Mixdown Magazine #320

#320 – 2022

THORNHILL MELBOURNE’S METALCORE MAESTROS ROBBEN FORD, KURT VILE, JENNIFER LOVELESS STUDIO SPECIAL

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CONTENTS

8 10 14 16 18 20 30 32 34 35 36 58

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

Giveaways Product News Thornhill

PRINT EDITOR Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au

Void of Vision Robben Ford Studio Special Marshall 60th

Thornhill

Drum Column

PG .14

ONLINE EDITOR Eli Duxson eli@furstmedia.com.au GRAPHIC DESIGNER Erica May EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Andy Lloyd-Russell

Guitar Column Bass Column

ADVERTISING MANAGER Paul French paul@furstmedia.com.au

Reviews My Rig: Kurt Vile

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au

/MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE @MIXDOWNMAGAZINE MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU

Robben Ford

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

CONTRIBUTORS Al Belling, Andy Lloyd-Russell, Adrian Violi, Nick Brown, David James Young, Erika Fedele, Greg Long, Liam Mcshane, Lewis Noke-Edwards, Rowena Wise, Luke Shields, Peter Hodgson, James Callanan, Pablo Francois

Void of Vision

PG. 16

FOUNDER Rob Furst

PG. 18

AY 2021 #315 – APR/M

#313 – DEC/JAN

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For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact us at: (03) 9428 3600 or email paul@furstmedia.com.au periscope mixdown 2021.pdf

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GIVEAWAYS

Audio-Technica Home Studio Recording Pack For those budding home recorders who began at the onset of the pandemic or realised human interaction and social settings were overrated, our good friends at Audio-Technica have generously donated a home studio recording pack worth almost $500! Included in the pack is the entry-level AT2020 large diaphragm condenser microphone, the AT2040 large diaphragm dynamic podcast and broadcast mic, and a set of their lauded ATH-M20x monitoring headphones. This pack is incredible value as it is with Audio-Technica’s long history of providing high quality affordable audio gear, but for free?

You’d be silly not to be in the running.

Kurt Vile Merch Pack The packs keep coming! If you’re excited about Kurt Vile’s forthcoming album as we are at Mixdown, then you’re gonna be thrilled about this marvellous merch pack which includes an LP of (watch my moves), a signed lithograph, and a Kurt Vile crew neck jumper and t-shirt. Vile pulled his immense range talents for the album as a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer in unexpected directions to produce his ninth solo studio offering. The result is a vibrant, yet meditative album propelled by Vile’s laid-back charm and curious spirit.

Editors Note As hacky as it is to recite a dictionary definition in an opening monologue such as this, I think it does a lot of heavy lifting in explaining the everchanging landscape of the modern recording studio. As audio engineers and self recording musicians, we so often associate the term with wallto-wall circuitry and signal chains, mathematically precise absorption coefficients, and expensive imported sofas. While this may be the case for the lucky few, the true definition of the term is something much more holistic and universal. A studio is simply a workroom where an artist, photographer, sculptor (or in our case), a record maker plies their trade. It’s a place to conceive, experiment, and refine, eventually emerging with something pretty for the patronage. Whatever that space looks like for you, hopefully this issue helps you to rethink and reassess that environment in a way which is more conducive to producing better art. Otherwise it’s just four walls and a power bill.

Namaste.

PAUL FRENCH, EDITOR

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

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It’s not often that a boutique mob like Josephson comes up with a new addition to their microphone arsenal, and the C705 large diaphragm is affordable at the high end of the street. Josephson Series Seven microphones provide unprecedented flexibility. Their latest microphone combines the large singlediaphragm capsule of the C715 but in cardioid only, with the transparent, transformerless circuit of the C716, all in a new hardened-steel housing that offers a unique value point in studio microphones. The C705 is as greatsounding as it looks.

Yamaha has marked 50 years of analogue mixer history in style with the MG-X models of mixing consoles, designed for live and installed sound applications. There is a significant demand from customers in the corporate conference and event markets for compact mixers with high quality SPX effects but without USB, according to Yamaha, and the new MG16X, MG12X, and MG10X have been introduced to satisfy this demand. The MG-X include the famed SPX effects as they work harmoniously with discrete D-PRE mic preamplifiers and custom made MG01 operational amplifiers to deliver highquality and adaptable sound.

The Chandler Limited TG microphone is now available in Australia MIXMASTERS PRO AUDIO | MIXMASTERSPROAUDIO.COM.AU The TG Microphone is one in a long line of Chandler Limited’s products based on historic equipment from EMI’s Abbey Road Studios, and is a solid-state large diaphragm condenser microphone. It features the EMI ‘Tape Equaliser’ section on-board, combined with its ‘Dual Tone System,’ dual frequency low-cut filter, and a dedicated power supply unit. Historically used to compensate for tapes played back on machines of the opposite standard, the repurposed tape equaliser allows the engineer to shape the sound at the source and mitigates the need for downstream processing.

Ernie Ball ships three new sets of guitar strings CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU Ernie Ball has announced three new sets of guitar strings set for release, including the lightest gauge Zippy Slinky strings yet, and two variations of the 12-string Custom Light Earthwood strings. The Zippy Slinky strings are the lightest gauge combination offered by Ernie Ball and feature nickel-plated steel wrap wire around a tin-plated hex core for that iconic and reliable Slinky feel. The new Earthwood guitar sets feature never-before-offered gauge combinations, as Custom Lights 12-strings are offered in phosphor bronze and 80/20 bronze alloys featuring tin-plated high carbon steel plain strings.

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Akai update the MPK Mini Play controller ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU Akai have updated their MPK Mini Play MIDI Controller releasing MkIII which features more upgrades to make it the ultimate mobile music-making machine. MkIII boasts an impressive 14 hours of battery life according to Akai, while also being equipped with an upgraded speaker capable of an increased output and low-end response. The 25-note keybed features their new Gen 2 keybed that delivers “dynamic performances and accurate velocity response with a feel that players will certainly appreciate”. The eight drum pads have also been upgraded to velocity-sensitive MPC drum pads, offering optimal feel and response.

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Jackson has announced their second partnership with prog-metal titan Jeff Loomis, a seven-string Soloist. The Pro Series Signature Jeff Loomis Soloist SL7 has a 26.5” scale length as Jackson aimed to achieve “perfect” intonation, while the through-body, graphitereinforced neck with 12”-16” compound radius bound Ebony fingerboard makes for light and dextrous playing. The Soloist SL7 also boasts Seymour Duncan Jeff Loomis Signature Blackouts pickups and a Floyd Rose 1500 Series double-locking bridge system.

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M-Audio release the Bluetooth-equipped BX3BT and BX4BT monitor speakers ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU M-Audio has introduced Bluetooth to the BX series of monitors with the BX3BT and BX4BT. With this addition, M-Audio has allowed playback audio from any Bluetooth streaming device, including smartphones, computers, or even selected turntables, with studio-quality sound. The BX3BT and BX4BT monitors are the same as their wired counterparts and offer perfect balance of a compact design and prograde sound, providing 120 watts, with an MDF cabinet containing bass reflex that delivers rich low sounds through Black Kevlar drivers.

IK Multimedia Modo Bass 2.0: New basses and more realistic SOUND AND MUSIC | SOUND-MUSIC.COM IK Multimedia has expanded the first edition of the “industry-first” physically modelled bass VST, the Modo Bass, with version 2.0. The Modo Bass was much loved and lauded for its emulation of bass guitars and their unique playing styles and characters, the successor doesn’t stray from that and builds on it with six new electric basses and two double-basses. It offers advanced performance controls and algorithms to enhance the realism, as users can control the play style and hand position, with movable mic positions and a blendable piezo signal.

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Thornhill For a genre that was ostensibly forged initially as a niche hybrid, metalcore has certainly become an overcrowded genre in and unto itself.

This is especially the case within Australia, where several purveyors of this distinct take on heaviness have forged careers with considerable crossover appeal across the entire span of the previous decade.

When it comes to Melbourne’s Thornhill, however, it’s clear from the outset that this is an outfit not interested in being the next Parkway Drive, the next Amity Affliction, even the next Polaris. Rather, theirs is a vision much more specific: They want to be the next Thornhill.

“I think it’s always been something on our minds that we’ve wanted to be different all the time,” says Ethan McCann – the band’s guitarist, co-founder, and coproducer.

“We’ve always wanted to expand. I don’t think it was ever in a way that was like, ‘I don’t want to be in a metal community,’ or ‘I don’t want to be a metal band.’ That wasn’t the case at all. It was more so about growth – and the need to keep growing, just to see where we go. We don’t know, and we’ll never know, until we get there. All we know is we’re going to enjoy the process and keep pushing ourselves.”

Jacob Charlton, Thornhill’s frontman, agrees with his bandmate. “At this point, we literally just want to write the music that we would want to listen to,” he says.

“I think that’s something we’ve achieved on this album. We definitely dipped our toes in a bunch of different things, and I think we did it well. Taking those risks is really important, because if you’re not nervous to release music or unsure of how people are going to think about it, it’s just so fucking boring. That’s

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what makes up so much of the excitement, and that’s what sets a lot of bands apart. If we wanted to pump out the same fucking ambient, spacey, sad metalcore album... we could. It’s just that we don’t want to.”

The album Charlton is alluding to is titled Heroine. It’s the second studio album from Thornhill, following on from their 2019 debut The Dark Pool. That album did incredibly well for the band, landing them a spot in the top 20 of the ARIA Albums Chart and receiving considerable critical acclaim across the board.

If we wanted to pump out the same fucking ambient, spacey, sad metalcore album... we could To Charlton’s point, the formula for success was certainly in their hands in the wake of it – which is why Heroine is an even more admirable effort on the band’s behalf than anything they’ve released previously.

It adapts, evolves, and re-routes the band’s approach, establishing fresh elements of alternative metal and more straightforward rock in the process. McCann points to acts like the Smashing Pumpkins, Deftones, Radiohead, and Jeff Buckley as influential on his guitar playing for the album, while Charlton found himself drawn to Elvis Presley and the sound of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Hardly any of that sounds becoming of a heavy band – and really, that’s kind of the point.

“We basically almost started again, from the ground up,” says McCann.

“We wanted to feel like a new band again, because we were starting to get bored. Our sound and our look didn’t really reflect who we were – at least, at that point. Even if it was only three years ago, we’re changed people and our tastes have changed. We wanted to reflect that in everything about this album.

For us, it was about making our own universe.”

For Charlton, it was also a chance to expand and improve his own role within the band: “I was ready to upgrade vocally,” he says.

“There were certain things, as a vocalist, that I don’t think I hit as well as I could have on The Dark Pool. We

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PAGE HEADER

grew up, and we did a lot of touring between making the last album and making this one. We all got better as musicians. We wanted to do things on Heroine that we couldn’t have done on The Dark Pool, and that’s something we always want to be able to say – so the next album will have things on it that we couldn’t have done on Heroine.”

As for Charlton, he’s drawn to the song ‘Blue Velvet’ from the album in this respect. A song written around the same time as ‘Arkangel,’ it signalled a positive piece of progress for the singer. “I was like, ‘oh shit, nobody is doing this,’” he says.

“We were forced into being producers of the album more than we were probably ready for.”

Both McCann and Charlton point to different songs on the album as ones that signified this growth and change within the Thornhill camp. For the former, it’s ‘Arkangel,’ which also served as the album’s second single. McCann describes writing the song as a “sparks moment,” insofar as the creative vision became clearer once the song took formation.

“There are parts that sound like The Dark Pool, but there’s also parts that were a very different sound for us,” he says. “I started writing that song to the opening credits of Buffy the Vampire Slayer – hearing that nostalgic music with the nostalgic visuals had a very particular feel to me.” mixdownmag.com.au

“It felt kind of epic. I really liked what we were doing, and I felt we could stretch that across the whole album. That song, to me, felt really interesting and really unique. Up to that point, the songs we’d been working on were kind of lacking in that department.

With this, we were starting to get a better understanding of the full experience.”

Like many albums seeing their release in 2022, Heroine was inevitably impacted by the restrictions of lockdown. One key stumbling block hit upon was the

band’s inability to record in-person – which led to Charlton stepping up as a co-producer on the album.

“I recorded most of the vocal takes on the album by myself, literally where I am now,” he says. He waves an arm out, as if to present his bedroom over the Zoom meeting. “We were forced into being producers of the album more than we were probably ready for.

“I sucked at doing that, because I’m not meticulous and I don’t really care that much about vocal takes. In a way, though, that ended up being kind of beneficial – we were hoping that this would come across as a looser album; one that was a bit more raw. To us, that was way cooler than the more polished sound that we were used to. There was a real vibe to how it was all coming together.”

McCann, in contrast to Charlton, considers himself quite meticulous in his approach, meaning his role as the album’s producer was considerably different.

“It can be difficult to step into that role when you’re already a part of the band,” he says.

“You end up really critiquing your own parts, all the structures you came up with, everything like that. It’s something I definitely struggle with on my end – it got to the point of self-deprecation, where I was just overthinking everything. One of my biggest takeaways from making this album was to focus on the points where I got stuck, and to really learn from them.”

BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG

Heroine will be released June 3 via UNFD

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Void of Vision Few bands in Australia have worked as hard as Melbourne-based metalcore quartet Void of Vision.

For the better part of a decade, the four-piece have played the undercard to some of the biggest names in the game, including the likes of Polaris, Amity Affliction, and Ocean Grove, keeping their nose to the grind and mastering the art of beat-down metalcore.

However, unlike their name suggests, the band has never been lacking in ambition when it comes to innovation, and with the global pandemic receding, the time for the band to flex their creative wings has arrived.

“We fell – not out of love with heavy music – but we got to the stage where we had done everything we wanted to do in that area… we’ve been working in the same wheelhouse for quite some time with the breakdown tropes,” says frontman Jack Bergin.

“We don’t listen to a lot of heavy music anymore… whether it be revisiting old classics of the genres, or new stuff, there’s a lot of influences that are working their way in.”

Those influences have been on display for the world to see recently, with the band gearing up to drop their new EP Heaven, the second in their Chronicles series.

While part one – titled Lust – explored the band’s heavier, doomier side, things take a turn for the bolder and more experimental in part two, with elements of electronica and even hyper pop seeping into the band’s trademark metalcore sound.

“This EP is a bit of a test dummy program, I think that the best way to get an idea of what people think is to just put it out to the 16

public,” Bergin says of the band’s new sounds.

“There’s definitely more confidence and experimentation injected in everything… within the musicality, the song writing, and the lyrics.

“I’m exuding emotionally in ways I never have before; for example these are the first love songs from us ever created – I’ve never touched on love, romance or heartbreak before.

“The blurred lines between heavy and dance music are a lot less prevalent nowadays, we also wanted a massive image to go along with this chapter.

“We’ve been really taking influence from more experimental acts – everyone from Nine Inch Nails to The Prodigy – just finding that magic balance between total energy and darkness, but also that amazing capacity those bands have for melodies that really suck you in.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by a lot of their contemporaries, with young overseas stars Code Orange, Loathe, and Sleep Token all investing heavily into the electronic elements of their sound, creating an exciting, forward momentum for heavy music typically bogged down by the same old tropes.

When combined with striking visuals – enter Void of Vision and their cyberpunk gothic aesthetic of the ‘20s – you have the golden ticket of ear and eye-catching.

It’s a tradition that once dominated heavy music – and one that Bergin wants to see come back into the fold.

“‘90s pop culture and the music industry had such extravagant images, bands like Korn, Rammstein, it all looked so cool and people really associated with it and fell into it.

While the new music retains the signature Void of Vision sound, the beginnings of an exciting evolution are evident – something that Bergin promises will continue throughout the rest of the year.

“I miss that culture in heavy music, you see it in the pop world for sure, it sucks you in and I like to think that music, as much as it is about the music, is something where you can treat the art as much as the ears.”

“We’ve been leaving some easter eggs behind… there’ll be more EP’s coming out – at the very least.

The new EP also sees a slew of guests coming aboard the Void of Vision train, with Creeper’s Hannah Greenwood making a guest appearance and Architects drummer Dan Searle jumping on co-writing duties for the band’s recent banger ‘Into the Dark.’

Having already dabbled with guest appearances of the band’s mesmerising Hyperdaze (Redux), the band shifted focus from the traditional “15-second verse appearance” to a more egalitarian collaboration.

“We wanted to fully invite these guests in to really put their own creative mark on these songs – so they’re far more of a team effort,” Bergin says.

“Having Dan from Architects on co-writing duties was a real trip for us because that’s a band who have had such an impact on what we do,” he continues.

“To have someone who we’ve followed for years… that was a total dream for us.

“I’m also doing some clean singing on this record for the first time ever as well – that’s been a real trip for me, but really special – especially on ‘Into the Dark’, it was a really big step up for me creatively.”

“This next (EP) is a far more powerful and defining Void of Vision piece of work – this one coming out now is the EP that shows where we’re going to take the future sound.

“We have another after that which will be very interesting to see how people react… and there’ll be a piece of work at the end, a culmination if you will – but I think that’s all I’ll say on that for now.”

Alongside that doozy of a tease comes a whirlwind national tour to promote their new work, one which will see the band play their biggest venues at home to date, with support from the excellent UK act Holding Absence, before they head off to the US for a stateside run with August Burns Red and We Came As Romans.

“The venues (are) all down to the production choice we’re going for,” Bergin explains.

“It’s going to make a lot of sense when people see what we have planned – it’s going to be a real treat.”

BY AL BELLING

Chronicles II: Heaven will be released April 29 via UNFD

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Robben Ford Robben Ford is the virtuoso’s virtuoso, the guitarist who some of the greatest guitarists in the world look to for inspiration when they feel they’ve hit a wall with their playing.

Achingly soulful, incredibly musical, and with unparalleled technical control, Ford is the archetype of a great guitarist.

He’s played with everyone from Charlie Musselwhite, Jimmy Witherspoon, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Miles Davis, Larry Carlton, and Rick Springfield, to Kiss, Randy Crawford, Bob Dylan, Ricki Lee Jones, John Mayall, and Tommy Emmanuel, as well as leading his classic blues band Robben Ford & The Blue Line. And he’s coming back to Australia this May to play at the Blues On Broadbeach festival in Queensland (as well as his own headlining shows and a run of not-tobe-missed exclusive dates in at Memo Music Hall in Melbourne, the Factory Theatre in Sydney, Lizotte’s in Newcastle, and The Gov in Adelaide.

“I have missed coming to Australia, trust me,” Ford says. “It’s just ridiculous. It’s been so long since we were there! I’ll be coming down with a trio and a lot of good musician – I mean, there aren’t a lot, there are three,” he laughs.

“Doug Belote on drums, Andy Hess on bass, and Jovan Quallo on keys and sax. Obviously this tour will probably be blues oriented. And my music usually is blues oriented, although over the last couple of years I’ve been playing a lot of instrumental music, and my last album Pure, although it contains a couple of blues songs, it’s pretty compositional and it’s really broad in all of what happens on that record. I’m very proud of it. But you know, I’ve only got a couple of guys with me, so we’ll focus on the things that we can make the most impact with as a trio, and generally that’ll be pretty blues oriented.”

To hear Ford play is to marvel at just how quickly his musical mind operates, pulling complex yet emotive lines out of thin air as easily as taking a breath. It doesn’t feel like guitar-geek music, it just feels like music.

“You know the feeling that you have when you hear music that you liked when you were really young, where it almost doesn’t matter what it is. It’s just music

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and as long as it has a groove to it, something that makes you dance, or it affects or touches you emotionally, there’s all those things that are beautiful about music,” he says.

“That’s the ground. I’ve never lost that and it’s always been important to me that whatever it is that I’m playing, it has emotional content.

And I’ve always been drawn to instrumentalists who have a vocal quality about them. They sound like they’re singing to you or talking to you, you know? And that’s not so far away from anyone, if you actually just go that way, as opposed to going towards what’s impressive. And sure, at a certain point I wanted to be able to play fast, and I was a blues guitarist who wanted to be a jazz guitarist.”

Ford has a story about exactly where his blues and jazz sides intersect, and how hard it is for him to separate them.

“I was on the road with Joni Mitchell in 1974 and the pianist was brilliant, and became a lifelong friend and mentor for me. He was 10 years my senior, if not more.

Roger Kellaway is his name. He was the pianist with the band and there was always a piano backstage because it’s a Joni Mitchell show, you know? So we’d fool around on the piano, hanging out, waiting to go. And I was sitting at the piano kind of banging around and one minute I’m playing something kind of bluesy. And the next minute I’m trying to play something jazzy – I say trying – and Roger was standing next to me and he just started laughing, and I’m like, ‘what? You know, I may not be great, but what are you laughing about?’ And he goes

‘make up your mind, man!’ And I never did. I never did!

