Mixdown Magazine October 2015 Issue #258 by Furst Media

M A D E B Y M U S I C I A N S F O R M U S I C I A N S

OCTOBER 2015 #258

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CONTENTS GIVEAWAY

NEWS & TOURS

THE INDUSTRIALIST

PRODUCT NEWS

NORTHLANE

DEAFHEAVEN

FORE WORD

THY ART IS MURDER CITY AND COLOUR

QUEENSRYCHE ANTI FLAG

GOLD CLASS PAGE 26

AINE TYRRELL PAGE 28

DAVE LOMBARDO THE CHARGE

GOLD CLASS AINE TYRELL

CALIGULA’S HORSE MELBOURNE GUITAR MAKERS

FESTIVAL, BOSE UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD

ON THE DOWNLOW BANGIN THE TUBS

WHAT’S THAT SOUND? [D]IGITAL [J]OCKEY

HOME STUDIO HINTS THE AMP DOCTOR

TAYLOR TONE WOODS FEATURE

ROAD TESTS

SHOW & TELL

DIRECTORY

GET SOCIAL:

CITY AND COLOUR PAGE 24 FOR BREAKING NEWS, NEW CONTENT AND MORE GIVEAWAYS VISIT

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FACEBOOK.COM/MIXDOWNMAGAZINE

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As a musician, your idea of what wood changes as you grow older. When I was a child, I only understood as something that houses and trees were made out of. As I entered my teenage years it took on an entirely different meaning altogether, and now as an adult with a keen interest in guitars, I’m starting to learn new things about the power of wood every day. In this issue of Mixdown, Taylor Guitars takes us through some of the tonal differences you’ll find in different wood varieties. We’ll also speak with one of the organizers of the Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival about the art of luthiery, and some of the awesome instruments being built by local makers. On top of that, we’re pretty pleased to be featuring one of the coolest competitions we’ve had in some time! There’s a proverbial shit-tonne of awesome content in this issue, including products reviews for Takamine, Sennheiser, Gibson and Electro-Voice just to name a few. Also, we unveil our brand new Show and Tell section of the magazine, where we chat with local artists about their favourite bits of gear. On top of that there’s a heap of interviews with legendary artists, and the debut of our brand new directory which lists quality music stores and services for your reference. KEATS MULLIGAN EDITOR

@MIXDOWNMAGAZINE

MADE BY MUSICIANS, FOR MUSICIANS NOVEMBER ISSUE #259 DEADLINE AND STREET DATES: STREET AND ONLINE DATE: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 4 AD BOOKING DEADLINE: MONDAY OCTOBER 26 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: TUESDAY OCTOBER 27 ARTWORK DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28 For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact us at: (03) 9428 3600 or email mixdown@beat.com.au

PUBLISHER Furst Media EDITOR Keats Mulligan mixdown@beat.com.au EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Michael Edney

Robertson, Chris Scott and Kate Eardley MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr

CONTRIBUTORS Augustus Welby, Rob Gee, Peter Hodgson, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, Adam Norris, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Michael Cusack.

ART DIRECTOR Michael Cusack

COVER ART Michael Cusack

GRAPHIC DESIGN Andrew Rozen

ADVERTISING Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au Phone: (03) 9428 3600

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Nik Corbet, Elijah Hawkins, Phoebe

PG.4 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

MIXDOWN OFFICE Level 1, No. 3 Newton Street, Richmond VIC 3121. Phone: (03) 9428 3600

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GIVEAWAYS TAKAMINE PRO SERIES P1M ACOUSTIC GUITAR

COMPETITION

In this issue of Mixdown we have a competition unlike any that we’ve ever had before. This month we’re giving our readers an opportunity to get their hands on this awesome Takamine Pro Series P1M acoustic guitar courtesy of our friends at Pro Music Australia. This guitar is versatile, and can be used by the player who performs unaccompanied as often as they are in an ensemble setting. It features Takamine’s split saddle design, allowing for better intonation of the whole guitar, and is solidly built with a Mahogany neck and Rosewood fretboard. Sound wise, it is rich and full, and retains its clarity at the high end. This is an awesome guitar, and it could be all yours! All you need to do is head into your local Takamine dealer to try one out, take a photo and then tell us all about it. For more information head to www.mixdownmag.com.au and follow the instructions. For full terms and conditions visit www.mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions.

For full terms and conditions visit www.mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions.

*This giveaway is for Australian residents only and one entry per person. For more awesome monthly Mixdown Giveaways, be sure to LIKE our Mixdown Magazine facebook page at www.facebook.com/mixdownmagazine and regularly check our Giveaways page on www.mixdownmag.com.au/giveaways for your chance to win.

Last Month’s Giveaway Winner MUSICAL FIDELITY MF 100 HEADPHONES A huge thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway last month. We had a whole heap of entries from all over the country, but we could only have one winner, and that lucky person is Daniel West of Devonport, Tasmania. You’re taking home the Musical Fidelity MF100 headphones, courtesy of our friends at Audio Marketing. The MF100’s are comfortable as all hell, with the option to use either the leather or alcantara material for the ear pads. The on-ear headphones produce solid and reliable sound, and are excellent in the highs and mids whilst holding their own in the lows against other models in their price range. Congratulations Daniel, I hope you have a ripper time with them, and again thanks to everyone who entered.

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NEWS & TOURS Dead Letter Circus

Iron Maiden

Loon Lake

The Bon Scotts

Dead Letter Circus’ good run of late has continued, recently being announced on the bill for Soundwave 2016. The announcement follows the release of the band’s third album Aesthesis, which was triple j’s feature album this week. The band joins Bullet for My Valentine, Failure, Bring Me The Horizon, Northlane, Lordi, Refused and Devil You Know for Soundwave 2016. If you can’t wait until Soundwave to watch the Brisbane rockers do their thing, you can catch them on tour in October in support of Aesthesis. They’ll be joined by fellow rockers 10 Years and Guards of May for shows that truly promise to excite.

Rock legends Iron Maiden will return to Australian shores early next year. The tour announcement follows the release of their double studio album, The Book of Souls, which just debuted at #2 in Australia. Known for their gigantic stage structures, and their Australian dates are set to wow audiences with the same enormous and ostentatious settings. On top of that, tour will see vocalist Bruce Dickinson, a certified place junkie, pilot over a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet Ed Force One throughout the entire tour, which is needed to carry the entire band, crew, stage production and equipment. This world tour is taking the band to 35 countries, including the band’s first appearances in El Salvador and China. Tickets to the Australian dates have just gone on sale for these shows. Head to www.daintygroup. com for more information.

After six years of carving out a name for themselves within Melbourne’s music scene, Loon Lake are calling it a day with a final run of shows and a new album to send it all off. With the second single for these latest recordings Just Now still doing the rounds on Triple J the break up comes as a surprise. The band have ensured all of its fans that it’s ending on good terms and the band are more than anything, looking forward to going out on a bang. In their six year career, the band has received a number of impressive accolades, including landing the #29 spot on the Triple J Hottest 100 with hit single ‘Cherry Lips’, while their debut album Gloamer landed them on Big Day Out, Falls, and Pyramid Rock lineups.

‘Good Times’ is the new song from folk revivalists The Bon Scotts, and it sounds like a perfect summer sing along. Though, in truth, the track has a rather dark aspect to it. It was written about a murdered childhood friend, and emphasises the need to not take anything for granted. ‘Good Times’ is the first single from The Bon Scotts new album, expected some time in early 2016, and is released in conjunction with the announcement of a new tour. The tour will see them play 15 shows all around the country throughout October and November, where sing-a-longs will be guaranteed.

TOUR DATES OCT 1 – PRINCE OF WALES HOTEL, BUNBURY WA OCT 2 – METROPOLIS FREMANTLE, PERTH WA OCT 3 – LEISURE INN, ROCKINGHAM WA OCT 4 – THE GOV, ROCKINGHAM WA OCT 7 – KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT VIC OCT 8 – BLACK SWAN HOTEL, BENDIGO VIC OCT 9 – BARWON CLUB, GEELONG VIC OCT 10 – THE FORUM, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 11 – BRISBANE HOTEL, HOBART TAS OCT 14 – HOME TAVERN, WAGGA WAGGA NSW OCT 15 – UCU, CANBERRA ACT OCT 16 – WAVES, WOLLONGONG NSW OCT 17 – ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY NSW OCT 18 – THE CAMBRIDGE, NEWCASTLE NSW OCT 23 – COOLANGATTA HOTEL, GOLD COAST QLD OCT 24 – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD

TOUR DATES

MAY 4 - BRISBANE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BRISBANE QLD MAY 6 - SYDNEY ALLPHONES ARENA, SYDNEY NSW MAY 9 - ROD LAVER ARENA, MELBOURNE VIC MAY 12 - ADELAIDE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, ADELAIDE SA MAY 14 - PERTH ARENA, PERTH WA

OCT 9 - JACK RABBIT SLIMS, PERTH WA OCT 10 - UNIBAR, ADELAIDE SA OCT 30 - THE CAMBRIDGE, NEWCASTLE NSW OCT 31 - NEWTOWN SOCIAL, SYDNEY NSW NOV 6 - THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE QLD NOV 7 - SOL BAR, SUNSHINE COAST QLD NOV 8 - THE CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC

TOUR DATES OCT 8 – BROOKLYN STANDARD, BRISBANE QLD OCT 9 – THE SPOTTED COW, TOOWOOMBA QLD OCT 10 – EAT ST. MARKETS, BRISBANE QLD OCT 10– LEFTY’S, PADDINGTON QLD OCT 11 – THE POWERHOUSE, NEW FARM QLD OCT 12 – THE RAILS, BYRON BAY NSW OCT 14 – FRANKIE’S PIZZA, SYDNEY NSW OCT 15 – 505, SURRY HILLS NSW OCT 16 – THE STAG, MAITLAND NSW OCT 17 – THE FRONT, CANBERRA ACT OCT 24 – THE TOFF IN TOWN, MELBOURNE VIC NOV 7 – SOOKI LOUNGE, BELGRAVE VIC NOV 8 – BEAV’S BAR, GEELONG VIC NOV 27 – THE HOMESTEAD, HOBART TAS NOV 28 – THE ROYAL OAK, LAUNCESTON TAS

The Creases

The Murlocs

Tiny Little Houses

World’s End Press

Brisbane four-piece The Creases will be playing a five-date run of headline shows in celebration of their latest single ‘Point’. The track has been met with overwhelming positivity, harking back to 1980’s Brit pop with an inventive flair fixed clearly in the present. The band’s debut EP Gradient has seen them warrant critical reception as true up-and-comers, playing shows with the likes of Jake Bugg, Drenge, The Strypes and DMAs, as well as festival slots at Laneway and Splendour in the Grass. The Creases will be joined by an abundance of local talent: in Sydney Flowertruck and Hunch, in Melbourne Hollow Everdaze and Hideous Towns, while in Brisbane they will have the support of The Good Sports and Donny Love. Adelaide and Perth supports are yet to be announced.

Melbourne via Geelong lads, The Murlocs, just spat out their latest single ‘Rolling On’ from their forthcoming LP out next year. Never one to let such a special occasion go to waste, the psych outfit will head out to play a run of celebratory headline shows. Adelaide, Fremantle, Hobart, Ballarat, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Geelong will be blessed with their presence during the two-month tour, and joining The Murlocs in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Geelong will be Geelong psych rockers ORB. This comes after supporting the likes of Ty Segall, touring with Mac Demarco and generally killing it in the local scene.

With their You Tore Out My Heart EP being released, Tiny Little Houses are preparing to take their new tracks on the road in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. New single ‘Soon We Won’t Exist’ is the teaser that makes this announcement so exciting – a deeply emotional, heart on your sleeve track that perfectly reflects the EP’s creative fabric. Previous single ‘Easy’ premiered earlier this year and has received high rotation on Triple J and extensive acclaim across community radio. The band is heading out for headline shows in Melbourne, Ballarat and Sydney, fresh from appearing at BIGSOUND and in the lead up to their performance at Paradise Music Festival. A big couple of months ahead for one of Melbourne’s brightest indie-pop bands.

World’s End Press have just released their Tall Stories EP and announced a national tour that will see the electronic group play in major cities around the country. This new five-track EP is the end product of months locked away in the studio. It features couples dance floor jams and club bangers with sophisticated compositions, while touching on themes such as self-deceit and unconditional love. In other exciting news, World’s End Press have signed with UNDR ctrl, joining a long list of exciting acts that includes Roland Tings, Total Giovanni and Bag Raiders. Their EP tour will see them play shows in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide.

TOUR DATES TOUR DATES OCT 15 - OAF GALLERY BAR, SYDNEY NSW OCT 16 - THE WORKERS CLUB, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 17 - THE FOUNDRY, BRISBANE QLD OCT 23 - CATS @ ROCKET BAR, ADELAIDE SA OCT 14 - JACKK RABBIT SLIMS, PERTH WA

OCT 22 - JIVE BAR, ADELAIDE SA OCT 23 - MOJOS, FREMANTLE WA OCT 30 - THE BRISBANE HOTEL, HOBART TAS OCT 31 - KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT VIC NOV 5 - THE BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE QLD NOV 6 - OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW NOV 7 - HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC NOV 14 - BARWON CLUB, GEELONG, VIC

PG.8 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

TOUR DATES TOUR DATES OCT 16 - SHEBEEN, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 17 – KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT VIC OCT 31 – BRIGHTON UP BAR, SYDNEY NSW NOV 27 – PARADISE MUSIC FESTIVAL, VIC

OCT 3 - JACK RABBIT SLIMS, PERTH WA OCT 9 - CIVIC UNDERGROUND, SYDNEY NSW OCT 10 - WOOLLY MAMMOTH, BRISBANE QLD OCT 17 - HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 24 - YOUNG MUSCLE AT ROCKET BAR, ADELAIDE SA

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INDUSTRIALIST DISTURBING REPORT ON SUICIDE IN AUSSIE BIZ

Being a part of the Australian music business certainly has its merits. It provides music enthusiasts with dream jobs that allow them to both acquire and perfect creative, entrepreneurial and social skills. Unfortunately the stress, long hours, often low and inconsistent pay (with 35.5% earning less than 20,000 p/y) and little social contact due to awkward hours are all factors that illustrate the undeniable downside of working within the industry. Sadly, Australian musicians and industry workers were 5-7 times more likely than the general population to consider suicide in the past year, with road crew members a further nine times more likely. Further, suicide attempts were double in comparison to mainstream society. Similarly, rates of alcohol intake, drug use, anxiety, insomnia and depression were also higher- an incredibly high 44% suffer with a sleeping disorder. Because of the nature of the business, it can also be a lonely and isolating existence. 63% claim they have difficulty maintaining a social life, and 45% struggle to keep in contact with friends within the industry. In mainstream society, 78% of those questioned had used alcohol in the past year. However, this figure rises to 83.3% when we look at those in the music industry specifically. Of this 83.3%, 32% were in a high-risk category in regards to their alcohol intake. In addition, 40% of those in the industry smoke marijuana, which is four times higher than the national average. Further, 25.5% took cocaine (12 times higher), 18.9% were partial to ecstasy (seven times greater), 17.5% for methamphetamine (eight times higher), 17.6% for tranquillisers and 24.1% use painkillers for nonmedical reasons. These figures, covering 2904 performers and workers, were revealed by Entertainment Assist and researched by Victoria University. The full report is at www. entertainmentassist.org.au.

ARIAS NAME DATE, VENUE

This year’s ARIA awards will be held on Thursday, November 26 at the Star in Sydney, and will be broadcasted on the Ten Network. Telstra is but one of the major brands that will be returning to sponsor the events, along with David Jones, Qantas and the NSW State Government via Destination NSW. Last year’s award ceremony, through the Telstra tie-in, delivered 4 million impressions from 400,000 tweets (an increase of 600% from 2013). The number of audience members also grew rapidly, with a 149% increase from 2013. Nine Australian albums have hit #1 on the ARIA charts since last September, with Aussie artists spending a combined total of fourteen weeks at the top of the ARIA Album charts. Moreover, four local singles topped the charts, spending a total of seven weeks at the prestigious #1 position. Our much loved Vance Joy enjoys the honour of having

his single, ‘Riptide’, spend the highest amount of weeks (115) in the Top 100 in the history of the ARIA Charts.

VICTORIAN GOVT SENDS SEVEN TO CMJ

Five acts and two executives head to College Music Journal’s Music Marathon (CMJ) in New York this month with assistance from the Victorian State Government. By dipping into $50,000 of its new Music Works- Quick Response grants, a bunch of Aussie acts will be able to bask in some International limelight. These lucky acts are Fraser A Gorman, Pierce Brothers, Good Morning, Sui Zhen and Slum Sociable. They’ll be accompanied by artist managers Melanie Lewis (Ngaiire) and Catherine Haridy (Tigertown).

INDIE SECTOR PREPARES FOR MUSIC AWARDS

Australia’s independent sector will head to Melbourne on October 22 for 2015’s Carton Dry Independent Music Awards. Hermitude leads the highest number of nominations with four in total, closely followed by #1 Dads, Courtney Barnett and Vance Joy who are all up for three awards. The line-up for the events includes performances from Airling, Bad//Dreems, Dead Letter Circus, Frank Yamma and Harts. The ceremony will take place at Meat Market in North Melbourne.

THE SEED’S FIRST POZIBLE CAMPAIGN

Since The Seed scheme began, created by John Butler and Danielle Caruana 11 years ago, it has assisted 400 emerging acts gain publicity such as Boy and Bear, Emma Louise, The Veronicas and Holy Holy. Initially, the scheme was sustainable through donations from the music industry. Now, it’s calling out to the wider public in the form of a pozible campaign (www.pozible. com/project/198834). The campaign has seen a bunch of bands donating prizes, such as Tame Impala, John Butler, Little May, Marlon Williams, Harry James Angus and Clare Bowditch. These include exclusive house concerts, video messages, the Seedy Mixed Tape, a tonne of merch and concert tickets. Additionally, a fundraiser show will be held at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre on Monday, October 12, but it has unfortunately sold out.

NOISE TEST FOR NAMBOUR

Nambour, on the Sunshine Coast, will enjoy a 12-month pilot aimed at relaxing noise control. At the moment, bands playing within its 40 venues have to tone it down to a mere 75 decibels which is a dramatic decrease from the average 115 dbs. A plan created both by the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance and the Live Music Office will see the noise maximum relaxed. The concept is to vibe up the live music scene in order to, hopefully, launch Nambour as an entertainment precinct. It is also desired that the success of this Nambour trial will resonate throughout the rest of Queensland, with the 75 decibel rule being dropped State-wide.

PG.10 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

F OR CON TE NT SUB MI SSI ONS TO T H I S COL UMN PLE ASE E MAI L T O CELIZER@ NET SPA CE. NET. A U

AUSSIE BIZ GETS BEHIND CASSETTE STORE DAY

A dozen record stores have gotten behind Cassette Store Day, held on October 17. These include Abicus Selections, Beatdisc, The Beatbox, Brunswick Bound, Clarity Records, Greville Records, Land Speed Records, Music Farmers, Polyester Records, Red Eye Records, Repressed Records and Thornbury Records. On the day, a bunch of albums will be available in cassette form. These include records by Courtney Barnett, Bloods, Summer Flake, Oceam Party, Step-Panther, Dollar Bay, Red Riders, The Finks, Francis O’Gorman, Ouch My Face, Raindrop, Mortification, Barrowman, Betty & Oswald, Tutu & The Bodyrockets and Hills Hoist / Piqué. Further, Sydney’s Rice In Nice Records will be throwing a free show at Waywards on Friday, October 16 with Zeahorse, White Dog and Us The Band, These three artists will feature on the store’s Mixtape Vol. 3 alongside Tired Lion, Lowtide, The Living Eyes, Pearls and Love of Diagrams.

ELEFANT TRAKS INTRODUCES LICENSING ARM

Sydney based hip-hop label Elefant Traks launched a new, online licensing platform. It offers music to ‘’independent and amateur production’’ film makers and sync users and are ‘’competitively priced’’ to ensure that the songwriters and musicians are compensated properly. The platform launched with 200 acts by musicians on the label. They include Hermitude, The Herd, Horrorshow, Urthboy, Jimblah, L-FRESH The LION, Astonomy Class, Jane Tyrrell and The Last Kinection.

MORE ACTS FOR AGE MUSIC VIC AWARDS

Courtney Barnett, Marlon Williams, Harts, Briggs and The EG Allstars will perform at the 10th The Age Music Victoria Awards at 170 Russell St on November 11. Excitingly, Ajak Kwai, Ben Salter, Blake Scott (The Peep Tempel), Briggs, Ecca Vandal, Emma Donovan, Iseula Hingano (Blue Eyes Cry) and Olympia will perform a song with The EG Allstars.

SCREEN MUSIC AWARDS BACK TO MELBOURNE This year’s Screen Music Awards will be held in Melbourne for the first time since 2012. They’ll be held on Thursday, November 12 at the Melbourne Recital Centre. The ceremony is organised by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Guild of Screen Composers in order to celebrate music that appears on film and television.

NOW CANBERRA PUSHES FOR LOCKOUTS

We all heard about the rallies against lock-outs in Sydney and Queensland last month. Now, health groups within the ACT are pushing for 1am lockouts with 3am closing times. If this was to occur, it would affect 48 venues which operate after 3am, some until 5am. Concerns arise from fears of venue closures and staff lay-offs as a result of this decision. The move comes after an ACT specific study,

conducted in July, which found that cases of public drunkenness has risen by 36% in the past three years, with an additional 24% rise in alcohol related injuries. Meanwhile, the Queensland Government refused to bow to the wishes of citizens partaking in three rallies on the Gold Coast, Airlie Beach and Fortitude Valley, insisting that its upcoming lockout laws are ‘’a good thing’’. Opponents of the law will target MPs in marginal seats with a large number of young voters.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT TASKFORCE MEETS AGAIN

Victoria’s sexual harassment taskforce will meet for the second time this month. It was originally set up by the State Government to combat the harassment of both women and members of the LGBT community in music venues, nightclubs and festivals. The taskforce of LISTEN and SLAM consists of members of the police force, Creative Industries, Equality Rights Commission, Push and Music Victoria. In the first meeting that took place last month, LISTEN AND SLAM took the lead in setting up guidelines. It’s a big project, so the taskforce will work to alleviate the problem in stages. First, they will attempt to educate venues staffers on how to respond if a complaint is made. Many women are seen being groped in any given night out, and few bother to complain to venues through fear that they won’t be taken seriously. However, venue owners are heavily supporting the taskforce and are even starting to train their security and bar staff on how to keep an eye out for pests in order to ensure the safety of their patrons.

MAN FACING PERTH COURT OVER FAKE RONSON GIG

A man will appear at Perth Magistrates Court October 1 charged with a fake Mark Ronson gig in Perth. The fraud squad alleges that the 34-year old approached the Matisse Beach Club in Perth and, claiming to be a representative of the superstar DJ, he could arrange for him to headline the July 24 Winter Funk Fest, and received an advance. But Ronson was on that night on the other side of the country, headlining the Splendour In Grass festival in Byron Bay. Patrons, some who’d paid over $1000 for a VIP package, were told after the show that Ronson could not attend because of “logistical” reasons.

DECISION FOR INXS MUSICAL

INXS and their ‘’creative consultant’’ Chris Murphy will, this month, make a decision as to how they’ll be going forward with their Broadway musical, scheduled to open in 2017. Murphy has asked two teams of theatrical writers to come up with a storyline incorporating the band’s many hit songs. They’ll soon be deciding which script to go with before approaching the financiers. Currently, they have not decided whether to hold the musical’s premiere in New York, London or Sydney.

