Mixdown #270

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Made by Musicians for Musicians

#270 — OCT. 2016

PLUS

Every Time I Die Korn The Nation Blue Guantanamo Baywatch Bayside

GIVEAWAY!

HOTONE XTOMP PEDAL & IZOTOPE NEUTRON PLUG-IN P G . 6 FOR DE TA IL S

& MORE

R O A D T E S T E D : TEENAGE ENGINEERING OP-1 + ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN ST VINCENT GUITAR, NORD STAGE 2, KEELEY ELECTRONICS DARK SIDE PEDAL, YAMAHA PSRW400, STUDIOLOGIC SLEDGE 2.0, LUNASTONE OVERDRIVE PEDALS, SHURE MOTIV MICROPHONES + HEAPS MORE

THE NEW 2016 RANGE NOW AVAILABLE. SEE PAGE 3.

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These new supersized creations from Paiste are monstrous in both size and sound for immense dynamic range and enormous expression.

New 26" Giant Beat Both an immense, shimmering ride and a colossal crash.

New 24" Swish Ride Created with John ‘JR’ Robinson to perfectly complement traditional ride set-ups.

New 17" 2002 Sound Edge Hats

Crisp, clear hats with massive low end and projection.

PLAY THEM TODAY AT THESE PREMIUM DRUM STORES STORE

SUBURB

STATE

WEB

PHONE

Better Music

Phillip

ACT

bettermusic.com.au

02 6282 3199

The Drum Factory

Parramatta

NSW

guitarfactory.com.au

02 9635 5552

The Drum Shop Newcastle

Newcastle West

NSW

thedrumshopnewcastle.com.au

02 4925 3155

Drummer’s Dream

Belmore

NSW

drummersdream.com.au

02 9787 4177

Artie’s Music Townsville

Mundingburra

QLD

artiesmusiconline.com.au

07 4779 1300

Just Percussion

Newstead

QLD

justpercussion.com.au

1300 576 874

Mooloolaba Music Centre

Minyama

QLD

mooloolabamusic.com.au

07 5444 8889

The Drum Shop Adelaide

Forestville

SA

derringers.com.au

1300 658 249

Cranbourne Drums Superstore

Cranbourne

VIC

cranbournemusic.com.au

03 5995 5933

Drumtek

Northcote

VIC

drumtek.com.au

03 9482 5550

GH Music

Travancore

VIC

ghmusic.com.au

03 9372 6664

Mega Music

Myaree

WA

megamusiconline.com.au

08 9330 2777

Yamaha Music Australia proudly distributes Paiste

paiste.com

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

Nowra

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

EVENTS AND PROMOTIONS yamahabackstage.com.au

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK facebook.com/yamahabackstagepass

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM instagram.com/yamahabackstage

WATCH VIDEOS

youtube.com/yamahaaustralia

Contents 06

Frank Iero and the Patience

Giveaways

08

Industry News

10

Music News

12

Product News

18

Cover Story:

How To Dress Well - PG. 26

PG. 20

Taking Back Sunday 20

Frank Iero and the Patience

21

Guantanamo Baywatch

Bayside 22

Korn Lacuna Coil

23

Every Time I Die

26

Steve Wilson

Blowin’ Bubbles With Keats Michael

How To Dress Well 27

The Nation Blue

28

Advice Columns

31

Silent Opera

32

Divine Noise Cables Hotone XTOMP

33

Lacuna Coil - PG. 22

Ashdown Engineering

34

Road Tests

45

Show & Tell

46

Directory

PUBLISHER Furst Media EDITOR Michael Edney mixdown@beat.com.au EDITORIAL coordinator Elijah Hawkins mixdownstaff@beat.com.au ART DIRECTOR Michael Cusack

for breaking news, new content and more giveaways visit

WWW.MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Phoebe Robertson, Chris Scott, Alex Pink & Tom Bartha MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr GRAPHIC DESIGN Michael Cusack, Dane Kerr COVER PHOTO Ryan Russell CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gee, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown,

Alex Pink, Elijah Hawkins, Tom Bartha, Chris Scott, David James Young, Conrad Tracey, Adrian Violi, Luke Shields, Michael Cusack, Augustus Welby and Anna Wilson.

ADVERTISING Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au

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

At the ripe age of 13, I dreamed of one day having my face in a magazine. This may not be Rolling Stone and I may not be a famous musician but hey, it will still make my Mum proud. It’s only fitting that my first issue as a [Deputy] Editor sees Taking Back Sunday grace the cover. As a high school student in the 00s, emo rolled through faster than you can say My Chemical Romance, and I was one who teetered around the trend. My legs were too thick to fit into black skinny jeans and I didn’t like the idea of make-up, but albums like Tell All Your Friends and Louder Now were the soundtrack to my teenage years. Looking back at it now, those kids who teased me for being an ‘emo’ were probably right. Enough about me though… We have a cracker of an issue for you this month!

There’s an XTOMP up for grabs. We chat with Divine Cables, Ashdown Engineering and Hotone and we also have a bunch of product announcements, gear reviews and interviews with some pretty talented musicians. Enjoy!

MICHAEL, DEPUTY EDITOR

THE MUSIC, INSIDE OUT MUSIC, PROGFEST & WILD THING PRESENTS

4

mixdownmag.com.au

Giveaways Hotone XTOMP Giveaway This might be one of the most exciting giveaways we’ve done in recent times! This month we have the revolutionary Hotone XTOMP pedal up for grabs. The Bluetooth control, LED-backlit, ridiculously versatile pedal really is one-of-a-kind, with nothing else on the market even coming close.

Later in the magazine you will find a little back history on the XTOMP and an interview with Ari Garcia of Hotone, who explains how the concept became a reality.

iZotope Neutron Giveaway This is one for all the producers and DAW-lovers out there; this month we’re giving away the brand new iZotope Neutron plugin. By combining five new processors with the latest in intelligent metering and analysis technology, iZotope have produced a plugin that acts like a virtual assistant.

It has the ability to identify possible frequency collisions and offers starting points for creative mixes, making it a super useful tool for any musician.

Last Month’s Giveaway Winners

PRESONUS AUDIOBOX ITWO STUDIO PACKAGE WINNER Last month we were giving away the Presonus Audiobox iTwo Studio Package, which has everything anyone might need to get themselves going with home recording. It’s a great bundle, and we have one lucky winner:

KRK ROKIT 4 G3 WINNER 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 4s are perfect speakers to get you there. We’re very excited to be offering up a pair of these awesome speakers to one lucky Mixdown reader:

Robert Allen of Melbourne, VIC Jesse Nickolic of Brisbane, QLD Congratulations Robert, hope you have a blast making some new tunes at home.

Congats Jesse, you’ll love listening to your mixes on these high quality speakers.

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.

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mixdownmag.com.au

LOW TEENS NEW ALBUM - OUT NOW everytimeidie.net – epitaph.com

Hand made cables by Gil Divine, touring guitar tech to Yo La Tengo, Lucinda Williams, The White Stripes, Cat Power, Super Furry Animals and more. Every cable is carefully inspected, tested with a multimeter for capacitance, resistance, and finally, each cable is tested with a guitar through an amp.

M CUSDTEORS OR ILABLE AVA

Touring January 2017

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a used by some of the world’s best including Divine Noise cables are Tame Impala, Dinosaur Jr, Iggy and the Stooges, The Cure, Jack White, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Smashing Pumpkins, Gary Clark Jr, The National and tons more!

GUITAR LEADS, PATCH LEADS AND SPEAKER CABLES NOW AVAILABLE AT

mixdownmag.com.au

7

Industry News with your booking reference number and Music Association Membership number.

APRA members and clients, and musicians who are members of music bodies, can get instrument and equipment insurance as low as $75 per policy from APRA’s insurance partner AON. Go to aon.com.au/ APRAAMCOS or call 1800 806 584.

Unified Announces Grant To “Realise Dreams”

Report: Aussies Changing In The Way We Consume Music First, the good news: 40% of Australians rank music as their #1 passion and more people are listening to music than ever before, according to a report by US based global self-service ticketing agency Eventbrite. The bad news from The Australian Music Consumer Report, though, is that not everyone will spend money on purchasing music, because many of them grew up in the postNapster era when music was expected for free. In fact, females aged 16-24 are the lowest buyers of music even though they rate it as among their top passions.

The 25-34 male demo are second worst at buying music. It’s the Gen Z males (16 to 24) who drive Australia’s live scene and recorded music industry. 46% of them go to see a gig at least once a month, compared to 18% of females who are twice as likely not to go if they don’t have someone to go with, or don’t know the act. For a snapshot of current music consumption in Australia, the report says 50% of us download to listen to music, 23% use CDs and one in ten use streaming. The 35-44 group uses 50% new media and 50% traditional.

New media is only used by 30% of 4554 year olds and 20% of 55-65 year olds. In other figures, 35% of us head to YouTube to listen to an artist after discovering them. Radio and CDs remain the two most common ways to consume recorded music – but that is because almost half (49%) of Australians are over 44. But the transition has begun: 75% of Millennials and 86% on Gen Z use new media (YouTube, streaming, downloads, online radio) as the primary channel for consumption of recorded music. Between 2008-2014 Australia saw a 42% increase in revenue from live performances and a 17% increase in attendance. “Looking at the festivals market, we have seen a shift away from the larger mass market festivals, to more boutique offerings that offer a lot more than just a musical experience,” says the report.

Virgin Increases Bag Allowance, APRA Insurance Deal Touring has become easier for some musicians. Virgin Australia has doubled its checked baggage allowance for bands on domestic flights to 64kg across 4 pieces. To be eligible, musicians have to be members of a number of music associations, including APRA, ARIA and state music associations.

Once you have booked your flight 48 hours before, contact music@virginaustralia.com 8

Independent empire Unified has announced The Unified Grant, “available to passionate people to help them realise their dreams.”

It was announced by Unified founder and CEO Jaddan Comerford during his BIGSOUND keynote speech in Brisbane last week. He said, “As someone who started a business with nothing, at a young age (in his mid-teens) and on my own, I want to encourage more people to follow their dreams.” The grant is for music creatives who don’t play instruments; photographers, producers, videographers, web developers, graphic designers, journalists, app builders, data analysts and others. Go to www. theunifiedgrant.com before October 31 to apply.

Universal Music To Launch Recording Studio Universal Music is opening Forbes Street Studios, at the corner of William & Forbes Streets in Woolloomooloo. In the ‘80s, it used to be Paradise Studios, run by singer Billy Fields (‘Bad Habits’) and where INXS, Icehouse, Chisel and the Oils recorded some of their most important albums.

National Live Music Awards Unveils Board The 11-person board is formed for the inaugural National Live Music Awards, held nationally in ARIA week on November 29.

They are Damian Cunningham (Live Music Office), Maggie Collins (BIGSOUND), Emma Coyle (Music SA), Mike Harris (WAM), Paris Martine (Contrary Music), Joel Edmondson (Q Music), Katie Noonan (musician), Dean Ormston (APRA AMCOS), Simon Collins (The West Australian), Emily Collins (MusicNSW) and Laura Harper (Music Tasmania).

Venues are Badlands (Perth), The Curtin (Melbourne), The Basement (Sydney), The Railway Club (Darwin), The Republic Bar (Hobart), The Jade (Adelaide) and The Triffid (Brisbane) with Canberra announced this month.

triple j Hottest 100 Partners With Aime Although triple j is not moving the Hottest 100 from Australia/Survival Day at least for another year, it is teaming up again with the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) for the Hottest 100.

Content director Ollie Wards explains, “In partnering with AIME we hope to raise money to empower Indigenous young people and also acknowledge and discuss all perspectives of 26 January.” Last year, triple j listeners raised over $100,000 for AIME, a mentoring program supporting Indigenous kids through high school and into university, training and employment with a completion rate the same as the average Australian child – aiming to close the gap in educational outcomes.

First Aussies Picked For SXSW Aussies smart enough to apply early to showcase at South By Southwest in Texas have been rewarded. The first round of artists around the world chosen included our own Vera Blue, Alex Cameron, Alex Lahey, Demi Louise, Polarheart, Running Touch, Oscar Key Sung, Throttle, and Wafia.

Another Rally By Keep Sydney Open A recent recommendation by the Callinan Review that Sydney’s lockout be “relaxed” by 30 minutes, didn’t impress. Keep Sydney Open scoffs “it missed the point” and will hold another rally on Sunday October 9 from 12-5pm. Coordinator Tyson Koh says, "We shouldn't have to settle for lock-them-upand-throw-away-the-key policy solutions, when only an hour's flight away Melbourne has created a safe and dynamic nightlife with a cool-headed, smart policy." The last rally drew a crowd of 15,000 people.

The Australian Hotels Association’s John Green was disappointed the 1.30am lockout was not lifted. “We don’t support blanket measures that unfairly penalise many safe, well-run venues with a proven track record of compliance.”

WA Festival Suppliers Want Stronger Regulation Western Australia’s festival suppliers are calling for greater regulation of the state’s music events so that they can’t avoid lengthy delays in payment by promoters if audience (and profit) numbers are down.

They are also demanding that if a festival has not sold enough tickets, promoters be forced to cancel. ABC Radio reported that calls began after tickets for the second Disconnect in Pinjarra went on sale – with suppliers as David Coleman from production company Rockwest complaining that they were still owed thousands of dollars from last year’s event, and that delays made it hard for them because they still had to pay for staff and equipment regardless. The onus should be on promoters to take the risks and ensure funding be available for work, another told the ABC. Disconnect promoter Chris Knight, of Spring Fever Productions, told ABC Radio that all but two had been paid due to a dispute over the money, and he’d been mending fences with them. He didn’t see a problem this year as he was taking out insurance and had a great funding pool.

NZ Firm Helps Make Roland’s DJ-808 Serato, the New Zealand company behind world-leading DJ software, collaborated with electric musical instrument manufacturer Roland to create Roland’s first DJ controller, the four-channel DJ-808. Serato calls it “the most advanced piece of DJ hardware yet” and "redefines what it means to DJ” citing its built-in drum sequencing and vocal processing.

Victoria Increases Investment In Entertainment At the sneak preview in Melbourne of the Kinky Boots musical, which begins its run at Her Majesty’s Theatre on October 22, Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings revealed, “The Labor Government has added $80

million to its major events chest so that we can continue to secure the biggest and best events. “We’ve also established a $20 million Regional Events Fund, which will ensure regional Victoria can stage its own events that drive visitation and create jobs.

“Cultural events don’t just showcase the best of everything Victoria offers, they contribute more than $1 billion to our economy each year.” The Victorian Government helped secure the Cyndi Lauper-penned Tony winning Kinky Boots, to premiere in Melbourne because “we’re the national leader when it comes to arts and cultural events, and we want to stay that way.”

THINGS WE HEAR Rap duo A.B. Original’s Q&A keynote at BIGSOUND in Brisbane was one of the more entertaining sessions. Briggs and Trials revealed they’re doing Laneway Festival. Moderator Lindsay McDougall had a dig at how Trials was a dumb stage name. Trials quipped back, "I'd love to change it … know what I mean, Frenzal Rhomb?"

A NSW North Coast farmer lost his appeal against a $36,000 fine for holding illegal bush doofs on his property. He said he didn’t understand the law when he pleaded guilty and he had no legal representation.

The latest Australian digital radio ratings put its total audience at 3.6 million.

Nova’s Coles radio was most listened to (with 151,000), SCA’s Buddha (139,000) and ARN’s 80's iHeartRadio (119,000).

Former Powderfinger guitarist Darren Middleton, as part of recording a track called ‘Lightning Halos’, is looking for voices around the world to digitally be part of a choir. The track is part of an EP due in November. Since he began the campaign two weeks ago, 78,000 viewed the video and there have been “hundreds” of submissions. Go to www. darrenmiddleton.com.

Jon Stevens and Eurythmics co-founder Dave Stewart, who’ve been working on the former Dead Daisies singer’s album, will play a club gig in Los Angeles this month. It’s not known if Ringo Starr will join. The three men and their wives have become close friends. Stevens and Stewart played together at Starr’s 76th birthday celebration in July.

Adelaide’s LGBTI community Feast Festival will go ahead between October 22 and November 6 despite its GM Cassandra Liebeknecht being suspended on full pay (she says issues were caused by the fact she’s a heterosexual leading a queer association) and four board members resigning in protest.

Do your ancestors make you what you are? Peter Garrett, tracing his forebears via SBS TV series Who Do You Think You Are found that one served in NSW Parliament while great-great grandmother Lucy Langdon set up one of the city’s first women’s refuge centres and helped immigrant women find jobs.

mixdownmag.com.au

Music News Gold Class Melbourne four-piece Gold Class is set to play two local Melbourne shows this month. After the release of their latest single Kids On Fire, faithful fans are sure to hear some new material ahead of their second album. Gold Class has emerged from the Australian underground and seeped onto the world stage. After playing Golden Plains and Splendour In The Grass it’s no surprise that the guys have been included on the Paradise Music Festival line-up, which is set to take place next month.

After smashing out their Australian sets, the guys are hitting the UK and Europe to share their sound with crowds overseas.

For a full list of tour dates, head to goldclassmusic.com

Dan Sultan

Violent Soho It seems Violent Soho can do no wrong. This year alone, the four Mansfield mates have had a #1 debut with WACO and a completely sold out Australian tour. Next up on the mega agenda is an Australian national tour. Forming over eleven years ago, it’s safe to say that Violent Soho has worked tirelessly to get to where they are today. In no hurry to slow things down, the Soho boys will be hitting some of the most prestigious stages around the country. To top it all off, they’ll be bringing along an epic line-up of both international and local support. Los Angeles heavyweights The Bronx, Tasmania’s melodic punks Luca Brasi and Perth firecrackers Tired Lion are down for the WACO ride.

The very talented Dan Sultan has released a teaser for his first single from his forthcoming album Magnetic. And if that’s not enough for fans, Sultan has unveiled a national tour set to kick off in November. It has been sometime since we were graced by Dan Sultan’s live performance.

Regarded as a national treasure, Sultan, without missing a beat, will be back on tour in November promoting his forthcoming highly anticipated album set for release in 2017. Sultan will be joined by two very special guests on the Magnetic Tour, Caiti Baker, whose blues gospel influence shines a light on her newly released single ‘Heavy On My Heart,’ and Morgan Bain who is an RnB Soul singer that will be opening the stellar tour.

TOUR DATES NOV 6 – FREMANTLE TOWN HALL, FREMANTLE WA NOV 9 – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD NOV 10 – FAT CONTROLLER, ADELAIDE SA NOV 13 – 170 RUSSELL, MELBOURNE VIC NOV 19 – MANNING BAR, SYDNEY NSW

Stonefield Australia’s favourite psych rock sisters have announced they’ll be heading out on a massive national headline tour in support of their sophomore LP As Above, So Below. The 17-date tour will see the foursome in both metro and regional areas this spring, in their biggest Australian tour to date. Joining Stonefield on the road are all-girl powerhouse Rackett. The pop-rock four-piece is known for an adventurous live show with energy levels that soar. Also along for the ride are four-piece garage psych rockers, White Bleaches.

