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#269 — SEPT. 2016
a day to remember PLUS
Ceres Kid Congo Powers Enter Shikari Red Sea
GIVEAWAYS!
KRK ROKIT 4 G3 MONITORS, PRESONUS AUDIOBOX iTWO STUDIO BUNDLE, MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL DOUBLE PASS
& MORE
P G . 6 FO R DETAILS
R O A D T E S T E D : ASTON ORIGIN CARDIOID MICROPHONE, AUDIENT ID4 INTERFACE, KEELEY COMPRESSOR PRO, JBL EON 200, ORMSBY HYPEGTR 8 STRING, ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN PETRUCCI JP16 SIGNATURE SERIES, MARTIN DREADNOUGHT JNR + HEAPS MORE
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Contents 06
Giveaways
08
Industry News
10
Music News
12
Product News
18
Cover Story:
Harts - PG. 24
A Day To Remember 20
Bullet For My Valentine Enter Shikari
21
Kid Congo Powers
22
Flyying Colours
Kid Congo - PG. 21
Mike Noga 24
Harts
Blowin’ Bubbles With Keats
Joe Bonamassa 26
Red Sea Aristocrats
30
Advice Columns
34
Melbourne Guitar Festival
35
Talking Guitar with Devin Townsend
36
400 Acres Studio Damien Gerard Studio
38
Road Tests
53
Show & Tell
54
Directory
PUBLISHER Furst Media EDITOR Keats Mulligan mixdown@beat.com.au EDITORIAL coordinator Michael Edney michael@furstmedia.com.au ART DIRECTOR Michael Cusack
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Enter Shikari - PG. 20 for breaking news, new content and more giveaways visit
WWW.MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU EDITORIAL ASSISTANTs Elijah Hawkins, Phoebe Robertson, Chris Scott, Alex Pink & Tom Bartha MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr GRAPHIC DESIGN Michael Cusack, Dane Kerr CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gee, Peter Hodgson, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, Alex Pink, Elijah Hawkins, Tom Bartha, Chris Scott,
David James Young, Adam Norris, Conrad Tracey, Adrian Violi, Luke Shields, Michael Cusack, Augustus Welby and Rod Whitfield. ADVERTISING Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au
MIXDOWN OFFICE Level 1, No. 3 Newton Street, Richmond VIC 3121. Phone: (03) 9428 3600
When I was five or six years old, I discovered that the tape deck I had in my bedroom had recording capabilities. It could dub tapes and it had an inbuilt microphone so that I could join in on all the good parts of my favourite Jimmy Barnes tapes (I used to perform Australian classics to the other kids at school during recess). It took the better part of 15 years for me to build up the courage to record myself singing at home again, this time on an M-box mini. The home studio is important. If not for creating polished finished works, for being able to properly lay down ideas and demos. In these pages we’re looking at all things studio. You’ll find reviews on studio products, studio tricks and interviews with experienced engineers about the studios they operate. We also have a heap of product news, gear reviews and interviews with some amazing artists. Enjoy. KEATS, EDITOR
mixdownmag.com.au
WED NOV 23 BRISBANE EATONS HILL HOTEL FRI NOV 25 SYDNEY ENMORE THEATRE SAT NOV 26 MELBOURNE FESTIVAL HALL
AUSTRALIA
10 DEC PERTH RED HILL AUDITORIUM 13 DEC ADELAIDE A E C T H E AT R E 14 DEC MELBOURNE FESTIVAL HALL 16 DEC SYDNEY HORDERN PAVILION 18 DEC BRISBANE R I V E R STA G E *A L L S H OWS L I C E N S E D /A L L AGE S
BAD VIBRATIONS, OUT AUGUST 19 ON ADTR/EPITAPH RECORDS
FRI 28 OCT BRISBANE ENT. CENTRE SAT 29 OCT SYDNEY QUDOS BANK ARENA MON 31 OCT (CUP EVE) MELBOURNE ROD LAVER ARENA
ON SALE NOW! Go to livenation.com.au thecult.us • yourbaroness.com • adtr.com • slipknot1.com • frank-iero.com
Giveaways Melbourne International Guitar Festival Double Pass
Presonus Audiobox iTwo Studio Package
This month at Mixdown we were lucky enough to feature an interview with the people behind the Melbourne International Guitar Festival. For those of you who are unaware of the event, The Melbourne Guitar Festival is a celebration and exploration of the beauty of classical guitar. Supported by the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne University, the event features performances, workshops and Australia’s most prestigious classical guitar competition. It really is a no-brainer for anyone with a love for classical guitar. We’re really delighted to be able to give away two double passes to this year’s event to the Mixdown faithful.
In this issue we’re celebrating all thing’s studio, so we thought ‘what better way to get people into studio gear than helping them start a home studio of their own?’ So we’re very pleased to be giving away this amazing Presonus Audiobox iTwo Studio Package. It has everything you need to get yourself going with home recording. Included is the incredible intuitive Audiobox iTwo, a copy of Studio One Artist, an M7 Condenser Microphone and HD7 Headphones as well as all the cables you need to get yourself going. It’s a great bundle, and it could be all yours!
Entries will close for this competition on Monday September 19 at 5pm Eastern time. Adriano del Sal
KRK Rokit 4 G3 Giveaway The one essential ingredient for any bedroom producer that’s looking to graduate to the next level is a pair of quality studio monitors, and the KRK Rokit 4’s are perfect speakers to get you there. Since their inception in 1986, KRK Systems have been lauded the world over producing some of the most reliable reference monitors. We’re very excited to be offering up a pair of these awesome speakers to one lucky Mixdown reader this month.
For your chance to win any of these awesome prizes, head to our giveaways page at www.mixdownmag.com.au/giveaway and follow the instructions. For full terms and conditions visit www.mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions.
*These giveaways are for Australian residents only and one entry per person.
Last Month’s Giveaway Winners
Peavey 6505 Piranha Micro Head Winner Last month we were lucky enough to offer up to the Mixdown readership a 6505 Piranha Micro Head courtesy of the good people at Peavey. Weighing a third of the original Peavey 6505, the Piranha is all that and more packed into a little lunch box sized amplifier. Today we are pleased to bestow all of that power unto Raymond Lees of Sydney, NSW Congratulations Raymond. We hope you have as much fun playing with this guy as our resident guitar writer Luke Shields did.
Joe Bonamassa Australian Tour Double Pass Winner Joe Bonamassa has been an artist that’s resonated well with the Mixdown readership for as long as I’ve been involved with the magazine, so it came as no surprise that this was a particularly popular competition. We’re stoked to be able to give away a double pass to one lucky reader to see the Joe play in the flesh, and that reader is: Abby Lee of Perth, WA Congratulations Abby, a double pass to see Joe is heading your way! A huge thanks to everyone who entered. Sorry to all those who entered and went away empty handed. Oh well, there’s always next month! Remember to keep an eye on the giveaways section of the mag and the website to stay up to date with all our competitions.
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mixdownmag.com.au
Industry News Universal Music Australia Launches Casablanca
Tasmania Gets Tough On Club Pests
Universal Music Australia launched a new imprint, Casablanca Records Australia. Managing director Michael Taylor says there will be “a focus on electronic alternative.” The first Aussie artists to sign to the roster are Running Touch, Just A Gent, St Albion and Vera Blue.
New laws have come into force in Tasmania that get tough on troublemaking drunks in venues, clubs and entertainment precincts. They can be banned for up to six months. In the meantime, venues too can cop fines of up to $3140 for advertising that encourages “irresponsible consumption of liquor.”
Sony Music Buys Ministry Of Sound
Aussie Acts Bombard Charts No less than 20 acts have hit #1 on the ARIA charts. Included in the mix are Boy & Bear’s Limit Of Love, Flume’s Skin, Hilltop Hoods’ Drinking From The Sun, Jimmy Barnes’ Soul Searchin’, The Avalanches’ Wildflower, The Cat Empire’s Rising With The Sun, Violent Soho’s Waco, The Amity Affliction’s This Could Be Heartbreak, among many others.
Study #1: Aussie’s Demand For Music Festivals Grow Research by self-service ticketing agency Eventbrite showed that 65% of Aussies caught as many festivals this year as in 2015 and 49% attend to see more next year. On average, Aussies attend two to three festivals a year and spend $150 a ticket. 67% figure they’ll still be attending such events over the next few years, with 59% saying festivals give them a sense of community. Location, cost and friends attending are reasons for going, but the acts are the main reason according to one in three. Of the hardcore attendees, 40% will go intestate, and 18% abroad to get their fix.
Study #2: Concert Goers Are Happier A study by Victoria’s Deakin University found that those who regularly go to concerts are happier and than those who don’t. “Engaging with music by dancing or attending musical events [is] associated with higher subjective wellbeing,” sums up If You’re Happy And You Know It: Music Engagement And Subjective Wellbeing, which studied 1000 participants. “Regular” is the key word here.
Study #3: Streaming Bites Into Online Buying According to new figures from market researcher Roy Morgan, online shopping skyrockets in Australia with 41.2% of Aussies making at least one purchase via the Internet in an average four-week period (up from 31.6% in 2012). In comparison, in the 12 months to March 2016, only 4.6% of the population downloaded music in any four-week period (6.1% in 2012) and 1.1% bought CDs online (2.1% four years ago). The percentage of Aussies who streamed music online in an average four weeks leaped from 10.3% (2012) to 19.7% in 2016. Streaming radio was up to 9.6% from 6.1%. 8
Sony Music Entertainment has bought out Ministry of Sound Recordings, one of the biggest dance labels in the world. The label, formed in 1993 in London, has since sold 70 million records and achieved 40 #1 albums and 21 #1 singles in the UK. The Australian operation will continue to release compilations here until next June, after which they move to Sony Music Australia. MOS Australia’s chief Tim McGee says the local operations will change its name down the track to reflect how it is now a full service company with management, touring and publishing.
Sydney Bars Encouraged To Enlarge For More Live Music During a review of Sydney’s small bar liquor laws, the City of Sydney suggested its 130 small bars increase to 120 capacities – and extend trading to 2am from midnight. It would allow them to showcase more live music and increase their contribution to the city’s $19 billion night time economy.
Triple J Reaching 1.96M Last month’s GFK radio ratings showed triple j has a national reach of 1.98 million. Michael Mason, Head of ABC Radio told the Radioinfo site that ABC’s radio is focussing on the digital sphere, “because that’s clearly where the growth is - particularly around the personalisation aspect of radio,” where listeners get the music, news and talk when they want. 30% of listeners do so online.
ARIA Awards Extends To Ten & Star World The 30th ARIA awards (Wednesday November 23) have extended their broadcast partnerships. Ten Network will screen the awards and red carpet around Australia. The ARIAs will also continue to broadcast through Asia with STAR World taking Australia’s best artists into the homes of millions of people across the region. According to News Corp, Robbie Williams is at the top of the performers wish list, along with Pink, Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Michael Bublé.
First Speakers For EMC
Australian/U.S. Research On Music And Health Researchers at Adelaide’s music industry/technology cluster Musitec and Boston-based Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship are working on a comprehensive report regarding applications of music to support health and wellness. Music’s role in well-being and health is becoming an important discussion point as we learn more how music’s magic can not only prevent some illnesses but help cure others.
SCA Revenue & Profits Up Southern Cross Austereo’s revenue was up 5.1% to $642.3 million, net profit rose 19% to $77.2 million and the group reduced its debt by 33% (or $166.7 million) to $340 million.
NT Tourism Helps Music/ Arts Events Events with the potential to attract interstate and/or international visitors to the Northern Territory may be eligible for support from Tourism NT under the Event Marketing Sponsorship Program. Aside from financial help, there is also help with advertising and marketing. Among 18 recipients this year have been festivals as Wide Open Space, Alice Desert and Barunga.
New Venues For Melbourne’s South East Monash University is getting a $45 million upgrade for Performing Arts. The Ian Potter Centre includes a revitalised 586-seat Alexander Theatre (attended by 40,000 each year) with new venues, a 130-seat Sound Gallery for flat floor performances and a 200-seat Jazz Club, which includes a cafe service during the day and fully catered venue at night. Venues will be available to productions, students, community groups, schools and local residents.
THINGS WE HEAR Eskimo Joe’s Joel Quartermain is moving from Perth to Melbourne to pursue his production career. Stu MacLeod is now general manager at Perth community radio station RTRFM and Kav Temperley is releasing a solo EP next month. Gurrumul Yunupingu might not be able to tour as he’s on renal dialysis three times a week for his kidney problems. At last month’s National Independent Music Awards (NIMAs) in Darwin, he arrived in a wheelchair straight from hospital to receive his fifth Artist of the Year gong. The Amity Affliction singer Joel Birch confessed after he heard their new album back in its entirety and heard some of the lyrics, he entered Alcoholics Anonymous and turned his life around. After a six-year hiatus from Gotye, creator Wally De Backer of Melbourne band The Basics is about to return next year with two releases – a Basics album and at least a Gotye single. Illegal raves in regional areas are becoming a worry for local councils and cops. One was closed down in the Pillar Valley state forest when cops arrived to find no safety or traffic management in place and the toilets for the 3500 expected consisted of an open pit. Councils are threatening to introduce cameras and gates to dissuade them. Sneaky Sound System’s cosily married Connie Mitchell and “Black Angus” McDonald are this month awaiting the arrival of their first child. Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and Mark Ronson produced Lady Gaga’s new single 'Perfect Illusion.' On the eve of her first North American tour in 25 years, Dolly Parton reveals that US promoters only got excited when they heard reports of how well her shows went down in Australia and New Zealand. Perth hip hopper Drapht’s return album Seven Mirrors includes a track called 'Midnight At the Hospice,' written by Perth rapper Robert Hunter a month before he died in October 2011 from cancer. Two other tracks allude to when Drapht ran Solomon’s Café after he gave up his music career thinking he no longer enjoyed it. Instead, he wrote more songs than ever. In April he sold the café. Reclaim Australia, the debut album by rap act A.B. Original (Briggs and producer Trials) is set for release later this year via Hilltop Hoods’ label Golden Era Records and Briggs’ new Indigenous hip hop label Bad Apples Music.
The first 21 speakers have been announced for the 3rd Electronic Music Conference in Sydney (Monday Nov 28 – Friday Dec 2). Speakers will include Amsterdam’s night mayor Mirik Milan and Music Victoria CEO Patrick Donovan. Other speakers include Honey Dijon, Leftfield, Martin Phillips, Toby Pike of Toby & Pete, Rüfüs and Flight Facilities. See electronicmusicconference.com for the full list. mixdownmag.com.au
NEW ALBUM
OUT NOW
Music News Cane Hill
New Orleans’ rising heavy-rock band Cane Hill has released their anticipated debut album, Smile. Set to tour Australia for the very first time alongside Bullet For My Valentine and Atreyu, the foursome is clearly doing something right. After being dubbed ‘Download Festival’s Most Dangerous Band’ and grabbing up Kerrang’s award for ‘Best International Newcomer’, Cane Hill have placed themselves in a prime position. The band is expected to indulge fans in some unadulterated mayhem with their performance alongside BFMV and Atreyu in October. For full list of tour dates head to mixdownmag.com.au
Into It. Over It.
Chicago-based Into It. Over It. is heading down under for a debut Australian tour. The brainchild of indie rocker Evan Thomas Weiss will be making its way along the East Coast this September. For the past decade, the unit have been touring and writing with relentless force. Weiss’ solo project has received praise for its emotive melodies and conversational lyric style. Their latest release, Standards, was recorded and produced by John Vanderslice (Spoon, Mountain Goats, Death Cab For Cutie) and sees Weiss blending tightly woven rifs and propulsive song writing. Joining Into It. Over It. on the tour will be Jesse Locke in Melbourne and Zzzounds in both Melbourne and Sydney.
King Parrot
Recently returning from another successful North American tour, King Parrot has announced four exclusive shows in Victoria and South Australia this September. The Melbourne group are currently working hard creating new tunes for their yet to be titled upcoming album. Obviously keen to showcase some of the unreleased tracks to their Australian audience, the boys will be taking a short break to jump on some local stages. The band has deliberately targeted some of Australia’s neglected towns and cities, taking their shows to Warrnambool, Adelaide, Belgrave and Bendigo. The tour will act as a warm up for their huge European trip that takes place in October and November alongside Obituary, Exodus and Prong.
TOUR DATES SEPT 27 – RAD BAR, WOLLONGONG NSW SEPT 28 – OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW SEPT 29 – BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRISBANE QLD SEPT 30 – THE REVERENCE HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC
TOUR DATES SEPT 9 – THE LOFT, WARRNAMBOOL VIC SEPT 10 – THE NEW DEAD METALFEST, FOWLERS LIVE, ADELAIDE SA SEPT 16 – SOOKI LOUNGE, BELGRAVE VIC SEPT 17 – MUSICMAN MEGASTORE, BENIDGO VIC
Red Sea
Not many bands have made an introduction to the Australian prog rock scene like Red Sea – heck, their debut EP tour sees them sharing the stage with Dirty Wolves at the Sydney Opera House. Working with three-time Grammy nominated producer Rick Will, Red Sea’s debut EP Battlescar (out now) is turning the heads of many in the industry, which has also seen the band being picked up by GuitarBaby HQ. Their prog rock sound draws comparisons to Evanescence, Perfect Circle and Muse, and this month, fans will finally get the chance to see the female-fronted four-piece tear up stages around Australia. TOUR DATES SEPT 10 – SMALL BANDROOM, NEWCASTLE NSW SEPT 15 – RED BAR, WOLLONGONG NSW SEPT 18 – SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, SYDNEY NSW SEPT 23 – THE EVELYN, FITZROY VIC SEPT 29 – THE ROYAL OAK, LAUNCESTON TAS
SEPT 30 – REPUBLIC BAR, HOBART TAS OCT 1 – TAPAS, DEVONPORT TAS OCT 7 – NICS BAR, BRISBANE QLD OCT 15 – THE PRODUCERS, ADELAIDE SA NOV 4 – THE BASEMENT, CANBERRA ACT
Northeast Party House
Northeast Party House has dropped three equally exciting announcements for fans: the release date for their highly anticipated sophomore album Dare, a brand new single ‘For You’ and a national album tour. They say all good things come in threes and when it comes to Northeast Party House, they aren’t wrong. Self-produced by the band, Dare is due to be released September 9. The album was mixed and mastered by drummer Malcolm Besley and the recording was split between Melbourne and London while the guys were on tour. Following the critically acclaimed debut, Any Given Weekend, the record has a lot to live up to. For full list of tour dates head to mixdownmag.com.au
Melbourne International Guitar Festival
Some of the world’s best classical guitarists will be on show at Melbourne University this month as part of the annual Melbourne International Guitar Festival. Hosted by the Melbourne Guitar Foundation, the event is held to promote and cultivate the classical guitar in Australia. Set to take place from September 23-25, the MIGF will host performances from Brazil’s Chrystian Dozza, Italy’s Adriano Del Sal and Australia’s own Tim Kain and Virginia Taylor as well as the Brew Guitar Duo. The performers will also be hosting free masterclasses across the weekend, with exclusive presentations and workshops on Australian Tonewoods and the Victorian Guitar Orchestra also highlighting the packed festival schedule. Festival passes start from just $90, which includes access to all four performances as well as all of the events held over the weekend. TOUR DATES SEPT 23 – TIM KAIN & VIRGINIA TAYLOR @ MELBA HALL, MEBOURNE VIC SEPT 24 – CHRYSTIAN DOZZA @ MELBA HALL, MELBOURNE VIC SEPT 24 – ADRIANO DEL SAL @ MELBA HALL, MELBOURNE VIC SEPT 25 – BREW GUITAR DUO @ MELBA HALL, MELBOURNE VIC 10
Aristocrats
Instrumental rock unit The Aristocrats are heading down under to share their fusion sound with their Australian fans. Marco Minnemann (drummer), Bryan Beller (bassist) and Guthrie Govan (guitar) make up the all-star supergroup and are set to thrill audiences around the country. Forming by chance via a on-the-spot gig at 2011’s NAMM conference, the unit has since released three studio albums and three live albums. The Aristocrats sound continues to combine various elements including ‘70s jazz-rock fusion, progressive rock, satirical themes and R-rated titles. Noted for their unique textures and lush layers, they maintain the highest levels of musicianship possible and are ready to share them with us down under. TOUR DATES OCT 2 – JOHN INVERARITY THEATRE, PERTH WA OCT 4 – THE GOVERNOR HINDMARSH, ADELAIDE SA OCT 6 – THE BENDIGO HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 8 – MANNING BAR, SYDNEY NSW OCT 10 – THE CROWBAR, BRISBANE QLD mixdownmag.com.au
PERTH CONCERT HALL 25 SEPTEMBER QUEENSLAND PAC 28 SEPTEMBER SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 30 SEPTEMBER THEBARTON THEATRE 02 OCTOBER PALAIS THEATRE 05 OCTOBER
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT J BONAMA S S A . COM
Product News The Melbourne Guitar Foundation Are Saving The Classical Guitar ME L BOURNE G U I TAR FOU ND ATI ON | ME L BOURNE GU I TA R FOU ND ATI ON.C OM
EBMM Celebrate 16-Year Partnership With John Petrucci, Release JP16 Signature Guitar C M C M U S I C A U S T R AL I A | C M C M US IC. COM . A U
The JP16 has a combination of features from the original Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci signature model and later Ball Family Reserve models. Highlights include a lightweight basswood body with high gloss Black Lava finish and a new Floyd Rose 1000 Pro Floating Tremolo system. The JP16 also features the return of the original scooped forearm contour, which will provide many hours of playing comfort. First fret JP16 logo, stainless steel frets and a smokey ebony fretboard are standard options on the ultra thin and fast figured/roasted maple neck. A pair of DiMarzio Sonic Ecstasy humbuckers and 20+ dB gain boost push/push volume pot provide the JP16 with plenty of sizzling tone. The JP16 is a powerhouse guitar and a worthy addition to our extremely popular and long-running John Petrucci series. Petrucci agrees: “This awesome collaboration between myself, Sterling and the Ernie Ball Music Man engineers is what keeps us moving forward, pushing the envelope of new possibilities and it’s one of the things I value most about our long standing relationship.”
Effortlessly Switch Between Amps On Stage With The Tonebone BigShot ABY AMBE R T ECHNOLOGY | WWW.AMBE RT E C H.C OM.AU
Radial Engineering has recently unveiled the Tonebone BigShot ABY rev 2, an updated version of the company’s popular guitar amp switcher. In the modern era, switching between two amps is essential to give you more control over your tone on stage. With the the Tonebone BigShot ABY, Radial is making this process easy, allowing you to have two amps on at the same time whilst on stage. Designed for the purist, this compact true-bypass ABY switcher is completely passive meaning that there are no tone altering buffers in between the guitar and the amplifier. With the BigShot ABY you get the pure tone from your guitar plugged direct into your amp! To add versatility, the BigShot ABY is also equipped with a separate tuner out. This ‘always on’ output feeds your tuner for constant monitoring while keeping it out of the signal chain. Should you experience hum and buzz problems due to ground loops, the BigShot ABY comes to the rescue with a built-in isolation transformer and ground lift switch. Once engaged, you can toggle the polarity of the second amplifier to ensure both amps play in absolute phase.
Guild Wind Back The Clock With New Westerly Collection Archbacks ZEN I TH M U S I C | Z E NI T H MU S I C. C OM. A U
Guild began its legacy in 1953 by producing archtop electric guitars for the Jazz market in New York City. These guitars were built with arched backs made from pressed laminate maple – a low-cost alternative to hand-carved maple backs typical in Jazz guitar construction. As the company grew and began offering flat top acoustics in 1954, the first models such as the F-30, F-40 and F-50 shared this pressed laminate arched back construction, which became a Guild trademark. Other classic Guilds like the D-25 and F-412 – icons of the brand’s history to this day – represent this unique combination of acoustic flat top and arched back guitar construction. In addition to its classic look and ergonomic comfort, an arched back design prevents the need for the added support of back braces. Reducing weight while increasing projection and volume, the shape contributes to the revered Guild sound for which these historic models are so well loved. Guild has paid homage to this classic design trademark with a full line of affordable Archback models. All models come with a Deluxe Guild Gig Bag and are available now from the Westerly Collection in sizes ranging from Junior Jumbo to Jumbo.
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KRK Rokit G3 Speakers Come In New Colours GIBSON AMI | GIBSONAMI.C O M. AU
KRK Rokits are amongst the most immediately recognisable products in the industry. You’d be forgiven for thinking that those at the helm of KRK systems might be reluctant to make any drastic changes to the products aesthetic. Well you’d be wrong. The KRK Rokit Generation 3s have just been given a facelift, and are now available in a new range of colour schemes, including white and platinum. With regards to performance, these speakers deliver the same uncompromising audio quality as their familiar black and yellow cousins, but for anyone out there thinking about upgrading to the latest generation of Rokits, these new variants are sure to give you some food for thought.