THINGS WE HEAR • Which Melbourne club is set to launch a sister venue on the Gold Coast? • In the wake of the semi-finalists of The Voice, is Universal Music planning to sign up Joe Moore, Nathan Hawes and Liam Maihi? • AC/DC fans raised the required £45,000 for a Bon Scott statue in Kirriemuir, Scotland, where he was born. The town already has a road called Bon Scott Place, a memorial plaque, an AC/DC section in the local museum and the annual Bonfest. • Sydney management and touring company Astral People and the Inertia Group’s tour company Handsome Tours have merged their touring operations. • A survey by consumer advocacy group Choice found that the arrival of video on demand services such as Netflix, Stan and Presto cut down piracy by “regulars” by 25%. The amount of Australians who refuse to stream or download movies and TV shows illegally is now 70%, compared to 67% in 2014. • A concert, as part of Darebin Music Feast, is I Feel Like Going Back on Friday Oct 23 at Northcote Town Hall. Eight songwriters from the area will work with Darebin libraries to write eight new songs inspired by historical images from the Darebin Heritage Archive, and will perform them at the show. Mick Thomas (WPA) has written two. Charles Jenkins, who’s long written about Melbourne says, “I was always very jealous of the fact you could sing your way across America, from Georgia to Galvaston. To have the focus on the neck of woods where I live, that’s very enticing.” • There’s been so much international acclaim and interest in Sydney’s X Studio streaming, recording, broadcasting and music venue complex that it’s setting up overseas. It’s first expanding to Bali in a 4000-capacity space, then next year Singapore and London. • Tasmania’s peak music association Music Tasmania missed out on the State Government’s $2.2 million of Organisations Investment Program 2016 grants. Twenty two arts organisations were not the one representing contemporary music. • An Adelaide judge, sentencing a dope dealer working out of nightclubs, suggested nightclubs be told to put posters warning of jail terms for dealing, as a better deterrent. • Rogue Traders, again fronted by Natalie Bassingthwaighte, did their first show in seven years at a corporate gig at Jupiters in the Gold Coast. A source told us more shows are planned but new recordings are not in the cards as yet. • Last month, Custard announced their return to live duty, as did Bo-Weevils. A member of the Skyhooks denied reports that they’re playing in Wollongong this month. • Melbourne reggae artist Larry Maluma got a Lifetime Achievement Award from Zambian televison show Born N Bred, on ZNBC. Maluma received a royal reception when he returned to Zambia. This included his song ‘Punzisani Aana’ being used in a documentary about children suffering from blindness. • Ne Obliviscaris are planning to return to Europe between October 16 to November 26 in support of Cradle of Filth in 17 countries. • Metal fans strike back! When EDM festival Stereosonic lands in Adelaide on Dec 5, a hard rock festival F@#K Stereo’s // Let’s ROCK is being held at Fowler’s Live to counteract.

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SHAPE YOUR SOUND Bose F1 Model 812 Flexible Array Loudspeaker ®

1 speaker. 4 coverage patterns.

STRAIGHT

REVERSE J

Introducing the first portable loudspeaker that lets you easily control the vertical coverage – so wherever you play, more music reaches more people directly. The Bose F1 Model 812 Flexible Array Loudspeaker’s revolutionary flexible array lets you manually select from four coverage patterns, allowing you to adapt your PA to the room. Plus, the loudspeaker and subwoofer provide a combined 2,000 watts of power, giving you the output and impact for almost any application. Your audience won’t believe their ears.

F1.Bose.com.au | 1800 659 433

PRODUCT NEWS

Guitar Laboratory WOWEE-WAH Effects Pedals Amber Technology | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au

WOWEE-WAH effects are available in three versions; WW-1 is a regular version, MWW-1 is a version with MIDI interface and there is also WOWEE which is dedicated to bass players. MWW-1/WW-1 is a classic wah-wah effect enabling the setting of the tones and with new comfortable switching mode. Four switches of the tone parameters will let you match the tone to your needs. The MWW-1/WW-1 sounds excellent with clean, crunch and with high overdrive tones as well. On the gain tones MWW-1/WW-1 won’t cause “choking” of the tone because of the possibility to reduce the “quality factor of the resonance circuit” and the deepness of the wah-wah functionality. The Volume switch enables to adjust the level of output signal when the wah-wah is active.

Yamaha THR Head Yamaha Music Australia | (03) 9693 5111 | au.yamaha.com

The Yamaha THR-Head sets a new standard in tone customisation and creation. it combines the natural, organic response and drive characteristics of Yamaha’s Virtual Circuitry Modelling with an all-new power amp section, which finally delivers real tube tone and dynamics from a digital power amp. The THR-Head makes it easy to create, tweak and use amazing pro tones. Preamps that respond like real tube amps, switchable amp topology and tube types, tube output stage performance, incredible reverbs, VCM-modelled selectable boost stages and user-loadable IR speaker simulators – all in a completely analogue amp interface – make this an amp like no other before. The all new THR speaker cabinets are custom designed to match perfectly with your choice of THR head. This amp could be the one you’ve been waiting for, and it arrives in Australia this October.

PG.12 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

BE THE STAR OF AN ERNIE BALL AD CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au

Have you ever dreamed of having your own Ernie Ball ad? Well now you can thanks to the #iplayslinky ad creator. Ernie Ball has official launched its own micro site that allows you to create your own ‘Famously Slinky’ Ernie Ball poster. Now you can be placed amongst your guitar heroes, and even promote yourself while you are at it. The poster ad creator is super easy to use. All you have to do is upload your picture, nominate what strings you use and when you started using them, make a few final tweaks and then sit back and let the ad creator do the rest. As an added bonus, everyone who uploads their Famously Slinky poster to the Ernie Ball Australia Facebook Page with the hashtag #iplayslinky will be in the running to win 3 sets of their favourite guitar strings, or 1 set of their favourite bass strings every week.

JHS Hand-Painted Guitar Pedals Gladesville Guitar Factory | (02) 9817 2173 | www.guitarfactory.net

JHS Pedals are shaking up the pedal market with a unique twist that will make your pedalboard one-of-a-kind. Started in early 2007, JHS is the result of Josh Scott’s desire to build quality hand made effects that stand out in an over-saturated market, and has now evolved into a world recognised boutique effects pedal company. Josh’s years of touring and session work bring the experience and knowledge of what working guitarists need and want in their rigs. With a complete electric guitar and bass guitar pedal range, JHS Pedals offers one of the broadest lines of effects on the market today. Within these lines of pedals, there are a few hidden gems that are a testament to JHS’ hand-made ethos. Hand-painted casings of a select few pedals provide just that little more uniqueness that all guitarists want in their set-up. In the age of machine made and mass assembled guitar effects, JHS values a commitment to designing, populating, and assembling their pedals with real people. If you want a high quality pedal that is original and innovative, then look no further.

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Check out the full range of the new Diamond guitars at www.diamondaus.com.au Proudly distributed by Dynamic Music Australia www.dynamicmusic.com.au

PRODUCT NEWS

Crash Symphony Audio Engineer Crash Symphony | www.crashsymphony.com.au

Mooer Woodverb Acoustic Guitar Reverb Pedal Jade Australia | 1800 144 120 | www.musocity.com.au

If you play acoustic guitar and are tired of the monotonous sound that comes out of it, you need to check out the Woodverb Acoustic Guitar Reverb Pedal from Mooer. WoodVerb is a digital reverb pedal specifically designed for acoustic guitar players. Its goal is to provide the users with the most direct experience of using the reverb effect. Do not get fooled by its Mini and mild look, WoodVerb provides three high quality and professional reverb modes as well as a wide variety of adjustment options. WoodVerb provides you with reverb — Splendid plate reverb which gives you an experience from the smallest room to the largest space; Mod — Adds modulation effect to the reverb and creates a psychedelic effect; Filter — Adds a sweeping filter sound to the reverb and makes it feel like a swirling wind. Your guitar will sound like an electric guitar; the special circuit design can keep the original acoustic sound intact, while achieving a fabulous reverb effect. WoodVerb is a must have for acoustic guitar players.

Audio Engineer is the world’s first app textbook for audio engineers, producers and home recording musicians. Created by producer James Englund of Crash Symphony Studios, Audio Engineer is designed for serious audio engineers who need to get the best results for their project, as well as to aid those who are looking to improve their technique. The app contains everything that you will need to help you mic up instruments like the masters. Containing highly detailed studio photos and techniques from real recording sessions, the reference section contains a number of different mic techniques for instruments including acoustic guitar, drums and percussion, piano, as well as a variety of amplifiers. The photos demonstrate different methods of recording the above instruments with brief descriptions of each technique. This is perfect for students who have just entered the field of audio engineering and even is useful to experienced engineers. It doesn’t stop there, Audio Engineer will also teach you how to work faster and more efficiently during your studio sessions with an array of calculators aimed at common studio tasks. Audio Engineer is available now from the Apple App Store.

Sennheiser Esfera Surround Sound Micropohone System Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au

Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent Collaboration CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au

Ernie Ball Music Man has collaborated with St. Vincent to produce this imaginative new signature guitar. Envisioned and designed by St. Vincent, with support from the award-winning engineering team at Ernie Ball Music Man, the unique electric guitar was crafted to perfectly fit her form, playing technique and personal style. Crafted in Ernie Ball Music Man's San Luis Obispo, California factory, the St. Vincent signature is available in black or custom Vincent Blue, a colour hand-mixed by Annie. Featuring an African mahogany body, Ernie Ball Music Man tremolo, gunstock oil and hand-rubbed rosewood neck and fingerboard, St. Vincent inlays, Schaller locking tuners, 5-way pick up selector with custom configuration and 3-mini humbuckers, the guitar also comes complete with Ernie Ball Regular Slinky guitar strings.

PG.14 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

The most brilliant aspect of a surround sound system is the atmosphere that it creates. After all, it is the purpose of its existence. Films, sporting broadcasts and live entertainment are all better captured when the playback comes with surround sound capability. Ordinarily this has required a microphone set-up capable of capturing all the necessary sounds, which in some instances is just not a possibility. Take for example a sports broadcast; sometimes there simply isn’t the infrastructure, or the recourses to capture 5.1 surround sound. Thankfully, with the new Sennheiser Esfera system that’s all likely to change. The Esfera system is a surround microphone system developed by Sennheiser that enables you to generate 5.1 surround sound using two ordinary audio cables and one SPM 8000 mic unit. The SPM 8000 consists of two RF condenser mics in XY array. It’s weatherproof, rugged and produces a great natural sound. Connect that to the SPB 8000, and the standard stereo signal provided by the two cables running out of the microphone is turned into a complete 5.1 surround experience. This system works perfectly for those looking to broadcast events, or equally for budding film makers who need a simple, mobile and reliable microphone solution, but still want to retain that big-budget atmosphere that’s otherwise lost.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

PRODUCT NEWS

Markbass Launch New Website CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au

Bass amp manufacturers Markbass have today launched their new website. The new site is a modern and sophisticated design, and is easy to navigate and flexible. Markbass are a company that many professional musicians work with, and players that use their gear include Dominique Di Piazza (John McLaughlin, Gil Evans), Tom Kennedy (Dizzy Gillespie, Dave Weckl) and Victor Bailey (Wayne Shorter, Mary J. Blige). Since it was founded in 2001 by Marco De Virgiliis, Markbass has been servicing musicians worldwide with their range of heads, cabinets, combos and bass guitar pedals. To visit the new website, head to www.markbass.it

Electronic-Voice EKX Portable Loudspeakers Bosch | 1300 026 724 | www.boschcommunications.com.au

Since 2013 Electro-Voice has released three multi-award winning portable loudspeaker families. The ZLX, and later the ETX, have set the standard for portable loudspeakers in their respective price brackets. This year, EKX has been released to fill a gap between the ETX and the entry-level ZLX. EKX loudspeakers come in passive and powered 12” and 15” two-way speakers, and 15” and 18” subwoofers. A 1500 W D-class amplifier with advanced DSP provides the power and control driving the loudspeaker components to a maximum SPL of 132-134 dB. 15 mm plywood, EV coat and heavy-duty grill, handles and pole mounts give EKX durability, while 8 M10 mounting points provide easy installation options. The powered subwoofers also offer cardioid mode, never seen before in speakers at this price. Overall, EKX is bound to make a big sonic impact with a smaller than expected impact on your wallet.

SUHR Guitars Announce Australian Distribution Pro Music Australia | www.promusicaustralia.com

JS Technologies has announced that effective immediately, The Better Music/ Pro Audio Supplies Group will distribute all JS Technologies Inc. products in Australia and New Zealand. Based in Lake Elsinore, California, JS Technologies was co-founded in 1997 by John Suhr and Steve Smith to produce the award winning Suhr Guitars and Custom Audio Amplifier brands. “With their focus on quality brands, customer service, and incountry inventory, Better Music/ Pro Audio Supplies Group is exactly the type of partner we want to serve our Australian and New Zealand dealers,” explains Steve Smith, CFO of JS Technologies JS Technologies. Ivan Stefanchuk, Managing Partner at The Better Music/Pro Audio Supplies says “The JS Technologies brands and team embody all the qualities we value in a partner.” Better Music/Pro Audio Supplies Group were established over 40 years ago to import/distribute and retail world leading musical instrument brands including: Mesa/Boogie, Carvin Amplifiers /Audio, Jose Ramirez Guitars and Tone King Amplifiers. Australian and New Zealand dealers can contact Steve Gray at Better Music for more information at steve@bettermusic.com.au

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Sennhesiser MKE2 Clipmic Digital Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au

In the midst of the i-revolution, Sennheiser has been hard at work, keeping up with the constantly evolving technological landscape. There’s an assortment of products out there that are purpose built to play nicely with your i-products, and Sennheiser’s Clipmic MKE2 is right up there with the best. The MKE2 system is a joint venture between Sennheiser and Apogee, and it’s a small clip on mic designed specifically for use with iPhone, iPdad and iPod touch that’s capable of capturing professional quality audio in the most difficult circumstances. With excellent rejection of ambient noise, natural frequency response and an extended dynamic range, this unit will help you capture what you want, and only what you want when you’re out in the field. This unit’s functionality when paired with your iOS device is what makes this such a strong product. Monitoring is simple and responsive through the Lightning adapter. This product could really lift the quality of your work, and would be ideal for podcasts, film makers, documentary makers, seminars, clinics and lectures.

DV Mark Multiamp CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au

DV Mark’s new Multiamp head combines professional quality guitar amplifier and speaker cabinet models with studio class effects and a very powerful yet lightweight 250 Watt power amplifier. This rack-mountable preamp/effects processor/power amp is the perfect all-in-one solution for contemporary guitarists. While being equipped with a 250w mono power stage for live work, the Multiamp Mono has a fully stereo preamp for recording and PA feeds. The rear panel offers DI and line outputs, as well as an external effects loop, MIDI sockets, and a USB-port. Patches can be loaded to and from the included SD memory card and shared with other users around the world. Designed with userfriendliness as a primary consideration, the Multiamp is fast to get up and running. Most importantly, the Multiamp reacts to changes in guitar level and player dynamics like any analogue amplifier/speaker combination – providing a variety of sought after amp and FX tones at the touch of a footswitch, whether connected to guitar speakers, PA or a studio console. Check out the DV Mark Multiamp in this issue’s Road Tests section!

MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015 // PG.15

PRODUCT NEWS

DBX 500 Series Modules Jands | (02) 9582 0909 | www.jands.com.au

Dbx has a long and venerated past with modular processors dating back to the classic 900 Series, which are still mainstays in many professional recording studios. The new 500 Series modules continue that tradition offering legendary dbx processing with modern design. HARMAN’s dbx is introducing its 500 Series processors: five compact yet powerful half-rack-space recording studio signal processors. The new 500 Series models include the 560A Compressor/Limiter, 530 Parametric EQ, 580 Mic Pre, 520 De-Esser and 510 Sub Harmonic Synth. Speaking on the 500 series, Marketing Manager Jason Kunz says “Our 500 Series processors bring renowned dbx signal processing to a smaller footprint than ever before while delivering the signature sound quality engineers, producers and musicians know they can rely on from dbx.” Also available for use with the 500 series is the dbx PowerRack, a 19” rack-mount power source designed to house up to eight 500-series modules in vertical configuration. These are all impressive units standing alone, and pieced together it’s one hell of a rig.

Takamine Guitars Pro Music Australia | www.promusicaustralia.com

For more than half a century, Takamine has proudly dedicated itself to the art of fine guitar craftsmanship. Built on the foundations of high quality standards, Takamine aim to craft guitars in an artful, thoughtful way - instruments that take your performance to new heights. Every element of a Takamine guitar contributes to the high quality tone – even the construction of the fretboard. Crafted by a laser-guided fret finishing system that levels and crowns each fret to within 0.0001” of dead-on, Takamine fretboards are made with precision, which makes all the difference when it comes to sound. Rather than make any radical departures, Takamine make many small changes that add up to a significant difference in volume, balance and richness. Takamine soundboards are braced and voiced by hand—by tapping each top, a skilled luthier knows just how to shape the braces for the best possible response. Takamine Guitars are now available in Australia. Make sure you check out our competition on Page 6 for you chance to win a Takamine P1M Acoustic Guitar, courtesy of Pro Music Australia.

Tycoon Free Tycoon Bongos Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au

Currently Tycoon are offering a free pair of bongos when you purchase either of the stunning new Supremo series “Dark Iris” or “Island Palm” series congas sets. The drums are made from beautiful aged siam oak and feature quality water buffalo heads, heavy duty double braced stands and are offered in 2015’s two unique finishes. Matching bongos are valued at $179 and are a great bonus. These guys are great value for live performance, studio work, educational use or just jamming with friends. Available from your local music retailer now.

Dixon PSNK902 Drum Throne Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au

The Dixon drum company have been working extremely hard of late, focusing on widening the appeal of their entire drum and percussion line. No longer are Dixon “just the guys that make that great cheap hardware”, they now are true players in the professional drum and percussion market. From the introduction of their competitive feature packed mid-priced drum sets, through to the exquisite beauty of the Artisan kits and the unique new Jet Set kits reviewed last issue, Dixon drums and hardware are on the move. One of the latest products to arrive in their top end range is the PSNK902 professional drum throne.

Dixon Jet Set Plus Introduces New Options Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au

Reviewed in last month’s Road Test, the response to Dixon’s Jet Set Plus has been great as interest continues to grow around this unique product, which is now also available in Red Sparkle and Blue Sparkle. Other new options also include the cool ‘rolling bag set’, allowing you to pack up the entire kits into a classy bag and roll it out the door in one load, you gotta love that.

PG.16 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

As you’d expect from Dixon, this is a feature packed product at a super competitive price. The first thing you notice is the super heavy gauge steel construction and the oversized rubber feet to minimise movement and stabilise the throne. The spin shaft centre post with dual locking mechanism ensures infinite height adjustability with absolute rock solid stability. You won’t find this throne rocking and wobbling around as you play. The contoured Cordura Vinyl throne top is featured in a cycle style seat and its super comfy without being too hard. A drum stool is often one of the last items on the purchase list, and we’re so often willing to spend a fortune on our drums, and nothing on our throne. I mean, if you’re not comfy when you’re playing, it compromises everything.

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WE SWITCH WHAT YOU PLAY

GSC 4 GUITAR SYSTEM CONTROLLER

GSC-4 is on board! The programmable footcontroller with one move allows to: Switch eﬀects connected to the GSC-4 loops, set channel and other amp functions thru the amps’ Footswitch input, send MIDI commands. Graphic LCD TFT display 4,3” with sharp, high quality image with bank and preset names, two sections 2x500mA with 9V DC outs for powering stompboxes, controlling simultaneously 10 midi devices with PC and CC commands, expression pedal input. It makes ma GSC-4 very helpful on the stage and in the studio as well.

1800 251 367

www.ambertech.com.au

OFFICIAL GLAB DISTRIBUTOR

PRODUCT NEWS

Mapex Wraith Black Panther Snare Drum Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au

Alesis DM10X Mesh Kit Price Drop

Designed by drummer Matt Halpern (Periphery) is this 14 x 6 brass snare drum which has been added to the Black Panther range. The drum is one of many in the range, but possesses certain subtleties that distinguish it from the rest. Any die hard fan of Periphery will instantly recognise the 3 sets of air vents which replicate the bands logo. Bone-dry, winter-sharp; the ghost notes whisper while the backbeat wails. This drum will haunt you from beyond the gig. For the right drummer this snare will make a world of difference, and will make a drum shed or practice room feel and sound like a sweaty old gig.

Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au

Alesis’ all-mesh electronic drumkit has just experienced a massive price drop, now $1999, down from $2499. That’s $500 off! The DM10X Mesh Kit is Alesis’ top of the line electronic drumkit. It’s a 6-piece, with dual-ply mesh heads, two crash cymbals, ride and hats. The rack is polished chrome, with heavy duty drum mounts and it comes standard with an isolated snare stand (reducing the chances of crosstalk between drum heads). Compared to the DM10 Studio Mesh, all the drums on the ‘X’ get upgraded in size: 12” snare and double floor toms, 10” top toms - all with active rims. The cymbals have also been pimped out in size, are all chokable and the ride is triple zone. If you haven’t had a chance to play on the Alesis mesh kits yet, you’re missing out - as the value for money simply cannot be ignored.

LR Baggs Session Di National Music | 1800 773 438 | www.nationalmusic.com.au

Inspired by the LR Baggs Handcrafted Video Sessions and LR Baggs’ experience in some of Nashville’s great studios, the Session Acoustic DI brings the Baggs signature studio sound to your live rig. The Session DI enhances your acoustic pickup and imparts the rich sonic character that you’d expect from an experienced audio engineer using some of the world’s finest studio gear. The Session DI’s features LR Baggs proprietary analogue saturation and is voiced specifically for the acoustic guitar and transports studio analog warmth and inspiring playability to the stage. Often used by studio engineers in post-production, saturation adds warmth, dimension, and pleasing harmonics while smoothing the signal for an enhanced mix. The Session DI’s Comp EQ features 3 narrowly focused bands of compression that tame common problematic frequencies and uncover the voice of your guitar. The low, mid, and high frequency compressors are essentially “touch-sensitive” EQs that respond in real-time to your dynamics. The harder you strum, the more they compress and vice versa. Other features also include a Garret Null notch filter, all discrete signal path with XLR and quarter inch outputs and the ability to power it via 48V phantom power, 9V battery or 9V DC and includes a custom LR Baggs carry case.

PG.18 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

Students Make It With JMC Academy JMC Academy | 1300 410 311 | www.jmcacademy.edu.au

JMC Academy has announced its brand new integration initiative, “Make it with JMC”. This initiative aims to encourage students from all the different departments of JMC Academy to work together on real collaborative commercial projects, providing them with real world industry experience. Integration is a crucial aspect of study and unique offering at JMC Academy and assists students in gaining a clearer understanding of the interrelated networks at play on a creative project. Be it the production of a print, TV or cinema advertisement, app or music for a film, the relationships between client, management and creative team is one that needs to be understood through experience. The art of delivering to a brief is an invaluable skill that many students need to learn as they embark on their professional careers. Projects that were part of the “Make it with JMC” initiative included a series of radio commercials for airwave juggernauts ARN and Austereo, as well as a project involving Game Development, Animation and Digital Design students, which required students to pitch their design style to be selected to curate a line of bespoke t-shirts for JMC Academy’s merchandise store.

Tech 21 Ritchie Kotzen RK5 National Music | 1800 773 438 | www.nationalmusic.com.au

Based upon the highly successful Fly Rig 5 pedal, the RK5 was developed in close collaboration with Richie, whose input was invaluable. Meticulous about every facet of his playing, singing, songwriting and tone, Richie’s attention to the details of this pedal was nothing less. At its heart is the all-analog SansAmp tube amplifier emulator, which is pre-voiced for clean tones. It includes a 3-band active EQ, Level and Drive to adjust the overall amount of gain and overdrive, all which makes it possible to go direct to a PA or mixer. For effects, you have the essentials: a reverb based upon the Boost RVB pedal. It emulates the rich ambiances of a vintage spring reverb without clattery pings, canyons of doom, or other annoying artifacts. The DLA delay section is based upon the Boost DLA pedal. It is voiced to give you the sounds of a vintage tape echo and features Level, Time, Repeats, and Drift, which adds a random element to the modulation for authentic textures. A dedicated Tap Tempo switch makes it super simple to just tap in the delay tempo you want during your performance. Ritchies Signature OMG overdrive is also included, and brings in the organic distortion of single power tube Class A amplifiers, but with a tighter, quicker and snappier response. Finally the OMG section includes a boost which kicks in up to 21dB of pre-amp gain that can be used independently to boost the SansAmp and/or DLA functions, as well as on its own to boost the gain of your amp.