I’m still a blues guitar player who wants to be a jazz guitar player. And rather than have that be a struggle, I just stopped worrying about that. I stopped caring. I just play music that I like.”

When I suggest to Ford that part of what makes him so compelling as a player is the absolute confidence with which he appears to approach the instrument. He perks up: “That’s exactly right. Confidence. If so I’ve studied Buddhism for many, many years and I heard a great quote from a Zen master who said confidence precedes all virtue. So you are not worried about what’s gonna happen next. You’re just not worried about it. It’s gonna be okay.

“Whatever it is, you can handle the next moment. And for me to put that in context of a player, Miles Davis was always the guy who would just say about three words and it would mean more than you got from anybody else. Herbie Hancock said one day that Miles just said, ‘I don’t wanna play chords no more.’ So that was that, You know?”

Ford’s guitar needs are as no-nonsense as his approach to playing. “I always come back to my 1960 Tele,” he says.

“I’m a vintage instrument guy. It’s just, you know, you can’t make a new guitar that is a vintage instrument!

It’s just impossible! That Tele for me has been so important for so many years. There was a lengthy period when I started playing a 1965 Epiphone Riviera.

And then I was playing the Robben Ford model (Fender Esprit), and playing humbucking pickups, and then I just started buying Les Pauls. I used the Dumble Overdrive Special amp. I would use the overdrive in the amplifier for soloing a lot. But over time I just came back to the sound of a natural guitar plugged into a really good amplifier with some reverb.”

BY PETER HODGSON Robben Ford will be touring Australia in May presented by Gerrard Allman Events

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STUDIO SPECIAL

Jennifer Loveless As a DJ and electronic dance producer, Jennifer Loveless is a fast-rising star.

Her latest release, Water, brings together a host of musical influences to yield an eclectic mix of synth-driven electronica that will have even the most recalcitrant toes tapping. On the eve of her relocation to the UK for the European summer festival season, the Melbourne-based producer and DJ sat down with Mixdown to discuss her finely crafted electronica, creative processes, and latest release, Water.

Raised in Toronto, Jennifer came from a musical family. At the age of three she started to learn piano and by the age of 15 had completed her eighth grading, which despite her protestations to the contrary, is an incredible achievement at any age, let alone a teenager! During childhood, there was a lot of familial pressure to perform together with her siblings at school and community events.

Jennifer jokes that they were being raised to be the next Jackson Five by her father. The constant pressure to practise and perform took its toll and Jennifer decided to give up on piano altogether later in adolescence.

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Some years later, in an effort to connect with her Chinese heritage, Jennifer left Toronto to explore her family’s home Guangzhou. It was there she discovered Ableton Live and started to learn music production. As an artist, now, she is grateful for the time she spent with music as a child which provided her a strong foundation as a producer and DJ. “It’s amazing to have all that knowledge in my back pocket. It’s in my body so much that it becomes intuitive,” she says.

Her diverse cultural background manifests in her music as it morphs effortlessly through mood and timbre. That said, her sound is unashamedly dance-focused and devoid of world music tropes. Rather, it blends huge beats, derived from acoustic samples, with a dense tapestry of synth-driven basslines, chords, and melodies to realise textures simultaneously organic and electronic.

Her most recent release, Water, was inspired by David Attenborough’s Blue Planet documentary series. She explains,

“I became obsessed with underwater life and the cultures and behaviours of the different fish and marine life”. In terms of terrestrial influences, she cites DJ Koze, Moodymann, Matthew Herbert, and K-Hand.

When producing, Jennifer employs a unique workflow. Her DAW of choice is Ableton and interestingly, she combines old school MPC beatboxes with hardware synths, preferring to capture performances as audio, rather than sequencing in MIDI. Personal hardware favourites include the legendary Teenage Engineering OP-1, Yamaha TX81z, and the Akai MPC 1000. This preference to work with hardware sequencers like the MPCs, rather than sequencing MIDI directly in Ableton, sees Jennifer writing beats on the MPCs then recording them into a beat-matched Ableton Live session as audio.

Once these beats are recorded, Jennifer spends time writing basslines, chords, and melodies on her hardware synths, before committing these sounds and performances directly to disk.

For her, the endless options presented by software synths

and plugins, impedes the creative process. Rather than searching through endless software instruments and presets for “that sound” in her head, Jennifer looks to hardware synths to create sounds and as soon as she hits on something workable, hits record to ensure the inspiration keeps flowing. “Even it wasn’t exactly the sound I was thinking of, as long as it’s close enough, I’m like, ‘oh!

This is the character now. I can’t go back and change it.’ Otherwise, I end up in this self-hating mode, pathetically looking for this “thing” and after a while I can barely recall what I was looking for.

“Then, if I do another take it will be missing this little swing or something that I did the first time.

So, unless I’ve recorded it too hot, I’ll use EQ to make the sound work and use Ableton’s warp to bring a few stray notes into time and make the take work. For me, that’s the nicest on my brain. So, it’s largely hardware sound design with sample packs for the beats via the MPCs. I want to work quickly.”

On her latest release, the first track is driven by an infectious bassline coupled with a huge beat. The bottom end is seriously

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STUDIO SPECIAL

impressive. When asked about the genesis and development of the track, Jennifer offered the following: “On my latest release, the first track ‘Out/Under’ was mostly just me, building up a beat without a computer, on the MPC. From there I jammed along with a bassline and once I was happy with it, I started up Ableton, recordenabled all the tracks and went for it.”

As an artist these days, the number of hats to be worn can be dizzying. Songwriter, performer, producer, mixer, mastering engineer, the list goes on. Jennifer is comfortable drawing on collaborators to assist as required so she can focus on the writing and production. The mix for ‘Out/Under’ is fantastic and the balance between the huge kicks and bassline, perfectly executed.

To clarify the process used, Jennifer happily shares: “If I don’t get ideas down as soon as I have them, and I fuffle-about too much, I just forget them. My fastest way of working, because I’m a piano player, is to just play it out, rather than sequence or program those ideas.

“When it comes to mixing, like on this track, sometimes I’ll reach out to my friend Corey and use him to fact check my mix. He does the mixdown and I’ll often sit in to see if what I did worked or didn’t work, and he’ll help me make it translate to a big club sound system. In the end there’s just not enough time in the day to do all these things, well.”

Part of the translation process, to sound huge on a club system, sees much of her output mixed almost completely in mono, with only effects and decorative ideas venturing into the outside of the stereo image. “I think that’s the rule. To make it as mono as possible as so many of the club systems are still mono.”

When asked about favourite plugins, Loveless looks to keep things simple. “I was late to the plugin game. My partner introduced me to them a few years ago,” she says.

“I have the Abbey Road J37 tape plugin by Waves that I really like, and there’s one by Nicky Romero called Kick Start which is a sidechain compressor. I throw that on everything. It’s just got the one knob, and some shaping options, that allow you to decide what kind of cut you want. The simpler the better for me.” For Jennifer the music always remains the focus, “I don’t want to spend more time updating software than making music!”

Live performances see Jennifer taking different approaches, for different occasions. For a straight up DJ set, Jennifer is most conformable behind a set of decks but for more creative outings she’ll leave the decks behind and pack the MPCs, for a “more ambient sound”. She explains further that “some of the tracks have beats that I have built up in Ableton and I’ll then sample them back into the MPCs for live gigs.

“I’m kind of obsessed with not having a laptop on stage. I know it can be slower to work this way and sometimes I think that I’ll change and use the laptop, but I haven’t gone there. Yet.” When asked if her favoured pastime is the act of creation, buried deep in a studio or laptop creating, or on stage performing, Jennifer provides some surprising insights into her

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creative process: “I actually really hate working on the go. I love having a studio setup. I feel that I can’t hear properly unless I have a good set of speakers, rather than listening through headphones, and so much of my process involves hardware synths so I need a space.

But which one do I like more, producing or performing? It’s weird, when I’m focused on producing, I couldn’t possibly touch DJing but if a show is booked and suddenly I’m forced to switch brains, I’m in DJ mode. Once I’m there, it’s really hard to switch back to producing. I don’t prefer one over the other, though. They both have their benefits. I like producing as I don’t experience the nerves of a live performance. After Covid and coming out of two years of not playing much, I think I’ll build my tolerance for live performance again!”

In a crowded space, Jennifer has carved out a unique and evolving sound that is imminently danceable. Combining her skills as a musician and a unique workflow, her music allows her to create music that is both familiar and sonically challenging.

Jennifer is set to base herself in England for the European summer festivals for the rest of 2022.

BY GREG LONG

Her latest release, Water, is out now via Butter Sessions.

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STUDIO SPECIAL

H2 Audio: Recreating the Sound of Rock ‘N’ Roll There are few audio companies these days that can be championed for authentically reviving the sound of rock ‘n’ roll, and for those not already in the know, H2 Audio are doing just that.

Founded in 2018 by Al Sutton (Grammy Award winning producer/Acme Audio owner), Tim Mead (Q2 Audio founder), and Perry Tell (producer, engineer, songwriter, entrepreneur), H2 Audio have gone about painstakingly recreating the coveted design and most importantly, the legendary sound of the Helios consoles, originally found in Olympic Studios, London.

For the uninitiated, Helios consoles famously produced some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll records the world has ever known. The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, David Bowie, Elton John, ELO, Iggy Pop, Dire Straits, Supertramp, Motörhead, (you’re probably starting to get the picture), all made their seminal records with a Helios console at the helm.

Mastermind and founder of Helios Electronics, Dick Swettenham had started his career as a maintenance tech at none other than Abbey Road Studios in the 1950s, before finally landing at Olympic Studios as technical director, where he was able to implement his designs. During this time and before landing on his coveted Helios console, Mr Swettenham introduced the world’s first professional transistorbased console (no biggy), which was installed into Olympic Studios.

It wasn’t until 1969 that the official Helios designs were introduced though and word spread quickly of the revolutionary design and sound of the Helios console at Olympic; and so too did the orders from other studios, artists, and alike.

The original wraparound console designs were like stepping onto the bridge of the Starship

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Enterprise; with their sharply, almost vertically-angled channel strips and VU meter bridge and flat fader banks below, they were stratospheric. But what made these consoles so special and what they quickly became so known for was the “Type 69” preamp and EQ channel strip. These fastidiously designed and gorgeously musical channel strips were based around Lustraphone transformers at the input stage, and an inductor-based EQ design, giving them their distinct sonic footprint that so many from engineers to musicians came to love and adore.

With only around 50 consoles ever produced over the company’s decade-long tenure before closure in 1979, the decades which followed earned Helios consoles a mythical status. Many of the consoles were broken down and separated into rack unit channel strips, leaving only a handful of original consoles in full commission; holding insurmountable value for those that still own one of the remaining originals.

With all of this nutrient-rich heritage and history of Helios, it’s no wonder that H2 Audio has created some serious excitement in the audio community. While there have been numerous other clones, copies, rip-offs and alike, it’s fair to say no other company until now has brought such a detailed and pinpoint accurate recreation of the classic Helios Type 69 design as H2 Audio have.

It would seem that the H2 Audio team not only understand the true value of such a meticulous recreation that this design brings, but the importance of carrying it into an accessible format, that being the ever popular 500-series.

Smartly, H2 Audio haven’t tried to cram all of the Type 69 character and charm into one 500-series module, but instead opting for two separate single slot units, being the 2128 preamp and 5011 EQ modules. This not only gives people the option of choosing one, the other or both (for the full channel strip experience), but importantly helps maintain a nocompromise, no-corners-cut-like ethic to the design, maintaining electronic and sonic integrity throughout.

For those familiar with the original Helios channel strips will likely find the layout and aesthetic of both the 2128 and 5011 modules rather comforting. Sporting the same dark grey/black colour and sturdy controls, each module oozes its Helios inspired heritage, with all the quirks and characterful design of the original. Both modules promise the same heft, weight and distinct sonic flavour of the Type 69 strip, albeit in a 500-series rack, and for those chasing the sounds of the aforementioned artists and their accompanying records, these modules couldn’t be more authentic, nor in a more convenient package.

H2 Audio have indeed thought of it all, as for those not sporting a 500-series rack need not worry, as the traditional channel strip rack layout of 0011 channel strip will likely strike as very appealing. This module boasts the full complement of the 2128 preamp 5011 EQ section (or more accurately, all the bells and whistles of the Type 69 channel strip), in one convenient module.

As one can imagine, an eight channel rack of these modules is sure to put an ear to ear grin on any engineer’s face, be it an enthusiast of the original console or those simply wanting some of that old school rock ‘n’ roll flavour.

It’s fair to say that H2 Audio have struck while the iron’s hot, with many of today’s record productions requiring the convenience of modern formatting and flexibility, paired with the distinct sonic character of classic vintage design. Having earned its place in rock ‘n’ roll history and deemed a “holy grail” console of its time, thankfully the sound of Helios has been revived with brilliant authenticity; likely to be heard on a new generation of records. The authentic sound of a classic is reborn, into the modern era.

BY ANDY LLOYD-RUSSELL

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STUDIO SPECIAL

Gear Icons: Yamaha NS-10 In the world of professional studio equipment, the word ‘iconic’ tends to be reserved for the top end of town: beautiful pieces of vintage precision equipment, boasting the finest in premium components and assemblage, the likes of which have cultivated a fervent following amongst audio’s elite over the course of decades (and with the discography to prove it).

For the select few products that fall into this category, so much of their reputation, popularity and price tag has been built on a proven ability to provide consistent, replicable results, day in, day out, lending their pleasant sonic signature in ways that enhance and improve the overall recorded output.

It’s in this context that the story of the Yamaha NS-10 is made even more remarkable.

Despite all odds, this ill-fated, notoriously unpleasant consumer grade hi-fi speaker has proven to be one of the most enduring mainstays in recording studio culture. Its singular voicing and instantly definable silhouette make it the most recognised Studio Monitor in the world, even some 20 years after being discontinued.

Chuck on any ‘behind the scenes’ documentary about a famous record from the last 50 years and odds are, you will see at least one of the gloss black, brutally angular wooden enclosures—accented by a wood pulp, white dyed LF driver of course—lurking somewhere in the background. It’s as synonymous with studio as the Stratocaster or Les Paul are with the guitar.

And yet, it is this aforementioned LF driver (if you can call it that) that is at the heart of why the NS-10 has become both an equally coveted, and criticised part of Studio lore. A debate no doubt exacerbated by the recent influx of interest in home recording and DIY production.

This difference in opinion seems to stem from what we as recording people hold to be self evident—that so much of the online commentary surrounding gear is based on anecdotal personal experience and hearsay. And as we all know in Audio, there are at least a hundred different variables influencing your experience at any one time.

In the case of the Yamaha NS-10, the fact that they are—(a) passive and (b) relatively scarce—almost immediately puts them in the too hard basket for a lot of beginner engineers, and even those who are brave enough to take the plunge are often left bemused or even humbled by their brutal, painfully revealing frequency response and rapid fire excursion/recoil properties.

NS-10’s don’t care for your ego. They don’t care for your enjoyment. If you are the kind of engineer fueled on good vibes and positive feedback from others in the room, then these aren’t for you. A healthy bump above 1kHz and a steep rolloff below 100hz ensures that anything running through them sounds

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immediately hi-passed and resonant, and yet it is in this unorthodox (at times unpleasant) voicing that so much of their value lies.

MOVING THE NS-10 FROM HOMES TO STUDIOS The brainchild of legendary Yamaha speaker designer Akira Nakamura, launched in 1978 to very little fanfare in Japan. It was a chance encounter with an American recording engineer by the name of Greg Ladanyi that plucked the NS-10 from relative obscurity and kickstarted its rise to industry dominance.

What Ladanyi was looking for was a speaker that would act as something of a realworld simulation of the average consumer listening environment, something to take back to the US as a reference (not primary) monitor.

What Ladanyi hadn’t taken into account was chief designer Nakamura’s lifelong obsession with acoustic pressure frequency properties and absolute disdain for consumer level workarounds in regards to harmonic distortion and the industry wide intentional smearing of low frequency errors to mask limitations in driver design so prevalent in the hi-fi business.

with artists like David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen proved that hit records could be made and mixed entirely on NS-10s and it was also Clearmountain who is largely credited with the famous trick of covering the NS-10s tweeters with tissue paper to offset some of the apparent brightness of the speaker (Yamaha would take note, later releasing the NS-10 Studio, with attenuated highs in the tweeters, to mimic the effect).

If Clearmountain is largely responsible for the popularisation of the NS-10 from a frequency standpoint, full credit must be given to the Lord-Alge brothers (Tom and Chris) and their mastery of the NS-10 as a monitor for dynamics. Operating out of New York’s Unique Recording Studios, the brothers Lord-Alge pioneered the use of extreme compression techniques in the pop-sphere, using the Yamaha NS-10s lightning fast transient response characteristics to help find the limitations of dynamic processing, and in the process crafting some of the most memorable mixes of the 1980’s and beyond.

But what is it about the sound profile of the NS-10m that makes it such an adept mix tool, beloved by industry professionals in spite of the obvious and apparent technical limitations listed on the spec sheet?

This refusal to sacrifice transient speed and clarity at the expense of low frequency extension gave the nimble, unported NS10’s a particularly unique and unflattering frequency response, heavily weighted towards the mid-range. This made the NS-10 horrible for casual listening in the context of home Hi-Fi, but worth its weight in gold as a nearfield studio monitor, especially in the context of the guitar (and midrange dominant) 1970s.

While it was Ladanyi that can largely be credited with bringing the Yamaha NS-10 to America, it was a soon to be legendary engineer by the name of Bob Clearmountain who popularised them and made them the icon they are today.

Clearmountain’s run of successful albums

SOUND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NS-10 While the popular theory is that if a mix sounds good on NS-10s (a revealing, uncompromising speaker with a hornets nest for a frequency curve) then it will sound exceptional on anything else definitely

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STUDIO SPECIAL

with, whether you’re using the original NS-10 or a variant, built before production was ceased in 2001 (legend has it, as a result of a global shortage and subsequent extinction of the tree previously used to make the low-frequency drivers.)

As is to be expected for a product as popular as the original Yamaha NS-10, the eventual success of the speaker led to an expanded product line, with different variants and revisions coming out over it’s twenty year product cycle.

holds a lot of weight, but it fails to take into account the manner in which this frequency curve affects our decision making process and naturally guides us to a baseline level of translatability.

The original (and some would argue the most coveted) is a vertical box, easily recognisable by its “Yamaha NS-10M” badge placed horizontally besides the high frequency tweeter.

As a monitor for timbre, Yamaha NS-10s may well be the greatest of all time. Sure, they aren’t going to win many friends for full range mastering work or for levelling out subfrequency material, but for balancing mid-range harmonics and identifying sonic character in the most sensitive frequencies of all, they are invaluable, with an ability to find space in the mids where others can’t.

This is only bolstered by the NS-10s incredibly fast recoil properties and the amount of clarity this provides, especially in the low-mids. The ability to have these frequencies dissipate almost instantly is incredibly helpful for isolating mud and masking elements as well as providing a surgical representation of the harmonic relationships that make up many of the most important elements in a mix.

This unorthodox (some would say extreme) voicing also means that they are one of the best monitors out there to calibrate your ear at the electro-acoustic level, to the point where learning to mix on them has become a rite-de-passage for developing engineers in the professional space. Their singular, uncompromising character means that regardless of what room you put your them in or how well you treat the space, they will never be able to fully shake their inherent ‘NS10-ness’, which is a controlled variable that we can use to our advantage in various studio environments, if we can train our ear to recognise the most obvious sonic characteristics and adjust accordingly.

This is also one of the reasons that we see so many NS-10s erroneously placed horizontally on the meter-bridge. If you have the ability to recognise good, useable sound as produced through the lens of the Yamaha NS-10, then quickly pulling up a sound from the live room, or double checking a mic placement, can be done so quickly and efficiently (and with less of an onus on ideal monitor placement), much like what we see in the utilitarian world of outside broadcast.

As a passive speaker, the NS-10 is powered by an external power amplifier, and the list of options available are only rivalled by the opinions on what’s the best amp to pair them

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EXPLORING THE DIFFERENT NS-10 MODELS It didn’t take long for Yamaha to catch on to the industry wide re-appropriation of their humble bookshelf speaker, with the brand shifting their focus away from the home sector to the burgeoning professional studio market, releasing a number of different incarnations of the NS-10 over the years.

The NS-10M Studio, introduced in 1987, was a horizontally oriented version of the NS-10M, introduced by Yamaha after they noticed engineers laying them sideways to change the way the mid response of the speakers hit their ears. This new iteration of the classic speaker also featured a re-designed high frequency tweeter to address the HF issues engineers had previously been solving with tissue paper.

