midrange timbres. On the other hand, parallel wiring will give you the option of more clarity and transparency with your tone. At the end of the day, this Corvette bass is exceptionally considerately designed for such an accessible price point! It’s hard not to appreciate Warwick’s dedication to the finer features in low-end frequency instruments ensures they get the best fighting chance at making the perfect contribution to your mix. BY BRIDGETTE BAINI

The two passive MEC MM-style pickups have ceramic magnets and are chunky in appearance to match their thick, punchy and massive tone, popular with metal and bass guitarists. These pickups have a simpler circuitry to active pickups as they are passive, but they deliver a much clearer sound

PRODUCT REVIEWS / AUDIO

ARTIPHON

Orba by Artiphon KOALA AUDIO | EXPECT TO PAY: $169

Every so often, a musical product will break onto the market that really makes a splash - and not just among musicians. Audio units that are compact, feature-packed and quirky in their delivery generally tend to captivate the attention of mainstream consumers, and thus serve as an affordable gateway for many young minds to first experience the joys of musical creation. It mightn’t look exactly like a conventional musical instrument, but the Orba by Artiphon could very well be the next biggest thing on the market. This pocket-sized device functions as a synthesiser, looper, MIDI and MPE controller, and heavily incorporates motion sensitivity into its operation; like a Wii remote, but far more musical. Now, if that all sounds a bit too ambitious for you, it’s worth noting that Artiphon are no slouches in the motion sensitivity sector. The company’s first product, fittingly titled INSTRUMENT 1, was named as one of TIME Magazine’s best inventions of 2019, and also utilised motion sensitivity in its design, with players being able to strum, tap, bow, slide and drum any sound on the unit. Interestingly enough, the Orba initially began in 2019 as a crowdfunded venture from Artiphon, who successfully raised over $1.4 million to commission the initial run of preorders and set a new global crowdfunding record in the process. Units began to ship globally in mid-2020, and now, the Orba has landed in Australia. 44

Before we explore the unit’s features further, it’s important that we delve into the specs of the Orba. This palm-sized device weighs as little as 160 grams, and boasts a sleek, ergonomic design that feels surprisingly rigid while in use. Sound is provided by a set of inbuilt active speakers and a three watt amplifier, and a single 3.5mm headphone output is provided for silent use or to hook up the Orba to an external speaker or amplifier. The Orba makes use of a convenient USB-C port to record MIDI and audio, which is also used to charge the unit’s internal battery or install future firmware updates. Bluetooth LE MIDI is also offered for sending and receiving MIDI data wirelessly, however, it’s worth noting that this feature is currently unavailable for Windows 10 users. Eight capacitive-sensing pads are placed on top of the unit to control the Orba’s internal synth sounds, with velocity control allowing you to create more organic sounding loops with ease. These pads are relatively straightforward to learn and use, and you’ll have a lot of fun as you make your way around the unit, seeing what’s on offer from each patch and playing with every little parameter. Obviously, the Orba’s biggest drawcard is its motion sensitivity, which is performed via its accelerometer and inbuilt gyroscope. By making one of ten simple gestures - including tap, press, spin, radiate, tilt, shake, slide, vibrato, move, and bump - you’ll be able to modulate

parameters such as volume, filters, envelopes and LFOs, as well as a number of other effects such as tremolo and pitch-shifting. The unit also cleverly makes use of LEDs to provide feedback, while a haptic engine creates game controller-like vibrations to make it all the more immersive. Being able to experience music in such a multi-dimensional manner is truly impressive, and makes the Orba an absolute joy to use even if you’re not actually making music with it. It’s a fascinating way to learn about the basics of synthesis in a practical manner, and would be perfect for use in any educational setting. All of the Orba’s sounds are provided via the internal synth engine, which features sound design from acclaimed glitch artist Richard Devine. A diverse library of percussive, bass, pad and lead tones are provided to play with, ranging from vintage keyboards through to contemporary drums and beyond, while further content (including songs, sounds, settings and more) is available to access via the Orba mobile app. In addition to its inbuilt synthesiser, the Orba features a looper that allows you to lay down drum, bass, chord and lead parts on top of each other to create basic song sequences. While capable of creating entire tracks, it’s more likely you’ll use this mode to map out ideas and toy with the Orba’s multidimensional capabilities, but it’s certainly a handy function to have.

The Orba’s MIDI functionality is also a standout feature, giving you the ability to incorporate its multidimensional abilities as a MIDI controller on all major DAWs and compatible mobile apps. Mixing some of the Orba’s control gestures with your favourite soft synths or sample libraries can make for some truly expressive and unique sounds, and the fact that the device is fully compliant with MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) makes it all the more exciting to use. Whether you think of it as a musical fidget toy, an educational device, a trusty tool for songwriting or even as a sophisticated production controller, there’s no denying the potential of the Orba. Rarely - if ever - has such a device delivered so much fun for so little coin, and the amount of features and functionality it offers is simply just a dream come true. Artiphon is seriously on the verge of becoming one of the most impressive market disruptors in the audio industry, and the Orba is without doubt their best achievement to date. BY WILL BREWSTER

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

NUX

Mighty Bass 50BT PRO MUSIC AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY: $439 It wasn’t that long ago when modelling technology was a myth. Something that was used by niche audio professionals in specific applications that required lots of computing power and provided nothing anywhere close to the feel, response and natural saturation of an actual amplifier. Well, it’s now 2021 and look how far we’ve come! Modelling technology is improved in leaps and bounds, and combined with the various innovations taking place in the VST and plugin realms have resulted in a golden age for modelling and emulation both in the software and hardware realm alike.. But, wait a second, why would you want to model something that you already physically have? Well, through Impulse Response technology, it’s now possible to make your speaker sound like a more expensive and highly sought after units, to the point where, even the most humble of practice amps can now be loaded up with enough sophisticated technology to transform them – into a totally versatile tonal machine, with a voicing and character to fit any application – which is exactly what makes the NU-X Mighty Bass 50BT such an exciting prospect. This compact, feature-packed bass amp goes over the top with its functionality, especially considering its entry level price point. It features a 50 watt Class D power amplifier, Bluetooth audio streaming, USB connectivity, a four channel EQ, inbuilt effects, amp modelling, a footswitch for triggering loops and that’s just scratching the surface of what this thing can do. The speaker itself is 6.5” which contributes to its small form factor, to and makes it a prime candidate for miking up or running the direct out and doubling up through the board for live gigs, but for playing at home or recording, this will more than hit the spot. It’s voiced loudly enough to hold it’s own in a stripped-back rehearsal or small venue, while the quaint size of the chassis means you’ll have no issues lugging it between locations or finding a spot for it in the room. The whole thing weighs a very light 7.2kg, which is stunning if you’re planning on transporting this amp between the studio and home frequently. 46

Connecting to the amp via Bluetooth allows you to play along with your favourite songs, another plus for home bass players. This jack of all trades amp also features looping and drum playback functionality, through the bundled NUX NMP-2. You can record loops with one footswitch and trigger drum loops with the other, which adds another level of practicality as you could write a cool bass line and want to learn how to play it before you head to your friends place or maybe you just like experimenting with bass loops. Utilising their free MightyAmp Mobile App is where this amp really stands out. Some music tech manufacturers tend to cop flak for their app-paired modelling amps, usually due to the app having a clunky interface or the inability to register with your gear. As such, I was pleased to see the Might Bass 50BT pair well with the MightyAmp app upon use, and the app was simple and swift in use. Unlocking the potential of the MightyAmp app is easy. First off, you can pair just by placing your phone on the amp, and then unlock all the features this thing can do. Then, you can add a gate, then a virtual FX pedal, choose an amp simulation, then an Impulse Response, before adding Modulation, and Reverb and saving them on one of the three provided channels.