TOUR DATES OCTOBER 28 – RIVERSTAGE, BRISBANE QLD OCTOBER 29 – HORDERN PAVILLION, SYDNEY NSW OCTOBER 31 – FESTIVAL HALL, MELBOURNE VIC NOVEMBER 4 – AEC THEATRE, ADELAIDE SA NOVEMBER 5 – RED HILL AUDITORIUM, PERTH WA

For a full list of tour dates, head to stonefield.com.au

The Panics DMA’S DMA’s are capping off what has proven to be a huge year by returning to home soil this October. After releasing Hills End earlier this year, DMA’s has been seen on stages around the country and in the UK. The release has scored some seriously exciting attention and is sure to be celebrated all over again by their hometown fans.

To date, DMA’s have sold out shows in four continents and appeared on the bills of the world’s biggest festivals including Coachella, Glastonbury and Lollapalooza. From their smashing single that started it all, ‘Delete’, to their most current single ‘Timeless’, the band has smashed out track after track. Alongside DMA’s on all dates will be Adelaide’s Bad//Dreams.

TOUR DATES OCT 7 – THE CROXTON, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 8 – THE GOV, ADELAIDE SA OCT 14 – THE ENMORE THEATRE, SYDNEY NSW OCT 15 – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD

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ARIA Award-winning indie rock band The Panics are heading out on tour to celebrate the release of their fifth studio album Hole In Your Pocket. The Aussie alt-rockers are set to play stages in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Out October 7, Hole In Your Pocket was recorded at The Panics’ Melbourne studio and will be the first release for the band since their 2011 record, Rain On The Humming Wire. After peaking at #7 on the ARIA charts, there are high hopes for the highly anticipated follow up.

TOUR DATES OCT 14 – OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW OCT 15 – HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 20 – THE TRIFFID, BRISBANE QLD OCT 22 – AMPLIFIER, PERTH WA

Tash Sultana Melbourne’s own Tash Sultana has had a whirlwind of a year so far. From wrapping up a huge sold out national tour to becoming a triple j Unearthed featured artist, her scope has well and truly widened. Through the power of a loop pedal, insane guitar skills and transfixing vocals, Sultana has taken the country by storm. After some significant international attention, the singer-songwriter is heading around the country as part of her world tour. Joining her will be one-man-band, Lyall Moloney.

TOUR DATES OCT 6 – MOJOS, FREMANTLE WA OCT 7 – SETTLERS TAVERN, MARGARET RIVER WA OCT 13 – BAHA’S TACOS, RYE VIC OCT 14 – TORQUAY HOTEL, TORQUAY VIC OCT 15 – UNI BAR, ADELAIDE SA OCT 20 – NEWTOWN SOCIAL CLUB, SYDNEY NSW OCT 27 – SOOKI LOUNGE, BELGRAVE VIC mixdownmag.com.au

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Product News Get It All In One With The Keeley Super Mod KE E L E Y E L E CT RONICS | ROBE RT KE E L E Y.COM

The Keeley Super Mod pedal includes Tremolo, Filter, Phaser, Chorus, Rotary Speaker, Delay and more, all in the one box. With the ability to blend any two mod types at once, there is an almost unparalleled scope for experimenting with sounds. However, this isn’t some crappy multi-FX pedal that has tried to shove as many different effects in as possible; a lot of the circuits used are either modelled on or inspired by famous pedals and amps. The Tremolo effect in the pedal is inspired by classic brown face amps and the Automatic Double Tracker in the box is from the Keeley pedal of the same name, released last year with great success. With Depth, Rate and Morph controls, and tap tempo and expression pedal functionality the Super Mod allows for precise control over the sound.

EBMM Expand Modern Classics Line With Two New Basses

QSC Brings Their TouchMix Concept To The Professional Arena

C M C M U S I C A U S T R A L I A | C M C MUS IC. CO M. A U

The Cutlass bass is a newly designed passive 4-string bass.

It features rich, vintage tone surrounded by streamlined, modern appointments for ultimate comfort and playability.

Other great features include an old school split-coil humbucking design for that big round bottom-end tone, a comfortable “C” shaped neck carve and a lightweight contoured alder body that fits like a glove. The top-loading bridge is made from hardened steel and complemented by a newly designed oversized headstock with the familiar 3+1 tuner arrangement.

All in all, the Cutlass is a sleek, modern bass with vintage features that stays true to its Music Man heritage.

The Caprice is a bold new statement in passive design.

A workhorse bass that is capable of blending two distinct pickup voicings offering a variety of tones suitable for any musical environment. This compact offset design provides a body shape that is comfortable and balanced along with a slim neck profile that makes this bass a pleasure to play. The toploading bridge is the same as on the Cutlass and the 3+1 tuner arrangement remains constant too.

T E CHNICAL AU D I O G R OU P | TAG .C OM .AU

Stacked full of features and with an intuitive workflow, the TouchMix-30 Pro will suit production engineers, musicians, bands and even live performance venues.

The centrepiece of the unit is the 10” touch screen which offers more information and greater control over the sound, and with 32 input channels, there’s plenty of room to get sound into the mixer. Also featured are over 120 audio presets, 6-band parametric EQ, anti-feedback and room tuning wizards, high- and low-pass filters, limiters, delays, direct-to-hard drive recording capability and MP3 playback from USB. The unit is aimed to deliver quality results to all users, regardless of skill levels or experience, and its great features will no doubt see it in studios everywhere soon.

The OP-1 Makes Synthesizers Accessible For Everyone INNOVAT IVE MUSIC | INNOVAT IVE MUSIC.COM.AU

Go Wireless With The New JBL PRX800W PA System J AN D S | J A ND S .C OM .A U

With class-leading power, wireless technology and lightweight design, the JBL Professional by HARMAN PRX800W High-Powered PA System is at the top end of the market. Touted as “the first PA system in its class to offer complete wireless control”, the system can be controlled from a mobile tablet device with the PRX connect app. The app allows for control over an 8-band parametric EQ, speaker delay, mute, gain and more, and the wireless component means that the user wont be confined to the stage or sound desk, and can test out the sound from different points in the room during sound check or a set. Although they are made to be portable, sound quality and power haven’t been compromised, with integrated 1500-watt Class-D power amplification under the hood.

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The proclaimed “portable wonder synthesizer”, Teenage Engineering’s OP-1 is an all-in-one synthesizer, sampler, controller and sequencer. Its modular architecture is extremely powerful, enabling endless sound creation possibilities without making the workflow complicated or distracting. Featuring ten synthesizer engines, eight high quality effects, multiple sequencers and more, you’ll never hit the wall when it comes to creativity. The unique and award winning design with its colour coded interface makes the OP-1 a synthesizer for everyone. The four coloured encoders, and the symbols on the keyboard are all designed for easy reading and to make it intuitive and non-technical to control and shape your sounds. So, finally, you don’t have to be an engineer to use a synthesizer. Small in size but huge in sound and a true powerhouse, the OP-1 is renowned as one of the most desirable synths of recent years. With additional features like a built-in FM radio and an assignable G-force sensor for motioncontrolled effects, there is quite nothing like it.

mixdownmag.com.au

Product News

Get In Your Element With Apogee’s New Audio Interfaces SOUND DIST RIBUT ION | SOUNDDIST RIBUT ION.COM.AU

Hotone Expand Their Skyline Series With Six New Pedals N O I SE T OY S I M P OR T S | NOI S E T OY S I MPO RTS . CO M. A U

Hotone has released six exciting new pedals on to the market.

Cab Sim, Phaze, Lush, Djent, Wood and Golden Touch are the new additions to the Skyline series, each with their own subtle nuances. The Cab Sim pedal does exactly what it says it does, simulates amp cabinets, with the option of a 4x12, 2x12 and 1x12 in the tiny box. The Phaze pedal is an analogue phaser that aims to capture the warm sound of the ‘70s. Lush is a new flanger from the company, with a cool negative feedback mode available.

The Djent is a high gain distortion pedal that will excite those who like to make their guitars absolutely scream. The Wood pedal simulates an acoustic guitar, with the option for either Jumbo, Dreadnought or Piezo sounds. Last but not least, the Golden Touch pedal channels the iconic sound of an overdriven tube amp for warm, natural tones.

Brand new from Apogee, the Element Series of Thunderbolt Audio Interface series features three different products, the Element 24, 46 and 88. Cleverly blending hardware and software options, Apogee are making the most of modern technology without discarding the proven winner in analogue sound. Also new is the Element Control software, which is highly configurable and easily customisable, and the Element Control for iOS app, which lets users control the Elements remotely over WiFi. The Element 24, 46 and 88 have 10, 12 and 16 inputs and 12, 14 and 16 outputs respectively, and all feature AD/DA conversion for recording up to 192kHz/24bit, world class mic-preamps and single port Thunderbolt connectivity to Mac for low latency performance.

Stand Out From The Crowd With A ResoRocket GL ADE SVIL L E GUIT AR F ACT ORY | GUIT ARF AC TOR Y.NET

The ResoRocket Steel is one of the newest designs in National’s single resonator series. This model incorporates a redesigned cover plate pattern to compliment the distinctive Tricone-style grillwork.

The upper bout has been modified for easier access to the higher frets. The ResoRocket features are as follows: solid pegged headstock with a pearloid overlay and National Brand strip style machine heads. The maple sunburst neck has a bone nut, rosewood fretboard, mother of pearl inlays and ivoroid binding. The rubbed, all steel body is fitted with a 9.5” hand spun resonator and maple biscuit. Scale length is a comfortable 25” and the total weight is approximately 4.1 kilograms. To sweeten the deal, the ResoRocket comes with an authentic National hard case.

Don’t Be Fooled By Cordoba’s Mini Guitar Sizes Z E NIT H MUSIC | Z E NIT HMUSIC.COM.AU

Cordoba has introduced the Mini O-CE and the Mini SM-CE to their mini guitar range, and both are very impressive looking instruments. Whilst they might only have a 20” scale length, they have the same string spacing and comfortable feel of a full sized guitar, meaning that any player should be able to jump on them and feel right at home. The Mini O-CE has a solid ovangkol top, combined with ovangkol back and sides for rich, warm tones and a great aesthetic appearance. The Mini SM-CE is a slightly brighter sounding (and looking) guitar, thanks to the solid cedar top and spalted maple back and sides. Both guitars have the capacity to make like Dylan and go electric, with a Cordoba 2Band pickup installed.

Slice Beats On Your New MPC With These Sliced Prices ELEC TR I C F A C T OR Y | E L F A .C OM .A U

Akai Professional have dropped prices on the MPC Studio Black and the flagship MPC Touch.

MPC Studio is a slimline beat controller that comes with MPC Software, a whole host of plugins and 7GB of content, including the iconic MPC3000 soundset. The new model gets a hardware update, with new, bigger Q-Link controls and data wheel included, and with $50 off the original price it would fit in to any beatmaker’s studio. MPC Touch, as the name suggests, features a multi-touch screen, as well as a handy built in audio interface. The Touch screen modernises your workflow, with the ability to quickly access menus, control effects and easily trim audio. It comes with the same software pack as the Studio does, and is down from $1199 to $999.

Mapex Presents Matt Halpern Drum Clinics E L E CT RIC F ACT ORY | E L F A.COM.AU

Periphery Drummer Matt Halpern is coming to Australia in October to present a series of clinics on his Over The Edge tour. He will drop into music stores in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne and Newcastle to perform some songs, talk about his time in Periphery and just share some general drumming wisdom.

Back in September last year, Mapex announced a signature drum for Halpern, a 14x6 brass snare, which was added to the Black Panther range. The drum is one of many in the range, but possesses certain subtleties that distinguish it from the rest. Any diehard fan of Periphery will instantly recognise the 3 sets of air vents that replicate the bands logo. For the right drummer the snare will make a world of difference, and will make a drum shed or practice room feel and sound like a sweaty old gig.

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Product News TC Electronic Unleash ‘The World’s First Realistic’ Guitar Doubling Pedal A MBER TE CHN O LO GY | A MBER T E CH.C OM. AU

The innovative team at TC Electronic are continuing to push the boundaries of pedal designs with the newly announced release of Mimiq Doubler, which has been dubbed “the world’s first realistic guitar doubling.” The pedal aims to set the new benchmark for dubbing a guitar’s sound in a compact stompbox.

Promising a new standard in studio-grade guitar double tracking, the Mimiq Doubler offers players the preference of one, two or even three additional dubs, with the pedals unique ability to create various backgrounds to simulate the effect of multiple guitars.

The elegantly designed pedal is fitted with simple controls for dry volume, which also features stereo inputs and outputs. The tightness setting allows the pedal to be flexible to a wide range of playing, allowing you to tackle a variety of sounds.

The TC Electronic Mimiq doubler is aimed at metal heads that are sticklers for studio level tightness and others whom are searching for substance to their guitar tone. Though this sort of pedal has yet to exist, the Mimiq Doubler offers something completely new and exciting that roams free in its own world.

Jazz Bass Virtuoso Hadrien Feraud Set To Hold Free Clinic In Melbourne

Get Intergalactic Reverb With EarthQuaker’s Transmisser

CMC MUSIC AUST RAL IA | CMCMUSIC .CO M. AU

G LO BA L VI NT A G E | G LOB ALV I NT AG E .C OM. A U

Having collaborated with the likes of John McLaughlin and Chick Corea, Hadrien Feraud is one of the great modern bassists. While he’s out in Australia, he’ll be holding a masterclass clinic at Melbourne jazz venue Bird’s Basement on October 12. There will be a performance as well as the discussion and Q & A time, and to top it all off, it’s free. Feraud has in the past cited Jaco Pastorius as a huge influence, and has even been labelled as the new Jaco by his aforementioned collaborator McLaughlin. To gain an insight into how he thinks about playing and performing, and how his influences have shaped his career will be invaluable. This is one to get down to for bassists, jazz heads and music lovers alike.

EarthQuaker Devices has announced it will be releasing the Transmisser Reverb, a new pedal that will make your guitar sound like something that came from another planet. According to the makers that be, this new device will push the boundaries and offer ‘endless intergalactic reverbs’. The Transmisser is a modulated reverb with extra-long decay capabilities and also featuring a resonant low-pass filter that you can adjust via a frequency control, which if pushed, can create some real obscure tones. The pedal also has a rate control that can adjust the speed of the entire system and a Warp knob that controls the levels of decay.

So if jaunty space rock is your thing then you’ll start falling behind the eight ball if you don’t get your hands on the Transmisser Reverb. According to the good people at EarthQuaker devices the pedal sounds like you’re ‘blowing your signal to bits, shooting through a black hole then beaming it back down a cloud of cosmic dust.’

THE LEGEND

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JUST LANDED! XK-5 ‘The New Original’

CAR Hammo ny with a eyboard ) k $199

SK-1

– $129 (value

SK-2

A V A I L A B L E

F R O M

Melbourne: Bernies Music Land (03) 9872 5122 · Sydney: Carlingford Music (02) 9873 2333 Adelaide: Derringers Music (08) 8371 1884 · Perth: Kosmic Sound (08) 9204 7577 · Brisbane: Ellaways Music (07) 3359 8266

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Product News Spend Your Loose Change On 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.

Get A Whole Range of Sounds With Ernie Ball’s New Tone String Packs C M C M U S I C A U S T R A L I A | C M C M U S IC. CO M. A U

For players who want a whole range of different sounds, but don’t want to drop an entire pay check on strings, Ernie Ball have come up with the goods. Their new Tone Packs come in both electric and acoustic strings, and each include three different sets of strings with unique sounds. The Electric set features the all-time best selling Original Slinky strings with their classic, balanced tone, the Cobalt Slinky strings with higher output and greater clarity and the M-Steel Slinky strings for exceptional expression and volume. The trio of string sets on the acoustic side of things are the Earthwood 80/20 Bronze strings, the Earthwood Phosphor Bronze Strings and the Aluminium Bronze Strings, exclusive to Ernie Ball. The electric sets are available in 9-42 and 10-46 gauges, and the acoustic sets range include 11-2 or 12-54 gauges.

XK-5 is Hammond’s Most Faithful B-3 Recreation Yet MUSICO | MUSICO.COM

The Hammond XK-5 is the new organ from the famed brand, and is being hailed as the “New Original Hammond”. It is more portable, affordable and reliable than its vintage counterparts, and should be able to stand up to the rigors of the life of a modern musician. With the classic sound of the Hammond B-3 more sought-after today than ever, the XK-5 sets to emulate the faithful organ with four full sets of harmonic drawbars – just like on original Hammond organs.

Also included is the “best ever” Digital Leslie effect, dedicated octave shift and transpose buttons, improved vibrato-chorus and more. It’s based off and very similar to the classic B3, but modern features like USB and MIDI capabilities mean that it isn’t rooted in the past.

Jet City Custom 5 Packs Plenty Under The Hood AMBE R T E CHNOLOGY | AMBE RT E CH.COM.AU

The newest offering from Jet City Amplification is the Custom 5, a tiny tacker of an amp with plenty of power under the hood. Two 12AX7 preamp tubes and one 6L6 power tube make up the guts of the amp, with the 6L6 also able to be easily replace with an EL34 should the mood strike the player. A Mojo Tone solid state effects loop is also included, the very same that features on the much bigger 20HV amp, which is optimised to work wonders with pedals. There is options galore with this amp, with the choice between speaker outputs at 4, 8 and 16 ohms and the choice between operation at the normal 5-watt mode and a 2-watt mode, alongside controls for Gain, Bright, Bass, Mids, Treble and Master Volume and a Bass or Mid Boost tone switch. It might be small, but that doesn’t mean that this amp is light on features.

Take Your Mixing Game To The Next Level With PreSonus’ FaderPort8 LI N K AU D I O | L I NK A U D I O.C OM .A U

The FaderPort8 is a new DAW controller that aims to complement the way that musicians currently mix their tracks, not completely change it. With eight motorized, touch-sensitive faders, digital scribble strip displays and HUI, Mackie Control, and native Studio One support, the unit has plenty of features, but doesn’t seem too complicated. While the faders are expectedly the focal point on the face of the unit, the buttons around them are just as, if not more, useful. There are controls for arming tracks for recording, muting and soloing, clearing all those mutes and solos, and choosing which tracks buses and VCAs the user wants to see, as well as four programmable buttons for personalisation. For those who edit and mix tracks without the use of external controllers, the FaderPort8 might prove to be a worthwhile investment.