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C O V E R

S T O R Y

N O R T H L A N E With two well-received LPs under their belt, Northlane were optimally placed to become Australia’s next internationally embraced metal band. However, things took an unexpectedly dire turn when original lead vocalist, Adrian Fitipaldes, left the band in September 2014. At this juncture, the remaining four members would’ve been forgiven for wallowing in disarray, but instead they instigated an open audition process in search of a new lead vocalist. By November, not only had they appointed replacement vocalist Marcus Bridge, but also unleashed the new single ‘Rot’. In July 2015, Northlane unveiled their third LP, Node, and the Sydney quintet is now gearing up for a major national headline tour through November. Mixdown spoke with guitarist Josh Smith and bassist Alex Milovic about their volatile 12 months. It was only a few months after Marcus joined that you released ‘Rot’. Had the recording process for Node already commenced before you’d confirmed the new vocalist? Josh Smith: Marcus joined and ‘Rot’ was recorded about two weeks after he joined – in a studio in Sydney. Then the actual record was done in March of this year and we re-recorded ‘Rot’ then, which is the version that’s on the album. By that stage he’d been in the band for probably about three-and-a-half/four months. From all reports, guitarist Jon Deiley laid down the musical foundations of Node, and then Josh and Marcus came in to write the lyrics. Does Jon tend to bring in completed arrangements? Or do you work together to flesh out his ideas? Alex Milovic: I guess it’s a bit of both. On the last two albums he’s been writing on the road. So he’ll be like half way through and idea and then he’ll show the rest of us and someone will be like, “Maybe you could go in this direction.” He’s relaxing a little more. He used to be very, like, “Until the song is done, no one’s hearing it.” So the impression of Jon as a dictator who tells the rest of the band exactly what to do isn’t entirely valid? AM: He writes probably 90 per cent of the music as it is and goes, “OK this is a song.” Then we’ll give it to Josh and Marcus to write lyrics and me and Nic [Pettersen] to do the bass and the drums to it. But he’s never closed off to ideas. I know Nic’s put his own flavour to the drums and I’ve done some stuff on my end. So it’s a bit of both. There’s certain parts where he’s like, “I’ve got an envisionment for this. Let’s just keep it this way.” Or, “This is a bit more of an experimental section, go nuts.” JS: When it comes to who does what in our band, instead of having a clear democracy, we each take care of what we’re best at. I think that really gets the best out of people and it’s definitely the right formula for us to work with. There’s a range of moods and textures featured on Node – an increase in ambient atmospherics compared to past releases, but still plenty of drilling heaviness. Production-wise, there’s a good balance between explosive sounds and relatively muted sounds. During the recording process was there a lot of trial and error to find the appropriate sounds? JS: The sonic characteristics of the record are something that really comes to life in the studio with the assistance of a producer. Over time you learn to give up more control to a

PG.20 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

When it comes to who does what in our band, instead of having a clear democracy, we each take care of what we’re best at. I think that really gets the best out of people and it’s definitely the right formula for us to work with.

producer. You’re paying them to do their job because you trust them to do it. I remember when we did our first record [Discoveries 2011], we were more set in what we wanted to do for that record. We’ve become a lot better at discussing ideas, and trialling different approaches, rather than being like, ‘No. This is what I’m going to record this with, and I’m going to do everything how I want to do it.’ Because you don’t always know best. Will Putney was the producer on Node. He also produced Singularity (2013), and mixed and mastered Discoveries. Now that you’ve got some experience with him, has it become a more constructive working relationship? JS: I feel like he really understands what we’re trying to do and understands us as musicians and songwriters better than anyone could who just would come into the fold. And that was really helpful for us, because Node was recorded at a really tumultuous time for our band. We’d just lost a singer and things were looking like they were on the rocks a bit. We didn’t know what the future was going to hold for us. He allowed us to progress our sound while not straying too far from what we’d done before and keep it relevant to who we were. And I don’t think any other producer could’ve done that. When you’re in the studio, do you make direct references to sounds from other records that would like to emulate? AM: It gives us a general idea. When we listen to a record that’s stuck with us, we’re like, “OK, the reason why that sounds good is because of x/y/z and maybe we should take a bit more of a natural approach or maybe we should do this.” There’s obviously influences there, but not a huge, “Let’s sound like Parkway Drive. Let’s go into a studio trying to make Parkway Drive CDs.” JS: You can’t really create your own sound if you’re copying other people. The Node Australian tour kicks off in early November. You’ve spent time touring overseas since the album came out. Did you face any major hurdles figuring out how to re-present the new material live? AM: This CD in general has probably been easier to replicate live than any of our older stuff. It’s a little bit more natural and drawn back. Jon likes to write in layers, so there’s usually a whole bunch of soundscapes going on. But with these newer songs, they’re still very layered, but they’re all very heavily open and groovy. When we were beginning with the Singularity cycle, those songs took a little bit more working and a little bit more polishing to pull off live. These ones feel more natural and they’ve just kind of come together. JS: Node was written so that the songs would translate live better than anything we’d done before. And they definitely have the impact we want them to have when we play them live, without having to make any compromises or extensively use backing tracks or any bullshit like that. BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

For a full list of tour dates, visit www.northlanemerch.com. Northlane will also be appearing at Soundwave 2016.

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I N T E R V I E W S

DEAFHEAVEN Deafheaven really are one of the lucky ones. Today they are a success who don’t need to feel overly concerned of where the next paycheck is coming from (though guitarist Kerry McCoy is quick to acknowledge it could all disappear as easy as it came). For a time there, living off food stamps and sleeping in closets, the prospects of maintaining a life in music seemed pretty sketchy. With third album, New Bermuda, out this month, McCoy looks back on their strange trajectory. “The thing is, I’ve always kind of kept my expectations low,” he admits. “In high school I was a bright enough dude, but I was just not doing well because all I could really bring myself to care about was music and playing in bands. I kind of knew when I became an adult that my goals really weren’t that high. I just wanted to have a band that did cool stuff, maybe we could do house shows on the weekend and go on a couple of tours a year, just play in small places. I just wanted a job that would allow me to do that and pay the bills. I wanted to live in a big city and have a girlfriend who was cool. My goals were pretty much that. When you set your goals like that, it allows anything extra to happen to just be a bonus. When I woke up one day and realised the job that I didn’t hate was actually my band,

THY ART IS MURDER Thy Art Is Murder are no strangers to controversy. For instance, they were booted off the 2014 Soundwave tour for allegedly encouraging crowd members to engage in acts of violence. This was ultimately proven to be an exaggerated report and the band were welcomed back to complete the tour. In recent months they’ve been tied up in a different kind of controversy. The band’s third full length, Holy War, came out in June. Branded as a comment on child abuse, animal rights, religion, and war, the original album artwork featured a cloaked child wearing several bombs strapped to their bloodied chest. Before it could even be released, major music retailers around the world refused to stock Holy War, forcing the band to re-submit it with a revised cover image. Such backlash is understandable, but attracting controversy isn’t Thy Art Is Murder’s chief intention. They’ve got a potent message to communicate, and an audacious spirit leading them to such extravagant measures. Mixdown spoke to guitarist Andy Marsh about the new album and surrounding controversy. The retail rejection of the Holy War artwork perhaps isn’t such a surprise, but it was seemingly very important to you that you didn’t compromise your creative and ideological vision. Are you able to

PG.22 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

it was kind of a dream come true.” As bonuses go, finding yourself gigging across the world is a pretty sweet cherry. Deafheaven are a band who have been building steadily since 2011’s Road to Judah, which had the critics on board but failed to break through to audiences. Through hard work, debt and doubt, the band persevered and released sophomore record Sunbather in 2013, finally cracking the music charts. Along the way, they found themselves picking up a variety of different labels, but none of which really did the band any justice. “I think at our core we’re a metal band, but really we’re just a band who does what they want. We’ve never had a moment of, ‘Oh we can’t play that because it doesn’t fit’. Our thing is that we all like a bunch of different music, so how do we incorporate that into our band? The goal was never to be a black metal post-rock shoegaze band. The whole idea has always been to make a band where, if we weren’t in it, it would be our favourite band. I don’t think we’re a black metal band. We don’t have the ethos or the sound. We’re definitely not a shoegaze band either, or post-rock or whatever. But we incorporate elements of all of those into the metal band that is Deafheaven.” New Bermuda has already begun to get industry voices talking, hailing a darker, more intense sound. Some critics are calling it a change or rebuttal to earlier releases, but McCoy sees it more as an evolution than a response. At the start of his career, for want of an electric guitar, songs were written on an acoustic. Over time, their gear has upgraded, but the integrity and heart of their music remains intact. “Back then I couldn’t afford an electric, so an acoustic was all I had. But a riff is a riff, and the main advantage was that if a riff sounded ok on an acoustic, it can only get better when you add six different styles of electric guitar tunes, add the dynamics of the band all put together. Now, having

the money and resources to get pedals allows you to experiment more at home, but we’ve never been an effects heavy band. A lot of people in the genre are, so I think that’s misconstrued about us sometimes. It’s really a natural progression; there’s never been a drastic change. We’ve gone along this nice little path of progressing, working on new sounds, exploring new things. Definitely having the resources to get new gear and try it – ha, and also not having to go to work everyday and come home to do all that tired – helped the creative process a bunch.” For now, McCoy and the band are happy just to be playing. Fame and money was never the ambition, but it has provided what he always wanted; the freedom to be able to be in a band and gig. And he is very conscious of the fact that just as unexpectedly as success came, it may one day blow away just as easily. “When you don’t have anything, you’ve got nothing to lose, so when Sunbather took off and we had some success, suddenly we have money, your lifestyle adjusts really quickly. All of a sudden you have something to lose. We wanted to try and force all that out, to make a record that didn’t worry about any of the pressure we were actually feeling. Floating around in the back of your mind is this whole, “God, it’s going to suck if people don’t like it, they stop coming to your shows, you’re going to have to go back to Whole Foods.” Luckily it doesn’t seem like that’s happening just yet. We’ll see. You feel sometimes you’re on borrowed time, but you know, that’s tomorrow’s problem. If it all falls apart, it will still have made a good story.”

detect whether your music and way of thinking is having the impact on people you intend it to? So far I think it is. The intent behind the record as a whole, as a piece of art – music, lyrics and physical artwork – was all designed to generate some sort of discussion. Whether that’s the by-product of someone taking offence or someone taking intrigue doesn’t bother me, as long as it is generating some discussion. So I definitely think you can design a record to stir emotion within other people, as long as it stirs something within yourself. Censorship occurs when the powers that be deem something inappropriate or potentially dangerous. However, at its core, Holy War seems to have a constructive aim. Although people love to focus on controversy, have you tried to re-focus attention on the message you’re trying to convey? I definitely exploited the element of controversy to draw attention to the record, and I feel like we backed it up by delivering a good record that is full of vicious intent and very, very good delivery. If it had’ve been some record that had no message that wasn’t backed up by any sort of meaning or conviction then I could understand how we could all sit around and laugh about it as some sort of controversial album release to generate CD sales. But it isn’t. CD sales are a by-product of stirring emotion within the listener, because people will always flock to what is real. I feel that kids can generally tell when something is too put on or too rehearsed or whatever. What we did is not controversial – we put a picture on an album and we wrote some words about some things. The things that exist are the things that are stirring people, and they don’t want to know about them or they want to put a blanket over them and pretend that they’re not there. But they are. The album was produced and mixed by Will Putney, who you also worked with on 2012’s Hate. Does Will play a creative role in the recording process?

Will is generally fairly hands-on with his records. With us, I feel that we’ve reached this point where we’re paying him to engineer and mix and master the album, and then just participate as another band member. He knows where we’re going, we know where he’s going. It’s not like he’s trying steer the ship that’s gone astray. We have a very distinct vision and he works with it. We’re very close friends. He’s not a producer to us anymore. He’s just like a band member. The whole record flew by in about 14 days. Most bands take between four-to-eight weeks. So, you know, when you’re so comfortable and such good friends with someone, work does not feel like work. It makes working longer hours that much more achievable, because you’re not really working. You’re the sort of guitarist who makes other guitarists jealous due to the seeming effortlessness with which you play the instrument. This could be a natural gift, but it’s unlikely you’d be able to play like that without putting in a lot of hard work. Before going into the studio, do you like to know exactly what you’re doing and get it done as quickly as possible? Or is the studio a place of experimentation? I deliberately did not practise guitar before going into record [Holy War]. I practiced for a few days before the last record and I felt some of the stuff on that record was a little bit faster and shreddier. So this time I deliberately didn’t practice so my hands would be a little bit clumsier and I’d be forced to play slower. That’s not to say that I am lazy, because I definitely work hard. But I think that’s a creative element – forcefully denying yourself certain things to make you perform in a different way or generate different ideas because of your limitations.

BY ADAM NORRIS

New Bermuda is out November 2 via ANTI-.

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Holy War is out now via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

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CALIGULA‘S HORSE BLOOM OUT: 16.10.15

Third album „Bloom“ is their most vivid, vibrant, and emotional work to date, melding CALIGULA‘S HORSE penchant for dramatic colour with high-energy musical drive. Available as CD, LP and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD.

MALEVOLENT CREATION DEAD MAN‘S PATH Out: 2.10.15. Malevolent Creation‘s 12th studio album! A ferocious, riff-driven and relentlessly uncompromising death/thrash massacre. LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR! Available as CD, LTD. DIGIPAK (incl. woven patch & 2 re-recorded songs of the „Stillborn“ album as bonus), LP (180 g vinyl, double-sided poster, 4-page LP inlay + the CD of the Digipak version) and as DIGITAL DOWNLOAD/STREAM.

QUEENSRŸCHE CONDITION HÜMAN OUT: 2.10.15 THE LEGENDARY PROGRESSIVE HEAVY METAL VETERANS ARE BACK! The massive, densely layered, unflinchingly driving and consistently memorable Queensryche album the world demanded. Available as LTD. DELUXE BOX SET, LTD. CD DIGIPAK, GATEFOLD BLACK 2LP and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD.

NEW YEARS DAY MALEVOLENCE Out: 2.10.15. Gothic vampirism, heady fantasy and an adventurous spirit akin to Alice tripping through the looking glass. For fans of HIM and Motionless in White. Available as CD and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD.

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I N T E R V I E W S

CITY AND COLOUR Up until quite recently, to be speaking with Dallas Green you were effectively talking to City and Colour. The project began under a solo guise for the Alexisonfire guitarist a decade and change prior, a chance to explore his gentler, acoustically-oriented side. Speaking to Green currently, however, is a different matter. He still heads City and Colour, but for the last two years he has been joined by four others both on the road and in the studio – bassist Jack Lawrence, drummer Doug MacGregor, organist/ pianist/pedal steel player Matthew Kelly and lead guitarist Dante Schwebel. The quintet were behind the creation of the fifth City and Colour album, If I Should Go Before You, and, as Green testifies, it’s evolved into somewhat of an extended family. “When I put this band together, I wasn’t looking for friends, to be completely honest with you,” he says. “I was looking for something specific – I had been through a band with my friends, Alexisonfire, for so many years. When City and Colour was evolving, I got my friends involved. Then, I made a decision to make The Hurry and the Harm with people that I’d never met. I decided to try it – I got a bunch of players that were really good and hoped that it would work. I ended up with four people that, while also remarkable players, are also four people that I would

QUEENSRYCHE Queensryche in 2015 is a very different band to the Queensryche of say, 2010. Now that the split with vocalist Geoff Tate is well and truly in the past, the band is now about to release Condition Hüman, their second album to feature Todd La Torre at the mic. If you liked the band’s earlier, heavier material, you’ll love where they are now. Tate’s more artsy approach is gone, and in its place are pummeling riffs, majestic harmonies and virtuoso solos. It’s true that for a lot of fans, Tate and former guitarist Chris DeGarmo defined the bands’ songwriting, but with both of those guys now out of the picture we get to hear what the remaining original members - guitarist Michael Wilton, drummer Scott Rockenfield and bass player Eddie Jackson - bring to the picture, along with La Torre and guitarist Parker Lundgren. It’s not like Wilton and co have never written for the band before of course, but now their writing is once again given the opportunity to thrive. We caught up with Wilton for a chat while the band was waking up on their tour bus in the middle of Cleveland. PG.24 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

happily call some of my best friends. Over the last two years, playing with them and getting to know them personally has been something I’ve really valued. I think we connect because we’re older guys that have been doing this forever. We’ve all done this on so many different levels. We’ve all toured in the van, slept on the floor, played to no-one. We’re still here. We’re still doing it. It’s a testament to what we’ve been through.” If I Should Go Before You is a record of notable changes in the City and Colour camp. Along with being the first “full-band” album under the moniker, it also marks the first album Green produced on his own. Although Green has always had at least an assisting hand in production – most notably on his 2005 debut, Sometimes – this was a role he decided to take headon this time around. “I had a vision of what I wanted the album to sound like. Having my friend Karl [Bareham] on hand to engineer was a big help – he’s been a friend of mine for something like twelve years now. I think that if we had brought in anyone else to produce this album, it wouldn’t have reflected what we wanted to do. This was about building our confidence. Having this band and having Karl around really gave me hope that I would be able to achieve what I wanted out of this record.” Green adds that having the band by his side made the composition side of things much easier. “With the older records, I played a lot of it myself and had people coming in and out,” he says. “This time, I had a specific guy for each thing that I wanted to do. I approached the songwriting and recording that way – I could get Matt to cycle through organ sounds, or improvise a bit of pedal steel. I could get Doug to go between brushes and sticks. I had roles set out, and everything at my disposal.” In terms of the nuts-and-bolts side of things, Green mentions that going out and buying new gear is part and parcel of an album’s creation. Each time he has entered the studio to make a new City and Colour record, it has been with new things to play around with. “I’m on an endless search for tone,” he says. “I always go out and get new amps, new guitars, things This record really shows your writing style and it’s great to hear your voice coming through again, which we haven’t really had a chance to hear for a few albums. Right! With this recording we had a little more time to spend on the songs and we really brought more of the ingrained roots of our past, especially in my guitar playing. With the producer Chris “Zeuss” Harris we wanted to recapture that magic of how we used to record guitars, and bring it into the 2015. I was more than willing because that’s a great guitar sound, and that is me (laughs)! So what goes into creating the Queensryche guitar sound? I think it’s taking time with the arrangements and making them as interesting as possible and just really bringing the most that we can pack into a song, layer-wise, and just giving it the depth. And that layering, first and foremost, does that. It’s just a process we’ve always done over the years that has evolved from album to album. What’s your approach to soloing? You often tend to favour major scales over minor rhythm tracks. I can’t really pinpoint telling you what scale or mode I’m in: it’s more of an intuitive feel thing. I just hear the notes in my head and that’s how I interpret them. And I think as a technician I tend to balance the minor scales with diminished and augmented situations, a lot of harmonic minor, melodic minor and natural minor. When you’re a guitar player it gets kind of mundane staying in those minor scales so you throw in something major every now and then. It opens up the whole experience. For me a lot of the old classics have these outside movements. A good example is “Eyes Of A Stranger.” After Chris and I have our double solo we go to this B section as a bridge, but then all of a sudden we add two major chords in there and it kind of pops that part before we bring it back to E Minor. For us as musicians that’s how you

like that. I love finding new ways to produce sound. I tend to have the same few guitars that I write music with, but the great thing about recording is that it gives you the freedom to explore what each song can sound like.” He points specifically to an off-hand purchase as being the serendipitous key in breaking through on one of the album’s eleven songs. “I bought this weird, old twelve-string electric guitar. I’d never used one before in the studio, and I didn’t even think I’d use it. I just thought it looked neat – it wasn’t a particular brand or model or anything like that. It was just something that I came across secondhand. That guitar ended up being used in the song ‘Wasted Love’. I played the guitar solo on that track with this twelve-string. I don’t even know why, but for some reason it just felt right. You never know where that search is going to take you next.” Having experienced a particularly-eclectic array of Australian festivals – including Soundwave, Splendour in the Grass and Groovin’ the Moo – Green and co. will return to Australia next Easter, appearing at Bluesfest for the first time as one of its headlining acts. Green himself is greatly intrigued by the prospect, excited to once again take in a different aspect of touring Australia. “I’m always interested in playing new festivals,” he says. “There’s so many now, and they’re always run differently. There are different people who attend. I’ve played just before Metallica with Alexisonfire; and I’ve played just before Neil Young with City and Colour. I feel really welcome at all of these places. It’s really exciting to play with a band like the National as well as a guy like Joe Bonamassa and a bunch of those blues veterans. It’s another challenge in order to adapt to a new environment. I can’t wait to experience it. Anyone who knows me knows that, if I could, I’d be on the plane to Australia tomorrow.” BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG If I Should Go Before You is out via Dine Alone/ Cooking Vinyl Australia.

keep things interesting. What guitars did you use on the record? Primarily, a few ESPs - my old trusty ESPs that I use all the time. They have Seymour Duncan pickups. Sometimes it’s a JB, sometimes it’s a Duncan Distortion because some of the guitars are a little dark-sounding so you need a ceramic magnet to kinda brighten it up. So I use those. They all have Floyd Roses on them. I also used some of the ESP Eclipse models, their Les Paul-style guitars. But once you get one basic sound you tend to use that all the time. We did sometimes use a Gibson ES-335 and then a few ESP single coil guitars. Acoustically I used my Taylor. That really is the tried and true acoustic guitar for Queensryche. That was pretty much it! No more than six electrics and two acoustics. And amps? We used my Marshall Jubilee, one of the older ones. We’ve used that on numerous recordings and it’s just a tried-and-true workhorse. We put a Maxon overdrive in front of it for leads or just to brighten up the sound. But we did a lot of reamping too: when vocals were being done in my studio I’d be in another room with the session on my laptop, recording into there, and then we’d go into the main studio, import it and reamp through the Marshall. I’d never done that before and I was amazed that you can do that. You can reamp wherever you are! On hotels, on the bus, and as long as the performance is solid you can always go back and reamp through your main rig. BY PETER HODGSON

Condition Hüman is out now via Sony Music Australia, for more info head to mixdownmag.com.au

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I N T E R V I E W S gonna be where it is. That was something we kinda had a heated discussion about and eventually I won!

ANTI FLAG Punk rock music has often been a vehicle for voicing opinion, and Anti Flag has long been touting their views through power chord driven, riffy tunes. Aggressive riffs and politicised lyrics mean that Anti Flag are held in high esteem across the globe. With friends and fans including Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine) and Tim Armstrong (Rancid) featuring on their new album American Spring, Mixdown chat with guitarist/singer Justin Sane about all things Anti Flag. The new album American Spring – was it the kind of thing you whittled down from a big heap of tunes? Yeah, we narrowed it down. Normally when we’re in the studio we’ll have demoed anywhere from 25 – 45 songs, and from that we narrow it down and really hone in on the songs that are important to us. For the record I think we recorded 14 to 16 songs and 12 made it onto the album. You co-produced it with Kenny Carkeet (AWOLNATION) and Jim Kaufman. How do they work? Did everyone see eye to eye? I think in general there’s always a consensus in that a song should go a certain way. You know you hash it out for a long time and eventually it just becomes clear what works and what doesn’t. Once you’ve got that main blueprint down to a song there might be a few details to go back to but for example on the opening song ‘Fabled World’ the guitar solo wasn’t

What about your writing? Obviously some of these songs have an initial agenda you want write about – does the music come second? Or do you have a bunch of riffs that you make fit? It can come in any way. Because I’m a guitar player I like to play and write guitar riffs. A lot of times I’ll have a riff and think ‘that’s cool, I’m gonna turn it into a song’ and then something will hit me – an issue or an idea and I’ll make it fit. But then sometimes it’s vice versa and you have an inspiration for something you want to write about, and that pushes you to sit down and write a song. I’d say in general for me the song writing I enjoy the most, and is most rewarding, is when I have a topic and then I sit down to write a song. Some songs though I’ll just be sitting playing the guitar and start singing randomly out loud and it’ll work out. That’s when songs literally write themselves, it’s almost like you’re channelling something and you can’t even believe that you’ve just sang it and played it. ‘Brandenburg Gate’ with Tim Armstrong combines a catchy melody and hook. It’s accessible but still with a strong message - You describe it as a love song for socialism? Yeah. It’s really interesting that we live in countries with this capitalist economic system, and because of the cold war there are a lot of people that have this twisted idea of what socialism is. I think in a lot of countries the best programs that the government have in place employ ideas that came from socialism such as the idea of national health care for people or building good infrastructure, roads and schools. Programs that make it possible for pensioners to retire after they’ve worked their whole lives. So there are many ideas that come from socialism that could be implemented for the greater good especially when we’re living in a world that’s so unequal with an ever growing wealth gap.

Well that’s something you can ask him yourself: The Repercussion of Dave Lombardo is a masterclass tour hitting Allans Billy Hyde stores in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney this October. Lombardo will discuss his Rhythm Mysterium Art Collection, show never-before-seen footage, demonstrate his new Paiste REIGN 22” RUDE Power Ride cymbal and participate in a candid Q&A forum.