With these features, you can quickly swap between a fuzzy, over distorted funky bass tone into a clean jazz tone with the press of a button. Neat. Oh, and did I mention that each stage of audio processing has multiple sliders available to tweak to your heart’s content? For the real audio buffs out there, how about loading in your own Impulse Response to use with this amp? That’s right, if you can track down the IR for that ultra rare vintage Fender cabinet you’ve been dreaming about all year then this thing can replicate it. Pair that with one of their three amp simulations including an Aguilar, a Fender BassMan and one titled ‘MLD’, which is their Melvin Lee Davis signature and you’re grooving now. Regarding recording capabilities, the Mighty Bass 50BT has some options for you. Firstly you can utilise the DI out to plug into your audio interface of choice or alternatively, plug the amp straight into your computer and you’ll be able to record audio directly. You can select to send the Impulse Response output to the DI and/ or the amp individually which is handy for recording a clean bass sound out of the DI with plans to reamp it later whilst hearing a crunchy tone in person. Very cool.

This might be one of the most intriguing offerings for practicing musicians as there is nothing that I’ve seen that can do so much, and be used in multiple settings while sitting at this price range. For home playing, practice and recording applications, it has all the makings of an awesome workhorse, and multi faceted, small scale Bass rig. Another potential use of this thing would be busking, as the amp, although small, punches well above it’s weight in terms of driver throw and dispersion. Pair that with the easily changeable tones, the convenient stand to deliver sound upwards and looping capabilities, and you have an awesome an versatile mobile solution for ad-hoc performance. Considering everything on offer here, it’s apparent that the NUX Mighty Bass 50BT might just be one of the best practise amps on the market. It’s a seriously impressive unit that showcases the fundamentals of amp modelling brilliantly, and the fact that it’s loaded with so many useful features just helps sweeten the deal even further. BY SAM MCNIECE

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

MARKBASS

Mark Vintage Pre CMC MUSIC | EXPECT TO PAY: $1095

When the Markbass Little Mark Vintage amp head arrived at Mixdown HQ for review at the start of 2020, my eyes immediately lit up. As a bassist in need of a compact, tube-flavoured head for gigging and recording, the prospect of owning an amp of this calibre was already enticing, and the tonal versatility afforded by its three-way EQ preset, four-band EQ and integrated DI output seemed all too good to be true. Upon spending further time with our review model, I felt compelled to purchase a unit of my own - a wise decision in retrospect, considering we were on the cusp of a pandemic and a seemingly endless lockdown was looming, which meant I’d need all the music gear possible to get myself through it. Over the course of that stint indoors, the Little Mark Vintage proved itself as a worthy companion time and time again, and again showed its worth as lockdowns were lifted and gigs began to gradually return. Now, as I find myself in lockdown for the sixth time in just 18 months, I am now playing through the Markbass Mark Vintage Pre; a twisted take on my beloved amp that sees its preamp extracted and rehoused within a convenient stompbox housing. This is a relatively new addition to the Markbass catalogue, and brings with it an impressive array of

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features that would make for a worthy inclusion in any bassist’s tool kit. While the Mark Vintage Pre does draw heavily from the Little Mark Vintage’s spec sheet, there are a number of notable tweaks that are worth mentioning. For starters, the unit features a brand new distortion function with two different gain modes, which can be selected by holding down the leftmost footswitch. The distortion circuit is also linked to a blend control that lets you mix the clean and distorted signal of the unit, which can result in some truly unique driven tones. The Mark Vintage Pre also makes use of an internal boost, which can be engaged by stomping on the right side footswitch. This boost is capable of upping your signal level by a solid +6dB without breaking up, letting you slice through the mix for a solo or complex slap passage. You can also use the boost in tandem with the Mark Vintage Pre distortion circuit to create some truly dirty tones that verge on stoner-rock or doom territory, with the inbuilt 12AX7 tube adding in a nice dollop of tube saturation to boot. Another new feature to the Mark Vintage Pre is its digital RCA and TOSLINK optical outputs, which also offers a 44.1/48/96KHz sampling rate switch. This feature was actually suggested by none other than legendary session

bassist Marcus Miller, who envisioned it as a means for the modern bassist to record over digital files and add their parts to sessions remotely. It’s an incredibly unique feature that functions as expected, and certainly makes the Mark Vintage Pre a formidable recording tool in the hands of a technologically adept instrumentalist. I can’t help but feel a USB or even ADAT output might have been a tad more convenient than an RCA and TOSLINK, but at the end of the day, it’s not really a dealbreaker. Much like its amp-based predecessor, the Mark Vintage Pre makes use of a four-band EQ, with individual controls for low, mid-low, mid-high and high frequencies, as well as a three-way preset switch to tap into flat, cut and old tones. This puts a wide array of tones at the tips of your fingers, making it all too easy to dial in a usable tone and tweak it to your heart’s content. Two oversized dials also allow for easy adjustments of the Mark Vintage Pre’s gain and volume, while the aforementioned blend and drive knobs add a further degree of tonal versatility. From classic, thumping Motown tones and jazzy, top-mid-heavy honk all the way through to edgy punk and saturated rock tones, this thing’s got the potential to cover it all, and the inbuilt boost just helps take it to a whole new level.

To increase its potential as a gigging workhorse, the Mark Vintage Pre features a DI line output with its own transformer and a ground lift switch being included for good measure. This lets you plug it straight into a PA at a gig for instant monitoring, letting you hear the unit in isolation in a wedge or, when paired with a cab sim, even be used as an emergency performance solution for when your amp goes bust. Additionally there’s an integrated send/return FX loop to patch in your pedalboard, while a topmounted headphones output and auxiliary input makes it a worthy tool for silent rehearsals and jamming along to backing tracks. It seems that Markbass only continues to get better and better with each product release, and the Vintage Mark Pre is just the proof in the pudding. The addition of two unique distortion channels and blend control makes this one a must-have for bassists operating in heavier genres, while the onboard boost and versatile EQ system lets you conquer just about every other genre with ease. Throw in the digital output, DI, FX loop, true bypass functionality and the warmth of that inbuilt 12AX7, and you’ve got a winner. BY WILL BREWSTER

PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

SONTRONICS

Halo Dynamic Microphone FEDERAL AUDIO | EXPECT TO PAY: $399 Whether it be in the studio or live on stage, over the decades electric guitars have become very closely affiliated with a select few microphones and wisdom tells me those reading this review are familiar with the microphones of which I speak. So, whenever a new guitar microphone is picked up on the radar it certainly peaks interest and sparks some conversation. Having recently had the opportunity to review the Sontronics DM-series drum mic pack (and being rather impressed I might add), I was obviously rather intrigued to see what the Halo mic had to offer. Aesthetics certainly aren’t everything, but Sontronics absolutely cut the mustard when it comes to making microphones that look the part. The Halo is all vintage vibe and certainly commands attention. Its suspending hallowed design looks as though it’s been pulled back through a time machine sent back to the 1930s. However, this supercardioid polar patterned dynamic certainly doesn’t sound like a vintage ribbon, but rather has an up front, detailed and nuanced sound character. How looks can be deceiving. The Halo’s frequency response of 50Hz – 15kHz plays nicely for guitars as does its frequency graph, with a nice bump in the upper-mids starting at around 2kHz and rolling off around 9kHz, giving plenty of presence and bite, without getting brittle or unruly in the top end. The gentle dip in the lower midrange helps with taming some of the unwanted gunk that lives here, that is typically subtracted with EQ. However, this isn’t at all the say that the Halo is all tops, I was pleasantly surprised with its low-end response too, but more on this in a bit. I firstly put up the Halo next to my trusted SM57, both mics on-axis, a centimetre or two either side of the cone of a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe 1x12”. Both mics were recorded flat into UAD Apollo Twin preamps, no EQ or compression. Plugging in a Fender Strat to start, I found the Halo to capture the 48

distinct single-coil tone from the Strat quite nicely, with a touch more top end than what I’m used to with the response of an SM57. What struck me upon listening back was the aforementioned scoop of the Halo in the low-mids, giving a distinctly “EQ’d” sound which I developed more of a fondness for as I became more acquainted with the mic. The Fender Jazzmaster was up next, giving a rounded bottom end compared to that of the Strat. This allowed me to have a clearer picture of how the Halo would cope with more bottom end thrown at it, as well as pushing the amp a little harder. To my surprise, the Halo faired very well indeed and to my ears (with a spectrum analyser confirming this) had a healthy dose of 100Hz – 150Hz in the bottom end. With the SM57 sporting a 800Hz - 1kHz dominance in its tonality, the Halo had a full bottom end and balanced upper-midrange clarity, not requiring much EQ or compression to get it sitting nicely in the mix.

What I really wanted to check out was how the Halo paired with a ribbon, and based on what my ears had told me so far I was expecting a positive result. They certainly did make a good match, with the ribbon bulking up some more of the bottom end (as to be expected) and filling in some more of the midrange. Turning the Halo off-axis facing towards the centre of the cone revealed yet more of its character, giving some extra bark, spank and attack. Perhaps a little too much for my ears on its own, but when tucked in with the ribbon worked quite nicely. Sontronics have made a bold plunge into the depths of guitar amp microphones with the Halo, competing with classic mics that have dominated this arena for decades. Thankfully, it absolutely holds its own and is a sure contender for engineers looking to refresh their existing collection or those starting to fit out their mic locker.

with such confidence, it really does sit and balance well. Whilst it certainly paired great with a ribbon, if given only one mic I’d happily take the Halo on its own, and when placed in just the right spot, really captures an amp singing. Whilst I didn’t have the chance to put it in front of other sound sources, based on what I heard, I can imagine Halo playing very nicely with snare drums and even vocals, making it a little more versatile than one might expect. Its vintage styling is tasteful yet robust and the included guitar pick was an unexpected bonus. Cheers legends! BY ANDY LLOYD-RUSSELL

The tonality straight off the bat is pleasing and you can see why Sontronic say “no EQ required”

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

PRESONUS

Revelator io24 LINK AUDIO | EXPECT TO PAY: $299.99

If there’s any one trend that’s really made an impact over the course of the pandemic, it’s the rise of live-streaming. Over the past 18 months, the market experienced a huge uptake in interest as physical gatherings were instantly wiped off the calendar, with audiences taking to virtual platforms in their droves in hopes of some form of fickle entertainment. Suddenly, fringe platforms like Discord and Twitch found themselves at the centre of a mini content revolution and by the end of 2020, just about every social media giant had launched a streaming tool of their own to tap into the exploding market. One of the primary benefactors of this streaming boom, of course, is the audio electronics industry, and one of the biggest names to embrace this new niche is none other than PreSonus. The company has been at the forefront of the content creation market for a hot minute now, and their investment into podcasting and consumer audio products certainly paid dividends throughout the global lockdown. Adding further allure for content creators, the new PreSonus Revelator io24 picks up where the brand’s Revelator USB microphone left off, adding new features to aid its status as an audio jack-of-alltrades. It’s a two-channel audio interface with onboard DSP that’s

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optimised for both live-streaming and traditional recording, with top-end preamps and an array of clever add-ons making for a comprehensive answer to anyone’s live-streaming woes. Weighing in at just under a kilogram and measuring no bigger than a notebook, the Revelator io24 is a rather inconspicuous bit of kit, with its brushed aluminium chassis providing sleek looks and a reassuring sense of sturdiness. This design is made all the more inviting by the vibrant OLED display on the front of the unit, which provides nifty visual cues for channel and master volume for you to monitor while you work. One of the Revelator io24’s biggest draw cards is its loopback functionality, which allows you to record your computer’s audio onto a dedicated channel while also outputting source audio. There’s a gamut of ways in which this feature can be utilised effectively - playing backing tracks, for instance, or even recording a live caller on your podcast - and the simplicity of the Revelator io24’s interface makes it extremely easy to use. You can even record up two different on-screen apps while simultaneously tracking incoming audio, which really opens up a whole myriad of opportunities for creative use. For those looking to test out its live streaming potential, Revelator io24 also offers a DSP

streaming mix mode on top of its recording function, which PreSonus claim to be a world first. This mode provides you with a comprehensive overview of your entire streaming mix, letting you engage loopback channels, change levels and EQ your signal, route audio and even engage a wide array of State-Space Modelled effects. Despite sounding extremely complex, it’s actually a breeze to use and requires no additional hardware or setup, and the huge bank of effects on offer are quite impressive; as you’ll soon find, a little touch of reverb, compression and EQ can go a a really long way in the content creation market. The Revelator io24 packs two combo XMAX inputs on the front panel, with a stereo link option being handy to try out more flexible setups. These preamps provide killer bang for their buck, offering a smooth, natural sound with no crunchy breakup when pushed at loud volumes, with the oversized gain control and mute button on the right side of the interface allowing for easy adjustments. There’s also two very preset buttons to create immediate carbon copies of your current parameters, with the interface’s inbuilt processing keeping them stored and ready for whenever you need to recall them. The rear of the unit, meanwhile, offers up a pair of outputs, as well as MIDI I/O, a USB-C port and

an inconveniently placed 1/4” headphone output, which might just be my only gripe with the Revelator io24 - it really would have made so much more sense to place it on the front panel. However, the addition of MIDI I/O is a welcome sight, and will certainly be appreciated by those who dabble in electronic music production as much as they do podcasting or streaming. Like most PreSonus products nowadays, the Revelator io24 comes bundled with the company’s Studio One Artist software, providing immediate access to its acclaimed audio workstation and bank of plugins, effects and more. Having access to such a seamless audio workflow straight out of the box is a killer bonus for first-time users, and the native integration between Studio One and the Revelator io24 just makes the whole process feel so fluid and effective. As we’ve come to expect so often from PreSonus, the Revelator io24 provides a stellar solution for any eager content creator. The prospect of quality preamps, MIDI functionality and powerful onboard processing is made all the more appealing by the unit’s sleek, study and compact design, while the accessible price-tag simply puts the icing on the cake for this one. BY WILL BREWSTER

PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

NEMBRINI AUDIO

Acoustic Voice NEMBRINI AUDIO | EXPECT TO PAY US $99 The recent surge in interest in home recording has been liberating, albeit mostly to those primarily concerned with recording instruments direct or in the box. For the electronically inclined, achieving professional(ish) sounding recordings in ramshackle DIY environments, are for the most part entirely achievable with a basic laptop/interface setup and a fundamental understanding of audio. However, some instruments and techniques are still somewhat out of reach for mere mortals and for most, these exist almost overwhelmingly in the open air, where room treatment, mic selection and understanding of phase and mic position cannot be faked. It’s in these techniques and engineering practices that the mystique of the professional recording studio still remains, with engineers still earning their stripes by capturing beautiful, pristine recordings of acoustic instruments (particularly guitars), with a depth and clarity that is unmistakably pro. For those new to audio engineering (and for those with limited access to microphones or good sounding acoustic spaces) it often feels like an uphill battle and many will often forego using a mic altogether, turning to the inbuilt pickup on their instrument or piezo-electric add-on, in an attempt to nullify the electro/ acoustic influence of their unideal recording situation. Naturally, they soon discover that acoustic pickups sound anaemic and lifeless at best (and harsh and clicky at worst) and so continues the cycle until madness ensues. So, what can the home recording engineer do to capture the lush, warming sounds of an acoustic guitar at home, or at the very least, capture something tasteful and useful? This is the question to which Nembrini Audio have provided a definitive answer with their new Acoustic Voice plugin. Nembrini Audio’s Acoustic Voice sets its sights on remedying the woes of recording engineers stuck with lifeless acoustic guitar tones, providing a complete package to not only bring dull acoustic guitars back to life, but also craft a heartfelt sound that will soar above any mix. 50

Nembrini Audio came about in 2019, when Igor Nembrini, the brains behind some of the most popular guitar amp simulation plugins on the market, decided to part ways with the big players in the plugin world and start his own company. You may be familiar with Nembrini Audio from prior releases (including the awesome Nembrini Shimmer Delay which we reviewed in our Mixdown’s Picks Special earlier this year), Acoustic Voice continues Nembrini Audio’s trend of keeping a keen eye on the needs of working audio engineers in order to deliver groundbreaking, creative tools that find their way into your workflow and never leave. Acoustic Voice is Nembrini Audio’s novel plugin designed to breathe life into acoustic guitars that have been recorded with an inbuilt pickup or a piezo-electric/ contact microphone, mimicking the sound of an acoustic guitar in a real room, with numerous choices of microphone and acoustic guitar bodies to select in order to achieve your desired sound. Acoustic Voice includes an array of additional features to help craft a beautiful acoustic tone, allowing the user to add modulation, delay, reverb, equalization, compression and distortion as they see fit, all packed into a verbose yet easy-to-use user interface, the tried and true style by which Nembrini Audio plugins are easily recognised. The most immediate feature of Acoustic Voice is the ability to

select between distinct acoustic guitar emulations, with a picture of each guitar to visualise your choice. Acoustic Voice models six different acoustic guitars, from Martin to Taylor, even a classic Landola hailing from Finland (personally we hope to see a Maton included in future updates). Switching between these models adds a different distinct resonance to a dry acoustic pickup sound, allowing you to craft a more gentle acoustic sound or a more biting, aggressive sound according to your needs. Beside this, the Mic section allows you to switch between three different microphone emulations, consisting of two dynamic microphones and a condenser microphone, the classic Shure SM-57, a Beyerdynamic M201, and an Audix ADX51 respectively. Two knobs that control Position and Distance allow you to position these virtual microphones along the body of the guitar to achieve your desired sound. The Preamp section is a little more complex, an EQ section offering control over lows, mids, highs and ultra-high frequencies, with the frequency at which the mid control boosts and cuts controlled by the knob directly below it. High and low cut filters are also included, along with a notch EQ control to deal with any feedback issues in a surgical fashion. A Grit knob allows you to give your sound some of Nembrini Audio’s famous creamy distortion, and a single knob for compression

takes away the hassle of dialling in a compressor properly, allowing you to set and forget what sounds good to your ears. An input mode control allows you to switch between magnetic and piezoelectric pickup types, letting you choose what sounds best, regardless of what type of pickup you’re running on your acoustic guitar. The modulation section gives you the option of either a tremolo or a lovely sounding chorus (as expected of Nembrini), along with delay and reverb sections which contain all the necessary controls to expertly craft your sound. Acoustic Voice comes loaded with numerous presets to inspire you and show you what it can do. Whether you’re recording from a guitar’s inbuilt pickup, or putting a contact microphone on the body of your resonant body string instrument of choice, it’s obvious that something special is going on from the moment that you load the Acoustic Voice plugin. Nembrini Audio, despite being primarily known for their amp simulations, have shown that their mastery of space emulation ought not to be confined to the realm of electric guitar amplification. Acoustic Voice is a must for anyone looking for the magical sound of a well recorded acoustic guitar without the painstaking labour that normally comes as a result of trying to achieve it. BY LIAM MCSHANE

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

WARM AUDIO

Premier Series Cables STUDIO CONNECTIONS | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING The most overlooked and most certainly the most neglected member of the audio signal chain is the humble cable that connects all our gear, and without which, we would sit in silence. Some audio engineers thumb their nose at the concept of premium cables, quoting experiments read about on internet forums and claiming snake-oil. Other engineers completely forget about their existence, blaming power issues and dodgy pickups for audio dropouts and level fluctuations (ultimately to their own detriment). In the case of studio and FOH types, many will have a bag full of broken or intermittently operational XLR and ¼” leads next to a rusty old soldering iron, with the intention of eventually trying to fix a decade plus of faulty or busted cables, if and when they ever get around to it. Most never do. It just goes to show how much procrastination, stigma, willful ignorance and (above all else) considerable periods of downtime budding engineers are willing to wade through in order to finally land on one of the home truths of critical audio. Cables definitely matter. Cable/Connector quality definitely matters. You get what you pay for. Please sit down. For starters, they are without doubt the most problematic area in the entire audio chain, often being dealt the roughest life of all in terms of being wrapped up, stood on, twisted, hyper-extended and just generally beaten and worn down. This burly lifestyle is often at odds with just how important they are to the greater audio chain at the connectivity and conductivity level. As bearers of all things signal, they are the vital lifeline between the thousands of dollars of equipment we as musicians/engineers are generally operating at, with a real and tangible effect on gain structure and frequency response. (Don’t even come at me with talk of Bluetooth or wireless here, this is about minimal latency/maximum fidelity, studio quality audio.) Fortunately, they are also one of the easiest issues to remedy, or in the case of Warm Audio’s new Premier Series cable range, remedy for the better, and forever. For years, Warm Audio have been on a crusade to make the world mixdownmag.com.au

of professional quality audio equipment accessible to the every-person, this time turning their attention to the interstitial, often overlooked, realm of professional quality audio cables for the studio and stage. The new Premier and Professional ranges see Warm teaming up with Swiss cable maestros Gotham AG, the transatlantic tangle putting their collective minds to creating cables that meet the needs of a professional studio in terms of construction, connection and audio quality while putting it firmly in reach of the average musician, in terms of affordability. This is both a noble and necessary pursuit as the further you move into critical audio and capture, the sooner things like cable quality and optimal connectivity become an important factor. But how do these differ from generic, run-of-the-mill fare? Well it probably starts with a basic understanding of the anatomy of an audio cable and where the Achilles heels are (there are multiple). The first of these probably pertains to core construction and its effect on electromagnetic interference. Traditional balanced cables are made with two cores for the signal, one positive, one negative, and a ground core, which normally takes the form of the outer wrap that encloses the cables. This is a relatively half-assed approach to shielding that can have dire consequences, especially for those living in any of the major urban centres, where Radio Frequency