Clarett Introduce the Octopre, Full Of Features You Didn’t Even Know You Needed E L E CT RIC F ACT ORY | E L F A.COM.AU

The Octopre is the latest mic pre from Clarett, and its eight balanced inputs and outputs are just the start of the great features on board. All of the outputs have the company’s unique ‘air’ feature that switches on a “transformer resonance effect” to enhance the sound with clarity modelled on the classic Focusrite ISA mic pre. With plenty of headroom, the mic pres will be able to handle the hottest pickups and the loudest drums with ease. On the front panel there are two instrument inputs, accompanied by six auto-switching mic/line inputs on the back, all of which have their own input points for external analogue processing for things like compression or equalisation. Additionally, they are all equipped with hardwired relay bypassing, so you wont have to connect and disconnect the outboard gear whenever you do and don’t want to use it. With high quality digital audio conversion and internal and external clocking also present, the Clarett Octopre represents a pretty complete package.

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This changes everything.

Introducing the TouchMix™-30 Pro With a host of all-new Pro features and even more “Results Made Easy” Presets and Wizards, the TouchMix-30 Pro will forever change your expectations of what a digital mixer should do. New Pro features include: 32 Total Inputs Large (10-inch) Multi-Touch Display Screen Anti-Feedback Wizard Room Tuning Wizard Two Real-Time Analyzers (RTA) USB interface for Mac® DAW Compatibility 32 Track Record/Playback Directly to USB Drive MP3 Playback

Shown with optional Tablet Support Stand and iPad (not included). Mac and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. © 2016 QSC, LLC. All rights reserved. QSC and the QSC logo are registered trademarks of QSC, LLC in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and other countries. TouchMix is a registered trademark in the U.S., China and the European Union.

www.qsc.com/beyondmixing

Photo by Ryan Russell

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Against Me!. The Gaslight Anthem. Green Day. Rancid. These were just a few of the names that were being thrown around when the roaring title track to Taking Back Sunday’s seventh studio album, Tidal Wave, came crashing down on an unsuspecting fan-base a matter of months ago. If you’re at all familiar with the history of the band, you’ll know that the aforementioned comparison points are – under normal circumstances – considerably removed from what Taking Back Sunday normally sound like. Then again, that’s just the thing – this is an album in which the band has done everything within their power to leave all previous inhibitions aside.

“That song kind of came from this folky idea that John [Nolan, guitarist] had while he was messing around on an acoustic guitar,” explains Adam Lazzara, who has served as the band’s lead vocalist since 2001 and sings on all of the band’s studio albums.

“He brought it to the band, and somehow it just turned into this Ramones/Clash-style song. That’s the kind of music that the five of us have all been listening to ever since we were kids, and the spirit of that has definitely been in our music for as long as we can remember. After so many records and so many years though, we were finally at a point where we truly felt comfortable wearing that kind of influence right there on our sleeves. I think there have been times in the past where we’ve been a little too careful with the music that we make. For us, it was really refreshing to not worry about anything else but us making the kind of record that we wanted to make. When it was all said and done, we were just looking around the room at one another thinking, ‘Holy shit, we just did that.’”

Tidal Wave arrives two years after the release of the band’s last LP, Happiness Is. It also marks a particularly unique milestone for Taking Back Sunday as an entity – this is the only time in the band’s history that the same line-up has recorded three consecutive albums together. After the release of their debut album, 2003’s Tell All Your Friends, both founding member Nolan and bassist Shaun Cooper quit simultaneously; only to return seven years later as a revival of the so-called “classic” line-up of the band.

Now with six years of solid foundation, Lazarra sees the band as having something to prove – that there is still vitality and energy running through their collective veins, 17 years on from the band’s inception.

“It seems to be a pretty universal experience that if a band or an artist has made it to their seventh album, there’s a fairly good chance that they’re really settled into what they do,” he says.

“They keep putting out the same kind of songs over and over. For us, we wanted to do our best to avoid that. We wanted the record to be a reflection of us – how we’ve grown and how we’ve changed as we’ve gotten older. In order to stand by that, we had to be honest as we could – it was a matter of our music saying in its own way, ‘Fuck it – this is who we are, and this is what we can do.’”

If you’re in your mid-20s, then you unquestionably bore witness to the ‘emo’ trend through your high school years – and, indeed, there’s even a chance that you partook in said trend if you’re reading this. For many, Taking Back Sunday were an inextricable mixdownmag.com.au

“I think there have been times in the past where we’ve been a little too careful with the music that we make. For us, it was really refreshing to not worry about anything else but us making the kind of record that we wanted to make. When it was all said and done, we were just looking around the room at one another thinking, ‘Holy shit, we just did that.’” part of that time in their lives; faithfully soundtracking every waking moment – and, as much as people can change, you never truly forget things like that. The relationship with the band is weighted equally in coming-of-age nostalgia and an investment in their continuing work, which is something that Lazzara does not take for granted in the slightest.

“I have a hard time getting my head around things like that – and I mean that in the best way possible,” he says. “To know that we’ve grown with people that listen to this band – and that they’ve grown with us – is a huge compliment. The thing with music, or any kind of art, is that certain things are going to hit you at certain points in your life. You find something, and you feel like you were meant to hear it or experience at that exact moment. The fact we’ve been able to meet up with people so many times over the years on similar paths that connect with our music because of that...

It’s such a great thing. It’s really nice to know that we’re not alone.

We’re writing from a place of our own experiences, and to know that resonates with people is absolutely incredible.”

It’s a difficult balancing act between the band members being on the road and being at home – all of the band have families and young children that they want to provide for, but also be there for at pivotal times. With that in mind, Lazarra feels like the band’s own version of fatherhood is managed responsibly – and it’s something that could have only happened now; as opposed to when the band was at its fever pitch of touring. “I don’t think that they know it’s a little weird – they’ve all kind of adapted to not seeing their dads for six weeks at a time,” he says of the secondgen of Taking Back Sunday.

“It definitely makes it harder to leave home – which is so funny, when I think about being the one in the band all those years ago that was adamant about touring as much as possible. I’d just say to our agent, ‘I don’t care what you have to do – just keep us on the road.’ Now, it’s very much the opposite. At the very least, one key difference between now and when we first started touring is the advent of things like Skype and FaceTime – stuff like that definitely makes things a little easier to stay close to home.”

Touring in support of Tidal Wave is very much underway, and it will arrive in Australia next March for the band’s first visit in nearly three years. With the recently reformed US act Acceptance joining the band for all dates, the tour takes in theatres in most capital cities and marks a step-up from the clubs that the band have previously played as a headlining act here. “It’s so great to see that people are still so engaged with this band – especially on the other side of the world,” says Lazarra. “We’ve always wanted to go to Australia more. All of us just love it there. To have it not only be a bigger tour than last time, but to have it include some of the biggest shows that we’ve ever played on our own there, is so gratifying and validating. Still, knowing me, I’ll just be pacing around back and forth as always, hoping people show up.”

BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG Tidal Wave is out now via Hopeless Records. Taking Back Sunday will be touring Australia in March next year. For tour dates, head to takingbacksunday.com 19

Music Interviews

Frank Iero and the Patience It’s Alanis Morissette levels of irony that Frank Iero was the first cab off the rank from high-concept rock heroes My Chemical Romance to go solo following the band’s split back in 2013. Not only was he a musician that had spent practically his entire career as a side-player, he was quietly terrified of putting anything out under his own name.

A compromise was struck when, in 2014, Iero quietly released Stomachaches under the headache-inducing moniker of frnkiero andthe cellabration. Things have changed significantly since then, with Iero reverting to a far more comprehensible band name – Frank Iero and The Patience – and releasing his second solo album, Parachutes.

“There was a really subconscious feeling on that first album that I had to hide behind something,” Iero explains, calling from between tour stops. “I was creating obstacles in order to be less visible.

Bayside At the pinnacle of their career, Bayside is riding the wave of success from their seventh studio full length, Vacancy.

Forming in New York in 2000, the band is about to reach another milestone: a headline Australian tour. It’s their perseverance through a decade highlighted by the rise and fall of many trend acts that has allowed the band to reap the benefits sixteen years on. Staying true to the fundamental elements of the “Bayside sound,” frontman and founding member Anthony Raneri admits that being self-aware is the easiest way to survive in the scene.

“We always ask ourselves before we do anything ‘Are we going to be embarrassed about it in ten years?’ That line of thinking certainly has a lot to do with the longevity of the band,” he explains. “We never really tried to jump on any trends because we thought that was going to make us bigger or because that was the cool thing that was happening. We always just do things that we think are timeless and cool, and I like to think that is paying off.”

Trying to keep a band relevant in the music industry for almost two 20

Two years after that, I feel a bit more comfortable now – I don’t have to set up as many barriers anymore. I feel more at ease, and I feel like I know my place. I know how to approach this project now – and, as a result, I’m having a lot more fun with it now. There’s no reason to hide anymore – I’ve gotten this real boost in confidence, and I think that shows in where I’m at with this project.”

Parachutes is a considerable step forward for Iero in his musical career after My Chemical Romance. He’s become a far more assured singer, he’s working with a solid foundation in the form of his backing band and he’s even stepped up the production side of things. While Stomachaches was loudly and proudly a lo-fi experiment, all radiating guitars and distorted vocals, legendary producer Ross Robinson took the helm of Parachutes and (pardon the pun) helped it land safely.

“What you have to take into consideration is that the last album was literally recorded in my basement,” says Iero. “That’s exactly how I felt these songs should sound like. I wanted you to feel like you were listening in on this person in a room making these songs, as opposed to listening to a regular record. Everything was different this time around – these were songs that required a lot more attention, and I knew I needed a partner to bring them to life as well as a proper studio to record them in. Ross seemed like the perfect choice – I knew he would push me to the brink. It was him being there that allowed these songs to get to that next level.”

Parachutes was recorded in bursts through 2015 and 2016, with Iero cutting the majority of the tracks live in the studio. For Iero, Parachutes was about setting a mood and striking a tone. He found he was best able to do that through a unique gear set-up for his guitar playing, which runs parallel to his live rig.

“In the past year, my friend James [Bowman], who plays guitar in Against Me!, introduced me to these Fender Tonemasters,” says Iero. “They’re these heads that they stopped making in the ‘90s, and the sound you can get out of them blows my mind. I’ve been using those ever since. As far as pedals go, I’m very keen on the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver with the Keeley mod. If you know

Keeley, you’ll know they’ll take your existing stuff above and beyond. Those pedals in combination with the Tonemaster gave my guitars on this record a really beefy, distorted tone. I like to add a bit of chorus as well, and I also implement an EXH Holy Grail pedal for my reverb.”

Iero goes on to note the role of Robinson as a hands-on producer in achieving the exact right balance of sound across each track. “Ross introduced me to using a Boss Line Selector,” he says. “You can have two or three lines of effects and then mix them all in together in order to create your own unique tone. It’s a really cool trick, and it allows for your guitar sound to be really versatile.

Ross was very involved as far as that side of thing was concerned – he’d literally be on the floor, turning knobs as you’re playing in the studio. It’s almost as if the two of us were playing together in the moment – it made for some very interesting concoctions as far as the sound of the record goes.”

Iero and co. are set to visit Australia in early October on what will be Iero’s first-ever headlining tour as a solo artist.

It also features legendary punk guitarist, producer and songwriter Walter Schreifels – a name you may know from his time in bands such as Gorilla Biscuits and Rival Schools.

“The first time we met, we had lunch together and just talked about songwriting and producing for what felt like forever,” says Iero. “It was so nice to be able to connect with someone on that immediate, personal level.

When we were putting this tour together, I immediately reached out to him to see if he was available and if he was keen to do it – if for no other reason than the fact I just wanted to watch him play every night. I’ve always wanted to cultivate a show that I would want to see – so that’s what we’ve done.”

decades is no easy task. Witnessing many acts in his time capitulate by following short-lived trends, Raneri was eager to create music that made him proud to play.

It’s for that reason that Bayside are now playing their biggest headline shows after all these years.

“We set out 16 years ago to be a band that lasted for a long time. We always wanted to be Social Distortion or Bad Religion. We wanted to be a band that had a career for decades and decades. To see that the tours we are doing now are the biggest ones and our chart debuts on records are at the highest we have ever had… just sort of tells us that we stuck to the right path.”

Vacancy was written in the aftermath of the dissolution of Raneri’s marriage. Moving to Nashville to start his family life, the record is a telling memoir of a frontman left to his own devices in a new city. It’s these times of despair that the esteemed songwriter did not shy away from writing about.

“To write lyrics about what I’m going through and to write what’s on my mind is really the only way I know how [to write],” Raneri admits. “I didn’t grow up writing lyrics. It never really was my thing. I was sort of the default lyric writer for Bayside and I was really nervous about writing anything that was going to be halfway decent. And the only real thing that I could figure out how to do was to write journal entries and try and fit them into melodies.”

Sonically, Bayside has remained consistent across all of their seven studio albums. Their debut release Sirens and Condolences established their unapologetic and self-reflective alternative punk music; a formula that has built up a loyal cult following.

“We just try and one up ourselves every time,” he admits. “I don’t know if we do, but this late in our career it is all about adding stuff to the discography. I think all of our fans have favourite records of ours and it’s sort of out of hands how they get received. We just try and one up ourselves and get excited about what we are doing… The main thing is that we just think

what Bayside is supposed to sound like and we try to maintain that Bayside sound and experiment within it.”

Bayside will be landing in Australia next month on their first headline tour of the country. For a band that has established themselves down under on festival circuits, Raneri admits that there’s nervous anticipation surrounding the tour’s reception.

“We have really only done one club tour and besides that it has been all festivals, which is really kind of small sets. So we are very mindful of the fact that there are going to be a lot of fans there that will want us to play stuff from the older records. So I don’t think we are going to come over and play all new stuff. We are going to try and cover all of the records equally.

“We are coming into this tour not knowing what to expect. Because, when really your only history there is with festivals, it’s really hard to gauge. We are just excited to go though. We get a lot of mail from over there, so we are just excited to go and see where it all stands.”

BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG Frank Iero and the Patience will be touring around the country this month. For tour dates, head to frank-iero.com

BY MICHAEL EDNEY

Vacancy is out now via Hopeless Records. Bayside will be touring Australia this month in support of the album. For tour dates, head to baysidebayside.com mixdownmag.com.au

Music Interviews

Guantanamo Baywatch Guantanamo Baywatch are an American band. That might seem like a broad term, but given their current geographical circumstances it kind of has to be. The band’s line-up is comprised of four members – vocalist/guitarist Jason Powell, bassist Chevelle Wiseman, drummer Chris Scott and guitarist Jordan Owens; who was recruited as a touring member last year – and they are currently spread across three very different parts of the land of the free.

“Chevelle still lives in Portland, Chris is moving to Los Angeles and Jordan and I both live near Phoenix,” explains Powell, calling from his home during some brief touring downtime. “To get from Portland to Phoenix is a two or three-day drive, so it makes it all really hard to properly practice. Sometimes when we’re playing shows, that’s the only time we actually see one another. We’ve taken to flying out to our dates a day early so we at least have a chance to go over what we’re going to play. It’s not easy – we’re all in our own world – but there are times where we just rock up and go for it; and sometimes it’s more fun that way. Obviously, I don’t get to see the rest of them as much as I used to, so it’s nice to all

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fly to the same place.”

May last year saw the release of Darling... It’s Too Late, the band’s second studio album. Since then, the band have hit the road fairly extensively, taking the van across their native land and flying out to select headlining dates. A constant companion in their touring of late has been The Gooch Palms, the Novocastrian garage-rock duo that relocated to Los Angeles in 2015. According to Powell, the band were told incessantly that they should team up – and that they did, resulting in a tour poster in which all five collective band members were photoshopped to look like the Power Rangers.

“We found out about those guys when we last came to Australia,” explains Powell. “It’s funny – we came all the way to Australia, and they were over in L.A. at that point. All the people we were meeting in Australia were telling us that we needed to hook up with these guys – I mean, they were in our part of the world; it only made sense. When we got back, we ended up being on the same bill for a couple of shows. We immediately became friends – they’re super cool – and we asked them to come out on tour with us because we knew it would be so much more fun if we had them around. It was awesome – I think that our two bands are a really good match. We’re not exactly the same musically, but we’re close enough that it makes sense. We’re both fun rock & roll bands, and when we get together we play fun rock & roll shows – it’s pretty simple.”

With touring in full swing since the release of Darling...

It’s Too Late, it would have been understandable if the band were primarily focused on simply touring that record until the cycle ran its course. On the contrary, however: the band is striking while the iron is hot, and Powell is already hard at work on what will be album number three.

“I’ve been at it for most of this year – I’ve been writing and recording demos, and hopefully we’ll be recording properly once we get back from Australia. We were just talking today, trying to figure out how we’re going to do it – we have to get together and learn the new

songs and we wanna play them live. We’re trying to work out where we wanna record, too, so it’s all still coming together. It’s probably too early to say what it’s going to be like, but I’m already feeling really good about it. I think it’s going to be a cool album – I’m definitely sensing it’s going to be quite different from our other albums.”

Last month saw the band return to Australia for a run of headlining dates. An appearance at Sound of The Suburbs in Cronulla highlighted their stay, where they shared the stage with the likes of DZ Deathrays, Alex Lahey and Big White. Given the overwhelmingly positive experience of their last tour, Powell and co were itching to return. “It was insane,” says Powell of their previous visit.

“Originally, we were just hit up through Facebook to see if we might be keen. It was a no-brainer for us – we were like ‘of course!’ The thing is, though, we’ve always gotten messages from randoms wanting us to play in weird cities. We kinda go along with it, but then realise it’s not happening. That’s kind of what we thought was gonna happen with Australia... then the flight tickets came and before you knew it, we were in Australia. It was such a trip. The guys bringing us out ended up being super rad, and all the shows that we played were with such stoked audiences.”

BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG

Darling... It’s Too Late is out now via Create/Control and Suicide Squeeze.

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Music Interviews

Korn Over 20 years on from when they initially emerged in a haze of downtuned riffs, seething angst and nightmarish videos, Korn are one of the true survivors of nu-metal’s birth, death and resurrection. While many of their peers burned out not long after their respective days in the sun, the Bakersfield natives continue to tour and record on a reliably-consistent basis. Still, perhaps not even the band’s truest of die-hards could have seen this coming – Korn’s twelfth album, The Serenity of Suffering, is not only their heaviest and darkest in many years, but it also happens to be one of their flat-out best LPs they’ve ever committed to record. Ray Luzier, who has served as the band’s drummer for its last few records, puts this down to guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch making his return after an eight-year absence; as well as a compromise between the band’s past and present.

“There’s definitely an old-school feel to this record,” he says. “I feel like this record really gets back to the heart and soul of what was

Lacuna Coil Goth’s not dead. Goth’s not even close to dead, thanks in no small part to bands like Lacuna Coil. Those in the know will be familiar with the Italian gothfathers, a celebrated collective who have been warping innocent minds with some of the darkest and heaviest music around for well over 20 years. But even if you haven’t encountered the band directly, you’ll surely be aware of them through the incredible influence they have had on the entire goth genre, spawning a thousand imitators in their wake.