The crossover point of the mid-driver was also attuned to assist in softening the harsh high-end. Yamaha also improved the NS-10M Studio’s power handling to make them more compatible with modern power amplifiers and listening conditions during the 80s and into the 90s, as well as improved terminals to connect them to amplifiers.

A little bit of research may lead you down the rabbit hole of NS-10 variants, and you’ll eventually stumble across the mammoth NS-40M and NS-1000. While sharing some aesthetic attributes with their smaller, 70s-style predecessors, they’re largely different beasts.

The NS-40M is a 3-way speaker with similar drivers and tweeters to the NS-10M, but a different crossover for increased bass response.

They’re horizontally oriented and feature the upgraded tweeter and terminals of the NS-10M Studio.

We’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to the enduring legacy the Yamaha NS-10 has had, both on studios and nearfield monitoring in general (a product category that itself hadn’t even existed prior to the NS-10 gaining popularity). Their standardisation is one of the few controlled variables we have in the recording studio and even after all these years, their instantly recognisable voicing, other worldly ability to reveal trouble spots in a mix and the exceptional speed with which they are able to reproduce transient material, is the measuring stick for all nearfield monitors since.

BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS & PAUL FRENCH

Further variations were introduced throughout the 80s, some of which you’ll still find used in trade groups and gear forums quite often. The NS-10M Pro is a hybrid of the NS-10M and NS-10M Studio, i.e. a vertically oriented speaker.

It differentiates itself from the original 1978 NS10M by having the improved terminals of the NS-10M Studio.

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STUDIO SPECIAL

The Rise and Rise of KRK For the musically inclined, you can barely go anywhere without seeing a KRK monitor lurking somewhere in the background.

The iconic yellow and black speaker has been the de-facto monitor for an entire generation of bedroom beat makers, DJs and synth obsessives who have come up, having learnt to mix exclusively on the very unique and very singular sounding speakers. They are simply a part of the modern studio ecosystem: their very accessible price point and very present sonic character having well and truly resonated with the masses, who praise them for their versatility, broad frequency profile and the often underrated ability to ‘just sound good’ across multiple applications.

KRKs are the sound of the modern electronic production space: a speaker so perfectly suited to a particular application that it has undeniably shaped the sonic output of not just one, but any number of electronic sub-genres that rely on an extended low frequency response and an ease of translatability between controlled and uncontrolled environments.

Founded in 1986 by film mix engineer, Keith R Klawitter, KRK spent a decade as the bespoke choice for the booming broadcast and commercial recording industries before emerging in the 2000s as the monitor of choice for the burgeoning electronic production set, with a sound and aesthetic all its own.

With their reputation for bombproof build quality and armed with a unique and functional voicing, the KRK brand quickly cemented itself into the studio landscape in a way that seemed to perfectly coincide with the emergence of the DAW and VST-based dance music in the 2000s.

Anybody working in this space will only be too familiar with the KRK sound: chiselled and defined, with the ability to accurately reproduce the increasingly lower kick fundamentals and guttural sub bass frequencies that have become a staple of the modern electronic palate. With its

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extended LF response, broad soundstage and ability to provide some much needed clarity in the lower harmonics (in turn, creating multi-band compression and 808 sub work a breeze), KRK has emerged as the monitor best suited to facilitate these kinds of strange new sonic textures.

They are almost universal in their appeal; their iconic yellow and black drivers comfortably at home in a bedroom DAW studio or even just sitting on a shelf in a lounge room, with KRK monitors also doubling as an equally adept and enjoyable speaker for the home listener.

In the dance music community, KRK monitors are nothing short of omnipresent: a fact that makes even more sense when you take into account how well their unique voicing translates to larger systems and club environments. For dance producers, knowing how to mix on KRKs is one of those skills that is sure to pay endless dividends, especially when it comes to having tracks flourish on a full range club system.

For those who cut their teeth on the Rokit series, the G4 series are sure to strike a chord with anybody looking to combine familiarity with the very best in cutting edge monitor design. Available in 5”, 7”, 8”, and 10” variants the Rokit G4 series has plenty to offer for the nearfield and midfield, meaning plenty of flexibility for different monitoring environments and applications.

The presence of KRK’s patented Kevlar woofers give the speakers that same extended low end that made the KRK name, but with an increased durability and a focus on a balanced and present mid-range-perfect for critical listening and decision making. This focus on balance and transparency at the listening position has only served to make the line even more desirable in the eyes of DJs and producers. With more and more emphasis being placed on recorded output in the DJ space, there has never been more stress being placed on the finer details of electronic music composition and mixing for the home listener.

The brand may have risen to prominence for their slightly scooped/hyped voicing endemic to the Rokit series, but don’t fret KRK purists – there’s a new LED

DSP on the back of the G4s which allow you to select up to 49 different EQ combinations including boosts to the bass and high frequencies, meaning producers can switch between a flatter, more critical setting for fine tuning before switching to the classic KRK curve to get mixes club ready. Additionally, standby mode and output levels can be tweaked via this new feature. Inputs on the back of the cabinet have been streamlined into a combo jack supporting both XLR and TRS types of connectors.

Every genre has its de-facto monitor and in the hyperreality of modern electronic music production (where the bass is bassier, compression is side-chained and you live and die by the quality of the kick) there is simply no surer bet than a pair of trusty KRKs. Having already owned the space for the better part of two decades, KRK are still in fine form.

With some timely and clever improvements made to the classic KRK formula, the new and improved S12.4 marks an evolution for the brand, echoing a maturation in their target demographic, as electronic producers become increasingly concerned with tonal refinement, just as they are with broadband sonic bombast.

By keeping an ear to the ground and staying true to Keith Klawitter’s vision of designing the ‘right’ monitors for the right application, KRK have ensured that Keith’s legacy will endure into 2021 and beyond.

Recognising their ubiquity and the importance of ensuring some of the most influential studio monitors get into the hands of more people, KRK are offering their ‘Kashback’ promotion which does exactly as it sounds, dropping ever-important moolah back in your pocket when you buy the Rokit G4s or the S12.4 subwoofer from an authorised dealer. You will get $30 back for buying the 5” variant, $40 for the 7”, $50 for the 8”, $70 for the 10”, and $100 for the S12.4 subwoofer. The offer is only valid on the black models and concludes as of June 1, so you better get in quick.

BY ERIC FOREMAN

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STUDIO SPECIAL

Out-of-the-box Workflow with Warm Audio While the sound quality of ITB recording has come a long way in recent years, few would argue against the rich authenticity and purity of tone that can be found in the hardware domain.

Even with all the emulations out there, the tonal clarity, colour, and depth of analogue audio processing can be difficult to surpass. Consequently, a lot of commercial releases are still mixed through analogue consoles, or at least utilising a good deal of analogue processing.

At the front end, working out of the box bears a passing similarity to in-the-box workflows – at least at the tracking stage. It still begins with capturing the performance with a microphone, though it is the signal chain after this point that differs. Regardless of how you are working, the importance of microphones cannot be stressed enough and thanks to some major advancements in microphone manufacturing, high quality microphones have never been more accessible.

The WA-8000 or the WA-47 tube condenser microphones from Warm Audio are a great example of affordable, studio-quality microphones that are the perfect starting point for your journey into critical audio.

Beyond just the microphones, the traditional out-of-the-box workflow usually involves a processing chain that utilises high quality preamplifiers, combined with inline compression and EQ on the way in, before being committed to disk or tape. While your interface may come with decent enough preamps and your DAW might be loaded with a whole manner of plugin EQs and compressors, the quality that can be found in a standalone rack unit or channel strip is often nothing short of revelatory. It’s with the addition of these premium circuits into the signal chain and the presence of things like tubes, quality transistors, and resistors/capacitors that the magic of analogue audio lies.

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The addition of some analogue warmth and saturation into the mix can certainly enhance and mould our audio in desirable ways, particularly when it comes to central elements of the production like vocal processing. Again, Warm Audio’s product range features some fantastic examples of affordable outboard audio processing that won’t break the bank.

The WA73 single channel preamplifier is an awesome example of a classic transistor preamp that is very useful for adding analogue saturation into the capture signal chain, enhancing the overall result, particularly on voice and drums. This is probably one of the most crucial aspects of incorporating some out-of-the-box processing into your workflow. Introducing analogue circuitry early on, through the use of quality preamps is just as an important part of the process as anything happening at mix.

Assuming that you are recording to digital, a high quality interface is required (preferably one with bypassable pres, balanced inserts, and excellent analogue to digital converters). In this regard the Audient iD44 audio interface is an awesome small footprint option. Once we’ve jumped into the world of binary, it’s all about exploiting the wonders of ITB editing, before integrating hardware inserts into our mix chain. For many, this is really where the fun begins.

In this type of mixing workflow, the line level output of the audio interface is generally sent back into the interface via the hardware inserts. Equalisation is applied to the individual track either via plugin or external EQ, though there are multiple workflows that can be incorporated depending on available resources or workflow preferences. The very nature of analogue audio means that often, once summed, the resulting mix can come out sounding more cohesive and full, just by virtue of having travelled through a recording console or interface. Alternatively, tracks can also be made to stand out, simply by running them through different processing chains and outboard audio devices like compressors, EQs, and reverb/delay/modulation devices. If working with an audio desk, then audio can be sent out and returned to an individual channel for processing via insert points.

These can normally be assigned digitally, integrating with your DAW of choice, however if the production doesn’t have access to a DAW with this sort of routing capability, then it is possible to send individual tracks out of the interface into the outboard gear, then back through the onboard preamps, however this does incur another A/D conversion. If external effects units are being utilised in the DAW-based workflow, it’s always best to have them set up via auxiliary buses to the device, then returned to the main mix via auxiliary returns.

The final part of the signal chain is concerned with broadband processing across our stereo bus outputs.

It is often preferable to insert a stereo bus compressor (like the Warm Audio Buscomp 2) over this main output, adding further cohesion and overall level control to our stereo mix.

Now all of this is moot if our room and listening environment can’t be trusted, so before we even lay a finger on a threshold control or Q parameter, it’s important to get our monitoring to at least a passable level. I particularly like the Genelec 8040B, which translates nicely to a wide variety of listening environments. Good monitoring also allows you to make valid judgements about your signal chain, with the ability to run A/B listening comparisons in a more controlled and bipartisan manner (which is particularly handy for these kinds of ITB vs OTB debates).

On top of some subjective differences in audio quality, out-of-the-box processing does have one other feature that’s very hard to replicate authentically in the digital world – that is the tactile feel of engaging with dedicated hardware devices, touching the controls and intuitively engaging with the process of refining your mix. That kind of feel, combined with the obvious sonic flavour at the capture and mix stage, is worth the price of entry alone.

BY BRETT VOSS

After EQ, the most heavily used piece of equipment is without doubt the compressor, and in this regard something like the WA-76 or the WA-2A single channel optical compressor are an awesome place to start.

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STUDIO SPECIAL

Expanding your Mic Locker with Audio-Technica Audio-Technica have always been trailblazers in the studio space, in ways you probably aren’t aware of.

With their classic 4033A, the Japanese brand was the first to introduce affordable high quality studio microphones into the home, all the way back in 1991. This was at a time when the going rate for a studio mic was more akin to the price of your car.

The transformerless, sub-$1000 microphone was nothing short of a revelation, providing pristine capture, excellent transient response, and exceptional build quality, while finally putting professional quality peripherals within the reach of every person.

This same focus on making the professional accessible, appears to have trickled down through all the brand’s studio offerings since, from the highly-coveted 30-series microphones, the AT3060 – a revolutionary tube mic which could run completely from phantom power – to the AE2500E stereo dual dynamic/condenser kick mic, Audio-Technica seem to have a knack for combining progressive design with a price tag that everybody can get behind.

Their latest 20-series range of microphones is absolutely no exception. Consisting of the AT2020, 2040, 2031, 2035, 2041SP, 2050, and the USB version of the 2020, the 20-series is an absolute boon for budding engineers and those looking to add some extra mic flavour to their work without breaking the bank.

Ever the completists, AT have even thrown in a creator pack pro

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consisting of headphones, a 2020USB model, and a boom arm to attach to your desktop.

An interesting new addition to the series is the new AT2040 large diaphragm dynamic mic.

So, how do these mics stack up?

As we all know, the large diaphragm dynamic has long been the chosen mic style of the burgeoning podcast market, and no doubt the AT2040 absolutely excels in this domain, but don’t sleep on its abilities as a music mic either.

Take the AT2050 for example, the multi-pattern large diaphragm condenser mic and the flagship of this release. Three switchable patterns offer omni, cardioid, and figure of eight, a roll off switch, pads, and an SPL input of 159dB with the pad? That’s impressive for a mic that’s under $500. 30 years after breaking the $1,000 studio mic barrier, they have now successfully broken the $500 barrier of a large diaphragm multipattern condenser microphone.

For those looking for something fixed cardioid, and with a low self noise, look no further than the AT2035.

While it may bear a passing resemblance to the 20-series’ other fixed cardioid offering, the ubiquitous AT2020, the AT2035 is a much more nimble and critical affair.

This little workhorse is perfect for all your critical applications. Think detail-rich instruments like acoustic guitars, strings, woodwinds, ASMR recordings, and anything else requiring lightning fast transient response and very low self noise.

For these kinds of applications, the AT2035 is a perfect first option. At 82dB at 1kHz, its signal-to-noise ratio is on par with many microphones far beyond its pay grade and the bonus extras like the professional quality shock mount and protective faux leather pouch more than add a touch of classiness to proceedings.

Pencil mics are a mainstay for acoustic work, not to mention being standard for overheads and piano recordings. For this kind of application, the 2031 is a no-brainer and a formidable weapon to add to your arsenal. The frequency range is all there (20 - 20kHz), noise level is similar to other offerings, but where the 2031 pulls ahead, in my opinion, is in what I like to call ‘sparkle’. The 2031 (like previous small diaphragm offerings from Audio-Technica) is an absolute masterclass in top end clarity, effortlessly reproducing the crispy high frequencies and adding a sense of liveliness to acoustic guitars, and classical string instruments.The fact that you can grab two for well under $500 is yet another in a long line of lifehacks for budding engineers or anyone requiring a stereo mic setup on a budget.

With its 600 ohms impedance, this is a lowimpedance 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.

There’s an integrated shock mount present within the 2040’s solid chassis 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. Granted these precautionary measures are awesome for content creation, but with its high SPL capabilities and ability to flatten and fatten when pushed, the AT2040 is also an obvious choice for grizzled metal and punchy rap vocals, with enough low end reinforcement to toughen up even the most anaemic sounding vocal.

These same high SPL characteristics, combined with the AT2040’s full and robust low end also make it an obvious choice for bass cabinets and toms, or even kick drums, should the situation call for it.

The hypercardioid polar pattern, a design feature no doubt intended to aid in facilitating multi-mic podcasts and situations calling for multiple presenters, has the added bonus of providing a good amount of off-axis rejection, something which no doubt lends itself to drum kits and full band recordings. Combine this with its obvious strengths as a broadcast/podcast mic and you have an extremely versatile and handy addition to any mic closet.

Audio-Technica have long been at the forefront of providing high quality and affordable microphones for decades now, and the 20-series is just the latest iteration of that. From the flagship 2050, all the way to the entry-level 2020, no concessions have been made and no corners have been cut to provide great microphone options to the end user, whatever their chosen application is.

BY DAVID ELLIS mixdownmag.com.au

BLASTED WITH SOUND PRO SERIES SIGNATURE JEFF LOOMIS SOLOIST™ SL7

©2022 JCMI. Jackson® and Soloist™ are trademarks of Jackson/Charvel Manufacturing, Inc. All rights reserved.

PAGE HEADER

60 Years of Marshall Most of us know the story by now: drummer and music store owner Jim Marshall had a few customers rock up and complain about the inadequacy of current amplifiers to deal with the massive volume they wished to put out.

Those guys - Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple, Pete Townshend of The Who, and session pro Big Jim Sullivan - knew what they wanted, it just didn’t exist yet.

Jim Marshall was a smart guy: he hired designers and got to work.

Those early designs were inspired

by Fender amplifiers available across the pond, amps that were really difficult to get your hands on in 1962 London. But available parts differed between the US and UK, so a lot of substitutions and refinements were made, like 5881 power tubes and higher-gain ECC83 preamp tubes compared to the 6L6 and 12AX7 tubes used in amps like the Fender Bassman.

By prototype six, Jim and his team had hit upon what we now know as ‘the Marshall sound,’ something that simply couldn’t be achieved with any other amp at the time.

Christened the JTM45, this was the amp that Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and others would use to fuel a revolution.

Steve Smith, Marshall’s International Product Demonstrator, is a Marshall geek from way back, with a frankly mind-boggling knowledge of amps, pedals, power amps, speakers, tubes/valves, rack units, combos, and everything else with

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that iconic script logo across the front of it. He knows the ‘Marshall Sound’ better than most, and has been around for the birth of many a product.

“When we are thinking of a new product, some of them fall into our lap, like the digital products, the CODE Series,” Smith says. “It’s like, ‘we need to do this now’ because the market’s shifting. But as far as valve amps go, new lines like the Studio Series for instance, it’s kind of a no brainer because we noticed that people were having smaller setups.

“It’s like, well, what do we do?

We give them a small Marshall basically, which is exactly like a big one made in the UK, all valve. But because we’ve got a heritage behind us, we want to stick to what makes a Marshall, and we also need to answer to the younger players that might have different needs.”

So, a peek behind the curtain of the Marshall product development process looks like this: “The marketing team will look into what’s going on, what’s trending.

They’ll do a lot of research into what people are more interested in.

“Then the sales team does their own research. They’ll talk to guys in the stores, talk to the distributors and ask ‘what do people want from Marshall?’ It might be a re-release because everyone is asking for a particular product, or it might be a new take on an existing product which is selling really well but it needs to be better in this way or that way.

“What we’ll do is combine these two strands of information, and then we’ll go to the drawing board and start looking at products, start

designing, spec’ing, and then when it gets to a point of working units, it’s usually myself and my team that will go in and start testing.”

Then comes a lot of back-andforthing with the R’n’D team.

Try this speaker, change that frequency, etcetera. The whole process isn’t that far removed from what Jim Marshall and his team did in 1962, except now we’re not talking about a few amps for a few upcoming rockstars, we’re talking about the most recognisable amplifier company in the world.

It’s really fun to take a dip back into Marshalls of the past to see where the brand has been and where they might be going. For instance, the workhorse JCM2000 DSL50 and DSL100 amps have been used by many players over the years, including Nuno Bettencourt, Jeff Beck, Steve Morse, and Iron Maiden. The line had been discontinued for a while but the demand didn’t really let up, so the DSL series was brought back with a few refinements.

“It’s had a couple of changes and a couple of tweaks,” Smith says.

“We wanted to have some amps that weren’t at UK-built prices, so it’s still great quality, still all-valve, but at a price point that is more accessible to more people. It’s pretty much the same amp but we just make it in our Vietnam factory.”

There really is a Marshall for everyone, from the digital CODE series developed with Softube (and which this writer uses daily as a living room noodle-amp) and the analog MG series, to the Vintage Reissue series (with Jubilee, JTM45, and 50W Plexi models), and the Handwired series (100W Plexi and 18W 1974X combos).

Another notable ‘back but different’ amp line is the Studio Series, a line of 20W heads and combos made in the UK and designed to give players the full Marshall sound experience but in a smaller, more eardrumfriendly configuration that hits the power-amp sweet-spot at much lower volumes than a 100W stack. It all started with a low-watt re-release of the Jubilee amplifier, a JCM800based amp with some tricks up its sleeve such as a selectable diode clipping section, reflecting the way guitarists began boosting amps with overdrive pedals.

“When we did that amp, we had a lot of people kind of going ‘hmm, a mini version of a Jubilee, you know, wouldn’t it be cool if…’ and then the ideas came about: what are the classic Marshalls? Basically it was the JCM800 and the Plexi, but smaller, more compact. You can get that roar, but you can still stand next to the amp without losing your hearing. Because anybody that’s played a nonmaster Plexi 50 or 100, to get it to sound the way it does is very, very loud. And most venues these days, you just can’t do that.”

“The studio range is one of those products that’s gonna be around for a while,” Smith says. “Now, a lot of people are happy we’ve got the Jubilee, the 800, and the Plexi, but there will be more models to come.

BY PETER HODGSON

mixdownmag.com.au

PAGE HEADER

Crowbar Sydney:

Using Pandemic Downtime for Sonic Good COVID’s been tough on the music industry hasn’t it?

Two years of postponed shows, venues going out of business and the lack of support from the government hasn’t made it any easier for venue owners, struggling musicians, live acts, sound techs, and the music industry at large.