DAVE LOMBARDO Much is made of Dave Lombardo’s pioneering work in Slayer - and rightly so - since he helped to write the manual on what it means to be a drummer in an unapologetically aggressive genre like thrash metal. But what makes Lombardo so compelling as a drummer is not just his raw power, but his creativity, his sense of when to push the beat as well as when to hang back, and his dynamic range. These are the abilities that have seen him swing from metal outfits like Grip Inc., Testament and Sepultura (he makes a cameo on their 2013 track ‘Obsessed’) to more abstract environments like Fantômas, John Zorn, Finnish ‘cello metal’ act Apocalyptica and his experimental posthardcore band PHILM. His adaptability even extends into soundtrack work including Californication with composer and Marilyn Manson guitarist Tyler Bates, Insideous: Chapter 3 with composer Joseph Bishara, and even scoring a soon-to-be-released Disney pilot. Heck, he’s even performed with a 75-piece orchestra by request of composer Christopher Young. So how does he do it? www.mixdownmag.com.au

“At a very early stage in Slayer’s career I felt it was important to expand your horizons,” Lombardo says of his musical versatility. “I like to create new sounds, not just do the same thing over and over. I have always felt I had more to offer then just one style. Reinventing and challenging yourself is a good thing… especially in music.” One of Lombardo’s earliest influences was Led Zeppelin music he used to drum along to even as a little kid, substituting boxes for percussion long before he owned a drum kit. “I didn’t really have a drumming mentor,” he explains. “I feel the various, diverse records I acquired were really my inspiration when I was a teenager.” Those records generally leaned towards the heavy and atmospheric, from Led Zeppelin’s more bombastic moments to the darkness of Black Sabbath, on through KISS and then to punk and the new wave of British heavy metal. “I don’t know what it is that draws me to heavier music,” he says “There’s something about minor chords and a powerful drum sound… I’m very much attracted to minor chord structures. The energy you feel from listening to those particular note combinations gives you the feeling something bad is going to happen... I like that tension and anxiety in the music. It feels dangerous.” With such a diverse catalog of performances, its no surprise that Lombardo doesn’t necessarily default to Slayer when asked to select a track that he feels sums up his approach to the darker side of drums.

‘Without End’ features an instantly recognisable guitar solo from Tom Morello. How did the idea come about of having Tom on the song? It is amazing how recognisable Tom Morello is! You know the solo comes in and you straight away think ‘that’s Tom Morello’. It’s the part of the song where we were gonna put a solo in, the space was sitting there and we were sitting in LA and Tom’s an old friend so we thought ‘who better to play a solo than Tom’ He enjoys getting in there and being a part of things so it was a really natural thing that happened. And the song felt like it was the kind of thing that Tom suited. Gear wise I know you’re a big fan of the old Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion? Oh yeah – it’s my only effect! It’s a simple, cheap guitar pedal and you know I grew up really poor. I had a shitty guitar and shitty pedals, shitty everything really and I’d rather play a shitty guitar that’s hard to play that makes me work a bit cos you put more passion into everything you do and I just learned that coming from my background. But that said the pedal is perfect, I mean for punk rock the pedal’s great. It’s cheap but it works well. You’ve gotta stick with what you know then? Hell yeah! Anti Flag has a significant back catalogue to call on – how do you decide set lists for this tour? Do they change night to night? Well there’s people who come to multiple shows that have been fans for years so we have to play old stuff for them and with those fans following you to every show and they know all the records we’ll definitely cater the set for everybody. We enjoy playing the new songs but we’ll change our set each night so people can hear a bit of everything. BY NICK BROWN American Spring is out now via Spinefarm Records.

“Is there a particular Slayer track? Not really. I would choose a song by Grip Inc. like “Hostage” or Testament’s “Fall of Sipledome.” When presenting a drumming masterclass like the ones he’s presenting in Australia, Lombardo fields questions of all sorts from attendees. “Some of the themes or questions are technical but a lot of them revolve around my history with various bands and requests to perform parts of songs I’ve recorded.” There’s also plenty of gear talk. “I just replaced my old Roland TD 10 V Drum unit with a newer TD 20X. I’m going to start incorporating electronic sounds to my repertoire... Staying creative!” PHILM’s new studio album (their second) is Fire From The Evening Sun, which will be released on the band’s new label, UDR, on October 9. “PHILMs first album, Harmonic, is still an amazing work to me,” Lombardo says. “It’s improvisational and raw. It was my first time producing an album and I am very proud of it. The new album is a completely different animal. It is again produced by me, but mastered and mixed by a couple of musical giants, Tyler Bates and Robert Carranza. I believe this album has a daring, callous temperament about it that really sums up our mindset right now. No improvising, no fluff. It’s heavy and in your face from start to finish. You may think you know what PHILM is, but you don’t. If you haven’t seen us live, you have no idea. We thrive on being out of our comfort zones and want fans to take that ride.” BY PETER HODGSON

For a full list of tour dates, visit www.allensbillyhyde.com/lombardo

MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015 // PG.25

I N T E R V I E W S

THE CHARGE There is no doubt that Melbourne’s The Charge are one of the hardest working bands in the business. With their second full-length album The Order of The Owl out now (via their independent label Angorilla Records), the band have had their hands full, taking on multiple responsibilities that most artists usually have professionals take care of. Nevertheless, The Charge have managed quite well, and are beginning to reap the benefits of their self-manageable ethos. You’ve been described as a band that defies traditional genre titles, who seamlessly manage to incorporate elements of grunge, classic rock, stoner rock and metal. Does this stem from an appreciation of myriad genres, or did your sound just come naturally? I think our sound and the structure of our songs have come from a myriad of influences of all types of music genres. Most of us grew up and started playing our instruments in the late 80’s and 90’s and we drifted towards the hard rock heavy music genres. So there was plenty of what was called “grunge” bands influencing us like Alice in Chains, Tool, Soundgarden, and Nirvana. But we also listened to AC/DC, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Korn, Deftones as well as local Australian bands like Horsehead, Shihad, COG, Karnivool and The Butterfly Effect. We have

GOLD CLASS It’s Monday night in Melbourne’s north. A decent turnout fills the newly renovated Northcote Social Club – the venue’s Monday Night Mass program usually draws a strong showing, but there’s a certain energy in tonight’s atmosphere. It’s been a while since the last Gold Class performance, not too long, but long enough. We’re on the cusp of their debut album, It’s You, and even for the initiated, tonight was something special. The four-piece played, loud, absorbing the panoramic stage as aptly as they conquered the Tote front bar earlier in the year. This is the start of something good. The week prior, guitarist Evan James Purdey and vocalist Adam Curley sit at a Fitzroy bar. It wasn’t too long ago – around a year and a half – that they put together the initial idea that became Gold Class, with a clear focus resulting in a full-length album, soon after their first release: last year’s single ‘Michael’. “It was one of our first songs,” Evan states. “That was after three rehearsals. There was one rehearsal where it was long, dirge-y ten-minute jams, then after that we pieced together song ideas. After a few rehearsals, that was one of two or three songs we had. In terms of deciding to release it, we just thought it had a chorus.” “That was October last year,” Adam says. “We started playing in January, with our first show in April. We were sitting around, and Evan said he had some guitar ideas he’d been playing around with. I think I wrote some vocal stuff to those parts, then that was all scrapped by the time the four of us got together.

PG.26 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

never deliberately gone to rehearsal and said lets write a song like that band. Ash brings ideas or near completed songs to rehearsal and we jam on them and “The Charge” sound naturally comes from the wealth of influences the four of us have gathered over the years. Walk us through the recording process of this album. We recorded the album at Screamlouder Studios with Reggie Bowman over 12 months in 2014. Reggie’s studio is up in the hills just outside of Melbourne. The studio has a great live drum room, which allowed us to pull some very big naturally sounding drum sounds. We spent a couple of weeks doing pre-production and tracked 23 songs for demos. We then culled those 23 songs down to the final 12 tracks that made the album. Reggie is a big guitar tone man, so the emphasis on guitar tone and getting a super solid sound was fundamental to making this album sounding huge. Reggie wanted to build the album’s sound from the ground up and then drive the songs with the guitars and vocals. He then added extra sparkle and depth with violin, keys and some percussion. We mixed the album together at the studio and we had it mastered by Cameron Mitchell at Audiomuster. In both the film clips to Acid In My Veins and Order of the Owl it looks as though you’ve employed the grit of a Gold Top Les Paul. Was this the go to guitar for the lead parts throughout the album? That’s interesting because we have had several comments and messages since the video came out on the Gold Top Les Paul. We both share the lead parts and the gold top Les Paul is Hamish’s guitar. He used that for his lead parts and I used my Les Paul Black Beauty for the majority of my lead work and rhythm parts plus a US Fender Strat. Hamish also uses a Bonamassa Signature Fender Strat for the clean parts when we play live. Those two tracks are really punctuated by strong and present lead parts. Which amps do you guys play through to get those high gain tones? Which pedals We just started from scratch.” “That’s been the modus operandi: to put something together then deconstruct it completely, until there’s a song,” Evan adds. “It’s laborious, but it’s good. You think ‘Thank fuck!’ when you get to the end and you have a song.” There’s a sense that Gold Class arrived fully formed in the live setting, a notion compounded by the release of the full-length It’s You, resolute in its vision and dynamic. “I don’t think any of us are particularly interested in releasing three EPs then a record, what’s the point of that? The record should just be the songs you have, the songs you’re playing live on an album,” Adam states. “It made it harder to separate the songs. We couldn’t have done an EP or two EPs, this is a body of work and we put it out as one whole package,” Evan adds. “There aren’t any loose ideas that go through, we’re all pretty dedicated.” “There’s no messing around.” Evan laughs. The live force of Gold Class’s performances is undeniable, a frenzy of elements anchored by Adam’s stoic and soaring vocal prowess. “I don’t think the show itself has changed, I think we’re better at it. Less nervous. We’re starting to play again on Monday, so I’m getting those first show jitters all over again,” Evan says. “It’s nice in that sense, having not really played, having talked about the record then jamming again, realising that’s just what we are,” Adam says. “We don’t have to think about it too much.” “As soon as we sped up the songs it felt natural,” Evan says, “And that’s what carries us through a gig, rather than trying to nail anything or be militantly tight.” On record and in the live setting, Gold Class is comprised of each band member’s distinct element – puzzle pieces that can stand in isolation, but click together so wonderfully. “Mark [Hewitt, drums] is a mind reader,” Evan laughs. “He can play everything. We’re jealous, so we make him play drums. A huge part of getting him to play in this

have you employed to emphasize those parts? We used ENGL heads and cabinets, both live and for the recording. Ash uses the ENGL Ritchie Blackmore E650 head and ENGL Vintage 4x12 cabinet. Hamish uses the ENGL Fireball 100 head and ENGL Standard Black 4x12 cabinet. The ENGL amps have become our sound. We have tried different amps but we always go back to the ENGL’s. They create this full rich tone that suits what we play. Pedals we use are the Digitech Whammy pedal, Electro Harmonix POG, Boss Fuzz/Crunch and Jim Dunlop Wah pedal. You’re releasing The Order Of The Owl under your independently owned record label Angorilla Records. What are both the benefits and hardships of being an independent band, and what lead you to the decision to start up Angorilla Records? I think the benefits of being an independent band is you have full control over everything: the money you make from the sale of a CD, merch and shows, which goes straight back to you the band. There is no one taking their cut. The hardships are really getting the exposure and promotion that is needed to get you in front of people that might like the music you play and record. But in saying that, there are ways to get yourself out there. We decided to start our own label Angorilla Records, so we can release the new album Order of the Owl and singles for business reasons. It allows the band and label to be separate. We are also in talks with an independent label in the USA that has the same ethos as to what we are doing here in Australia. Eventually we would like to get a few Australian bands on board and help them getting their music out. BY KATE EARDLEY

The Order Of The Owl out now via Angorilla Records

band and a reason we’re thankful he was available is that he is so easy to communicate with him as a musician. You can say something pretty abstract and he’ll go ‘oh yeah,’ and know what you’re talking about. You can get all Captain Beefheart, ‘play like a yellow tree’ sort of thing.” “That’s probably the case with all of us,” Adam says. “There aren’t many musical terms that get thrown about, they’re all pretty abstract ideas. Everyone seems to be on the same page generally, understanding what each other are talking about. We do talk about keeping things pretty minimal. If anything gets too elaborate, or too grandiose, it gets cut down pretty quickly.” “Space is important, making sure everything has its little room to play in,” Evan says. “When it gets too big that’s when we start to strip it back, that’s when the deconstruction happens.” Gold Class exude strains of post-punk greats, still with distinctly Australian elements of tone. “I think in the past few decades there have been a million Australian bands we have been influenced by.” Adam states. “I don’t think it’s a post-punk thing. It might be Melbourne thing, or a Brisbane thing,” Evan says, touching on Adam’s Queensland roots. “For whatever reason it’s been interpreted as postpunk, by us and people listening to it. There’s not much getting around the fact that it has that feel to it. It’s just a product of watching Bird Blobs, or Dirty Three or The Drones. You listen to that when you’re younger and then turn that into something else when you work with different people.” BY LACHLAN KANONIUK

It’s You out now via Spunk Records. For a full list of tour dates, head to mixdownmag.com.au

www.mixdownmag.com.au

I N T E R V I E W S

AINE TYRRELL Coming from a highly respected music family, Aine Tyrrell has drifted from Ireland to Australia in recent years, bringing a strong sense of heritage and traditional music with her. Most recently she was awarded the best ‘Emerging Talent’ award at the Queenscliff Music Festival, which helped hatch the plans for her debut album Queen of Swords. Now with the new album in tow and some interesting stories regarding its creation, Aine is setting upon a string of shows across the country highlighting her mix of traditional Irish sounds and ‘rootsy’ melodic song writing. Where did music start for you? You grew up in a musical family? My Dad’s an Irish folk musician and I suppose from the start we had music all around us and being in Ireland everyone sort of learns an instrument so I started on the flute and tin whistle and played a lot of traditional music. Dad was touring, and still is at 70 (years old) so we were thrown in the back of the car and followed him across Europe or wherever he was playing. So music was all around us from a very young age but it wasn’t til perhaps 17 or 18 that I started playing the guitar. Fast forward to 2014 and winning the ‘Emerging Talent 2014’ at the Queenscliff Music Festival? Well I moved to Australia and to be honest hadn’t really planned on

CALIGULA’S HORSE Brisbane’s Caligula’s Horse have announced an October 16 release for their third record Bloom, just in time for their run of extensive Australian and European tour dates. Bloom follows 2011’s colourful and dynamic debut Moments From Ephemeral City and 2013’s critically acclaimed dark narrative concept album The Tide, The Thief & River’s End. Having secured deals with The Agency Group for live bookings, and signing an international record deal with lauded prog/metal label InsideOut Music (home to Devin Townsend, Spock’s Beard and Pain of Salvation), it really feels like the time is right for Caligula’s Horse to make good on the promise of their previous releases. “It’s crazy,” guitarist and founder Sam Vallen says of the band’s impending touring blitz, which includes dates with TesseracT in Australia before heading off to Europe with Norway’s Shining. “In terms of European dates we haven’t toured like this at all. We’ve toured Australia a dozen or so times but nothing can prepare you for this. The relentlessness of 20-something dates is going to be the big thing!” Bloom is the perfect summation of the shadow and light, the

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staying long and didn’t even bring a guitar but things happen and I ended up staying and started on working out to record an album. I’d thought about doing a crowdfunding campaign and had been in touch with Queenscliff about my situation. They have a grant you can apply for and after taking some time to put it all together and work through it I was lucky enough to win the Emerging Talent award which was great. From there they’ve been really supportive with my promotion and I’ll be lucky enough to be on the festival again this year. I loved the festival last year – you can walk from tent to tent and get a completely different style of music and it’s a great size and setup. Your new album Queen of Swords involved buying a Bedford bus, driving to the desert and recording wherever you stopped and thought was suitable – it’s definitely an interesting concept Originally we were looking for a place to go to record. We were looking for a house or something like that we knew that I didn’t want to record in a studio as I like to be really comfortable with my surroundings and then in the meantime I’d bought the bus so I mentioned to my producer Mark (Stanley) ‘how about we record on the bus?’ and at first I think he just thought I was being a daft hippy but then he came back to me and said ‘well, there may be some merit in this. If we’re going to do it we’re going to the desert though’. I’d only ever stayed on the coast of Australia and hadn’t been anywhere inland so I thought that sounded great! The album sounds honest and raw with mixes of traditional sounds and some layers and swells too. How did you go working with (producer) Mark Stanley? Did it turn out how you originally envisaged? There was definitely some songs that we took out there that didn’t make the album but then something would happen and I’d end up recording something different and it made the album so in terms of the album it turned out nothing like I thought it was going to but

I kind of had a feeling tit was going to be like that with Mark. We work together collaboratively amazingly well. I’ve seen enough friends’ record and been around my Dad’s recordings enough to know that you either give up control completely to a producer or otherwise you’ve got to stand firm. So I really trusted Mark and he’s been around the scene a lot in Ireland so I gave over a lot of creative control to him but at the same time the two of us worked fantastically together. In terms of the space and the swells we both went in with the intention of creating an album with a lot of space – not just sounding like a singer songwriter and band. And what I really love about Mark’s producing is he brings things in, he gives you a taste of them but doesn’t then drain the whole song in it. You know, something comes in and then disappears and you’re like ‘what was that?’ which is great. So many times I got a mix back and thought ‘you cheeky devil’ – he’s been amazing to work with. Shane Howard is an Aussie favourite, how did his involvement on the album come about? I first was introduced to Shane through a fiddle player Ewan Baker. I found out that Shane was a fan of my Dad’s and had met him 10 years or so ago so we built up a friendship from there. After we’d recorded all the album parts out in the desert we were working out how to get the band onto it. I’d been down visiting Shane and he has a big involvement with St Bridgid’s Church and Hall which is a cultural centre. We visited it and as soon as I walked in I thought ‘this is where we need to finish the album’, Shane was all for it and then between him and Mark I didn’t really have a say in it – they got stuck into it and Shane has been an amazing support and we can talk music and Irish history for hours and never get bored.

directness and complexity of the band’s heavy progressive sound. “As the lead songwriter and also the producer of the album it’s really important to me that every record has a thematic identity on its own and by extension a sonic entity that matches that. Our previous album was really dark and heavy and it had all these themes and concepts behind it. We wanted to contrast that by releasing something that was generally quite positive, or if not positive then at least more colourful and multi-faceted in terms of the mood. In terms of production it was important that we capture a live vibe with editing kept to a minimum because as soon as you start to do that stuff it starts to homogenise everything and you lose those micro-dynamics. If I can sum it up the sonic goal was for it to sound really human: the sonics are kept to a maximum but as human as possible.” Vallen’s chord and harmony choices are noticeably more jazz-inspired than most heavy prog bands, and that’s by design. “I’m so glad you mention that because that’s completely intentional and it’s something I prize as a way to set us apart. Steely Dan is probably the band I steal from the most. They take concepts that are really attuned to jazz harmony or even impressionism and all these movements that revolve around chord progressions that are - and there’s a very good word for this very ornamental. They’re not based around chord progressions that are based around harmonic functions. They’re beautiful in their own right. So I take some of those concepts and place them in a musical setting in which they’re not normally used. It just makes the music more colourful.” Vallen and co-guitarist Zac Greensill are both Ernie Ball Music Man endorsers with their own slightly customised versions of the John Petrucci JP7. “We both play JP7s, we both have Axe-Fxs in the front end we both use Mesa SimulClass 2:90 power amps,” he says. “Other than that we have

our wireless units. It’s the simplest rig you can imagine. Of course in the studio it gets a lot more convoluted …the JP7s are pretty well stock but we’re able to get subtleties to the build, and for me that means a non-painted headstock, which is purely visual, and I don’t have a piezo in mine either. But the pickups are still the stock DiMarzio Crunch Lab and LiquiFire, with the stock three-way switch, which has a coil tap in the middle position that makes it very interesting and very usable. I adore the Crunch Lab. I may end up changing the neck pickup because the LiquiFire is very Petrucci and I often prefer something a bit rougher. But the Crunch Lab is my perfect bridge humbucker. I love it.” “I’ve been playing 7-strings pretty much since the very first Caligula’s Horse album, which was basically a solo album,” Vallen continues. “I did it almost as an experimental thing but I got into a bit of a trap when I started playing it live because I couldn’t really do it without the 7-string! So I’ve been playing 7-string for about six years now.” And of course the original 7-string shredder Steve Vai is an influence too: Vallen had the opportunity to jam with Vai during his clinic tour a few years ago. “I actually got to hang out with him before the show too. That was a nerve-wracking experience! I have it on video and I did pretty well, considering!”

BY NICK BROWN Queen of Swords is out on October 9.

BY PETER HODGSON

For a full list of tour dates, visit www.caligulashorse.com

www.mixdownmag.com.au

I N T E R V I E W S Photo: Sean Farrow

MELBOURNE GUITAR MAKERS FESTIVAL The Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival is a rare and unique opportunity to see, play, hear and celebrate the handcrafted guitar - and particularly, Australian handmade guitars and associated stringed instruments. We have plenty of great builders here but you rarely see their work in stores, since most tend to be made to order. Often the builders work off the beaten track, conceptually and physically. So the Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival, hosted at the picturesque and intimate setting of the Abbotsford Convent, is a chance for builders from all over the country to gather to show off their wares, and for guitar lovers to see exactly what kind of instruments are being made right here in Australia. You can meet the builders, play all sorts of beautiful instruments and generally just have a great old time with your fellow guitar lovers. It’s a non-profit event, funded by the makers themselves with a modest door charge. The first show was held in 2009 at the Convent, and was held again in 2010 and 2011. After taking a break in 2012, it was decided to

BOSE F1 LOUDSPEAKER

In last month’s issue we featured a review of the new Bose f1 flexible array loudspeaker system. It’s somewhat of an innovation in portable speaker technology, enabling you to adapt your portable speaker setup to suit a range of situations. As helpful as it is reviewing a product for the audience, this time round we thought we’d take it one step further and sit down with David Cribbis, Manager of the Bose Professional Division for Australia and New Zealand, to learn a little more about the f1, and the thought process behind its development. PG.30 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

hold the festival biennially, and folks are still talking about the 2013 show, which featured 25 guitar makers, live performances all weekend, guitar making workshops, lectures, a classical music program run by the Classical Guitar Society of Victoria and a screening of a documentary on guitar making. For 2015 you’ll see instruments by (and have the chance to talk to) Tim Kill, Jim Mills, Kim Lissarrague, Shane Briggs, Jack Spira, Roderick Octigan, Shoma Subotic, Wiroon Songbundit, David Aumann, Don Morrison, Stuart Monk, Christopher Melville, Daniel Hoban, Sean Hancock, Luke Kallquist, Simon Rovis-Hermann, Andrew Duganzich, Laurie Williams, Richard Morgan, Alan Bull, Joe Gallacher, Gary Rizzolo, Jeff Crisp, Barry Kerr, Phil Carson Crickmore, Trevor Gore, Gerard Gilet, Tim Wright, Tim Spittle, Dan Robinson, Tony Graham, Francis Russo and Perry Ormsby. There are also 55-minute workshops by a number of builders, and plenty of performances from Justin Bernasconi, Sergio Ercole, Lucas Michailidis, Sam Lemann, Pete Fidler, Dean Addison, students from the Richmond Music Academy, The Johnston Brothers, The Guitar Orchestra Of The CGSV and more. “We all get together and we do shows throughout the country and overseas fairly regularly but it’s difficult to put yourself forward as a handcrafted maker in a corporate context at a mainstream trade show,” Luthier Jack Spira says. “I don’t want to put that down because those big trade shows have their own charms and are lots of fun. But we wanted to try and start something up that was on our scale, and for handmade instruments. We noticed too that in Japan, Europe and the United States there are quite often two shows in the major cities: the mainstream, corporate guitar show and then the handmade luthier show, and they both complement each other very well. So that was the idea. For anyone who’s interested in seeing handmade stuff

they usually have to travel overseas, so it’s good to have something here where people can see it conveniently. It’s very rare that these guitars are available in shops or anywhere that people can look at them. So the idea of the show is based on that: get a bunch of hand-builders in one place! It’s kind of niche, for people who are really into their guitars.” A great example is luthier Perry Ormsby: with a huge following on social media, Ormsby’s guitars are highly prized but difficult to track down out in the wild. Ormsby is about to launch a highquality offshore line to complement his handmade creations, and this will be a great opportunity for folks to pick the guitars up and see how they get along with things like multiscale fretboards (hint: it’s actually not much of an adjustment at all so don’t be scared). “It’s interesting to try to pin down the appeal of handmade instruments verses factory ones,” Spira says. “But for some people it’s important to have a handmade thing or a certain sound. Perry has a lot of appeal and people want to get his guitars because they have a character and a style to it, and his own personality. Personality is a big part of what everyone is trying to get from an instrument. And the other aspect of this show is to have not only the guitars there but also the makers there: you get to look at the guitars but also the person who makes them will be there and you can chat to them, and that might have some value!”