The band’s last Antipodean trip culminated in a Soundwave showing some seven years ago. So Andrea Ferro, Lacuna Coil’s male vocalist, sees the band’s upcoming October tour as a perfect time to come back to Australia. “We’ve been wanting to come back,” says Ferro. “We needed something like Soundwave to carry us and for this time, our tour collides well with the release of the record. It’s been a combination of things [stopping us from coming]. Maybe we weren’t really available; maybe the record wasn’t doing so well.

But this, this is the right time.”

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making this band stand out in the first place, back in ‘93 and ‘94. Our last record [2013’s The Paradigm Shift] was the first record with Brian back in the band. I’d wanted that to happen for quite a while – I knew that having the original four up front again was inevitable, and that it would be really special for the band. I’m really proud of what we achieved on The Paradigm Shift, but I also feel as though it was us dipping our toes in the water to see what the band sounded like with Brian returning.

Now that we’ve had a few years of touring with this version of the line-up, it really has become a machine.”

The Serenity of Suffering was pieced together across several writing sessions last year before it was laid down in the studio earlier in 2016, with Grammywinning producer Nick Rasulinecz behind the boards.

“We were so focused,” recalls Luzier. “In 2015, we’d spend a few months on the road, a few writing new material, back and forth until the end of the year, where we’d amassed 27 songs. It was important that we made the distinction between capturing the spirit of the band’s early days and simply just copying that sound; which is something we just weren’t interested in doing.

We wanted to make it a nod to the band’s past with a modern twist to it, and I think that we achieved that.”

Luzier first entered the fold shortly after the release of the band’s untitled album in 2007. With original drummer David Silvera gone, the album’s drums were recorded by session legend Terry Bozio, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis and even Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman. When fill-in drummer Joey Jordison – of Slipknot and the Murderdolls – could not make any further touring commitments with the band, Luzier stepped up to the plate. Eventually, he would permanently take up residency on the drum stool, and has played on all of the band’s releases since then.

“The way I see it, there’s no band on the planet like Korn,” says Luzier of his involvement with the band.

“I was originally enlisted in the band just to replicate the drum parts that had already been recorded as part of the touring ensemble – and, at that point, I was honestly just happy to be a hired gun. I was getting to

play in all of these amazing places in front of all these awesome fans. Having someone on-stage that wasn’t David would have been a hard thing to process for a lot of fans – when you’ve been there from the beginning like he was, it’s so difficult to imagine someone else being in that position. I still consider myself as big a Korn fan as anyone, so no-one understood it better than me. These four guys have quite the history together, but I feel like I’ve found my groove after spending five or six years as a fully-fledged member. It’s still unreal to me that this happened – if you had told me back in the day that I’d end up touring with Korn for nearly 10 years, I’d have laughed in your face.”

Keeping in the spirit of the band’s return to a heavier and more intense sonic style after dalliances with dubstep and hip-hop, The Serenity of Suffering sees Luzier and the so-called “original four” taking on big choruses, crashing detours and a sharpened sense of dynamics. Perhaps most important for Luzier, though, was making sure that he was presenting something authentic that stayed true to the band’s sound. “For the most part, all the drums on this record were organic and were recorded live,” he says. “Nick was very detailed and very hands-on when it came to the tone of the drums on this record. He’d tell me to take a ten-minute break between pretty much every recording session so he could go in and tune the toms and the rest of the drums to his exact specifics. We didn’t trigger anything – we tried to get the drums sounding as natural as they could. Nick only implemented samples later on in the final mixes – when you’re going up against a wall of seven-string guitars and a vocalist like JD, you really want something solid that can hold its own.”

The sensuality, passion and fury with which Lacuna Coil master metal onstage has never once wavered over the course of their more than two-decade long career, even if their lineups have. The band are famous for swapping up members – they are one of those acts that have a little bandmember timeline plonked right towards the end of their Wikipedia page. That said, though their upcoming tour will feature debut Australian showings for some members, Ferro is adamant that the revolving lineup only enhances the cabaret aspect of their sets.

“We’ve had band members retiring from the music business,” he says. “Ryan Folden has been with us on drums for eight years, since our old drummer retired.

A new guitar player, Diego [Cavallotti] played lead guitars on the album and now we’re trying him on the live shows. In Asia, North America and European festivals, he worked well with us. Hopefully we’ll keep him as a permanent member of the band, but none of us are pushing the relationship. We want to work with him and see how everybody feels before we [incorporate] him fully into the next album.”

Lacuna Coil are a celebrated live act, and though each of their records has been enthusiastically embraced by fans, their real power shines onstage. “When we play, it’s a bit like a party,” Ferro says. “We want people to participate and spend their energy with us. It’s a different energy live – we’ll be debuting a lot of the new songs in Australia.

“It’s very important to offer entertainment, not just be a band that can play their songs. We’ve been playing songs live and we’ve been able to establish a different relationship with our music and our fans. When we go to play places we don’t play so often, there’s a family feel [to] the crowd. We hope that’ll be the same in Australia.

It’s like going to see a friend.”

With Delirium, the band stepped up to the plate as producers as well as performers, their bassist Marco Coti Zelati taking reins of the record. “Marco has stepped up as producer,” Ferro says. “Before this experience, he only worked with local bands in Milan; he’d never produced so much thrash as he did with our band.

“It’s been stressful for him, but it’s also been inspiring, and he’s been able to separate himself from being the musician, our friend, and [has] been good at balancing the two roles. This album needed to be produced like this. Someone coming in and giving direction would have killed the mood. But there’s a lot of pressure for sure.”

Perhaps responding to that pressure, both Ferro and female vocalist Cristina Scabbia altered their working methods. “I’ve been pushing more towards heavy vocals and she’s been pushing more to the high notes,” Ferro explains. “The music required a more extreme, in-your-face approach and more epic high notes.

It’s been very important to try this. I’ve used growl vocals in the past but [this time] it’s been good to push myself. It’s been fun to try and express myself differently. We’re learning how to expand with this different approach; it can be a challenge to make it balance [and] flow with older records.”

The creative process behind the album stretched the group not just musically but also on a personal level, with Ferro and Scabbia writing music that reflected the very darkest recesses of their soul. “Delirium is about the horrors that we must face in everyday life by exploring the unknown,” Ferro says. “One day we will hopefully find the cure to [that unknown].

“Delirium is maybe the first album where I struggled to find one song that represented the record or myself. For me it’s a trip, so I express different things on different songs. There’s a different atmosphere for [each] different song. ‘My Demons’ is a bit more personal to me, but the whole record, it’s the last two or three years of our lives put together in one album. It really is a reflection of events over the last year of my life – my demons.”

BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG The Serenity of Suffering is out October 21 via Roadrunner

BY ANNA WILSON Delirium is out now through Century Media. Lacuna Coil is touring Australia this month.

For tour dates, head to lacunacoil.it mixdownmag.com.au

Music Interviews

Every Time I Die Low Teens comes off the back of one of the darkest years for Every Time I Die. 2015 ended with a harrowing experience for Keith Buckley, who rushed home from tour to be by his wife’s side as she was facing life-threatening complications with her pregnancy. While Every Time I Die was put on hold, guitarist Andy Williams admits that there was uncertainty around the future of the band.

“Honestly when this year started I was very doubtful the band was even going to keep continuing on,” Williams explains. “We weren’t really talking about it and basically we just wanted to have our family stuff figured out and then move on from there. Keith had a really bad end to the year. Just the band in general though, we were all in a really dark place.”

The darkest moments for Every Time I Die – and in particular Buckley – is now behind them. Buckley’s wife and daughter both survived the ordeal, and in a matter of months the band were back in the studio recording Low Teens.

“The minute we got that first email from Keith that was like ‘Okay guys, what do you want to do?’ We all were pretty excited to get to

G-FACTORY-2016-10.indd 1

mixdownmag.com.au

it. We were just super motivated to write like when we were kids – I think that is where the name Low Teens came from.”

Youth is an ironic theme for the album, considering that ETID is nearing two decades in the business. It is the reflection of Williams’ teenage years that shapes the aggressiveness of Low Teens. The guitarist reveals that in order to compose the record he situates himself in an appropriately nostalgic environment.

“I go down in my basement and I have this shitty little old TV/VCR thing, and I either watch old wrestling videos or old skate videos and I just pick up my guitar and riff. The usual tapes I go to are like Summerslam ’96 or Summerslam ’98, or like old Japanese death match kind of stuff.”

“The very first song I wrote for the record was ‘Petal’. I think that set the bar for Low Teens. It was a cool riff and was kind of the benchmark for us to try and beat every time.”

With a writing process like his, it’s no surprise that Williams is an aspiring pro wrestler. The famed guitarist recently lived his boyhood dream, stepping into the ring at an Ohio wrestling event. Videos quickly surfaced online of Williams annihilating a local tag-team with a mean double clothesline. Williams admits that if his body holds up, he will continue to live his lifelong dream.

“I had to look like some indestructible creature, so I really sold the Double Suplex on that,” explains Williams on his recent in-ring action. “Before Every Time I Die were a band I was actually training to become a pro wrestler, but I ended up blowing my knee out. It kind of gave me enough time to write a whole bunch of songs and then Every Time I Die started.”

The classic dirty southern rock tone is a defining feature of Every Time I Die’s sound. For such a gritty tone, one would think Williams and fellow guitarist Jordan Buckley rely on a bunch of distortion and overdrive pedals, however there are just two ingredients in the ETID recipe.

“The biggest thing with Every Time I Die is Marshall,”

Williams explains. “I’m not saying that because we are endorsed, but that has just been our sound since we started. Jordan and I have been playing through Marshall 800s since the first day of ETID. I think literally that and maybe a Tube Screamer are our two secret weapons. You give us a Tube Screamer and a Marshall 800 and we can put an Every Time I Die show on.”

With doubt over the band’s existence past 2015, it is fair to assume that Every Time I Die may be nearing the end. Despite admitting that they are now “grown ups,” Williams explains that by playing it smart, they have plenty of years ahead of them.

“I think for one we have to be conscious of children now, as we have two kids involved,” he says. “For the most part though, it’s just ‘go, go, go’. We are obviously are going to have a few ways to tour now. I think one of the ways is to do the East Coast (in the US), then take a break and do the West Coast. Instead of doing it in one big swoop. We just have to be smarter about touring. I would say we are kicking pretty strong. “

BY MICHAEL EDNEY

Low Teens is out now via Epitaph Records. Every Time I Die will be touring Australia with letlive. in January. For more details, head to everytimeidie.net

21/09/2016 4:30 pm

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Music Interviews

Steve Wilson Steven Wilson might not pack out arenas, nor make the kind of music that is inherently accessible; and yet he now finds himself in a position where is comfortably able to tour the world. On top of that, his last three solo albums have all charted within the top 100 of five different European countries, as well as in the United States and his native United Kingdom. The man who has been described as a king in the world of both progressive rock and heavy metal is currently toward the end of a tour cycle in support of his fourth studio album, entitled Hand. Cannot. Erase. He speaks highly of his current backing band, who have been with him in this line-up for just over a year now and have managed to lock in with Wilson as a live performer in a big way.

“Honestly, you could put the best musicians in the world together, and they would just have no chemistry,” he says. “You really have to find a group of musicians that actually gel together, and it takes time. It could take up to 25 shows for a group to really lock in and

How To Dress Well Over the last six years, journalists have never failed to mention the fact that How To Dress Well mastermind Tom Krell is working towards a PhD in continental philosophy.

It’s an intriguing biographical detail – and he is indeed still working on that PhD – but he won’t be making a full time shift into academia any time soon. “[Music] is 100% my real passion,” says Krell. “The thing I care about the most is doing this music project. It’s just made me so happy over the last five, six years. I feel so fucking blessed to have found this thing to do that I love so much.”

Krell’s passionate investment in How To Dress Well is reflected in his creative self-confidence. Speaking with The BRAG magazine after the release of 2014’s What Is This Heart?, he said, “If I had to say which record I thought was the best of this year, it would be mine.” But such statements shouldn’t be mistaken for arrogance.

For one thing, Krell is an undeniably hard worker, and he’s graciously appreciative of his ongoing success.

“That’s part of what brings me so much joy from it – when you start to work towards a dream and then it’s matching up and 26

communicate properly as a unit.” By the same token, he acknowledges their fleeting nature, given he works as a musician under his own name. “I’m no longer dutybound to write for and play with the same musicians,” he continues. “That can be liberating – but it can also be problematic. It cuts both ways, you see. I’m not in a position to pay people a retainer so that they’re always around – I’m not Paul McCartney or anything like that.

I can’t rely on musicians always being available to me.

It comes with the territory, as they say.”

Wilson, for the uninitiated, first rose to prominence as the lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter of Porcupine Tree, who achieved a cult status within England’s metal scene and upheld a solid reputation until their eventual dissolution in 2010. Although Wilson is constantly queried on whether or not he will make like the Blues Brothers and put the band back together, he makes it pretty clear that he’s much more comfortable doing things on his own terms. “Porcupine Tree started off a solo project, and it was whatever I wanted to do,” he explains. “As it gradually became more of a band, it became inevitably more of a democratic unit. I just felt like that wasn’t for me – truthfully, I’m a control freak and I have to be captain of the ship. That’s difficult for other people within the fold of a band, which lead me to conclude that Porcupine Tree was an experiment. By ending that experiment, I was able to go back to what I feel has always been my true calling; which is to be a solo artist.”

Wilson doesn’t sit idle between touring commitments.

As well as beginning to prepare for his next solo album, he also recently put together an EP, entitled 4½, which is intended to bridge the gap between albums by compiling some discarded songs from previous album sessions and allowing them to have a moment to be appreciated. “I’m sure I’m not the only one that does this, but when I’m working towards a new record I tend to end up with a surplus of new material to work with,” says Wilson.

“It’s not necessarily about picking the best material, it’s about picking what works best together –

particularly when you’re doing as I do, making albums with a conceptual side to them. With all four of my solo records, there are always songs that I am still proud of that didn’t necessarily fit within the tracklisting and thus did not make the cut. With 4½, I was able to put together a collection of what I called my ‘orphans’ – the songs that didn’t fit into the grand concept of my last few records, but songs I wanted to have their moment in the sun. I felt it was a good way to mop up, if you will, between the release of Hand.

Cannot. Erase. and what will become my fifth album. I believe in this material just as much as I believe in the material on my major projects – the only difference is that they just weren’t able to fit in elsewhere.”

September will see Wilson and his band performing in Australia for the first time in three years. It will mark Wilson’s fourth visit to Australia overall, and he intends to make up for lost time between tours. “The show is completely different now to the last time that myself and my band were last playing in Australia,” he says. “Probably only two or three songs remain in the set from that period. The production is on a much higher level, and I have two different musicians that are travelling with me from the ones that were with me last time around. Anyone who has seen me play in the past will be getting something really new – and if people haven’t seen me play before, I feel like it’s the best time to come and see the show.”

it’s producing itself in reality, it’s kind of a thrilling feeling,” he says.

Just as you’d expect from someone engaged in a philosophy doctorate, Krell’s not interested in doing things by halves. Nor would he release anything he didn’t completely believe in, which is certainly the case with his new LP, Care.

“I always take very seriously and want to treat with a lot of respect the fact that I’m not putting something out just for myself,” he says. “As my audience has built, [I’ve just been trying] to do something very good for the people who have invested so much time and energy into my project. With this record, I cannot fucking wait to get it to people. I’m so proud of it and so happy to share it.”

From the moment of pressing play, Care envelops the listener in a joyous and celebratory space. Although Krell demonstrated an affinity for pop music on his first three albums, with shiny hooks rising to the fore on What Is This Heart?, Care is a collection of parade pop melodies and sensual rhythms. The record features production from the likes of Jack Antonoff (fun., Taylor Swift), Dre Skull, CFCF and Kara-Lis Coverdale, who help spotlight the vocal and lyrical hooks.

“A lot has changed in my life in the last couple of years, spiritually, psychically, where I’m way happier and more secure in myself than ever before,” Krell says.

“It sounds cheesy, but I’ve come to realise that there are things that I like in life – like I want love, I want sex, I want good feelings and I want to claim them with real authority. I think that personal voyage has material consequences in the kinds of choices I make musically.”

This personal development is reflected in the album’s lyrics, which largely concern human emotions, interpersonal interactions and self-understanding.

A major theme is the crucial importance of selfunderstanding and self-acceptance in having healthy relationships with others. These aren’t unusual themes to appear in pop songs, but what’s unique is the

reasonable and direct tone Krell displays on Care.

“I think if one wanted to, one could do a psychoanalytic case study on my album arc so far – the four albums – and the way that art has allowed me personally to work through a lot of stuff. Now when the songs are sad, they’re not this swirling, inchoate, inarticulate sadness. They’re directly facing the sadness, directly grappling with my desires.

“Instead of being like, ‘I think I want this, I think I want that,’ now the songs say, ‘This is what I want and this is how I’m going to get it, and I can’t wait to have it.’ Or ‘This is what I want but I know it’s wrong.’ I feel like I have a much more direct relationship with myself now and I put myself through a lot less hell.”

Krell singles out one song on Care that typifies his newly realised inner clarity. “I used to think that the only way to honour an experience was to take a poetic path. I think that the most profoundly poetic thing I’ve ever written is the long chorus on ‘Made A Lifetime’ where I say ‘I’ll always be indebted to how warm skin is / If you ever want to feel it let me know.’ I used to think I had to blow things up and destroy things in order to touch reality. Part of the reason I called the record Care is because care for me is nurturing for growth. You can’t just destroy yourself to get a poetic image. You have to then live the next day.

“This calmness I’ve developed in myself over the last few years, it’s brought me way more happiness and way more pleasure and clarity of vision, clarity of feeling.”

BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG

Hand. Cannot. Erase. is out now via Kscope. Steven Wilson will be touring nationally next month, for more information visit tombowler.com.au

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

Care is out now via Weird World/Domino

mixdownmag.com.au

Music Interviews

The Nation Blue Few bands make it to twenty years. Fewer still reach that milestone and have the strength to push forward and create arguably their best material. It’s been a trying slog for The Nation Blue. The band formed in Hobart during the mid-nineties, cutting their teeth within the insular framework of the city’s underground punk-rock scene. Not many bands find success in Hobart; it’s tight to the point of claustrophobic yet it breeds a unique artistic vision caught up in isolation.

Tom Lyncolgn has this vision; the man that fronts The Nation Blue holds nothing back. Garnering a cult following due to their visceral live shows, Lyncolgn’s on stage persona invites danger and despair, whilst his lyrics are a harrowing reflection from his own-mirrored image, and his guitar style is akin to a sonic assault. “The physical intensity just comes from years of repeated abuse, doing the same thing night after night and people expect to see it so you’ve got to up the stakes,” he admits. When talking with Lyncolgn one can immediately recognise the difference between the performance and

the man. To speak to, he is refreshingly modest and makes constant references to his day job as a carpenter and new born child.