The often unsung heroes tying the two together, the sound techs and live engineers, suffered incredible losses not just of monetary income, but of personnel, with many choosing to avert the live scene for unrelated and more stable incomes.

With all of this though, there is always a silver lining.

While some venues just had to lay low during COVID times and open up the doors exactly as they were, other venues like Crowbar Sydney used the downtime to revamp their production quality and upspec their entire system.

The venue owner Trad Nathan was presented with an opportunity to work with Australian-based distributor Australis Music on upgrading their venue to put it at the forefront of touring acts’ minds.

On this, Trad says, “coming out of the pandemic we really wanted to be armed and ready to go to agents, to bands, to managers. You know, we’ve done this during the downtime, we haven’t slept, we’ve kept on going to create this beast.”

With what is surely a blessing for both bands and sound engineers alike, Crowbar Sydney has installed a full range Turbosound rig with a Midas Heritage D HD96 mixing console to boot! Trad says about

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the Midas Console: “Really, the best way to put it is a really expensive sports car. You’ve been driving the bloody Corolla for 20 to 30 years and then all of a sudden someone buys you a Ferrari.”

For foldbacks there are six Turbosound TFM112M foldback boxes and a full range NuQ152AN powered box plus a NuQ115B-AN subwoofer for the drummer to be able to hear their drum sound from bottom to top.

He’s not wrong. The Midas HD96 is a true touring mixing desk capable of handling literally anything you can think about throwing at it. You can mix 96 channels of audio and the internal processing runs at 64bit floating point with virtually zero latency! There’s knobs for all your mixing functions plus a full touch screen on this top-of-the-line mixing console.

Not only did they upgrade their main room sound, Crowbar went the full nine yards with Australis and upgraded their small band room, bar area, and outdoor space with quality rigs to make sure every punter that walks through the door gets a quality sonic experience.

In addition to this, the stage foldback monitors have been upgraded to touring grade Turbosound boxes alongside Orange amps as backline for all performers who use the venue.

“It really levels the playing ground for bands. It allows bands to really be able to show off what they’re capable of doing when they’ve got good gear behind them,” the Crowbar Sydney’s production manager Lee says about having Orange amps as backline.

Up and coming bands playing at Crowbar Sydney can receive the same quality sound as professional touring acts thanks to this backline support with the ability to shred on top-of-the-line equipment without having to fork out thousands of dollars to purchase Orange amplifiers themselves.

For all you techy readers out there, the venue uses a Turbosound Manchester line array system (four a side) paired with three matching 2x18” subwoofers and centre fills for front of house driven by Lab Gruppen PLM series amplifiers.

Lee says on the venue upgrade: “We can offer high class touring bands a world class room, and that means on other days we can offer up and coming bands or a support band a world class system, a world class room, and hopefully world class service as well.”

brand manager at Australis says about the sound system: “It’s natural, it’s not harsh. It sits where you want it to sit so it can be loud but not punishing.”

This full upgrade of the venue is a sight for sore eyes after two years of venue closures, lack of work for the music industry and live gigs in general.

Musicians, sound engineers, and fellow gig goers have a new haven for live music in Sydney thanks to this collaboration between Australis and Crowbar Sydney, going the extra mile for a new home of quality sound right on our doorstep.

BY SAM MCNIECE

Since reopening, Trad has been blown away by the venue’s new quality of sound saying “we were able to put a few full capacities in over the past few months and it’s absolutely torn the room to bloody shreds”.

“You can think that all PA’s are the same, but they’re definitely not,” he continues. “It comes down to processing, it comes down to folds, it comes down to even who’s put the bloody PA in there sometimes. So I think the team really took the venue and they moulded it to exactly what we wanted it to be and now we’ve got the absolute best outcome we could ask for.”

Both bands and punters alike have praised the venue’s new sound system since reopening and even Frenzal Rhomb’s FOH tech took to social media to talk about the new Turbosound rig. Nik Buchanan,

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COLUMNS

PERCUSSION

Studio Drum Hacks One of my first real recording sessions. It’s an original band and we’re heading in to lay down an EP. The studio? Small, home job with drapes and curtains over every wall, a tracking room, and a mixing room.

Simple and effective. Not that I understood any of it; I was a rookie who owned minimal gear and was there to try and do my bit without embarrassing myself. The learning curve however, started almost immediately when mics went on and we started getting sounds.

I was sound-checking my snare fresh off the previous gig (probably cranked high) – the only one I had for the session when the engineer comes in, listens, scratches his head for a minute and then springs into action. He swaps out my snare for a deeper, shoddy looking steel thing he seemingly digs up from the corner of the room and detunes it till it sounds, well, like rubbish. I continue to be dazed and confused as the engineer then goes over to the nearest wall and tears a small piece of curtain clean off. He scrunches the material up into a rough ball-like shape, grabs a thin piece of gaffa tape and slaps that thing on the snare towards the edge and dries out the tone. I still didn’t get it.

Listening back on the monitor however, I’m flabbergasted at how good it sounds. I reflected on the session and thought hard to myself – what is this magic and how did the engineer know how to do that?

We’ve all probably heard of so many studio drum hacks but until you’ve really been in the right situation, under mics with an engineer who knows their stuff, there can be so many things to learn.

AWFULLY VINTAGE Take the snare drum for example.

It’s probably one of the best parts of the drum kit to experiment with under microphones. Yes, a great room is a factor, but for some reason, you can seemingly ignore the physics of tuning and still get a great, usable sound that will work – albeit maybe to suit some things better than others but let me explain.

I did a session where we used a vintage ‘80s Tama snare drum that still had the original head. It looked completely trashed and it sounded positively awful – unusable in a standard, live setting. There were overtones galore, the snare wires were cactus and don’t think for a 32

minute the lugs were all the same tension. I was tempted to ‘fix’ it, but the head was too old and fragile.

Yet, the wide open, super raw nature of that drum under mics translated to a huge, lush sound when some EQ, compression, and reverb were applied. In fact, it was exactly what was needed for the track. So, try using any drum, leave it wide open and see what happens under the rest of the track. Could surprise you!

A SPLASH OF THIS AND THAT On the tonal contrary, I’ve experimented with tuning snares higher and then added varying amounts of dampening to get a desired effect – nothing new.

Adding something like a splash cymbal on top of the head not only chokes the drum a little but raises the pitch drastically. Even if you’re not going for a ‘trap/drum and bass’ vibe, this is an interesting hack.

Most recently, a hack I’ve played around with is detuning one lug. Just one. All the way. This lowers the pitch of the drum but also dries out the sound without necessarily needing to reach for the gaffa. Want deeper and phatter? Detune the next lug.

Strangely, this technique can even make the drum feel a little nicer to play with a little give in the head.

An interesting one. This seems to also work reasonably well for the bass drum too – particularly on the batter head.

TOWELS A great one I’ve played with a lot is using thin towels. Covering the toms completely will instantly yield an uber dry ‘70s vibe. The trick is to use thin material however, to allow some of the natural tone of the drum to come through. Taking this up a notch is experimenting with how much of the towel you have covering the drums.

Covering the whole lot is easy but can rob you a little of depth – not surprising, I guess.

Another option is to take some gaffa, run it along one side of the towel and then play around with covering just the edge of the head, a little more etc. I usually find that if I’m nearing halfway on the head, I’ve gone too far. The gaffa kills resonance so it’s far more important to find the sweet spot with this technique. Get it right though, and you should be able to get a tone that is fat and dampened but controlled and full.

The technique works on snares too.

LEAVE YOUR HAT ON Finally – cymbals. These are indeed magical beasts. A good set of overheads will capture the clock ticking on the wall and so, they also capture every minute imperfection in a cymbal. Hi-hats for me are the worst in a recording session.

Some hats are perfectly clean with a solid chick and no ping.

This is ideal but sometimes, your

favourite hats to use live can have other unwanted tones. I recorded a whole album for a well-known artist using the most ridiculous set of hats ever. They were the cheapest of the cheap that came free with a beginner drum set.

They were so rubbish; they would invert if I pushed the pedal on the hat stand too hard. However, they were super thin, trashy, and had zero ping or overtones.

Furthermore, they weren’t loud, so they didn’t bleed into every single microphone. The engineer loved them, so they stayed.

The rule of thumb here is that there isn’t a rule of thumb.

Sometimes, the weird and quirky just works. Sometimes, the solution to a sound could literally be something that isn’t even a drum related item – I’ve literally used a plank of timber as a snare drum before. The key is to play around, ideally at home before you head into the studio. The real killer is, the hacks exist for everything in the recording space. Guitars, vocals, consoles, and so many for microphones and placement. It’s a truly wonderful thing.

BY ADRIAN VIOLI

mixdownmag.com.au

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COLUMNS

GUITAR

Studio Things With Studio Special time upon us again, I thought I’d cover some thoughts about the recording world relating to guitars in no particular order.

Firstly, I can’t stress the importance of being in tune and having your guitars setup and intonated properly! You don’t want to finally get that perfect take only to have it ruined by dodgy tuning.

And I suppose that then applies to all of your gear too – make sure it’s working and as noise-free as possible. I know that sounds obvious but umm… it’s not always the way with some musos.

LEFT AND RIGHT GUITARS Double tracking guitars and panning them hard left and right can really create a big sound. While you want the parts played correctly and in time, part of the beauty of this effect is the differences between the two guitars. The slight timing differences and dynamic nuances

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combine to give the sound of one big guitar part. Try varying the tones for each part too (e.g.

– neck pickup on the left and bridge pickup with more gain on the right). Again, the contrast can really blend together for a huge sound. Great for rock, moody indie sounds, minimalist, acoustic, metal – almost anything.

DON’T ALWAYS OVERDO IT Yes, overdoing it can actually be cool at times. Triple or quad tracking a part to really give it some smack or turning nine effects pedals on for that wild solo sound can be great. But, there is a real beauty to keeping things simple and succinct. Then, when you do pull out the craziness, it’s going to really make an impression. Following on from the ‘Left and Right guitars’ previously mentioned – try having mono straight-up-the-middle guitars for the verse that then open to hard panned left and right in the chorus

(or vice versa). The extra width and tonal variation can really have a big impact. Note choice is a big one too – sometimes the simple part can make the hook/lick/song as opposed to trying to fit in 36 notes. Make it memorable.

TONES AREN’T ALWAYS WHAT THEY SEEM Dialling in tones that work in the mix/ensemble/recording can be a real art form. Often it’s the pokey, thin sounds or dirtier than you realise (or cleaner than you realise) sounds that actually fit the best in a mix. So many times, I’ve used distorted bridge pickup tones that I’d usually consider way too bright and nasally for my normal gig sounds, yet they’ve really worked in the track. Guitars don’t always need their full EQ spectrum too – so chopping off low end and thinning out the top can really help at times. Similarly, some of those classic pumping bass tones that you actually think are pristine clean

actually have distortion that adds some bite and helps them poke out a bit.

Recording can really be a different beast to playing live. The mindset can be different in terms of having the luxury of re-recording parts – don’t let this bog you down though. Preparation, minimising distractions, and being open to suggestions can really help with creativity and getting the best performance possible.

BY NICK BROWN

mixdownmag.com.au

COLUMNS

BASS

Photography by Joe Tamel

Bass Players That You Don’t Know, But Might Actually Know TIM LEFEBVRE

JIMMIE LEE SLOAS

A serious musical chameleon, Lefebvre has played with a wide range of artists from almost every genre imaginable – David Bowie, Wayne Krantz, Tedeschi Trucks, Empire of The Sun, and the list goes on. Chops and ideas for days combined with a deep pocket and a palate of great tones he can fit into almost any musical situation.

Typically working in the country/ pop/rock world, Jimmie Lee Sloas can be heard on countless recordings from artists such as Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, Megadeth, Jessica Simpson, and Garth Brooks. Nashville is home to many amazing players and Sloas is one of the most in demand bass players on the scene.

MIKE ELIZONDO

MICHAEL RHODES

Establishing himself in the contemporary space initially with Dr Dre, 50 Cent, and Eminem, Elizondo comes from a musical family and has a background of serious musical study and performance. Playing electric and double bass along with a host of other instruments, Elizondo is also a Grammy award-winning producer.

Credits (studio and live) include Twenty One Pilots, Fiona Apple, Maroon 5, Keith Urban, Avenged Sevenfold, and many more.

A session and touring player of the highest order, Rhodes literally has hundreds of credits to his name (JJ Cale, Randy Travis, Kenny Rogers, Etta James, Bob Seger, Vince Gill, Peter Cetera, Larry Carlton, LeAnn Rimes, Mark Knopfler, Richard Marx, Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, Joss Stone, Lionel Richie, Buddy Guy, Brian Wilson etc).

With country, rock, pop, jazz, and blues his main settings, he is highly sought after for his solid groove

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and feel. Currently touring with blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, Rhodes really is a prolific force in the bass world.

GUY PRATT Pink Floyd, Robert Palmer, Madonna, Tears for Fears, Gary Moore, Ronan Keating, David Gilmour, Julian Lennon, Peter Cetera – Pratt has played with (and continues to play with) serious A-level artists. A producer, composer and touring/session muso, he has played on some iconic recordings including Madonna’s ‘Like A Prayer’ (check out the bass line if you’re not familiar with it!). Fun fact – one of Pratt’s first big touring gigs was with Australian favourites Icehouse (at the age of 19!).

Colaiuta and John JR Robinson) Stubenhaus joined Blood, Sweat & Tears in his formative years forging a huge list of credits both live and in the studio. Barbara Streisand, Quincy Jones, Elton John, Rod Stewart, Michael Bolton, Glenn Frey, Natalie Cole, George Benson, Joe Cocker, Julio Iglesias, Cher, BB King, Ricky Martin, Barry Manilow, and many more.

Highlighting his mix of chops and ability to lay it down, you can also hear Stubenhaus on many recordings from the band Karizma featuring other session greats Mike Landau, David Garfield, and the aforementioned Vinnie Colaiuta.

BY NICK BROWN

NEIL STUBENHAUS Graduating from Berklee College of Music (where he studied alongside the likes of Vinnie

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PRODUCT PAGE HEADER REVIEW / MI

YAMAHA

Revstar Professional RSP02T YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | RRP: $3,999

Seven years after the initial release of their modern-classic Revstar, Yamaha are back with a reprise to the line of electric guitars, one which features improvements in both tonal versatility and in playing comfort, while maintaining the elegant essence of the Revstar name.

Rounding out the upper echelon of the range is the Japanese-made Revstar Professional Series, and we had a chance to put the P90-fitted RSP02T model to the test.

It’s rare to see a contemporary guitar with a visual design that can be described as iconic.

Despite being first released in 2015, the Yamaha Revstar’s sleek yet industrial design would not be out of place in a 1960s musical instrument catalogue, alongside its other major contemporaries.

Said to be inspired by the Café Racers of the ‘60s, the classy finishes, embellished with chrome components and geometric ornamentation, add to the timeless style of the Revstar.

The overwhelming impression of meticulous craftsmanship is one that is sure to instill confidence in whoever’s hands the Revstar Professional finds itself in. The fingerboard inlays and binding are expertly fitted, and the machine heads and potentiometers are both stable and tactile when adjusted.

With carbon reinforcement in the neck and body to maximise the transfer of vibrations, and a classy and robust included hardcase, it’s obvious that a high attention-todetail was a priority for Yamaha, during the design and construction of the Revstar Professional range.

Bearing the same 24¾” scale length and 22 fret arrangement as the original Revstar, the RSP02T

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has a fantastically sleek set neck that makes negotiating the fretboard a breeze. The newlyintroduced carbon rods reinforce the mahogany neck, which is satinfinished to minimise resistance as the fretting hand traverses along.

Capping the neck is a lovely rosewood fingerboard, which, with a flat 12-inch radius, highly reduces the chance of a bend fretting out – announcing this guitar as one for the modern player (certainly this one!). The centred linear pearloid inlays are a simplistic yet classy touch, perhaps a throwback to the yesteryear of Japanese guitar manufacturing where some ‘60s models featured similar inlay designs. Rounded out with high-quality tuning machines and an elegantly decorated headstock, the RSP02T’s neck is tailored for the player, while retaining its stylish aesthetic.

The construction of the Revstar Professional’s body sees one of the biggest alterations to the original Revstar; with the new lineup now boasting a chambered mahogany body underneath the maple top. With the chambered body developed with Yamaha’s Acoustic Design Process, resonance is improved, in addition to the improvements in balance and weight relief, that makes playing long sets while standing up a comfortable experience.

The chambers and carbon insertions in the body combine to make the resonance tangible, with an immediate difference in feel compared to other guitars.

The body has a mild forearm contour that is almost invisible from front on, yet makes the playing experience all the more comfortable for the guitarist, in

conjunction with the belly cut.

With aged white binding that matches the pickup covers and angular pickguard, and the bold chrome features of the tailpiece and control knobs, the Revstar RSP02T’s body makes for a sophistication that matches the quality of the components.

While the changes in style and construction are great updates for the new Revstar, the upgrades in the electronics department are what sets this guitar apart from its competition, and enables the superb sonic versatility that the RSP02T has on tap.

With custom-designed Alnico V P90-style pickups, the Revstar delivers the classic, rich P90 sounds that we know and love; ranging from warm, clean jazzy tones, all the way through to the signature growl that has defined so many-a rock numbers. It was observed that the pickups excelled at remaining quiet, even with a relatively high amount of gain set on the amplifier; a massive positive, given that P90 pickups can often be susceptible to feeding back.

Despite being a brand new model, the RSP02T sounded like a guitar that had been through its paces – likely due to Yamaha’s Initial Response Acceleration process, which applies vibrations to certain components, contributing to a balanced sound that had articulate highs, and a tight low end. The volume and tone potentiometers were nicely responsive, enabling players to dial in their main sound, and easily adjust the breakup and brightness according to the dynamic of the musical piece.

While the controls area looks simple, and is very easy for the

player to navigate, there are some interesting examples of circuit trickery going on underneath the maple top. The Revstar Professional comes stock with a five-way selector switch, despite only having a neck and bridge pickup. Positions 1, 3, and 5, are occupied by the typical, neck, neck & bridge, and bridge pickup options, respectively, and positions 2 and 4 are effectively faux “inbetween” sounds – emulating the positions that one might expect to find on a three-pickup guitar.

These sounds are achieved through the addition of a slight delay to the opposing pickup, which results in an ‘out-of-phaseeffect’ which is fairly realistic – a great tonal addition to the already versatile guitar. Additionally, the Revstar Professional’s tone knob also doubles as a push/pull focus switch, which activates a passive boost. When engaged, the focus switch produces a darker sound, with accentuated low and middle frequencies, and slightly reduced highs. This effect was extremely useful when a fatter bridge pickup sound was desired, and was also effective in achieving those ‘rolled off’ jazz sounds on the neck pickup.

These handy tonal features nicely complemented the comfort and construction of the RSP02T, and elevate a traditionally-styled guitar to modern playability and function.

Simply put, the Revstar Professional is a joy to play, and a pleasure to listen to. Alongside the outstanding build, timeless design, and arsenal of tonal options available, the RSP02T is a great choice for any serious guitarist after a high-quality all-rounder.

BY JAMES CALLANAN

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

FENDER

Player Plus Meteora HH FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $2,299

It’s not often that an entirely new body shape is introduced to the guitar market, but what’s even more impressive is that it’s Fender, who’ve created some of the most iconic body shapes in history. The Meteora has been soft launched slowly with limited runs over the last few years, but they’ve finally found a home in the burgeoning Player Plus range.

The Player series is a staple of the Ensenada factory, and the Player Plus builds further on the legacy that the Player Series brought to the table. Player Plus brings improved pickups, neck shapes and locking tuners, and the Meteora features all of these, as well brand new Fireball humbucking pickups. The Meteora comes in a four string bass or sixstring guitar version in both classic colours as well as modern finishes borrowed from the Player Plus collection, the specs, electronics and body shape is entirely new.

The Player Plus Meteora HH’s body shape is like a Jazzmaster or Jaguar pushed to its angular limit, featuring sharper edges and more pronounced curves with the same contour body that Fender is famed for. This particular model is in Silverburst with a Maple fingerboard to match the Maple neck. Humbuckers (splittable via an S1 switch) and a two-point synchronised tremolo make a super versatile instrument for the modern player.

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In use, the Meteora nestles nicely against your body and feels comfortable whether standing or sitting. It’s well weighted, with the Satin Urethane finish on the back of the neck makes for a more comfortable play than some stickier gloss finishes. Three knobs to control volume and tone are well within reach, as is the threeway toggle to switch between the two Fireball Humbucking pickups.