What is the thought behind the f1? What purpose was it designed to serve, and which market have you aimed it toward? We Introduced the L1 Portable Line Array products in 2003, and they have become a standard for Singer Songwriters and some mobile DJs, but many customers told us they also wanted a PA speaker that played louder for full bands that could alter its coverage to work in a variety of rooms and be easier to configure as a traditional left/right pa system. So we set out to design a new kind of PA that differentiated in three key areas, audio performance, ease of setup and aesthetics. The F1 has a broad range of applications that are suited to bands of all styles, solo musicians, mobile DJs, houses of worship, schools, universities, resorts, hospitality venues and business presentations. We also supply a full range of optional brackets that make the F1-812 easy to use in fixed installations.

durable, lightweight composite Enclosures. They also feature easy-lift carry handles and optional padded carry bags with cut-outs for carry handles. The F1-812 is designed to be used with industry standard tri-pod speaker stands, while the The F1 subwoofer features an integrated loudspeaker stand that allows the mid-high and subwoofer to be set up faster and easier than ever before. Also, the stand is stored right in the subwoofer so you should never lose it. The stand even includes cable channels to neatly hide the wires.

What shapes or pattern can the F1 812 Flexible Array Loudspeaker be arranged in? The f1 can be configured into four separate arrangements. Straight, the J position, the reverse J position and the C position. The straight position gives you the tightest vertical control and is ideal for an audience at floor level. The reverse J adjusts the vertical slay up and is perfect for reaching an audience in a raised seating position. The j position adjusts the vertical slay down and is ideal for an audience that’s seated in a lowered position, and then finally we have the c-position, which contorts the slay to disperse sound both up and down. Often a speaker system can make for a difficult and time consuming transportation and set-up task, what features have you used to combat that? The loudspeaker and subwoofer feature highly

BY PETER HODGSON

The Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival is on October 10 and 11 at Abbotsford Convent

How does the F1 Subwoofer compare to other conventional subwoofers? The F1 subwoofer is a very compact 1000w subwoofer that has performance similar to a 1x18” but can be carried by one person. What environments does the speaker system work best in? In almost any kind of room you’re in, you will be able to get the right coverage with the F1-812’s Flexible array vertical coverage control. The 1000W built-in amplifier gives you plenty of SPL on tap, with 132 dB SPL Peak performance What’s under the casing of the F1 812 Flexible Array Loudspeaker? A True full-range loudspeaker, one 12” woofer and eight 2.25” drivers, 43Hz to 20kHz Frequency Range, a 600 Hz crossover frequency keeping the crossover point below the most critical vocal intelligibility frequencies and a 2 input integrated mixer.

For more information about the Bose f1 loudspeaker head to f1.bose.com.au

www.mixdownmag.com.au

C O L U M N S

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD Using Slow-Burn Gear For High-Gain Tones

Sometimes a high-powered pickup is exactly what you need to unleash a brutally intense heavy tone. A powerful pickup will hit your amp and cause the preamp to compress and distort in an o-so-awesome way, which is great for thick rhythm tones and screaming solos. Ah, but that’s not the only way to get crushing heavy tones. One of my favourite pickups ever is the Alnico II-loaded Seymour Duncan Seth Lover set. By all logic, this pickup shouldn’t be suited to metal. It’s designed to accurately capture the materials and specs of the original humbuckers designed by Seth Lover in the 1950s. It’s quite low in output too. Now, DC resistance doesn’t equate to output - it’s a bit more complicated than that - but for a rough comparison, the neck Seth Lover measures 7.2k and the bridge model is 8.1k: compare that to the Alnico V-loaded Jazz neck model at 7.72k and the JB at a whopping 16.4k, and even on paper you can get a rough idea that the Seth Lover set is going to sound less aggressive than the JB/Jazz combo, a DiMarzio Super Distortion or a Bareknuckle Aftermath set, for instance. There are other reasons you might not consider vintage-accurate pickups for heavier tones. Often they’re not waxpotted (because they didn’t do that back in the ‘50s), which means they could feed back in an undesirable way at high volume – and lower output pickups usually don’t have as much low end as hotter ones. Yet, this plays into exactly the reason I like using them for heavier tones. For starters this means your sound is very detailed from the beginning, which means that once you ladle on the high gain you’ll maintain plenty of note attack and harmonic richness. The sound of true 50s-style humbuckers has a lot more in common with a single coil than you’d expect, often with a similar attack and sustain profile but minus the ‘zingy’ string noise. Often they’re a little more rounded in the treble and a bit more vocal and ‘honky’ in the midrange, which gives them exceptional cut amidst a thrashing drum kit, as well as giving you a great ‘wall-of-sound’ tone when you multi-track a wall of guitar parts. Sometimes it can be pretty confronting to play with such a

raw, low-powered sound without accompaniment, but once you lay a tone like this into a track it usually opens right up and you benefit from the detail and punch. Another great way of getting heavy, grinding tones is to turn down the preamp gain and turn up the power amp to the point where your tubes start to get angry with you. Listen to George Lynch’s rhythm tones, or Nuno Bettencourt on Waiting For The Punchline, or anything by AC/DC, to hear the difference when the distortion is being generated at the power amp instead of a bunch of fizziness applied at the preamp side. A cool thing about this method is that you can get these tones at lower volumes by using lower-powered amps. If preamp gain is such a huge part of your sound, you can always dirty things up from that end once you’ve hit the sweet spot on the master volume where all the harmonics and punch start to happen. Another fun trick is to cascade a number of lower-gain sound sources to create a higher-gain sound. For instance, I have an MXR+CAE Boost/OD pedals, which sounds great when you really crank the gain on the pedal, but even better when you use it with the gain, volume and tone controls only just barely past 1, then kick on the boost function and use it to drive the input on an overdriven amp. It leads to an almost synth-like, fat, sustaining tone that I’ve never been able to attain any other way. Of course it all comes down to personal preference and what’s appropriate to the song, and I’m not shy about piling on the distortion when the situation calls for it. Think of that great moment in Alice In Chains’ ‘Them Bones’ where Cantrell has been using a big wall-of-gain guitar sound for the rhythms, then the solo kicks in with even more outrageous distortion. BY PETER HODGSON

PG.32 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

ON THE DOWNLOW

Sneaky Major And Minor Chords

A while ago I was messing around with a particular guitar concept before I realised “Whoa… this translates really nicely to bass.” It’s an idea that gives the bass more control over the harmonic content of the song, and lets the guitar explore a more textural role (I guess in part it arose out of me going through a bit of an 80s goth-alternative phase …lots of The Cure and Siouxie Sioux). It’s pretty simple: usually chords on bass sound pretty gnarly, and not in a cool ironic late 80s throwback use of the term ‘gnarly.’ More like ‘Whoa that’s a lot of low frequencies competing for space in my earholes and I need to be somewhere else right now.’ But that’s only if you try to play notes that are super close together. If you put some space between your root note and the notes you put on top of it, you can conjure up some pretty interesting harmonic neighbourhoods for the rest of the band to populate. So the idea is simply to balance a low note against a higher one that defines some kind of harmonic certainty.

The notes are exactly the same but you’ll notice that the texture is totally different: if you’re playing these higher notes lower on the neck they’ll have more punch, but if you move them higher then they fill out the bottom end a little more without overwhelming the arrangement.

The most obvious (and often most useful) are the simple major and minor chords. Now typically you’ll construct these chords out of the root, the third and the fifth of the major or minor scale. But in this case we’re going to omit the fifth, jump the third up an octave so it’s not clashing with the root note, and see what happens. Ready?

BY PETER HODGSON

You can also try this idea with other chord types of course, and even if you’re not into music theory you can take the basic idea and shift it around until you find something that sounds cool. It’s especially fun to create little mini melodies with the higher note while keeping the root note constant.

In Figure 1 we have a simple chord progression using E Major and A Major chords. It sounds overly clouded and muddled. But if we strip out the fifth and the octave, and just run with the major third (actually it’s a 10th because it’s an octave above the third), you get Figure 2. It has much more of a Placebo kind of vibe, don’t you think? Of course that might be a bit too ‘boppy’ thanks to the major chords, so if we were to substitute minor instead, you get Figure 3 and Figure 4. In this particular case we can also experiment with playing the same notes on different strings for a different texture. Figures 5 and 6 are different ways to approach the Major and Minor versions.

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C O L U M N S

BANGING THE TUBS

WHAT’S THAT SOUND?

6-Stroke Roll | Another Application A > 3 > 3 > 3 > 3 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ R

B 3 > 3 > 3 > 3 > 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™

C 3 > > 3 3 > > 3 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ ™ ™ / 4 R L L R R L R L L R R L

RLLRRLR

D 6 6 6 6 > >> >> >> > 4 ™ ™ / 4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ R L L R R L R L L R R L R L L R R L R L L R R L

E > 6 > > >6 >6> > 6 > 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ RLLRRLR

StudioLogic - So Many Keyboards in One

F> 6 > >6> > 6 > > >6 œ œ œ 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ œœœœ œ œ œ œ ™™

RLLRRL

RLLRRLR

RLLRRL

G > 6> > 6> > 6 > > 6> > 6 > > 6> > 6 > > 6> œ œ œ œ œ 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ R L L R R L R

R L L R R L R

R L L R R L

H > > >> >> 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ R L L R R L R

R L L R R L R

R L L

I> >> >> > œ œ 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™

R L L R R L R

> > > > > > > > > J> œ œ œ œ œ œ 4 / ™™4 œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™ R

I’ve written about the 6-stroke roll before. I play it in triplets as a rule and I’m not ashamed to admit that I stole it; in it’s basic application from the great Steve Gadd. Here’s an idea to take a great lick a step further.

Steve Gadd

In the Up Close video/book/interview, Steve Gadd basically conveyed that the 6-stroke rudiment rolled off the hands well. I couldn’t agree more, and it’s for this reason that I use the 6-stroke roll so much. There’s a simplicity about it that makes it easier to speed up; get around the drums and it doesn’t involve any feet. Just to spice things up a bit, I’m going to add a double stroke on the bass drum to see what might happen. The result is another whole set of possible applications to tinker with. Crucially though, the core of the lick is still the same 6-stroke from before – but the bass drum shifts things somewhat.

Triplets

To get the background down, Figures A and B show the two primary stickings that make up the 6-stroke roll [RLL RRL]. If you’re new to this lick, it’s advised to practice these two figures slowly and accurately first. Ensure that you are playing a nice accent where indicated, and very soft ghost notes (soft) on the non-accents. It’s absolutely crucial that this concept is accurate. Figure C shows how the two primary stickings join to make the roll. The most useful subdivision for applying the lick in a musical situation is to use 16th note triplets as opposed to 8th note triplets. Or, just think double time (Figure D). This is where you get a nice flow happening as the right hand accent is on the down beats – making it easy to count and easy to feel. Whist not notated today – apply this roll on the drums by putting the right hand accent on the floor tom and the left hand accent on the rack tom.

Combination Using The Bass Drum

Figure E shows a 9-stroke sticking that uses a combination of a 6-stroke roll, followed by a right hand accent and a double stroke on the bass drum (RFF). This shifts the start of the next sticking by three notes and breaks up the flow. However, it makes a phrase that crosses the beat and incorporates another sound. As mentioned previously, add the accents to toms for a bigger sound (Figure F). Get the placement right and it sounds a lot more complicated than it appears on

paper. Figure G shows the new 9-stroke sticking played continuously over two bars. This only accentuates the cross beat/cross bar phrase. It is handy to know that the phrase returns to starting on the beat after the span of three crotchets each time. This could aid you when learning to play the phrase. As before, the accents can move to the toms.

Different Subdivisions

Taking things a step further, we take what we now know and shift the fundamental subdivision. This is something I do quite a bit. The reason for this is actually a simple one – I like to be able to use what I can already do but in a few different ways to maximise it’s mileage. So, if you examine Figure H, you can see the now hybrid 9-stroke sticking played in 16th notes in 4/4 timing. As before, the phrase crosses the beat and is interrupted by the end of the bar. Figure I simply shows the sticking with the accents on the toms. If you want to be able to make the most of this subdivision, the suggestion is to practice it as two bars of 16th notes first and then rock out on some 32nd notes (Figure J). These are just played in double time 16ths if you want to feel it that way, but don’t forget, at most medium tempos, 32nd notes are really fast so the flow of the phrase will take a little time to get feeling right. At least this way you can have a number of applications for different subdivisions, and if you practice this lick/phrase in context – like with a groove and the lick played as a fill for example – you’ll be more inclined to use this on a gig. Additionally, just think of the scope of this. Put the bass drums at the start of the phrase to get another perspective or just reverse the sticking etc. Another awesome application is to put the right hand accents on the ride cymbal with a bass drum and the left hand on the crash with a bass drum. Sounds very cool. Take your time and have fun. Don’t forget the solid technique of good accents and ghost notes! It’ll make all the difference. BY ADRIAN VIOLI

PG.34 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

Many of you may well be asking “Who is Studio Logic?” Well, for those that aren’t aware, this is Italian key bed manufacturer Fatar, who have created the keyboard action for all manner of synthesizer manufacturers for many years. Those of you using a Nord, Arturia, Korg or a number of other controller and synthesizer units are probably using a Fatar key bed. But, as well as supplying the key bed action to many synth and MIDI controller manufacturers, they have also had a very successful selection of controller keyboards available for some time, and are now making a real scene with their synthesizers and stage pianos of their own. So, although many of you may not be unfamiliar with StudioLogic in one sense, you may have never actually had one of their Italian made synthesizers to try. This is where you might want to look into the Sledge. A keyboard that is as confronting as the name, with a sound to match. Anyone who has seen one of these units will have noticed the keyboard is yellow. Really yellow. So much that you just can’t look away in an eerie fashion, it just draws you towards itself. Although, I would argue that it is more of a tangelo colour when you see the actual unit, which is neither here nor there. But, if you want to stand out, the Sledge is certainly going to help you do just that. Beyond the wild looks, it is a well thought out unit with a large format that makes it very workable. The full sized keys will be a blessing to all those who like a real keyboard, and the Fatar key bed is great under the fingers. It all looks like a great first step for StudioLogic in the world of modern synthesizers. There are some teething problems: there’s a loud pop when you fire it up, as well as notes that ride out extremely long decays and reverb even when you have moved on to the next patch. I have come across a few of these units: the first was a prototype that then saw some well thought revisions by the time I got another look at it. The hung notes were all sorted, but you still need to ensure your speakers are turned down before turning the unit on or off. But, these are all part of the development of the beast and new firmware updates continue to improve this synth. If an audible ‘pop’ on ignition is your biggest concern, you need to get out more, because there is a lot more going on here than just a couple of negatives.

A German in Italian clothing

I will make no secret of the fact that I am a massive fan of German synth manufacturers Waldorf. They have created some absolute beasts over the years and have a very definitively German sound that is a techno wonderland of tone. I have owned a number of these and rank them up there with some of my favourites alongside the British and Japanese contingents in my collection. So, I was delighted to see that the Sledge houses an engine designed by Waldorf to bring

together the Italian Fatar key bed and German engine, and what a combination they create. I was simply stuck scrolling through pre-set sounds for a couple of hours before I even had a chance to get really involved in the Wavetable options, three oscillators and super-fast filter envelopes. If you were a fan of the Wave series of synths by Waldorf, this is going to get you excited. Oscillator 1 has a wavetable generator that totally twists the sound you can derive from this monster. Beyond this, the engine is built around a classic subtractive synthesis design and incorporates a series of effects that really give added life to the already pumping sounds. This is a techno monster, but it is so much more than just that. It will adapt to create sounds for so many uses and with the new addition of being able to upload Korg sounds with the included editing software, there is even more added flexibility. For a company that has been around in this game for so long, it is surprising that we haven’t really seen a synthesizer of this calibre from them already, but it has really been worth the wait. Although, technically this isn’t really a StudioLogic synth (in that it is just another Waldorf with a Fatar key bed), it is branded StudioLogic and will continue under that guise for future models. You can’t really blame them either? If I was building a new synthesizer and Waldorf were prepared to offer me an engine for it, I’d have to accept the offer in a flash. What StudioLogic have delivered with this product is possibly the most solid introduction to the synth market from any manufacturer to date. It looks wild, it sounds wild and it is built really well at a price that is very much under what you would expect to pay for an engine like this. This is one to keep your eyes, and ears, out for. BY ROB GEE

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9/22/2015 3:42:54 PM

C O L U M N S

[D]IGITAL [J]OCKEY Flight Deck

There have been a number of things happening in the DJ world, with new products coming out and being announced recently. In fact, it seems there is always some hot new release in the press just about every week, but some that may have flown under the radar recently are definitely worth looking into. Products from Novation, SuperStereo and Native Instruments are all set to get users excited, and change the way in which many of us go about our mixing solutions from here on out. Whether you are a DJ that mixers in the more classic method with two decks and an analogue mixer in between, or if you are more looking to control both your DJ and production software from your computer, there is something that will get you interested in the coming months.

Let’s take a step back

Possibly the most exciting new product to be announced recently, at least in my opinion, is the new DN78 Rotary Mixer from little known British company SuperStereo. What this offers is a classic two channel DJ mixer with a little bit of warmth in the heart of the unit. The classic styling looks great, but inside it gets even better with a valve stage to the pre-amplification giving this mixer a warmer tone than most other units on the market. This is not your modern mixer loaded up with effects and computer control. No, it is more of a salute to DJ mixers on the past, especially those used in the old house music scene when rotary controls were so common. This method of mixing does away with faders and replaces all controls with rotary pots that introduce a very organic feel to your mix. Now, not for the faint hearted, these mixers are pretty pricey and are only available on special order. But for those of you who appreciate special things, this might set your mixing apart from all the common traits of every other system available today.

Jumping forward

This month saw the release of a new control surface from Native Instrument this being the next and most logical step forward in the Traktor Kontrol family of products. The Traktor Kontrol S5 is set to get a lot of people excited as it takes two already popular products and brings them together in a clever design. Essentially, this is a blend of the D2 and the S4. If you do the math, it works something 2 like this: (S4)+(D2) =S5. But, maths was not my strong point back at school; I preferred to get hands on. So, what this all means is that Native Instruments has taken their new D2 unit that is based on using Stems audio and slid a pair of them into a housing that greatly resembles

the framework of the S4. Do away with the jog-wheels of the S4 and introduce the full colour screens and multi-layered audio of the D2 and you have a pretty powerful system. This should be another leap forward in the DJ market for NI.

Padding it out

Novation haven’t offered us much in the way of new DJ solutions recently simply for the fact that they haven’t needed to. With products in the LaunchKey and LaunchPad range being so popular, they haven’t needed an upgrade in some time. But that said, we now have one in the LaunchPad Pro. Following up on the undoubtable success of the original LaunchPad and LaunchPadS, this unit brings in even more control and interaction with Ableton software. The 64-button grid remains, with full colour coding on the pads to match up with colours being used in your software, making it easier to focus more on the LaunchPad and less on the screen. There are now 32 function buttons around the grid giving you even more control over the software and external hardware you may want to regulate from this device. For those of you unfamiliar with this style of controller for Ableton software, you need to get a look at this unit before you go any further with your production and especially performance with Ableton. This device makes navigating through features, functions and sounds so fluent, you will find yourself ignoring the computer screen a lot of the time. This is a big advancement form the original LaunchPad, and will result in a lot of existing users making the upgrade, I am sure. These have been available for a while now, so get onto the next generation of LaunchPad now, don’t wait any longer. BY ROB GEE

PG.36 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

HOME STUDIO HINTS Keeping the Noise Down

Following on from last month’s cable discussion, I thought I’d go over possibly the most important factor in studio cabling this month and look at what can be done in the home studio to tackle certain issues. I am talking about the use of unbalanced cables and the noise they can introduce into your recording when used incorrectly. So many people I come across don’t even consider this factor when putting together the cables for use in their home studio, and then find themselves looking for a solution to a ‘ground’ or ‘noise’ issue later on. The simple fact remains that your signal is always only as strong as your weakest link, and so often, that weakest link is in one of the cables that you decided to save a few dollars on.

Getting it right from the start

It always amazes me how musicians can spend exorbitant amounts of money on their equipment, and then when it comes to the cable to join it all up, they suddenly decide that they can’t spend any more. Why would you take a two thousand dollar amp and a four thousand dollar guitar and then think that spending twenty dollars on a cable to link the two is going to be just fine? There are more expensive cables available and they come at a price for a very good reason: they offer a better quality. But, so many musicians think this doesn’t matter and then destroy their tone with a cheap cable. The same goes for your studio gear. If you are going to invest so much of your hard earned money on a top-notch computer and outboard gear to make your recording all that it can be, why would you want to let it down with ratty cabling in between the equipment. I am not just talking about your microphone or instrument cables, but your IEC power cables and USB cables too. We all know that you can get these sorts of cables for a dollar or two each and they are just fine. Well no, they aren’t ‘just fine’. There is a reason why there are expensive power cables available and that is that some people care about quality power being supplied to their quality equipment, and so should you.

Respect your gear

If you value your studio setup, you should respect it enough to join it all up with the right cables. Whenever possible, you should be using balanced cables for all connections as a basic rule. This is a basic rule that is often overlooked though. Why should you use a balanced TRS when a guitar cable will do the job? Why? Because it doesn’t really do the job you want it to. The problem with unbalanced instrument cables is that they are susceptible to interference, especially in longer lengths and when running across power cables. This cannot be avoided when using unbalanced instruments like guitars, but can be controlled at least by using shorter cables, keeping them clear of power sources and getting them into a balanced signal path as soon as possible.