Lyncolgn doesn’t seem to be in any mood to reflect on the positives of the band’s achievement. “I look up at a lot of the venues around the country and there’s always some evidence that we’ve played there,” Lyncolgn explains. This is the closest I get to a celebratory statement from him, and while I sense no shame, it’s immediately evident that twenty years with the band has taken its toll. “I’ve had to take stock on a few of the things I’ve done over the years, physically… We did a gig in Sydney where I completely destroyed the roof, I got yanked off stage by bouncer and it took a while for everything to calm down,” he reflects. So how does one destroy an entire roof? “Ah you take your guitar and just repeatedly smash it through the roof until it just rains asbestos,” he replies, completely deadpan.

Ever the gentlemen, Lyncolgn did offer to repair the damages.

After a seven year hiatus, the band now embarks upon a new era. With each member fresh from other musical projects, their twentieth anniversary managed to coincide with not one but two new albums, Black and Blue. So why did the band decide to release two albums at once? “I had a child halfway through the process and had a lot of downtime and I found a formula that really worked for me, so cranking out 29-30 songs was pretty easy to be honest… We had the time and the resources and realised we had two distinct records sitting there so let’s put them out.”

Whilst both Black and Blue maintain the unnerving punk stamp of their earlier records, the differences between the two albums are the themes that they imbibe. “Black is definitely the one that when lyrics started coming through, they were political, whilst with Blue they are more personal… It’s a real cluster fuck on Blue, a lot more personal stuff,” Lyncolgn admits.

These dark themes are the similar to what Lyncolgn has explored before and after so many years of writing in this vein, Lyncolgn wonders if he fears he’ll go stale.

“I’m pretty fastidious with the lyrics,” he says. “I’m always wary if they drag on but I got on a couple of roll, here that I was pretty happy with but I’m about 160 songs deep with all the bands I’ve been in so I’m starting to run out things to say that’s for sure.”

Perhaps it’s the burden of being around for so long, something few punk-rock musicians experience.

Fortunately years of touring and recording have given him the chance to get to a place in which he seems to feel solace with his artistic vision. “Over the years, [your] perspective changes a bit but beyond that, there are a few things. There are definitely a few themes that have been overused and you have to be a master of disguise to dress those things up in a different wig to make them sound different,” Lyncolgn explains. But we dwell on this for too long, because while the band is known for their sombre views on themselves and the society in which they live, it’s the music that makes them such an enthralling spectacle.

The Nation Blue will commence their album tour in October, a short run of three east coast shows and the hometown show in Hobart. Lyncolgn is unsure what will happen afterwards though. “I don’t know how long the period of activity is going to last for, this time we’re just rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing so that for the limited amount of shows we’re doing there’ll be as much bang for your buck as possible.” Don’t fret, it’s unlikely the band will end here but it is arguably their best phase.

The Nation Blue are older and wiser though they’ve never lost their edge, something few bands that reach the twenty year milestone can say for themselves.

BY ALEX PINK Black and Blue will both be released on October 14 via Poison City Records.

The Nation Blue is touring around Australia this month.

For more details, head to thenationblue.com

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27

Advice Columns GUITAR

Let’s Make a Blues One of the most common and important chord progressions in music is the 12-Bar Blues.

Figure A shows the basic progression in the key of E Major. Hopefully you’ll know at least one chord shape/voicing for E, A and B7. And for those of you that are a little more advanced feel free to try different voicings (barre chords etc.) all over the neck.

Let’s now create a lead line or set of licks that fit over these chords. Don’t worry, we’ll start fairly simple this month and then build it up over the next few lessons. Figure B takes the first 4 bars of the progression and uses a repeated 2-bar phrase. A combination of crotchets and quavers, you can try playing it straight or swung (as we discussed last month). All of these notes come from the E Minor Pentatonic Scale.

Figure C fits over bars 5 to 9 and incorporates both the A and E chords. Notice the C# on beat 3 of the first bar. This is the 3rd from the A Major chord and is a great way of outlining its sound. The last two bars revert to more of an E sound that then work over E Major (E7 to be more specific but don’t worry about that for now).

Figure D handles the last four bars of the 12-Bar Blues and contains the most movement chord-wise. Bar 1 uses a D# and F# (the 3rd and 5th respectively of a B Major chord) and Bar 2 plays the same pattern over an A Major chord (with A, C# and E). Bar 3 is back to the opening theme from Figure B and the last bar then uses notes from the B7 chord.

As mentioned earlier the rhythms and note values are quite easy as a starting point. But, this 12-bar lead line/lick/solo fits the chord progression and starts to point you in the direction of learning and hopefully creating your own ideas. We’ll discuss the note and scale choices a little more next month and ramp up the difficulty a touch!

BY NICK BROWN

BASS GUITAR

More 12-Bar ideas As an extension to our 12-Bar Blues discussion/ideas last month, let’s take some of these licks and patterns a little further. Figure A is a funkier line that fits over a G Major chord (or G7) and works nicely with a straight feel. One of the great things about bass is the ability to move a pattern or riff quickly. So Figure A works over G? And it starts on a G note, as it doesn’t use open strings? If C is the next chord in our progression, it’s then as simple as moving Figure A to start on a C note, which gives us Figure B. So moving/transposing the same line from Figure A and Figure B up gives us Figure C. Obviously it’s great to learn the actual notes you’re playing, the relationship to the chord you’re playing over and then be able to play them anywhere (not just in shapes or patterns). But as mentioned earlier, that is also one great advantage of bass guitar in terms of positions and being able to move things easily – so why not embrace it?

Figure D is some quick transposing/shape moving practice. This time a 12-Bar Blues in B Major, which gives us B, E and F# as our I, IV and V chords. There is more than one spot to play this line, but let’s jump up the neck to start on B in the 7th fret on the E string. Then it’s just as easy as moving these shapes to each of the correct starting notes!

Chromatic notes can be a cool method of joining chords/lines together. Taking the first four bars of Figure D, we can keep the same bass line for the first three bars. Bar four is still on the B chord but is going to an E chord, so let’s chromatically move from B to E keeping a similar rhythm. Check out Figure E. Figure F takes bars 5 – 9. Bar 5 on the E chord is the same as previously whilst Bar 6 stays on the A# for an extra quaver, meaning that the chromatic move up a semitone for the next bar starts us on B – the root note of the B Major chord (this time played up the octave for some variation). Bar 7 is unchanged, but Bar 8 uses a similar concept to the last bar of Figure E. This time we end on an E# (also known as F natural) to prepare us for the next bar which starts on F#.

The last four bars of our 12-Bar Blues progression can be seen in Figure G. Bar 9 is an F# Major chord, so we’ve taken an F# Major arpeggio and spread it over the same rhythm with the last two notes being F# and then F natural (a chromatic movement), which takes us to E on the first beat of Bar 10. We can play our line on E getting to B for Bar 11 and then the same last bar over the F# chord as Figure D. There are tonnes of possible variations when you then consider changing rhythms, substituting chords and changing keys. Have a play through these examples slowly as a start and we’ll expand the idea of rhythms and substitutions next month!

BY NICK BROWN

28

mixdownmag.com.au

Advice Columns DJ

Turning The Tables On Technique There is no doubt that we are in the middle of yet another vinyl revolution with record stores again stocking more and more vinyl, as CDs seem to be dying a slow death in the digital era.

Because of this, we are seeing an upturn of people either returning to their turntables, or purchasing turntables for the first time. Funny as it may seem, there are plenty of DJs out there that have never used a turntable, or may have only began to do so recently. So, it is important to understand the basic rules when setting up your turntable to ensure you get the best from it. It isn’t as simple as installing some drivers and calibrating a jog wheel on your controller, and there are certain fundamentals that need to be adhered to in order to have this mechanical device working properly. So, let’s see what many new users, and returned users, of turntables need to know before they spin that wheel.

THE HEADSHELL The very start of your signal chain when you consider how the audio signal travels from the record to the speakers is all housed within the headshell. This is the business end of your turntable; therefore it’s very important to ensure it is set up correctly. The headshell houses your cartridge and stylus, and none of these three components can operate without the other. The stylus is the very front section where the needle itself protrudes. This needs to be correctly seated into the cartridge so the signal is passed along properly. The cartridge is mounted to the underside of the headshell and can be adjusted forwards and backwards to suit. Setting the cartridge too far back will cause the four connecting wires to bunch up and can result in shorting your signal, and setting it too far forward will have it sitting right out in front of the headshell, with little protection. Height adjustment can also be made here with spacers to ensure that the specific stylus used extends low enough for the cartridge and headshell to sit flat. Many turntables come with this all pre-wired, but some don’t and every DJ will have to learn how to set up a cartridge and headshell eventually when a replacement is needed, so it is always good to fully understand all the elements in this section of the unit.

THE TONEARM Ensuring your tonearm is properly set up is possibly the most important element of your turntable’s balance, as it is this mechanism that guides the headshell and ensures the stylus is kept aligned with the grooves of the record. What you want to achieve is a tonearm that sits level on the horizontal plane. If it is angled up, the needle will be pulled against the edge

of the groove causing it to pop out. If it is angled down, it will place undue pressure on the needle, damaging your records and wearing the needle. So, a careful balance between the adjustments at the base of the tonearm mechanism and the spacing rings within the headshell should be achieved to ensure all elements are level, with the tonearm perfectly parallel to the platter.

Every turntable is a little different in setting up the mechanism, so read the manual if you are unsure of how to do this correctly.

As well as maintaining a level tonearm, you need to ensure that correct weight balance is applied to it. Too little weight towards the cartridge and the needle will skip out of the grooves; too much weight and it will bury down and cause wear.

GETTING CONNECTED Most turntables only have analogue connections, although some modern ones also have USB outputs. However, generally you will be connecting your turntable to a mixer or controller with the two RCA connectors that run from beneath the turntable. These carry a signal that is at Phono level and as such need to be connected to a Phono preamp. Simply pluging this into a line level input will not

work as the result will be a tinny sound with no low frequencies and very little volume.

So, you need to ensure your turntable is connected to the Phono input of your mixer or controller. If one is not available, compact Phono preamps can be sourced. ART make one that is housed in a box not unlike many DI boxes and it sells for less than $100.

Be sure to pay attention to the third connector wire coming from your turntable in this process. This is the earth or ground wire and needs to be connected to the ground point on your mixer, controller or preamp. It may be in the form of a bear termination of wire, although they often have a small Y termination on the end to allow it to be clamped into the ground clamps on a mixer. If you fail to properly connect this wire as well as your left and right audio signals, you’ll end up with all manners of ground hum and a signal that sounds terrible. Just remember, when setting up your turntable you need to take a few things into consideration to have it operate at its best, that way you will get to enjoy the benefits of vinyl and its sound to the fullest.

BY ROB GEE

KEYS

Underappreciated Gems of the Second Hand Market The synthesiser market has exploded with new and affordable products over the last 10 years. Although demand for those original ‘80s vintage synths hasn’t seemed to have waned any great deal, there’s some truly excellent late ‘90s and early ‘00s bits of kit sitting on the second hand market dying to be tinkered with. Pre-2010, the analogue resurgence was a mere gleam in the eye of cranky Internet forum members and a lot of synths tended to be feature-laden (expensive) workhorses. Here are a few worth looking at that can be had for a fraction of their original RRP. KORG RADIAS Released in 2006, Korg’s Radias synth was the follow-up to the MS2000 (also worth a look) and their answer to Access’ Virus and Nord Lead ranges that were dominating the market at the time. It never seemed to quite gain the hype that it deserved though and they still seem to float under the radar on the used market. The capabilities of this thing are immense. 24 voices, four part multitimbral, two filters per timbre, per-part effects plus master effects, two 32-step sequencers (or one 64-step), arpeggiator, vocoder, drums, modulation sequencing, tons of knobs for hands on control... I could fill a page with all the stuff the thing can do. So what was its undoing? Well, a lot of reviews said it didn’t sound analogue. Boringgggg. It may not sound like a CS80, but there are sound-sculpting capabilities for days here; you’d be hard pressed to not make a handful of sounds you don’t like. Their original RRP was over $2000 in Australia – expect to pay a fraction of that these days if you’re lucky.

ROLAND MC909 The MC909 was Roland’s final ‘groovebox’ of the MC series; a last ditch attempt to pack as much sequencing, synth and sampling power into a box to convince people that you don’t need a computer to make music. With 64 voices, 16 part multitimbral, a unique four tone sample-based synthesiser engine, huge screen (for the time and now), sampling, plenty of hands on control, incredible effects and tons more, it was a solid alternative to the computers of 2003. But you can’t stop progress, especially when it comes to laptop power.

With Ableton Live software coming into existence with its superior time stretching and various other exciting features for beat-makers, the humbler MC909 fell by the wayside.

However, it still does a lot of really great sounds. Skip over the incredibly dated hardcore/ mixdownmag.com.au

trance patterns, plug a MIDI keyboard in and get jamming – it’s particularly suited for cruisey, down-tempo and ambient music with some beautiful reverbs. Again, RRP was over $2000, but don’t expect to pay anywhere near that now.

ACCESS VIRUS B The Virus B is another that floats under the radar, with most second hand buyers going for the better spec’d Virus C or TI; the B can be had for a steal. In its day back in 1999, the Virus was the absolute bee’s knees of synths, so there are tons of them around and they’re still a solid sounding

and spec’d unit in 2016. With 24 voices, three oscillators + sub oscillators per voice, 82 simultaneous effects (gasp), two filters, five FM modes, 16 part multitimbral; there isn’t much this bad boy can’t do.

In essence, it’s a ‘virtual-analogue’ synth, and does a pretty good job of your classic sounds and them some. The RRP was somewhere way in the sky, but these days, not so much.

Happy bargain hunting!

BY MICHAEL CUSACK

29

Advice Columns HOME STUDIO

The Home Vocal Booth We have all seen footage from recording studios, or even been in studios, where a dedicated booth is set up just for recording vocal tracks. It would be nice to have the space (and money) to build a decent sized vocal booth at home, but most of us are not in any position to do that. So, a little bit of creativity is needed in order to create an environment that works well for recording vocals and getting a professional result. For this, we are going to create the ‘home vocal booth’, something that will get the MacGyver in all of us ready to make do with what we have at hand.

THE SEPARATE ROOM The most obvious aspect of the classic studio vocal booth is that it is a different room to the mixing desk, outboard gear and computer. Of course, there is a multi-layered window in between the two and communication is done through the microphone and headphones.

But, unless you are prepared to knock a hole in the wall between two bedrooms and drop in a double glazed window for good measure, this isn’t really an ‘at home’ option. However, achieving separation from the recording gear and your microphone is still possible without permanent modifications to the house. The use of a simple stage box and loom will allow you to set up a microphone and headphones in another room for recording, with all the cables slid under the door if such space allows for it. I’d suggest using a wardrobe – if one that is big enough can be an option – or using the bathroom. And yes, I know this sounds mad, but whilst setting up a vocal mic in the bathroom can give you all sorts of problems with reflections, it can also bring in some natural reverb and character that you would not get from a very dead acoustic space like a wardrobe. Making good use of the vibrant environment created by the hard surfaces in a bathroom can result in some great effects on your vocals that you may not have previously considered.

WORKING WITHIN THE ONE SPACE If you are confined to the one room and have to keep you cable runs to a minimum, it is still very easy to operate straight out of your audio interface for monitoring and recording.

The key is to ensure that your computer, the greatest source of noise in the room, is going to be situated in the microphone’s blind spot as far as the pickup pattern goes. Generally this will mean having the computer behind the microphone and at as great a distance as the room and cables allow for. Using a remote transport controller for your computer will enable you to cue, record arm and hit the play button from your microphone position without having to jump back and forth to the computer. A long USB cable can power and operate most devices that can handle this job, so it is an easy setup. I have used an old

PreSonus Faderport for just such a purpose for over ten years now and have found it to be one of the most invaluable tools in my studio.

Ensuring the microphone is in the best acoustic environment for this application does not necessarily mean renovating your room or building a cubby house around the vocal position. There are a number of microphone shields designed for just this purpose. The two that first come to mind are the SE Electronics Reflexion Filter and the Aston Halo. Both of these units serve to house the microphone and protect it from unwanted reflections from around the room, ensuring that the direct signal from your voice is what the microphone hears and very little else. With one of these reflection filters set up on the microphone stand, you can easily ensure that any noise from the computer is kept out of the recording by locating it behind the filter. It’s always a good idea to take into consideration the wall directly behind your vocal position when you are setting up your microphone. This will reflect some of your voice back into the microphone at a slightly delayed interval to the direct signal, so it is best to have your

microphone set up at a slight angle to the rear wall. Nothing too drastic is required, just a 15 or 20 degree angle to ensure and reflected signals don’t go straight back onto the microphone’s capsule and result in problems from standing waves. The same goes for the floor and the ceiling.

If both are hard surfaces and you truly want to deaden your sound, then you should consider placing a rug beneath the microphone stand. This will not only remove any sound bouncing up and down in the room around the microphone, but can also act as another layer of isolation from unwanted vibrations through your microphone stand.

Of course, it would be nice to have the professional vocal booth built into a spare room in your house, but it usually isn’t possible. That does not mean you can’t get professional results at home though. With a little preparation, some careful microphone placement and the aid of a good reflection filter, your microphone is going to sound its best every time.

P – as a groove. It just sounds funky and is very useable.

My suggestion with all of these ideas is to practice slowly, thinking carefully about keeping those non-accents soft. It’s really crucial to the overall sound. Also think about your up strokes from those non-accents as being lifts to the next accent – be it a tom or a crash. If you’re struggling getting up to speed, it’ll most likely be either because you’re not bouncing the double stroke or trying to play it too hard, or you’re not really preparing for the next accent. For example, after the

soft double stroke (LL) in the first part of the sticking, the next left hand stroke is an accent so it really needs to lift up into position for this. If you don’t lift, you’ll need to play and accent but your left hand will be in the down position from when it played those ghost notes. Preparation is the key.

I hope you get something out of these. I love these types of stickings and there are other combinations, so have fun!

BY ROB GEE

DRUMS

Two Very Handy Inward Paradiddle Stickings I love the Inward Paradiddle. I find the standard paradiddle especially can have a sound that’s a little predictable. By this, I mean that if you were to use the standard single paradiddle – RLRR LRLL and execute it all over the drums, it can sound like you’re using a paradiddle because, depending on how it’s played of course, the single paradiddle has that straight up vibe where the double strokes are on down beats. To get around this and for the reason that I just think they sound cooler and flow better, here are two very handy stickings and some applications that use the inward paradiddle.

If you start to apply accents to the single strokes within the paradiddle, they tend to just fall in a way that sounds groovier and even gives you a nicer backbeat. In addition to this, when you’ve got your hands around the sticking, the flow you can create around the drums is very natural and more musical – at least to my ears anyway.