While we’re on the pickups, the Fireballs absolutely rip. To my ears they’re a combination of more traditional Wide Range style humbucking pickups that Fender is known for, with more modern articulation and grit. They can easily clean right up while riding the volume control, and dimming the brightness with the tone knob can transport you to full-bodied jazz territory. They’re a classic Fender sound redefined for the modern world, and I hope we see them as an ongoing staple of Fender guitars (and basses for that matter!) The neck radius feels modern and flat while the Modern “C” feels refined when coupled with a more contemporary offset body shape. Acoustically, the guitar is resonant and fretted notes are succinct and this is only pushed when the guitar is amplified. The Meteora comes in a deluxe gig bag so it’ll arrive safe when travelling to and from gigs or recording.

Fender’s Player Plus Meteora series are a range of Alder-bodied guitar and basses with Maple necks. They range from Maple and Pau Ferro fingerboards depending on what will compliment the finish best. The guitar finishes offer more classic stylings like Silverburst and 3-Colour Sunburst, as well as Belair Blue and Cosmic Jade.

The basses offer the classic bursts with the bright blue Opal Spark or rich orange Tequila Sunrise. The guitars are a 25.5” scale length so you’ll feel right at home when jumping between this and a Strat, and the synthetic bone nut offers the best in both tone and environmentally friendly solutions.

The dual Fireball Humbucking pickups in both the neck and bridge positions are controlled by a three-way toggle, master volume, and separate tone pots for each pickup. The master volume doubles as an S1 switch which, when depressed, splits the coils for more tonal options. The strings are secured by six individual brushed steel block saddles and a tremolo at one end, with six Deluxe Cast/ Sealed Locking tuners at the other.

Locking tuners are a welcome addition to just about any guitar with a tremolo system, and it just adds value to an already very affordable guitar.

All in all, the Player Plus Meteora HH is very much its own beast.

While borrowing heavily from its relatives within the Fender family, the body shape, pickups, and specs are all of these influences maxed out for a more modern sound and playing style. Alder bodies and Maple fingerboards are common, but Satin Urethane finishes on a neck coupled with modern Fireball Humbucking pickups and contemporary switching options make for a player’s guitar.

The Player Plus Meteora HH can offer a bunch of different sounds, but at its core it’s a comfortable guitar designed to be an extension of the player both physically and sonically, while the modern finishes and colours allow you to express yourself visually as well.

The Meteora is an instrument that offers a lot within a tidy package, they’re well constructed and refined for today’s sounds and they meet the demands of today’s players. Big fat humbucker tones work for rock rhythms, while single coils provide snappy, articulate sounds for leads or cleaner passages, and the Meteora offers both of these even before any pedals or amps are involved.

Fender is a company focused on their players, and they prove that in the range of Player Plus.

BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

FAITH

FLCEHG Lyra Nylon String Cut/Electro CMC MUSIC | RRP: $1,995

Once upon a time, 400 years ago, I was a young upstart naggingly bleating a burgeoning but increasingly unimpeachable desire to take up guitar to mimic my, and indeed just about everyone in my age group at the time’s, grunge heroes. Dubious about the reality of my extended future as a musician, and also partly because young parents are often not exactly flush with cash, my parents bought, as my first instrument, a relatively cheap nylon string classical guitar upon which to cut my teeth.

Of course, I had no idea of the stylistic juxtaposition inherent to the structural differences between the two main breeds, I honestly just needed somewhere to put my Nirvana stickers.

A few short weeks later, the man who had been charged with my tutelage explained why his guitar was so much more ergonomic than mine. He also impressed upon me two concepts. One, that the little bit of extra wrestle in the wider neck was going to serve me well in years to come like a practice weight on a baseball bat, and two, that if I earnestly wanted to learn to play with as much feeling as possible, then the people for whom guitars like mine were intended, flamenco guitarists namely, were truly the ones to watch. Why in God’s name am I bothering to tell this story I hear you ask?

Because the Faith Lyra FLCEHG that I have been introduced to just

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now simultaneously confirms and denies Mr. Anag’s decades-old assertions.

First, a bit of background. I initially encountered Faith guitars some years ago when given one to review for a much earlier issue of this very periodical. I remember being impressed by an undeniably comfortable playing experience from a relatively inexpensive steelstring, whose body was composed of something from the acacia family of timbers.

A little research into an unfamiliar brand revealed Faith to be the brainchild of one Patrick James Eggle. A lifelong tinkerer, the Shropshire-based luthier made his first guitar as a wee lad and, immediately dissatisfied with his efforts, embarked on a lifelong obsession with pulling his boxes apart and putting them back together, improving them inch by inch. His biography will explain in more detail, but the interesting thing that I find about Eggle is that he opened a door of information to me about British, and by extension European, acoustic guitar manufacture.

This particular machine, the Lyra FLCEHG, is Faith’s first foray into the nylon-string world and a more confident first step I don’t think they could have taken. As mentioned, their design principle centres on as effortless a playing experience as possible coupled

with ultimate modern tonal clarity, with a top-shelf selection of materials underpinning the whole experience. Here, these three elements combine to form an incredibly interesting, neoclassical experience. The top wood is a rich, almost caramelcolored red cedar sitting on a bed of perfectly book-matched and equally rich rosewood, with a very smart abalone skirted rosewood rosette to match. This combination is by no means unfamiliar in the classical pantheon, but the expression, either through an untold uniqueness in the internal architecture or some other Druid magic, is much more individual.

Eggle has managed to maintain the modesty of the cedar as well as the throatiness of the rosewood while adding an almost electric touch sensitivity and attack in the higher frequencies that feels like new icing on an old cake recipe.

The tonality is at once familiar to the point of being nostalgic and unrivalled in its freshness.

The physical dimensions only prove to further this sense of double happiness. At 48mm at the nut, the fretboard is on the narrow end of the spectrum. However, at no point during my wild ride did I have the sense I was playing a crossover guitar. This is in part I think due to the depth of the ever-so-slightly offset, ‘C’ to ‘D’shaped neck profile. This, to me, almost felt chunky enough to give

you something to chew on but not too wide or flat to point you in the direction of carpal tunnel syndrome, and with one of the lowest factory actions I’ve come across to boot! I’m by no means the expert in Fado or Saudade that Mr. Anag may have intended, but I do know my way around a few Mediterranean movements, so for me, this was far-and-away the most effortless nylon-string experience I could’ve hoped for.

I’ll never say Mr. Anag was wrong about anything, so his point about the long-term benefits of struggling away on a classical still stands intact in my book of ancient knowledge. Having said that, once you know what you’re doing and it comes time to treat yourself to something next-level, that’s where Faith’s Lyra model comes in. It confidently straddles a line between untethered modernity and stringent classicism both in sound and feel and it is sure to open up a whole new level of comfort and blissful expressionism to both the seasoned Spanish aficionado, and the rock-pig dabbling in the softer side of life.

BY LUKE SHIELDS

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PRODUCT PAGE HEADER REVIEW / MI

FENDER

60th Anniversary Jaguar FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $4,899

For most of us, the Fender Jag has been around for as long as we can remember. Made famous by countless players since 1962, the Jaguar is the janglier cousin of the Jazzmaster, Stratocaster, and Telecaster, and was designed to push the envelope for the most demanding players, offering more tonal possibilities than the Jazzmaster that was released in 1958. The Jaguar found its way into the hands of surf rockers during the ‘60s and ‘70s, whose clean, springy tones influenced the emerging indie rock and new wave bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s.

Unique pickups featuring notched side plating provided better RF shielding, making the Jag less prone to interference and hum and allowing players to push gain and tone without the worry of also amplifying radio signals. The offset body was modern, forward thinking, albeit maybe ahead of its time. The original American Jags were produced from 1962-1975, and ironically became popular among indie and punk players throughout the ‘80s, before a Japanese reissue was produced.

An American made reissue was released in 1999, and in 2022 we honour 60 years of the Jaguar with the 60th Anniversary Jaguar in Mystic Lake Placid Blue, and also available in Mystic Dakota Red. Block inlays and painted headstocks made up some of the most famous Jaguars, and the 60th Anniversary Jaguar features both of these. The inlays are

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white pearloid blocks, and they’re embedded into a round laminated Rosewood fretboard. The neck is Maple, finished with a 1966 Jaguar “C” shape and clear coat of Gloss Nitrocellulose Lacquer. The body is finished in the same lacquer, matching the painted headstock.

The tuning machines are Fender Vintage “F” stamped for the total Fender feel, while a bone nut, six threaded steel saddles, and a Vintage-Style floating tremolo secure the strings at either end.

The tremolo can be locked, and for ease of use it features a simple pop-in arm, rather than the screw variation.

Electronically, the 60th Anniversary Jaguar features everything that was designed to push the Jaguar and Fender brand into the future. Borrowing from its predecessor the Jazzmaster, the 60th Anniversary Jaguar features separate ‘Lead’ and ‘Rhythm’ circuits, switchable via the toggle on the upper horn closest to the player. The Rhythm circuit features pots just beside the toggle to control volume and tone, while the Lead circuit is controlled via two pots in the more traditional place, beside the bridge. The Lead circuit also features on/off slide switches, one for each pickup and a two-position slide switch for the bass-cut, or ‘Strangle’ circuit which could aptly be renamed, the ‘Jangle.’

The Jaguars are known for their bright, punchy albeit fragile tones, which made them perfect for the

driving and percussion guitar of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, gain and bottom end took over, but the Jaguar took this in its stride, remaining in the mids while drum and bass handled the punch and force. In the hands, the 60th Anniversary Jaguar is everything you’d want from a Jag. The 1966 neck shape shows Fender’s move towards increasingly thinner necks, moving away from the 50s “C” and “V” style necks, feeling more comfortable and more in line with the more modern “C” shape we’re used to feeling from the more recent American Ultra and Professional series’. Usually I’m not a fan of finished necks, but for the sounds that this Jag inspires begs for steady and solid chords anyway, so I didn’t find myself flying around the neck.

The weight is good and the offset body is as comfortable as ever, the toggles and pots all within reach to carefully and articulately refine that perfect rock tone.

The 60th Anniversary Jaguar, in this case a Mystic Lake Placid Blue affair (and the case, in this case, is a special edition hardshell case with an embroidered 60th Anniversary Crest to match the neck plate) is absolutely a stellar way to celebrate one of the most unique and forward thinking guitar designs in history.

that itself has inspired entire movements throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, albeit maybe not what Leo Fender originally designed it for. The Jag was a slow seller initially, but cult fame brought it back into production in both the ‘90s and 2000s, despite a lot of that harkening back to the famed models of the ‘60s that never sold well. The Jag is as iconic as the Strat or the Tele, but for entirely its own unique reason, and the entirely unique sounds you can concoct from a seemingly simple design with a multitude of different wiring and routing options. The pickups take gain well, but are equally at home through a clean amp, and the neck shape, aesthetic, and hardware is equal parts true to classic Fender Jaguars and the best of the best design elements from ‘60s years of Fender.

If you believe an offset Fender is an essential part of a guitar player’s collection, why settle for anything less than a USA-made Jag that pays homage to both its inception and its future.

BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS

As a general rule, I don’t think it matters what guitar is used to create music, but the Jag bucks that trend, being a guitar

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

LINE 6

Catalyst Guitar Amps YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

Some digital amps aim to make you forget you’re even playing a digital amp. Others seem to want to make you think of nothing else, constantly reminding you of their endless modelling possibilities.

The Line 6 Catalyst seems to fall into both categories. It’s not overloaded with more amp models than you’ll ever use, but if you dig a little below the surface you’ll find it can do a lot more than it initially appears.

The Catalyst series is made up of three amps: the Catalyst 60 and Catalyst 100 are 60 and 100-watt combos each with a single 12” speaker, while the Catalyst 200 is a 200-watt, 2×12 combo. The line is quite affordable despite using technology from the primo HX line, and the idea is not to give you a Helix modeller in an amp, but to present six carefully curated, originally-voiced channels (Clean, Boutique, Chime, Crunch, Dynamic, and Hi Gain) and each amp has its own speciallydesigned switchable boost to get the most out of it.

The control layout is pretty standard: there are knobs for Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Gain, and Master volume, as well as controls for the boost and effect sections, plus a tap tempo button that doubles as a tuner. Any digital amp worth its bits also has inbuilt effects, and the Catalyst has a lot more than the control panel would hint at: there’s a dedicated reverb section with six types of reverb

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(Spring, Hall, Chamber, Plate, and two Line 6 originals) plus six delays, six modulations, and six pitch effects, adjacent to but separate from the reverb.

For delay, the options are Simple Delay, Vintage Delay, Transistor Tape, Adriatic Delay, Dual Delay, and Ducking Delay. Modulation options are PlastiChorus, Optical Trem, Script Mod Phaser, Grey Flanger, Ubiquitous Vibe, and Rotary. And the pitch options are Bass Octaver, Growler, Pitch Harmony, Pitch Shift, Tycoctavia Fuzz, and Synth String. There’s also a noise gate and – get this – a switchable artificial hum if you find yourself missing the idiosyncrasies of tube amps.

There’s an XLR out with three selectable cab emulations and a whole bunch of virtual mic options, and you can access a whole bunch of parameters on your desktop by connecting via USB and running the Catalyst Edit software, where you’ll find controls for sag, bias, advanced effect editing (including selecting pre or post preamp locations for the effect and reverb blocks). And there’s power scaling, allowing you to switch between multiple power amp output levels depending on your environment.

Any two amp types and their settings can be saved as A and B presets, and switched between using the Catalyst’s A/B switch or a footswitch (and you can save up to to six A/B combinations).

There’s also MIDI control and an effects loop, the Return jack of which can be configured either as the loop return or as a power-amp input for use as a powered speaker.

(You could probably have a lot of fun using a pair of Catalysts as powered speakers in a wet/dry/ wet rig too).

Alright, so that’s the features, how does it sound?

Neat. It sounds very neat. That is to say, it’s extremely responsive to your playing dynamics and you’ll find it a very satisfying playing experience in that respect, but sonically it’s more like hearing a fully-mastered guitar sound, rather than the way a tube amp typically needs some more refinement at the mixing desk in order to sound that way. It’s like your tone emerges fully ready to sit in a mix, tight in the low end, not too strident in the highs, and that’s really great. But hey, if you want more of a tube amp experience, the selectable hum is right there in the Catalyst Edit software!

Catalyst seems to skew towards clean and edge-of-breakup amps, with only Crunch and of course Hi Gain covering your distortion needs. But there’s so much flexibility tucked away within that digital brain that you’ll be able to dial in anything you need, especially from the very adaptable Hi Gain channel. I plugged in my Kiesel Vader headless 7-string and was immediately impressed by

the clarity and punch of low notes and chords, as well as the dynamic sensitivity of the lead tones.

The closest sound I can compare it to is Aussie progressive virtuoso Plini; those beautifully midrange-rich, treble-smooth sounds that track perfectly. The clean and edge-of-dirt sounds are also beautifully adaptable and responsive to changes in pick attack, fretboard phrasing and pickup selection, and the Dynamic channel is even nicer for boutique tones than the Boutique channel.

This amp is equally friendly with my Strat, Les Paul, and 12-string electric Tele-style, and if you’re a blues or country player you’ll especially love the edge-ofbreakup tones.

And all this at what is really a very affordable price. And with the options of 60, 100, and 200-watt, there’s a Catalyst for any situation.

The 200 is the most flexible because it can hit bigger gig levels as well as sensible at-home volumes, while the 60 is more of a home amp that can handle a rehearsal or jam, but then, that XLR output makes it useful for live situations too.

BY PETER HODGSON

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PRODUCT REVIEW / MI

FENDER

PD-220E Dreadnought FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $1,799

Choosing an acoustic guitar should, for all intents and purposes, be a relatively simple task. Nine times out of 10 it’s a choice of either natural finish or some variation on the sunburst theme, usually around the same size and most are far less replete with bells and whistles than their electrified cousins. What could be simpler than discerning between one or another tissue box with rubber bands pulled taut?

When not wantonly opining on these hallowed pages, I spend much of my time working in a guitar shop helping people navigate the odd, often confounding realisation that, if anything, the opposite is true.

Once you’ve graduated beyond the humble beginner pack, you’re met squarely with a catalogue whose list of approved adjectives rivals only that of an overpriced wine list in obtuseness. Some relish the opportunity to know, as much as anyone really can, the meaning of words like ‘throaty’ or ‘chiming’ when ponderously perched behind acoustic room doors. For others, it’s a dizzying experience, and the hands and ears are better relied upon to divine surety. In the instance of the Fender Paramount PD-220E before me, wine-talkers and those who like to let the guitar do the talking alike are consciously catered for.

Fender strode valiantly past the need for introduction decades ago. I would be wasting your time prattling on about Leo, the CBS era, and all that rich history, so I’ll spare you. The Paramount series joined their 42

illustrious lineup a few years ago, aimed at the more discerning audiophile, the player’s player. It was clear that the intention was to walk proudly alongside the Valhallans of American acoustic guitar manufacturers. Boasting solid timbers in traditional combinations, a slim yet essential range of shapes, some tasteful, and the ‘30s inspired trimmings, the first round of Paramounts were solid guitars, but didn’t exactly blow the market wide open like perhaps Fender had hoped. I remember playing a dreadnought with an Adirondack Spruce top in the shop that sounded like a much older guitar than it was, which is always a good thing. As such, I had reasonably high expectations upon wrestling this new-and-improved model from its box.

The recipe is familiar. First and foremost, it’s an all-solid dreadnought. With its Sitka top and Mahogany back and sides, it’s the Wikipedia definition of the single most ubiquitous footprint in the guitar world. In many other builders’ hands, that wouldn’t be the best point to lean into straight off the bat but in this case, it’s quite a big deal. Today’s player has developed a taste for tiny; GS Minis, parlors, and concerts are far more popular than the gregarious old fatties, so it’s honestly refreshing to pick up a good, old-fashioned square shoulder and be thoroughly impressed by a lively, modern, clear, and above all, interesting sound emanating from deep inside. At times rumbling lows purr beneath chiming, choral highs that swirl around your head in a way that I’ve not heard

another guitar under $2000 do.

Fender has gone to great lengths to improve in leaps and bounds on the already solid Paramount name.

Another big tick in the improvements list is the newest extension of the Fender and Fishman Electronics partnership.

Fishman is, like Fender, a company that offers a product for every level of player. Their pickups are found in just about every budget guitar worth playing and I’ve come to enjoy some of their higher-end products, like the Rare Earth and Powertap pickups, as among the most honest representations of the timber they are attached to as you’ll see on the market. Fender’s subtle tweaks on Fishman’s already industry-standard design seem to have been executed solely for the sole purpose of making the PD220E more accurately expressive of its already strident tonality. In a recording situation, you would be remiss not to put a ribbon at the twelfth fret to capture some of the intense, touch-sensitive, and low-mid forward presentation of the Mahogany present in the voicing. However, the crispness of Sitka and the overall rounded balance of the sound is very much intact through the jack despite the infamous sonic limitation of piezo pickups.

If there’s one thing that Fender does well relatively consistently this side of the ‘80s, it’s aesthetics.

Anyone who has stood agape before a Sherwood Green or Fiesta Red Custom Shop Strat will attest to that truth. Polarising as it may be, one of my favourite things about the Paramount series

is the tiger stripe pickguard. I realise full well that you’re not supposed to choose a guitar with your eyes, but it’s the little things, like said pickguard and snowflake inlays, that make this guitar look as good as it sounds. The recent resurgence in popularity of brands like Kay and Eko, who made their names in undeniably European, art deco tinged relics from the outer reaches of the early rock and roll landscape, has impacted Fender’s design department positively and it’s a genuinely distinct and individual touch.

Long story short, a pleasant surprise is usually a big one. The pantheon of Spruce-on-Mahogany dreadnoughts is bursting like a gin-joint in the ‘40s. To confidently poke your head out through that din is no mean feat. Fender’s propellerheads will be angry at me for skipping over their new approach to scalloping the internal architecture here, but we’ll leave that up to them.

The point is, this is an excellent, unique interpretation of a very common theme, like a mindblowing version of a jazz standard.

The voicing is clear, textured, loud without being too bold, and, above all, its own. The fact that it is dolled up to the nines makes the PD-220E a vast improvement on its predecessor as well as an amazing addition to even the most well-groomed collection.

BY LUKE SHIELDS

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PRODUCT REVIEWS / MI

FENDER

JV Modified ‘50s Stratocaster HSS FENDER AUSTRALIA | RRP: $2,599

What makes a Stratocaster a Stratocaster? If you ever get the chance to pick up a real vintage example from the ‘50s or ‘60s, it’s a much different guitar to a modern model like the American Ultra. And so it should be, because there have been a lot of enhancements in guitar playability since the ‘50s. And yet there’s so much about those early Strats that is worth retaining.