We see the likes of electric guitarists or steel-string players in the media spotlight all too regularly. Their mainstream appeal is the sheer reason why we so many new up-and-coming guitarists are playing these instruments. When it comes to the classical guitar though, it appears that the historical instrument gets left out of the limelight due to its lack of ‘cool’ factor. Well there’s one group in Melbourne who are changing this notion. The Melbourne Guitar Foundation was founded in 2014 with a mission to promote and cultivate the classical guitar in Australia. Through masterclasses, individual lessons, concerts, competitions and festivals, the MGF seeks to engage the Australian community with the best classical guitarists throughout the world. Utulising these resources, the MFG are hoping to develop an Australian wide guitar family made up of professional concert artists, teachers, amateurs and enthusiasts alike to encourage the next generation of Australian classical guitar concert artists. This coming month, the MGF will be hosting the annual Melbourne International Guitar Festival at Melbourne University. The event will look to promote the classical guitar by hosting exclusive performances and masterclasses over the weekend of September 23 -25. For more details, head to melbourneguitarfoundation.com
Upgrade Your Sound With The AV42 Monitor Speakers From M-Audio PRO AUDIO G R OU P | PR OA U D I OG R OU P.C OM. AU
No bedroom producer should be using substandard speakers for mixing. If you want to pick up on the subtleties of you mix, you need a serious speaker system with accurate sound. The M-Audio AV42 monitor speakers feature acoustically-inert MDF cabinets, which eliminate clarity-robbing resonances. Inside, Class A/B amplification provides 20 watts of power per channel. The two-way design features an optimized bass reflex design and OptImage IV waveguides to deliver extended bass and crystal-clear highs. Offering rear-panel RCA inputs, the AV42 speakers are compatible with all of your gear. There is even a 1/8-inch aux input for your tablet, computer, or mobile device. The convenient headphone output allows you to work privately at any hour. Ideal for producing all kinds of media, the AV42 monitor speakers are also perfect for gaming, watching videos, and listening to music.
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Product News Sterling By Music Man Releases Ball Family Reserve Inspired StingRay CMC MUSIC AUST RAL IA | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU
There can be no denying the impact that the StingRay bass has had on bassists and music in general. The no-nonsense design, the tones from its 3-band preamp and pickup, the ash body and the familiar oval pickguard have put the bottom-end into some of the most important music of the last 40 years. The Ray34 QM series give a nod to the premium Ball Family Reserve (BFR) Ernie Ball Music Man StingRay basses. Featuring a beautiful, highly figured maple top over and African mahogany body, the result is a visually striking and tuneful instrument. The Ray34 QM is available in both the antique maple finish (rosewood fretboard) and honeyburst finish (maple fretboard), and features the Classic StingRay body style, maple neck, active 3 band EQ, 42mm nut and 12” fretboard radius.
Introducing The Alto Trouper Portable PA System PRO AUDIO GROUP | PROAUDIOGROUP.COM.AU
In A Snapshot: Meris 500 Series Modules STU D I O C ONNE C T I ONS | S T U D I O CO N N ECTI O N S . CO M. A U
The Alto Professional Trouper is a compact high-performance PA system that perfectly fulfils the unique demands of solo artists and small ensembles. Leveraging technology from their widely acclaimed TrueSonic and Black Series sound reinforcement systems, Trouper is the best-sounding and most full-featured small-venue PA system available. Trouper is a 2-way 200-watt bi-amplified system (130 watts LF/70 watts HF) with 3x 165mm woofers and a 25mm high-frequency compression driver, spanning the full musical frequency range from 65-20kHz. The system has thermal and dynamic overload protection, so the sound is always clean and clear no matter how hard you push it. Trouper is brimming with thoughtful touches and conveniences that are exactly what you need to ensure your performances are smooth and glitch-free.
There’s a lot of buzz in the industry at the moment around the 500 series modules. They provide a huge variety of audio colour and options in a world dominated by DAWs that are digital, super clean and pristine. The great thing about the 500 series is that it brings back the sound of the classic multimillion-dollar studios and gear but at a price that’s reasonable and in a small form factor that can easily be integrated into today’s recording rigs. The 440 Mic Preamp is one of the most unique modules in the range due to its pedal friendly post effects loop, which allows the use of guitar pedals to effect anything you put a mic in front. Ottobit is a new and unique sound processor in the 500 series modular format. It is designed to give musicians and sound designers tools to sculpt any source into audio reminiscent of early 8 and 16 bit video game soundtracks. The Meris Mercury7 reverb module will inspire your productions with two handcrafted algorithms, Ultraplate and Cathedra, which provide amazingly wide ranging soundscapes from dark and foreboding to ethereal and angelic.
PreSonus StudioLive AR USB Hybrid Mixers Make Mixing & Recording Easy L INK AUDIO | L INKAUDIO.COM.AU
Lightweight, versatile and feature-rich, the new PreSonus StudioLive AR USB hybrid mixers make it simple to mix and record. These are musician’s mixers, packed with analogue connections and digital tools, yet easy to learn and use. The series includes three models: the 18-channel StudioLive AR16 USB, 14-channel StudioLive AR12 USB, and 8-channel StudioLive AR8 USB. StudioLive AR USB mixers are equipped with a USB 2.0 audio interface that can capture all input channels, plus the main mix, to a Mac or Windows PC, with 24-bit, 96 kHz quality. The PreSonus StudioLive AR USB Hybrid Mixers tick all the boxes. Providing an all-inone solution, you can mix with PreSonus’ famous Class A preamps and three-band EQ, create multi-track recordings and fly in backing tracks with a 24-bit, 96 kHz, USB 2.0 digital audio interface or record and playback in stereo with the integrated SD digital recorder. As with all PreSonus mixers and interfaces, StudioLive AR USB mixers are tightly integrated with state-of-the-art recording software. Record with PreSonus’ Capture liverecording software, then edit in award-winning Studio One 3 Artist DAW (recording and production software); both are included free.
Hartke Unleash New 600-Watt Portable Bass Amp ELEC TR I C F A C T OR Y | E L F A .C OM .A U
Portable bass amps are all the rage at the moment, and Hartke are joining the party with the TX600. Lightweight and offering an earth shattering 600-watts of power, the TX600 is a Class D bass amplifier that offers the legendary Hartke tube preamp circuitry in a highly portable design. Within a rugged, yet compact enclosure, the TX600 features an on-board compressor and unique tone stack EQ section that provides players of all styles with thorough control over their sound.Inspired by the countless hours spent by Hartke engineers listening to bass players of all genres, the TX600 features Hartke’s unique Tone Stack EQ – a pre-set equalisation curve tailored to bass guitar. The Shape and Frequency knobs provide detailed control of the midrange frequency voicing, while the Bass and Treble controls allow for further adjustments to create a tone that is your own.
Get A Wall Of Sound In Your Pocket With Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operators INNOVAT IVE MUSIC | INNOVAT IVE MUSIC.COM.AU
Pocket operators are small, ultra portable music devices, with studio quality sound and the flexibility to make music on the go. Teenage Engineering currently have six Pocket Operators in their range: Rhythm, Sub, Factory, Arcade, Office and Robot. All Pocket Operator models perfectly complement each other. From drum machine, bass and lead synthesizers to noise percussion, the six unique units allow you to start a pocket band. Use them separately or connect them together, the choice is really yours to make. Affordable for everyone and compatible with all other music gear, Pocket Operators are simply the best fun you can have making music in the palm of your hand, anywhere.
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Product News
In A Snapshot: Sennheiser MK 8 Condenser Microphone SE NNHE ISE R AUST RAL IA | SE NNHE ISE R.COM.AU
Sennheiser’s widely popular MK 4 has been the popular choice for producers, with the condenser mic finding its way in many studios over the years. Not resting on their laurels, Sennheiser has followed up with the MK 8. As the name suggests, the MK 8 offers twice as much as its sister model the MK 4. While the MK 4 had been designed as a straightforward plug-and-play microphone, the MK 8 is a more refined tool for the recording engineer seeking for added control options. The true condenser, double-diaphragm MK 8 features five selectable polar patterns (omni-directional, wide cardioid, cardioid, super-cardioid, figureof-eight) to optimally adapt to the recording situation at hand, and is fitted with a low cut/roll-off filter and pad switch. The MK 8 has one-inch diaphragms precisely spattered with 24-carat gold. Its capsule is elastically mounted to reduce structure-borne noise.
Get 6 Classic Big Muff Tones In One Stompbox With The JHS Muffuletta GL ADE SVIL L E GUIT AR F ACT ORY | GUIT ARF ACT ORY.NE T
The heart of the Muffuletta is the fact that it replicates five (yes five) classic Big Muff circuits from years gone by as well as a new and original JHS version for a total of six Muff models – all executed without any digital signal processing or digital emulation. When you choose a model, you are achieving analogue tone that uses real components and values found in the original units. JHS has selected their favourite classic versions from the pages of history and made them available in one small format pedal that is easy to understand, operate and do what it should do: replicate rare, expensive, mythical and sought after versions of this circuit with ease. The Big Muff has an amazing history and has been used by some of the most influential guitarists ever. Never before has there been a single pedal that gives you all these different eras of its tone. We are convinced that the Muffuletta can fit in anyone’s rig who loves dirt, distortion and fuzz, and we think it will be hard for you to disagree once you plug it in and play.
A Look At Hagstrom Guitars PR O M U S I C A U S T R A L I A | P R OM U S ICA US TRA LI A . CO M
Established in 1925 as a manufacturer of accordions, Hagstrom also has a long history. In 1958, the first Hagstrom electric guitars were built. Covered in sparkle and pearloid celluloid with stamped metal logos, they featured an ingenious use of materials previously used in their accordion production. Over time Hagstrom’s range of instruments expanded into classic designs such as semi-acoustic and jazz models (Viking and Jimmy), solid-bodies (Swede and Super Swede), and electric basses. The world’s first 8-string bass, the H8, was introduced, and became an instant success. Hagstrom guitars became known world wide for their professional quality, excellent playability, unique features, and great value. Hagstrom guitars are also known for their playing comfort and tonal versatility, the result of design innovations such as their aerospaceengineered H-Expander truss rod, Resinator fingerboard, custom-wound pickups and unique hardware. All of these features contribute to Hagstrom’s distinct and unmatched sound, which has jumpstarted many careers around the world. The minute you lay your hands on a Hagstrom and strum it for the first time, you can instantly feel why Hagstrom has legions of devoted fans and why so many pro musicians have made it their ‘number one’.
PreSonus Are Delivering Clear, Accurate Sound With Latest AIR Loudspeakers L INK AUDIO | WWW.L INKAUDIO.COM.AU
Compact and lightweight, the new PreSonus AIR active loudspeakers provide a rich, extended lowend and natural high-frequency extension in an enclosure that will easily fit in the backseat of a small car. Backed by 1,200W (dynamic) of Class D/Class AB power and enhanced with easy-to-use digital tuning functions, AIR full-range systems give you all the power and tools you need for both mobile and installed sound. The series includes three full-range loudspeakers: the AIR10 is based on a 10-inch woofer, while the AIR12 has a 12-inch woofer and the AIR15 relies on a 15-inch woofer. The full-range loudspeakers are driven by a distinctive amplification system that uses the respective strengths of Class D and Class A/B amplifiers. A 500W (continuous), Class D amplifier drives the low-frequency driver, providing efficient, clean power for powerful low-end. A 200W (continuous), Class A/B amplifier powers the high-frequency driver, delivering a natural, “AIR-y” high-end. The AIR15s and AIR18s active subwoofers complete the series. Both models employ 1,200 watts (dynamic) of Class D power to provide detailed bottom-end all the way down to 35Hz. Although designed for use with AIR-series full-range loudspeakers, AIR-series subwoofers can be used with virtually any full-range loudspeaker due to their variable lowpass filter.
Take Control Of On Stage Monitoring With The Radial MC3 AM B ER T E C H NOLOG Y | A M B E R T E C H. CO M. A U
The Radial MC3 monitor controller is a studio tool that enables the engineer to quickly select between reference monitors, sub woofer or headphones and compare how the mix translates via various playback systems. Unique to the MC3 is the ability to quickly sum mono for AM radio compatibility. And while most monitor switchers are active the MC3 is 100% passive. This means that unlike active switchers that introduce a buffered electronic circuit in between your recording system and monitors, the MC3 delivers straight wire performance. This eliminates colouration and distortion for more accurate monitoring. The MC3 features an easy access level control that lets you quickly set playback levels on all speakers. Each output is equipped with a top-mount ‘set & forget’ dial to fine tune outputs for the ideal balance. The sub is augmented with a 180 degree polarity reverse to help deal with room modes that may cause a frequency bump in the mix position. To address the ever-increasing popularity of ear buds, the Radial MC3 is equipped with a built-in headphone amplifier with stereo 3.5mm output along with two standard 1/4” headphone phone outs to share. The MC3 may be configured for either balanced or unbalanced setups.
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Studiologic’s Sledge 2.0 Now Available In Black Edition INNOVAT IVE MUSIC | INNOVAT IVE MUSIC.COM.AU
Studiologic’s new and improved Sledge 2.0 introduces new features and sound innovations that set the instrument above any competitor, thanks to a mix of pure synthesis and sound sampling. With Sledge 2.0, there are endless creative possibilities. Combine and play two sounds at the same time in split or layer mode; every sound combination can be stored in any of the 999 available pre-sets. Pitch and hold functions can be enabled separately for the lower and upper sounds in dual mode, allowing you to keep the sample loop running while playing the upper sound. Sledge is already an incredible synthesizer powerhouse, and now, it is available in a sleek-looking Black Edition. The exclusive dark look includes a black case, a semi-weighted keyboard with reverse black and grey keys and an even more professional touch feeling. It isn’t just all looks either. Sledge’s Black Edition comes with new modulation features and sounds. With a mix of pure synthesis and sampling, you can now push Sledge further than ever before. Sledge is now shipping in Australia via Innovative Music.
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E-SERIES SERIES PROFESSIONAL IN-EAR MONITORING HEADPHONES
-E40 ATH Dual Phase Push-pull Drivers
-E50 ATH Two Balanced Armature Drivers
-E70 ATH Three Balanced Armature Drivers
E-SERIES In-ear Monitor Headphones Audio-Technica brings the critically acclaimed sonic heritage of its M-Series headphones to three professional in-ear designs: ATH-E70, the flagship model, designed for musicians and audio pros who demand the absolute best, ATH-E50, ideal for on-the-road artists or producers, and the ATH-E40, a versatile performer from the stage to the street.
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A DAY TO REMEMBER
‘Good Vibrations’ is one of the best known songs in The Beach Boys’ back catalogue. Although this could partly be due to its appropriation in various television advertisements, the original recording still stands as a work of avant-pop genius. This feat belies the fact the song came about during a massively turbulent time in the band’s career – songwriter Brian Wilson was grappling with the unravelling of his sanity, while band mate Mike Love was not impressed with Wilson’s refusal to write any more cheesy songs about surfing. Florida pop punk/metalcore outfit A Day To Remember give a wink to The Beach Boys with the title of their new album, Bad Vibrations. Now, A Day To Remember aren’t immune to internal conflicts of their own – for instance their previous LP, Common Courtesy, was preceded by a sticky feud with former label Victory Records, eventuating in the end of their contract. However, contrary to the disorder experienced by The Beach Boys around the time of ‘Good Vibrations’, Bad Vibrations is the work of a band in better health than ever before. This is exemplified by the album’s collaborative construction. More so than their previous five records, Bad Vibrations depicts the musical personalities and preferences of all five A Day To Remember members. To achieve this, they all moved into a cabin away from the city and worked on the songs as a group. “I feel like the way we had been building albums was more based around how I was comfortable and not the whole band,” says frontman Jeremy McKinnon. “Literally, we don’t even play half our albums because people don’t have a connection to the songs like I would. Without even meaning to, I was kind of controlling the process. “So I thought, ‘Let’s be a real band, get in a room and write a record like we used to back in the day when we were in our parents’ garage, and create an environment where other people that want to have a voice can [have a voice].’ It was the right time to change it up, get out of our comfort zone and try something new.” While McKinnon was eager to implement this new method, there was no guarantee it’d work out. But the band’s enthusiasm was peaking following the global success of Common Courtesy, and the ideas immediately began to flow. They were additionally motivated by the fact they’d soon be teaming up with a production team they greatly admired. In contrast to A Day To Remember’s latest few records – recorded in Florida with Andrew Wade and Chad Gilbert – Bad Vibrations was recorded at The Blasting Room studios in Colorado with producers Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore. Stevenson is well known as the drummer for the Descendents, but he and Livermore have also produced stacks of punk and hardcore albums, including releases from Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, NOFX and Useless ID. “There was a few places we were considering, but [The Blasting Room] was the one we were all most excited about,” McKinnon says. “They’ve done all these punk records we love. There were some hardcore records that came out of there that we’ve cited as sonic influences forever, like the Comeback Kid Wake the Dead album. The bass tone in ‘Talk is Cheap’ is the bass tone that we’ve
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“So I thought, ‘Let’s be a real band, get in a room and write a record like we used to back in the day when we were in our parents’ garage, and create an environment where other people that want to have a voice can [have a voice].’ It was the right time to change it up, get out of our comfort zone and try something new.”
shown every engineer ever recording our albums. It’s like, ‘This is what we want our bass tone to sound like.’ There was no other place to go, in our minds.” The band evidently had high hopes about teaming up with Stevenson and Livermore, and McKinnon says everyone was on the same page from the get go. “They had done a lot of heavy records. They’d listened to ours and we’d show them things we like, and we referenced the Comeback Kid tone and they knew exactly what was used for that. It just happened naturally. They knew what we wanted.” A Day To Remember are well known for merging melodic, radio-friendly pop punk sounds with the aggressive screamed vocals and breakdowns typical of modern hardcore. Such a fusion again features prominently on Bad Vibrations, but that doesn’t mean they were hewing to a specified stylistic blueprint. “We just get together and put together whatever we think sounds right,” McKinnon says. “There’s never an end goal or a
theme. It’s always just, ‘What is happening right now in our lives?’ Musically/influence-wise too. We just go for it, and what you end up with is A Day To Remember. It’s never, ‘Let’s try to write this or let’s try to write that.’ It’s just free-flowing ideas that we’re into that we’ve finished in a way that we deem acceptable. “There’s a bar for us. It’s never just like, ‘We think this song kind of sucks, but let’s put it on the album anyway.’ If we don’t like something, it doesn’t go on an A Day To Remember record and that’s why it usually takes around three years to concoct one. We like to have every part of every song be something we one hundred per cent believe in. I think that’s why we’ve gotten to the point we have – our attention to detail.” A Day To Remember have an enormous global fanbase, including an especially fervent Australian following – last December’s Big Ass Tour with The Amity Affliction included shows at several of the country’s biggest arena venues. Despite being their first record without the support of a label, Common Courtesy achieved significant chart success. Moving into Bad Vibrations, they weren’t going to dismiss the implications of their commercial standing. “This band changed my life and we are so grateful for what this fanbase has given us. The fact that I can go home and relax and write music that is just therapy for myself at the end of the day, and I put it out and people come to shows and pay money to see us do that and we can live a more than comfortable life and get to go on tour with massive worldwide huge bands – this is the most amazing gift that anybody could ever be given and we do not take it for granted. “You don’t see A Day To Remember spitting out records ever year full of bullshit. Even if you don’t like a record by us, we put time and we put effort into making it the best album we possibly could. [Bad Vibrations] is the best we could’ve done for this section of three years in our lives.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Bad Vibrations is out now via Epitaph Records. A Day To Remember will be touring nationally throughout December to celebrate its release. For more information visit www.livenation.com.au mixdownmag.com.au
Music Interviews
Bullet For My Valentine In the case of some long-running bands, you feel like they’ve been around for ever and ever, just churning out the same tired old stuff. With others, it feels as though you turn around and 10 or even 20 years have come and gone in a flash. You can trace the origins of this classic Welsh heavy act all the way back to 1998, so they are approaching two decades together as a band. It has also been more than 10 years since they released their debut album The Poison back in 2005. Lead guitarist and backing vocalist Michael ‘Padge’ Paget, speaking from on the road in the States on the hot and gruelling Warped Tour, cannot believe how quickly it’s all gone by. “It’s all so long ago, but it’s been the quickest ten years of our lives!” He exclaims. “We’ve spent so much time on it, and it’s been mind-blowing for all of us, we would never have expected this.
Enter Shikari Continually pushing the boundaries and striving to break new ground, the ambitious Enter Shikari have long been involved in many genre cross-overs in both Australia and their home in the UK. The band still consists of the same founding members since 1999, and has just finished up its biggest tour to date following the release of the band’s fourth studio album The Mindsweep. Enter Shikari is once again Australia bound, this time with their label-mates Hacktivist. With his eyes firmly set on the upcoming tour, guitarist Rory Clewlow reflects on his fondness for Australia, and offers insight into their new single ‘Redshift’. “The first thing that popped into my head was Melbourne Sushi, Sydney and seeing cousins,” says Clewlow. “I’ve got quite a lot of family over there in Australia. I lived out there for a couple of years when I was a kid; I had family that moved over there. “Redshift is just a single by itself,” says Clewlow, speaking of the band’s latest effort. “Personally it’s way too long between the album. We release 20
We’ve taken some of the fans with us over all that time too, and it’s just been so much fun. Hopefully there’ll another ten more too.” Indeed, Padge feels as though there still plenty of juice left in the Bullet tank – creatively, personally and motivationally – that they have more territory left to conquer and that they want to continue to build their notoriety across the globe. “Yeah we’re all still really angry, and even though we’ve done so much, we still want to be as big a band as we possibly can,” he states. “There’s always something more to do, and we always seek to somehow be better in what we do, and we can still build our name around the world.” In the shorter to medium term, it’s been over a year now since the release of their last album Venom. Padge states that they already have some new musical ideas, and it won’t be too long before the band start thinking about and working on what will be their sixth record. “Yeah, there’s always riffs flying around,” he says. “We’ve got about nine days off when we get back home, so hopefully we’ll get some time to jump in the studio and start throwing some things down. We’ll try to do as much as we can so that when the time comes we’ll sit down with the lads and get something going as soon as possible. I think that’s the plan.” Before they start writing in earnest for the next BFMV album however, there is also the matter of an Australian tour to do, which is coming up next month and takes in every mainland state. Padge is very much looking forward to coming back Down Under to play a full set for the Aussie fans again. “We can’t wait man,” he enthuses. “It’s been a long time since we did a headline tour over there. We’ve been doing the Soundwave thing the last few times. It’s going to be really interesting, to come down and do our full thing for the fans, and bring our own production own too. “I think the Melbourne show is already sold out, so we’re doing a second show there, so we’re stoked.” And in that full headline set, Padge promises they will
touch on all five of their studio albums. “Yeah, we’ll try to do as much as we can, as much as our budget allows!” He laughs. “So it’s going to be a big one. I think we’ve nailed our full set, but when we play festivals, we do 30 or 40 minute sets, which is five or six songs. It’s really hard cutting it down now. That’s why we’re stoked to be back doing a full headline set for the Aussie fans where we can just wind it out.”
an album every three years and we have so much more material that we can record, but obviously we have so many places we want to play. So we send off on the road for three years before we go back into the studio and record another one. Basically, we like to go into the studio and record new ideas and get stuff out; it’s good to have something new to play and it’s good for our fans as well.” Carving their own lane and quickly building a rapport with audiences in America and in Europe, the band made their highly anticipated appearance in Australia after the release of 2009’s Common Dreads. Gaining a reputation for their highly energetic performances and ability to bring audiences together, such a dynamic left many astounded and wanting more. Now after touring Australia relentlessly in 2012 and the release of their highly praised fourth album Mindsweep in 2015, I couldn’t help but imagine how the band would plan for such a tour and how adjustments and changes are situational to their tour cycle. “We definitely leave a lot of it up to the night,” Clewlow tells me. “Our set has developed a lot since the last time we were there and we have made a lot of adjustments to songs. Some of the older tracks whenever we get bored of them, we change a section and splice a few songs together to make something more interesting. We’re constantly developing the set as we go along. We haven’t played ‘Juggernauts’ in ages now, but they’ll be plenty of new things to come for any show.” Joining Enter Shikari on their upcoming tour is Buckinghamshire’s Rap-Metal group Hacktivist. Attesting to their Nu-Metal Grime influence, Rory accredits the band on their continuing rise and talent for live performances. Being long-time friends and tour buddies of Enter Shikari, it seems almost an instinctive and effortless intention that the two UK based bands will be gracing us with their eclectic music in mid-September. “Hacktivist are on the same management as we are,” says Clewlow. “We’ve toured with them more than we have with pretty much any other band in the past;
any tour with them is great. They’re really good friends and they’re the type of band you can just go out and watch every night and they never get boring. With the management group, we didn’t make it, it sort of existed because of us. We met this guy, and we asked him to be our manager, even though he wasn’t a band manager at the time. Then there was this other guy who used to basically be a fan and he’d been to like 60 shows or something and he ended up on our management group as well. So it’s pretty much those two guys and they’re called 30 Century Management.” The quartet commemorated their decade long career on The Mindsweep Arena Tour of the UK. Placing a firm spot in their memories, the tour saw the band perform in massive arenas, which were the biggest show’s to date. They concluded the tour at the famous Alexander Palace in London, where Enter Shikari played a sold-out show to 9,000 animated fans. “That was the biggest show we’ve ever headlined,” Clewlow reflects. “It was a night that I’m never going to forget. It’s not just another show or tour for us; the tour was one of the best tours ever. There definitely was this feeling of satisfaction for us and a ‘we did it’ sort of thing. Like an ending to a movie like Mighty Ducks, there was a bit of that feeling going on (laughs).