Interference (RFI) is at its most apparent. Warm Audio’s StarQuad design throws this traditional design out the window, utilising a total of four cores for the positive and negative signals, along with a ground core, which provides superior shielding against electromagnetic interference, particularly the kind that affects audio signal chains, the aforementioned Radio Frequency Interference (RFI). These extra cores go a long way to give total peace of mind about RFI anomalies; for anyone who has ever experienced a WTF moment when their instrument cable starts picking up and amplifying radio stations in foreign languages, Warm Audio have you covered. In no mood to stop there, Warm Audio have doubled the amount of shielding that surrounds the StarQuad core technology, with the outer shield running in a contrary direction to the inner shield, forming a robust barrier against RFI, dubbed DoubleReussen shielding. Given the modest asking price, the value offered in cutting the time spent unplugging and replugging cables to locate the dodgy link, or source of unwanted interference, is of utmost interest to anyone who has ever changed their recording setup. Cutting no corners in their quest for cable perfection, Warm Audio and Gotham AG have also engineered custom gold-plated connectors for this run of cables, which both look and feel a cut above anything else at this price

point. The cables are enclosed in a *chef’s kiss* double woven nylon outer layer, making them resistant against sharp edges and corners, and crucially, far less likely to twist and coil and degrade over time. The purity of the connection is instantly identifiable at the sonic level and is definitely a level up from what you would normally encounter for cable like this. An absolute buffet of technology separates Warm Audio’s Premier Series Cables from fellow offerings, but the real pièce de résistance of their efforts is the lifetime warranty on every cable. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of high-end professional audio equipment, and in turn the hallmark of every successful studio, is dependability. Just as how the audio engineer gets to their studio every morning and turns on the power to start using their gear without any worry about a faulty patch cable or dodgy power supply, a wellestablished studio will put out record after record featuring the same expertly engineered sound for which they are so regarded. Warm Audio, in recognising the importance of continuity in the signal chain, elevates the role of the cable from a disposable, interchangeable connector between pieces of gear, to a fundamental link in the concept of a studio itself, however small or large. BY LIAM MCSHANE

PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

UNIVERSAL AUDIO

UAFX Astra Modulation Machine CMI MUSIC AND AUDIO | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

For anyone following this year’s NAMM convention as closely as we were, it became abundantly clear from the outset that 2021 was the year effects pedals made their way into the studio control room. It seemed like every other announcement included some kind of feature designed to integrate traditional instrument level effects into one’s recording/ mixing chain, further liberating out-of-box mixing for the home recording enthusiast, whilst also giving many seasoned studio types the ability to integrate many coveted, pedal only effects into their standard workflow. What nobody could have predicted though, was the bombshell announcement that Universal Audio- the quintessential purveyors of all things studio, would be jumping into the world of stompboxes, boots and all, with the announcement of their game-changing new UAFX line of premium effects pedals for 2021. This wasn’t just a casual dipping of the toe either, but rather the result of several years of serious R&D, led by two of the biggest names in all of pedal design: former TC Electronic wunderkind Tore Mogenson and the man himself, the Tinker Hatfield of effects pedals, Mr. James Santiago. The resultant pedals are an absolute home-run, scratching the itch for both the pedal-hoarding tone-hound and the studio puritan in all of us. With bucket brigade chorus having recently reaffirmed itself as part of the Australian national identity, it’s probably no surprise that it’s the Astra Modulation Machine that has quickly emerged as a fan favourite here amongst the Mixdown team, finding its way onto many a pedalboard and hardware insert since its initial release. A three pronged ‘Modulation Workstation’, the stereo/dual mono Astra takes its sonic cues from three of the most tasteful, ‘holy grail’ modulation devices ever to be produced – the iconic, BBD-equipped original Boss CE-1; MXR’s influential Flanger/Double rack unit of the late 1970s; and the highly touted vibrato circuit found 52

on the original 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb. The sonic quality of these three foundational tones seriously has to be heard to be believed. The six adjustable parameters on the pedal itself allow for ample tweakability, with standard speed, depth and intensity pots along the topline. UA’s crafty multi features make up the rest of the pedal, with the Shade, Shape, and Mode settings each playing a different role depending on which effect is engaged. Given its unique DSP architecture, the Astra is capable of all kinds of interesting routing and blending. The Mode function in particular is primed for this kind of sonic trickery, with the options of traditional stereo wet/dry modulation mono or lush Dual Mono routing offering a plethora of tonal solutions far beyond that of your average effect pedal. Another interesting takeaway is the manner in which the pristine true bypass circuitry found on the Astra pairs so well with the high quality, DSP effected signal in the stereo field. For example, on something like the BBD Chorus, the Mode switch determines the stereo split of the Chorus output, with the dry tone on the left and the processed, wet tone on the right. The presence of the extremely high quality analogue componentry found on the true bypass circuit on the Astra means that the quality of Dry signal itself is a cut above to begin with, not only matching the state of the art DSP processing for quality, but also really bringing up the overall standard of the summed output to record worthy levels of clarity. This is exactly the kind of skilful negotiation of the analogue and digital divide that UA is known for in the Studio space, and seeing these same concepts brought to life within the context of stompboxes is an exciting indicator of where DSP based effects are headed. There are also USB and Bluetooth Pairing ports on the back of the unit, meaning we can no doubt expect a host of additional updates and fresh new tones

coming our way in the near future. UA themselves have already given users two additional tones available at registration, in the form of the new Phaser X90 and the Blackface/Brownface-inspired Dharma Trem ‘61. From the very first note, it’s only too obvious the kind of effort UA have put into capturing the essence of what makes ’70s/’80s BBD modulation devices so highly coveted. It’s a testament to the Astra’s powerful dual-processor architecture and the insanely detailed modelling undertaken by the UA team. Modulations shimmer and oscillate across the stereo field in a way that is both lush and musical, completely eschewing the kind of upper mid harshness that has been the achilles heel for so many latter day modulation devices.

and combining it with some of the most highly sought after DSP and analogue emulation in the studio domain. The result is something both classic in tonality and forward thinking in workflow and with its extremely powerful DualProcessor topography and its ability to house some of the most powerful modelling in existence (much like UA’s Satellite and Apollo interfaces operate in the plugin domain), their entrance into the pedal market is sure to send reverberations (or in this case modulations) through the broader guitar community. Find out more about the UAFX range via Universal Audio.