You can often tell when an unbalanced cable is not behaving itself in your setup when you hear a high-pitch squealing coming through your speakers. This is generally the result of interference from a power source, most often your computer and can be directly attributed to one or many of the unbalanced cables you are using. If you pull the power supply out of your laptop, if using one, and run on batteries, you will often find that this instantly kills the problem as the power source has been removed. But, you can’t run on batteries forever and this is just a Band-Aid solution to a much greater problem. This should be used more for diagnosis rather than treatment. To treat this problem you need to go back to the source and consider that time you decided to save a few dollars by buying unbalanced cables for you monitor speakers. That is more likely going to be the problem. Investing in quality balanced cabling for as much of your signal path as possible is the best way to fight against studio noise at the beginning. This will help you eradicate other problems before they even develop, and will allow you to focus on the real cause of other noise elements in you setup as they arrive. After all, every time you have some issue with noise in you recording, you don’t want to have to test every cable by replacing them one at a time. You should be confident with your signal path to begin with and know that good quality cables will not only save you from unwanted noise, but deliver a louder signal with greater frequency range too. Yes, you will hear more with quality cables. I know a lot of you think a cable is just a cable and they all sound the same. But they do not. You get what you pay for in your cable runs and when you have a lot of cheap cables all combined, you really get very little for your money. So please think about how you go about lining all your gear together. Whether it is your interface and some outboard gear, or your guitar, amp and pedal board, think about all the cables you are using and get them right to begin with. BY ROB GEE

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C O L U M N S

- FAQS Point to Point v’s PCBs in Tube Amps We often hear of the pros and cons of constructing tube amps with either Pointto-Point (P2P) wiring techniques (Tag or Turret boards) or with printed circuit boards (PCBs). So, which is better? Does P2P make a superior sounding tube amp? What if we constructed two amplifiers with the same schematic and same tubes, speakers, and other components, but one using P2P and the other using a PCB? Would they sound different? To be honest, I don’t think there would be much difference. So why use P2P if there is no significant advantage in sound? Well, we are dealing with tubes that are, let’s face it, outdated, inefficient, oversized and power hungry, and require an external power source just to turn them on! But, they just happen to sound fantastic, and they look good too - so, we keep using them. Tubes need to be plugged into sockets mounted onto a chassis along with usually three, rather large transformers, some pots, sockets, and switches. Components like resistors, capacitors, diodes etc. can be mounted on simple tag board as used in earlier amplifiers and boutique amps today. Compared to solid-state amplifiers that have a much higher component count, constructing them on tag boards would be too laborious and costly so a PCB would be a better choice.

with

THE AMP DOCTOR -

P2P is a very reliable construction method, and also figuring out the schematic for repair is a lot easier because the circuit is pretty much laid out in front of you. However, in construction, each component has to be individually placed on the board and hand soldered which is time-consuming. One disadvantage of some P2P tube amps’ designs is from an electrical point. You have a circuit (wires, components, etc.) that runs back and forth all over the chassis. Therefore, careful wiring and placement of components is critical. Having many stages like this can pick up hum and noise and could also be prone to selfoscillating if correct wiring techniques are not used. Therefore, PCB designs have an advantage over this type of P2P construction due to the circuitry being located in a smaller area. The tighter construction of a PCB decreases the need to run wires all over the chassis, therefore, keeping all connection to and from the tube and other comps as short as possible. The result is a circuit that sounds great with low noise and is very stable and not prone to oscillation. I use PCBs when constructing complex multi-stage and multi-channel amplifiers that have a greatly increased component count, and for simpler amps I use P2P turret boards. We often hear of the unreliability of PCB

designs, and this is true only to a certain extent. Single-sided PCBs, (tracks on one side only) that are wave soldered are the worst offenders. It is common for the wave soldering machine to skimp on the amount of solder required for larger components, and over time these solder joints break and the amp fails due to the lost connection between that component. Double-sided PCBs have tracks on both sides of the board that connects from side to side with plating through the holes where the component leg is inserted. Because of this, when soldered correctly over the same wave-soldering machine the PCB will have very reliable solder joints. One of the main reasons manufacturers

started to use PCBs was to build a more cost effective product because PCBs by and large are much easier to assemble. However, as part of the cost-saving measures, the qualities of the other components in the amplifiers were compromised. This cost saving measure resulted in an overall lack of quality compared to the earlier style amps where the emphasis was more about tone than cost, and many of them also happen to be P2P wired. BY DR SHERLOCK

5.1 Surround Sound from 2 channel sound capture

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MIXDOWN #258// OCTOBER 2015 // PG.37

S P E C I A L

F E A T U R E

Taylor Tone Woods

The role of wood selection in guitar building can’t be underestimated. They are central to the guitars performance. Not only is a single wood capable of manipulating a sound, but a combination of woods brings on an entirely new aural experience, different altogether from a build that might share the same back or sides. Further to that, the manner in which the guitar is built, and the way the woods have been treated give further articulation to the final voice. In this issue of Mixdown we caught up with Taylor Guitars to delve into the importance of tone wood, and some of the differences you can expect to find from different varieties. The guitar’s top plays an important role in the sound, acting like a speaker’s driver, whereas the back and sides help fill in and flavour the sound.

BACK AND SIDES INDIAN ROSEWOOD This is found in the 700, 800 and 900 Series of Taylor Guitars. It’s popular for the sheer breadth of sounds that it’s capable of producing. Indian Rosewood is commonplace for those who enjoy a fully voiced acoustic, and those who vary their playing style. TROPICAL MAHOGANY Found in the Taylor’s 500 Series, Mahogany is known for

producing a hefty midrange. A less cluttered sound that’s suited to rootsier music. MAPLE Maple is the wood that you’ll find in the 600 Series. The strength of maple is its brightness and its presence, as well as faster note decay. Recent Taylor maple models have been revoiced to gain further clarity and complexity, giving the player more versatility and a sound that harnesses the strength of the wood’s natural sound. HAWAIIAN KOA Koa is a fairly dense tropical hardwood. In many respects it can be closely aligned with mahogany, in that it’s voiced predominantly in the midrange.

However, Koa is not Mahogany, and while the tonal differences might be subtle, they aren’t absent. You’ll find a little extra top end brightness with koa, something a little sweeter. COCOBOLO You’ll find this in the Presentation Series. Native to Mexico, it’s dense and stiff, and it will also give you a brighter voice than its Indian cousin. It’s a very responsive wood with exceptional clarity. SAPELE Used in the 300 Series, it’s one of the more balanced and even woods used by Taylor. It’s another dynamic wood, perfect for use across a number of different genres and with a number of

different playing styles. OVANGKOL You’ll find this in the 400 Series. It’s found in Africa, and it’s another strong and diverse wood. Ovangkol closely resembles rosewood in many respects. It’s capable of issuing well rounded lows and highs while retaining a full midrange. It won’t bellow quite as much as much as your rosewoods, but it will get the job done as an every-mans guitar.

TOPS SITKA SPRUCE You’ll see this on most Taylor models. It sits in the middle on the hardness spectrum, making it perfect for pronouncing differences in playing styles, and giving an honest representation of the playing dynamic.

suit heavy players that demand a powerful sound from their instrument. It’s best used with a light touch, cedar is actually louder than spruce. That said, those who like to test the limits and push an acoustic beyond it’s natural tonal spectrum might like the crudeness of a cedar at full throttle. HARDWOOD This is found in the Koa Series, 500 Series and Mahogany-top 300 Series. A hardwood-top guitar will preference strength and clarity. The essence of the playing is pushed, as opposed to accentuating gentler nuances as a softer wood might.

WESTERN RED CEDAR This is found on the 512/514 steel- & nylon-string models. It’s less dense than spruce and hence produces a softer and warmer sound. This isn’t going to Left to Right: Taylor 814ceLTD Taylor 314ceLTD Taylor 816ce

PG.38 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

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ROAD TESTS

Taylor 414CE Acoustic Guitar Music Link Australia | (03) 8696 4600 | www.musiclink.com.au | RRP: $3299

If you’ve never had the pleasure of playing a Taylor guitar and particularly if you’re an electric player who’s never gotten along with acoustics - you’re missing out on something special. Bob Taylor and co have a knack for crafting guitars that use a balance of modern and traditional practices to create an instrument that feels slick, reliable and resilient, but without the coldness that such adjectives might suggest.

AIN’T IT GRAND

The 414ce uses Taylor’s Grand Auditorium shape - the company’s most popular outline. The back and sides are made of Ovangkol, and the top is Sitka Spruce. The neck and heel are made of Tropical Mahogany (I’ve been to Taylor’s factory a few times and have seen the

fanatical level of attention they pay to selecting their timbers), and the fretboard is Ebony. The 20 frets are finished perfectly, with smooth edges and even smoother crowns. The position markers are simple, refined mini dots and a Venetian cutaway gives you easy access to the higher frets.

Amplification is handled by Taylor’s Expression System 2 acoustic electronics, which incorporates a proprietary behind-the-saddle pickup with three uniquely positioned and individually calibrated pickup sensors. This is combined with Taylor’s custom-designed professional audio grade preamp, with controls for volume, treble and bass. It’s a reactive system: turn the bass and treble up and the midrange will automatically scoop, or you can boost the midrange when you turn the bass and treble down and increase the volume.

also makes it great for fingerstyle players because there’s a consistency from string to string, which ensures that notes don’t jump out at you from within a chord unless your picking choices force them to. It’s also great for single note lines or strumming heavily with a pick. The neck is very comfortable too, whether you’re a seasoned acoustic guitarist or someone who usually plays electric. Even the notoriously painful first-position F chord with the annoying barre at the first fret is no bother with this neck thanks to the height of the carefully hand-shaped nut.

ALL ABOUT THAT MIDRANGE

EVEN STEVENS

The 414ce has a well-defined midrange, which keeps the tone clear and balanced - it sounds like the same guitar whether you’re playing open chords or way up higher on the neck. This

This is a very expressive instrument that uses careful wood selection, clever design and flawless construction methods to present you with a

rich, controllable, palette from which to paint your musical colours. BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • • • • • •

Shape - Grand Auditorium Back/Side - Ovangkol Top - Sitka Spruce Neck - Tropical Mahogany Fretboard - Ebony Headstock Overlay - Indian Rosewood • Tuners - Taylor Nickel • Number of Frets - 20

HITS • Comfortable neck • Even tones • Great upper fret access

MISSES • Some players might wish it had a tuner

Bitwig Bitwig Studio Innovative Music | (03) 9540 0658 | www.innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $499

First debuting in 2012, Bitwig Studio has slowly been gaining a cult following on the DAW market, primarily taking aim at electronic musicians as an Ableton Live alternative - in fact, the software was in part designed by ex-Ableton software engineers. Booting up Bitwig Studio, it’s immediately apparent there’s a lot of similarities in the two platforms: there is a browser, clip launcher view (called mix view) and arrangement view with each track’s instruments/effects running along the bottom. Being a synth nerd, straight off the bat I navigated to the Poly Synth instrument and dropped it in my project to see what I was dealing with. Turns out it’s a very clear and easy to use synth. The wave shaping knobs can result in some wild sounds and the resonant filters are suitably dangerous. As a synth that comes standard, it’s an excellent and useful inclusion. Throwing on some effects, I found the reverb super usable and very easy to tweak, the chorus nice and thick and the delays exceptional - getting a convincing warbly detuned tape style delay took no time at all. Controls across the board are all very intuitive - creating classic, sought after sounds is absolutely possible with the included instruments and effects.

EDIT VIEW

Something unique to Bitwig Studio, once you have a loop recorded there is an entire extra view dedicated to editing that loop. You can chop it up, pitch a segment, pan a segment, reverse a segment, change the tempo of a segment - things can get pretty wild. Bitwig Studio makes all this fit easily, being completely contained in the existing audio loop. If that’s not enough, Bitwig Studio also supports ‘layered editing,’ a mode in which you can edit multiple loops at once, with waveforms stacked and aligned, enabling you to really fine tune how each clip interacts in a mix.

drum machine as there’s no tab in preferences for MIDI sync. After some searching I found you need to manually add a ‘generic MIDI clock transmitter’ in the controllers tab. Seems to me that could have just been a box to tick somewhere, but once I found it I had no trouble getting some beats going. Sending midi notes out to one of my hardware synths via USB MIDI proved straight forward, selecting Hardware Instrument from the Routers section of the browser.

BITWIG + HARDWARE

SO HOW DOES IT STACK UP?

I was initially confused setting up Bitwig with my Roland TR-8

PG.40 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

Newcomers to the software market have their work cut out

for them. However, Bitwig Studio is a truly powerful and tempting alternative. Excellent sounds and a very flexible interface (that keeps music making fun) are huge assets, and with a strong online community, scripts are frequently popping up that enable Ableton Live controllers to be used in a similar manner in Bitwig Studio. I would certainly advise anyone looking for an inspiring DAW to download the free, unrestricted (except no save/export) demo and give it a go.

HITS

BY MICHAEL CUSACK

• Slightly fiddly MIDI set-up

• • • • •

Excellent inbuilt sounds Loop edit screen Stable midi sync Flexible interface Didn’t crash once

MISSES

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ROAD TESTS

Bogner Helios Guitar Amplifier Heads EGM Distribution | (03) 9817 7222 | www.egm.net.au | Contact For Pricing

Reinhold Bogner made a name for himself as an amp tech guru long before he owned his own amplifier company. One of his most high profile jobs was to carry out extensive restoration work on Eddie Van Halen’s famous 100 watt Marshall Super Lead. In three decades of modding, archiving and designing amps, Bogner has stored up a treasure trove of notes on the amps of clients such as Eddie, Steve Stevens, Jerry Cantrell, George Lynch, Michael Landau and more. So in celebration of Bogner Amplification’s 25th year, Reinhold and co dipped into these notes to find inspiration for Helios.

CRUNCH LAB

This beast is a two-channel EL34powered head available in 50 and 100 watt versions. There are two inputs (Plexi and Hot), with a Pre EQ switch for Plexi Bright, Normal and Bright modes. From there the signal goes into either Channel 1, which has a volume control and a 3-way Bright switch, or Channel 2 which has gain, bass, middle, treble and volume. Then there’s a 70/80 voicing switch (ie: 70s or 80s tones), an EQ bypass for sending the pure tone straight to the power amp, and a common Presence control. On the back you’ll find a Bottom control with a Punch switch for extended low end response, a tube buffered series effects loop with return level control, and if you’ve got the 100 watt version you’ll see a JMP-100W or JTM-30W mode switch, while the 50 watt model

has a Variac mode for lowering the amount of power reaching the amp in the first place. You can use a foot switch to select channels and toggle the effects loop. The Plexi input is designed to give you traditional Plexi-style gain on Channel 2 and a clear clean tone on Channel 1. The Hot input adds a gain stage for more fire on Channel 2 and the ability to go from clean to Plexi-style crunch on Channel 1. This effectively gives you four channels to work with, although there’s no way to switch between the inputs - at least without using an A/B box between your guitar and the amp.

FIRST RAYS OF THE NEW RISING SUN

Channel 1 varies from a Vox-ish midrange fullness to a sharp

twangy jab on the Plexi input to a chunky hard rock crunch on the Hot input. For the latter, think George Lynch’s ‘oh that’s not actually that dirty’ rhythm tones. It cleans up nicely from the volume control of the guitar too, and you won’t find yourself missing a full range of EQ controls for this channel. As for the dirty channel, it’s pretty much impossible to make it sound bad. A big part of this is the sheer scope and interactivity of the tone stack: small changes in setting result in big differences in tone. The 70 mode is dynamic and punchy, while the 80 mode piles on the gain and compression for a big modern distortion sound that’s adaptable for everything up to thrash metal, especially when you use the Hot input for maximum gain. There’s a really rich midrange quality that beefs up the harmonic girth of rhythm and melody lines alike. The tone bypass mode is super loud and punchy, great for blues-rock or if your band is called AC/DC.

ROCK CANDY

This is a seriously great-sounding amp, with the sprit of a heavily modded Marshall but with the

individuality to help you find your own tone. The various mini switches and inputs give you a surprisingly high level of control over the tone, and the construction quality is flawless. If you play any genre that can have the word ‘rock’ or the word ‘heavy’ attached to it, this amp is for you. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • 2 channels + 2 inputs = 4 channels of awesome • Great raw EQ bypass tone • Incredible build quality

MISSES • No reverb, but that’s what effects loops are for

AKAI MIDImix USB MIDI Controller Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au | RRP: $149

SPECS

I have been buying, using and abusing MIDI controllers for twenty years now and I continue to see new variations on an old theme popping up each year. There is always room for innovation and invention, but when something works, there is no need to radically challenge a design, but instead a small adjustment is often the better course of action. That is what Akai have proven to be the case with their new MIDIMIX USB MIDI control surface. What this offers is a number of design concepts in one compact unit that will allow you to work in a variety of ways with your software applications.

TWO UNITS IN ONE

There’s a couple of ways of looking at this device and it is hard to see it one-way when your mind is focussed on the other. What struck me when I first took it from the packaging is that it reminded me of two older devices I used to have, but simply joined together, and with a few more features. That’s how I took it and that’s what I saw first up. So, what came to my mind was a bank of faders that could be used for any application, but most likely to replace the faders in your software mixer. I then saw a bank of 24 pots that could be assigned to do whatever you wished. Like two separate units, I instantly came up with a number of ways of working

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with them as a combined controller with certain software applications. But then it dawned on me, as I noticed the last fader was designated as a master (and had no pots above it), the layout was actually meant to be used in a different manner to how I had perceived it. Rather than a fader controller and a rotary controller joined together, this is really a mixer device, one complete unit. Three pots sit above each of the faders with Mute and Record Arm button between each. What I have here is a mixing controller that suggested a different way of working in my head.

QUICK AND SIMPLE

No matter how you perceive this device and how you choose to

• • • •

• • •

•

integrate it with your software, it is an easy process. Powered by USB and with a quick install, you can easily Automap it to a range of software, although I always prefer to map out my controllers to suit my specific needs, this still didn’t take long. Once up and running, the MIDIMIX gave me excellent control options over the software. I didn’t gel with the pots that well as their tapered design and smooth finish makes it tough to get decent, continuous control, but other

than that, there isn’t much to complain about. It’s lightweight, compact and offers plenty of control for the space it requires. BY ROB GEE

•

Type: MIDI Mixer Faders: 9 x 30mm Number of Knobs: 24 Pads: 8 x Mute (Assignable), 1 x Solo (Assignable), 8 x Record (Assignable), 2 x Bank (Assignable) Computer Connectivity: USB MIDI I/O: USB Hardware Requirements – Mac: 1.25GHz G4/G5 or faster (Intel Mac recommended); 1GB RAM (2GB recommended) Hardware Requirements – PC: 1.5GHz Pentium 4 Celeroncompatible CPU or faster (multicore CPU recommended); 1GB RAM (2GB recommended) OS Requirements – Mac: OS X 10.4.11 or later OS Requirements – PC: Windows XP or later

HITS • Plenty of knobs, buttons and faders • Easy setup and mapping • Bundled with Ableton Live Lite software

MISSES • Flimsy build • Knobs aren’t great in the fingertips

MIXDOWN #258// OCTOBER 2015 // PG.41

ROAD TESTS

Diamond Hailfire SM 15 Bass Guitar Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $1999

It’s always a good day when a Diamond guitar visits for review, but this is the first Diamond bass to drift into my claws. The Hailfire SM 15 Bass is very similar in looks to the guitar version of the Hailfire we reviewed a little while ago (maybe you’re in a Diamond-playing ZZ Top tribute band and you want your guitar and bass to look the same?) but with all sorts of bassy touches.

PRETTY BUT TOUGH

The body is made of Spalted Mahogany either side of a fivepiece Maple/Walnut neck-thru center block/neck. There’s a 22-fret Rosewood fingerboard adorned with block inlays, an aggressively-styled two-a-side headstock with deluxe tuners, and a comfortable body bevel below the raised center block which recalls a Gibson Firebird or Thunderbird without copying. The bridge is a Diamond custom solid-mount system, which

prevents lateral movement of the saddles, allowing for extra tuning stability. The electronics include a pair of Seymour Duncan SSB-4 passive soapbar pickups along with an active preamp with volume, balance and stacked high/low EQ controls powered by a 9v battery in a compartment in the back. The pickups have ceramic magnets and a relatively scooped tone profile, designed to give you plenty of punch and an organic feel.

SPECS GIMME FUEL, GIMME FIRE

First up, this bass is crazy comfortable. The balance is just right whether you’re playing seated or standing, and the neck just fits right in your hand. It’s great for really laying into a repetitive, static bass part (which can be ironically difficult and painful on some basses), but it’s also slick enough to let you get more adventurous with soloing or more progressive bass parts. As for the tone, it’s full-bodied, yet not cluttered in the midrange. You can further enhance this effect by boosting the highs or lows at the concentric pot. The bridge pickup has a good amount of attack and detail, and the neck pickup is fuller and darker but not in a muffled way. Balance them just right and you’ve got a

basic sound that’s ideal for clean tones in a blues context. Add a little more treble focus and you have the perfect foundation for a more edgy rock tone. Boost the bass and run into some overdrive and you’ve got a great metal tone.

ROCK + METAL = HAILFIRE

This is a comfortable, beautiful, great playing bass. The look might not be for everyone and it’s not exactly a slap-andpopper, but if you play rock or metal, or even blues or bluesrock, you’ll find plenty of great sounds and effortless playability in here. BY PETER HODGSON

• Construction/scale - Neck Thru/34” • Body - Spalted Maple / Mahogany • Neck - 5-pc Maple / Walnut • Fretboard - Rosewood • Frets - 22 • Inlays - Block • Pickups - Seymour Duncan SSB-4 Passive Phase II Soapbar Calibrated Neck/Bridge Set • Electronics - Vol/Bal/ Stacked Hi-Lo • Tuners - Deluxe • Hardware - Nickel

HITS • Very playable • Wide range of tones • Great fretwork

MISSES • None!

Fishman Pro-EQ Platinum Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $399

While a good deal of acoustic guitars come with inbuilt pickups and preamps, a great many do not. There are plenty of pre-electronic vintage instruments that I’m sure would appreciate the chance to strut their stuff on stage (perhaps in the presence of a bodyguard) from time to time. Whether you’re using a removable pickup, your guitar doesn’t have an active preamp, or the preamp it does have just plain sucks, the Fishman Pro EQ Platinum is designed to solve your tone woes. It also replaces the previous Pro EQ Platinum, which was not quite as feature-packed as this version, and with a totally different look. It’s been completely redesigned from the ground up, and it uses a discrete high-headroom Class A circuit for the highest fidelity and lowest distortion.

DOUBLE PLATINUM

This unit is bigger than the average stomp box, and it’s also cleverly designed to work well as a desktop unit for recording. There’s plenty of EQ control available: for starters a slider switch lets you select whether you want the tone stack optimised for guitar or bass. Then there are knobs for for Low Cut, Bass, Middle (with sweepable frequency), Treble and Brilliance, plus a Notch control for isolating and removing feedback-prone frequencies. There’s also a Phase switch for further feedback-fighting fun.

Up in the top right there’s a Compressor control for softening the attack of amplified acoustics. On one side of the unit you’ll find two tiny little pots: one is your input gain for getting the optimum level into the unit, and the other is a boost level which corresponds to a boost footswitch for kicking your volume up a notch. As for connections, there’s an XLR DI output with ground lift and pre/post switching for pro sound and recording purposes. There’s also an effects loop and a Tune mode (the big display in the center is the tuner).

PG.42 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

The tuner is also very easy to see, and the effects loop is a great addition for inserting ambient effects into your signal chain.

NEW AND IMPROVED

SMOOTH AND SILKY

What I particularly like about the ProEQ Platinum is that it does its job so well, that after a while you don’t even notice you’re using it. I’m normally annoyed by the quackiness of my acoustic’s piezo pickup, and the poorly chosen frequencies of its own three band graphic EQ. However, by setting my guitar’s EQ flat and using the ProEQ’s instead, I’ve instantly

upgraded my tone to be much more musical and, I’m relieved to say, free of a particularly earbothering upper midrange spike the guitar’s preamp possesses. The Compressor knob really takes the sting out of the piezo sound too, since so much of what sucks about many piezos is in the attack of the note - not its sustain. The attack of my acoustic became smoother and silkier but remained naturalistic.

The ProEQ’s real success is in taking whatever guitar you plug into it and making it sound better without fuss, while also giving you plenty of feedback-zapping and tone control options. It’s also very user-friendly: its larger footprint compared to its predecessor means the controls are easier to access. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Great redesign • Easily visible tuner display • Handy guitar/bass switch

MISSES • No level control for FX loop

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BLUETOOTH CONTROL

PURPOSEFUL DESIGN

FLEXIBLE BACK PANEL

M U LT I P U R P O S E S E L F - P O W E R E D S O U N D R E I N F O R C E M E N T

More than just another great JBL sound system, the new EON615 delivers the best sound possible, regardless of its application. Featuring JBL’s advanced waveguide technology, JBL designed and manufactured transducers, and convenient, wireless remote control of its on board DSP EQ parameters via Bluetooth. The total redesign of the EON platform leverages the latest technologies in cabinet materials, acoustic science, transducer design and user friendliness that delivers the quality of a high-end studio monitor in a fully professional, easy to use, portable system for today’s working musicians and sound providers.

TYPICAL EON615

Distributed by

REVOLUTIONARY WAVEGUIDES

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The EON615’s extraordinary performance results from a breakthrough approach to waveguide design for both high frequency and low frequency components. The result is consistent HF and LF response and high intelligibility throughout its entire 90 degree coverage pattern.

ROAD TESTS Magnatone Twilighter 112 Combo EGM Distribution | (03) 9817 7222 | www.egm.net.au | Contact For Pricing

First up, before we even look at the specs and consider the tone, this is one sexy amp. It has a definite late 40s/early 50s design aesthetic and would work purely as a piece of furniture. But it would be a shame to place this thing in the corner of a room as a talking point because it’s built to sing. If you’re not familiar with Magnatone, the brand was founded in 1937 and was active until the mid 70s. Ted Kornblum (ex Ampeg) revived the name in early 2013 with a range of boutique amps, some of which reproduced classic Magnatone designs, and some of which were new, with input from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Neil Young’s guitar tech Larry Cragg. These are seriously beautiful amps for serious players, and the list of Magnatone owners includes Paul Simon, Tom Petty, Jackson Browne, Andy Summers, Jack White, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Isbell, Ry Cooder, Jeff Tweedy and many more.