The key to this is the opening part of the sticking where the double stroke is in the middle or inside of the group of four semiquavers – hence the name. The double stroke actually allows time (believe it or not) for the single strokes to be in position for the accents and the sound that is produced is very natural. If you look at our first sticking (Fig A), you can see there is no accent on the backbeat (beat two and four). As we begin to move through the variations provided, by putting the accents onto toms and cymbals, you’ll be able to hear a phrase developing on 1 e + a. I think of it as quite Latin in some ways.

Usually, the standard approach is to put right hand accents on the floor tom and left hand accents on the rack tom (Fig B). You can also do the same thing on the cymbals – right hand accent on ride and left hand on crash (Fig C). However, this can be a little predictable and monotonous too after a while. So figures D through to H try to apply the sticking in a more musical way and both hands can play anywhere on the kit. Though, to be honest, the left hand is more inclined to be on the snare and hats. I’ve also applied the sticking as a cool groove at figure H where the right hand stays on the hi-hat.

Figure two is perhaps my favourite inward paradiddle sticking of all time (Fig I). The only main difference compared to sticking one is the absence of an accent on beat three and the presence of one on beat four giving us a nice filthy backbeat, of which you can easily feel and think of as you’re playing.

Figures J and K are the standard affair – accents on toms and cymbals in the usual manor. As with the first sticking, I’ve used figures L to P as a way of expressing ideas that try capturing some of the Steve Gadd flow. These are the very sticking ideas I would use myself. Good things happen when the right hand accents move to the left side of the kit etc. I particularly like figure 30

BY ADRIAN VIOLI mixdownmag.com.au

Features

BEHIND THE SCENES:

Silent Opera: The Eighth Wonder This month the Sydney Opera House will host the world premiere of The Eighth Wonder – a brand new production from Opera Australia, and the world’s first large-scale, live silent opera. In this unprecedented event, the main cast will perform on the Opera House steps with the audience positioned in the forecourt, listening to the show through Audio-Technica headphones.

An optimal audio setup is essential to ensure The Eighth Wonder isn’t just a functional experiment, but a truly unique event. Norwest Productions are responsible for the sound design, which involves greater detail than what you’d find at a traditional opera performance within a controlled theatre setting. Norwest have supplied audio for the majority of Opera Australia’s previous outside operas, including five hugely successful years of Opera on the Harbour.

The silent opera will implement the same control system and miking techniques as Opera on the Harbour, though in this instance the orchestra and the chorus will actually be playing inside the Opera House.

“They’re in a venue called the Studio inside the Opera House,” says Norwest’s Adrian Riddell. “There’s a large input list for the orchestra. There’s 68 individual orchestra lines coming back through most front of house and monitors. Everything is individually miked. There’s close mics and some ambient microphones as well.”

The Opera House steps will used as the stage. You obviously don’t want the cast members to be worried about being able to hear the orchestra or hear themselves singing – rather, they need to be completely comfortable with the sound arrangement so that they can perform the mixdownmag.com.au

opera to their full potential.

“We have 16 principal speaking and singing cast members and each one of those has a main and a backup microphone that’s transmitted wirelessly,” Riddell says.

“We’ve now done five years of outdoor opera where the opera singers have to wear in-ear monitors. The first Opera on the Harbour was the first time any of these singers had worn in-ear monitors and they were completely freaked out by it initially. We’ve done a lot of work with the singers and getting them accustomed to knowing they’re not just getting a generic mix. They’ve all got their own mix, so they can have as much strings or as much glockenspiel as they want for any particular scene.”

Wireless technology will also be utilised so that the 3000 audience members can listen to the opera through high-fidelity RE700 Audio-Technica headphones. The aim is to envelop listeners in sound, and if all goes according to plan, The Eighth Wonder should provide a more defined and dynamic sonic experience than any opera you’ve ever attended.

However, when the concept was initially raised, it was in response to some practical restrictions affecting outdoor performances at the Opera House.

“The opera house forecourt in recent times has come under a lot of public criticism for their amplified music,” Riddell says. “They recently had a series of concerts down there and there were a lot of complaints from the residents, which then forced the events to turn their systems down, which made all of the punters very unhappy. There was unhappiness on both sides.

“We knew this had come up and they said to us, ‘We want to put this opera on the steps.’ Our design had the PA pointing directly at the [residents], so Tony [David Cray, sound designer/mix engineer] did some tests. We just weren’t going to get the level that we were after and what was going to make our bosses at Opera Australia happy. We gave them a demonstration of what the level would be with these restrictions and it just wasn’t loud enough.

“Then there was just this flippant comment, ‘Why don’t we have a silent opera?’ And I give credit to Opera Australia and [Artistic Director] Lyndon Terracini; they’re quite open to stepping outside the box with their productions. When this came about, they thought it was fantastic.”

Not only does the silent opera guarantee they won’t breach the noise restrictions; it also lets every audience member control their own volume level. “Everyone has a different taste on how soft or how loud they like to sit and listen to music. So why not give each individual person that ability to make it louder or softer to their own taste? So we killed two problems with the one stone.”

In view of these two advantages, the silent opera doesn’t seem like a compromise whatsoever. The Eighth Wonder is something of a celebration of the Sydney Opera House – it focuses on the tumultuous circumstances that surrounded the building’s construction, illustrating the enormous hurdles that

needed to be overcome. The Opera House is an innovative structure and a haven of world class performing art. By embracing advanced sound design plus similar technologies in staging, projection, lighting and 3D printing, The Eighth Wonder will be a demonstration of ongoing technological and artistic innovation.

“There’s projection, there’s inflatable pieces in it. You don’t normally get that in other operas. When we first thought of the idea, Tony and I went and did a bit of research and we can’t find anywhere else in the world that’s had the scale of this kind of silent event. There have been plenty of smaller silent disco type things, but not an opera.”

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY The Eighth Wonder will take place at the Forecourt, Sydney Opera House from October 28 – November 5.

For more details on the RE700 Audio-Technica headphones, head to audio-technica.com.au

31

Features BRAND FOCUS:

Divine Noise Cables For every piece of guitar gear or equipment exists a manufacturer or a local dealer responsible for producing the benchmark. Not the designer of the most talked about model or the brand leading market turnover, but rather the maker who simply relies on the quality of their product to do the talking. For guitar cables, this is Divine Noise. Used by the likes of J Mascis, Jack White and our very own Tame Impala, the Portland, Oregon manufacturer is a musician’s definitive choice for dependability and cultivating tone. Behind the niche dealer is owner and engineer Gil Divine – a former guitar tech for the likes of Yo La Tengo and Lucinda Williams – who turned to producing cables with the know-how and knowledge to do it exceedingly well.

“Basically, in my experience you can’t play an electric guitar without a cable. And you can’t play an electric guitar with a broken cable,” he says. “Reliability to me has always been first and foremost. That’s why I still continue today to make every single cable… Because of reliability. You know, our cables, they don’t fail.

“Every once in a while we get a cable return that’s literally been beaten to hell, but it’s really rare that we get a cable that’s broken. I could probably count on one hand, in [the] seven or eight years that we’ve been around, how many cables we’ve had break. I still have cables that bands that I used to work for still tour with today. Yo La Tengo, most of their cables are from 2003 that are still in use today. That says a lot – I don’t know any other cable company that can say that.”

The beauty of Divine Noise’s success stems from the fact that it’s a word of mouth operation; one that continues to defy the lack of attention musicians tend to pay to cables. Evidenced by the fact that one of our biggest indie exports, Tame Impala, initiated a relationship with the sought after manufacturer.

‘Tame Impala’s been with us [since] their record, Lonerism… The one that really broke them came out,” Divine explains. “So that was four years ago, maybe five years ago. And they’ve used our stuff ever since. The important thing [is] all of our endorsers, they use our cables but everybody pays for them – we don’t give out free cables… So in order to support us everybody pays for cables. So those bands they believe in what we’re doing enough to pay for them.”

In the case of Divine Noise it’s a construction process done without compromise, and an attention to detail that ensures consistent quality, and differentiates them from bigger competitors.

“I still refuse to do solderless cables, because I don’t believe in (them),” Divine affirms.

“This company is kind of based on my beliefs. We don’t do things to make money, because,

you know, we could sell a ton of solderless cables, I’m sure of it.

“Cable manufacturers make a lot of money on solderless cables because there’s no labour involved. You count how many feet of cable you get, you count how many plugs, and boom – that’s it. I think a lot of the time it can be kind of shotty and a lot of times they’re unreliable. I don’t build anything that I wouldn’t tour with. We don’t do anything to make a fast buck. We do things because it’s the right way to do things, as far as I see it.”

A product of this diligent approach towards design and assembly is the hand-built Divine Noise curly cables, the construction of which is distinctive to the manufacturer.

“Another thing is that our curly cables are wire that is curled,” Divine explains. “We’re the only manufacturer to do that. Normally with a curly cable the manufacturers use kind of already prefabbed, it’s almost like telephone chord a lot of it; it’s really crappy wire. But ours, when the demand was there, the only way I would do it was if I found a place that would coil our existing wire so whether it’s our guitar straight or curly, it’s the same cable… So we’re the only cable company to do that and it’s quite expensive

but it’s worth it because, one, it’s not gonna crap out on you. Two, it sounds great…”

In a similar vein, Divine Noise only sells through selected dealers, careful not to dilute the level of care instilled into each and every one of their cables.

“Fretted Instruments is the only place in Australia you can buy our cables. We don’t want to be in every guitar store. I literally couldn’t do it, unless I hired a team of people to build cables. So we pick our favourite shops in the area, or they contact us. I like to do exclusives with companies, that way the market’s not just saturated. I would much rather people sought us out than it be just something off the shelf that someone grabs.

“You know, like I said with building every cable, there’s a lot of myself that goes into every cable. So whether or not you see Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys using it or Tame Impala, or one of the cables in Fretted, I made that cable and that cable’s built exactly the same.”

BY CHRIS SCOTT Divine Noise Cables are available in Australia via Fretted Instruments. For more details, head to frettedinstruments.com

PRODUCT FOCUS:

Hotone XTOMP Hotone Audio really started to make waves in Australia a few years ago with the releases of their Nano heads and Skyline series of mini pedals (and we mean really mini!). Good sounding designs in ultra compact forms showed that Hotone meant business and knew what they were doing. Pushing the boundaries even further, their latest release the XTOMP is a modelling pedal equipped to access and store a myriad of pedal, amp and cab sounds.

We got to chat with Hotone guru Ari Garcia about this little wonder.

“As early as 2001, the Hotone team was brainstorming on how to model those old classic pedal and amp tones,” says Garcia. “The brainstorming turned into a complex and drawn out research based technological pursuit. Even as other companies were developing tone modelling, Hotone was set on answering the question of how to get tones just like those original products. Later the project evolved even further; not only to achieve high quality models of the original classics, but also to develop new original sonic tools over that incredibly flexible platform.”

While they aren’t the first to release a pedal for modelling sounds, Hotone have taken the time to actually perfect it rather than just get close to the sound, as Garcia explains.

“The majority of mainstream modelling methodology is based on certain circuit theory analysis modelling algorithms. These algorithms can successfully model a circuit’s characteristics in static state, creating tones close to the original sound. But the catch here is the ‘static state.’ The characteristics of static circuitry hardly ever reflect a circuit’s dynamic performance, and thus only ever come “close” to the modelled sound; they are never indistinguishable.” That is where the XTOMP differs. “The XTOMP [is] the fruit of a decade of circuit modelling research and development, which employs our very own Comprehensive Dynamic Circuit Modelling (CDCM) system. CDCM has constructed an extremely complex dynamic variation matrix, able to realistically express every detailed change that occurs during the operational process of actual circuitry.”

Working to capture and reproduce the dynamic nature of pedals and amps means that there is some pretty impressive technology under the hood. “When XTOMP is operating, the models at work within it are constantly changing rather than remaining fixed. This matrix will adjust its own modelling parameters and even framework based on the instrument input signal range, signal frequency, knob position, the instrument’s own impedance, and other variable parameters, all to achieve the closest possible characteristics of actual 32

circuitry – so it has some kind of “life” of its own.”

With over 300 models already available, it’s unlikely that the user will get bored with the range of sounds on offer. However, if they do, it won’t be long before they have a whole new bunch of models to play through, with consistent new releases.

“We have a tight schedule of updates called ‘XTOMP Friday’. [On] the last Friday of the month all users will get a free update with new models to add to XTOMP’s wonderful library. We will keep releasing and developing new functions for XTOMP. The platform is amazing, and this is just starting. This is not about the pedal – it’s about the software that drives it.”

The XTOMP looks and works like any other guitar pedal, but limiting it to a simple stompbox would be tragically underrating all that it is capable of. “XTOMP was meant to be used mainly in these three scenarios; as a regular stompbox pedal in front of your amp; through your FX loop, [when] you may want to use the dirty channel on your amp,

but some mod from XTOMP; [and] as a CAB/ AMP Sim straight into your mixer or DAW. Having said that, the sky is the limit. I just finished a chat with a guy from Mexico that is using it with a violin so get ready to see some weird things around XTOMP.’ “For some people it’s still hard to think out of the box, and we’re fighting to change that. As I said earlier, this is not about the pedal. The pedal itself is 400 grams of useless – yet beautifully designed – metal.

The future is in CDCM tech. Like Skynet in Terminator, we’ll keep evolving, no matter the platform, to get always great tones with flexible options. XTOMP is Hotone, and Hotone will be always about tone, portability, ingenuity, design and music.

XTOMP is just the first step, [albeit] a big one, in a long journey to sound perfection.”

BY NICK BROWN Hotone’s XTOMP is distributed in Australia by Noise Toys Imports.

For more details, head to noisetoysimports.com.au mixdownmag.com.au

Features BRAND FOCUS:

Ashdown Engineering Mark Gooday established Ashdown Engineering in 1997. Founded in Essex in the UK, the bass amp manufacturer quickly became recognised thanks to endorsements from John Entwistle (The Who), JJ Burnell (The Stranglers) and Brian Ray (Paul McCartney). In the years since, Ashdown has made a definite mark on the music world – their amps’ warm and round tone is preferred by bass players all over the world and the glow of their trademark VU meters is an unmistakable onstage feature.

Prior to starting Ashdown, Gooday had been chief engineer and part owner of another UK bass amp company, Trace Elliot. But when he was bought out by Trace Elliot’s parent company, Kaman, the establishment of a new brand was inevitable.

“It’s either that or I become a car salesman,” he says. “Even before I’d become an owner of Trace, I was making parts for Trace Elliot in their formative years. So it’s all I really know.

I make amps, I know the people in the market, I know musicians, I’m a failed bass player, and everyone I know makes amps.”

The establishment of Ashdown might’ve been a pragmatic move, but Gooday already had a strong vision for the product’s signature sound. “You wanted something original, something different,” he says. “The market turned kind of rocky and toneful and the slap brigade of that era had gone, but Trace Elliot couldn’t change its direction. It was slap – middle frequency, high end – and it wasn’t about pure tone and round, flat sounds. So I set out to design the antithesis, to completely be about tone.

“I had a nice old ’64 [Fender] Jazz; everything was designed on that. I set out to design something that was really an Ampeg with definition, an SWR/Trace with tone.”

Getting a sound that reflected the zeitgeist was one thing, but rock ‘n’ roll is closely entwined with vanity, so Gooday also needed to find the perfect look.

“Trace Elliot’s ultraviolet light was absolutely amazing. A pain in the neck to build, it caused noises and hums and I hated it, but you saw it onstage,” he says. “So this VU meter came up as an idea. You want to measure your inputs, you have little flashing LEDs, but this was more analogue, softer and it was more in line with the tone and the image I wanted to portray. That was it.”

The company began as a homespun affair – Gooday fiddling with amp designs on his living room floor, his wife and kids helping him out – but these days you can buy Ashdown products all over the world, so their operations have had to vastly expand. However, Gooday hasn’t been tempted to compromise the company ethos for the sake of financial gain.

“20 years later we’re still doing it,” he says.

“We’re still in Essex, we’re a small family company, we’ve got no external funding, we’re still profitable – which is quite something in this day and age – and we still manufacture 12-15% of our products here.

“We have a factory in China as everyone does, but that’s a family company who I’ve dealt with for 17 years. People we know and trust. And we have our own factory here, and there’s a lot more UK-built to come.”

Bass amps are still Ashdown’s specialty, but the product list is constantly growing.

The bass amp range covers items for the stage and studio, from beginner to professional, plus there are acoustic guitar amps and bass effects pedals (under the sub-brand Dr. Green).

“The bass market is in decline so we’ve had to adjust what we do a bit. We pulled back a lot of products, but we need other armoury in the tank because the bass market isn’t what it was. We used to ship say 50,000 amps a year. Now we’re down to about 30,000.

“We’ve had to diversify. We’re trying to make good stuff and we’re trying to be innovative.

Going back a few years, we made the first NEO [lightweight] cabinets. We made the Boxter for Michael Rhodes. You know the Porsche Boxter? I made him a 2x8 NEO

cabinet that he could lift to put in there.”

The bass amp market might be drooping, but Gooday has unwavering belief in his company’s products – none more so than the recent addition, the digitally enhanced B Social 75-watt stereo desktop bass amp.

“That’s a really mad product… It’s a great 75-watt bass amp – you can run the extension and you can do a gig with it at the same time, and then you can record out. It does absolutely everything.

“There’s nothing you can’t do inside that little box and slowly artists are getting to like it. People are taking it on tour so the whole band plugs in – acoustic players, guitarists, vocalist – but it might take ten years to be recognised.

“The best product we’ve ever produced, bar none, is the B Social, to date. It’s just going to take a lot of time to get the traction and the understanding of how much it does and how cheap it is for what it achieves.”

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Ashdown amplifiers are distributed nationally via Pro Music Australia.

For more details, head to promusicaustralia.com

THE ANALOGUE PROJECT by Audio-Technica

Son of Run The hills are alive with the sound of vinyl music. Coming to fruition in July of this year was the lifelong dream of owners Michael Ibrahim and Bethany Adam. Combining everyone’s two favourite things, coffee and music, Son of Run forms the hub that Belgrave’s lively arts and music scene dearly needed. The family-owned business may not have the history other stores have, but they do provide a space for music enthusiasts to come in, dig through their expansive collection of records and enjoy the finest roasted coffee in town – an experience that Bethany believes has been missed by customers for far too long.

“I think vinyl has come back because people have been disconnected for a long time,” she admits. “Everything has been done digitally through phones, media and computers, and people are actually coming back to tangible experiences. It’s an experience to take a vinyl out of its sleeve, put it on the turntable and lower the needle down. It’s a tactile experience. You’re experiencing the music. You physically have to put it on, rather than just [listening] to a playlist on the computer in the background. I think people are coming back and wanting those things in their life again.

“Vinyl music has always been a passion. We never really crossed over to the digital world when it comes to music. We have always listened to it on vinyl. Michael has always been a big collector of vinyl and we have a house full of them. When it came deciding what to do [with the records], I sort of said to Michael ‘You either need to sell the records, or open a store.’ And so we opened the store.”