BY PAUL FRENCH

Just like anything bearing the UA badge, the Astra is undoubtedly studio quality, both in sonics and in terms of physical build, bringing together the very best in premium electrical components

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

AUDIO TECHNICA

AT2040 Podcast Microphone TECHNICAL AUDIO GROUP | EXPECT TO PAY: $199 With the world currently experiencing a global pandemic, there has been an increased demand for digital content to consume as the things we used to do in our spare time are less available. This influx in digital content demand has afforded lots of people a new income stream or a new hobby while instability and unemployment was at an all time high. So, you’re looking at getting into creating YouTube videos, streaming on Twitch or starting your own podcast? Awesome, but before you dive right in, it’s important to discuss how you’re going to capture your voice and what’s more important in this regard than choosing an appropriate microphone. With regards to all of these applications, it’s hard to look past the new AT2040 podcast microphone from Audio-Technica. It’s a dynamic, large diaphragm, end address microphone with a hypercardioid polar pattern, that comes housed in a sleek, all metal enclosure. It uses a professional grade XLR output and requires no phantom power to run on account of it being dynamic. There’s an integrated shock mount present here which reduces noise travelling through the mic stand, as well as a multi stage wind screen consisting of a nonwoven filter and foam mesh to tame plosives (think boomy p’s and b’s) from reaching your recording. This is fantastic for an affordable microphone such as this, with content creators likely wanting to have an all in one solution available and not have to purchase extra accessories. Audio-Technica seemed to understand that end users would want to use this microphone on a stand, and attached a pivoting stand mount to the AT2040. This will screw onto basically all microphone stands courtesy of the 5/8”-27 to 3/8”-16 threaded adapter. Neat. Courtesy of the hypercardioid polar pattern, sounds coming from everywhere except aimed at the front grill are rejected quite well. This is fantastic news if you plan on recording with multiple microphones and only want to hear each speaker from their respective microphone or for streamers, it will provide rejection mixdownmag.com.au

from your clattering keyboard while you game all night. This microphone is dynamic, which is akin to other prolific broadcast microphones, and delivers a warmer sound than condenser microphones produce. The dynamic element in this microphone would require more air to be moving to capture it, and in turn, minimises room noise in comparison to a condenser microphone. Now, this does mean that the AT2040 doesn’t have as defined a high end as its condenser microphone compadres, but for recording audio that is destined to wind up on the internet, modern audio compression rates will chop off anything above 16kHz anyway. Speaking of frequency responses, this microphone captures audio accurately from 80Hz to 16kHz, which is a bit too specific to be a coincidence. This microphone has been designed as a podcasting, streaming and content creation microphone for people who don’t want to get dug down in the nitty gritty audio engineering talk. As such, they’ve created a microphone that’s about as plug and play as you can get while still featuring a professional XLR output. No phantom power,

external pop filter, shock mounts or post processing required here - just plug it in, and you’re ready to create. For those curious about how it sounds, the AT2040 is quite impressive for a microphone at this price point, and surely will outperform for content creation purposes. In fact, there’s no reason why it couldn’t be used as a vocal mic for singer-songwriters, considering how crisp it sounds. There seems to be a slight low cut going on here which pushes the parts of your voice that are easily heard to the foreground, another plus for its plug and play capability. With regards to its look, it definitely appears like a broadcast mic. Having to use this while streaming or creating other forms of video content would make for a professional looking setup, especially as to how revered the name Audio-Technica is within the audio world. For transporting this microphone, there’s an included soft protective pouch to ensure your AT2040 stays in good knick while on the move, and at 615g, it won’t weigh down your microphone stand, while still being solid enough to take a knock due to its all metal enclosure.

The AT2040 has a sensitivity of -53dB which is very suitable for its intended application. This statistic would only become a factor if you were planning on recording audio from a significant distance, instead of using it up close as it’s intended to be used. With its 600 ohms impedance, this is a low-impedance microphone, meaning it will work seamlessly with any audio interface/preamp featuring an XLR input, or any kind of input for that matter with an additional connector. If you’re unsure about which microphone to choose for your spoken word applications, this microphone should be on your list. For streamers and podcasters, Audio-Technica have created a microphone that is as plug and play as dynamic professional microphones can be. With its affordable price tag, robust construction and great sounding, noise rejecting qualities, the AT2040 is sure to be a hit for online content creators - keep your eyes peeled for it in the next YouTube thumbnail! BY SAM MCNIECE

PRODUCT REVIEWS / AUDIO

AUDIO SIMPLIFIED

Pedal Pusher AUDIO SIMPLIFIED | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

Sonically speaking, all the weirdest and most avant garde stuff happens in pedal land. Obviously synthesis comes in at a close second, but even then, what crazy synth sound can’t be made even weirder and more irreplicable by running it through a few pedals? Rack effects might have them beat for inherent tonal classiness and routing options, but we are talking about sonic experimentation and general weirdness here, and for that nothing really hits the same way as a stompbox. Say what you want about plugins also, but even today they still lack the same kind of beautiful unpredictability and complex gain interrelationships found in the world of instrument level effects. They also have to contend with an extremely competitive market that has for the last 60+ years, been churning out an endless supply of genre defining classics, left of centre oddities and borderline unusable (but nonetheless interesting) periodic cultural debris, produced by an international network of mad scientist types. Historically though, pedals have always had an uphill battle finding their way into the control room (at least as inserts), a bi-product of their in-line, instrument level topography. This has meant that for most budding musicians/ engineers, pedals are primarily reserved for the live room, with most capturing their effects directly into the DAW, either by mic or by line input, in turn making editing and tweaking after the fact an extremely difficult task. Others track parts dry and attempt to replicate the extremely unique sonic fingerprint of their beloved pedalboard via any number of plugins or rack inserts, but the outcome is almost always a compromise. Thankfully though, Audio Simplified are on the case by way of their awesome new Pedal Pusher Rack unit, an all in one breakout box, designed to seamlessly integrate the myriad of pedal specific effects into the modern studio workflow while also serving as an awesome central power supply for all your pedal requirements.

The brainchild of industry veteran Jim Milkes, Audio Simplified are a micro-boutique manufacturer who (like their name would suggest) specialise in the manufacture and design of handmade bespoke audio solutions aimed at simplifying the trickier side of audio, in this case integrating instrument level effects into the recording chain. Handmade with a bit of extra TLC by Jim himself, each Audio Simplified product is made to last the journey from Maryland, with an impeccable build quality and purity of output that is obvious the minute you patch it in. On the front of the unit we have two sets of unbalanced send and returns, designed to operate as two mono effect pedal loop channels. The presence of two independent effect loops really opens up a whole bunch of potential workflow possibilities, both utilitarian and experimental alike. For those very much set in their ways tonally speaking, this is awesome for setting up two permanently patched in pedal banks, featuring your favourite, most used effects, or you could divide it up according to effect category and be perfectly set up for A/B shootouts. A forward thinking bedroom type, might even opt to use both channels to run an entirely stereo pedal chain (such as Universal Audio’s new UAFX line) and integrate high quality hardware emulation (and their programmable DSP) into their inbox-workflow. As is part and parcel for a product like this (or any attempt at making an instrument level studio connection), a lot of thought has

been put into impedance and level matching with the Pedal Pusher, and it shows, both in the intuitive features and the ‘set and forget’ I/O. On the rear of the unit, two sets of balanced XLR I/O connections are present for connecting to your interface I/O. These also operate as a stereo or dual mono reamp, thus only reaffirming the Pedal Pusher’s multi-faceted approach to instrument level effects in the studio. For those of a broadcast or installation pedigree, there is also a Dante point on the rear, which allows connection to a Dante network at sample rates of up to 96kHz, just in case you weren’t already spoilt for routing options. A couple of particularly interesting inclusions on the Pedal Pusher are the presence of both passive and active pickup options, which, given the high amount of variance in level between these two pickup types in the real world, is perfect for maintaining continuity between live and studio rigs. When the switch is in the passive position, there is also the option of a high frequency equalizer designed to simulate or negate the effects of guitar cable on traditional signal flow in the Pedal domain. As anyone who has experienced a noticeable difference in effect response after switching to a new cable will be able to tell you, a difference in cable can have a very real, tangible effect on sonic outcome. Having the ability to somewhat control it is just one of the many features that makes the Pedal Pusher such a user friendly and intuitive product. If the Pedal Pusher was just a simple and stress free method of connecting instrument level