EDGE OF TWILIGHT

The Twilighter 112 Combo is driven by a pair of 6V6 power tubes and a GZ34 rectifier for 22 watts of clean, robust Class AB tone. There are high and low sensitivity inputs, controls for volume, treble, bass and the tube-driven, four-counterwoundspring, long-pan reverb, and a pitch shifting vibrato section which lets you select between FM (pitch wobble) and AM (volume wobble) modes. The effects are foot switchable too: a two-button footswitch lets you turn the vibrato on and off (although you’ll need to select which mode you wish to use via the switch on the amp) and to toggle the reverb. And there’s also a Remote Pedal jack which lets you use an external expression pedal to control the speed of the vibrato, no matter

which mode you’ve selected. The combo has a single Magnatone Custom 12” ceramic-magnet speaker (although a Celestion Gold Alnico is optional), and there’s a panel-mounted Remote Speaker jack for connecting a second 8 ohm speaker cabinet for stereo vibrato and tremolo/ pan effects. There’s also a Line Out jack which sends out a speaker-compensated DI signal.

SHAKE-SHAKE-SHAKE IT OFF

At low volume levels this amp is capable of some really sweettoned cleans that are great for ambient, indie, country and even jazz applications, but it’s definitely happiest when you put the power section to work. Its natural overdrive is capable of classic vintage rock bark, great for old-school blues, Rolling Stones riffs and early Zeppelin,

but also perfectly suitable to modern indie and alternative styles. There’s only limited control over the tone due to the absence of a midrange control but the amp is voiced to have plenty of character, so when you start to push the power amp you’ll get rich harmonics and lots of edge detail, especially if you’re using single coils or P90s. The reverb sounds great but the real superstar is the FM mode of the vibrato circuit, which gives a subtle wavering sheen to your chords and melodies. The speed control can get really slow too, which is great for really subtle ‘choral’ vibrato effects that pair really nicely with the reverb. Imagine a delicate background

‘woosh’ effect that makes it feel like your guitar sound is floating.

MAGNATONE IS BACK, BABY

This amp is great for anyone who needs rich natural overdrive and complex clean tones without crossing over into full-on distortion. If you like your guitar’s natural voice to be heard through the grit, this amp will retain your instrument’s character. If you want Hendrixy cleans with dimension and body, and some cool old-school effects, this amp will give them to you. BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • Tubes – (4) 12AX7, 12AU7, (2) 6V6, GZ34 • Inputs – High and Low • Powered Output – 22W • Controls – Vol, Treble, Bass, Reverb, Intensity (Vibrato), Speed (Vibrato) • Speaker – Magnatone Custom 12” Ceramic Magnet

HITS • Beautiful FM vibrato mode • Sweet-sounding reverb • Classy looks

MISSES • Need plenty of volume before overdrive happens

Origin Effects Cali76 Limiting Amplifier Gladesville Guitar Factory | (02) 9817 2173 | www.guitarfactory.net | RRP: $729

First thing’s first, the Origin Effects Cali76 Limiting Amplifier is an investment. This isn’t one of your “ooh I have a few spare bucks, I’ll hit the stores” purchases. This is one of those “I’m a serious musician, and making music means more to me than anything else in the world” purchases. If you’ve ever opened a thread on a guitar forum using the words “What’s the cheapest ______?” then this isn’t for you. Ok? We cool? Cool.

TAKE IT SQUEEZY

Okay so here’s what this is: it’s a premium-quality, 60s-style FET compressor inspired by the Urei 1176. Y’know all those plug-ins that slyly hint at their 1176 inspirations? Imagine being able to plug in to a physical unit that does that. Then imagine it being made in pedal form for use as a guitar stompbox, but big enough to go on the desktop for studio applications as well. It has a 100 percent Class A discrete signal path, low-noise electronics, and topology that stays true to the original, while carefully condensing the circuitry. There are controls for Ratio (from 4 to 20), Attack and Release (with ‘Snappy’ and ‘Lively’ helpfully printed on these knobs’ left and right, respectively), Output, and Input/

Comp. There’s also an LED-based VU-style meter to keep you visually informed of what’s going on with your signal. There are also dedicated Amplifier and Line/DI outputs so you can integrate it in a guitar or studio rig.

COMPRESSIVE. MOST COMPRESSIVE.

The real magic of this unit is that it gives you true studioquality compression right there across your guitar rig, and it’s difficult to overstate just how much fun this is, and how it makes you play better. When you plug in and hear your music coming right out of the amp with that warm, responsive, intuitive compression that you’re used to hearing on an album, it’ll give you chills. It’s especially fun when you’re using P90s,

PG.44 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

single coils or lower-output humbuckers because it gives you a little more body. Do you play soul/R&B? Then imagine getting those classic warmly compressed tones right out of your amp. Blues? Ditto. Country? You can dial this thing in to the most ‘spanky’ country twang you ever heard. Of course, you can also use it to simply round off the edges of your dynamic range as well to help things sit more comfortably in a mix, and it’ll do

it beautifully.

SQUEEZE ME

Whether you want to use this for practical sonic management purposes or for all-out ‘pinchy’ compression effects in your guitar rig or in the studio (and hey, try it on a drum or vocal track - it’s amazing!), this is a high quality pedal for serious players. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Classic sound • Tank-like construction quality

MISSES • Expensive (but worth it)

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ROAD TESTS

Audient ID14 USB Audio Interface Innovative Music | (03) 9540 0658 | www.innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $469

Audient is one company that often flies under the radar in the somewhat overcrowded would of audio interfaces, but it really should have more notice taken of it. For a market that is overcrowded with budget devices that claim to deliver great results, often most devices fall well short of the mark. Audient, however, are a company not inclined to under deliver and still manages to keep the price down so as to offer exceptional value on high quality audio interfaces for any application. This is where the ID14 needs to be recognised as a high end audio interface that doesn’t necessarily bear the price tag of its real competitors. This thing is just too good for its position in the market, and I like that.

A LOT IN ONE BOX

This compact device offers a fair bit in control and connectivity, making it a real class leader in usability, form and function. Essentially, it is a two in and two out interface in the typical way of thinking of things, when you consider the analogue inputs. You get two combination Neutrik XLR/TRS inputs on the rear of the device and a pair of TRS outputs for you monitors to run off. Looking a little closer reveals a host of added connections that don’t jump out at first glance. Obviously, there is a headphone output - an absolute must of for recording overdubs - but the front panel also offers an additional input in way of a Hi-Z DI input for guitars and basses to be sent

in through. On the rear is an optical input that allows up to 8 channels of ADAT inputs or 2 channels of SP/DIF should you wish, so you can easily integrate this device with other preamps in your home recording setup and expand it to a very workable number of inputs for larger recordings. Run an 8-channel microphone pre through the ADAT and you’re set to record and entire drum kit with no worries.

ADDED CONTROL

The large rotary encoder on the top panel offers a variety of uses, making this a more interactive interface than most. Three buttons below allow you to assign the encoder to different tasks including speaker

volume, headphone volume and dim or mute functions. The encoder, along with the gain controls all feel great to operate. The buttons are firm and precise and the phantom power switches are very nice too. It all feels very well put together and compliments the quality of the mic preamps and A/D conversion. In all, this is a

quality unit that I am sure most of you would benefit from an upgrade to. BY ROB GEE

• None

Jade Australia | 1800 687 624 | www.musocity.com.au | RRP: $129

There are plenty of different octave pedals out there, most of which follow a similar path by either giving you a lower octave in addition to your original note, or a higher one. There are a handful of pedals that give you both at the same time, but these are often pretty dang expensive or, in many cases, come with built-in fuzz that you can’t get rid of. The Mooer Tender Octaver strips it all right back to simply give you the choice of one octave down or one octave up.

The pedal itself is teeny and quite cute. There are only three controls: a large Dry knob for the original signal, plus smaller Sub (lower octave) and Upper (higher octave) knobs. You can turn the Dry control all the way down to use either of the octave sounds for its own little effect, or you can blend in as little or as much of the octaves as you like: from a very subtle padding underneath your original note to a big, loud doubling effect. Because the pedal is so small you can’t power it with a battery - it simply won’t fit - so there’s a 9v DC in at the top of the pedal, and the input and output jacks are staggered either side of the unit. The pedal is true bypass

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• Plenty on I/O options • Smooth, indented rotary encoder • Great sounding preamps • Very well constructed

MISSES

Mooer Tender Octaver

THREE HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

HITS

and is housed in a metal casing for durability - it does feel very ‘stompable’.

DOUBLE DOWN

The lower-octave sound has a pleasantly chunky attack, which lets you simulate a unison bass part through a clean tone or a big aggressive fuzzy grumbly grindy growl when played through stacks of distortion. Either way it tracks very well, perhaps better than my beloved BOSS OC-2 Octave pedal, which can sometimes be a little finicky. The upper octave has a sort of digital chatter vibe to it, maybe not as natural-sounding as the lower-octave but certainly very useful for adding shimmer to clean tones, or screaming harmonics to distorted leads.

The real fun happens when you use both sounds at once though, either with or without the dry signal. You can stack three octaves for a huge melody, or suck out the dry sound for an eerie, synth-like feel. Another thought is to run a clean sound through a bunch of cathedral reverb with all three voicings cranked, and you’ll get an entertainingly spooky church organ sound that you can use to add some menace to your dungeon metal escapades.

LOVE ME TENDER

This is a really handy pedal for those who either want the occasional octave effect without breaking the bank, or who want something to inspire new sounds and ideas. It sounds as good clean as it does dirty, which isn’t often true of octave pedals, and it’s affordable and reliable. Check it out. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Nice clear octave effects • Small pedalboard footprint

MISSES • Too small for a battery

MIXDOWN #258// OCTOBER 2015 // PG.45

ROAD TESTS Sennheiser HD6 Mix Headphones Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au | contact for pricing

There are plenty of headphones on the market designed specifically for listening to your portable device when travelling from one place to another. Most of them do a good job for their intended purpose, but very few of them will stand up to the test when it comes to delivering quality audio reproduction in the studio. That is where the Sennheiser HD6 Mix studio monitor headphones come into play. For those of you that are serious about your sound and want to hear everything in the studio when both overdubbing and listening back to mixes, these headphones need to be heard.

COMFORT AND CLARITY

The HD range of headphones from Sennheiser has been around for a long time, but recently saw an upgrade with the HD6, HD7 and HD8 models - the latter two being DJ specific headphones. They differ in a number of ways, most notably offering 3dB greater SPL to the HD6 Mix headphones, which are more concerned with clarity than volume. Offering a frequency range that far exceeds the human ear’s hearing range, you will hear just about everything in these units, and they do sound astonishingly good. Great mixes show their faults with the HD6 headphones and bad mixes suddenly come to life, whilst still allowing you to pick out the problem areas. I’d use these as an everyday listening headphone if I had the need; they sound so good. Further to that, they feel so comfortable over your head that you shouldn’t have any problem going for extended periods of use. There is no

fatigue to the areas around the ears with the soft velour pads cupping the ears but not adding unnecessary pressure to the area.

SPECS • Impedance 150 Ohm • Frequency response8 – 30,000 Hz • Sound pressure level 112 dB (1 kHz/1Vrms) • THD, total harmonic distortion <0.1% • Contact pressure 6.3 N • Ear couplingcircumaural • Jack plug 3.5mm straight • Cable lengthcoiled coiled 1.5m-3.0m, straight 3.0m • Transducer principle dynamic, closed • Load rating 500 mW • Weight w/o cable 264 g

IT COULDN’T BE SIMPLER

With removable cables in both straight and coiled options, and additional leatherette ear pads for your choice of comfort, these are an excellent package for anyone who is serious about their sound. I am never one to recommend trying to mix in the studio through headphones, as I firmly believe you need the air in the room to account for the real depth of the mix, but you can get pretty close with these headphones when putting together a preliminary mix in relative silence. This means many home studio users can work late in the night without causing disturbances to others and still get great results.

HITS • Very comfortable ear pads • Great low frequency response • All over flat audio delivery

MISSES

BY: ROB GEE

• Can get a little warm when worn for extended periods

Gibson American Eagle LG-2 Gibson AMI | (03) 8696 4600 | www.gibsonami.com.au | RRP: $4799

Gibson makes a huge variety of acoustic guitars in all sorts of shapes and sizes, right up to their notorious Super Jumbos: guitars so big it kind of feels like you’re hugging a boat. A big sexy toneful boat. The American Eagle LG-2 is one of the smaller entries to Gibson’s acoustic range, with a definite blues/folk/roots vibe to its diminutive frame.

WHAT’S THAT INTOXICATING PERFUME?

The top is made of Sitka Spruce, with Mahogany back and sides. There’s multi-ply top binding, single-ply back binding and a simple, traditional soundhole rosette. The headstock is the traditional AJ shape pitched back at a 17-degree angle, with a gold Gibson decal and simple bell-shaped truss rod cover. The fingerboard is made of Rosewood with 19 frets (although the body meets the neck at the 15th fret so the highest ones aren’t particularly accessible), and the tuners are white-button vintagestyle models with a 15:1 turn ratio. The neck meets the body with a compound dovetail joint and traditional hide glue. The bridge is ‘belly up’ (ie: backwards to how most bridges are shaped

today) with a TUSQ saddle. There’s also an L.R. Baggs Element under-saddle transducer, and the endpin doubles as the output jack. If you look closely you’ll see a tiny volume control hidden just inside the sound hole. It’s not a terribly flexible system, so you might want to use a preamp to get the most out of your amplified sound, but it’s still very handy to have. Either way, a more complicated system would detract from the simple beauty of this guitar. Oh one last thing before we get into the sound: like all brand-new Gibson’s, acoustic and electric, this thing smells amazing. Gibson uses a scented lacquer, which protects your nostrils from the less-thanappetising aroma of freshly cured nitrocellulose, and it smells so

PG.46 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

good I wish they’d sell it as cologne. Okay maybe not… okay yeah.

YOU SPRUCE UP REAL GOOD

Surprisingly, this is a very confident-sounding guitar with remarkably full low end for such a little instrument. The harder you strum, the deeper the lows seem to get, but the same is true of the clarity and focus of the high end as well. This makes the American Eagle great for folk, blues and finger styles, where you want to draw the audience in and tell them a story through your use of playing dynamics. You can also strum away on this guitar quite happily indeed and it’ll sound great, but it really does seem to demand that you play more complex fingerpicking

patterns rather than just bash away with a pick. The only mark in the ‘against’ column is the cut of the nut: it’s a little sharp and will jab into your fingers when playing certain chord shapes. Most stores will give this a going-over for you before they let you out of the store though, so it’s not a huge deal.

LET THE EAGLE SOAR

This is a beautiful little guitar that sounds great when you’re really showing off your fingerpicking skills. It just screams - okay, yodels Americana. It smells better than a newborn baby in a new car on the first day of spring. BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • • • • • •

Top Wood: Spruce Back & Sides Wood: Mahogany Neck Wood: Mahogany Fingerboard: Rosewood Number of Frets: 19 Electronics: Baggs Element pickup

HITS • Surprisingly powerful tone • Comfortable frets • Smells good enough to eat

MISSES • Sharp nut edges

www.mixdownmag.com.au

NEW ALBUM OUT NOW

ROAD TESTS Electro-Voice EKX-12P Loudspeaker and EXK-15SP Subwoofer Bosch | 1300 026 724 | boschcommunications.com.au | RRP: $999 to $1599

The EKX Series is the latest addition to Electro-Voice’s well-regarded PA line. Offering stunning fidelity and massive power in a compact unit, the EKX series is suitable in practically any context, from blasting club bangers to delicate gallery installations to DIY house shows. We were invited to take the EKX-12P and EXK-15SP (a powered 12” loudspeaker and powered 15” subwoofer respectively) for a test drive with the friendly folk at Factory Sound in their lush dedicated speaker-demo room. As the ethereal synths of a certain 1989 Phil Collins hit emanate from the loudspeakers, I am taken aback at just how rich and full such a gentle, ambient recording sounds through just one speaker and sub. When the vocals come in it’s almost eerie just how much it sounds like Phil is standing right next to me with the crisp clarity of the mid and high frequencies. The full audial spectrum sounds so wellcovered to the point of being almost hyper-real, and even when the subwoofer is switched off it would be impossible to say the song sounds anything resembling tinny. But when the subwoofer returns, paired with some immense modern electro production, the full

‘bassy’ powers of the EKX are more than illustrated – tangibly present though warm, never booming - and I am bathed in low-end bliss. The sound carries astoundingly well and even at high volumes the music never sounds crowded, retaining its dulcet smoothness throughout extent of the speakers’ huge response. There is such an abundance of intensity throughout the human hearing range I doubt that there is anyone who would be unable to EQ the EKXs to their sonic preference. Beyond the 134dB peak SPL of their high-efficiency Class D power amps and reliable quality controlled electronics (backed by a 3 year warranty), the EKX

series are replete with easilycontrolled helpful features like the QuickSmartDSP. Through a simple single-knob user interface located on the back of the speaker you can access four self-explanatory pre-sets that instantly maximise your sonic possibilities – Music, Live, Speech and Club – as well as having the option to program five pre-sets of your own to take into account different environmental factors like room size and speaker placement. With in-built room delay up to 100 metres and 8 M10 fly points for mounting the speaker, there is a lot of room to play with filling your acoustic environment just

the way you like it. Structurally and aesthetically the EKX series excels too, with well-engineered 15mm wood enclosures further assisting their reverberant capabilities with a much warmer resonance than plastic models. This is finished with scratch-resistant EVCoat ensuring years of presentable display, and the full-size front grills afford a much more subtle look than an exposed speaker cone. Electro-Voice really seem to have thought of everything, with even the small power light on the front of the speaker able to be switched off for dark performance spaces, corporate

events and the like. With the sonority and power of speakers four times their price, if you’re after something in the EKX’s price range it’d be truly imprudent not to give them a listen. LLOYD HONEYBROOK

SPECS EKX 12P • Frequency Response – 60Hz18kHz • Frequency Range – 50Hz - 20kHz • Maximum SPL – 132 dB peak • Power Rating – 1500w • LF Transducer - EVS – 12M 300mm • HF Transducer – DH-1M 1-in titanium compression driver EKX 15SP • Frequency Response – 45Hz150Hz • Frequency Range – 40Hz 180Hz • Maximum SPL – 133 dB peak • Power Rating – 1300w • LF Transducer - EVS – 12C 381mm

HITS • Big, rich sound. • QuicksmartDSP easy to use. • Structurally sound.

MISSES • None!

WIN THIS GUITAR!

Takamine Pro Series P1M Acoustic Guitar

SEE PG. 6 FOR DETAILS

Pro Music Australia | www.promusicaustralia.com | RRP: $1699

The Takamine P1M is an Orchestra Model shape, which is to say a little smaller than a dreadnaught and much rounder. Orchestra guitars are generally great all-rounders for either fitting into an ensemble or using as an intimate-sounding solo instrument. Let’s check it out.

TOP OF THE POPS

The P1M’s back is made of solid Sapele (the sides are Sapele too) with an X-braced solid Cedar top (as we all know by now, solid tops get finer and more harmonically complex with age compared to a laminated top, so it’s always a good idea to look for a guitar that has this feature), a Mahogany neck, and a Rosewood fretboard with simple, elegant pearl dots. It’s a great-looking guitar with a high level of construction quality and a very comfortable neck. Most importantly, it features Takamine’s split saddle design, which allows better intonation of the whole guitar. The P1M also

has chrome die-cast machine heads and, a gloss natural-finish top on satin back and sides. This model has a CT4B II preamp system, features a three-band EQ, a volume control and a tuner. It’s powered by a 9V battery and is connected to Takamine’s famous Palathetic under-bridge transducer; a clever system that passes through the top itself (instead of just being wedged between the saddle and bridge) and through the bridge plate via six individually shielded piezo-electric elements. The idea is that the signal is given the articulation of an isolated string signal and the rich harmonics of the resonating soundboard.

PG.48 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

ORCHESTRAL MANEUVERS

The most immediately striking quality of the P1M is the level of detail and richness: right off the bat it almost sounds like a fully mastered sound that’s never too full but never too thin either. The high end is clear and articulate, which is great for helping high-string melody lines to jump out while you play lower bass and chordal accompaniment lines. The low end stays appropriately restrained and tight unless you really pummel the strings, at which point the lows open right up. These qualities are intact when you plug the guitar in as well, although naturally you’ll want

to add a little ambience to place the sound in an appropriate sonic context.

TOGETHER OR ALONE

This is a great one for those who play unaccompanied as often as they play in an ensemble. It’s comfortable and playable enough to get out of your way when you’re attempting particularly tricky chord shapes, and it responds to your playing style intuitively enough that you can easily find your own voice with this instrument. BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • • • • • • •

Top - Solid Cedar Back - Solid Sapele Sides - Sapele Neck - Mahogany Fretboard - Rosewood Nut Width - 42.5 mm Electronics - CT4B II Preamp System with 3-band EQ, Volume Control and Built-in Tuner

HITS • Very playable neck • Adaptable, responsive tone • Handy preamp

MISSES • Maybe a cutaway might be nice

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ROAD TESTS

Sennheiser E906 Guitar Microphone Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au | call for pricing

It often amazes me that so many guitarists can spend so much time and money trying to get their tone just right, whilst all the while forgetting one crucial element. The guitar, the pickups, the pedals, the amp, the speakers are all taken into consideration, often at great length and much expense. Then, they will walk out onto a stage and let just any old microphone go in front of the amp to deliver that perfect tone to the audience. I have to stop and question this logic, as I would think that if the tone was so important, maybe each and every guitarist should consider what microphone they allow to capture their sound. This is why every guitar case should have a Sennheiser e906 in it, to ensure that no matter what venue you play in, you can always complete your tone all the way to the PA system.

OWN YOUR TONE

There are plenty of microphones that get used in front of speaker cabinets in venues all around the country, and most of them are generally not suited for the task at hand. Once you have your tone, you want to deliver it to the audience with all the integrity it deserves. The e906 form Sennheiser has been specifically designed to capture tones from guitar amps and get the most of what you have invested so much into. Like its budget versions in the 600 series, this is a side address microphone with a specially designed capsule to suit the pounding it will receive right

SPECS

up close to a guitar speaker. With a higher gain structure than the 600 series models, this microphone has a better signal to noise ratio and isn’t likely to cause unwanted feedback in a hurry. Plus, it is voiced perfectly for guitar speakers, giving you everything that your cabinet offers and allowing you to further sculpt the sound with extended frequency response in both the high and low regions.

and on a small crowded stage when an extra microphone stand just won’t fit. You can always hang it from behind the amp and it will still effectively capture your sound. It is ideal for the studio too with added headroom that allows you to sculpt the EQ further and get even more form your guitar tone. Put simply, this is something that every guitar player should own once they have bought their amp.

IT COULDN’T BE SIMPLER

BY ROB GEE

• Dimensions 55 x 34 x 134 mm • Connector XLR-3 • Transducer principle (Microphone) dynamic • Frequency response 40 - 18000 Hz • Weight 140 g • Pick-up pattern super-cardioid • Sensitivity in free field, no load (1kHz) 2,2 mV/Pa • Nominal impedance 350 Ω • Min. terminating impedance 1000 Ω

HITS • Solid German construction • Side address for easy setup on tight stages • Perfectly voiced for guitar speakers • Lightweight and compact

MISSES

What I love about this microphone is how everything about is it meant for a guitarist on stage. It can handle high SPLs,

• Not enough people know how good these mics really are

DV Mark Multiamp Mono CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: $2295

The DV Mark Multiamp is a seriously impressive piece of gear, which holds it own against modeling processors like the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx and the Kemper profiler. It’s also a bit of a strain on the ol’ wallet, which tends to happen when you’re buying world-class gear. So to lower the price a little and to make the unit more accessible to more players, DV Mark has now introduced the Multiamp Mono, a 250 watt 4 ohm head, which gives you all of the flexibility, programmability and construction quality of the original, but scaled down to a mono version. That doesn’t mean you’re restricted to mono operation in the studio: it still allows for recording and direct use with a PA system in stereo applications via XLR outputs, just like the standard version, so you’ll still have all your stereo effects hitting the mixing desk.