Being collectors for a number of years, you would expect Bethany and Michael to have a few hidden treasures buried away too.

“Probably our rarest albums would be a Led Zeppelin Mothership first pressing,” says Bethany. “Also a first pressing of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon and a set of coloured Bob Dylan vinyl – just demo tapes and never heard tracks – which is pretty cool.”

Son of Run is placed amongst the eclectic Belgrave scene, which has recently thrived with a refurbished live music venue and an array of local musical talent. Noticing the importance of community, the store caters for all types of music listeners, covering all genres, as well as stocking a heap of music from local and independent artists.

One reason record stores survived through the digital age is due to the support of the communities that had formed around the store. In its short time in operation, Son of Run looks to have already established itself as the heartbeat of the music scene in the Dandenong Ranges. As Bethany explains, the store has realised the importance of community and are looking to support musicians any way they can.

“We have been open for seven weeks now in Belgrave. We stock all genres of music – from classical to French, alternative, rock, soundtracks – anything and everything,” Bethany explains. “We have a library of over 10,000 albums. Currently we have about 3,500 in store and we just rotate our stock. We put new albums out each week.

“It’s just going really well in Belgrave. There’s a big artistic and musical community in Belgrave and we thought if [the store] is going to work anywhere outside of the city, it’s probably going to work here. And it’s been really well received by the community.”

“It has probably been the biggest surprise to us that our store has become a meeting place and a hub, and a place where local artists can come and hang out,” she says. “We are really trying to support local musicians here, so we provide an opportunity for them to come and play

mixdownmag.com.au

whenever they like. We do local music every Sunday and we only do local bands.

It is providing a great opportunity for people who can’t normally get a gig to come and play, showcase their music and get their name out there.”

All good record stores need a reliable turntable that delivers the high quality of sound music-purists seek when walking into the store. That’s why Son of Run couldn’t look past Japanese manufacturer Audio-Technica.

“We choose to stock Audio-Technica because the quality is outstanding and the price is great. They are really sturdy turntables, they last the distance. They have a good name for themselves and we use their turntable in store and we never have had a problem. It’s a great product, and they have something in their range for every budget.

BY MICHAEL EDNEY Son of Run is located at 1675 Burwood Highway, Belgrave VIC. For more details on the turntables that they stock, head to audio-technica.com.au

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Road Tests YAMAHA PSR-EW400 Portable Keyboard Yamaha Music Australia | au.yamaha.com | RRP: $649.99

I have grown up using Yamaha PSR model keyboards, having started with the humble PSR6 around 25 years back. And thanks to Yamaha’s insistence on building quality instruments, that old beast is still going strong today. So, it was with some enthusiasm that I unboxed the PSR-EW400 this month – the latest model and flagship unit in the PSR-E range. This keyboard is a big step in the right direction for Yamaha in growing the PSR community as it brings in certain features that previous models could only have dreamed of, and maintains the value price point that we have come to expect from these keyboards.

BIGGER, BOLDER AND LOUDER This first noteworthy improvement to this model is that it is a 76-note keyboard.

Previously the PSR-E range has offered 61 noted models, so it is nice to finally have that extra range right at your fingertips without having to shift up or down an octave. This will appeal to plenty of players I am sure, and makes the PSR-EW400 a great option for even more live performers and home players. For those who simply don’t need the extra range, the PSR-E453 still offers many of the benefits of this bigger model, in a more humble 61-note offering. But the PSR-EW400 goes even further to make its presence known with the dual 12-watt speakers that deliver possibly the loudest signal from any

portable keyboard I have ever heard. They do it well too, with plenty of bottom-end and no audible breakup when the volume is pushed right up. You could get away with using this keyboard in small jam sessions or rehearsals without necessarily needing a PA or keyboard amplifier.

ALL CONNECTED Of course, the PSR-EW400 comes with an extended range of voices, styles and songs, including the new Live! Grand Piano Voice, which proves how Yamaha continue to strive for the best sounding and most realistic and responsive sounds in their keyboards – no matter what price point they sit in. But beyond this, there is a wide range of connectivity that hasn’t been seen on keyboards like this before. To start

with, you get a USB-to-host connection for either MIDI or audio transfer, allowing you to record your performance directly to your computer software – which is sure to be Cubase. You also get a USB-todevice connection allowing you to save settings and transfer them via a USB stick.

Further to this, the PSR-EW400 comes with dedicated left and right outputs on 6.5mm connectors to run into a PA system. This a big step up from splitting a signal out of a headphone output, as has been the norm until now. On top of this, an Auxiliary Input allows audio playback from a music player of your choice and there is a range of iOS apps that are available for additional MIDI control over sounds, settings and effects. These can be used wirelessly if you add the optional Bluetooth adaptor to the

system for ultimate control.

BY ROB GEE

HITS • The largest key range of any PSR-E keyboard so far • Super loud speakers for a portable keyboard • Excellent USB and iOS integration MISSES • We needed this sooner

STUDIOLOGIC Sledge Black Edition Innovative Music | innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $1899

At first I thought I’d be spending this month going over old reviews of a product from before, but I quickly realised upon opening the StudioLogic box that the bright tangelo beast was not to be seen.

Instead, something darker and more ominous loomed within. I got very excited when I discovered I had the StudioLogic Sledge Black Edition to play around with.

Many of you who know the Sledge will be excited for the upgrades in this version and for those of you who are unfamiliar with the original Sledge, you are in for a real treat.

WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE Many of you may be thinking that this is just a colour change in order to sell some extra units. But you will, as I did, find out very quickly that there are some excellent improvements with the Black Edition of the Sledge that are well worth looking into.

This is not to say that the bright yellow model is without its merits. I still love the sound and functions of the original; the Black Edition simply offers a darker side to the synth. The keys will get your attention also being black in place of the white keys and grey in place of the black keys, giving an almost negative look to them.

But, they also feel a lot different with a semi-weighted action now included in this model. The added weight to the keys gives them a very nice touch that has more

34

resistance, but is still very fast for those who like a slick synth keyboard.

TURN IT UP As you all should know by now, StudioLogic had German synth gurus Waldorf build the engine for the Sledge. So, it’s a German engine in an Italian chassis, which makes a very powerful combination. The team at Waldorf have improved the output for the Black Edition so it is now considerably louder, without added operating noise. So, when you do get that volume up, you will also notice that there is a bigger range of factory pre-set sounds included, with plenty of changes from the previous model.

You could easily spend days just scrolling through these sounds and playing around

without getting bored of what is in there. A few added tweaks, like a synchronised LFO 2, address the concerns of existing users to improve the playability of the unit. This is a different synth to the original Sledge and one that will have potential buyers finding it hard to decide whether to go dark, or stick with the bright side.

HITS • Improved keyboard action • Awesome Waldorf synth engine, with added output volume • It just looks mean MISSES • It’s no longer yellow

BY ROB GEE

mixdownmag.com.au

Road Tests NORD Stage 2 EX 88 Electric Factory | elfa.com.au | RRP: Contact for pricing

You’ve seen them on stages around the world, there is a certain presence that the big red keyboards have and that is not without reason either. And for those who are truly serious about their live sound and want the versatility to play any and all styles, the Nord Stage 2 EX 88 is the stage piano that you simply cannot go past. This is the newest update to the flagship model from Nord and it clears up a few issues that some users may have had in the past, making this the ultimate stage piano for the discerning keyboardist.

LOAD IT UP The big issue that most existing users of the previous Stage 2 encountered was that there wasn’t enough memory; this was true, with all the piano sound banks not able to be loaded at once due to their enormous size. Nord have dealt with this in the Stage 2 EX by upgrading the Piano memory to a massive 1GB, and bringing the synth memory up to 380MB. This is not without cause either as there are 5 grand pianos, 7 upright pianos and 11 electric pianos that all need somewhere to be housed. The synth section also gets new DX electric piano sounds and there are additional folk instrument, strings and voice samples in there too. What you now have in the EX is an even greater wealth of stunning sounds to choose from, with all the power and flexibility that many have come to expect already from the Stage 2.

PLENTY OF VARIETY For those who are unfamiliar with the Stage 2 series of keyboards from Nord, here is a look at what you get. The Stage 2 EX 88 offers you 88-hammer action keys with a good weighted feel to them.

This is very nice to play and is up there amongst some of the most popular keybeds available today. But it is not just about pianos, even though there is the extensive piano section with a huge array of sounds and effects. You get a synth section that draws heavily on Nord’s Lead series offering analogue modelling, FM and wavetable synthesises. Easy access to the most common parameters makes editing and tweaking sounds on the fly a breeze.

Further to that, the organ section offers you the sounds from the Nord Electro series, which are prized for their B3 Tine-

wheel simulations and rotary organ sounds.

Drawbar implementation is accessible on the top panel with the digital LED drawbars that allow you to jump from one pre-set to another without having to physically shift all the controllers.

In short, if you only wanted one keyboard for stage or studio, you would be hard pressed to go past the Nord Stage 2 EX 88.

This should be on every keyboardist’s wish list and stands proud by itself, or with instruments. It’s big and heavy, but that is what comes from 88 fully weighted keys.

There is also a 76 and 73 note version in smaller chassis and with lighter weight keys, but the Stage 2 EX 88 is the standout in the range.

but the engine within is a beast.

the unit about, if you feel so inclined.

The sequencer – or tape recorder section – allows for four tracks that can be looped and layered and is capable of delivering a complete performance without the need of other devices. It gets better, you can sample from external sources, including FM radio, and it will run on batteries for music making on the go. It also has a built in speaker for annoying everyone around you. Drums, bass, lead and groovy samples all come together for a really cool synth that is so much more than myself, and a lot of others, first imagined. I just wish I had more time to get to know it better.

HITS • Upgraded memory for piano sounds • Dedicated synth and organ sections • Great feeling hammer action • It’s very red MISSES • It’s pretty darn heavy, but that should be expected

BY ROB GEE

TEENAGE ENGINEERING OP-1 Synthesizer Innovative Music | innovativemusic.com.au | RRP: $1379

This is one product that has been getting a lot of people talking of late and very few have even had a chance to see one. In fact, I wasn’t even able to get my hands on one until just this week. To be honest, I wish I had more time with it, as I have barely been able to scratch the surface of the capabilities of the Teenage Engineering OP-1 synthesizer. Some of you may be wondering what it is, and if you have been living under a rock you may not have heard of it, but all the cool kids will know about this and will be lining up to get their hands on one as they start to become more readily available in stores now. Let’s take a brief look.

A BLAST FROM THE PAST I know I was a little sceptical at first when I saw the promo shots and the videos of the OP-1 as it really does look like a toy. In fact, it has a real 1980’s Tandy kit look about it, which is what is getting it a lot of attention to begin with. I was very surprised when I finally got my hands on one to discover just how solid this unit it. It is built so well, with a machined steel case and knobs and buttons that feel sturdy when you touch them. It’s exactly what you want from a piece of gear that wants you to tap away at it and always be making adjustments. So, let me cast aside any fears that may have been out there about the build; the OP-1 is not a toy, it is a serious piece of kit with a very funky look. It is a little unconventional and doesn’t give too much away on the surface, mixdownmag.com.au

CREATE AND PERFORM The OP-1 is at first a synthesizer, but also a sequencer and a very powerful performance tool at that. The synth engine has some incredible sounds in there and plenty of ways in which you can build and create new sounds. The colour screen is incredibly detailed and allows you to clearly see what is going on as you work with the buttons and knobs that have basic labelling and give very little away. Every sound can have effects added, LFO modulation, ADSR envelope and all number of ways in which they can be adjusted. There is even a funky gravity sensor that allows you to control certain elements of the sound by shaking

HITS • Seriously tough build • Wicked array of sounds and sequencing possibilities • Offers a new approach to electronic music creation MISSES • It’s a little unconventional, like all Teenage Engineering designs

BY ROB GEE

35

Road Tests LUNASTONE EFFECTS Wise Guy Overdrive, Big Fella Overdrive and Three Stage Rocket Overdrive Amber Technology | ambertech.com.au | RRP: Wise Guy $499, Big Fella $499, Three Stage Rocket $599

If there’s one thing all guitarists are without fail; it’s hard to please. As gear stands today we are subject to a sheer mountain of choice and possibility so immense that only the twin monoliths of memes and porn can overshadow it. We straddle the three main branches of the Tree of Dirt (distortion, overdrive and fuzz) wantonly as monkeys and clamber about on any and every combination and permutation in search of the elusive tonal Holy Grail. Many of us fall off in the climb but occasionally someone will have enough singularity and clarity of vision to tap into something really special. Sure, all of this sounds fantastic, but imagine trying to build and market something like that, something that the throngs of SRV-a-likes and wannabe-Iommi’s could all agree to stomp on. Talk about a tough job…

The first thing a builder has to learn – after reading ‘Soldering For Dummies’ of course – is how and when to pick your battles. And that’s just what Steen Grøntved, founder of Danish effect manufacturer LunaStone, did. In fact he spent countless hours finding out as much about what makes dirt so dirty, exhausting every avenue from FET to germanium to bog standard diode clipping, in order to find out exactly what his ear was missing every time he plugged into a new stompbox. Transparency is a word often bandied about by builders as somewhat of a side note to the veritable rainbow of coloration on offer, but rarely is it taken as the driving force behind why any given pedal sounds the way it does. It seems almost oxymoronic in a way; the idea that a unit designed to smash your signal to smithereens should try to maintain, if not bolster, that very signal simultaneously.

However, if you take as given the idea that every modern stomp box is descended from busted tube amps in garages across 1950s America then it only stands to reason that complimenting the sound of your favourite axe plugged into your favourite amp is a desire close to the heart of every signal chain.

Such extensive investigation leads Grøntved to the conclusion that the all too common diode clipping method of distortion, while cheap and easy to replicate, is simply not the path to enlightenment. Instead, the sound of stacking simple, quality capacitors and transistors is at the heart of his TrueOverDrive trademark. This brings the tonal signature a lot more in line with recording techniques on classic records from the 70s than their more modern predecessors, while affording the player a little more room to let the innate characteristic of the guitar itself sail through to the speakers. Overall the pedals are mid-focused, controlled, truly transparent and play really well when there are the other kids in the playground.

WISE GUY OVERDRIVE First off the bench is the Wise Guy in his snappy, fire engine red enclosure. He’s the 36

brighter of the bunch with a good amount of bluesy break up that never gets so hot-headed as to wander into too-harsh territory. Dialed down you can really feel how touch sensitive the clip is as it just peppers each note with a touch of glass.

With the Overdrive switch over to the left you heat up proceedings considerably and, as if that’s not enough, the Boost switch comes in after all that gain to shove just that little bit more into the face of your amp forcing it to pick up a bit of extra slack.

BIG FELLA OVERDRIVE The Big Fella is a little more muscular than it’s brother in arms. The difference is something akin to the difference between an AC30 and a JCM800. The signal is hotter, the wave shape is more squared-off and the result is a creamier, more searing howl.

Again you have the option of two tonestacks and the Boost switch, which really presents itself more like a compressor in this instance. It also brings a considerable amount of sustain and some darker harmonics to the party that I, for one, was inclined to leave on permanently.

THREE STAGE ROCKET OVERDRIVE Last but by no means least, the Three Stage Rocket lumbers in as the bigger brother of the family. In a way, it’s a combination of its siblings but has more than enough

stories of its own to tell without the other two butting in. Designed in conjunction with fellow Danish shred lord Soren Andersen, you almost get the feeling like the other two circuits were fact-finding missions on the road to this ultimate destination. One switch kicks on the chiming grit of the Wise Guy as dictated by the OD1 dial directly above. The next is in command of the OD2 dial and the Big Fella’s Clapton-esque warmth. Finally the Boost switch functions as either a clean volume jump as in the other units, or fire up to +15db into the front of the stack.

This is to me where the unusually clean blanket of distortion really came to life.

That little bit more fire in the front-end really amplified the artifacts of my actual playing in and around all that glorious mess. Actually hearing the pick hit the strings either deftly as I could or with all my might really made me want to play into the pedal rather than have it lead me up the garden path.

design. It’s more evidence that Grøntved is simply confident in his research. He has found a high shelf for his creations to sit on both tonally and where quality is concerned and knows that if you’ve come to him at all, you’ve come to the right place.

An interesting thing to note with all three builds is the way the Tone control operates. At first glance it seems an odd, if disappointingly narrow sweep with not nearly as much control as we’ve come to expect. However, once my ear tuned in to the harmonics whirring around my head and the unbridled transparency, it becomes clear that this is not an oversight in the

HITS • Simple to navigate • Solid construction • Classic voicing • Sounds and feels like a real tube amp is overdriving the signal

True to the Scandinavian stereotype, if there’s anything you can say about LunaStone’s builds it is that they are methodically designed, simple and have an unprecedented clarity of purpose. Far from rubber-stamping a sound on every player they simply offer advice and a map and set you off on the road to Tone City.

You asked for transparency, you asked for classic voicing and ultimate control; you now have everything you need to get there on your own.

BY LUKE SHIELDS

MISSES • None mixdownmag.com.au

FOR THE LOVE OF TONE Introducing LunaStone TrueOverDrive ™

Digging classic overdrive with a cutting and mid-focused crunch? Then you need to take the Wise Guy out for a spin. Expect the transparency and sweet responsiveness you know and love from great vintage amps.

The Three Stage Rocket is the result of a collaboration with the Danish guitarist, Søren Andersen, who wanted a pedal that delivered the tone he was hearing in his head, but had never truly found in a stompbox.

The Big Fella is your one stop station to an intense and modern rock tone. The tone of this hard-hitting drive gem will fill the room with a massive overdrive that is super fat, yet with a firm low end and tons of sustain.

Available Through All Good MI Retailers or Visit www.lunastonepedals.com/dealers

Proudly Distributed in Australia by Amber Technology www.ambertech.com.au | 1800 251 367 | sales@ambertech.com.au

Road Tests ASTON Halo Reflection Filter Link Audio | linkaudio.com.au | RRP: Expect to pay $499

Last month I marvelled at the wonders of an Aston microphone that landed on my desk. This time around I have the new Aston Halo reflection filter to make use of for a week. Let me tell you, this thing is very purple, but not at all loud.

For those of you who haven’t yet heard of Aston Microphones, you need to be on the lookout for their limited range of products.

They are now available in Australia and are offering some very clever design elements that many mass-produced microphones and accessories don’t consider. The same goes for the Halo, a purpose built reflection filter for use in just about any room to make the most of your voice and your microphone’s sound.

NOT A LOT THERE The box was rather large and impressive, that is for sure, but removing the Halo from its packaging you soon discover that there is not a lot of bulk in this fairly large reflection filter. It is certainly big enough to encapsulate your microphone and shock mount on the stand – taking care of all the angles for unwanted reflections – but the mass of the unit is quite sparse, as too is the weight. It almost feels like it is hollow; there is so little weight for the size of it. At the same time, it is still very solid and quite stable when attached to your microphone stand, and the inbuilt arm seats the microphone cradle right where it needs to be within the big purple room.