effects into your DAW workflow, that would honestly be worth the price of admission alone. The workflow advantages, creative applications and liberation of so many floorbound effects, along with the overall quality of the circuitry, more than get it over the line. In a classic case of ‘making a good thing better’, the absolute cherry on top is the presence of the six, fully isolated power supplies, with four selectable voltages, not only providing a high quality, extremely versatile power source for your needs – also opening the Pedal Pusher up to even more routing options, i.e. 12V Synth Pedals and the like. It also has the added bonus of keeping your effects and Pedal Pusher unit on the same basic mains outlet, minimising the accruition of dirty power into your recording chain and allowing the Pedal Pusher to take the place of several additional power sources. Given the abundance of musicians/engineers entering the home recording space at the moment, the need for a product like the Pedal Pusher has never been greater. Having the ability to patch in stompboxes on the fly, into a system that is fully level and impedance matched, is liberating to say the least. The onboard features are all so well thought out, and so specific to power, impedance and gain structure of instrument level effects, that it legitimately feels like the entire process has been streamlined and a major issue rectified, or better yet….simplified.. BY PABLO FRANCOIS

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

SENNHEISER

Evolution Wireless Digital (EW-D) SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA | EXPECT TO PAY $1,169.00 - $1,949.00

There are few names in pro audio that hold such reverence as Sennheiser. When it comes to the world of wireless systems the German company unarguably takes a healthy bite of the pie. What’s something that’s always held Sennheiser in such high esteem from prosumer to pro audio is their well throughout, easy to use designs, rugged reliability and price point. So when the new Evolution Wireless Digital (EW-D) landed in my lap for review, I was pretty pumped to see what they had come up with. A hot topic of debate when it comes to wireless systems is digital versus UHF, with benefits in both types of systems. Cleverly, Sennheiser has taken the best of both and packed them into one box of digital and UHF luxury. The digital control and transmission makes for lightning fast operation, syncing and scanning (more details on those shortly) and from there is where UHF picks up. Operating on the UHF spectrum allows for rock solid frequency selection, without interference or having to deal with intensive cell, Wi-Fi and/or other such traffic found on digital systems operating on 2.4GHz. What’s more, there’s some incredibly powerful features under the hood, which have been trickled down from Sennheiser’s flagship 6000 and 9000 digital systems. Equidistant frequency tuning is built into EW-D, allowing channels to be set 600kHz apart, and this technology, paired with equidistant spacing over a 56MHz bandwidth (with 2240 selectable frequencies) gives pinpoint accuracy and stability; with optimum conditions allowing up to 90 channels in one system. What is often very difficult to achieve with wireless systems that sit in the price range of EW-D is striking a balance between ease of use for those new to or less experienced with wireless systems, and the complete control of parameters that pro users have come to expect. The technology and features Sennheiser has been able to pack into EW-D is pretty astonishing and does a remarkable job of making things both incredibly simple to use, but also very customisable if required. mixdownmag.com.au

The Smart Assist app is recommended for download with the system. I for one, can be a little sceptical of apps when it comes to being used with pro audio gear; at times finding them more of a hindrance than assistance. In the case of the Smart Assist app, it was remarkably easy to use. Syncing and pairing to receivers via Bluetooth was incredibly quick and easy, just like pairing any typical Bluetooth device. The auto scan feature was a particular highlight and one that less experienced users will find extremely useful. The level of detail and information displayed on the apps devices page was pretty striking, with frequency, status, battery life, mute, lock, the ability to customise names (which are promptly displayed on each receiver unit) and colour coding of devices is all immediately visible. A simple tap on any of the listed devices opens up a dropdown menu of all adjustable parameters including manually setting frequencies, transmitter sync, auto scan function as well as gain level and AF out level. This ability to deep dive into every parameter of the system will be welcoming to professional users, which makes EW-D feel more like a pro level device. Of course, all of these parameters can be adjusted on the receiver units themselves and are displayed on the front panel. Finally, for those needing further assistance with setting up their system, the support hub tab in the app has a wealth of helpful videos and instructions. A nice touch.

Of course, a wireless system can have all the bells and whistles you like in terms of technology, automated functionality and application assistance, but the sound quality is of course of utmost importance. Thankfully, as I’d come to expect from a Sennheiser product, both the handheld and instrument units I had to demo sounded fantastic! The handheld unit boasts the MMD 835 dynamic capsule, 154dB SPL and 2.1mV/Pa sensitivity. The detail and nuance of the mic was classic Sennheiser, featuring a nice amount of top end detail, without getting harsh in the upper midrange. Battery install was simple (with an impressive battery life of up to 12 hours when used with lithium ion batteries), as was pairing with its receiver. The simple mute switch on the chassis makes for easy operation, but if the microphone is accidentally switched to mute, this can also be overridden by the Smart Assist app if required, a nice feature. The instrument pack was equally easy to use and operate and the metal enclosure felt rugged and road worthy. One thing to note was the level of gain able to be set on the receivers, which out of the box is set to 21dB. This was optimum for the handheld mic, but I needed to boost this up a bit higher on the instrument pack to more closely match it to my guitar and amplifier’s usual settings.

with Sennheiser boasting up to 100m of operating range (with clear line of sight of course) and the 134dB of audio input dynamic range provides plenty of detail here. Having set both units up in a room at the back of the house, I proceeded to take both transmitter units out the front, which included several walls and doors blocking line of sight between transmitter and receiver. I then proceeded across the road and down the street a little, all the while playing and singing without any dropouts of interference on both units. Video capturing the display of both receiver units during this testing solidified my findings, showing the RF display bar only dropping a couple of bars. Needless to say I was very impressed by the detail, clarity and operating range of both units. It’s fair to say Sennheiser have stepped up with the new Evolution Wireless Digital series. A true digital and UHF hybrid work horse that takes the best of both worlds and absorbs some of Sennheiser’s most sophisticated wireless technology, providing stable and reliable use. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate taking EW-D sets out to a local venue on the road. Quality sound, rugged metal housing and easy of use ticks all the boxes. BY ANDY LLOYD-RUSSELL

The range and signal strength of both the handheld and instrument sets were mighty impressive,

PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

ELECTRO-VOICE

Evolve 50M JANDS | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

As one of the most revered names in all of audio (and especially in PA), it’s an understatement to say that Electro-Voice knows a thing or two about speakers. The American brand has been there since the very beginning, with a reputation for sound and build quality that is basically unsurpassed in the space. Boasting an eight-channel integrated digital mixer, onboard effects and remote capabilities via Electro-Voice’s QuickSmart Mobile application, the new Evolve 50M may just be one of the most flexible portable column setups out there at the moment, with an impressive 1000W of power courtesy of the advanced Class-D amplifier. Portable speakers, along with providing quality sound, have to do one thing well: be portable. These Evolve 50M speakers come in at 26.25kg, which is very manageable considering the speaker array and sub are easily detachable and can be carried separately. Each Evolve 50M unit has eight channels of input available with four XLR/TRS combo mic/line jacks, stereo RCA, 3.5mm or XLR/ TRS line inputs along with a Hi-Z instrument line input and stereo Bluetooth streaming. Three combo microphone inputs and Bluetooth are always available, with the remaining input selections sharing the remaining three channels. This Bluetooth connection is an essential feature for professional performers who want to perform to backing tracks or for use as interim music between sets. For sending audio out of the unit (to an in-house PA, for instance), there’s an XLR out, along with an aux out for foldback uses, making this a versatile speaker with plenty of use cases. This versatility is further bolstered by its ability to provide phantom power from the balanced inputs, bringing with it a broad array of micing options, in turn making the Evolve 50M a standout for natural sounding acoustic performances, small bands and open air applications. The upper array holds eight high quality 3.5-inch neodymium drivers, with a 12-inch Electro Voice subwoofer underneath,