The Fender JV Modified Stratocaster HSS is unquestionably a ‘50s-style Strat with an apparent design brief of ‘make it as ‘50s-Stratty as possible but in a way that doesn’t freak out a 2022 player.’ In fact, the JV Modified Series as a whole takes cues from the now highly soughtafter Japanese Vintage reissues from the early ‘80s when Fender underwent an ownership change and was not yet set up to make guitars in the USA. Those Japanese Fenders were the bee’s knees back when they came out and they’re still loved today.

The most notable departures from a typical Strat spec are the choice of a Basswood body instead of Alder or Ash, the addition of a humbucking pickup in the bridge position (with a push-pull pot on the bottom tone control to switch it to single coil mode) and a satin-finished 9.5” radius Maple fingerboard with medium jumbo frets. Basswood is said to be an even-toned wood often associated with Japanese shredder guitars of the ‘80s, but it’s been successfully used on selected Strats for a long time now, particularly those from

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Fender Japan. And the 9.5” radius fingerboard (as opposed to an unforgivingly round 7.25” radius with tiny frets on a real ‘50s Strat) with those bigger frets is designed to make it easier to bend strings without the note choking out on an adjacent fret. The satin neck is also a nice touch, giving this Strat a feeling of being worn-in. (My Fender American Vintage Reissue ’62 Strat is 10 years old and the neck still feels slick and sticky, which does impact playability).

Pretty much everything else about this Strat is ‘50s-approved.

The neck is quite thick with a soft “V” profile. The finish is two-tone Sunburst, because the three-tone version with the red wasn’t a thing this early in Strat history. The neck has 21 frets, not 22 like many Strats in the range today. And the tremolo system is a vintage-style six-screw unit, not a two-point fulcrum model.

The two single coil pickups are pretty standard Strat fare; true single coils, with all the 50-cycle hum you would expect once you turn the gain up. The only info Fender gives about the humbucking pickup is that it’s ‘Hot Vintage Alnico.’ My ears say Alnico V because it’s not as raucous and rough around the edges as Alnico II to my ears. What’s consistent across the pickup selections though is a zippiness and clarity that is pretty unmistakably ‘50s Strat.’

In comparison to my ‘62 Reissue the sound is thinner, punchier, and brighter, with more ‘string

zing.’ The neck pickup has enough punch and treble to function as your main pickup if you’re more into the SRV-style sound, and the 2 and 4 settings of the selector switch thin out and get almost acoustic-like. And in single coil mode, the bridge pickup sounds consistent with the other two, with a similar bright clarity and more or less consistent volume level with the other two pickups. It’s great for clean styles like country.

Pop it into humbucking mode and that volume balance goes away because you’ve unleashed a rock monster. It’s not an overly hot pickup but it sounds perfect for screaming leads and punchy power chords. It cleans up nicely from the volume knob, but you’ll probably want to keep it cranked a lot of the time because it sounds so good. A big part of this is the midrange punch that the humbucker mode imparts in comparison to the neck and middle single coils. And unlike many that only really shine at full gain, it’s one of those humbuckers that sounds great when played clean or moderately dirty.

the way of your playing). It’s super, super nice.

The bridge on the review model was set up to float, and it returned to pitch quite well after I spent some time stretching the strings, but this is not a Floyd Rose, which is to say you’re gonna have to retune between songs if you do a lot of whammy bar work. It’s a bit of a trade-off; do you want your ‘50s-vibed Strat to be truly ‘50s-vibed, or do you just want it to look that way? A Fender Japan Hybrid ‘50s may be more your speed if you’re more of a wild whammy whacker.

There are so many different Strats that it’s hard to say ‘this is the ultimate one,’ but it’s one of the best choices you can make if you’re in the market for a really Stratty-sounding Strat with great playability and chunky humbucker tones.

BY PETER HODGSON

Oh but we’ve gotta talk about the playability! I’ve reviewed a lot of Strats over the years. This is the easiest, fastest, most comfortable playing one this side of the American Ultra series. Wide chord stretches feel like no problem at all, and you’ll be zipping all around the neck without a second thought. It’s one of those guitars that feels like it makes you a better player (when really what it’s doing is removing some of the obstacles that get in

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

STEINBERG

Cubase 12 YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING Cubase 12 brings a host of new features to help artists, producers, designers, and engineers reach their creative potential. It’s also the first Cubase to ditch a physical dongle in favour of an eLicense, something that will be music to the ears of USB-port-poor laptop producers everywhere. There are a few different versions, for this review we’re referring to Cubase 12 Pro, but for a full rundown of the options from Elements up to Pro, we’ll refer you to the Steinberg website.

Beyond the initial introduction to the stylish UI, the starting point for any DAW setup is integrating tactile hardware to control the virtual environment. The new MIDI Remote feature can automatically detect your controller and map its controls to Cubase functions. If a product profile doesn’t already exist in the database you can create a custom one using the MIDI Control Surface Editor. This features the ever-lovable MIDI Learn function that saves us mere mortals from learning complex strings of MIDI language, so we can get on with more pressing matters like playing sampled Balinese bell instruments.

Chord tracks can detect the notes and timing changes and map them out for you, saving the often slow process of relearning something you’ve forgotten or wild improvised ideas recorded while you were in the proverbial zone.

Perhaps you’re reworking a friend’s track for a remix or using a sample pack/loop as a starting point for a song and need the notes now instead of crawling your way around the circle of fifths. Chord tracks have you covered!

Most DAWs have similar capabilities but approach them in their own way. FX routing is probably one of the most varied in its approach and given the time spent fine-tuning FX, how a program handles this is of prime importance. There’s a Channel Strip for track-based FX chains but beyond traditional settings, Cubase 12 introduces the FX Modulator, a flexible approach to modulating FX by drawing in modulation curves, or selecting from classic LFO shapes or presets. It makes sidechaining and combining mod sources an easy and efficient process and also provides dynamic interaction by being MIDI triggerable. Triggering 44

FX naturally lends itself to live performance as an opportunity to bring physical interaction with digital FX to pre-composed tracks.

I had a lot of fun tweaking FX chains on breakbeats and remixing vocal samples using the Time Shifter effect.

VariAudio makes auto tune and pitch quantisation simple. It can suggest the key based on your recorded note data and you can enable ‘Snap Pitch Editing’ to ensure any adjustments stay in key.

Creating harmonies, tightening up loose performances or even transposing various tracks if the singer wants to work in a different key to the original composition are just some of the use cases for this flexible feature. Similarly, nondestructive timing corrections can be made from hit points using the Quantise panel to audio tracks just as easily as MIDI tracks, making timing adjustments just as easy.

On the visual side, apart from looking aesthetically professional, composers will appreciate that multiple video tracks can be inserted into projects so scores and sound design can be synced up to visual source material. There are also improved visual references including the Spectrum Keyboard which displays note velocity on a keybed so you can get a quick optic snapshot of MIDI or audio tracks.

There’s also a VU meter to keep an eye on loudness and gain staging to get a multi-sensory understanding of what you’re outputting.

Being new to the Cubase ecosystem, there was a whole suite of VSTs to explore and as we’d expect from Steinberg, they’re sonically top shelf. There’s Retrologue for Virtual Analog style sounds, Halion Sonic SE for multisampled instruments, Padshop for granular synthesis atmospheric pads, and much more. Some of these are more familiar than others, but the expanded loop and sample content included with a Pro licence is diverse in scope.

Groove Agent SE is described on the Steinberg website as “possibly the most comprehensive drum production software instrument ever produced”. It backs up this bold claim with over six gigs of drum samples, with everything from organic acoustic realism to bit-crushed gnarly electro kits and there really is something for all genres. Each drum voice can be fine-tuned through filters, distortion, pitch and amp envelopes, and there’s even sample slice distribution. To get access to all these VSTs you’ll need to fork out for the 12 Pro or Artist licences, however, even Elements features some of these VSTs (just with smaller content libraries).

At the end of the signal chain sits Cubase’s new compressor Raiser.

Raiser has everything you’d expect from a software compressor/ limiter including Intersample Clipping detection to ensure the output level’s accuracy. There’s also a handy ‘Compare’ function

that adjusts the volume so you can compare the processed signal to the original without the difference in audible gain, making A/B tests far simpler. It’s easy to route Raiser to either individual tracks, tracks linked for submixes or the master output.

There’s a lot to love about Cubase 12. Coming in cold, I’ll admit I was a little overwhelmed at first finding myself in a foreign DAW and having to learn the language, but everywhere I looked I found things could be done efficiently on the move to keep the creativity flowing. When it came time to refine and polish, there was an ocean of options to tweak and transform track ideas; creative manipulation with the FX Modulator or effortless Comping to switch between vocal takes.

Steinberg are renowned for their software design and time and time again I was struck by the classy sonic character of all the audio processing FX. The saturation, the filters, the distortion; they all have a certain je ne sais quoi.

While it may be a little daunting to newcomers, learning this program is well worth the time investment and reasonable price tag, and for any update curious Cubase-heads it’s a definite no-brainer.

BY DANE MICHAELS

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

MILAB

VIP-60 FACTORY SOUND | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

The mid-’80s were a real watershed moment in the context of the recording studio and its technological arch. It was the moment where the valuable lessons of the revolutionary ‘60s and tasteful sonic refinement of the ‘70s met head-on with the early days of digital, along with some major advancements in acoustic design and monitoring practice, contributing to the slick production styles that defined the mid-’80s and beyond.

The power ballads, the Teddy Riley R’n’B, the wholesomely corporate adult pop of the era, the Tracy Chapmans, the Sades, the Jeff Lynne snare sound. From 1985 onwards, the means of production seemed to take a much more sophisticated and measured approach and this showed in the gear choices of the era.

This is the context with which the VIP-50, by a semi-obscure Swedish manufacturer by the name of Milab, first entered the broader studio consciousness and landed directly into the hands of engineers desperate to find an edge over the competition.

With its polygonous, volvo-esque chassis, plethora of dials, and unique rectangular diaphragm, the VIP-50 bore a singular aesthetic unlike anything else that had come before. Once plugged in though, it instantly shook off any preconceived notions stemming from its appearance, proving to be an incredibly useful, premium quality studio condenser, perfect for flattering appraisals of detailrich sound sources of all types, but particularly for vocals, where its broadband capture and unique ‘tilted’ voicing paired perfectly with the ‘more is more’ processing styles of the era.

Famously championed by Quincy Jones on Michael Jackson’s Dangerous sessions, as well as finding its way onto records by the likes of Ray Charles, Jeff Buckley, and Drake in the interim, the VIP50 has more than earned its place at the pantheon of classic mics since its initial release in 1985.

37 years later, Milab are back with the brand new VIP-60, a large diaphragm, true capacitor condenser, and the spiritual heir to the beloved VIP-50.

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Boasting an updated capsule design and featuring new and improved topography, the VIP-60 takes the familiar sound of its predecessor and brings it into the 21st century – staying true to the workable, utilitarian flavour of the original but with some important upgrades that only further broaden its functionality and appropriateness.

Sound wise, it’s difficult to discuss the original VIP-50 without mentioning the ‘ribbon-like’ quality of its capture and this is something that has been retained and built upon in this latest incarnation.

Milab’s preference for rectangular condenser capsules (itself something of a rarity in the world of critical studio microphones) was certainly a key factor in the original’s unique mojo, and the VIP-60’s new and improved 2900 capsule follows this same trajectory, albeit with some notable improvements in some key performance areas.

One thing that has changed considerably since 1985 is standards pertaining to self noise and this is something that Milab have rectified, drastically improving on the VIP-50’s 18dB A rating to a more era-appropriate 14dBA. This in turn brings the VIP-60 in line with other current-gen iterations of other classics like Neumann’s U87AI or Schoeps’ V4U. With the cutoff set to flat and with our mic placed in the midfield, the VIP-60’s unique personality and inherent classiness instantly come to the fore. It’s certainly not hyped and chirpy (at least not in the way that one would normally associate with traditional transformerless condenser designs) but this impartialness and robustness of tone is undoubtedly one of its biggest strengths.

Even with its impressive flatness across the midrange and subtle roll off in the highs, there is still plenty of transient information and fine detail on display, but this feels more as a result of capsule speed rather than a frequency or resonance thing. The result is a microphone that is both highly detailed and pleasant on the ear, while also providing a true sense of depth and perspective that gives you plenty to work with in post.

In fact, it wouldn’t be overzealous to say that the VIP-60 is one of the best microphones I’ve encountered for heavy-handed processing, taking to heavy compression and broad helpings of EQ like a duck to water.

One of the VIP-60’s most notable charms comes in the smorgasbord of controls found on the front of the mic itself. With switchable options for cardioid, wide cardioid, hypercardioid, omni, bidirectional, high pass filters at 200Hz and 500Hz, and pads at -10dB and -20dB, it’s safe to say there is plenty of tweakability and functionality on offer here.

One feature that particularly resonated was the switchable high pass filter, which being curiously indexed at 200Hz and 500Hz (as opposed to the more traditional 80/90/100Hz you tend to see on most microphones of this type) was a bit of a head scratcher at first glance. As atypical as this might be, it was an absolute masterstroke for recording baritone or hushed vocals or any other application requiring minimal space between sound source and capsule. The ability to

control proximity effect at the mic, combined with the super useful pads made it incredibly adept at closeup cardioid recording.

In cardioid mode, the taut, on-axis pan was also notable, with an impressive amount of rejection at the sides and rear which, when combined with the decidedly ‘‘uptown” nature of its capture, make it a great option for anybody looking to pull professional quality sound from a less than professional acoustic environment.

If you are the kind of engineer that has a few different preamp flavours at your disposal to pair with the VIP-60, you basically have a mic for almost any occasion. The combination of onboard flexibility, professional sound quality, and its ability to handle heavy processing, all combine to make it one of the most versatile and useful mic releases in recent memory and a timely upgrade to a cult classic.

Well worth the price of entry.

BY PAUL FRENCH

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PRODUCT PAGE HEADER REVIEW / AUDIO

RØDE

NTH-100 Headphones RØDE MICROPHONES | RRP: $249

The RØDE team in Sydney have been hard at work making stellar audio gear for the last 30 odd years, so it’s no surprise they are one of the few Australian pro audio companies that have gained global recognition.

Known for making high quality audio gear at a modest price point, they’ve carved out a reputation for being somewhat different – they’re one of the few industry leaders that is still family-owned, designing and manufacturing everything in Australia before shipping out to the great beyond.

Now, if you were to pop onto RØDE’s website in the recent past, their homepage had a bold, emblazoned ‘SOMETHING NEW IS COMING’. There’s a silhouette of some young, fresh figure folding their arms, listening to music in front of that giant, iconic ‘Ø’.

What this was hinting at is not an overstatement, as that ‘something’ has arrived and it’s exciting. As of today, RØDE has released their first-ever pair of headphones. This new step for RØDE is not unlike that young, fresh silhouetted figure, but these headphones are not to be taken lightly – with exceptional sonic detail and user comfort, the closed-back NTH100 headphones are a solid debut for the brand.

When you first open up the box the NTH-100s are sitting in a sleek little cloth pouch, with some minimal accessories nestled here and there. The design is nice, with a matte black finish, clean lines and compact, ergonomic-looking ear cups that are whispering softly at you to pick them up and press them around your ears. The headphones have the recognisable RØDE ‘Ø’ printed onto the sturdy industrial plastic, almost like a reverse-emboss effect all glossy and smooth. The little metal gold dots at the base of each headphone make them look a little bit expensive when they’re not. Bonus.

The headphones come with 1×2.4m headphone cable, 1×3.5mm to quarter-inch adapter and nifty little coloured ID rings for easy cable identification. Sitting at 350g, the NTH-100s are a fairly average weight, so there’s a familiar satisfaction when picking them up.

What is not average is the design,

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which manages to merge some fairly out-of-the-box features with a nod to classic features.

The trimmings include dual-sided TRRS cable attachments, locking headphone connectors, and RØDE’s own FitLok headband locking system that minimises movement when the headphones aren’t in use. Essentially it’s a mechanical ‘save’ button. The whole piece is modular too – you can remove the major components easily, and customise them with four colours available. This design feature is fairly forward-thinking, as it could significantly increase the lifespan of the headphones.

It’s clear that they’ve put a lot of time into the design for longevity: the headband is a high-grade stainless spring steel with a highly durable coating; the Alcantra ear pad and headband cushions are designed to be extremely resistant to wear and tear. As this soft, durable fabric is used in high-end fashion and sports cars, it has a bit of a sporty feel to it. Every component in the headphones looks like it was made to last, right down to the little wire that hooks up the earcups. All this adds up to their suitability for both field and studio work, giving it the potential to be a sturdy workhorse.

The NTH-100s are marketed towards all realms of professional content creation; podcasting, streaming, location recording, and audio and video production. But what makes them shine is their suitability for mixing. At 32 ohms, they are low impedance which is great for plugging into any device, making them suitable for consumer as well as professional use. These cans have an incredibly superior acoustic performance considering the low ohms, with a frequency response between 5Hz – 35 kHz, 110db sensitivity, a max SPL of 126dBSPL and an ambient noise attenuation of 20dBA. Though they are closed-back headphones, they still have quite a natural sound, which is something you’d associate a bit more with open-back headphones and studio monitors. The audio quality is high, with a balanced and detailed sound. It is mostly transparent, retaining a bit of warmth and liveliness. The custom-matched drivers deliver a closely accurate

frequency response, delivering the subtle energy of the lows, some beautiful mid range detail and clarity in the highs without fatiguing the ears. It sounds smoother somehow, like vinyl to an MP3.

Subtle and wanky comparison, but incrementally, this is the kind of sound you’d want in a pair of headphones you’re intending to keep for a couple of decades.

After wearing them for an hour or two they still felt comfortable.

RØDE has manufactured their own CoolTech gel integrated into the ear pad memory foam, which supposedly absorbs and dissipates heat. This felt noticeable by a fair whack in comparison to other headphones with leather earpads.

Bring on the long, grinding sessions in summer when you’ve got to turn off the aircon for each take.

All up, the NTH-100 headphones do follow in the footsteps of RØDE’s ethos of making high quality, affordable pro audio gear. These headphones sound excellent, but are also comfortable and a bit more breathable despite being closed-back. When

compared to other brands maybe they are a middle-of-the-road option for content creators, but what makes them stand out is their highly-detailed, balanced frequency response, ergonomics and sturdiness.

Any professional audio engineer should consider checking these out to add to their arsenal of headphones, as they’re great considering their price point. And also, you’re buying RØDE. They’re Australian, they’re excellent, they’re generous with their warranties and customer service because they want you to be able to use their gear for a long time.

These headphones represent an exciting new chapter for them, and will no doubt be spotted on the wall hooks of many professional studios very soon.

BY ROWENA WISE

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

PRESONUS

R65 V2 Studio Monitors LINK AUDIO | RRP: $1,099 (PAIR) It’s been a fun couple of weeks for me, listening to more than my fair share, and your share too, of speakers as we have ventured down the rabbit hole that is fitting out a new home stereo system.

So, it was a delight and pleasure to have a smaller pair of studio monitors land on my desk this month, with a refreshing take on the sounds I have been listening to ad nauseam recently. With that, let me introduce you to the PreSonus R65 V2 studio monitor, a speaker, or pair thereof, that makes great use of the electroacoustic transducer technology to deliver definition and clarity across the higher frequencies. The result is, quite simply, a pair of speakers that sit above their price bracket.

Now firstly, I would like to say that I have a frame of reference to the original version of these monitors, but I haven’t heard them in the past. Further to that, my memory would not serve me well enough to critically define differences between the two without a sideby-side comparison. In all reality, most of you are in the same boat, except for the few who may have a pair of the original R65 speakers and are looking to upgrade. So, for the sake of context, we are going to look at these as a completely new speaker today and see how they stack up on their own merits, rather than compared to an old family member who is probably not likely to turn up to the party anyway. So, let’s take a look at what makes the R65 V2 tick.

The main focal point when you first lay eyes on these speakers is undoubtedly the Air Motion Transformer that takes pride of place instead of the traditional 1” dome tweeter. It’s not a new concept, by any stretch, but one that has been implemented with success by a range of speaker manufacturers in the past few decades. And PreSonus certainly put their design to good use.

These are not to be confused with a ribbon tweeter, which behaves differently in design and motion, the AMT has a pleated front surface that moves air in a lateral motion. This means you get directional sound, but it spreads further afield to give a larger “sweet spot” when listening. The design of PreSonus’ AMT therefore allows the room to feel “full” while the top end is still incredibly mixdownmag.com.au

articulate. What this means, though, is that you are going to hear everything in your recordings.