BY ROD WHITFIELD
Venom is out now via rca/Sony Music. Bullet for My Valentine will be touring throughout Australia in October alongside Atreyu and Cane Hill. For more information visit destroyalllines.com
BY TOM BARTHA
The Mindsweep is out now via [PIAS] Australia. Enter Shikari will be touring later this month alongside Hacktivist and Stories, for more information visit livenation.com.au mixdownmag.com.au
Music Interviews
Kid Congo And The Pink Monkey Birds As delightfully chatty as he is distinguished, punk rock luminary Kid Congo Powers is humble about his time playing in great bands. The American guitarist, now out on his own in Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds, does however acknowledge the role that playing in these bands has had on his career. I caught up with Kid Congo, real name Brian Tristan, before his run of Australian shows started last month. “To be stung by the black widow is probably the best kind of sting you can get,” says Tristan, when discussing the inspiration for the Spanish name of the record. The title is largely an homage to the spider as a femme fatale, and is also influenced by the story of a Mexican spider goddess. “She was a goddess that was worshipped and her role was that she guarded the underworld, and she would do this by sprouting these hallucinogenic morning glories and having these psychedelic visions encouraging and warding off
vice in the land… That’s kind of what our role we’ve chosen in music, which is to guard the underground – underground music – and make sure that it remains pure. Our job is to have psychedelic visions and to bring them to people, and to bring a view of life that is askew to what normal people might want. So I thought she was my role model, I related to her.” Having now been playing with the Pink Monkey Birds for 10 years, Tristan has carved out a more than respectable career away from the bands of the ‘80s and ‘90s that he made his name in. “Coming from such strong and well known people [and groups], who are… Visionary people who made their own world and their own language, trying to figure out what my language is that I have to teach [was important],” he says. “It turned out it was just a combination of everything I’ve done, and it took a while to get there. So the difference is carving out your own niche and creating your own world for people and to get people to feel like they’re invited into your world… Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud and I’m very honoured to be included in Nick’s vision and The Cramps’ vision, I learned everything from them, so I feel a big debt to them. [But now] I’m doing my own thing. I don’t have to be the guitar player in the Bad Seeds or The Cramps’ old guitar player, I will always be that, but I will also be something else. I’m Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds, that is the reward.” With the new album being named a feature album on both PBS and RRR in Melbourne soon after its release, there’s obviously a lot of love for Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds down under, a love that is definitely reciprocated. “Australia is a great rock and roll place. Australian bands are great to us, they’re exotic to us. The Birthday Party, going back to The Saints, I befriended Scientist when they lived in London in the ‘80s. You could just go down the line of dozens of Australian bands that I really like, so I’ve always been aware of what a good rock and roll country it is. [At our shows], people want to come and have fun, so that’s what we do. I think we have a grassroots sort of
following, and those people are our tribe. Sometimes it’s bigger and sometimes it’s very, very local, so it’s hard to say. We get a lot of press, so people know about us, but radio play is mostly college, community [and] public radio… [Community radio] champion the underground and they’re actually interested in something that’s new.” Forming a band under his own name has helped Tristan realise that focusing all of his energy on one band is what he needs to be doing. His musical output has certainly backed up this statement, with an album pretty much every second year since their first together in 2005 and an undeniable connection with the band. “Me and the rhythm section… We recently realised it’s been 10 years we’ve been playing together, and that’s for me a world record. And it’s great because we don’t even have to talk about making music anymore. Everyone brings equal talent to the table, everyone writes songs and we’re all collaborative and we hardly ever have to discuss what’s happening, we just kind of let it happen.” BY ELIJAH HAWKINS
La Araña Es La Vida is out now via In The Red Records.
THUMP MUSIC IN ASSOCIATION WITH JELLYBEARD PRESENTS
ON SALE NOW! SUN OCT 2 PERTH John Inverarity Theatre
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TUES OCT 4 ADELAIDE The Gov
THUR OCT 6 MELBOURNE Bendigo Hotel
SAT OCT 8 SYDNEY Manning Bar
MON OCT 10 BRISBANE The Crowbar
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Music Interviews
Flyying Colours In a manner befitting that of a shoegaze band, it’s been a long and gradual build-up to making a lot of noise for Melbourne-via-Sydney’s Flyying Colours. September sees the band finally release their debut LP, entitled Mindfullness, after five years as a band and the kind of hype that most bands would sell their soul for. It’s been said that you get a lifetime to write your debut album and three months to write your second. Though we’re not quite at the latter stage for the band, the former can certainly be attested to by its members. “All of the songs from our first two EPs and this record all kind of come from the same period of time,” explains Brodie J Brümmer, who serves as one of the band’s two vocalists and guitarists, as well as a founding member. “They were all songs that stemmed out of a string of odd little demos and ideas that were rattling about for a while there. Every time that we wanted to release something, we’d go through and pick something out of this archive and develop it into a full song. All of these songs, then, stem from
Mike Noga Mike Noga is a man on a mission, a mission to save his music from the monotonous drone of the self-assessing solo album. Having previously released solo albums Folk Songs and The Balladeer Hunter, which were largely introspective tales on Noga’s own life, he was keen to break the mould. Having returned from London last year, he came back to Melbourne via Sydney and decided to take on the biggest challenge of his musical career, the concept album. “My last couple of records were folky, pretty personal and straightforward, and I liked the idea of writing through someone else’s eyes and tell a story that has nothing to do with me”. Noga admits to being ‘no spring chicken’, feeling that it was time to diversify his music. His third offering, King, certainly offers diversity, but not just that. It is an album rich with ideas, crisp production and a testament to Noga’s fine songwriting capabilities. On a dreary winter’s night, I caught up with him at a pub hidden away in the back streets of Fitzroy to discuss the album at length. 22
around the time we released [first single] ‘Wavygravy,’ and even a coupe that go a little further back than that. With the release of this album, everything that we formulated and developed through that time period has officially been turned into a complete composition and recorded. Getting this record out feels like the end of a cycle, in a lot of ways.” Mindfullness was recorded in the band’s native Melbourne, with production duties being split between Brümmer and the band’s manager, Marty Brown. If that name sounds familiar, you’ve a keen eye for Melbourne music – Brown was formerly a drummer for Art of Fighting, as well as a key member of both of partner Clare Bowditch’s backing bands The Feeding Set and The New Slang. As far as recording their music is concerned, Brümmer and co. note it as being a very different entity to playing live. “The sky is obviously the limit when we’re recording – for one thing, there are probably like three thousand guitar parts on any given track,” says Brümmer with a laugh. “I don’t think we’ll ever be a band that can just go in and knock out an album in one day with all four of us locked in a room together – we’re definitely not Eddy Current [Suppression Ring] or anything like that. With that said, we wanted to try and draw a closer parallel to how we would actually play the songs when you come and see us,” he explains. “The multi-tracking is obviously a big part of the studio medium, but we also wanted to try and give a clearer indication of how this line-up of the band operates. I suppose that’s why we got Marty in to help produce it alongside me and the rest of the band – we wanted it to be a really organic representation of us.” Talk turns to equipment used during the recording of Mindfullness. Rather than trying out any further experimentation, Brümmer decided to focus in on what he already had on offer – with a sneaky amp trick up his sleeve for good measure. “As a guitarist, I don’t like to stray too far from what my rig is,” he says. “I’ve got about 10 pedals, maybe 12 – and compared to a lot of guitarists that I know, that isn’t all that many. I
used three different guitars on the album, and I found that I was able to get the best clean sounds when I bypassed the pedalboard and plugged directly into my [Fender] Twin Reverb amp, which I’ve always used. All I did was turn it up excruciatingly loud – so loud that if you scraped a pick over the strings on clean tone, it would be nearly deafening. It was quite scary, actually – I liked it.” Having performed at Northcote Social Club last month, the band flies to Europe in October for a tour taking in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria and the Netherlands. With their flights looming, the band mightn’t get a chance to properly rehearse before fly(y)ing over – which is completely fine, as far as Brümmer is concerned. “It’s strange, we’ve never really been the kind of band that rehearses all that much,” he says. “When you’re in a band, you tour a lot and play a lot of shows – you end up playing your songs a ghastly amount of times. In a way, going into a show without rehearsing beforehand kind of livens things up again – you honestly don’t know what’s going to happen, and it feels like you’re playing all of these songs again for the very first time. It could go either way, sure, but I think that’s a really cool thing. It takes out the element of just going through the motions, where you’re just routinely playing songs you’ve churned out for months and months on end. Besides everything else, the other three people in this band are such incredible musicians – no matter how long it’s been since we’ve played, they have their parts down pat. If we’re ever needing to rehearse, it’s entirely for my own benefit – just so I can keep up with them.”
Whilst living in London, Noga happened upon an immersive theatre company, Punch Drunk, who performed an interactive version of Woyzeck, an old German stage play written by George Buchner in the early 1800’s. “It’s been adapted by heaps of people over the years, Tim Rogers was in a production of it here, Tom Waits has done an interpretation album of it too, it’s a pretty famous play,” explains Noga. Woyzeck itself is easily adaptable to any setting; “Guy and girl get together, guy gets really jealous, goes insane and kills her, that’s the general vibe,” says Noga, who was so affected by the grim story arch and disagreeable characters, he couldn’t help but involve himself in any way he could. He submitted an instrumental track to Theatre Company, which they used, and then from that point Noga had decided why not try his own hand at retelling the story through the medium of a rock album. “I shifted the story to 1950’s small town Australia. My version is about a couple called Jack and Mary and things aren’t going very well, they’re a down and out couple, bogans almost.” Buchner died before he was able to finish writing Woyzeck, and now the play’s end is up to the imagination of whoever intends to try their hand at it. “My version actually has two endings, it can be interpreted either way.” Noga explains that in his interpretation every song on the album, except the last song, is just a part of Jack’s imagination and that the last song ends with everything being ok and they end up together again. The other interpretation is the reverse, making for a much more depressing account of events with the final song being a dream that Jack has rather than a happy ending. “It’s up to the listener to decide,” says Noga. For King, Noga now had the ideas, but he needed something more, with his vision already at a grandiose level he decided to enlist the help of someone special to narrate the story. “It became apparent while we were recording that while I know what’s happening in each song here but it’s pretty surreal and the listeners
might not know what’s going on so I thought maybe I need a narrator.” Noga quickly realised that the man for the job was actor Noah Taylor. “His voice is just perfect. He’s got that thick Australian accent that sounds real authentic that can also be quite menacing at times.” Having gotten to know Taylor whilst playing in The Drones, Noga sent a few emails to the actor, currently living in England. “He said he’d do it,” Noga recalls. “So I sent him what I wanted but I didn’t hear back from him for a couple of months until one day I had about fifty emails from him, with ten different versions of each part.” Another of those to aid Noga in his efforts was his old friend Paul Dempsey. With the Something For Kate front man behind the mixing desk, King could have come across with a cleaner tone to the album’s underbelly, something Noga was acutely aware of. “I made it clear to Paul that I wanted it to sound pretty fucked up in places, not too polished.” But Noga saw beyond his own ideas and trusted Dempsey; “He’s really good on the tech side of things and also our songwriting is so different, mine’s kind of loose and he’d be my personal screwdriver helping me tighten up my songs.” From his own perspective, this is Noga’s biggest work to date; it was a constant journey from theatre companies in London, emails from movie stars and collaboration with old friends. But at the heart of it all is a story, an old German play told through the songs of an Australian singer and songwriter about a dysfunctional couple. It might be totally left of centre, something too weird for mainstream Australia to digest, but there certainly won’t be anything monotonous about this release.
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG Flyying Colours’ forthcoming album Mindfulness will be out September 23 via Island/UMA.
BY ALEX PINK King is out now via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
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Music Interviews
Harts Although only 23 years old, Indian-Australian whiz-kid Darren Hart has already asserted himself as someone who is dedicating his entire life to music. Since 2008, he has been performing under the moniker of Harts; blending a love of proto-funk, spaced-out psych-rock and sugar-rush pop that has won him fans on a global scale and praise from the late, great Prince. He is now poised to drop his second studio album as Harts, entitled Smoke Fire Hope Desire. Ahead of its release, he notes his progression as a songwriter in the years between his previous album (2014’s Daydreamer) and now – according to the man behind the music, this is the most logical evolution of his work to date. “These songs more or less evolved through trial and error,” says Hart. “I’ve been making music as Harts for about seven years now, but before that I was writing all the music in my high-school bands – so, all up, I’ve been a songwriter and an arranger for something like 10 years. I’ve kind of figured out where I stand – in terms of the genre of what I do, in terms of writing hooks and catchy melodies,
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in terms of blending funk and rock and in terms of embracing ideas as they come to me. I wasn’t born into a family of musicians – my parents just loved music, and always played music around the house. I feel like it’s been ingrained in me since birth.” Although primarily known as a guitarist, borrowing from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Nile Rodgers in his style, Hart is also a multi-instrumentalist – he is a keen keyboardist, bassist and drummer, and undertakes all of these roles within the recorded aspect of his music. This has played a big part in the development of Smoke Fire Hope Desire as an album, with Hart attesting to a reassessment of his position within Harts as a project as the key to its fruition. “The key thing that I’ve discovered on this record is that I’m a composer,” he explains. “Before I’m a guitarist, before I’m a singer, before I’m a musician before anything else... I’m a composer. That’s my calling. I think that’s something I’ve recently discovered and something that I’ve been working toward. As someone who makes music all by himself, the composition influences everything – it influences the way that you write songs, how you sing them, how they’re arranged. I feel like the reason that’s all stepped up in a big way on this record is on account of asserting my role as a composer.” When Harts is described as Hart’s solo project, it is meant in the most literal way possible. When it comes to the songs’ creation and subsequent production, it all falls at the feet of the man himself. Hart plays every instrument, sings every vocal part, records everything himself on his computer in his bedroom and then engineers, mixes, produces and masters the whole shebang together. In spite of all the developments and changes around the sound of Harts on Smoke Fire Hope Desire, Hart explains that the way the music was actually recorded was one of the few things that didn’t change – at least, from a fundamental perspective. “It’s funny – the way I recorded my last album and the way I recorded this album are nearly identical,” he says. “I use Logic – I started out on GarageBand when I first
got my Mac, but once I bought and learned Logic, I never looked back. I was using the same plug-ins, the same virtual instruments, all of the same tools. The difference was that I knew how to implement them a lot more smoothly and efficiently. I’ve had issues in the past where I’ve wrecked compositions of mine by overcompressing them, or sucked the life out of them just because I didn’t know how to use my tools properly. I feel like I really improved on getting the drum sounds right on this record, and I feel like I was able to get the bass tones really consistent so that the record had a solid foundation to build upon. I didn’t change what I was working with – I changed how I worked with it.” To coincide with the release of Smoke Fire Hope Desire, Hart is booked in for a national tour – and, indeed, the winds of change are rustling around his live show, as well. “For the last two years or so, I’ve just been playing with a drummer when I play live as Harts,” he says. “I’ve now expanded out to include a bassist as well, and he’s also going to be playing extra instruments as well. Between the two of us, we’re going to cover as much ground as possible. I feel like it really frees me up – although guitar is my main instrument, there are songs where I might not necessarily want to play it for the entire song. I’ve got the freedom now to move over to bass, or play keyboards as well. There are some songs where I haven’t been playing an instrument at all – I’ve been freed up to just sing, and it’s cool to have the opportunity to do that properly and focus more on my vocals. It’s all about looking at options that will make the live show more exciting.” BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG Smoke Fire Hope Desire is out September 16 via Dew Process/UMA. Harts will be touring in support of the album later this month. For more information visit hartsmusic.com.
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Music Interviews
Joe Bonamassa Joe Bonamassa is heading back our way this month, his second visit for 2016 following a Bluesfest exclusive performance in March. This time around he’ll be checking into a number of the nation’s most dazzling theatre venues including the Sydney Opera House, which he views as a crowning achievement. “I did Carnegie Hall this year, which was a bucket-list gig. Then we’re doing the Opera House, that’s pretty much it for me,” Bonamassa says. “I don’t need anything else in my life. I’ve done the Royal Albert Hall twice. I’ve done Red Rocks three times. I’ve had a good run the last decade. I did Vienna Opera House. I’ve done Radio City Music Hall. I’ve really been super lucky that my fans have allowed me to do all of this.” Bonamassa’s certainly had a blessed run, but it couldn’t have happened if he hadn’t managed to cultivate unique appeal with his take on classic blues rock. March saw the release of Blues of Desperation, Bonamassa’s 12th solo LP. Much like 2014’s Different Shades of Blue, original material dominates the track listing – something that wasn’t the case on the majority of Bonamassa’s earlier efforts.
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“After we did the Albert Hall last time, 2013, that was the end of an era,” he says. “We did a whole career retrospective, we did four different venues in London and we did everything from the very beginning of my career to the very end and that was pretty much the closing of a book. That was like, ‘OK that’s where we were in 2013, thanks very much.’ Then between Different Shades of Blue and Blues of Desperation that was the beginning of a new book. It was like, ‘I’ll put out less albums and let me write them all and see what happens.’ “I’ve been very happy with the results so far. The material has been strong and it’s allowed us to retire so much stuff from the old ones. I don’t need to play Dust Bowl, I don’t need to be play Driving Towards the Daylight. We’ve played those to death and it’s time to move on. One of these days we’ll revisit them in a different way and maybe do a best of show. Who knows?” Bonamassa started releasing albums back in the year 2000, and they’ve come at an impressively frequent rate ever since – approximately one every 15 months. Given his slow emergence as a fully fledged songwriter, however, it’d be fair to assume he hasn’t always felt confident in his own creative capacity. But he denies that this was the case. “I always knew that the best songs I’d come up with would be the ones that I wrote, but I’m not a very prolific writer,” he says. “I’m not sitting around with a typewriter and a Jack Kerouac book coming up with tunes every day. It takes more time for me to write stuff. At the beginning of an album cycle you have to write a few duds. Your best stuff comes in after you wrote the first couple. You have to burn a few just to get your head around where you want the album to go.” Kevin Shirley has produced all of Bonamassa’s work since 2006’s You & Me. Shirley definitely knows a thing or two about guitars – over the years he’s been involved with heavier bands like Iron Maiden and Dream Theater, and other blues rock acts such as John
Hiatt and the Bonamassa side project, Black Country Communion. Bonamassa says Shirley’s input has been crucial in the development of his recent releases. “As much as he’s there, he’s the eyes and ears of everything of the overall picture. If he feels the band is stale or I’m getting stale, he’s a wonderful antagonist. He knows how to elicit good performances out of people and he doesn’t care how he does it. Ultimately he has everybody’s interest in mind. If I do a great guitar solo after him having to tell me, ‘By the way you’ve sucked today,’ I get the credit for the solo, he doesn’t. He doesn’t like having to push and pull people kicking and screaming, but he will because it’s in the best interest of the record and he is selfless like that. He sees the whole album as a total and he sees the song as a total within the album.” This visionary selflessness, Bonamassa explains, is what makes Shirley a producer’s producer. “Anybody can go down to a music store and buy Pro Tools and call themselves a producer. You’re not a producer. A producer hears music on a three dimensional level and understands not only if the lyric is swinging within the song, but he also understands if the kick drum and the bass are rubbing or the pattern on the kick drum effects the groove. “People know what they like and they know what they dislike, but sometimes they don’t know why they like it or why they dislike it. It’s Kevin’s job to make heads or tails of this stuff.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Blues of Desperation is out now via J&R Adventures. Joe Bonamassa will be touring nationally in support of the album later this year. For more information visit jbonamassa.com.
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Music Interviews
Red Sea When one of the very first gigs that a band plays is a support slot at the Sydney Opera House, it’s worth taking note of. In line with the release of their debut EP, Sydney locals Red Sea are set to do just that. The show is part of the Dirty Wolves tour of Australia and New Zealand, and Red Sea are another band out of the GuitarBaby stable that have spent some time finding their feet, and are now ready to unleash their unique sound. “As Red Sea, I think we’re about a year old, so it’s pretty new. Three of us were in Dominos prior to that, which Simon (guitar) and I started when we were flatmates one drunken evening,” says Erica Bowron, lead singer of the band. “Then we found Atilla, the bass player, about this time last year. We just thought the whole band was going in a different direction and he brought a totally different vibe to it, so hence the rename.” Much of their meteoric rise, from not existing a year ago to playing at the Sydney Opera House, is due to being signed to GuitarBaby, the opportunity for which arose through a slice of luck. “That came about because Alex Hermes, who runs GuitarBaby, actually had an
The Aristocrats A talent agent is sitting at his desk, when a family walks into his office... This, for the comedy nerds reading, serves as a dog whistle of sorts as the beginning of one of the most infamous jokes of all-time. ‘The aristocrats’ joke is one that has been passed down from generation to generation of comedians, to the point where it even had a documentary made about it. Its infamy lives on to this very day – including, unexpectedly, in the world of instrumental jazz-fusion. “The joke is a vehicle for professional comedians to flex their improvisational muscles amongst their peers, albeit in a completely vulgar way,” says Guthrie Govan, an English guitar virtuoso who named his band after the joke. “It’s like an inside joke for trained jokesters. So if you think of us, The Aristocrats, as musicians doing the same thing with music, then I think you’re a good part of the way there to understanding what we’re trying to do, which is to play a bunch of weird, challenging music, see how we can mess with it, and have fun with it.” Long before forming The Aristocrats – completed by bassist Bryan Beller 26
office above the rehearsal space that we had, and so we just sort of got to chatting on breaks,” says Bowron. “He said that he loved our sound, and kept coming in more and more to have a listen, he really liked our sound but thought that we needed developing. This is when we were Domino originally, and he finally got the chance to come and see us live, he kind of lost his mind. He said ‘wow, you guys are fucking amazing live!’ And from there he signed us on the spot. It was really exciting to have a fresh perspective and for someone to believe in you like that.” Hermes’ belief in Red Sea is obviously to such an extent that he is taking them on tour with his own band, Dirty Wolves, when they take on the country and our eastern neighbour in September. “So it all kicks off [soon], the first gig is September 10 in Newcastle… it’s going to be fantastic actually. We’ve got the highlight show at the Sydney Opera House on September 18, so that’s gonna be pretty special to be bringing some prog rock and metal smashing through the walls of the Opera House,” says Bowron. “It’s like a GuitarBaby showcase, so it’s Dirty Wolves, us, Simple Stone and James Davies.” Before the band takes off for the tour, their debut EP Battlescar is set to be released, and as Bowron explains, it’s the sum of five songs which the band is really comfortable with. “I remember Simon saying that the concept of Red Sea is in its very early stages, so five songs are what we felt were ready. I think your songs are ready for the studio when you’ve done what you can in the rehearsal room and then you start imagining how you’re going to tweak them, how you’re going to tease it out in the studio. So it sort of just felt natural with the five that we’ve got to go in.” The sound of the EP is hard to explain, even for Bowron, with influences coming from a whole range of places, and the different backgrounds of the band members playing a big role. “It’s kind of interesting, Atilla is well and truly a heavy metal man, he’s previously been a front man as well as a bass player in the past… Pete has quite a heavy metal history as well, but he has this
encyclopedic knowledge of music, of all sorts of music. He was originally a classical pianist as a kid, so he’s got that sort of classical ear as well. Simon grew up on The Pixies, and his first gig that he ever went to, in Ireland, was AC/DC, so he’s into rock and alternative. I’ve definitely always been a rock girl, but I actually sang in music theatre shows for yonks, so it’s this crazy mix, and I don’t know if we would actually sound like who we’re inspired by.” Despite a huge tour being just around the corner, Bowron is looking further in the future, and holds further international touring aspirations. “I’d love to give Europe a crack at some point,” she says. “I think Europe enjoys a bit more of a heavier, more dramatic sound, which I think perhaps we have. For now [though], we’re super happy to tour Australia and see if we can reach as many people as possible.”
and drummer Marco Minnemann – in 2011, Govan has had a reputation as one of the world’s most proficient guitarists alive. Since rising to prominence in the 90s, Govan has performed with the likes of Asia, Steven Wilson and even Dizzee Rascal. He has been playing guitar since he was three years old, which now adds up to nearly 42 years of experience – and, even with all of that in mind, he still doesn’t think his learning process concerning guitar playing is finished. “Music isn’t like a computer game where your goal is to complete the final level and see how high your score can be,” he says. “Or a sport where, at least to some extent, your goal is simply to do something better than your competitors. It’s supposed to be art. I think an important part of the process is that the acquisition of a deeper musical understanding is always accompanied by deeper understanding of your limitations. Anyone who plays an instrument but doesn’t feel that way is, in my humble opinion, doing it wrong, and consequently missing out on some of the most profound benefits, which can be derived from the pursuit of music.” As well as being a remarkably agile, versatile and highly advanced guitarist, Govan is also an avid gear nerd. He has a sponsorship deal with Charvel guitars, with whom he has designed a signature model, and uses a smorgasbord of different effects and amplifiers, all depending entirely on his situation. According to the man himself, away from his signature guitars he has a constantly-changing live set-up – it all relates back entirely to the context within which he is performing. “Over the last few years, the bulk of my gigging has been split between The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson and Hans Zimmer,” he says. “It’s hard to think of three more wildlydifferent gigging scenarios, and of course I do my best to bring the most appropriate rig for each; taking into account both the sonic requirements of the music and the logistical matter of how the touring party will be travelling. For the Steven Wilson gig, I was using a fairly huge pedalboard, featuring all kinds of quirky analogue devices, whereas I tackled the Hans show by using a Kemper profiling amp and
no additional pedals whatsoever. For The Aristocrats tours, I just try to travel with a rig that I think can cover all the main sonic territories without being overly bulky – one of my ground rules for designing an Aristocrats rig is that the entire pedal content has to fit into the same suitcase as all of the non-musical stuff I need in order to survive. I have a Fractal FX-8 digital effects floorboard, accompanied by two lightweight Boss expression pedals. I also have a lunchbox-style Victory V30 tube amp head, which I can take as carry-on luggage whenever the tour requires any amount of flying. Then, I can just rent a local 4x12 speaker cab wherever I go. It’s simple, but it works.” The Aristocrats pride themselves on being a live act – it’s taken them all across the world, and the group will make their debut appearance in Australia as they come to the end of the tour cycle for their third album, Tres Caballeros. It’s given Govan a new lease on life and a chance to branch out to work with fellow high-calibre performers as they collectively put forth career-best material. What is it about the connection between the three that works so well? “It’s hard to define exactly what makes a fruitful collaboration,” says Govan. “I think one particularly significant element is the idea that all of the musicians have some level of shared cultural experience. The three members of The Aristocrats all happen to be roughly the same age and we grew up listening to a lot of the same music – albeit in different time zones – which means we have a lot of mutual reference points. Whenever my bandmates do something unexpected on stage, the way I interpret what I’m hearing it is informed partially by assumptions which I feel I can safely make about why they might have chosen to go in that particular musical direction.”