CHANGE THE CHANNEL, MARGE

There are three channels (Clean, Crunch and Lead) that are selectable from buttons on the left side of the control surface and a suite of amp-style controls: Gain, Presence, Bass, Mid, High, Level and Master. There’s an effects loop which is selectable between series and parallel modes, and movable anywhere within the signal chain,

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as well as cabinet-simulating stereo XLR line outs and unbalanced stereo 1/4” line outs, MIDI In and Thru jacks (so you can control your patch changes and effects parameters via any MIDI controller or DAW). The Multiamp’s memory bank includes eight slots (three for factory presets and five for user presets), each of which holds 128 presets. You can save a whole

bank of items on an SD Card, which is very handy if you’re in a touring band or going to a studio that already has a Multiamp. Effects include various overdrives and distortions, fuzz, flanger, stereo chorus, phasers, vibratos, several delays, reverb, auto wah, tremolo and a very effective noise gate. The amp models include replications of the DV Mark Triple 6’s three channels as well as quite a few models whose names offer hints as to their inspirations: Darkface ‘65, Recto, Bassface ‘59, Slodrive, XTC, Top 30, Heavy ‘51, Rock 900 - while the speaker section gives you plenty of control over the virtual speaker and the way it’s virtually mic’d.

background noise is non-existent). It will happily keep up with variations in pick attack or pickup selection, which makes it great for blues, country and jazz players, as well as indie players looking for an organic feel but with a wide palette of effects. If you’re into heavier tones it’s absolutely monstrous, covering everything from hard rock to extreme metal. It’s also important to note that unlike many modelers, the factory presets are perfect right out of the box. Usually companies kind of go overboard with their presets so you can really hear what the gear can do when pushed to extremes, but in this case every preset is musical and gig-ready.

ENTER THE MULTIVERSE

HYBRID THEORY

The Multiamp is incredibly articulate and responsive (and

What makes the Multiamp so successful is that once you start

playing it becomes easy to forget you’re even using it, until it’s time to make an edit or a tweak, and then you’re struck by how easy it is to make a change and get back to playing. If you’re interested in a modeling amp but you’re not into heavy menu scrolling, this makes it very, very easy. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Amp-like feel • Easy to navigate

MISSES • None

MIXDOWN #258// OCTOBER 2015 // PG.49

ROAD TESTS Hercules DG305B Tablet Holder Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au | RRP: $59.95

I have, in the past, spent a lot of time arguing with people about the futility of tablets. Whether it is the famed iPad or an Android variation, there has never really seemed any need for one if you have a computer and a phone. But, let’s not get stuck on that debate, as it seems that tablets are here to stay and are offering musicians plenty of solutions in the studio, and on stage for a variety of applications. So, it goes without saying that a sturdy, compact and, most of all, reliable device is needed to keep your tablet safely mounted for easy access at gigs and in the studio. Enter the DG305B from Hercules, the tablet holder to conquer them all.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL

One of the great disadvantages of trying to get a tablet stand is finding the right one to match up with your specific device. As there are more tablets being released every year, all in slightly different sizes, it soon became a bit of a joke trying to find a mount that would suit your specific device. Fortunately Hercules has done away with that issue in the DG305B by implementing two simple points of adjustment to take care of just about any tablet. The top bracket can be easily slid up and down to suit the length of your device and is then locked into place with a nifty little ratchet device. Then, two other arms extend out in a V-shape to

attach to the bottom corners of the device. With the ratchet lock on these arms released, you can easily open or close their reach to match the dimensions of you tablet and then secure them in place when you have the right fit. It is a really clever design. It holds in place firmly once set and it is easy to adjust if you need to change to a different sized tablet. You could not ask for more.

BUT THERE’S MORE

Hercules have considered a number of possibilities for use with this unit and have taken that into account in the mounting options. The first and most logical is for mounting the holder on a microphone stand

or similar. It is easily and firmly attached to the upright of the stand and can then be adjusted to the appropriate angle to suit the user. But, a second mounting option is available in a suction cup clamp that allows you to attach it to a ‘clean’ benchtop or, if you dare, window or even another tablet if you are mad. This is great for a range of studio options when you may want the tablet to be in

a location where a microphone stand is not in use, like at your desk for instance.

places your hand into a comfortable position no matter where on the neck you’re playing. Sonically it’s a very vibrant, punchy, bright, immediate-sounding guitar with incredible projection and incredible low end. The treble isn’t quite as zippy and ‘bitey’ as most dreadnoughts, but that means that this one is more of a team player and more of an accompanists’ or soloists’ guitar rather than a ‘slice through the mix and be a jerk about it’ one. This is the second P5DC I’ve played, and the first to include the soundboard transducer, which turns an already good system into a great one. The Palathetic pickup already sounds better than the average saddle transducer but the ability to add tone from the top itself as

well means you get more body, more depth, more fullness and more resonance. It’s the perfect way to hear this guitar in a live setting, and a great asset for recording too.

BY ROB GEE

HITS • Easy adjustment for just about any sized tablet • It’s iPad and Android friendly, and doesn’t judge • A range of mounting options • Totally secure and stable once locked in

MISSES • I’ll get back to you

Takamine P5DC Acoustic Guitar Pro Music Australia | www.promusicaustralia.com | RRP: $2499

There’s nothing finer than a nice solid-top dreadnaught. Right out of the box the tone is nice and full with great attack, but the real magic happens over time as the wood settles and the whole guitar breaks in. Takamine knows this, and they also know that another reason people appreciate old solid-tops is that they’re already broken in and comfortable. They haven’t perfected the time machine yet so there’s not a lot that can be done about the breaking-in of the wood, but the P5DC comes out of the box ready for a life of sweet, sweet music.

TAKAMINE MINEY MOE

The P5DC is a dreadnought cutaway acoustic with a solid spruce top (with scalloped ‘X’ top bracing for enhanced clarity and projection), and solid rosewood back and sides. The bridge is made of rosewood with Takamine’s ingenious split bone saddle design, where the four wound strings sit on a separate saddle to the two unwound strings, for improved intonation. I know a lot of techs that love this feature. The Venetian cutaway gives you easy access to the highest of the 20 frets, and the neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fretboard. The inlays are made of abalone set inside dots of what appear to be mother of pearl, which looks great against the

abalone component of the sound hole rosette. The body binding is quite nice too, with five layers around the edge of the top and an ivory-toned outline around the edge. This particular guitar has been fitted with the new Takamine Soundboard Transducer, a second pickup in addition to the onboard Palathetic under-saddle pickup. An easy and affordable add-on at RRP$179.95 Its signal is accessible via an Aux slider on the CT4-DX Cool Tube preamp, which also features 4-band EQ, two notch-filter controls, volume control and onboard tuner.

COOL TUBE, BRO

This is a beautifully playable guitar, aided in great part by the asymmetric neck profile, which

PG.50 // MIXDOWN #258 // OCTOBER 2015

THE ALL-ROUNDER

This is a really great all-rounder guitar which will record very nicely, will project very well in an acoustic environment, and will give you plenty of stagefriendly sound-sculpting when you’re using the onboard pickups and preamp. BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • • • • • • •

Top - Solid Spruce Back - Solid Rosewood Sides - Rosewood Neck - Mahogany Fretboard - Rosewood Nut Width - 42.67 mm Electronics - CoolTube (CTP-3)

HITS • Extremely playable neck • Great natural acoustic tones • Flexible preamp/pickup system

MISSES • Some players might want more treble

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ROAD TESTS

Shure PSM300 Stereo Personal Monitor System

want to use one ear bud and not miss any of the sound in the stereo mix. This means that you now have the ability to hear everything you want within your in ear monitoring system and pan it to how you want when you are up on stage.

Jands | (02) 9582 0909 | www.jands.com.au | RRP: $

Shure have come to the party this month with wireless devices. For those of you who were at all concerned about the introduction of changes to wireless transmission laws, you needn’t worry now, all Shure wireless systems are guaranteed to comply with the current transmission laws.The new Shure PSM300 system comes in a couple of options to suit various budgets. Let’s take a look.

THE SEND

At the heart of the PSM300 is the P3T transmitter which takes the audio from your mixer’s auxiliary send and converts it into digital audio to transmit to the one or many receivers set to the same frequency and channel. This means everyone on stage can have a receiver and hear the monitor send coming through the P3T if they

wanted to. You can simply add additional receivers to your system and match up the channels to all operate together. The great thing is that the P3T converts the audio to a digital signal before transmission with high end A/D converters so nothing is lost in transmission. What you hear at the other end is just what you would hear if you listened direct from the desk.

BY ROB GEE

THE OTHER END

Shure have seen the need for two different receivers to match up with this system so that you can access personal monitoring on just about any budget. The lower price point comes with the P3R receiver that is housed in a plastic casing. This is also a slightly larger belt pack and operates only on AA batteries for power. If you are serious about quality, then the next step up is the system that features the

Mooer Varimolo Muso City | 1800 687 624 | www.musocity.com.au | RRP: $129

Tremolo is one of the very earliest effects, and players are still finding new uses for it. The Varimolo is an interesting take on this effect: while it is indeed a true tremolo and not a vibrato - an effect that tremolo is often misnamed as - it has a few extra modes that take the basic idea of what a tremolo does and then twist it into new areas.

GIMMIE MOOER

just up-down-up-down. Aside from the three-position mode switch there are three controls: Rate, Shape and Depth. The pedal is true bypass, and it runs of a 9V DC adaptor (not supplied). It’s a teeny tiny little stomper that won’t take up much space on your pedalboard.

The Varimolo is a digital tremolo pedal with three modes: Normal, Filter and Variable. The Normal mode is where you’ll find the traditional tremolo effect: rhythmic variations in volume, from a subtle wavering to an all-out on/off/on/off chop. Filter adds a sweeping filter sound to the tremolo effect, almost like a steady rhythmic wah-wah sound. Variable adds rhythmic variations to the tremolo effect so it’s not

DID I STUTTER?

I found my favourite sound pretty much instantly: Filter mode with the Shape control

P3RA transmitter. This is a metal casing with a smaller frame that is less obtrusive when worn. It is a rechargeable power cell system, but is also able to operate on AA batteries if your power runs out. Both come standard with Shure’s SE215 ear buds that deliver a clear and crisp sound from the receivers. Each receiver allows you to easily adjust the stereo spread to suit your needs. You can pan the signal right across to one side if you only

all the way to the left, Depth at about 1 o’clock and Rate at about 11 o’clock. This created an almost wah-like texture with a repeatable shimmer, great for slightly bubbly, giddy-sounding clean effects. Moving the Shape control more towards the center and lowering Depth led to a more Hendrixian vibe. The Normal mode is perfectly predictable and useful and low in noise, making it a great starting point before you start digging into some of the weirder sounds that this little thing is capable of. There will be some players who will be perfectly happy to keep this pedal in that one mode forever, since there’s a great range of sounds lurking in here. Then there’s Variable. This is where things can get weird. The effect is similar to an arpeggiator in a synth, so you’ll get all sorts of rhythmic pulses rippling through your guitar, as subtly or outlandishly, as you like. It’s

Vemuram Jan Ray

A RAY OF LIGHT

There are four controls (and they’re not labeled on the pedal itself, so you might want to memorize them): Volume and Gain on the top row, and Bass and Treble on the bottom row. There’s a fifth control hidden from view though, and this is where that teeny little screwdriver comes into it. There’s a Saturation trim pot on the top of the pedal - turn it to the left to increase the amount of saturation, or to the

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right to decrease it. Then there’s the usual input and output jacks, 9v DC power supply jack and a true-bypass on/off switch. The finish is an alluring gold-ish hue; it’s pretty damn beautiful. So here’s the deal with the Vemuram Jan Ray: it’s described as ’The Fender Magic 6 sound’. In other words, it’s inspired by the magic that happens to certain Fender amps when the Volume and Treble are on 6, Middle on 3 and Bass on 2 (6, 6, and 3X2 =

6, geddit?). The pedal is designed to offer a very natural-feeling compression but is mainly aimed at giving you those punchy, clear tones of 60s Blackface Fender amps with a crispness on the top along with warmth and softness in the lows.

IF YOU’RE 5-5-5 I’M…

The first thing you’ll notice about this pedal is that it’s great for clean tones, and the high end doesn’t get harsh so much as clear and airy, which makes it great for brightening up a dark-sounding guitar. The lows never get too ‘boomy’, and they generally feel supportive rather than overpowering. The midrange feels a little bit scooped at lower

• Sturdy transmitter housing with rack mounting options • Choice of two body packs depending on your needs • Stereo transmission that can be balanced at the receiver • Excellent audio transmission

MISSES • Perhaps out of the price range for some singers in the upgraded receiver

like a little Skrillex that you step on, and part of the fun is that it’s not so easy to sync it up perfectly to your tempo, so you just kick back and let things get all weird and freaky. The Varimolo probably does more things than some players want a tremolo pedal to do, but that’s fine. Some will be happy with the Normal mode, others will have the time of their life exploring the more out-there textures it’s capable of. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Some really out-there sounds

MISSES • Tiny • Tap tempo would be good

CUTTING SIX

Gladesville Guitar Factory | (02) 9817 2173 | www.guitarfactory.net | RRP: $429

You can often get a sense of how ‘boutiquey’ a pedal is by how it’s presented in the box. The Vemuram Jan Ray overdrive pedal is so damn boutique that it doesn’t come in a velvet bag or a square of cheesecloth; it’s contained in a neatly folded piece of brown paper. It also comes with a teeny tiny screwdriver, a sticker and an instruction sheet – simple.

HITS

gain levels, but as you increase the Gain control you’ll notice an increase in midrange fullness along with a ‘smooshy’, smooth saturation. Great for getting some extra mojo out of an ES335 or some fatness out of an otherwise thin-sounding Strat. The Saturation trimmer is a very handy little feature. At the lower end of the spectrum this gives you finer control over the amount of drive because you can really dial in the ‘in-between’ response, or it lets you really crank it for a richer, more distort-y overdrive.

This is a very classy, sophisticated-sounding overdrive that rewards the player with nuanced technique: if you’re more of a gleeful basher you’ll probably prefer something a bit more ragged around the edges compared to this pedal’s more dignified, refined approach to overdrive. BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Great range of cleans and dirtys • Sweet mids at higher gain settings

MISSES • No labels on the control!

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ROAD TESTS AER Compact 60/3 Acoustic Amp Pro Music Australia | www.promusicaustralia.com | RRP: $1799

Some acoustic players are perfectly happy to plug directly into the mixing desk via a DI and let the sound engineer deal with the overall sound. Others prefer processors like the Fishman Pro EQ Platinum, also reviewed in this issue. But some like to take even more control over their sound, whether it’s providing the audience with the best possible tone before it hits the PA, taking place of a PA in certain situations (small duo gigs, for instance), or for onstage foldback while sending a direct sound to the PA system. For those players there’s the AER Compact 60/3. This tiny little amp builds on the legacy of the Compact 60, especially in the sense that it’s designed to be as transparent as possible; this is not an amp that aims to create your guitar tone for you, but to present it in its best light. Compared to its predecessor, the 60/3 is a little lighter and it streamlines its onboard effects. It’s a 60-watt combo with a single 8-inch twin-cone full-range speaker.

There are two channels (guitar and mic): there’s a 1/4-inch input with optional nine-volt phantom power, high/low switch which gives you a 10 db pad, controls for Gain, Color, Bass, Middle and Treble control on the guitar channel, and a combination 1/4-inch/XLR input with 24-volt phantom power, a line/mic switch, Gain, Bass and Treble controls on the mic channel. There are also a few

Jupiter 767 GL Eb Alto Saxophone Musical Merchandisers | (02) 99050311 | musicmerch.com.au | contact for pricing

Jupiter Saxophones seem to have come a long way since I last played one over a decade ago; no longer the budget beginner horn I recall. The Jupiter 767 GL Eb Alto Saxophone is a congenially versatile, responsively intuitive instrument well suited to intermediate students and folk after something well and truly gig-able, but with value-fordollar as a primary concern. Its tone is ripe but dulcet, offering a moderately bright sound that wouldn’t be out of place in any Sax-appropriate context. With my more classic-sounding Selmer C star mouthpiece, the 767 is instantly comfortable, obligingly resonating all the way from its low Bb to high F#, though perhaps the lower end is a little rougher sounding. The upper register is wonderfully reactive though, blasting rich-sounding harmonics and false fingerings with little to no trouble at all! At this point I can hardly wait

to pop on my metal Bobby Dukoff mouthpiece. The Sax growls with such gusto I get so excited I almost commit saxcrilege and pop out a cheeky Careless Whisper. Thankfully, my neighbours prevent this by asking what I think I am doing in a rather raucous manner – but you get the idea. Whilst even the high F# is a relatively pleasant surprise of a feature for a Sax in this price range, I am particularly impressed by a peculiar component I’ve never seen on a horn before – with an included

digital effects on board in the form of two reverbs, a delay and a chorus. Then there’s a master volume, XLR DI out, line out, tuner out and a headphone out, plus an effects loop and a TRS effect footswitch jack. Although this is designed to be a very transparent amp, it of course does have plenty of tone control, and AER has further refined its midrange control to be more effective across a wider range of its sweep, letting you really fine-tune the sweet spot

allen key, the palm keys can be raised and lowered to fit hands of any size. Parents, caregivers and fosterers of musical joy within children; I was lucky enough to be gifted a beautiful probably-better-than-I-deservedat-the-time sax around age 10 and that had me hooked, just sayin’. The action on the keys is enjoyably smooth and easy, and coupled with the fluency of register transition shredding all the way up and down the 2 2/3 octaves is a cinch. The gold-lacquered body, keys and ligature undoubtedly contribute to the saxophone’s smooth texture but also afford a classic aesthetic to the horn. The backpack style case is subtly attractive too, but more importantly seems to be quite sturdy for something so lightweight, and the shoulder strap is always a welcome addition for the multi-instrumentalist/student lugging lots of gear. Included with the sax is everything

for your particular guitar. If your guitar has no EQ at all, then there’s plenty you can do with the amp’s EQ section. If you do have EQ onboard, you can use this almost like you’re mastering a track in the studio, tweaking little elements here and there to present the best version of your sound to your audience. This amp is also surprisingly loud for such a small, light box, and will happily handle a variety of live applications right up to certain outdoor gigs. One little niggle about this design and the previous incarnation: the effects don’t get sent through the DI output, only the speaker or the line out, and it’s kind of a bummer to dial in a lush reverb or delay only to have it inaudible via DI. Having to use the line out instead just to hear your effects is a bit of a hassle.

to. It won’t make a bad guitar sound great but it’ll make a good one even better, and it has enough volume for a wide range of gig styles.

This is a beautifully transparent little amp when you want it to be, but it can also help you shape your sound if you need it

MISSES

you’d need to get straight into playing, including a Jupiter 4C mouthpiece with plastic cap, neck strap, cork grease, a Vandoren V16 reed, micro fibre cloth, ‘condensation’ cleaner, a care instruction booklet and the aforementioned allen key. 5 year manufacturers warranty comes standard, but if it’s as robustly constructed as the 767 initially feels I cannot really see any problems arising. At this sort of price range I imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find a sax as adaptable or tonally splendid as the Jupiter 767 GL, appropriate for a multitude of uses including taking an emerging woodwindist to the next stage or as a dependable backup instrument for a professional player - for those gigs that just don’t warrant dragging your pride and joy across hours of public transport adventures. BY LLOYD HONEYBROOK

Los Cabos Red Hickory Drum Sticks Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $18.99 (pair)

Any experienced and well-weathered drummer will tell you about the importance of selecting the right tools for the job. Head out to see any band on any given night, and you’re sure to find a crop of bands that run the proverbial gamut of drum setups. Sure the old rudimentary 4-piece kit will pop up more than a lot of others, by cymbal heights, sizes, snares are all likely to vary, even with a bill of bands that are all using the same kit. Drummers, perhaps more so than other musicians, really need to settle themselves and configure their space. Finding the right tools for the job is a big part of that. Though, for some reason, drumsticks seem too often an overlooked part of that setup. Which is kind of strange, given that it’s the only real part of a kit that you hold on to, I mean, it kind of is your tool.

and power. Los Cabos sticks are quickly becoming the first choice for many professional drummers, including Dan McKay (High Tension), Lee Stanton (Thy Art Is Murder) and Dave Haley (Psycroptic). As well as the red hickory sticks, the range also features white hickory and maple sticks, so there will be a stick to suit every drummer.

IN THE HAND

As red hickory sticks are cut from an area closer to the centre of the tree, they’re a harder unit, capable of delivering more power and withstanding a greater bashing. Essentially, this means a smaller red hickory stick can bring you the added

These red hickory sticks from Los Cabos look reasonable from the outset. They’re cut to common specifications, ranging from .543” through to .629” in diameter and 15.5” to 16.5” in length. They also come with an

assortment of tips, just as any other stick would. The strength of the Red Hickory stick isn’t necessarily in its shape or weight, even though they do feel quite sturdy and well balanced in the hand. The real benefit of these is durability, consistency

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POWER UP

strength and power that would ordinarily come from shifting up to a thicker and longer utensil, which is often not particularly comfortable, especially if you’re moving away from your favourite size. The addition of a red hickory stick to your repertoire will mean that you won’t have to move away from your favoured space, and you’ll stick get that extra power you need. Then again, there are those drummers out there that don’t necessarily consider the dynamics of their performance with such scrutiny; the kind of drummer that pounds through song after song with the same unbridled aggression. These are the guys that might benefit most

BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • • • • •

Power – 60w Speaker – 8” twin cone speaker Channels – Twin EQs – 3 and 2 band EQ On board effects – 2x reverb, delay, chorus • Weight – 6.4kg

HITS • Very transparent • Handy twin-channel design • Light

• No effects in DI signal

HITS • Adjustable palm keys Affordable price

MISSES • None!

from having a red hickory stick as their go to utensil. The sheer durability of the wood makes them an economical choice for intense players, and the added power and weight means they’re going to better compete with the volumes your likely to deal with in the garage, where nothing is mic’d up and everyone is battling it out to be the loudest. If you’re the kind of drummer that’s never had a favourite stick, but has always wanted one, it’s pretty likely that this is it. BY DAM BUGLE

HITS • Feels great • Noticeable gains in power

MISSES • Less dynamic than white Hickory or Maple

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S H O W

ALI BARTER

ANTONIA SELLBACH

T E L L

LOVE OF DIAGRAMS/BEACHES

pic by Barry Takes Photos

What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? My 1962 Silvertone electric guitar. How did you come across this particular item? I bought it online while I was on holiday in Japan. I wanted to buy a Danelectro (because Cat Power plays one) so when this one came up in an eBay search, all sparkly dusty metallic pink, I had to buy it. The Silvertone company makes Danelectro guitars, so it wasn’t too far off. What is that you like so much about it? It’s light and super easy to play. It’s pretty and worn in places. I like knowing that someone else loved this instrument before me. Every guitarist who plays this guitar says how great it is. I really hit the jackpot because I bought it online without ever playing it! How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way that you write music?

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I like to plug it in, put a distortion and delay on it (sometimes a flanger) and bash out power chords. I write all my songs on it. I like it because I can turn it up loud and get all my aggression out singing along with it. I have been writing some very angry songs lately! Any other interesting points/stories about it? Cat Power has the exact same one! I saw her playing it at a festival a couple of years back, same colour and everything. I think hers was a re-issue though - it didn’t look as old as mine does. When’s the next show? I’m playing co-headline shows with Ben Wright Smith at Howler in Melbourne on the 8th of October and Brighton Up Bar in Sydney on the 10th of October. Benny is one of my faves and we always have fun together so they are going to be super shows!

What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? My Jumbo Fuzz Pedal. How did you come across this particular item? We’ve had this pedal since we started out as a band 15 years ago. I think it started out as Luke’s (guitarist in LoD) but I took it over. I remember someone telling me once that they are somewhat rare, and a much coveted item. I don’t know that much about what gear is worth, but it’s become an indispensable pedal in our artillery. What is that you like so much about it? It’s a JEN brand, Italian made pedal, shaped like one of the old school big muffs (built like a tank). It had the best futuristic Italian red and silver font on it too, but that’s worn off on mine now. How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way that you write music?

After owning it for a while and carrying it to gigs rattling around in various suitcases etc. I realised that some of the wiring had come unstuck and it was only really doing one thing. I mainly use this pedal for getting crazy feedback. The sustain, tone and volume knobs no longer work, but the on / off switch does. So when you turn it on it’s just feedback galore. I love that. I also own a Boss overdrive pedal and the feedback I get through one of these is far superior to what I can get through one of those. Any other interesting points/stories about it? This is on quite a few songs from our very first instrumental album, The Target Is You and it’s featured in a big way on the song ‘Big Chord Champion’. I adore this pedal, and I kind of love that it is broken and only does one thing. Yet what it does, it does so well!

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