String noise from a guitar, hammer noise in the piano, breath from a flautist and all the inconsistencies that occur in a vocal performance are going to stand out. The same goes for electronic music when filters are too liberally applied, or compression gets the better of drum tracks and causes pulsing in the sound. You’re going to hear all this. It doesn’t mean the speakers sound bad, it just means your mix needs work, and thank you to PreSonus for pointing this out!

The Air Motion Transformer is powered by its own 65-watt Class A/B amplifier, with a separate 75watt Class A/B amplifier powering the 6.5” woven composite low frequency driver. This driver has been specially designed

by PreSonus to deliver a clear reproduction of your input signal at high volumes without distortion.

The combination of these delivers a solid sound not only at low levels for nearfield monitoring, but also when you give it some gas and sit back in the room for a full appreciation of your mix.

Several ‘Acoustic Tuning’ options are included on the rear panel of the speaker box to allow you to shape the sound to suit your environment. And let’s face it, these speakers sound their best when none of these controls are touched. The drivers are designed to work in their tuned cabinets to give you the best sound they can, which they do. However, often the environment in which home studio monitors are operated in is not always ideal, so that is when these controls allow you to correct some issues that your room may be creating. The real test is to play that one CD which you know inside out, and which has been extremely well engineered and produced, so you can hear when something is not right. For me, it has always been, and was for the past few weeks of listening to various speakers, Seal’s self-titled album. Produced by Trevor Horn, it delivers every note with clarity and precision, so it has, over the years, become my litmus test for how a speaker should sound. At a reasonable volume, I didn’t need to touch any of the controls to hear the CD I know so well. A simple

roll-off on the low end might well be needed if you are forced to set your R65 V2 speakers up close to a wall, that I can understand. There is an ‘Acoustic Space’ control that allows you to tame the high frequencies in a livelier room, which it does carefully. But I’d be more inclined to let these speakers do their thing and reduce the hard surfaces in the room before using this feature.

When all is said and done, these are a great studio monitor that come in at a price well below the sound they deliver. They are aesthetically pleasing, especially for those who favoured certain British speaker designs of the late ‘90s, yet they are not so bold as to stand out of place in any environment. The PreSonus R65 V2 offers volume when needed, but most of all, clarity at the volume you want to listen to your mixes at. My only suggestion would be to go and have a listen to a pair yourself, because it’s your opinion that really matters.

BY ROB GEE

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PRODUCT PAGE HEADER REVIEW / AUDIO

SCOPE LABS

The Periscope SCOPE LABS | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING One of the most fun elements of recording instruments in the open air is experimenting with over-compression, mic selection, room ambience, and the kinds of interesting flavours this kind of processing can yield. When you actually stop and consider what’s actually going on when acoustic pressure travels and hits a compressed mic and the kind of radical sonic reshuffling of emphasis within the sonic envelope, it makes a tonne of sense that compression and room ambience are destined to forever be soulmates.

Even in the traditional, comparatively conservative world of pristine tube mics and high end preamps, microphones have routinely been driven for the purpose of eliciting excitable compression and saturation effects and anyone who has ever played around with room miking drum kits has quickly been made aware of the kinds of sonic bombast and ‘vibe’ that can exist when ambience and heavy compression meet.

The Periscope by Finnish manufacturer Scope Labs takes this premise to its logical extreme, combining a high quality omni condenser circuit with an onboard compressor (and not the limpwristed kind), to achieve maximum ambience and maximum compression at the mic position, which in turn results in a voicing that is both extremely singular and surprisingly apt.

Before we go any further, it’s probably important to address the elephant in the room here – The Periscope’s unique and utterly inimitable aesthetic, which is no doubt one of its defining characteristics.

Looking like the exact middle ground between Pirates of the Caribbean and a WW2 pipe bomb and shipping in what can only be described as a miniature treasure chest (complete with blunderbuss style clasps and lined in swashbuckling rose velvet, of course), the aesthetic here is equal parts salty buccaneer and retrofuturist steampunk. While this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there is undoubtedly a sense of fun that bubbles underneath the surface of The Periscope, something that doesn’t always happen in the tense environment 48

that is the recording studio. It also brings up some very important questions regarding mic design and marketing in general in the pro audio space. Why…so…serious?

There is method to the madness though, the copper pipe aesthetic reportedly ensures 100 per cent shielding and grounding from interferences, something which is no doubt extremely useful when you consider the heavy handedness of the compression circuit and its potential to amplify any artefacts in the signal chain. The onboard analogue compressor is conveniently powered using the same phantom power source as the condenser capsule itself, in turn meaning no requirement for any kind of bulky extraneous box or anything like that. The long pipe-like design also ensures that all compressor components can be neatly tucked away inside The Periscope’s uniquely shaped chassis.

It’s little things like this that really allow The Periscope to bring you into its world and after plugging it in and experiencing the quality of it’s pleasantly rekt capture, the superficial novelty quickly takes a backseat to its usefulness as a studio tool.

The compressor unit itself is reminiscent of the quick clamping, hard attenuating FET units of yore – think a slammed 1176 or 1178 set to all buttons in mode, while the nature of the small diaphragm omni capsule makes it incredibly responsive to collecting transient material and detailing the subtle differences in room ambience and reflected elements in the acoustic

space, before the compressor does its thing.

Whereas one might think that this may only be suitable in certain contexts, you’d be surprised how often its pumping, tweaked out capture is absolutely the perfect antidote for an anaemic sounding track or source.

The convenience of its ‘set and forget’ topography makes it an incredibly good wildcard mic, perfect for chucking up as an ambient drum mic, mono overhead or room mic for live full band tracking or any other application requiring ample colour and a bit of distance from the sound source. Personally, I found its ability to be placed in front of the kit and gently brought in as a kind of ‘real world parallel compression mic’ to be one of its strong suits, really glueing the kit together and giving it a unique edge.

With the parameters themselves decidedly fixed and with the kind of slammed compression this microphone is capable of providing, the very nature of The Periscope itself, pushes you to think about placement and distance as a form of a threshold control, and you will find yourself approaching these concepts in a new and incredibly nuanced way.

For close miked sources like vocals or guitar, you would probably want to be going in with a specific game plan in mind to make best use of its unique capture, but I could definitely see situations where it would be appropriate, like ragged blues vocals or as a way to ‘electrify’ acoustic guitars.

‘Vibe’ is a pretty elusive and cerebral concept within the context of recorded music but most can probably agree that it tends to generally fall under two distinct categories, Ambient or Electro-Acoustic. The beauty of The Periscope is that it really emphasises both the uniqueness of it’s internal circuit and the details of the acoustic environment around it, the combination of which is a perfect storm of characterful sounds and left-of-centre sonic heft. You’ll find yourself chucking it in front of random sound sources, just to see what happens and in terms of broader creativity and workflow, anything that can elicit that kind of response is definitely worth the cost of entry, even just as a hail Mary if nothing else seems to be working.

Perfect for providing glue over the kit or creating some explosive industrial vibes up close, The Periscope is sure to pique the interest of anyone with even a passing interest in electroacoustics or sound design in the open air.

Already highly touted by a murderers row of recording royalty including Butch Vig (Nirvana, Garbage, The Foo Fighters), The Chemical Brothers, and Joe Barresi (Queens of the Stone Age, Tool, Kyuss), Scope Labs ‘The Periscope’ is undoubtably one of the most interesting and exciting things happening in mic land at the moment.

BY ERIKA FEDELE

mixdownmag.com.au

PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

SE ELECTRONICS

DynaCaster Dynamic Studio Microphone SOUND AND MUSIC | RRP: $449.99

It’s no secret that I am a fan of sE Electronics microphones.

For many years now they have continually delivered a range of microphones that represent value, quality, and diversity. From $130 to well over $6,000, sE Electronics has a solution for whatever your chosen application is. Plus, they offer a number of specialty options that have neat little design elements to help them stand out in a field that is full of options.

So, I was intrigued to finally get a look at one of the few mics in their line-up that I’ve not used before, and one that is sure to meet the demands of an evergrowing market. With that, let me introduce you to the sE Electronics DynaCaster, the dynamic microphone with a phantom powered boost.

So, what is this all about. It’s a dynamic microphone, but it takes phantom power. Yes, you read that correctly. Like many studio microphones, this guy has a built-in boost, but the DynaCaster leaves them all wanting with the amount of additional gain on offer. With that, you can engage a ridiculous 30dB of clear, transparent gain to your signal straight out of the microphone’s housing. This opens up the possibilities for the capsule in a far wider range of instances and makes it especially ideal for podcasting operations where external hardware is not often a luxury that space or budget caters for. So, let’s look at what this can do in your setup.

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To start with, let’s address that 30dB of gain that I am sure has caught your attention. Hitting the boost switch, while phantom power is engaged lifts the gain on this microphone well beyond expectations. At standard gain levels, this is a brilliant microphone for a range of instrumental applications, especially in loud environments, like live group recordings. It’ll sit in front of a guitar amp and handle the SPL with ease, while not capturing much else of what is going on in the room. It’ll happily capture the snap of a snare drum with startling results and even delivers a well-rounded sound for acoustic guitars, where typically a condenser microphone is used.

That said, you still get a lively top end clarity, but a more controlled string noise that doesn’t get in the way of the music.

When you’re wanting to record vocals, especially spoken word for podcasts or similar applications, you want the volume to come up to balance out the source signal. And let’s face it, turning the channel volume up in the recording doesn’t just lift the sound, but rather brings up all the noise in the room too. That’s where the gain boost puts this microphone far ahead of your standard dynamic microphone.

Built into the internal preamp is a number of EQ settings that adjust your voice from right after it passes through the capsule. So, you’re already getting a wellrounded sound before you get

the signal to tape, meaning less need for external processors. What results is a rich, full sound that hits your recording fairly hot to keep background noise to a minimum.

Built like a tank, the DynaCaster sits in a metal housing with the microphone clip integrated into the build. This sits alongside the XLR output, on a swivel mounted joint that allows you to place the microphone at a great range of angle from the end of your microphone stand. If you’re recording multiple microphones around a table for your podcasts, or using it for live streams, and want the microphone out of the way, you can easily place it to the side and position it for the angle needed. Being an end-fire microphone, this means you don’t have to sit behind the capsule and be hidden from the camera’s view.

Better still for keeping the overall bulk of the microphone down when used on camera, the internal pop filter system means you don’t have to engage bulky suspension mounts and pop filters to get great results with the DynaCaster.

Inside the housing is a three-layer pop filter system design to take care of unwanted sibilance and low frequency booming. This is integrated with the suspension mount for the capsule itself to keep further low-end rumble out caused from vibrations in the microphone stand. And, in a move that is very important with today’s needs, sE Electronics have created these pop filter elements in such

a manner than allows them to be removed from the housing to be cleaned or replaced easily. After all, there is nothing like having a clean microphone to work with when it is being operated in a studio that sees a heavy turnover of users.

Well played.

In all, this is a microphone that ticks most of the boxes. It works well on a range of instruments and is capable of working with high SPL signals. Plus, it stands up front and centre when low SPLs are on offer with it’s kickin-the-butt gain boost that will take even the smallest voice and make it sound large. You’re not going to have to sell an organ to fit one of these microphones out in your setup and you don’t need to buy a load of peripherals in order to get it working. This is not just a microphone for the recording studio, it’s a great fit for podcasting, livestreaming and gaming applications too.

The DynaCaster is a plug and play microphone that brings your sound to life even before you get it into your recording.

BY ROB GEE

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PRODUCT PAGE HEADER REVIEW / AUDIO

BABY AUDIO

Crystalline Algorithmic Reverb BABY AUDIO | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

With the plugin market almost reaching the point of total saturation (pun absolutely intended) and with so many new products entering the market – many promising a slew of new and novel features only to deliver the same digital appropriation of a familiar layout from 50 years ago – it’s rare to find a plugin that genuinely brings something new to the table, both in sound and in workflow.

It is in the face of this market of abundance that Baby Audio have made a name for themselves, eschewing the status quo in favour of modernity and practicality – continually popping up with new and genuinely cutting-edge effects that both liberate and inspire with their ease of use, while making no compromises with what’s going on under the hood.

Their most recent plugins have been rooted firmly in the world of advanced equations, most notably their TAIP (a saturation plugin that leant on the world first AI algorithm to map and replicate famous tape saturation sounds) and now we have the awesome new Crystalline Algorithmic Reverb.

If this is your first time encountering the term ‘algorithmic reverb’, don’t be alarmed. Nobody is going to make you crack out the graphics calculator here. Put simply, an algorithmic reverb simply uses mathematical formulas to simulate different room sizes and reflective qualities as opposed to other spatial or hardware modelling.

But don’t think for a second that the complexity of its engine means that Crystalline is anything less than extremely user friendly.

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On the contrary, Crystalline is an algorithmic reverb that delivers expert functionality in an effortlessly simple package, allowing you to achieve a cutting-edge sound as easily and intuitively as possible. Baby Audio, a company who have built a reputation in part for their user-centric plugin design, have delivered absolute gold with the GUI here, with Crystalline proving a total reimagining of the traditionally convoluted (ha) layout of a reverb.

Using Crystalline is so intuitive that writing a user manual for it would be borderline pointless. The simple grouping of Crystalline’s controls into four categories, (Reflections, Depth, Clean-Up, Shape) not only keeps the UI looking neat, but also gives context to the controls within each grouping. A visual cue for each control lets you visualise the current setting of the control, instead of just telling you a number value. A quick glance lets you visualise how your reverb will sound, taking the guesswork out when dialling in your ideal settings.

Nestled in these sensible subdivisions are numerous cutting-edge features, sitting humbly alongside more traditional controls without much ado, as if to beg the question of why such features aren’t yet considered standard in a reverb. Take for example the ducker function, which ducks the reverb signal while the original signal is still playing, preventing the reverb from clouding what may be an already busy mix. This is the kind of thing that savvy mixers used to make entire YouTube videos about with titles like “This Simple Reverb Hack Will Change Your Life”, but

now instead of having to set-up a compressor with a sidechain to achieve this, you can just use Crystalline.

You can adjust the size of the reverb in the Reflections section, with the option to add additional high end sizzle with a Sparkle control, and control the stereo image of the reverb with the Width control. The Depth section allows the user to set the complexity of the reverb’s algorithm, the amount of modulation, and additional highend shimmer.

The Sides function in the CleanUp section allows you to apply an adjustable high pass filter on the Side channel of a Mid-Side split, allowing you to add reverb to low-frequency sounds without your mix losing energy or precision. Crystalline has you covered. Beside this, a Damping control applies high and low pass filters to taste.

Below a central graphic panel showing a 3D representation of the processed signal are two sliders labelled Start and End which control the reverb’s pre-delay and decay time. The End control operates independently of the Size function, giving you the ability to create huge reverbs with short decay tails, or vice versa. Crystalline syncs to your DAWs current tempo: with the sync function engaged you can control the reverb timing proportionately to bar length, instead of in arbitrary milliseconds.

This is useful for mixing rhythmbased music, and facilitates the use of reverb as a creative tool. This is the kind of feature that seems so obvious in hindsight that makes you wonder why it isn’t standard practice to include.

A control labelled Smoothing attenuates harsh frequencies in the reverb, allowing you to control how subtle the reverb sounds.

Next to this, a Tone control applies a tilt EQ to gradually shift between a brighter and darker reverb. The Transients control lets you slide between putting emphasis on the attack or sustain, fantastic for finetuning reverbs on percussion or transient-heavy instruments.

Freeze and reverse functions give additional options for designing creative reverbs, and you can even flip between light grey and brushed carbon colour schemes to match your DAW or mood. Crystalline is also chock-full of presets for just about every application, flicking through these will give you a crash course in the sheer sonic possibilities of the plugin.

Baby Audio’s Crystalline is more than just a supremely versatile reverb, it is a paragon of plugin design representing a new era of user-friendly interfaces. The lack of physical constraints when designing a plugin opens up a whole world for interface design beyond emulating existing hardware units, something that few plugin manufacturers have dared to explore. By taking user experience as seriously as the actual plugin technology, Baby Audio continues their trend of creating plugins that make your mixing experience easier and more enjoyable.

BY LIAM MCSHANE

mixdownmag.com.au

PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

GAINLAB AUDIO

Empress 2x3 Tube EQ FEDERAL AUDIO | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

As its description alludes to, the Empress is indeed a stereo three-band equaliser, with each side of the 2U unit featuring a precisely measured stepped attenuator design, which can be meticulously matched for stereo applications or used separately on separate sound sources, making it fantastic for tracking or in the mix if/when required. Empress is also compatible with ‘Session Recall’ software, for the ability to save session settings, for precise recall when revisiting a session.

As for physical connectivity and spec, Empress features balanced XLR inputs and outputs, with a maximum input of +23dBu and input impedance of >10k ohms, while the max output measures >23dBu with an output impedance of <65 ohms. Frequency response ranges from 20Hz to 20kHz +/2dBu with THD+N (0dBu): <0.08% / (20dBu): <0.8%. In action, the Empress held up wonderfully, with incredibly quiet operation, meticulous build quality, and attention to detail. Under the hood only confirmed this, presenting a beautifully elegant design and layout, notably featuring two Nanocrystalline alloy transformers and four military grade tubes, delightful.

The Empress will be immediately relatable to those familiar with what could aptly be described as the “grandfather of passive tube EQs”, the Pultec EQP-1A. Taking design inspiration for this recording studio staple such as the ability to simultaneously boost and cut the same frequency point on the low and high frequency bands, the Empress builds upon these design principles adding some additional functionality of its own. mixdownmag.com.au

Firstly, the ‘shift’ switches found on both the low and high bands allow for immediate shape changing of the curve when boosting and cutting. This feature alone produces some very unique shapes to the transmission curve, making for far more precise frequency shaping, not typically found in designs of this lineage.

The ability to switch to either a shelf or bell on the high band adds further versatility to the circuit, and in practice I found this to be very musical, from quite subtle to more noticeable in other settings.

The mid frequency band brings another level of hierarchy to the Empress’ powerful feature set and brings this EQ into a league of its own. Its broadband boosting can breathe life into the midrange, or its sharper cutting shape can more precisely remove unwanted parts of this part of the spectrum. This band combined with the low and high bands respectively makes for an incredibly versatile tube equaliser capable of commanding a wide variety of EQ tasks, making itself viable for recording through to mixing, mastering, and sound design tasks applications, or even as a standalone saturation box, ala the tube boost switch.

It somewhat goes without saying (for those familiar with this type of circuit topology), that the ability to simultaneously boost and cut at the same frequency point on both the lower and higher frequency bands makes for some incredibly interesting EQ curves, and the Empress absolutely nails this.

In practice, it allowed the more extreme boosted settings to sit nicely in the context of the mix, without becoming overbearing, unruly, or creating masking issues.

While the Empress is unquestionably inspired by the old school design and flavour of the Pultec, particular attention needs to be drawn to its mid-frequency band, and this is where I felt the Empress really started to shine and arch its flexibility as a tube EQ of its own esteem. While the mid-band only allows for either boost or cut (no simultaneous trickery here), the several crossover frequency points it shares with the high-frequency band makes it capable of some very inspiring shapes in the upper midrange and into the top end. This is where the Empress’ EQP-1A lineage sojourns and launches its timbral palette into a world of its own.

Much like when it was inserted over the drum buss, I found the shaping of the low end was particularly gratifying on the master buss. Moving the frequency point around here yielded pleasing results allround and was honestly hard to make things sound bad. For this particular track, 100Hz seemed to do all the right things I was looking for, with some median levels of boosting and a touch of cut to get the desired balance. The mid band sounded gorgeous when either boosting or cutting in specific frequency areas, but here, I landed on boosting fairly generously at either 3kHz, 4kHz, or 5kHz to produce desirable results, bringing a sense of overall presence and urgency to the mix, but again those tubes never once made things harsh or overly aggressive, adding in a nice taste of harmonic colour. As for the high band, the top end was able to open up nicely, keeping things cohesive and glued together in relation to

the other two bands. Either 8kHz or 12kHz complimented things nicely here, with both the shelving or bell shapes sounding superb!

Finally, the tube boost switch is yet another fruitful feature of the Empress, introducing lush tube saturation and harmonics into the audio path, showcasing the Empress’ ability to be more than just a tube-based 2x3 band equaliser. Because that just isn’t enough, right? The tube boost switch does indeed add in a healthy amount of gain to the output stage, particularly when engaged with the EQ in. Either an input or output attenuator would be super useful here, but keeping a watchful eye on your metering will keep things from running away.

Striking a fine balance of old school topology, modern malleability, and features, Empress is sure to be finding its way into many-a professional studio racks in the coming years. A piece and a company worth keeping an eye on.