BY ELIJAH HAWKINS
Battlescar is out now via Guitar Baby HQ/MGM Distribution. Red Sea will be touring nationally later this month alongside Dirty Wolves. For more information, visit redseaband.com
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG The Aristocrats will be touring Australia in October. For tickets, head to thumpmusic. com.au. Tres Caballeros is out now via Conveyor. mixdownmag.com.au
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Music Interviews
Drugdealer Los Angeles songwriter and producer Michael Collins has a penchant for including drug puns in band names. In the past he’s gained recognition releasing albums as Run DMT and Salvia Plath, and he returns this month with his debut effort under the Drugdealer moniker, The End of Comedy. While the new name carries on the druggy theme, it also has descriptive relevance. Collins is the brains behind the project, but The End of Comedy features significant input from a number of other personnel, including Ariel Pink, Weyes Blood and members of Sheer Agony and Mr Twin Sister.
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“I think the main thing here is that in my solo music endeavours I was completely focused on the singularity of my ideas. Meanwhile, during those times, every other part of my life has always taken on a very collaborative and communal structure in general,” Collins says. “There’s certain peers of mine who I really look up to and have always inspired me and I’ve been insanely lucky to work with them closely on this project. In turn I’ve sort of come to the conclusion that the most obvious music path in my future is one rooted more
in community than ever before.” The most well known guest is undoubtedly Ariel Pink, but plenty of listeners will be familiar with Weyes Blood and Mr. Twin Sister, and there’s also contributions from members of Holy Shit!, Mild High Club, and Mac DeMarco’s band. Collins was already friends with the majority of guests, which meant the collaborative process was far from arduous. “Other than Ariel, I’ve known all of those people intimately prior to them becoming household names in the independent music conversation. So it genuinely was never any intention to involve anyone except the people who I’ve been working alongside of for years and years,” he says. Weyes Blood’s Natalie Mering takes the lead vocal on the album’s lead single, ‘Suddenly’, as well as its title track. Collins’ relationship with Mering stretches back several years. “[She] was my roommate around five years ago in Baltimore in this old spooky house that was essentially one step away from a squat,” he says. “Every day there I would hear her working on her gorgeous haunting songscapes literally coming down from the attic where she lived. Our whole time being friends I think we’ve gotten closer and closer and it’s safe to say that she’s really responsible for a lot of what I’ve been writing now. “I wrote piano progressions thinking of her and missing her while I lived in Oakland. I tried to imagine what I would really want to hear as true fusion of what I was looking for and melodic sensibilities that she could dig. That’s a kind of collaboration that works really well for me, because it’s born out of the love and admiration for the collaborator that inspires me to even go there.” Unsurprisingly, Pink proved to be an exciting creative foil, much to the delight of an admiring Collins. “It goes without saying that becoming friends with him and being able to write stuff together is one of the greatest joys and excitements I’ve ever felt,” Collins says. “His ideas are endless and in him I found someone who I could relate to as an obsessively curious songwriter.
“I was kind of floating for a bit in LA and we started hanging out and I was staying at his house. I was just working on some ideas and he started shaping and adding to them. That’s how we wrote the song ‘Easy to Forget’ that he sings, just a natural flow of things coming together at his place.” The album credits are rather extensive, but Collins emphasises the significance of each individual’s contribution. “The other collaborators, Jackson Macintosh from Sheer Agony, Danny James, Izak Arida from The Memories, Benjamin Brown from Holy Shit, Joe McMurray from Mac DeMarco and many other players were part of a family vibe in making this one,” he says. “Everyone was truly important in a real way, adding a distinct flavour to a pretty varied mix of sonic vibes.” To mix and finalise the album, Collins hooked up with Australian musician and producer Shags Chamberlain. Chamberlain’s in-studio perfectionism was another key element in making the album what it is. “The recording process was easy – I like to just get things down and keep the content rolling. That’s my modus operandi. Then when I was finished with that, my odyssey with Shags began. He’s a brilliant mixer, but more than that he’s just a massive architect. He hears things that still to this day I will never hear and either brings them out or deletes them. I usually just rush through everything, so I learned a lot from him in terms of really looking at things in detail. My artistic process is loose and spontaneous and his is quite the opposite. I like learning from people like him who are almost psychotic in their pursuit for order.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY The End of Comedy will be out September 9 via Weird World/ Domino Records.
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Music Interviews
Ceres Tom Lanyon is a funny, friendly guy currently enjoying the fruits born of two years writing, two weeks recording Ceres sophomore album, Drag It Down On You. The Melbourne frontman has thought long and hard about the implications behind their latest material, given much of the album’s final shape came as something of a surprise. Each song is meticulously crafted, yet retains enough mystery to keep their fans on their toes. With a national touring kicking off in October, there’s no finer time to sink into the sound of Ceres. “I think there’s a lot of ambiguity in the songs,” Lanyon admits. “There are some explanations that could bode well for the listener I guess, if I had the chance to speak to them about it. I did this Rolling Stone track-by-track list this morning, and I really like those. I like when my favourite bands do them, although I don’t like to give too much away. I like hearing a little bit more, like liner notes. In saying that, we purposely didn’t want to print the lyrics to the record. There’s some dark and personal stuff in there,
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but I feel like printing lyrics is almost like giving someone a cheat sheet for the record. It’s too easy. I don’t want to just give people stuff on a plate. I want them to find out for themselves if that particular word really is what they think it is. I’d be pissed off if my favourite band did that to me. I love working out lyrics just when I’m listening to them. So now I’ve screwed everyone else over into the same thing.” He laughs. “You make it your own. If I just say ‘hey, this is what the song is about,’ it kind of cheapens it. You should be able to make it your own thing. You mishear something, or maybe you just want a word to be some other word because it means something more to you. I really like that.” The sentiment of each listener making a song their own – finding their own meaning and significance – is, curiously, something that may even apply to the song itself. While Lanyon doesn’t exactly treat each track as some anthropomorphic creature, struggling at the bit to break away from its makers meaning, he feels very strongly that musicians can often get in the way of a song. While the album was being written, the band imposed no boundaries on where each song would lead, and the results were a revelation. “I’m a little surprised at how proud I am of it, because…” Lanyon searches for the right words. “I always feel like we’re not in control of the song. It has to weave its way, find its own end, and the record is just fourteen instances of a song trying to find its way. I was speaking to someone [who said] they could find a thread that winds through the record, and I hadn’t written it as a concept or anything, but they do seem all tied together. It almost tells a whole story. And maybe that’s not a complete accident, but it wasn’t something I ever set out to try and do. But I love that about songwriting. How there’s a fragile ecosystem to a song, and if you fuck just one thing up, it’ll ruin the whole. The record is the same. Our decision to put fourteen songs on it is kind of odd nowadays, but we felt that it holistically completed the record, and the feeling of the record now, the surprise, is that I can
feel this nostalgia. It sounds and feels old to me; the themes are nostalgic things, that melancholic thing of something past that you can’t get back to. And all of that only crystallised late in the piece. So it’s one of my great delights that I get to make records and be surprised by what I find at the end of it.” At its core, Drag It Down On You is an often dark, but deeply personal record. With much of the content plucked directly from Lanyon’s life in Richmond and surrounds, it was always going to be a testament that sat exceptionally close to the skin. “I think if you’re writing about something that really happened, and it’s honest, you need to place where it happened. I think that’s super entwined in my memory; where I am, the feeling of a place, that energy. It’s something I feel I want to write about all the time. It might be hazy in your memory and coloured wrong, but that vision of a place and the vision, I love that. I love artists who do write about place. It can put you there straight away, even though mine is more ambiguous… More than ever, the record totally represents us and the music that we want to make. There wasn’t a lot of compromise or peer-pressure. Like, the last record was definitely skewed by a lot of stuff, and this is our first second record ever,” he laughs, “and we wanted to have a really good crack at it. I just think we’ve all grown up together a bit more as a band, and songwriting-wise, I know what I like and what I don’t like now. I think we’ve arrived at a place we’re proud of, and we’ll stay here for a while.” BY ADAM NORRIS Drag it Down On You is out now via Cooking Vinyl Australia.
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Advice Columns GUITAR
More Displacement Ideas Reiterating the idea of not always having to start on the 1 (or the 2, 3 or 4 for that matter, lets take a look at more displacement ideas. Moving your starting point can create cool lead in type sounds or more quirky rhythmic feels, all without having to change the notes you’re playing. Taking a straight ahead or simpler phrase can sound more interesting starting on a different beat of the bar. Then, if you want to push the idea further, introduce some more outside note choices with rhythmic displacement and it can make your playing sound dramatically different. Figure A is an A Dorian kind of sound. Working over your typical II – V progression – in this case Am to D7 – the first bar take some chord tones and lands on the 3rd of D7 on the first beat of the second bar. This is a strong sound, which adds some rhythmic variety and a few tasty note choices (C and Eb) creating a D7b9 arpeggio. With Figure B you’ll see the same phrase that now starts on beat 2. The note choice still seems to work although the movement creates a longer phrase in the second bar. Figure C and Figure D take a B Dorian type idea and again combine some chord tones and passing notes to state the Bm7 – E7 – D – E7 progression. Figure C feels more ‘on the beat’ in the first bar with the F# creating a dominant 9 sound on the E7 chord. By starting the phrase one semi quaver (to start on the e of 1), Figure D then has a slightly more disjointed feel thanks to the later start. Figure E takes a repetitive pattern that could work on Gm/G7/Dm/Bb (and plenty more). As a group of 3 semi quavers in 4/4 with two semi quavers rest in between phrases it moves on each iteration. So starting on the 1 of the first bar, it already sounds rhythmically interesting. Move onto Figure F and you get the phrase starting on the ‘1 e’. Listen carefully to where the phrase starts and finishes and get used to hearing and couting 4/4 making the down beats strong. Like last month, a metronome or drum loop can be handy to really lock into. And turning these into music, rather than just licks or exercises, really helps you get a feel for how and where they might fit into your playing. BY NICK BROWN
BASS GUITAR
Let’s Make A Blues The 12-bar blues is one of the most common chord progressions of all time. As well as being accessible and relatively simple in its basic forms it’s a must know for any musician and will surely pop up at some stage in your music career. So let’s take a look at how it works, and how best to play it. Let’s take a I, IV, V in the key of E with Figure A as a starting point. Crotchets are a good idea to get used to playing and hearing the chord changes. Try to count the bars and get a feel for where they
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change, so when you add some more variation to these parts, you’ll still know where you’re up to in the chord progression. Figure B keeps the crotchet idea but adds an arpeggio to each chord, creating a walking bass line sound. This type of bass line is super common in blues, rock and jazz and adds a feeling of movement rather than just sitting on the root note of each chord. As a variation, try Figure C, which introduces quavers to the mix. Played straight it can be used for rock and blues, but it’s also worth trying with a swing/shuffle feel which can work in jazz and blues. Aim for a bouncy long/short feel with your quavers to really get it moving.
So far these are fairly simple patterns and ideas, so let’s leave you with one that’s a little more involved. There are tonnes of variations on these, as well as variations on the chord progression itself, so make sure you explore other sounds, versions and styles! Figure D sticks with our 12-bar blues in E, but adds some variation to the arpeggios with chromatic lines to join some of the chords. As mentioned there are lots of variations on these arpeggios and variations to the 12-bar blues form,A so we’ll expand a little on them next issue to stretch the blues sound a little! BY NICK BROWN
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Advice Columns DRUMS
Overcoming Performance Anxiety In my teaching, I come across many different types of students when it comes to being nervous performing. Some are very confident players and others are definitely not. Of course, this would be the norm for many educators, but as a teacher myself, how I encourage students who suffer from performance nerves on stage is an important part of their learning curve. I thought I would discuss some of my thoughts on the subject and how I’ve dealt with performance anxiety myself. Stage fright, performance anxiety or nerves – call it what you want – attacks in many ways with a variety of symptoms. I had a student some time ago that would get so nervous before playing the drums she would literally tense up, losing all matter of finesse and technique – we’re talking arms turning into planks and shaking. Other symptoms, of which I’ve suffered myself, are sweaty palms, butterflies in the stomach, shortness of breath, dry mouth and shaking. For my student, there was certainly room for improvement of technique anyway before the nervousness, but the anxiety was really hindering her. The shakes didn’t just happen on stage either. The nerves set in even in seemingly mundane situations such as just playing in front of me in her lessons each week. We had a chat about some strategies to combat performance anxiety. PREPARATION This is a big one. If you’re super prepared and you know your stuff, you’re less likely to fear making mistakes or wrecking the gig. Fact. For example, I was really nervous going into my first rehearsal for the Leo Sayer tour, but I had practiced the charts and was able to get comfortable once I understood the rehearsal would be just to work on the finer details. However, if I were not reasonably confident with all of the tunes, the situation would have been very different. So, doing your homework will certainly help to alleviate feeling the pressure of falling apart on the gig. DEEP BREATHING This might seem like an obvious one, but in times of stress or nervousness before a performance, I’ve tried this and it’s actually good. I learned this strategy from well-known drummer David Jones. He advised me to fixate my gaze on one point in the room and do some deep, sustained breathing – in through the nose and out again through the mouth. How long you breath in and out for can change as you need. You might start with five counts in and five counts out and so on. The great thing about this technique is that it forces you to relax because, for those few moments at least, you’re very still and not madly focussing on being nervous – you can’t
as you’re thinking about how long you’re breathing for! It’s pretty cool. Try this one by yourself somewhere and not in front of other people – or you’ll be nervous! DON’T JUMP THE GUN Ever been super rushed to set up at a gig and then you sit down and smash into the first song without really being settled? Every time this happens to me I play terribly and feel anxious. I’m a firm believer in spending just a few seconds to settle and just get in the right place. This in a way follows on from the breathing technique, as you are really just trying to get relaxed and a little more comfortable. These few seconds are really useful as they allow for simple things like getting the tempo for the first tune into your head, a couple of deep breaths or just singing the first few bars to yourself to get the vibe before you count things in. This applies to any instrument for that matter. BELIEF This is my final point and as wishy-washy as it may be, it’s the most important. As a student learning to play – whether it was at high school or the last day of doing honours at
University, I didn’t feel I was good enough as a player. My teachers would always comment on what could have been done better. Yes, this is an integral part of the learning process and we can always do better. I understand this, but it was only after finishing study that I would start hearing (from peers that I looked up to) that I did a great gig or played awesome. Over time, this builds confidence but more importantly, I started to believe that I could do a good job. Nowadays, I still believe this. I’m not saying I’m the greatest drummer that walks the planet but I feel confident in my playing, I have something to offer and that the band and the audience are going to like what I’m playing. This is a crucial thing. Students in turn, have to have a belief that they’re going to play well and not embarrass themselves. My students’ shakes haven’t completely gone away but we’re working on it by committing to solid practice, good technique and a damn good attitude combined with small successes to build confidence. BY ADRIAN VIOLI
KEYS
Arturia Keyboard Collection Of Dreams A number of years back we first looked at French software company Arturia. The focus was on where they’d come from and where they were heading. This was right at the beginning of the modern analogue synthesizer boom that has seen a number of synth manufacturers, both large and small, breathing life into yesterday’s technology with modern ideas. Arturia were certainly one of the leaders with their MiniBrute monophonic synthesizer, an instrument that gained a cult following even before a single unit was actually available for sale in stores. Since then, Arturia has come a long, long way. THE NEXT GENERATION OF OLD The success of the MiniBrute saw a quick release of the MicroBrute. The MicroBrute took the basic engine and filter of the original and packaged it into a compact case, with smaller keys and a significantly lower price-tag. The beauty of this unit was that you could patch multiple synths together and even use it to modulate the MiniBrute if you wanted to, making no one unit neither obsolete nor unnecessary; both had something to offer the user as separate units or as an ensemble. As Arturia were building a semi-modular analogue offering for their loyal customer base, sequencing was really starting to take off. It was the next logical step for Arturia and they entered the market first with the BeatStep, followed by the multi-sequencing BeatStep Pro and recently the KeyStep for a clever transition between analogue and digital synths with a MIDI controller keyboard structure. It’s been some time since their Origin synth wowed the world with what it could offer as a fully featured digital synthesizer, and Arturia have gone with their new analogue direction and now produced a 100% analogue monster that is aptly named the MatrixBrute. This monster gives a nod to Moog in the way the keyboard has been physically engineered, with the flip up panel and wooden end caps that are reminiscent of the Voyager, but the design of the synth itself is quite different. As Arturia have worked to allow their smaller synthesizers to work in a semi-modular fashion, it only makes sense that now they have built a bigger unit, it has all of that in one, with a matrix grid taking centre-stage on the panel for signal routing and sequencing all form the one interface. Start saving your pennies, because when you see one of these in person, you are going to want to take it home!
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HAVING IT ALL But, when space, and finances are a restriction – as is so often the case – there are other ways to get a great selection of synth sounds from Arturia. The recent release of their V-Collection 5 software bundle can only be described as a sonic dreamland for synth nuts. Although their ‘Brute’ range of synthesizers has yet to be given the TAE Algorithmic modelling process that Arturia have become renowned for, there is just about every other synthesizer you might have dreamed of owning bundled up in one box. And if what you are looking for isn’t there, then there will be something very close, either that, or you are, in the words of Nigel Tufnel, “just nit-picking”. There are 16 all-time classic synthesizers to be found in there along with Arturia’s own Analog Lab that has been a mainstay of their soft-synth offerings with controllers for many years now. The important thing to remember with each of these software instruments is
that they have been modelled on actual hardware units, and specific ones at that, which were available to the development team at Arturia. So, they each exhibit the certain nuances found in those specific hardware units, including the flaws that may have made them so desirable tonally to begin with. wAlong with those flaws, there are improvements as well, making these replicas far easier to work with than the originals. Better patch memory, tuning stability (if desired) and automation of all sorts of features allow these software instruments to be more simply integrated into any modern recording solution than the original devices could ever be. Not only do you get the freedom of choice between the sounds, but you get the control you always wanted as well. It may not be analogue, but it sounds so close that you’ll wonder why you ever bothered hunting out old keyboards at overly inflated collector’s prices. BY ROB GEE 31
Advice Columns ELECTRONIC PRODUCTION
Ableton Live: Hidden Features Ableton Live is a dense and complex bit of software. With version 1.0 being released in 2001 and the current version being 9.6.2, it’s inevitable that as the workflow developed some not so obvious features and handy tricks are often overlooked in favour of the latest new and shiny features. Here’s a couple of things you might not have noticed. IMPULSE, OUR OLD FRIEND Since Drum Racks were introduced in Live 7.0, the Impulse sample player is largely overlooked. And fair enough, what use is a limited sampler that holds 8 samples compared to the monstrous and featured laden 128 pad Drum Rack? Well, there are a couple of things Impulse can do easily that Drum Racks can’t. Firstly, Impulse has some cool global controls that affect all the samples, Transpose and Time. Say you want to automate the pitch of an entire drum loop, not only is it a quick and simple task involving a single knob, the pitch difference between each sound will remain unchanged. Time is a granular old school time stretching effect resulting in some interesting textures. Great for genres like trip hop, where texture is key. It’s actually available as a global effect, or per pad as Stretch. Toying around with the Decay function alongside Stretch, things can get wild quickly. If you want your samples to remain percussive elements, keep that Decay short and sharp! TRANSIENT SHAPING WITH BEATS WARP MODE If we load an audio drum loop into a clip, we’ve got a few options to affect it; Transpose, Reverse and Warp mode amongst others. There’s a great little trick to the ‘Beats’ Warp mode that enables you to reduce the ringing out tails of your percussion. Used subtly, you’ll get an effect akin to a gate, making the loop sound snappier and more spacious. Used to extreme levels, you’ll end up with a glitchy artificial sounding loop as only the very beginning of the transients remain. To experiment with this, make sure the Warp mode is set to ‘Beats,’ underneath, a drop down box appears with a series of options. Change the loop mode of the transients to off, which is the arrow pointing to a vertical line as pictured. Change the ‘100’ next to it to..lets say 20. Tada! Experiment and have fun. DEFAULT TRACKS AND PROJECTS Lastly, here’s a quick little timesaving tip. Say you want the level set to -10db and to have the EQ, Compressor and Utility on every audio track you create by default. Easy done my friend. Create a new track, set your desired level, drop in your desired modules, right click on the track title and click ‘Set as Default Audio track.’ Done! The same principle applies
to projects. My default project has a few audio tracks set up to external inputs for my hardware synths and the Maschine plugin on a MIDI track by default, so there’s no mucking about when I start a new project. To save a project as the default, go to preferences, select the File Folder tab and hit ‘Save Current Set as Template.’ Easy as. Hope that helps and inspires, now go forth and make bangers. BY MICHAEL CUSACK
HOME STUDIO
Low Frequency Control In Your Home Studio I hear a lot of conflicting theories about what is needed for monitoring in the home studio. Everyone has an opinion. The most important factor in this process, and the ever present constant in deciding what is actually needed for monitor speakers, is the space they are to be used in. Every home studio offers a different set of problems in acoustics and environmental noise, not to mention physical space that is available to work with. So, there is no real right or wrong answer when configuring a monitoring setup for a home studio space. But, there are a number of guidelines that can help you find the best solution for your needs. And for anyone looking to monitor in a space that offers a little room to move, deciding on whether you should include a sub in your setup is going to drastically alter how you listen and what you hear. THREE IS BETTER THAN TWO… SOMETIMES Not every home studio space calls for the use of a sub in the monitoring system. Often there simply isn’t the room to have one incorporated into your listening, or you are monitoring in a very close proximity to the speakers and surrounding walls and it actually doesn’t benefit the overall aural image to incorporate additional low-end frequencies. But, there are a lot of people who are recording and mixing at home that are missing out on the benefits of mixing with a sub when they could very easily have one as part of their monitoring solution. What I often find is that many home recording setups suffer from nearfield monitors that are just too big for the space and distance they are being used for. So often, people seem to go with the ‘bigger is better’ approach to studio monitors and end up sitting between two speaker drivers that are few too big for the application and deliver a false image of the low frequencies in the mix. I am always coming across people who think that they ‘need’ 8” drivers in their monitors to get enough low frequency in what they hear. This usually results in an unbalanced mix that sounds terrible when heard on any speaker system other than the one it was mixed on. Having large drivers that deliver excessive amount of low frequencies when working in smaller home studio environments is never ideal. Separating your sound with a sub is more often going to be the better choice for getting the right amount of bottom-end in your monitoring.