connected by a lightweight aluminium ‘stick’ style mount. This connection is easy to use and pretty much plug and play, with no extra cables needed to connect sub to top box or vice versa. The back of the unit features an LCD screen and single knob for controlling all available mixing parameters, including the four speaker presets which are Music, Live, Speech and Club, specially designed for those uses. Now, most people wouldn’t want to mix a full gig on the back of a speaker (which you could hypothetically do here if you please), but it’s nice to have a bit more nuanced control over the sound. Through Electro-Voice’s QuickSmart app, you can change channel levels, EQ, send levels and choose from thirty studio-quality effects to add into one of their two FX channels. You can use a three band EQ on each channel and a 7-band graphic on the master, a nice touch. Not only can you have wireless control, but also wireless monitoring over the system, perfect for soundchecking in quiet before the gig. Connecting two Evolve 50Ms through their RJ45 (ethernet) ports allows for complete sharing of inputs and mixing parameters through QuickSmart Link. With just two (which is what you’d use for a stereo pair at a gig anyway), you now have enough inputs to hook up a small band which can be controlled via Electro-Voice’s QuickSmart Mobile App on both iOS and Android devices. This feature means you can run a full gig without thinking about an external mixer, controlling everything through the 50M’s DSP. Touring and professional musicians will know that more equipment means more setup time and increased chances of equipment malfunctioning. For guitarists, you can utilise the onboard effects such as chorus and reverb to hone in your tone and maybe not even bring your pedalboard. But what about the sound? Electro-Voice have utilised the electronics engineering team at Dynacord which are their sister company, providing high quality DSP and pro-grade preamps, resulting in a full range, quality

sound. The array has a horizontal coverage of 120 degrees and vertical coverage of 40 degrees, very suitable for most live performance applications. The Evolve 50M can push out a sizable 127dB SPL which is sure to rock wherever you take it. With its eight channel mixer, quality built in effects and ability to provide phantom power, the Evolve 50M is an absolute nobrainer for acoustic buskers and/ or vocal groups who want more oomf than the 30M offers. The single-trip portability of the unit will no doubt also lend itself to the demands of itinerant DJs, travelling speakers and a whole host of other mobile performance and speaking/entertainment applications (as well as one hell of a clouty, premium bluetooth speaker to win friends and influence others).

The name Electro-Voice bares with it an assumption of premium quality drivers, rock solid finishing and incredible sound quality. The Evolve 50M more than lives up to this premise, albeit reimagined in the very modern, very ‘now’ context of lightweight portable speakers with onboard Bluetooth connectivity. As one of the most trusted names in pro audio, the Evolve 50M bears with it all the hallmarks of a truly premium product. From the detail of its white or black finishes right through to the remarkable projection and sound quality of its output (especially given its small stature), it’s a top shelf offering from one of the most reputable names in public address. As classy and as functional as portable PAs get. BY SAM MCNIECE

mixdownmag.com.au

MY RIG:

Matt Sweeney “It’s a fucking chessboard,” exclaims Matt Sweeney, itinerate indie axeman (and lifelong champion of the guitar), from his cozy New York abode. “That’s what’s cool about the guitar... the fact that it is both so limiting and then at the same time, the possibilities are fucking infinite.” Sweeney is on the back end of a full day of promo in aid of the star-studded covers album I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico and yet his energy is still at fever pitch. Given the subject matter (Velvet Underground) and his collaborative cohort on this release (Iggy Pop), it’s probably not hard to understand why. For fans of proto-punk, this is the kind of stuff dreams are made of. In the studio, Sweeney’s enthusiasm for the guitar and the material carried over, even convincing Iggy to pick up a six string and smash

1979 Gibson 335 TD

out a free-jazzy topline for their rendition of ‘European Son’. So how did Mr. Pop fare? “He fuckin nailed it. He’s Iggy Pop, the world’s smartest man. Of course he can play free jazz on the guitar.” With about five minutes to spare in what was a long and jovial conversation, Mixdown figured it a good time to talk rigs, guitar moves and Neil Diamond with the affable Mr. Sweeney.

GUITARS 1979 Gibson 335 TD “Probably the best lesson from the Guitar Moves series was when Gene (Ween) talked about always keeping the guitar above the dick or below the dick. I still notice that with every band I ever go and see. For me my go to is always my 355 TD which has a coil splitter on it which I love. I always use flatwound strings on it, which is very important. That’s what I always used on Superwolf’s earlier stuff (Sweeney’s collaboration with

indie troubadour, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) back in the day and I’ve kept that theme running all the way through to the new record.”

Neil Diamond’s 1970 Martin D-18 “Dude, fucking Neil Diamond gave me this and it’s the sickest fucking guitar. I think it’s a 1970 and I should definitely never take it out of the house, but it plays so, so well. Me and Bonnie just played a couple of shows and I took my two favourite guitars, the 335 and the D-18, which you are never supposed to do, but they just sound so fucking good. It’s kind of worth the stress.”

Wandering Boy Acoustic “One of my favourite recent acquisitions is actually from Australia. Jack (Tarlinton) who does Wandering Boy, I’ve got two of those and they just have such a great character and feel. They are perfect for noodling around the house or for making stuff up with. Writing, I think they call it.”

AMPS Ampeg B15n “I’ve been using this vintage Ampeg lately that I got off a friend. It’s the guitar version of the B15 with the coke mirror on the top of it and the really warm vibrato. I just happened to try one, because my friend Emmett has one and that was a revelation. I love how that thing sounds.”

PEDALS Echopark Germanium Fuzz “I like nasty sounding distortion pedals and fuzzes, and it’s probably my Echopark Germanium Fuzz that gets the biggest response. It sounds disgusting. It sounds gross in the best possible way.” I’ll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground & Nico is due for release on Friday September 24 via Virgin Music.

BY PABLO FRANCOIS

Wandering Boy Acoustic

Neil Diamond’s 1970 Martin D-18

Ampeg B15n

Echopark Germanium Fuzz 58

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MICRO MUSTANG™

THE AMP THAT GOES ANYWHERE.

ELEVENNPIECE PROFESSIONAL ELECTRONIC DRUM KIT WITH 5 CYMBALS

ELEVENNPIECE PROFESSIONAL ELECTRONIC DRUM KIT WITH 5 CYMBALS Latest-generation mesh heads for fastest, most natural response ever | Patented Enhanced Articulation System | Full-sized 20-inch kick drum | 14-inch movable hi-hat system Strike Performance Module with 4.3-inch colour LED screen Latest-generation mesh heads for fastest, most natural response ever | Patented Enhanced

Articulation System | Full-sized 20-inch kick drum | 14-inch movable hi-hat system Strike Performance Module with 4.3-inch colour LED screen alesis.com Alesis, distributed, supported & serviced for over 30 years in Australia by Electric Factory Pty Ltd elfa.com.au