BY ANDY LLOYD-RUSSELL

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

SE ELECTRONICS

NEOM USB Microphone SOUND AND MUSIC | RRP: $319.99

Remote recording is an increasingly popular choice for podcasters, YouTubers, journalists, and any other content creators you can think of. While more traditional methods of recording via an XLR cable may offer more options in terms of signal flow like preamps and compression, for someone focused on video or pictures with a running commentary, audio is a secondary priority.

USB microphones provide a digital platform for super clean recording, and the sE Electronics NEOM USB mic more specifically offers controls for gain, output level, and latency free monitoring so you can quickly get recording and focus on the capture rather than the setup. The sE NEOM USB is a USB cardioid condenser microphone powered by an electret condenser.

It’s housed in a classy and rugged metal chassis that is modelled vaguely like a vintage ribbon or condenser mic, so it’ll look great in your videos as well. The NEOM can record at up to 192kHz with 24-bit, and the chassis of the mic offers input gain via ‘Mic Gain’ that doubles as a mute button, and a second dial for output level under ‘Mic Level’. ‘Playback Level’ controls a latency-free headphone output on the back of the mic.

The NEOM weighs approximately 445g so it’ll be easy to pack and take just about anywhere you need it to go. It supports sample rates from 44.1 all the way up to 192kHz, 52

and both analogue to digital and digital to analogue conversions spec out at 24-bit. The NEOM is bus-powered and takes either USB type A or C depending on your system. It’ll pick up sounds from 20Hz all the way up to 20kHz so you won’t lose any clarity from a rich range of voices, sources or instruments. The three knobs for controlling input and output feel solid and precise, allowing you to dial in precise gain structuring as well as recall thanks to little indicators surrounding each of the knobs. The back of the unit features a 3.5mm headphone output for monitoring. The interior contains a 16mm back-electret condenser capsule that offers a cardioid pattern and reasonably flat response with a little bump around 120Hz and another at about 12kHz. The frequency response makes it ideal for voices or podcasting, or alternatively as a super clean mic to quickly record instrumental ideas on either an acoustic instrument or in front of a quiet amplifier.

In use the sE Electronics NEOM USB mic couldn’t be more simple.

Making it bus powered is a simple but great choice, allowing the NEOM to be connected via one single cable and nothing else. This makes it a super portable solution, and its lightweight build won’t make an impact in your backpack or laptop case. The capsule is big enough to capture hi-fidelity

sound, but not as big as a larger condenser. sE has managed to pack a lot into a really portable package, and the chassis itself is really classy, road-tough and built to last.

What’s most surprising about the NEOM is the top end. Some more budget microphones suffer in the high end but the NEOM remains clear and articulate. While it’s not designed for a super punchy low end, the lows work well for voice and most instruments, and it features a nice proximity effect for any podcast guests with an especially rich timbre to their voice. In addition to proximity, the sE NEOM does a great job at capturing ambience, space, and distance from the microphone, allowing a source to sit back a little in a mix if required. Most more affordable mics really struggle in this space (pardon the pun), so it’s a welcome feature in the NEOM. sE Electronics produce mics from the most entry level dynamics up to top-tier microphones seen on some of the biggest sessions in modern times. What they always bring though, is the features and specifications they cram into the products. What’s more, their products are super usable and designed with the producer in mind, so they function in very practical and well-planned ways.

The NEOM encapsulates this ideology, bringing form and

function into a tidy chassis. The layout of the knobs and dials packs a lot of control into the tiny package, allowing you to really do away with any other products you may be using to capture ideas on the fly.

Whether you’re an experienced engineer or a budding podcaster, the NEOM serves its purpose for you, and it serves it well. It records cleanly and allows you to monitor simultaneously via an integrated headphone output, again with a controllable headphone output.

One cable is all you need to start recording, and recording very cleanly at that. It may be a big statement, but any other USB microphone in the market may be the wrong choice now that the sE Electronics NEOM USB mic is available, you’d be hard pressed to find anything that offers anything more comprehensively than the NEOM USB does. And even if you do, you won’t find anything with the style, rugged housing and classy aesthetic that the NEOM offers.

BY LEWIS NOKE EDWARDS

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

KRK

Rokit G4 Series JANDS | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

KRK has been synonymous with pro audio since the company began. Famed for producing super high-end speakers in the ‘90s and ‘00s, KRK speakers were a world-class reference speaker for the most top-tier recording studios. The KRK Expose E8 was as synonymous with recording studios as the white-coned Yamaha NS10, and for good reason. A few years ago, KRK began producing budget level speakers that have become a goto for hip hop producers because of their bottom end response and hyped top end.

It’s pretty safe to assume that everyone reading this has seen some KRK studio monitors at some point or another. They do make their presence known with their trademark yellow cones that are an undeniable mark of their tonal character. You see them in studios and video clips all over the place, and for good reason. They have a certain tonal characteristic that makes them popular with electronic music producers as well as RnB and hip hop artists, due to said generosity on the bottom end for such a compact studio monitor.

The Rokit G4’s are KRK’s latest incarnation of 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.

Physically, they’re modelled slightly more towards the more famous Expose E8 speakers, but the sound and response remains 54

mostly the same as previous imaginings of the Rokit. These are great speakers for working with ready-made sounds or blowing away clients with sheer breadth, and while they might offer some capacity for tonal sculpting or analysing recorded audio of potentially problematic recorded acoustic instruments, this is definitely not their primary concern.

Similar to the G3 series of Rokits, the new KRK G4 Series have great bottom end response thanks to the bass port beneath the woofer of varying sizes throughout the series. They’re powered, and boast a frequency response from 43Hz up to 43kHz, with new DSP powered room EQ on the back.

KRK have done away with pots to attenuate or boost frequencies to tune speakers to your room, and now the back panel of the speaker features a visual LCD to tweak the six-band EQ for maximum options. Both the woofer and tweeter are now made of matching Kevlar, for a less fatiguing listening experience and maximum clarity.

The Rokit G4 Series spans from the smallest in the Rokit 5 up to the Rocket 10-3, which features an extra three-inch driver.

In use, the new series of Rokits sound great. They are pleasing to the ear – however, that’s not what I always want my monitors to do.

Call me a sucker for punishment, but I want to hear all those little issues and problem areas in the rock and metal that I record, and the Rokits aren’t always the first choice for chiselling out mid-range

like that. What they do, however, is provide unmatched bottom end response for a speaker of their size and budget and this makes them an extremely useful tool for sculpting drum mixes and balancing out the rhythm section. This also makes them incredibly adept at electronic and hip hop mixing.

For a producer working with ready-made sounds, samples, and synths, they provide a crisp and rich listening experience that inspires and feels good off the bat.

When working and producing with a client, you want your sounds to sound good from the get-go, and with pre-made sounds there’s usually not much need for deep diving into problem areas and attenuating issues in sounds or problems that were missed while recording. This new generation of KRKs have a market and boy-ohboy do they fit it. This new series looks a bit more professional, with a more squared off finish, and less dynamic visual difference between the black enclosure and iconic yellow cones. The G4 Series are still Rokits, but they’re more professional.

There are many studio monitors in the four and five-inch size that are often designed to be used with a subwoofer, which does incur an additional cost and can blow out prospective budgets. While KRK do offer a range of cost-efficient subwoofers (like the excellent S12.4) that work very well with the Rokit G4 monitors, one of the biggest draw cards of the Rokits is how much low end extension they

provide, even without the need of a sub. With correct spacing and a bit of room treatment, they offer a great, trustworthy stereo sound with a detailed transient attack that ensures you hear all that is going on across the frequency spectrum, right as it happens.

Overall, the G4 Series of Rokit speakers from KRK are a great speaker, if they’re the kind of speaker you’re after. They won’t show you every detail and leave your mid-range or top end exposed, but they will make your tracks sound great from the start.

Their unique voicing means that even while they may not offer a completely transparent monitoring solution, they bring something unique to the table and can definitely be the primary monitor solution for someone producing and mixing on a budget.

These look, feel, and sound more like a professional speaker with every new incarnation and the G4s definitely have to be the most professional looking yet. Suffice to say our beloved Rokits are moving up in the world – don’t let them pass you by.

BY PABLO FRANCOIS

mixdownmag.com.au

PRODUCT REVIEWS / AUDIO

ZEPPELIN DESIGN LABS

Cortado Mk III Contact Microphone ZEPPELIN DESIGN LABS | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING Even with technical audio edging its way closer and closer into the mainstream, contact microphones are still considered by many as an enigma, inhabiting a fascinating (albeit slightly peripheral) position in the broader audio landscape.

Operating on a completely different plane to practically all other transducers, contact mics directly absorb audio vibration through solid objects and use physical contact as their primary mode of incidence, rather than capturing direct sound in the open air like a traditional cardioid or omni mic. This means the vantage point of a contact microphone is completely different to anything else out there: on sheer perspective alone, you have something that is unique, versatile, and open to all kinds of sonic experimentation.

Already commonplace in the toolbox of sound artists and noise music producers alike, contact microphones are slowly finding their way into more and more modern music recording scenarios, and if the work of Chicago-based mic smiths Zeppelin Design Labs is anything to go by, are finally ready to have their moment in the sun, thanks in no small to part to the awesome Cortado MkIII. Zeppelin Design Labs is a DIY audio company out of Chicago who have been producing build-it-yourself guitar pedals and amplifiers since 2015. The Cortado MkIII is the third iteration of their popular Cortado contact microphone and, luckily for the less dexterous of us, the MkIII comes fully assembled and ready to record with.

Even in that relatively short gestation the Cortado’s lineage and reputation are well endorsed; in 2020, broadcast sound engineer Dave Grundvig was appointed with the urgent task of rigging three whole basketball courts with microphones to capture the sounds of the NBA’s siloed season and finals at Disney World in Orlando.

Grundvig and his team laid 130 Cortado microphones underneath the three courts used during the resumed season, with an additional four placed behind each backboard and aside each rim. The end result was an immersive sound mixdownmag.com.au

that would have been impossible to achieve with a standard sports broadcast microphone setup alone, duly enthused by pundits as being the best sounding NBA season in history.

If you are an NBA fan, you know exactly the sound we are talking about, and in many ways this mic has its DNA all over both the pristine capture of last year’s NBA bubble, as well as a lot of the more ‘immersive’ elements of sports broadcast in general.

For applications like these, the Cortado MkIII is at the absolute top of the table.

Out of the box, the Cortado MkIII is one of the sturdiest looking contact microphones you are ever likely to find. The phantom power-driven class A preamp (which drives the unit) is housed in a 20 gauge steel chassis slightly smaller than a block of butter, but which has all the classic indicators of a well built and durable unit.

The sensor is located at the end of a shielded cable roughly six feet in length and is housed in a mega sturdy metal casing that looks like a turn of the century mint tin, reinforced, completely unlike the tabs found on many other contact microphones.

Four dip switches embedded on the face of the main chassis afford the user a 10dB pad, a high pass filter and a bass boost function. This means that there’s plenty of room for adapting the sound on a caseby-case basis, from boom-heavy NBA backboard duties through to detail-oriented sound design or experimental drum micing.

Without the filter engaged, the MkIII captures all the way down to 23Hz, more than adequate for capturing the deepest of sub frequencies. The high-end capabilities are even more extreme, the microphone able to capture all the way up to 40kHz, well beyond what is audible to humans.

Perhaps this is not the most crucial selling point for recording studios, but will no doubt pique the interest of sound artists or FX types who wish to explore sonic events that escape our range of hearing. Zeppelin claims that the MkIII operates normally between -40 and 80 degrees celsius, and while one would hope that the typical studio environment never reaches these temperatures, this will be of particular interest to engineers looking to capture sounds in extreme environments.

The most obvious place to start testing the Cortado MkIII was on an acoustic guitar. Attached to the soundboard of an acoustic guitar with the included mounting putty, the Cortado effortlessly captures the kind of sounds that you feel while strumming the instrument, but struggle to capture with standard microphones. From the warming low end, and highs that glisten rather than pierce, the Cortado picks up the sound of an acoustic guitar so honestly that it practically mixes itself.

instruments with strong resonance also sound fantastic through the microphone. Don’t let yourself be confined to recording strictly traditional instruments, however; with the Cortado, anything can become an instrument, even things that cannot be recorded with a typical microphone.

The Cortado Attachment Accessory Kit will fully arm you with an array of mounting options to capture the voices of machinery, utility poles, you name it. Foley artists and broadcast engineers (admittedly the natural habitat for contact mics such as this) will no doubt also find the Cortado to be an indispensable part of their toolbox as well, but looking at it from a musical perspective, the possibilities are truly endless.

The Cortado MkIII is an excellent secret weapon in the arsenal of anyone in the business of sound recording, and at just a fraction of the price of many studio microphones, it’s a no brainer. A rugged piece of gear that opens up a world of sound previously inaccessible, those foraying into the curious world of contact microphones will find it hard to look past the Cortado as a first choice.

BY LIAM MCSHANE

The Cortado is a winner for recording any resonant body string instrument, be it a Cello, a Lute, or even a Sitar. Tuned percussion

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PRODUCT REVIEW / AUDIO

ZOOM

PodTrak Series DYNAMIC MUSIC | ENQUIRE FOR PRICING

Podcasting has come a long way in recent years and nowhere is this more evident than in the plethora of high quality podcast specific microphones and mixer/interface/ recorders hitting the market of late.

Gone are the days when podcasters had to make do with equipment primarily designed for music: the modern podcasting production suite is well and truly its own thing, having more in common with small-scale broadcast than it ever did the art of music making, and the medium is all the better for it.

Long heralded as the number one choice for field recording, video work and the like, Zoom was well ahead of the curve with this gradual shift towards podcast specific hardware.

The release of their extremely powerful crossover music/ content suite, the LiveTrak L8, was a testament to this, showing off the brand’s capabilities in the podcasting space and becoming a favourite among podcasters the world over, but this was only a sign of what was to come.

For many, the new PodTrak P4 and P8 are the realisation of what Zoom had hinted at with the LiveTrak L8’s podcasting abilities – a versatile, flexible multimedia device designed specifically with podcasting in mind.

All the features we’ve become accustomed to are here with these portable devices, showcasing low noise, high gain inputs and multitrack recording as well as a host of other key features that 56

are sure to pique the interest of anybody dipping in a toe into the rapidly growing medium.

control which either accentuates or dulls the highs and lows in opposition from each other.

Both the P4 and P8 feature 70dB worth of gain on each mic input, and all channels have access to phantom power. This means you can use basically any mic you’d like, including demanding low output mics such as the SM7B, with ease.

Along with these features, the P8 also has eight faders for mixing your podcast in real time.

This is also possible on the P4 by adjusting the trim knobs live, but its compact design accommodates for more of a set and forget mindset.

The P4 has four mic inputs and the P8 has eight, and there’s headphone jacks with dedicated level controls for every mic input, ensuring that everyone’s mix matches the impedance level of their headphones.

Speaking of live mixing, muting and unmuting panellists is easy with devoted buttons for each channel. The P8 additionally has ON AIR buttons which when deactivated mean that the audio is not recorded or outputted to your stream but still comes through in the headphone mixes.

Unique to this device is USB and TRRS connections, allowing you to connect an external call via your phone or computer for remote participation in your podcast.

There is support on both recorders to use Zoom’s BTA-2, to connect your phone via Bluetooth.

It’s worth noting that recording through these two connections on the P4 will take up a channel in place of the mic inputs, whereas the P8 has dedicated channels for these. On all external phone calls, there’s also a mix-minus option to prevent feedback impacting your guests and your recording.

Controlling inputs on the P4 is done via the trim controls for each channel and low-cut and limiter switches are within the menu.

The P8 has added functionality with the trim controls accessed via the touchscreen along with the low-cut filter, a combination compressor/de-esser and tone

This is useful for getting mic levels right without your audience hearing ‘one, two, one, two’ repetitively and not outputting unrelated chatter during prerecorded content.

Both units feature multitrack recording which is a huge win at this price point and the P8 allows you to edit on the device via the touchscreen.

Features such as fades, trim, normalisation of volume and the ability to add background music will surely be enough for anyone using this device as intended as a podcasting hub. All your recordings will be saved to an SD card and both units support up to 512GB card size and can be accessed directly from the USB port.

Using the customisable pads on both units, you can channel your

inner shock jock. Pre-load via USB and trigger sound effects, background music or even a previously recorded interview straight from the device and adjust the volume of all the sounds at once with the provided knob.

In line with Zoom’s all terrain approach to audio, all of these fantastic elements can be enjoyed without a wall outlet or wired power supply. Both units can be used with AA batteries or external USB power packs, and if you’re recording for long periods of time, these PodTraks will switch from USB power to battery power without skipping a beat – neat.

But hold on Dr. Podcast: maybe you’d like to use this device to record things directly to your DAW, seeing as your computer is right there in front of you?

Well my friend, the good news is you can do that also. The P4 also acts as a 2I/2O interface while the P8 boasts a sizable 13in/2out which will be more than enough for most users. iOS class compliance comes standard and means a seamless plug and play experience for all Apple devices.

All in all, both of these PodTrak units from Zoom are incredibly powerful and affordable options for podcasters in all levels of professionalism. The P4 is better suited for small scale operations where portability is key while the P8 shines with its level of flexibility and onboard editing capabilities.

BY SAM MCNIECE

mixdownmag.com.au

PAGE HEADER

MY RIG:

Kurt Vile “I definitely have a limit to what I’ll pay, but I don’t even want to say what that is,” indie icon and multi-instrumentalist Kurt Vile jovially explains.

“It comes in waves, right, getting gear,” he says.

“Sometimes I’m on a roll but these days I’m like, ‘well, I’ll probably enjoy what I have,’ and then getting caught up in even learning how to play all the things I do have.”

Vile is just starting his day doing press for his upcoming studio album (watch my moves) in his Philadelphia home which now includes a studio – dubbed ‘OKV Central’ – thanks in large part to the pandemic.

“I was trying to figure out a way to take a year off or so anyway and just work on music,” he says. “I thought, ‘I’ve got this record I really want to make from home,’ then the pandemic hit and I’d been working toward building a home studio anyway, that just proved that, you know, I’m psychic,” he laughs.

While discussing the new album and the home studio, Mixdown thought we’d chat rig setups for Kurt Vile and home recording enthusiasts alike!

GUITARS

don’t record with big, loud amps in a studio, people record with smaller amps,’ but all that stuff’s actually kind of bullshit because it sounded incredible through the Hiwatt.

I use it a lot on the record!”

Gretsch G6120 “I stumbled into it and played it through my bandmate Jesse’s (Trbovich) compressor pedal a lot. It’s almost like the deadline I’m like, ‘I know I like this guitar, I’m not that experienced with it,’ but then you just have to be forced to play with it because you’ve got to get the record done. Next thing you know, my tone’s really sounding like Neil Young’s On the Beach, which I found out he used a White Falcon for. You can kind of hear that in my Gretsch like, ‘oh I see what’s going on here, stealing a page from Neil’s book again!’”

Roland Jazz Chorus “For the Moog Matriarch and Roland Jupiter-X I used, I really got into the Roland Jazz Chorus for playing those synths through. They just sound incredible, I often just slow the speed of the chorus all the way down, and put the intensity all the way up and, man, it’s hard to turn those synths off after that.”

AMPS

VOCALS

‘70s Hiwatt Combo Amp

AEA KU4 Ribbon Mic

“I bought it years ago but that’s kind of the beauty of recording at home, you accumulate all this gear and you rarely use it but now I have an excuse to. All those things hang over my head like people telling me, ‘people

Gretsch G6120

“I’ve got a couple of ribbon microphones from AEA and I was singing through a KU4 on ‘Like Exploding Stones’ and ‘Stuffed Leopard’ – it’s got a mellower tone. I didn’t really know what a compressor did per se until I built my studio,

AEA KU4 Ribbon Mic

but I was singing a lot through one of those Purple Audio 1176 copies. But any way to warm up the signal into the digital realm with old tubes or new tubes is always key.”

PEDALS MXR Carbon Copy “I tend to like just the sound of the amp more than anything, I like a simple analog delay, but my favourite one is the MXR Carbon Copy, I’ve had the black one forever but my bandmate Jesse just hit me toward the bright version which is green. I thought I needed another delay pedal but now I just have two Carbon Copy pedals, the bright one makes all the difference but then having them both there, it’s like, ‘I’ll never need another delay pedal again.’ At least I feel that way now, it just sounds so cool and natural, but warm. It’s changed my life for sure!”

BY ELI DUXSON

Roland Jazz Chorus

‘70s Hiwatt Combo Amp MXR Carbon Copy

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mixdownmag.com.au

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