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HEAR IT ALL, AND UNDERSTAND WHY Of course, a simple pair of four or five inch drivers can usually leave you wondering what you are missing in the mix. They can seriously under deliver in the low frequencies, resulting in your mixes coming out bass heavy as you inadvertently compensate for the speakers. The opposite results when your monitors have too much low frequency punch, especially when they are up on a desk, against a wall, or in a corner where the low frequencies are going to be further accentuated. Having your signal split between two smaller drivers and a sub allows you to find the right balance for the space. Your signal will run from your DAW into the sub and then pass through the cross-overs so that only the mid and high frequencies get into your top speakers, achieving a subtle balance.
This means you can have five-inch drivers working effectively and delivering the frequency response that they were designed to reproduce, resulting is a clearer, more accurate sound. The sub can then fill out the remaining frequencies without assaulting your ears right from the desktop. The crazy thing is, this makes more sense than so many arguments for simply buying bigger speakers, yet the latter is so often the result. People seem to think it will save them money to just get two speakers, but by purchasing bigger, more powerful speakers to fill out the low-end. The truth is, in most instances, your final mix is likely to benefit from having a third speaker in your studio responsible for handling your low frequencies. BY ROB GEE mixdownmag.com.au
Features STUDIO FOCUS:
Four Hundred Acres Studio For a relatively new venture, Four Hundred Acres Recording Studio has made an impressive musical imprint on 2016. Situated 30 minutes north of Melbourne’s CBD, the purpose-built recording space is the product of a brimming partnership between musician come engineers Rohan Sforcina and Robert Vasey. The pair knew each other long before they joined forces at the start of the year – touring together and playing in bands – instilling into the studio an openminded and receptive attitude towards recording, mixing and mastering. As Sforcina explains, at Four Hundred Acres it’s the artist that comes first. “I would like to think that I’m an engineer that is willing and able to do whatever the artist is desiring out of a session, and I think I’m quite flexible and like to be quite personable… I don’t have a priority of getting my own agendas or ideas on record, but like to create a space, an environment that an artist feels like they’re getting the most [out of] and what they were hoping from a session, if not more.” While it’s a simple and straightforward premise, Sforcina attributes the success of the studio to this very approach; rather than rushing bands through their doors, it’s very much about making every session a positive and rewarding experience. “I think just getting in touch and connecting with as many people as we can has always been a priority,” says Sforcina. “And obviously having a lot of different music coming through and having releases coming out from the studio – all that stuff helps a lot. In terms of how we’re trying to grow it, we’re just trying to make it a good experience for people and people generally, I feel like, want to come back because they often do.” As owners of an independent studio Sforcina and Vasey have done a remarkable job in compiling an essential, yet innately versatile equipment list. It’s a constantly expanding arsenal of on hand gear and recording equipment, cleverly catered to getting the best out of the studio. “Having things on hand like distressors and 1176s and things like that are always very useful, especially when recording drums and those sort of things,” says Sforcina. “It’s a really good drum room, so having these lying around for drums is a real plus. But, you know, it’s really session to session and different things come up quite often, so it’s hard to put my finger on [any go-to pieces of gear], but I’d say that the distressor is one of my favourite pieces of gear, definitely.” You only have to take a quick scroll through the Four Hundred Acres Facebook page to see that the studio has been flat out. However as far as recognisable releases go, it’s hard to go past Sforcina’s work on Gold Class single, ‘Standing At The Fault’. The track featured on a split with
Sydney’s Mere Women, and came off the back of the Melbourne four piece’s critically acclaimed debut album, It’s You. I asked Sfrocina how he went about capturing the band’s penetrating live sound on record – their reputation built upon pulsating live performances. “That was a really interesting one in that regard because they had a fairly clear idea of what they wanted it to sound like. And a lot of that was… I guess they didn’t want to get too caught up with technicalities and really wanted to get things done quickly and sound fairly live and raucous. “And so, we set them all up in the same room – it’s very much guitar amps in the same room as the drums, there’s heaps of spill in everything – and we recorded and mixed the whole thing in about six hours really,” he continues. “So it was a very quick and exciting kind of project to work on, and that was really just capturing them as they are – they’re a really good live band and it was just the same in the studio really.” The recording studio has the capacity and know-how to track acoustic and electric instruments, vocals and ensembles, and beyond enlisting the services of Sforcina and Vasey, allows for the use of external engineers in sessions. Their doors are additionally open to freelance engineers in need of a
professional space and setup to track, mix and/or master clients’ projects – Sforcina having experienced the impromptu nature of freelance work himself. At Four Hundred Acres there’s a willingness to spread their project base far and wide; their creative ambition and flexibility as engineers a genuine strength of the studio. Recently, Melbourne psych rockers Greenthief even took to their studio room to capture a live recording of their new album Tremors – played in its entirety. I pose to Sforcina that this versatility is an extension of their ability to prioritise the needs and desires of the artist. “Yeah definitely. I guess you’re right that it does lend itself to having a lot of different types of things coming through, because the priority is very much the experience,” he responds. “Obviously the results are a huge part of it as well, but running a studio, you really do want to have people enjoy the time doing a record or their session or whatever it may be for, and so it tends to mean that people are coming through for the experience.” BY CHRIS SCOTT For more details and for bookings, head to fourhundredacres.com.
STUDIO FOCUS:
Damien Gerard Studios In its 31st year of operation, Sydney’s Damien Gerard Studios is still igniting the local scene with rock ‘n’ roll recordings. Over the journey, the now-legendary studio has gone through a number of machinations, eventually leading to its current Balmain address. In this time they have worked with some of the great Australian bands, including the likes of Noiseworks, Hoodoo Gurus and Divinyls in their ‘80s heyday. According to studio owner Marshall Cullen, this distinguished history of recording excellence can be traced back all the way to its early days as a demo studio. “Because in those days, you know, you couldn’t demo at home like you can now, you had to go to a studio,” says Cullen. “That’s how we kind of got in with knowing all of those level of artists because we did all their demos for them. And then sometimes we’d have to take our tape machines over to 301 or somewhere and transfer it because they couldn’t get the same drum sound or whatever and they wanted to keep some of it. We got to kind of know all the other studios and everyone, A&R guys and everything.” Over the decades the studio and its engineers have witnessed first-hand the digital evolution, combining analogue expertise and know-how, with new, digital capabilities. “You know Russell Pilling, the main Chief Engineer, he’s been with us I think for 25 years or something like that. He started back in the analogue world and he’s made the transition to ProTools and you know, you can’t beat an experienced engineer really. He can act as a producer these days, and people literally come in there to work with him.” The benefits of inter-generational experience and longevity extend to the studio’s gear list and setup as well, which is populated by Neve preamps, Urei compressors and old Neumann mics. “We’ve still got a tape machine as well that still gets used, and having that great big analogue console, you know a really big warm sound, everything still runs through that,” says Cullen. “And also having a tuned live room that’s been professionally done so that you can put a drum kit in there and it hasn’t got like, weird overtones and stuff going on in the room that you have fight with.” Damien Gerard Studios features two rooms – a main room, and what the studio calls the ‘red stairs’ room. The former has previously catered for 8-piece acts and 12-piece string sections and can meet the demands of a big band. It additionally offers three iso booths for extensive recording versatility, while the ‘red stairs’ room is a control room with a small 34
booth, for mixing and mastering. The vibe of the studio is band-friendly – made to look and feel like a musician’s bedroom. It’s the perfect complement to the studio’s efficient setup and professional drive. “All the furniture is from Vinnies and stuff like that you know, and the colour scheme’s really warm and friendly,” says Cullen. “And the whole vibe is the workflow as well. So there’s not a lot of mucking around trying to like get a drum sound or anything, like Russ knows, he can pull up a drum sound very quickly, so the workflow is really fast. No ones kind of sitting around getting bored waiting for the engineer to kind of catch up to the band. It’s usually more the other way around. “So if the band is rehearsed and prepared they can actually get in there and get a lot done quite quickly. We’ll often get say five drum and bass tracks down in a day, you know which is pretty fast… So when we do a five-day EP deal there’s usually more days left at the end for mixing; you’ve got that luxury of time at the end that you can really [use to] nail stuff in the mix. So yeah, there’s no mucking around. It’s a
good, fast workflow, but at the same time it’s comfortable.” One of the studio’s more recent projects was recording Sydney’s Big White, a band clearly on the rise. “They came to us as an independent band and then within about a year – yeah I think we did whatever the first EPs were and then we ended up doing an album – they got signed by Caroline, which is part of Universal,” explains Cullen. “And I think they’ve played at SXSW two years in a row now. They’ve ticked off a few more overseas deals. So that’s probably in the last 18 months, one of the most exciting things, all recorded, mixed, mastered with us and they’re coming in later this year to do another record.” As long as their doors remain open, Damien Gerard Studios will continue to be an integral part of the local music scene. BY CHRIS SCOTT Damien Gerard Studios is located at 174 Mullens Street, Balmain NSW. For more details, head to damiengerard.com.au. mixdownmag.com.au
Features STUDIO FOCUS:
Studio Bleus Sydney’s Studio Bleus is a rehearsal and recording studio designed to facilitate organic musical expression, and enhanced audio quality. Having only opened its doors in 2016, it boasts all the benefits of a modern day 21st century studio, with a refreshing attitude invested in promoting the local music scene. I’m speaking to the studio’s owner, Dave, who spent the last year refurbishing the two-storey building and perfecting its sound. Having played in bands and set up his own home studio, he says that the studio offers a quality and attention to detail that can be difficult to find. “Playing in loud rock bands and that kind of stuff, going into rehearsal rooms where the PA’s were kind of sub-par and you know, the rooms were really loud if you know what I mean. There was no kind of intelligence in the sound. I really wanted to give the studio that point of difference. Like just make it a cut above the rest, and when people come in just to plug their instrument in and know what they’re hearing is what they’re getting.” In its current format the studio is heavily geared towards rehearsal sessions, with the recording side of the studio limited to selective live recordings. Onsite are three rehearsal rooms, the biggest of which has been fitted with a mix suite/control room to accommodate for live recording. Each room boasts an emphatically loud QSC PA, an Allen and Heath console, an XTA Graphic EQ, and Sennheiser mics – the entire setup is characterised by an uncompromising quality. The sound of each room has been expertly treated, while the playing environment is clean and modern, and efficiently arranged. Onsite the studio has an impressive list of gear available for hire. Everything from a Mapex drum kit, a Marshall JCM800 and Blackstar HT Stage 100, to a Genz Benz GBE 1200 and a Genz Benz 4x10. “Yeah I’ve got everything you need,” says Dave. “If you wanted to hire a full backline, then that’s totally possible.” The high quality of sound on offer, as well as Dave’s penchant for the local music scene, has lead to the studio developing a live recording concept. “Every week I do this thing, it’s called Studio Bleus live, which is basically a focus on young and up and coming acts that we get in,” explains Dave. “Bands that have a relationship with the studio, we film them – kind of multi-angle thing – and do a live multi-track recording of them doing a song and we’ll release it on our website, our YouTube channel, and promote it through social media and that kind of stuff. That’s been keeping us really busy and it’s really cool. We’ve had lots of great feedback about it too.” As we know, live recording brings with it a host of audio problems and difficulties. All of which are amplified by the fact that it’s a performance, that’s also being filmed. Yet none of these roadblocks have gotten in the way of Dave producing quality live recordings. “We’ve had some really challenging ones,” says Dave. “Live recording like that is a real
challenge, like obviously if you haven’t got a vocalist that’s using a mic stand and standing still the mics aren’t static – you can imagine what kind of challenges that causes with the phase relationship between you know, your drum sound, your live guitar amps, all that kind of stuff. So the big challenge with it has been trying to sort out, you know, the layout of the room and how the musicians are positioned throughout the room, so we can get a good angle for filming, and also get a decent quality sound. That’s the idea anyway.” The ongoing project has provided Dave and the studio with the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the blooming musical talent that Sydney has to offer. “It’s really varied, like the first one we did was this bloke Matty J, whose actually a hip-hop guy,” says Dave. “So that was really basic, it was great too man, he’s a pretty pro kid. He’s a local bloke. That was basically him just rapping to some beats, so we had a wedge on the floor, he was holding an SM58 and he just went for it, and it came out great. Like it was a pretty simple recording, but he was super pro and put on a good performance. “One we just released this week is a band called Hurst, another local band. Awesome band man, female fronted, kind of an alternative rock thing. Just bass, guitar,
drums and vocals. I was pretty happy with the way that came out, I mean they’re all great players and they had great equipment, and performed really well. Anna, the singer, she was going absolutely mental... “Stylistically, it’s kind of all over the place. It’s really just local bands or local artists that are up and coming and, really I just want to help the scene along in Hawksbury. That’s kind of my main goal.” Studio Bleus is clearly a studio functioning for the right reasons. It’s a musician-run type of affair, offering a level of investment to local musicians, that is hard to come by. “You know I see people who are interested in what’s going on in the music industry, and I see people who really don’t care,” says Dave. “So I really want to work with the guys who are interested, that want to get into the local pubs and care about the local scene… I want to help those guys.” BY CHRIS SCOTT Studio Bleus is located at 3/2 Anderson Pl, Windsor NSW. For more information visit studiobleus.com.au.
THE ANALOGUE PROJECT by Audio-Technica
Utopia Records Utopia Records taps into the very core of what it means to be a heavy metal and hard rock fan. These are genres fuelled by colossal bands, and the unflinching allegiance and burning passion of their followers. Since its establishment in 1978 the specialty record store has cultivated, and epitomised this binding relationship. From its modest beginnings, to the massive George St location, and the current Kent St basement, Utopia has and always will be, the undisputed ‘home of metal’. “I still see customers who I saw in the store when I was a customer as a 15-year-old kid in 1980, coming in and buying the early Iron Maiden singles and the first album,” says Paul, the store’s manager and a long-time supporter. “A lot of those same people still come in today. So guys who were my age, guys that were a bit older. But the other thing is we’re now no longer a Sydney heavy metal scene record store. We’re a world scene record store. “We get kids coming in from Brazil, a lot of kids from Nepal. They come in with tears in their eyes. They’ve heard about the place for thirty years because trust me, in Nepal, there’s no place like that. There’s no Utopia in Nepal... Some of the iconic stores around the world have gone and we’re kind of like a destination spot for heavy metal fans when they come to Australia.” Utopia offers everything from CDs and vinyl, to DVDs, merch, books and memorabilia. It really is all things metal, in every sense of the genre. And the reason it can pull it all off – and do it justice – is because it has grown up alongside heavy metal music. “So the store opened in 1978,” says Paul. “Our big thing we like to brag about is that was actually two years before Dead Kennedys or Iron Maiden released their first albums. So we’re kind of there for the, not the very initial punk revolution, but definitely the second wave and the American wave. And we were definitely there for the new wave of British heavy metal, which as we know, spawned thrash metal and death metal and all the other different types of sub-genres of metal. So Utopia opened at the best time to open a heavy metal store in the history of the world, obviously. And we just went from strength to strength.” As a pivotal pillar of the music scene, Utopia has played host to a plethora of genreshaping bands and musicians. Paul lists meeting Carlos Santana, Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Ghost, Pantera and members of Kiss right off the bat. As a kid, who first mixdownmag.com.au
walked into Utopia as a 15-year-old, his perspective on these experiences captures beautifully the impact the store has had on the fans. “Status Quo,” he says. “I mean a band my brother used to go see when I was a nineyear-old kid in 1974. My brother would come back in denim jeans and a denim jacket, and he had long hair and they’d all been headbanging. I mean, Status Quo is like the first headbanging band, and they wore the denim jackets that Motörhead started wearing and everyone wore. I’m there having a conversation with the guy in the shop. You know, like I didn’t think that would happen. It’s pretty cool.” His Slayer story is even better. “When we did one Slayer interview in-store it was amazing because there were more than a thousand kids there,” begins Paul. “And I was looking after the line until it started, and my job was just to like make sure the kids were coherent enough to talk to the band and then meet them. This one kid just like looked at me and he lost his mind and he just started going, ‘man you don’t understand how much you mean to me. You’ve been the reason for my… I got over drugs.’ He was just so star struck that he didn’t even – in the 3D world – realise
I wasn’t the guy he thought I was. You know… The singer from Slayer was just there laughing his guts out. He goes ‘man, you’re in the band, you’re in the band.’” Utopia is a destination more than a store. The place where young kids first get hooked to heavy metal and hard rock, pursue that passion through their middle ages, and end up back at the same place as veterans of the scene. “Well you know in a store like Utopia we have people ranging from 65-years-old to three-years-old coming into our store,” explains Paul. “We had a little three-yearold kid who’d made his own outfit to look like the singer of Ghost recently. And it was just a couple of bits of cardboard stuck together and the poor little kid looked nothing like the guy at all, but he put the effort in. And to him that was like – that’s like kids in the ‘70s dressing up like Kiss. I mean, the same stuff’s still going on.” BY CHRIS SCOTT Utopia Records is located at the Cnr of Kent and Bathurst Street in Sydney CBD. For more details on the range of AudioTechnica turntables they stock, head to audio-technica.com.au. 35
Features TALKING GUITAR WITH
Devin Townsend Devin Townsend is about to release Transcendence, a sprawling, ever-evolving, utterly engaging piece of work that is tied together by some brilliant guitar playing and incredible tones. I’ve interviewed Devin many times over the years, and here are some guitar-related highlights from our discussions, beginning with the question, “How do you approach the guitar?” “That’s a good question. I’ll start by saying this: all I do right now is play bass. I don’t play guitar at all. All I do is play bass, all day! Like, really, my fingers are shot. I play bass all day. And I think that leads me to, what do I see guitar as? Well I see it as a bunch of things. I see it as a tool. I see it as a weapon. I see it as a bunch of blocks. I see it as a bunch of patterns. I see it as a bunch of baggage as well. And because I’ve been in this weird tuning for so long [CGCGCE], I see it as almost exclusively a writing tool as opposed to anything else. Inevitably someone will put a guitar in your hands and be like, ‘Well, play something.’ “But I use it to write songs, y’know?” He continues. “I’m a guitar player, of course. I saw an interview with Steven Wilson where he’s like, ‘I’m not a guitar player,’ but I mean, he is a guitar player! I’m a guitar player. I love the guitar. But I agree with him in the sense that I’m not a guitar player in the way of my identity being invested in my ability to do things on it. I’ve got a certain capacity for technique that allows me to articulate pretty much anything that comes into my head. And a lot of the things that come into my head are rarely the types of things that require acrobatics. But when people put a guitar in my hand and they’re like, ‘Solo,’ what am I supposed to do? “So I’ve got a reservoir of ten or twelve shapes that I’ve been playing for 30 years that I’ll pull out. But the reason why I have those in a place technically that allows me to perform them marginally well is that those shapes I can apply to almost any idea that I have, whether it’s the sweeping or the tapping or the string skipping or the riffing, those shapes allow me to play any thought that I have. And that’s what I do! So when I sit down to record I’m always in shape, guitar-wise. Whether I’m playing bass or guitar, regardless, I’m in shape. It’s been years since I’ve not played. So in that sense, yeah, I’m a guitar player in the same way that Steven Wilson or anybody is. But it is truly a vehicle for me to articulate my emotional or artistic process, and that’s where it ends. “So for me, bass is much more interesting because there’s something about it that’s just really, really soul-satisfying to me,” admits Townsend. “The lack of need for it to be in the spotlight – and there’s a certain Zen in being able to be disciplined enough to play the same thing for five minutes. I’m into Massive Attack. Y’know, being able to play an awesome riff without it
deviating for five minutes, I love that! And now, guitars… I’m infatuated with the actual physicality of it. And I’ve been fortunate to work with these brilliant companies recently, like Framus and Sadowsky in particular. Unbelievable instruments, right? And because I’ve got that opportunity I’m like, ‘Dude, let’s just put lights on ’em!’ I’ve got my writing guitars, a Tele and a Strat and a Les Paul and I’m good to go, so my stage guitars? Dude, let’s just make these things audacious!” “I think the Casualties of Cool record was a huge thing for me,” Townsend explains. “I’ve been doing the metal stuff happily and proactively for many years but the type of guitar sound that I really find the most inspiring is a half-distorted sound. The least amount of options in terms of amp and guitar is the best for me. I mean, I’ve always got reverbs and delays and all that, which I certainly enjoy using, but when it comes to amps and guitars, the least amount of options possible I find the most amount of creative stimulus from. If it’s a good instrument, you’re focusing more on what you’re working on rather than utilising
all the bells and whistles of the guitar. So a single coil Telecaster is pretty much the ideal guitar for me, I would imagine. And an amp with between one and three knobs and anywhere between 15 and 40 watts is perfect. I find that most of my writing has typically been written with octaves because then the tonalities get filled in with the myriad of other things I want to orchestrate it with. So starting with octaves and all that when I actually start recording is something I can fill in with a heavier sound or whatever. But while I’m writing, having a half-distorted sound allows me to play those intervals and the chords that will eventually be built up in a way that implies the whole song to me. And single coils, simple gear, really allows me to get to the point much quicker.” BY PETER HODGSON Transcendence is out September 9 via Inside Out Music/Sony Music Australia.
Tim Kain and Virginia Taylor
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Melbourne International Guitar Festival Brew Guitar Duo
At this year’s Melbourne International Guitar Festival local classical guitarists will come face to face with some of the world’s best classical players. For the second year running the Melbourne Guitar Foundation (MGF) will be putting on a vibrant and educationally rich program for players of all skill levels and experiences. From the mouth-watering concerts, to the actively engaging masterclasses, it’s an opportunity for the local performing community to converge and share ideas. As a director and founder of the MGF, and one of the guys running the festival, Michael MacManus understands the importance of reaching out to classical players. “The foundation formed a couple of years ago in late 2014,” he says. “And we put it together as an idea to try and get more engagement from the local community in attending concerts and giving other young players opportunities for education with masterclasses and other opportunities.” Heading this year’s program are guitarist Tim Kain and flutist Virginia Taylor, Brazil’s Chrystian Dozza, Italy’s Adriano Del Sal and the Brew Guitar Duo. All will play concerts, while Kain, Dozza and Del Sal will also present student masterclasses. These offer a select number of students the unprecedented opportunity to share the stage with world-renowned guitarists, and are also free events to attend. MacManus takes us through the credentials of the three master players. “Tim is kind of regarded as the… father figure of Australia in guitar and he’s developed a lot of Australia’s best classical guitar players from the Canberra School of Music from ANU – the Australian National University – and a lot of his students have gone on to have very successful international performance careers. “And then the Saturday we’ve got a Brazilian guitarist, Chrystian Dozza, and he’ll be performing the program entirely of his own works… so that will be a very exciting concert to watch. The Saturday evening we’ve got Adriano Del Sel from Italy and he’s currently Professor of Guitar at Vienna University and he’s won 12 major international competitions, so he’s quite a force to be reckoned with.” A key feature of the weekend’s events is the competition component. MacManus tells me that classical guitar competitions are cancelled regularly due to insufficient entries. Yet by providing a platform for positive interaction as well as appealing prizes – first place in the open category will get you $1000 cash plus a paid 8-concert Australian tour – the festival is able to break down barriers to participation. 36
“The beginner, intermediate and advanced categories, they’re aimed at pre-tertiary students from young kids around 7 years old,” he says. “Generally we have [them] in the beginner category, and they get an opportunity to see where the guitar can take them by seeing the older kids perform in the intermediate and advanced categories, so they can kind of see the opportunities that it brings. The program for this year’s festival does a fantastic job at offering a variety of quality content and activities. A prime example is the attendance of Thomas Lloyd Guitars’ master luthier Chris Wynne, who’ll be making a presentation about the use of Australian tonewoods for guitar construction. It’s a pertinent (and free) festival event, particularly with Australia helping to shape classical guitar manufacturing on a global scale. “Australia’s kind of very pioneering and leading the way in classical guitar building and construction,” says MacManus. “Probably the most well-known Australian classical guitar luthier would be Gregg Smallman, and he’s currently based in Esperance in Western Australia and people might know his guitars from John Williams, the famous classical guitarist. “So Greg Smallman developed a new type of guitar construction, which was the lattice
braced design, and that enables [it] to have a very thin top, and the lattice support provides great support and strength… I guess it’s almost akin to a drum kit – you’ve got the thin, tight skin and it allows for great projections. Yeah a lot of other makers now in the world are using that lattice bracing system which Greg Smallman designed.” It’s an exciting time to be a classical guitarist in Australia. And thanks to the festival, there’s now an engaged and connected local performing community, one growing in numbers. “And it’s also just about getting the word there about classical guitar,” MacManus adds. “We’ve had quite a number of people attend the concerts who’ve never seen a classical guitar concert before, and they’ve come back to see some other concerts we’ve presented throughout the year, so it’s sparking an interest I think in the local public.” BY CHRIS SCOTT The Melbourne International Guitar Festival will be held from September 23-25 at Melba Hall, Melbourne University. The main festival sponsor is the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne University. For more details, head to melbourneguitarfoundation.com. mixdownmag.com.au
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Road Tests KRK SYSTEMS RP5G3 Rokit Monitors - White Gibson AMI | gibsonami.com.au | RRP: $319 each
Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before this happened. So, here we are, listening to the new KRK Rokit 5 studio monitors again, but this time there is a light tone to what we are seeing in the setup. No, I’m not talking about the frequency response or the sound in any way, I am referring to the blindingly obvious fact that these monitors are white, very white indeed. If you are looking to make a statement in your studio, these babies are going to stand out, that’s for sure. BOLD AND BRIGHT So, it’s pretty safe to assume that everyone reading this has seen some KRK studio monitors at some point or another. They do make their presence known with their trademark yellow cones. You see
them in studios and video clips all over the place, and for good reason too, they’re a great speaker. So, as has happened in the past with the previous G2 model, KRK have now released an all-white model in the G3 build. That is, it’s all white except for that yellow cone in the centre that really pops with the gloss and satin white combination around it. They look something like the bazaar lovechild of a Storm-trooper and a Minion, and will certainly appeal to many users over the slightly more subtle black models. If you want to colour co-ordinate your studio and are looking to match it up with an old iMac, this is going to do the job nicely. SOUND OVER SIGHT Of course, the sound is what really matters when it comes to studio monitors, and they still deliver right there. Even with a completely different colour to the casing, they sound exactly the same as the black models, if you can believe that. Now, for those of you still running older G2 KRKs, this could be the right time to upgrade to
the newer drivers and get a colour change to freshen the room up too. As a nearfield studio monitor for a range of genres in the home studio, the Rokit 5 monitors are a great option, especially for those producing electronic music when you want to hear your sound with plenty of thump and punch. BY ROB GEE
JBL EON208P Portable Pa System Jands | jands.com.au | RRP: $1299
I’ve used plenty of PA systems in my time, both portable and very much not, in a wide range of applications. I first used JBL speakers some time last century when the Eon range first came onto the scene and lead the way for a new breed of powered, plastic boxes that would change PA systems forever. Over the years we have seen the Eon speaker range grow in size and reduce in weight, making them an ideal solution for musicians and DJs who need to transport a system to a venue on a regular basis. With the growth of allin-one systems, JBL again have delivered the goods time and time again, improving sound quality, increasing volume and decreasing overall weight. That brings us to their newest offering, the EON208P portable PA.
AUDIO–TECHNICA AE2300 Instrument Microphone Audio-Technica | audio-technica.com.au | RRP: $499
With such a wide selection of dynamic vocal microphones available for both stage and studio, it seems that the humble instrument microphone often gets overlooked and yet it is just as important as the bold and proud vocal microphone that gets all the attention. One might even say that instrument microphones are more important, as they deliver most of the sound to the audience from a stage. So, maybe it is time to reconsider what you use for you brass, percussion and especially guitar cabinets when looking for a microphone option. Don’t just settle for a spare vocal microphone, a dedicated instrument like the Audio-Technica AE2300 is what your sound deserves.
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WALTZ ON IN Gone are the days of a back-breaking bump in just for a small acoustic duo or DJ set; JBL have made sure of that. The EON208P is a real surprise, hiding a lot more than it lets on at first glance. Fully assembled for travel, it is about the size of a small suitcase and can be easily carried with one hand and you casually saunter into the venue with little effort at all. Depressing the lock buttons allows the two speakers to come free from the central mixer, so they can be set up for use, with the option of pole mounting included. The mixer itself appears a little oversized at first, but that is not without good reason.
OWN YOUR SOUND It’s amazing how many guitarists spend countless dollars trying to perfect their tone, yet when they get on stage they are happy for the sound guy to use any old microphone to get that sound into the PA system. What a waste. So, once you have found your sound, why not give it the continued signal path that it deserves? That is where the AudioTechnica AE2300 is going to change the way you think about your live sound. Firstly, it is more than happy to take a pelting with extremely high sound pressure levels, so you can run it right up to the speaker on any amp and not worry about it breaking up at all. And that is what it’s all about, working well when the volume is up. You still get a beautiful clarity and pristine capture of your amplifier’s tone. So much so that there will be nowhere for you to hide any faults in your playing, the audience will hear it all. LITTLE BEAST This microphone is built with the quality that I have come to expect of AudioTechnica microphones over the years. It is simple and solid in design and it gets the
Around the back of the mixer, a panel opens up to reveal several compartments where the speaker cables, power cable and microphone lead are stored. Further to this, an AKG vocal microphone is also included in the package, stowed safely in the rear cavity with all the cables. DRIVE IT UP Now, just because this is compact doesn’t mean the EON208P is lacking in any areas. You get four mono channels and two additional stereo channels on the mixer with Reverb available on the mono inputs. Separate outputs for headphones, monitors and subwoofer are all on there too, with
job done. The clever addition of a Low Pass Filter set around 6K allows you to pull back any hissing or sizzle that might come from a noisy guitar amp when running at high volumes and high gain settings. And that is what the AE2300 is wanting to do, operate in high volume environments. It delivers a clear and focused sound, without any environmental noise, so it is perfect for loud stages where separation of sound is critical. You will hear the difference in your fold-back and the audience will hear the difference out the front. Put simply, your guitar rig deserves a microphone like this in front of it.
HITS • Great KRK Rokit sound • Slick design and funky look • Perfect accessories for a Mac home or studio MISSES • No different to the black models in sound. Maybe not a bad thing.
the speaker outputs around on the rear where the power amp is located, ready to drive the two 8 inch two-way speakers. On top of all that, you get Hi-Z inputs, phantom power options on XLR inputs and Bluetooth pairing for running music from other devices. This allows you to test out how the speakers really go, with some loud tracks that has the EON208P delivering on all accounts. With that in mind, this is an ideal system for a vocal duo with acoustic guitars, the need for a subwoofer not really evident in this instance. BY ROB GEE
HITS • Everything fits into one case • Easy to set up and pack down • Microphone and cables are all included MISSES • Volume knobs on the mixer are a little sloppy
HITS • Very compact, extremely rugged build • Handles high SPLs with ease • Big, bold and punchy sound MISSES • I wish I had found these sooner
BY ROB GEE mixdownmag.com.au
Road Tests NEUMANN TLM107 Condenser Microphone Sennheiser Australia | sennheiser.com.au | RRP: $2349
I have to say, I always enjoy being sent a microphone from Neumann to test out. Every detail is a joy – from the packaging, to the wooden cases, to the unveiling of the actual microphone itself. Then, it comes to the actual listening and the good times simply roll right on. So, call me biased, but this has not come from anywhere but a continued use of Neumann microphones that have failed to disappoint me. They simply are built to an incredible standard. So, when the TLM107 arrived on my desk this month, having not heard one of these for almost two years now, I was quietly excited about getting this microphone warmed up and ready to roll. A LITTLE UNCONVENTIONAL So, with all my love for Neumann microphones, which is shared by countless engineers and musicians the world over, I have to say I had a few reservations with this one. It caused me concern when I first used one and it did so again this time around. What I am talking about is the modern twist that Neumann has placed on this microphone. You see, around on the rear of the microphone is a small toggle switch and a series of LEDs that show you polar patterns, high pass filter settings and gain reduction pad levels. Yes, you heard me correctly, LEDs on a Neumann. Right, so now that we’ve all caught our breath, we can get over it and move right along.
The overall design of this large diaphragm condenser microphone is nothing short of the classic brilliance we all expect from Neumann, but it simply has a slight modern edge. And don’t worry, it is a very tasteful use of LEDs to show settings. There are no bright lights and colours present, just subtle indicators right on the microphone’s side panel for easy reference. NOT WITHOUT PURPOSE What this is all about is delivering the user information on how the microphone is operating. Because, what we have here is a very versatile microphone in a neat and compact design. There are five polar patterns, ranging from cardioid right through to figure-of-eight, which can be selected with the toggle switch. Two levels
of gain reduction and two stages of high pass filter result in a microphone that is ready to tackle just about any role. Use the TLM107 for vocals, drum overheads, piano, guitar, percussion or wind instruments. It doesn’t matter really; this microphone can be set up to work in just about any application, even with very high SPLs. Those of you who know how a Neumann sounds will hear it in this microphone too. Clarity and tonal depth are delivered just as you would expect, with plenty of options for just about any use.
HITS • Classic Neumann quality • Modern approach to adding versatility • Sounds just as good as it looks MISSES • Strays away from classic Neumann builds with its modern twist
BY ROB GEE
ASTON Origin Cardioid Condenser Microphone Link Audio | linkaudio.com.au | Expect to pay: $499
Many of you won’t have heard of of Aston microphones, and to tell you the truth, I had never actually laid my hands on one until this week. Having spent a little time with their Origin condenser microphone, I can now say that I am glad I got the opportunity. Coming from a small production team in the UK, these microphones are set to change what you think about vocal and instrument recording. You simply need to hear them to know what is on offer. SIMPLE BEAUTY With the intense scrutiny that is put over these microphones in the manufacturing process, you can be pretty certain you are in for something special even before you plug it in. Right out of the box, it is easy to see that there is a sense of pride associated with the making of these British microphones. The first thing you find is a little metal Aston badge you proudly wear on your jacket. Once you have stuck that somewhere, one gets to the microphone itself. It is obvious right away that this hasn’t come out of some high volume factory process, and what you have is a carefully crafted tool made to exacting standards purpose. The casing and protective grille have a very industrial, unfinished metal look to them and the design is quite striking. A simple Pad switch and HPF offer some control, but the mixdownmag.com.au
rest is left to the capsule to do its magic. APPROVED SOUND Aston tirelessly tested and retested their capsules in blind listening processes with 33 big names in the British music recording and production business, referencing other classic capsules until they found the perfect solution for their own. There has been a lot of effort put into the making of these capsules and you hear it when you record. There is nothing harsh in how these sound, but rather a very gentle warmth and clarity that allows it to be used in a range of applications. For both vocals and acoustic guitars, this microphone sounds very sweet indeed and has a tonal characteristic that will have it sitting
apart in the mix alongside other sources with different microphones. This is what is really important about the Origin. As it offers a beautiful sound, it also offers one with a different flavour to just about any capsule you might have in your microphone collection. So, just when you thought you didn’t need another microphone, an Aston Origin is going to change your thought process indeed.
HITS • Simple, elegant and industrial design • Clear, crisp and yet warm audio capture • Offers a different flavour to any other microphone you might own MISSES • No cradle, clip or mount of any sort supplied
BY ROB GEE
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Road Tests PRESONUS Audiobox iTwo Studio Bundle Link Audio | linkaudio.com.au | Expect to pay: $349
Value for money is the name of the game when it comes to entry-level home recording packages like Presonus’s Audiobox iTwo Studio, and boy what a punch this bundle packs. An iOS compatible audio/ MIDI interface with phantom power and 2 x XLR/¼” instrument or line level inputs, a condenser mic (with padded bag), monitor headphones (with bag), XLR cord, USB cord, Studio One Artist DAW and 6GB of samples and instruments to download at your leisure, all for around $350. That is bonkers. AUDIOBOX ITWO With one stereo input or 2 mono inputs, USB power (when used with a computer), MIDI i/o, a headphone jack on the front and ¼” speaker jacks on the back, this is an ideal interface to get your music making fun off the ground. It’s built solid with a brushed aluminum case and looks the goods. Once registered, I found the audio driver program on Presonus’ members area, downloaded and installed it on my Windows 10 computer and with no problems I was up and running. With the industry standard 24-bit, 96 kHz spec converters, there’s no compromise there. To get it to communicate with your iPad, you do need a wall socket handy unfortunately. But it’s ingenious the way they’ve got it to work without any extra accessories required. Instead of plugging the USB cable into a computer, you just plug in into the iPad charger in the wall socket, then plug your iPad into the ‘device’ USB socket on the back of the Audiobox. Download the free Presonus Capture Duo app (or the paid full version Capture app) and you’re ready to make tunes.
AUDIENT ID4 Interface Innovative Music | innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $299
We’ve seen a few interesting interfaces from Audient over the past couple of years and they have always ticked all the boxes and delivered the goods on signal quality and ease of use. This month I got to have a whirl on another model from the Audient range. This time it was the ID4 – an interface that had me thinking it might be something different to what it actually had on offer. So no, this is not a four input device, instead it is a clever little solution for the guitarist who wants a simple way to get great quality audio recording. PLAY AND RECORD Most audio interfaces on the market are designed for a series of microphones, or to be run with a mixer of some sort. The team at Audient know this and they make different models to suit these needs. But they also recognise that there are plenty of guitarists out there that want a simple, yet high quality, audio recording option. So, enter the ID4; a two input interface that has the discerning guitarist in mind. The first input is offered on a combination XLR/ TRS connector and accepts microphone or 40
STUDIO ONE ARTIST Artist is the mid-range edition of the three Studio One versions available. Unlike certain other DAW’s packaged in bundles similar to this one, there is no restriction on saving or exporting tracks and no limit on how many tracks you can have in a project. It’s a fully functioning DAW with audio recording/ editing, MIDI sequencing and almost the full range of features, instruments and effects that Presonus has up their sleeve. To access the software you simply log in and register your product with Presonus and the available downloads pop-up. As well as the software, there’s approximately 6GB of included samples and instruments available in 9 different packs, so you can pick and choose what you’d like to use. Cracking open new and unfamiliar software is always a little cumbersome, but I found Studio One relatively intuitive to get cracking with, the key being the toggle in the bottom right to turn on/off the various features of the software. If you are a complete beginner, there’s an extensive video tutorial section on the website. And of course, there were zero issues getting it set up with Audiobox.
M7 CONDENSER MICROPHONE As far as entry-level microphones go, I’m super impressed with this one. I’m a big fan of recording ambient textures and percussive noises to bring an organic element into the music I make. This mic is absolutely up to the task, picking up every subtle nuance, it’s clarity is fantastic. I’m no singer, so I didn’t give it a whirl with vocals, but I couldn’t imagine it not being up to the task, especially combined with the excellent effects of the Studio One software.
All in all, this bundle is a brilliant option for those just getting started or more intermediate users who are looking to get a mobile set-up together. Entry-level recording equipment has come leaps and bounds in the bunch years I’ve been tinkering with music; I’m jealous that packages like this weren’t available to me back then.
HD7 HEADPHONES The headphones have an interesting semiopen back cup design, which looks like basically a closed back design reworked slightly to have a more natural sound – maybe lacking in presence though. Since this is an entry-level bundle with the aim of providing everything you need to get started at a low cost, they’re a welcome addition, and with a removable cord and ¼” to mini jack screw on adaptor, they’ll get the job done for any recording/jamming application.
HITS • Interface is simple and intuitive • Software is great • Connectivity between devices is seemless • The value
BY MICHAEL CUSACK
MISSES • The headphones are the weakest part of the bundle, but still good enough to get you going
line level signals. So, vocals can be taken care of as well as a microphone in front of a guitar cabinet. The second input is located on the front panel of the unit for easy access and comes in the way of a Hi-Z DI input for running guitars and basses directly into a separate channel. This means you don’t need to fiddle around on the rear of the device every time you want to plug your guitar in and you don’t need to worry about matching the impedance with a line level input with acoustic or electric guitars, just plug right into the front and you’re ready to record. CONTROL The top panel is pretty self-explanatory and makes if very easy to work with your signals going in and out. There’s a separate gain control for the microphone input and the DI, and a balance control between the input signal and that coming back from the computer. A clever mute button is included to shut off the speakers when recording overdubs, and their Audient ID button is also included. This is a treat to use as it allows the large volume knob to act as a rotary encoder and change the value of whatever function your mouse is currently hovering over in your software. This makes it really easy to get a quick, hands-on feel for editing certain parameters of effects and plugins. The overall look, feel and
operation of this unit makes it very easy to record yourself and not feel like you are chained to a computer keyboard. Best of all, the Audient AD conversion gives you amazing 24 bit 96 kHz audio quality that will allow every penny you spent building your guitar setup to be heard in your recordings.
HITS • Dedicated microphone and guitar inputs • Two sizes of headphone output jacks • Clever DAW control with the ID button MISSES • None to report here
BY ROB GEE mixdownmag.com.au
Road Tests CARL MARTIN Lick Box – Greg Howe’s Signature Innovative Music | innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $499
If you haven’t seen, heard or used a Carl Martin pedal in the last year or two, you must have been living under a rock. You should get down to your local guitar store and try a few of them, because they are some great sounding pedals at very smart price points. I’ve played with most of the pedals in their range, and today I got to try a new addition. One that is going to get a lot of tone nuts jumping up and down for a go. With that, I would like to introduce you to Greg Howe’s Signature Lick Box, the latest in a range of pedals that has been designed by the team in Denmark. Now, if someone’s tone is worth trying to capture, Greg Howe is going to be right up there on the list. Carl Martin have done just that for you. THREE PIECE SUIT This is not just a simple turn it on and turn it up magic box. There are too many variables in everyone’s equipment and what they want from a pedal, so Carl Martin have included three different stages in this pedal, with each one voiced for that sound. I’m listening to Introspection as I write this, and it is easy to hear similarities between the pedal and the album (but not in my playing). The first stage is a clean boost that will push the tubes in your amp just enough for a little extra breakup, but really gives you more clean volume that anything, which is a good thing as there
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is plenty of gain to come. This sits nicely on its own, or layered over the top of the other two ‘channels’. The next section is a Crunch channel that has a rather Marshall vibe to it, with a crisp dive that pushes the mid-range a little when run by itself. Kicking in the clean boost over this steps up the volume and also adds a little more shimmer in the higher frequencies. The High Gain channel, gives you even more grunt with added bottom-end and high frequency brightness, whilst scooping out the mid-range slightly, so it stands apart from the character of the Crunch channel.
on or off individually. That means you can run any combination of the three for a variety of tones. The Boost can be layered over either the Crunch or the High Gain, but even better still, you can turn on the Crunch and then layer the High Gain over the top of that, for a real meaty tone that pulls back on the high frequencies slightly and is loaded with character. Then, you can drop the Boost on top again for that little extra push to have it jump out in the mix. Essentially, this is like having three great pedals crammed into one box, without the need for patch cables in between. What’s not to like about that?
But really, these aren’t serial channels that can be switched between, they all act as separate stages that can be turned
BY ROB GEE
HITS • Simple layout with control over three voices • Not at all over-engineered • Plenty of variety in tone, grunt and drive MISSES • It didn’t help me play like Greg Howe
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Road Tests KRK SYSTEMS KRK8S Studio Monitor Subwoofer Gibson AMI | gibsonami.com.au | RRP: $659
It’s only fitting that as I’ve been discussing monitor and subwoofer use in this month’s issue, I have the new KRK8S active studio subwoofer turn up for me to have a look at. Now, when one thinks of a subwoofer, size usually comes to mind, as they generally are quite big, rather heavy and fairly taxing on the hip pocket. The KRK8S bucks all those trends and delivers results that will improve your personal monitoring space in your home studio too. BRINGING IT TOGETHER There are plenty of studio monitors out there that offer two and three-way drivers in large housings to ensure a full range and extended lower frequency response. This much we know, KRK even offer several for just this purpose. But, when you consider the home studio, there isn’t always the space to accommodate these sorts of speakers on the benchtop, nor is there adequate space to sit back from these larger speakers to get the best sound from them. So, many small home studios end up with monitors that lack in the low range, or they try to make up for it by pushing
the EQ within their speakers to create a false bottom-end that doesn’t really deliver the goods. Running a compact subwoofer like the KRK8S is the perfect solution for just this environment as it allows you to keep smaller speakers running fairly neutrally on your bench and make-up the low frequencies with a dedicated sub driver. DROP THE BASS The 8-inch glass composite driver in this compact unit certainly delivers when it is called upon. Just like its larger counterpart, the KRK8S is capable of delivering high sound pressure levels without sounding muddy or chuffing air as it gets worked. The wide slotted front porting ensures airflow is natural and doesn’t create any unwanted noise. Nor does it call for a build-up of low frequencies in the bass trap beneath your desk as it projects further frontwards than it does to the rear. The best part of it is the overall size. You can squeeze this box into just about any setup, even the most compact of bedroom recording spaces. Slot it under the desk and you will never know it is there, until it is turned on.
M-AUDIO CODE49 USB Midi Controller Keyboard
A LOT IN ONE BOX Home studio producers who want a lot of control in a slick package will be keen to get their hands on this. It should sit as a centre-piece for any modest recording setup, being the ideal home MIDI control surface and keyboard in one. You get
AUDIO-TECHNICA AT-LP60BK-BT Bluetooth Turntable Audio-Technica | audio-technica.com.au | RRP: $299
transport controls, rotary encoders, 9 faders, an X-Y touch pad and 16 pressure sensitive drum pads, along with the 49note keyboard. The Code49 offers so much control over your software given that it works as a keyboard, a sample player, a transport system, a mixing device and an effects editor, allowing you to take control of all aspects of your DAW on this one device. The centrally located controls above the keyboard have them right at your fingertips, however having the pitch and modulation wheels off to the side above the drum pads is a little annoying. I think this is more to do with what I am used to, as I naturally reach for the pitch bend
wheel to the left of the lower keys. Having the drum pads there, on the left hand, is a little odd. But, you’ll soon get used to it I am sure.
With the recent vinyl revival that seems to be going from strength to strength, there are a range of new turntable options appearing on the market that will appeal to a wider listening audience. One such device is the AT-LP60BK-BT which, although it may be a bit of a mouthful in the product code department, is a relatively simple unit that is going to fit the bill for a wider group of music enthusiasts, especially as it offers Bluetooth transmission for wireless playback.
a record playing with the slow dropping automatic tone arm that gently glided onto the record’s surface without and fear of damaging it. A firm slip mat is provided to ensure the record sits stable on the platter and the belt driven action provides a smooth, even rotation at both 33 and 45 RPM. It’s everything you could want in a simple home-use turntable, and it doesn’t weigh much at all either.
THE SETUP I will admit, it has been years since I have assembled a belt drive turntable. I generally tend to find myself using turntables more aimed at the DJ market, but the home listening world offers a different beast altogether. So, out with the instructions as I set the pretty easy task of getting this unit ready for action. Once I found the belt, it was pretty easy-locating that at first had me a little perplexed, but we were up and running soon after. Check the underside of the platter folks. With the turntable set up, it was fairly easy to get 42
BY ROB GEE
HITS • The perfect improvement to a simple pair of studio monitors • Nice and compact • Delivers low frequencies nicely with a balance crossover MISSES • Not ideal for use with larger monitors speakers
channel and one master fader are really more than satisfactory for the job at hand. As for the drum pads, they respond nicely to subtle changes in pressure and velocity. I never really like using this sort of pad as I prefer the depression of a keystroke instead, but the beauty of the Code49 is that you have both on offer for various applications.
Pro Audio Group | proaudiogroup.com.au | RRP: $549.99
M-Audio continue their range of MIDI controller keyboards with the Code series; a bright and colourful controller selection that’s so much more than just a few keyboards. The Code49 landed on my desk this time around, and as it is the second time I have had an opportunity to play around with this unit, I knew what I was in for already; plenty of control and a great touch in the keybed for playing software synths.
You can mute the sub and simultaneously refresh the crossovers for the monitors with the use of an optional footswitch too, making it ideal for getting a reference point between hearing your mixes with and without a sub. I’ve got to say, this is going to be a big hit, even if it is rather small.
THE FEEL The keybed itself has a nice touch to it. It’s light and easy to play when you want fast touch synth work, and slightly springy so it offers a little resistance and returns sharply to its standstill position. The rotary encoders feel a little delicate, as is always the case with tall thin knobs on any pot. It would have been nice to have had longer throw fader, but that would have made the entire unit so much bigger, so the eight
GETTING IT OUT THERE The internal phono preamp that is included is a handy feature, so if you aren’t running it into a mixer or amplifier with a phono input, you can set the output level to Line and get listening right away. The analogue output is supplied with a 3.5mm connection that splits out to two RCA connectors with the supplied cable, but it could easily be adapted for any cable requirement for connection to a range of devices. Of course, you don’t even need to worry about getting the correct cable if you have a Bluetooth speaker system at home. This turntable has the ability to send the audio from the phono preamp to
BY ROB GEE
HITS • Slick look, especially when sized up in front of a Mac • Plenty of controller options • Easy driver install with no reportable issues MISSES • Rotary encoders are a little delicate
any Bluetooth device you choose to pair it up with, making it the ideal solution for listening to your old records on your newest, most modern stereo system. BY ROB GEE
HITS • Steady platter rotation from belt drive • Handy inbuilt Phono preamp for line level output if required • Bluetooth transmission allows wireless connectivity MISSES • You need to find the belt before it will work
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Road Tests GENELEC 8010A Active Studio Monitors Studio Connections | studioconnections.com.au | RRP: Contact for Pricing
You’ve got to hand it to the Fins; they know how to build quality products, especially when we are talking about studio monitors. Most of you should know of Genelec and the quality in precision audio monitoring that the name represents, but not all of you would have had the pleasure of working with them before. And trust me, you want to hear them. Whether it is a large surround setup for movie post production, right down to the most compact audio editing setup, there is a Genelec speaker to suit the task at hand. Which brings us to what is currently set up on the desk in front of me, the Genelec 8010A compact studio monitors. DON’T BE FOOLED When you think of 3-inch drivers in a monitor speaker, it is easy to write it off as a little pointless. Genelec have proved this to be far from the truth with the 8010A monitors. They are super compact, but incredibly well built and deliver in spades when you need them too. The metal housing gives them plenty of weight and a very solid, rear ported cabinet to work from. And given that these are designed for audio editing on the go, their size is ideal, as too are the mounting options. Several threaded connections are available on the rear for wall mounting in a studio or even a OB van for the mobile editing and recording rig. When used on the desktop, these have an incredible suspended rubber
feet system that removes any vibrations and leaves the speakers free and isolated for increased performance. CLARITY AND CONSISTENCY As with any Genelec speakers, clarity is the key with the 8010A monitors. They offer an incredibly detailed recreation of your audio mix, so much so that you will start questioning your playing, hearing every detail, and of course, every error. Each one is made to an exacting standard, so you know they will be balanced and perfectly matched whether you are running a pair, or fitting out a room for a 7.1 surround system. Of course, the 3-inch driver does
lack some low frequency reproduction as Genelec haven’t gone and pushed the EQ to make up for the driver’s size, as many other manufacturers might do. These will perfectly match up with the 7050B subwoofer when you need to fill out the room across the entire frequency range. But, by themselves you still get pristine, flat and focused audio monitoring. They kind of make me wish I didn’t have to go back to using my other monitors at home now.
HITS • Compact housing for intimate setups • Excellent isolation with suspended foot design • Unbelievable quality in sound MISSES • For their size, their isn’t anything to fault with these gems
BY ROB GEE
M-AUDIO AV42 Monitor Speakers Pro Audio Group | proaudiogroup.com.au | RRP: $319.99
I’ve heard a few monitor speakers this month, but to be honest, these were the ones I actually set up with the most anticipation and excitement. You see, a product does not have to be expensive or exclusive or anything like that to be a worthy contender for my enjoyment. So, unboxing the M-Audio AV42 monitors happened in a flash and they were set up as soon as I managed to work through all the packaging and sort out the extensive selection of cables that are included. SIMPLE PLEASURE Now, the thing about these monitors is that they are not trying to be the highest quality studio reference monitors by any stretch. They have a certain simple charm to them and will suit the needs of many of our readers, even if they haven’t considered speakers like this before. You see, whilst I have a place for reference monitors in my recording and mixing, I also want a speaker system at my work desk that allows me to simply plug my laptop or audio player in without the need to fire up the console, racks, recording computer and everything else. Sometimes, I just want to listen to music whilst working on my laptop, like right now as I am writing away. These speakers are just perfect for that purpose. PLENTY OF GRUNT They are powered, but only one speaker houses an amplifier and requires power, whilst the other is run from a speaker 44
cable that is fed off of the main unit. There is no EQ, no room control, and no adjustment of any sort except for a master volume on the front of the main speaker. An RCA to 3.5mm stereo jack cable is included so you can run straight out of the headphone output of your laptop, adjust the volume and you’re away. Stacked side by side with another, far more expensive pair of monitors I own, I was surprised to hear how much more bottom-end the AV42 system had, even with drivers that were an inch smaller, there is a certain presence in the lower mid frequencies that
has vocals jumping out unlike my other, flatter sounding monitors. But, for general listening, they are actually very enjoyable and deliver plenty of volume for use in close quarters. These really are a great option for anyone who’s looking to make their first foray into the monitor game. ROB GEE
HITS • Easy to operate • Sound great for listening to music • All cables included MISSES • Coloured sound, not ideal for mixing
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Road Tests YAMAHA FGX800 Series Guitars Yamaha Music Australia | au.yamaha.com | RRP: 800CL $599.99, 820C $729.99, 830C $899.99
2016 marks 50 years since Yamaha guitars launched what would become one of the highest selling acoustic guitars in the world; the FG series. Sprouting forth from its granddad the FG180, the FG tree has had a prune and a refresh every few years and with the success of the previous edition, the 700 series, the 800s certainly have some sizable shoes to fill. FGX800C The most marked difference between the 800s and their predecessors is by all reports the current jewel in the crown of Yamaha’s R and D department. As opposed to tradition and (as they put it) guesswork, for this update the designers looked to intense analytics to ensure that every last change they made was a step up; employing various physics based computer programs to shine light on the myriad options inherit in the familiar Dreadnought body shape you see before you. The innovation they uncovered is what they are calling ‘scalloped bracing’; a system of specifically placed, shaped and sized brace poles supporting the Sitka spruce front plate. The result is a surprisingly rich, warm lowend that never strays into unruly territory, rounded out nicely by the nato back and sides, which offer a hefty yet clear mid range as well as one of the more subtle, porcelain top-end responses I’ve played in a long time. The 800C is the simplest of the range in character. The binding is a classy two stripe black and white, the pickguard tortoise shell, the hardware chrome and the so called ‘Western cutaway’ is deep enough to reach the right amount of the frets before things get too out of hand. Far from being an entry-level offering however, the neck shape is a reasonably thick C, which feels chunky mixdownmag.com.au
enough that make you work for it without being completely unforgiving. FGX820C Stepping up a level from the 800C, the 820C aims the same innovative bow at a slightly narrower target. Here, Yamaha has chosen the more mellow mahogany as the main tonewood around the back and sides and the comparison to the sprightlier nato is as endearing as it is stark. The increase in density, coupled with the aforementioned bracing technique considerably deepens the timbre of the guitar while keeping a watchful eye on the clean, defined high-mids offered by the spruce. Interestingly enough, it’s almost as if rounding out the lows a bit more has widened a sense of space between the tonal registers, lending a kind of Texan sky line headroom to individual notes. Where the 800C is more of a strummer, the 820C really wants to make itself heard and it does so by choosing its placing wisely in a room. I can see how this model in particular would find its spot in amongst other instruments in a mix quickly and easily, almost to the point of setting up a command of proceedings from there. Instrumental (pardon the pun) to the success of any modern guitar is its ability to leave the bedroom and prance around on stage along side its contemporaries. This is where the veritable black art of acoustic pick-up design treads the knife-edge between earnest amplification and absolute transparency. Yamaha have relied upon the System 66 + SRT pick-up configuration for a number of FG iterations and to a point that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Powered by two AA batteries as opposed to a clunky 9V, the rubric here is one of gently does it; you have the typical
three band tone knobs and a volume knob as well as one of the more accurate tuners you’ll find burrowed in on the topside. The ever essential mid notch is a little wider in scope than you normally find, which in my mind is a huge step forward as there’s nothing worse than falling foul of that omnipresent standing wave that just refuses to notch out once you’re in front of fold-back wedges. There is the slightest electronic tint to the tone once it’s plugged in, which is unavoidable if slightly disappointing, but you definitely don’t lose any of the rich, creamy bottom-end in the process of making yourself heard. As long as the front of house engineer knows what they’re doing, your FG will sound this good no matter how cavernous the room you’re playing in is. FGX830C Finally, the 830C is unquestionably the ender statesman of the three. Spruce retains its position as the icing on the cake, however mahogany has been replaced here by the definitive roundness and repose of rosewood around the back and sides. Across the range the focus has been on the one two punch of warmth and brilliance and with the introduction of this dark, Indian earthiness the tonality becomes that bit more confident, more complete and ultimately more satisfying to stand behind. It’s almost as if the entirety of the tonal potential Yamaha has been searching for is exemplified in this model in particular. There is more low-end than the back row of the orchestra and from that foundation there is a harmonic set that saunters across the tonal spectrum dropping hints of brilliance hither and thither where it sees fit, bringing the whole package to its logical and indeed masterful conclusion.
Adding to this sense of refinement and distinction is the Ivory binding circumnavigating the length and breadth of the guitar from the butt to the headstock. Tonality and playability aside, this is where this guitar in particular comes into its own as it starts to resemble a J45 or something of that ilk. The 830C looks every bit black tie attendee of the FG range and carries with it a distinguished tonality befitting its appearance. For many, myself included, an FG series Yamaha was one of the first steel strings clung to for grim life after a few months of beginner’s classes. 50 years of solid playing later and they’re starting to feel like real, honest to goodness classics. The fact that their makers refuse to rest on their laurels with the development of their flagship acoustic is testament to the playability as well as the affordability of their builds. Personally I think Yamaha should have made more of a hullabaloo about such a milestone in their legacy, but I am content in the knowledge that they have once again pushed their design forward and produced an even more playable guitar than ever before. BY LUKE SHIELDS
HITS • The attention that Yamaha has put into developing this range is certainly noticeable • A great guitar at this price point MISSES • The pickup in the FGX820C has its limitations if not mixed properly
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Road Tests ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN John Petrucci Signature Series JP16 Guitar CMC Music | cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: Contact for pricing
For 17 years now Music Man has teamed up with John Petrucci to create guitars that shred. Together the bonafide metal guitar god and the player-driven manufacturer are a formidable guitar-making force. First it was the original JP6 and its floating tremolo that altered pitch seamlessly, all the way through to 2014’s Majesty, equipped with digital pickup switching, and the African mahogany body of last year’s JP15. It’s only right that in 2016 we have a new Ernie Ball Music Man John Petrucci signature guitar – the JP16. This model harks back to the original and the Ball Family Reserve models, but thanks to some fresh new features, brings to the fore its own tonal personality. LOOKS THE PART It’s no secret that Ernie Ball Music Man necks are just about the best in the business. When picking up the JP16 for the first time, the streamlined – seriously thin-roasted maple neck and smokey ebony fretboard are immediately noticeable. The finish on the neck – gunstock oil and a hand-rubbed wax blend – produces a superbly clean and smooth surface that enables quick movement, uninhibited. All 24 of the medium jumbo frets are then made easily accessible with a nicely contoured cutaway. The next thing you notice is the weight, or lack thereof (3.52kg). This is a slender build punctuated
by the return of the scooped forearm contour, featured only in the original JP6. It’s a luxury to be able to slot your arm into the glancing pocket, and one can see it making a real difference when playing extended shows or working through a solid rehearsal or recording session. The JP16 has a basswood body with a high gloss Black Lava finish. It’s a great looking guitar, bold and menacing. Add to that the new Floyd Rose 1000 Pro Floating Tremolo system – the action of which is nice and smooth – and you have a sturdy, streamlined beast at your disposal. HANDLES THE HEAT The JP16 has a pair of DiMarzio Sonic Ecstasy humbuckers and a 20+ dB gain boost push/push volume pot for tone shaping. These pickups are catered to Pertrucci’s playing style, heightening mid and low frequency response in what is an
intensely rich and powerfully deep tonal spectrum. On the neck pickup there’s enough sonic depth to dial up the gain for a hot and searing solo, while still maintaining that desired lower-end girth. Push the gain boost to bring new life to licks, where the tremolo can then come into play. Arpeggios, hammer ons, pull offs and sweep picking are the domain of the JP16, paving the way for hi-gain settings. The neck pickup lends itself to ferocious riffage, with a meaty, thick sustain. Another feature is the push/push tone knob, which can split the pickups while in the middle position for a single coil sound. While this produces an interesting thinness, it’s not necessarily essential to the guitar’s sound quality. Tonally, the JP16 is at its best when impactful, warm and immediate.
ORMSBY GUITARS 8-String HypeGTR Multiscale - Exotic After following Ormsby Guitars online for so long and attending a few informal Ormsby get-togethers, it’s been great to see the company go from strength to strength in 2016. Beginning with a successful appearance at Winter NAMM in January, this year has brought us to a point where you can stroll into a store like GH Music in Melbourne and see a selection of Ormsby multiscale guitars right alongside brands like Ibanez and Schecter. The guitar reviewed in this issue is at GH Music at the time of writing. It’s an 8-string HypeGTR Exotic model with a sexy-as-f walnut burl top on an alder body (swamp ash bodied versions are available too, distinguishable at a glance because the alder has a black forearm cut while swamp as has a plain wood one).
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BY CHRIS SCOTT
HITS • Bumped up low-end, courtesy of DiMarzio Sonic Ecstasy humbuckers • 20db gain boost for cranking up solos • Thin, lightweight body MISSES • With the style of the guitar, don’t see the need for the coil-splitting capability
lets you go so low, and the deepest notes never get muddy. The neck pickup has a sweet, lyrical tone, which is great for chord work or noodly solos. The single coil settings are very clear and detailed, and they really let you explore the full range of the instrument. If you’re into wide chord voicings or intricate bass/chord/melody clean work, this is the instrument for you. Then you can pop it back into humbucker mode and wreak sonic havoc.
Ormsby Guitars | ormsbyguitars.com | RRP: $1899
MULTI-SCALE This is a multiscale instrument: the lowest string’s scale length is 28.2”, with the highest being 25.5”. This gives you a more relaxed hand position and great intonation, plus a more consistent tension from string to string. The neck is made of laminated rock maple and is set, although the smooth transition from neck to body feels like a neck-through. The ebony fretboard radius is 16” and the frets are jumbo stainless steel. It’s great to find stainless steel frets on an instrument in this price range, and they’re bound to hold up for a ridiculously long
ITS OWN KIND OF BEAST Ernie Ball Music Man do a great job every year at recreating a little bit of magic with John Petrucci. From the JP16 and its lowleaning tone metal guitarists are going to get a lot of reward for effort.
This is a serious instrument with great build quality, a flawless setup and plenty of useable tones. And if you’re on the fence about trying a multiscale instrument, a dealer like GH Music will be happy to let you pick one up and see just how natural it feels and how much your sound will benefit from the more logical scale arrangement. BY PETER HODGSON
HITS • Flawless build • 6 unique and useable tones • Virtually instant adjustment to multiscale time even with all the abuse you’re likely to throw at them by not being able to put this guitar down. The offset inlays look classy and the white binding on the body and headstock really completes the look. The hardware includes a custom Hipshot string-through-body bridge and Hipshot locking tuners, 500k volume and tone pots with a push-pull on the tone for coilsplitting, and Ormsby-designed Nunchucher A8 bridge humbucker and De La Creme A2
neck humbucker. PURE AGGRESSION The first thing you’ll notice with this guitar is that you don’t need to blast the hell out of the gain to get it to sound aggressive and powerful; it’s such a boldvoiced guitar that you can get a great tight percussive chunk out of more medium gain settings. The bridge pickup is voiced well for the kind of extended-scale riffage you’re likely to do on an instrument that
MISSES • None
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Road Tests ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN James Valentine ‘Valentine’ Guitar CMC Music | cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: Contact for pricing
Ernie Ball Music Man has long been regarded for making ‘players’ guitars. They are a guitar manufacturer that never shies away from breaking new ground and always tapped into the way people play. With a history of pioneering, player-endorsed design that spans over 40 years, EBMM has developed signature models for the likes of Steve Morse, Eddie Van Halen, Albert Lee, John Petrucci and St. Vincent. With the James Valentine ‘Valentine’ guitar – an instrument made to meet the playing demands and design brief of the modern Maroon Five guitarist – this proud lineage of Ernie Ball Music Man signature guitars continues. A MODERN CLASSIC The body shape, construction and overall aesthetic of the Valentine draw from a Gibson 335 and a Tele. The ash body and high gloss polyester finish (the reviewer’s is Trans Maroon colour) make for a simply stunning guitar. It’s complemented by a roasted maple neck and fingerboard, both of which exude a rich earthiness that’s easy on the eye. While drawing on traditional design points, the Valentine is very much underlined by a modern sophistication and flair. The slab body is tapered and thus, slightly thinner at the top than it is at the bottom. The result is a compact shape that hugs your body and feels lightweight and
sleek. This level of comfort is then mirrored by a c-shape, 10-inch radius neck, finished with an oil and wax rub that delivers a smooth playing experience. Rounding out the guitar’s construction is a Music Man Modern hardtail bridge, locking tuners and an oversized 4-over-2 headstock, all which provide exceptional tuning stability. BAG OF TRICKS With a custom single-coil, Tele-style bridge pickup and a custom humbucker neck pickup, this guitar offers tons of tonal versatility. On board is a 3-way custom wired level switch, tone and volume controls (both of which have an extra kicker, which I’ll get to later). Across the board the tonal quality of this guitar is very responsive, lively and sonically rich. When working on the bridge pickup brighter frequencies come to the fore – with extra tone you can really make chords pop and
bounce. It dials in on funky and jazzy tones with ease, and there’s no doubt that Ernie Ball Music Man have done a wonderful job in producing a guitar that captures Valentine’s versatile style. The middle pickup is similarly sweet, but with a rounder body. Then we have the neck pickup, which offers greater breadth on the low-end and rich low and mid frequencies. There’s enough depth here to clearly articulate clean open chords, or to conversely purr and pulse when dialling in a hotter crunch. Extending the guitar’s tonal capabilities is a push/push volume control that offers a 20db active boost, and instant overdrive. Then we have the push/ push passive tone for coil splitting. This makes moving between warmer and hotter tones a breeze, the electronics on board the Valentine a truly rewarding feature. MANY STRINGS TO ITS BOW
For a signature guitar to be successful it needs to fully engage with the guitarist at hand, while remaining open to a diverse range of players. This is what EBMM has achieved with the Valentine – a guitar that is expressive and vibrant. From rock to pop, jazz, funk and anything in between, the Valentine boasts the tone to make it happen. BY CHRIS SCOTT
HITS • Push/push level and tone controls • Humbucker and single-coil pickups • Sleek and slender design MISSES • Nada
ALESIS Command Electronic Drum Kit Electric Factory | elfa.com.au | Expect to pay: $999
Alesis have been changing the face of electronic percussion over the last 18 months. Their new lines of innovative and affordable products have been winning the hearts of consumers worldwide. The 2016 NAMM show in Anaheim California saw Alesis release five new E-Kit lines: Strike, Command, Crimson, Forge and Nitro. The Command, Forge and Nitro E-Kits are the first to hit Australian shores, and they’ve been highly anticipated by E-Kit enthusiasts. The Alesis 8-Piece Command E-Kit I played last week lived up to the hype, delivering great value and sound. First off, this is a great looking unit. Along with the 8” mesh kick and a 10” dual-zone mesh snare drum, there are also two 9” dual-zone rack toms and an 11” dual-zone floor tom. The set also features a 10” ride cymbal, a 10” hihat with pedal and a 10” crash with choke. It comes mounted onto a premium chrome 4 post rack and has a kick drum pedal included. Two great features that you don’t always find at this price point. I loved the style of the module. It looks sleek, simple and the display and buttons were easy to use. The Command advanced module packs a punch featuring 70 drum kits, 50 of which are preset and 20 for the user to play with. The module comes with 48
over 600 sounds and 60 play along tracks covering a wide variety of musical styles. The quality of the preset sounds and the play along tracks is great. It felt like the team at Alesis had spent as much time on the inside as they had on the outside of this unit. I liked the responsiveness of the pads, the hi-hat was articulate and the snare and toms felt good to play. The rubber pads on the Command were better than I had anticipated. After I had had a good hit I checked out the advanced capabilities of the Command Module. It has three great features that I really enjoyed. The USBMIDI output was cool and allowed me to trigger virtual instruments. I had a lot of fun doing a real time recording with
the play along tracks in the module. The recording sounded good. The drums blended well with the backing track and there was no nasty delay. The stand out feature for me is the Command’s ability to load your own .wav samples. You can do this via USB and assign sounds to any pads for live playing. You can also load play along tracks in the .wav format. I have recollections of trying to do that a few years back on a module that cost four times as much with no success, so this is something I found particularly impressive. You can also record in real time (5 tracks internally and up to 99 tracks via USB memory stick).
musicians and artists alike. It looks great and I would be happy to play it on stage as a primary kit or as an addition to my acoustic drums. BY CONRAD TRACEY HITS • Great Value • Rack is solid and looks great • Module is easy to use • Pads feel good MISSES • None
For me, the Alesis Command represents great value for money. It’s packed with features that are useful and relevant to mixdownmag.com.au
Road Tests GUILD OM240CE Acoustic Guitar Zenith Music | zenithmusic.com.au | RRP: $999
The keener eyed amongst you dear readers will note that I have written at length on my starry-eyed adoration of the Guild name in these hallowed pages before. So I’ll show mercy and spare you the sappy renderings of ogling Starfire IVs in copies of other publications and get to the gory details. Guild has spent the last few years reinvigorating their once proud name from antiquity and stepping keenly back into the spotlight. What shall now be referred to as ‘The Fender Years’, were by no means a period of doom and gloom, merely a chapter where the attention these guitars deserved was poured unto bigger, more lime-lit axes. The Westerly Collection, from whence arises the OM240CE, is the unplugged half of the two-pronged charge made by the company back to prominence and indeed providence that should see that famous art deco logo back where it belongs amongst the most revered names in acoustic guitar Avalon. One thing I love about the new and improved Guild is the attention to older details. Westerly guitars purport to be directly, almost solely, influenced by builds from the Rhode Island era in the company’s history, hence the name. The biggest drawcard with the 240CE, which sits around the middle of this range pricewise, is the reappearance of the arch back design that set even their earliest, jazz focused
MOOER Pedal Controller L6 Jade Australia | musocity.com.au | RRP: $349
We’ve all met that guy at shows. He shows up with all expensive, heavy-duty flight cases and full stacks on trolleys at a 100seat venue determined to make proper, earsplitting use of the ‘one of each’ collection he has on his enormous pedalboard. Low and behold but doesn’t the prick only actually use one or two overdrives properly and fumble over the rest of his stompboxes like a rube! ‘What do you give the player who has everything?’ You ask yourself. Well the answer is control; the answer is the Mooer PCL6 Pedal Controller. MOOER INNOVATIONS Mooer burst onto the market a few years ago with a line of incredibly affordable and surprisingly accurate miniaturized clones of some of the most sought after units around. Everything from overdrives to shimmer reverbs to poly-octave generators was covered by the first few bursts of releases from the Chinese manufacturer and since then they’ve done nothing but expand with their ‘Small, Smart, Original’ banner flying high. They recently unveiled the smallest wah in history (seriously, it folds away, it’s tiny!) and the PCL6 sees them venturing away from effects themselves into loop territory. MOOER CONTROL The majority of the other similar units on the market with the same footprint only seem to have room for four loops max. mixdownmag.com.au
builds apart from their contemporaries. First manufactured as early as ’54, Guild’s builders pioneered a technique of pressing the front and back faceplates of their guitars as an inexpensive alternative to carving out slabs of solid maple. This not only rendered early flagship models like the F40 or D25 lighter than any other guitar in the shop, it also gave them an extraordinary capacity for clarity and projection without handling like a Buick. The 2016 descendant of this turning point in guitar design certainly lives up to its history. Solid spruce across the top combines with the density of mahogany and rosewood to accentuate this pronounced, chiming voicing with a confident – yet not overly drawn out – sustain aided along by compensated bone in the nut and saddles. The deep ‘V’
shaped neck might not be everyone’s cup of tea (it certainly is mine), but far from being obnoxiously pointy and carpal tunnel inducing, it sits in a much more centered and comfortable groove in your grip meaning that your thumb is still in play if it’s called upon for fretting. One slightly more modern touch is the matte polyurethane finish, which not only makes it feel like velvet in your hands, but relives you of the need to sand down the back of the neck so that you don’t go sliding all over the place. Far from being a concession to current trends, this only serves the purpose of making the guitar feel and play like a guitar ten times its age.
observer’ piezo pickups I’ve heard; the Guild designed AP-1, and vintage style open gear tuners – simultaneous nods to the fact that this is a modern update that carries behind it a rich heritage. The 240CE sings lively of it’s history and is a clear reminder of the quality that made Guild the once and future prince of American guitars. BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS • Amazing piezo pickup • Feels great in the hand MISSES • Neck shape may not appeal to everyone
The whole Westerly Collection is tied together with one of the more transparent sounding, almost ‘invisible to the casual
Mooer however pack in two more with the same level of isolation, compatibility and user friendliness and a few extra features you didn’t even know you wanted thrown in for good measure. Everything you expect is there; smooth, silent switching, a dedicated mute and built in tuner as well as separate tuner out if you’re that fussy. In order to avoid signal loss due to all that cabling, there is a built in buffer, but here’s the kicker, at the push of a button you can choose which end of the chain that buffer acts upon. This is a huge point of difference for anyone using this unit for only a portion of their whole board, as you don’t necessarily need to amplify signal that’s going to get amplified later anyway. Cleanliness as well as compatibility, who could ask for more? YOU SERIOUSLY WANT MOOER? Well more is what you’ll get! Mooer are clearly focused on the way players interact with the PCL6. There are two operational modes, Preset and Live, whose names are a pretty clear indication of their functionality. The simpler of the two options is the Live setting, which uses each switch to activate its respective pedal in series. The Preset option opens up 6 banks of 6 user presets, which you can save and resave to your hearts content, meaning that you have almost infinite combinations of tones at the flick of a switch. The simple LED screen makes child’s play of navigating the memory and each switch has a translucent window above it that you can use to scrawl your own labels to jog your memory in the shadows of the stage.
and remain amongst such limited company. Mooer’s whole range is crazy cheap without the flimsy, disposable quality that usually comes with the low price tag and they are genuinely making some amazing sounding pedals. The PCL6 is the perfect way to wrangle all of the options you deem necessary into a simple flowing version of the frantic tap dance you once relied on. BY LUKE SHIELDS
HITS • Compact • Easy to use • Incredibly afforable MISSES • Only a hefty pedalboard will necessitate this
I’ll be honest; I don’t know how they do it 49
Road Tests MARTIN Dreadnought Junior Electric Factory | elfa.com.au | RRP: $1299
The illustrious Martin design team first presented the Dreadnought Junior to market at Summer NAMM 2015 and cleaned up all sorts of plaudits in the process. Some even went so far as to decry it the harbinger of a new category in the acoustic guitar realm. The basic concept is simple enough, take the storm-cloud rumble that traditional Dreadnoughts are famous for and shrink it down (without the assistance of Rick Moranis’ maligned machines) so that people with arms less than 8 feet long can harness that tonality. Being that Martin was the first to patent the gentle giants of the guitar world almost 90 years ago who better to take on the task? First and foremost the guitar itself is another example of the unadulterated quality that the Martin family name is
LOVEPEDAL Purple Plexi Gladesville Guitar Factory | guitarfactory.net | RRP: $319
Minimising controls and maximising tone, that’s the mantra of Lovepedal stompboxes. The boutique pedal manufacturer is responsible for making the one-knob pedal not only a viable option, but also a vehicle
KEMPER Profiler Workstation w/ Remote Innovative Music | innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $4399 (powerhead)
Modeling effects is hardly a new idea; companies have been trying to replicate the nuances of tonal triumphs for decades, casein point the swelling market for clones of prized overdrive pedals. For years the use of professional digital imitators carried a stigma of philistinism around with it, largely due to manufacturers’ 50
synonymous with. Sitka top over sapele back and sides, it’s everything its bigger brother is, but scaled down to 1/16 the physical size. It has the same binding, nut, matte finish and all the trimmings, and has the same Fishman pickup mounted neatly just behind the lip of the sound hole. Yet another glorious example from the creamof-the crop of American guitar makers and few would expect anything less. I’ll be honest, I didn’t exactly know what to expect when I first picked it up. Usually with smaller bodied guitars, most notably ones modeled on 50s and 60s era parlor or bluegrass styles, a lot of low-end is lost to the lack of girth and replaced by the boxy mid range made famous by countless old timey blues guys. Surprisingly enough tough that characteristic was noticeably absent when I landed the first strum. It has all the warmth and boom of a much bigger guitar and is balanced out by a chirping midrange that has none of the beat up crackle that I expected to hear. In fact, if anything you could almost say that there was a touch of definition lacking for distinct settings and a myriad of tonal options. Next to pedals of greater stature, excessive functionality and overcomplicated controls, Lovepedal units hold their own with skilfully sculpted tone. The ‘less is more’ approach is one that they take very seriously, perfectly embodied by their updated Purple Plexi. Now with three control knobs instead of four, this new redesign aims to tap into decades of Marshall Plexi tone. BLAST FROM THE PAST The rugged casing and purple shine of the redesigned Purple Plexi now comes in an MXR-sized unit. The previously translucent knobs have been replaced with ones that are solid white, improving the overall aesthetic appeal of the pedal. Lovepedal aren’t the first manufacturer to take on the meteoric challenge of capturing that all-time classic Plexi tone of a in a stompbox. But with the Purple Plexi they’re one of the first to have some success. Volume, Tone and Drive controls makeup the pedal’s three-prong attack. The Volume knob boasts over 25db above unity gain. This ticks off a major Plexi-requirement – it’s got to be loud and have a huge output. inability to overcome the indelible effect that digitization has on fidelity. It seems like players are realising the potential inherent in some of the more top of the line examples and utilising them in live touring rigs. Cue the rise of Axe-FX as one of the most divisive names in today’s riff game, and the engineers at Kemper have certainly come nipping at its binary heels. With a lot of these units, functionality is the key to success. Often you’re faced with something that’s far from plug-n-play, meaning you spend as much time studying the manual as you do shredding away to your heart’s content. Kemper’s Profiler however is only as complicated as you want it to be. On the simpler side, pick a patch from the exhaustive list of factory presets designed by card carrying Kemper alumni and use the buttons that litter the face plate to sculpt to taste. Add stompbox style effects or switch between faithfully reproduced cab and head emulations. If you really feel like being fiddly you’re afforded unprecedented detail; choose from a swathe of mics and then position them as
in the top-end, however that could have been disbelief muddying my hearing as I marveled at the incredible wealth and body of tone hidden away in such a small, Tardis-like package. Not many companies, least of all ones that sit upon such a lofty pedestal as occupied by Martin Guitars, dare to issue themselves so difficult a challenge as presented in the Dreadnought Junior. Not only have they risen to the occasion however, they’ve done so with style and aplomb. The affectionately shortened D Jr. is a welcome new addition to a long line of classic, absolutely playable and untiringly musical guitars. BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS • Surprisingly boomy bottom end • Wonderful Martin craftsmanship MISSES • Not a size of guitar that everyone really needs. The Tone knob is responsible for articulating presence. With a Plexi, it’s all about those prominent mids, which the Tone knob does a great job at making happen. Last but not least we have the all-important Drive knob. It’s your one stop shop for saturation. It will take your tone from the rounder, bluesy warmness of a JTM45 to the lively boom and low-end punch of a JCM800. Though, like on an actual Plexi, the volume control on your guitar plays just as big a factor as the Drive control. FLEXING ITS MUSCLE With the Gain swivelling between 6 and 9 o’clock, the Tone at 10 o’clock and below 9, we get a little colouration in what is a really clear, level headed crunch. I’ve got my guitar volume set at 8, and when I roll it back the clipping dissipates, as promised. Move the Gain up to 10 o’clock and the Tone up to 12 for greater bite. It’s beefier, chunkier, but not sludgy. A binding characteristic across the board is a level of clarity and definition. Push the Drive up to as high as 2 o’clock with the Tone sitting at 3 for a pulsing distortion. By letting a full chord ring out you can grasp the extended level of sustain and that heightened you please, tap tempos, notch EQs and take to it with any number of other fine-toothed combs. In Browse mode you can scour the landscape for all the tools and tricks you need then save your own patches in the order that most suits the flow of your set. Not only that but the first thing the unit asks you to do when you first light it up is enter your name and the date and time so that it can apply that information to your patches as a personal signature, helping you recall and copyright all your own unique snowflakes. And this is only the start of the friendship! It was quickly apparent that there was little to no limit to the possibilities of what I could conjure myself once I really got stuck in. It’s an experience not unlike moving into a new house, you may not like what the previous tenants had done with the place, but once you move all your stuff in it starts to feel like home. The rotary cabinet sound was one of the nicest I’ve heard in this context and some of the low gain, Fender and Soldano reproductions were quite brilliant.
presence. Licks are literally jumping off the guitar at this point. But, of course, it can go bigger. Dialling up the Gain to full bore results in monstrous overdrive. Yet typical to the pedal’s entire tonal range, it’s crisp and substantial. SURE TO BE A CROWD PLEASER While not an actual Marshall Plexi head, the Purple Plexi goes pretty close to emulating decades of Marshall tone. And this is in a stompbox – a pretty incredible feat. BY ROB GEE
HITS • Overdrive versatility • Huge volume • Tonal clarity MISSES • Presets specific to each Plexi-era sound would have been a nice inclusion in the instructional manual.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then The Kemper Profiler is bound to get you where you need to go. The faithful simulations in this stylish, pea and bottle green housing are second to none. Looking for the simplest way to get a Triple Rec on the same stage as a ’56 Bassman without millionaire status then look no further. BY ROB GEE
HITS • Easy to use • Endless possibilities • Faithful reproductions of tones MISSES • Presets won’t be to everyone’s taste
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When it was introduced in 1966, the Yamaha FG proved that a great acoustic guitar didn’t need to cost a fortune. The new 2016 range features the best-ever FG tone, new specs, new finishes and the same great playability and class-leading quality that’s made it the choice of millions of guitarists.
Wherever your musical journey’s going, it all starts here.
Limited Edition FG180 50th Anniversary Guitar Strictly limited and available now at the stores listed below.
STORE
STATE
SUBURB
WEB
PHONE
Better Music
ACT
Phillip
bettermusic.com.au
02 6282 3199
Guitar Factory
NSW
Parramatta
guitarfactory.com.au
02 9635 5552
Logans Pianos
NSW
Burwood
loganspianos.com.au
02 9744 2400
South Coast Music
NSW
Central Coast
scmusic.com.au
02 4421 8688
Turramurra Music
NSW
Turramurra
turramusic.com.au
02 9449 8487
Bandland
QLD
Toowoomba
bandland.net.au
07 3849 7088
Music Express
QLD
Upper Mt Gravatt
musicexpress.com.au
07 3849 7088
Vivace Mega Music
QLD
Sunnybank Plaza
vivacemusic.com.au
07 3344 1883
Cranbourne Music
VIC
Melbourne CBD
cranbournemusic.com.au
03 9654 5115
Cranbourne Music
VIC
Lynbrook
cranbournemusic.com.au
03 9799 5400
KC’s Rock Shop
VIC
Boronia
keyboardcorner.com.au
03 9761 0003
Music Workshop
VIC
South Geelong
musicworkshop.com.au
03 5221 5844
Pat’s Music
VIC
Oakleigh
patsmusic.com.au
03 9563 8711
Mega Music
WA
Myaree
megamusiconline.com.au
08 9330 2777
FIND A DEALER au.yamaha.com
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Road Tests RADIAL ENGINEERING Tonebone Mix Blender And JDX Direct Drive Amber Technology | ambertech.com.au | RRP: Mix Blender $379, Direct Drive $349
Not being an engineer myself, I guess it’s not my place to guess, but I don’t imagine that when most people first pick up a soldering iron they say to themselves ‘I’m gonna make something that no one will ever know is there!’ Looking at the extensive Radial Engineering catalogue, it seems they really excel at being the silent partner in the business of sounding good. You would have seen the logo, which I found out is a dissection of a piece of quad-core cable, on their ever-popular JDI passive DI box. This unassuming, indispensible, industry standard little green box is easily one of the most trusted conduits available and as a result the Radial name has become synonymous with precision and unflinching transparency. Radial is the brainchild of Canadian Peter Janis, who started out co-developing a 3-channel guitar amp a few years ahead of Mesa Engineering with his business partner Denis Rozon. Janis went on follow the path opened up to him by designing sound systems incorporating high-end audio in the dawn of disco. Radial would eventually buy out Rozon’s Tonebone brand in the 90s and as a result I find myself standing humbly before their newest concoctions; the Direct Drive and Mix Blender. DIRECT DRIVE The Direct Drive comes with a somewhat quizzical directive. It’s essentially a DI box with designs on being a stack, intended first and foremost for live use. “Why wouldn’t I just bring my JCM800 to the show?” You ask? I’ll get to that, first we’ll run through what we’re looking at. Starting with the ¼” input jack, you have the option of sending the coloured signal out via a balanced XLR
KEELEY EFFECTS Compressor Pro Keeley Electronics | robertkeeley.com | Expect to pay: $450
The very beginnings of Keeley Electronics hark back to a modified Ross Compressor. That initial mod laid down the foundation for redesign and innovation that, today, sees the company as a major player in stompbox technology. Still central to this ongoing success is the compressor effect. In this particular area of development they always seem one step ahead of the rest, a prime example of which is the Keeley Compressor Pro. In line with the entire Keeley range, this unit pushes the boundaries of what we have come to expect from a compressor. AN OUTFIT FOR EVERY OCCASION On board the Compressor Pro are controls for Threshold, Ratio, Attack, Release and Gain. On top of that we have a Knee Hard/Soft switch and an Auto Mode On/ Off switch. While most guitarists will be familiar with the majority of these controls, this is in no way your average stompbox compressor. The Threshold and Ratio controls are the two fundamental pieces. The Threshold Control works to notify you when the signal is being compressed (red 52
or another ¼” TRS or both. You also have an isolated tuner out and thru-put that sends untouched signal to the aforementioned Tonehenge. On the DI side of things there is an efficient ground lift and polarity switch so you can tune to the PA on the fly, everything you’d expect from the leader of the direct signal pack. On the right side of the faceplate we stumble upon two modest switches, bright/ normal and the three-way amp simulation selector. What Radial have done is mapped out the way an SM57 reacts to signal when it’s squarely in front of a 4x12 half stack, a closed back cabinet and a Fender-esque combo and designed circuitry to match. Here’s where the whole conversation becomes interesting, especially if you’re the one riding faders. One idea of the many offered on the roadmap to be found (and exhausted if you have the time) on the website is to put the Direct Drive at the end of your pedal chain and send clean, thru signal to the amp coupled with the XLR send to you desk. From there, dial in a mixture of stage and direct colours for ultimate tonal control out the front with more than a little bit of character at your disposal.
Sounds complicated but it’s actually a really clever trick that has the potential to turn an average mix into an incredible one. It’s not like they’ve gone all gung-ho and digitally replicated ‘all your favourite rigs in one box!’ Far from it, it’s not an actual difference in tone you’re hearing. It’s essentially the way the circuitry’s harmonics react to the original signal as opposed to a set of ugly roll-offs doing all the work, not unlike changing pickups but without the major surgery. For arguments sake I ran it directly into my amp and the cross section of colours is subtle and satisfying even without doing any of the tricky stuff. MIX BLENDER Speaking of clever little tricks, any of us who have ever tried to play two guitars as disparate as a Les Paul along side a Strat into one rig at a show will know how disappointingly difficult this is to pull off. The difference in magnet weights, wiring paths and any number of other problematic nuances mean you’re forever adjusting levels and riding faders in order to engender some semblance of balance to proceedings. This is where the Tonebone Mix Blender comes in.
Two ¼” ins on one side with separate level knobs, a single out on the other, a buffered effects send and a blend knob; by Jove that sounds to me like a mix bus!! And that folks is essentially you’re looking at! Simple, solid, quality genius; problem solved. Radial Engineering has positioned itself at the head of the pack of problem solvers for musicians at any stage in their career. The fact that both Kerry King of Slayer and Chick Corea both have their faces on the packaging is testament to the trustworthy and universal nature of their designs. Anywhere there is tone to be chased, anywhere heads are being scratched looking for sonic solutions you bet your bottom dollar these guys have the answer. BY LUKE SHIELDS
HITS • Reliable products • Solid construction MISSES • None
light) and, conversely, when it is passing through unchanged (green light). The Ratio control on the other hand establishes the amount of compression that is being used. With the Threshold Indicator and the LED Compression Meter you have a much a greater understanding of the compression that is being applied. Responsible for then bringing the volume back up to a desirable level is the Gain control, which also doubles as a boost. This three-prong attack alone delivers studio-grade quality. But wait, there’s more. THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING The Attack knob controls how long it takes for the compression to kick in once it has passed the Threshold. While the Release knob lets you decide how long the compressor will stay on after the signal has dropped below the threshold. Both are useful controls, offering the ability to produce resonant sustain and, alternatively, decidedly impactful limiting. However the Auto On/Off switch also allows you to automate these two controls, importantly, without sacrificing quality. This nifty little function not only makes it easier to get your head around the pedal, but also offers a viable, fuss-free way to use it. With the Auto switched on, the Threshold (-30d), Ratio (just past 4:1) and Gain (slightly past levity) all dialled in, the
compression really pops and packs a punch. I’ve got the Knee switch on Hard, which helps give the compression that more aggressive and profound edge. This adds another dimension to expressive strumming patterns and chord progressions. Flick the Knee switch to Soft, and suddenly we have a more understated, translucent and almost dreamy tone. THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION Atmospheric sustain for fingerpicking, a mellow smoothing of chords, or a ‘chicken pickin’ good time – there’s really not much that that the Compressor Pro can’t do. In a
stompbox and in this price range you will struggle to find a compressor of greater quality and make. BY CHRIS SCOTT
HITS • Superior level of control • Easy use with Auto switch • Hard and Soft Knee switch MISSES • None mixdownmag.com.au
Show & Tell James Kenyon What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? My Godin 5th Avenue Archtop. How did you come across this particular item? I can’t remember how I found it. I saw the price for a Gibson 125 and vomited everywhere, got drunk and pulled myself together the next morning and did some research. I was looking to move to an electric guitar after first performing with a nylon and then on to a Blueridge parlour steel string. I wanted an electric guitar that could be articulate enough to finger pick on, but also rev hard when required. Because the 5th Ave does not sustain for too long, it was ideal for finger picking –
the notes don’t fall over and blend into each other too much. What is it that you like so much about it? It sounds great and it’s bullet proof. I’ve spent the last three or four years touring and gigging with it. It stays in tune; I haven’t had one problem with it. I tour a lot and the gear is in and out of the car a fair bit, so my gear has to be reliable. How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way you write music? I have a very simple set up: the 5th Ave guitar into a Boss T-U2 tuner then straight into the amp. That’s it. It’s changed the way I play. I now play more sparsely but
with greater dynamic range. The P-90 going through the valve amps gives you a greater palette to work with as opposed to the acoustic, which allows me to colour and articulate the song in ways I couldn’t before. Any other interesting points/stories about it? No, but I’ll make one up. One day, at high noon, a drunken fool came at me with a rusty shiv. My 5th Avenue literally threw itself in front of me and took the full force of the blow. It then strolled down the street, gave me a no-look wave and muttered, “you owe me a whiskey”.
Chris Penney of Mesa Cosa What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? This is the official Pentagrambourine™ of Mesa Cosa. How did you come across this particular item? It just appeared in Pablo’s house one day! Some say it was a gift from the devil others say that it was probably just Ian. What is that you like so much about it? The Pentagrambourine™ has consistently cut up anyone who’s attempted to play it. It’s definitely cursed / has annoyingly sharp edges. The severity of these Tambourinjuries™ caused
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by the Jangle Circle™ always lead to one beautiful outcome... BLOOD. The Pentagrambourine™ is absolutely covered in blood. I really love that about it. How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way you write music? The Pentagrambourine™ gets thrown around to a few of the members to be used in different ways. Pablo uses the Pentagrambourine™ as a slide to make freak out noises with his guitar. Stu smashes it against everything to test the boundaries of proper craftsmanship. And I like chucking it in the air and listening to the Zils jangle themselves. The Pentagrambourine™ has been the foundation of sound on every
Mesa Cosa album and an unbelievably handy songwriting tool. Any other interesting points/stories about it? This is like the 19th one we’ve owned. They break REALLY easy. Tell us a little bit about what you have coming up? At the moment our new album is being mixed and we’ll have our first single from it released later this month. After that, we’ve got an Australian tour coming up and a bunch of video clips we’ve been working on coming out. OH! Also a festival we’re organising that’s dedicated to Brooke Satchwell from Neighbours. <3
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Directory EVOLUTION MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | P | E | W|
8/2 Northey Rd, Lynbrook VIC (03) 8787 8599 info@evolutionmusic.com.au evolutionmusic.com.au facebook.com/evolutionmusicaus
AA DUPLICATION
(Printing/CD & DVD Duplication) A | P | E | W|
84 Nicholson St, Abbotsford VIC (03) 9416 2133 sales@aaduplication.com.au aaduplication.com.au facebook.com/AADuplicationServices
EASTGATE MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | P | E | W|
1131 Burke Rd, Kew VIC (03) 9817 7000 sales@eastgatemusic.com eastgatemusic.com.au facebook.com/Eastgatemusic
JABEN AUDIO
(Headphone Specialist Retailer) A | P | E | W|
Shop 2 398 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC (03) 9670 8231 info@jaben.com.au jaben.com.au facebook.com/jabenau
HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS
(Rehearsal Rooms) A | 18 Duffy Street, Burwood VIC P | (03) 9038 8101 E | hydrastudios@bigpond.com W | hydrastudios.com.au facebook.com/hydra.rehearsal.studios
MELBOURNE MUSIC CENTRE
MUSIC 440
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 525 North Rd, Ormond, VIC P | (03) 9578 2426 E | info@melbournemusiccentre.com.au W | melbournemusiccentre.com.au facebook.com/melbournemusic.centre
A | P | E | W|
SKY MUSIC
BINARY MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | P | E | W|
4/2181 Princes Hwy, Clayton VIC (03) 9546 0188 info@skymusic.com.au skymusic.com.au facebook.com/skymusiconline
FIVE STAR MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer & Education) A | 48 Bloomfield St, Cleveland QLD P | (07) 3488 2230 E | sales@binarydesigns.com.au W | binarydesigns.com.au @binarymusic
WILD HORSE GUITARS
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | P | E | W|
1/30 Station Rd, Indooroopilly QLD (07) 3878 4566 info@music440.com.au music440.com.au facebook.com/music440
(Music Instruments Retailer)
102 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC (03) 9870 4143 websales@fivestarmusic.com.au fivestarmusic.com.au facebook.com/fivestarmusicoz
REVOLVER DRUMS
A | P | E | W|
Brumby Street Surry Hills NSW (02) 9690 0800 info@wildhorseguitars.com.au wildhorseguitars.com.au facebook.com/wildhorseguitars
MONA VALE MUSIC
(Drums Specialist Retailer)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
A | 4a Izett St, Prahran 3181 P | (03) 9521 4644 E | sales@revolverdrums.com.au W | revolverdrums.com.au @revolverdrums
A | 55 Bassett Street, Mona Vale NSW P | (02) 9986 0589 E | info@mvmwarehouse.com W | www.monavalemusic.com facebook.com/monavalemusic
MODERN MUSICIAN
DAMIEN GERARD STUDIOS
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | P | E | W|
106 Murray Street, Hobart TAS (03) 6234 5537 nick@modernmusician.com.au modernmusician.com.au facebook.com/modernmusician
ARCADE SCREENPRINTING
(Screenprinting & Design Service) A | 15/17 Hutchinson St, St Peters NSW P | (02) 9550 6965 E | info@arcadescreenprinting.com.au W | arcadescreenprinting.com.au facebook.com/arcadescreenprinting
GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 280 Victoria Rd, Gladesville NSW P | (02) 9817 2173 E | mail@guitarfactory.net W | guitarfactory.net facebook.com/GladesvilleGuitarFactory
TURRAMURRA MUSIC (Music Instruments Retailer) A | P | E | W|
1267 Pacific Hwy, Turramurra NSW (02) 9449 8487 general_sales@turramusic.com.au turramusic.com.au facebook.com/TurramurraMusic
COASTAL MUSIC
(Music Instruments Retailer & Repairs) A | 5/148 Lake Road, Port Macquarie NSW P | (02) 6581 3016 E | sales@coastalmusic.com.au W | coastalmusic.com.au facebook.com/coastalmusic
(Recording Studios) A | 230 Crown St, Darlinghurst NSW P | (02) 9331 0666 E | bookings@damiengerard.net W | damiengerard.com.au facebook.com/damiengerardstudios
Not In The Directory? C O N TA C T
P A T R I C K @ F U R S T M E D I A . C O M . A U
T O
S E C U R E
Y O U R
P L A C E
• Online mastering service based in Melbourne • Engineers John Ruberto / James Ruberto • Over 29 years dedicated mastering experience • Digital & vinyl mastering • Auditioning at streaming specs • Collection of world-class analogue and digital gear • Great rates
www.mastersound.com.au info@mastersound.com.au
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Solid wood. No compromise. The Dreadnought Junior is everything youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come to expect from Martin Guitar...and more. Discover your new favourite guitar.
CF Martin & Co is proudly represented in Australia by Electric Factory Pty Ltd 188 Plenty Road Preston VIC 3072 cfmartin@elfa.com.au