The overall look of it almost reminds me of one of those egg chairs from the sixties, but designed to keep your microphone comfortable.

HAVE A LISTEN The simplest way to understand just how good this reflection filter works is to not use a microphone at all. By setting it up on a stand and placing your head where the microphone would rest, you can instantly hear what the Halo does. Pull your head and ears away and you return to hearing all the noise in the room that you previously took for granted. All those subtle reflections that our mind naturally cancels out suddenly return and are very noticeable. So with this in mind it is

very easy to understand how it improves your microphone’s performance, removing any unwanted environmental sounds from around the room and relieving the microphone’s capsule of reflections from any hard surfaces during the recording process. What’s more, for a limited time, you can score yourself a sweet Rycote USM shock mount for your microphone by redemption after you purchase a Halo reflection filter. Not only are these my favourite shock mounts, and possibly the most universal of all mounts on the market, it comes in a matching purple to suit your Halo!

your performances at the press of a button.

But, if USB and SD card are not enough for you, PreSonus have included a Bluetooth option as well, so you can pair up one of the input channels with a Bluetooth device for added options. Include some high quality effects, buttons and pots that feel solid to the touch – and an overall build that is pretty rugged – it is easy to see how PreSonus are on a winner with this one. You can play audio from USB, SD or Bluetooth, record to SD or your DAW and connect just about any device to this mixer for seamless integration. This is what I was searching for 20 years ago, and finally someone has brought it to life!

Link Audio | linkaudio.com.au | RRP: Expect to pay $599

Since the late 1990s I have used an analogue mixing console of some sort in conjunction with a computer recording interface, and have never really been happy with how they all work together. It wasn’t until I invested in a large format console with direct outs on every channel and a comprehensive patch bay before I got close to the integration I was after. But, I still had to dance around feedback loops with the wrong press of a button. This is where the new PreSonus StudioLive AR8 USB mixer is going to change the way in which many home studio users consider working with an analogue mixer in front of their recording DAW.

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MISSES • All that noise that you used to get in your recording

BY ROB GEE

PRESONUS Studiolive AR8 USB Mixing Interface

FINALLY, A LOGICAL SOLUTION I am going to come right out and announce it; this is the most exciting compact mixer I have come across in years! It does everything a quality compact mixer should, as well as doing the duties of a quality audio interface, but it doesn’t skimp on connectivity or ease of integration.

For those of you who have removed a mixer from in front of your USB interface because it just gets in the way and causes unnecessary connection issues, you might think again after seeing this.

The AR8 USB takes the place of both the conventional analogue mixer and the USB interface, with everything cleverly routed

HITS • Effectively silences the area around a microphone • Lightweight and easy to set up • Includes a colour matched Rycote USM shock mount by redemption for a limited time • It’s VERY purple

BY ROB GEE

HITS • A very clever integration of mixer and interface • On the fly stereo recoding to SD card • Quality inbuilt effects • Bluetooth just in case you didn’t have enough options

to where it needs to go. But, this isn’t just a USB connection added to a mixer as an afterthought. The AR8 USB offers you direct outputs to your DAW from each input channel. It also allows for the USB to be returned through two separate channels depending on how you are operating the mixer. You can record each channel separately as well as the main mix to your computer all from the mixer itself.

GET READY TO BE IMPRESSED Beyond being a logical integration of the mixer and the multi-channel interface, there are plenty of other goodies involved in the AR8 USB. To start with, the Capture Stereo Recorder allows you to record the main mix direct to an SD card without even having a computer connected. So, you can use this as a live mixer too and record all

MISSES • Fader would have been nice, but size has restricted that

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Road Tests SHURE MOTIV Digital Microphone & Recording Range Jands | jands.com.au | RRP: MV88 $299, MVL $129, MV5 $209, MV51 $349, MVi $259

There are few that can say they know microphones quite like Shure do. This is a company that has made itself known for its microphones in studios and on stages the world over.

There is a Shure microphone for every application; it goes far beyond the SM58 for vocals and the SM57 for instruments, although most of us will have used these two time and time again. Now Shure have gone that extra step to tackle every possible recording option in the modern digital era where the mobile phone, tablet and laptop are now taking place of the studio in many circumstances. To meet this demand, Shure has released the MOTIV range of digital microphones and recording solutions for the mobile generation.

MV88 – DIGITAL STEREO CONDENSER MICROPHONE This is one microphone that is going to appeal to songwriters and bands alike who want a quality stereo recording of their rehearsals and song writing sessions without all the fuss of setting up equipment. The super compact MV88 slots into the Lightning connector of an iPhone or iPad and offers a pair of stereo condenser microphones to capture the entire room at a distance, or a single instrument up close. The microphone capsules can be adjusted up to 90 degrees, so you can get the correct angle simply by placing your device on a tabletop in front of you. The custom wind shield offers plenty of side rejection from unwanted environmental noise, but still allows for a clean and crisp audio capture. The only limitation is the Lightning connector, so older iPhone and iPads or Android users don’t get to enjoy the benefits of this handy little device.

MVL – LAVALIER CONDENSER MICROPHONE This has got to be the simplest of all the devices in the MOTIV range, but that doesn’t mean it is without warrant or lacking in need. The MVL is a simple lavalier microphone that comes with a clip and foam wind shield, ready to be mounted on your jacket, shirt or tie for discrete audio capture. The TRRS connection at the other end of the cable allows for connection to the communications port mixdownmag.com.au

on most mobile phones that have a headphone/microphone function. This is perfect for recording interviews, public speeches or simply as a note-taking tool for those who like to work without a pen or keyboard when involved in the creative process. The cable is long enough to use with a device on a table in front of you, but not so long that it becomes a hindrance when working with a device on your belt or in your pocket. The ShurePlus MOTIV app – available for free at the App Store – makes audio recording with this compact microphone a joy, rather than a chore.

MV5 – DIGITAL CONDENSER MICROPHONE Attention YouTubers, bloggers and podcasters, this is one microphone you may want to have a look at. I know you will all have seen your fair share of USB microphones as they have been available for many years now, but only recently has Shure delivered you an option with the MV5 digital condenser microphone.

At first, I thought this was a spin-off of their Green Bullet harmonica microphone, but it is quite different indeed. Although, like the Green Bullet, it has been specially designed with a specific purpose in mind.

The ball-shaped microphone sits atop an included stand that will not look out of place amongst any corporate giftware on an office desk, and it actually serves a purpose too. The lightweight frame has a very low centre of gravity so it sits firmly where you want it and the simple

threaded adjustment mechanism allows you to angle the microphone to just about any direction. This is the perfect tool for anyone who wants high quality audio for their webcam videos and overdubbing on podcasts or similar mediums. It sounds like a microphone that costs several times its value and delivers excellent A/D conversion to get your signal into the computer. A headphone connection at the rear allows for playback or real time monitoring of your sound, along with a handy Mute switch and Mode feature that adjusts the EQ for vocals, instruments or simply left flat. Classic Shure sound captured in a trendy desktop trinket; it’s not bad at all.

MV51 – DIGITAL LARGE DIAPHRAGM CONDENSER MICROPHONE This unit is a bit of a different spin on the USB microphone idea. To start with, it looks somewhat like an old 50’s transistor radio, yet it delivers modern digital audio clarity and control. Designed to be used in a number of ways, with a number of audio sources, this is a real handy tool for someone wanting to record to their portable device or laptop. It has a clever little interfacing console that makes it easy to get your sound right no matter what you are recording. The Mode function is able to be set up for vocals, spoken word, guitars, speakers or simply left flat with the gentle touch-screen operation. A headphone output on the rear allows for monitoring during recording and playback so you can hear exactly what is going through this microphone. Being a large diaphragm condenser, it excels at both vocals and instrument work with a detailed high frequency response and plenty of bottomend to back it up with. But, the real genius of this is in the desktop kick-stand design.

Set it up on your desktop or bench or even the floor at your desired angle and you are ready to record. But, if you unscrew the

rubber end cap of the kick-stand, you will find a standard threading that will allow this to be screwed onto any microphone stand for a wider range of applications.

MVI – DIGITAL AUDIO INTERFACE Here’s one for the guitarists in the group.

Well, not exactly, it has something for everyone, but I can see guitarists loving this device. The MVi is a super compact USB audio interface that doesn’t even look like one. The small device – that looks like a micro bedside alarm clock – actually does the trick for those of you looking for high quality audio recording, with just one channel at a time. On the rear, there is a combination XLR/TRS connector that will allow a microphone or instrument lead to be plugged in and easily recorded to an iPod, iPad or laptop. Sit it atop your guitar amp and run a line out into it if you have one, or place an SM57 in front of the amp and you have a handy compact interface for recording. It shares the same touch-panel controls as the MV51 has, so you can easily adjust levels and set up an EQ mode for whatever you happen to be recording. Vocal microphones, acoustic guitars, guitar amps or any other instrument, you have a simple connection to your recording software now that will fit in your guitar case and can go anywhere with you.

BY ROB GEE

HITS • Plenty of recording options • Great quality Shure sound • Heavy duty, tough build quality • Something for everyone MISSES • Some limitations with device compatibility 39

Road Tests ASHDOWN Rootmaster EVO Head & Cabs Pro Music Australia | promusicaustralia.com.au | RRP: RM-800 $1199, RM-115T $499, RM-210T $499

Introduced in the UK in 1997 under the lead of company founder Mark Gooday, Ashdown Engineering has developed into a serious manufacturer, from bedroom amps to full stadium rigs. Dedicated to “hard working bass players,” the new Rootmaster EVO range aims to deliver “workhorse reliability at a great price.”

ROOT NOTES A matte steel casing, slightly rounded on its edges, and much smaller in general than most of the other Ashdown amps we’ve seen, the RM-800 EVO sits at the top of the new ‘Rootmaster’ line of amps. Delivering 800 watts at 4 ohms, the head weighs 5 kgs and looks and feels tough. Passive and Active inputs at the far left of the chrome styled front faceplate are followed by the Ashdown standard VU Meter; whilst cool looking in a retro kind of way, I’m not really sure how much practical use they are.

An EQ section of Bass, Middle and Treble are augmented with dedicated controls for 240Hz and 1.5 KHz frequencies. Input, Comp, Drive, Sub, Output and Line Mix round out the rest of the controls with buttons for EQ In/Out, Shape, Mute, Comp In/Out and Drive In/Out. On the back of the RM-800 you’ll find two Speaker Outs, DI Out, Line In, FX Send and FX Return, and a Footswitch Out. CATCH A CAB Ashdown offer a range of cabs with the new

RM moniker including a 112, 115, 210 and 610. The RM-115T is a 300-watt cab with a single 15” speaker and tweeter whilst the RM-210T is a 300-watt 2x10” speaker cab.

Going for the staggered speaker layout, it’s a larger sized 2x10 cab, but both are much lighter than expected thanks to some construction refinements. Designed to match the Rootmaster heads, the cabs stack neatly together and feature tough corners and top handles for portability.

ROOT DOWN Flicking on the RM-800, you get a cool orangey glow from the VU meter and a slight whir from the onboard fan. Not enough to really bug you, but it does reinforce that you should be able to really crank the 800 watts as a gigging muso without any overheating. Set flat, the RM800 has a clean, big sound with seemingly lots of headroom. There’s lots of scope EQ wise thanks to the Shape button (which

adds a bass and high-end boost) and the dedicated 240Hz and 1.5 KHz controls.

With these two left in the centre position, they are not in use leaving you the typical Bass, Middle and Treble controls, otherwise you can get twiddling to really hone in on frequencies. The onboard Comp and Overdrive are useful also. More aggressive styles can be evened out with Compression adding some definition and sustain whilst the valve emulated overdrive goes from edgy to more distorted. Pick players will enjoy getting some extra bite from these settings.

The RM-800 head with both the 1x15 and 2x10 is a slamming rig that really moves some air. It would be great for rock, pop, soul and heavier styles. Thanks to the added range of the 15” you can run the head with just one cab for a more compact setup. The reduced size and more modern looks are a good move in terms of

KEELEY ELECTRONICS The Dark Side Effects Pedal

Ever popular, constantly designing and refining, and somewhat resurgent in terms of new products, Robert Keeley and his team have landed another success in the form of their ‘Workstation’ pedals. Keeping the pedal form factor but combining more than one effect, they’ve proved a tuneful solution to covering a few pedals in the one unit. Taking a Pink Floyd style bent with this particular pedal, the aptly named Dark Side features some Gilmour-esque type effects and a few extra-hip features to stretch your imagination.

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BY NICK BROWN

HITS • Versatile tone control • Heaps of power MISSES • Puzzling VU meter

out sounds when you spin the Feedback control whilst in use. Overall, the Delay and Modulation effects seem very tasteful and usable. Then you have the Fuzz side of the pedal to combine with for even more options. The Flat, Full or Scoop toggle handles the midrange, giving you a wider EQ scope, and can be handy for filling out or tightening your sounds. I was really impressed with how much the Fuzz can clean up with less attack or rolling back the volume, but you can also pump the level and really zap out with thick fuzz too if that’s your thing.

Keeley Electronics | robertkeeley.com | RRP: Expect to pay $410

WHAT IS IT? Keeley describes the “individual pieces that make up the Dark Side Workstation” as Fuzz, Delay and Modulation. More specifically the Dark Side has ‘Epic Big’ Fuzz, Multi Head Tape Delay, Rotary/Flanger and UniVibe/Phaser effects on-board. For stomping, there are on/off effect switches for the Fuzz and Modulation sides of the pedal, which effectively gives you the option of two sounds available at any one time. You’ll have to manually flick the modulation three way switch if you want to change between the Mod and Delay types though. Keeley’s extra functionality comes from the Expression Pedal, which can be set so you can control Rate or Feedback on the Delay or Rotary/Vibe settings. You can also add more effects to the chain between the Fuzz and Delay thanks to the insert jack.

aesthetics and practical use. There are a good range of tones onboard with usable additional features. Extra marks for little things too like the blue background light that pops up when the Mute is engaged, making it easy to check your amp status with a quick look. And the oversized Output knob makes it easy to locate quickly on a dark stage.

WE DON’T NEED NO…..OR DO WE? If you dig David Gilmour then this is damn cool. If you want some psych-ish, ambient, lush warmth check it out. If you need a pedal that covers a few effects in one unit – boom. Yes there’s a Pink Floyd theme and reference present in the Dark Side, but it’s more than just a pedal for those wanting to recreate some PF tones.

BY NICK BROWN The Blend knob also has multiple functions depending on which modulation mode the pedal is in, and can control the blend of Mod effects or select one of the twelve Tape Head Delay modes. Muchos effecto controllo! With a typical 9V DC power tap, the DS is pedalboard friendly too.

MR. DARK SIDE A quick run-through of some of the settings is in order me thinks. Rotary can go from chimey sparkle to more dense tones, with the Flange going from slight swirl

to bigger swoosh. Phaser is great; chewy and lush, it’ll add some flavour to muted single note lines or give you soggy open chords. UniVibe is great for rock or blues, and the Rate and Depth controls really let you dial in your tones. The Expression pedal manipulation is an added bonus if you’re feeling Hendrix inspired. With twelve settings, the Multi Head Delay does a great job of sounding warm and squishy. There’s subtle fattening sounds or bigger delays, through to huge ambient soundscapetype tones, and you can get vintage freak

HITS • Covers four effects in one • Captures the essential tones of Dave Gilmour • Pedalboard-friendly • Versatile MISSES • None!

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Road Tests CATALINBREAD CSIDMAN Glitch/Stutter Delay Gladesville Guitar Factory | guitarfactory.net | RRP: $299

As conjurers of sonic behaviours and characteristics, Catalinbread are able to infuse in each of their pedals an important sense of worth and value. In this vein, many of the manufacturer’s most recent pedals have recreated past sounds and technologies with a focus on specific traits and mannerisms. It’s this very path that has lead the innovators at Catalinbread to create the CSIDMAN Glitch/Stutter Delay – a stompbox that equips the clarity of a digital delay with the glitch-like imperfections of portable CD player. Making it possible for everyone to pull off a Jonny Greenwood glitchsolo.

A COLOURFUL CHARACTER Colour, vibrancy and sonic layering sit inside the CSIDMAN. And on the outside, its hard chassis finished in a fluorescent yellow, and red and blue space-invaderslike lettering, definitely look the part. On board the pedal are five controls: Feed, Cuts, Latch, Mix and Time. When used in conjunction, Time, Mix and Feed traverse everything from your standard digital delay to more ethereal textures. It’s the introduction of Latch and Cuts that then bring to fore the CD-skipping sensations.

Feed, which controls the amount of feedback going back into the unit, Cuts – a control for the buffer memory length – and Latch, which controls the relative time in a cycle that the CSIDMAN is in a latching skipping state, are what give this pedal its unique flavour.

DIGITALISM First thing’s first: this isn’t a gimmicky pedal with intriguing functionality.

The CSIDMAN delivers the clarity and atmospherics of a quality digital delay, and will happily occupy a regular rotation spot on your pedalboard. I’m taking the digital delay through its paces with the Feed set to 2 o’clock, the Latch knob turned full counter-clockwise – nullifying any use of the Cuts knob – Mix set to 10 o’clock and Time dialled in at 3 o’clock.

This setting produces an ambient delay that shimmers and ripples. It’s mellow, yet with such clarity, is sonically vivid.

With the addition of a standard OD these layers of sound evolve into a multilayered haze. It has no issues nailing that faultless accuracy and of a digital delay.

By lowering the Time, you can therefore land a responsive chicken-pickin’-esque slap back delay. Conversely, with the Feed and Mix turned up, the CSIDMAN echoes emulate harp-like chimes. Pushing even harder on the Feed then results in mechanical sounds, schisms and noise.

that bounce back and forth.

A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE The level of control on offer, in conjunction with its randomness and unpredictability, make the CSIDMAN an alt-rock player’s dream.

BY CHRIS SCOTT

HITS • Compact housing for intimate setups • Excellent isolation with suspended foot design • Unbelievable quality in sound MISSES • The digital nature of this delay won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

ORCHESTRATED CHAOS The use of Cuts and Latch enable the pedal to go from a subtle stutter or bump in the signal, to a wobble and more accentuated trip that rattles and bounces. With Feed turned completely counter-clockwise, Cuts at 2 o’clock, Latch just below 3, Mix at 2 and Time set to 10, I can dial in on a glitch that is both random and, to an extent, controlled. It’s all about timing. The staccato playing of a repetitive riff – start/stop in nature – gives the pedal a constant rhythm to play off. With a revolving door of chords or notes, the stutter and glitch moves in and out of time, characterised by elongated notes

AVAILABLE AT Global Vintage 105 Parramatta Road, Annandale NSW (02) 95697009 www.globalvintage.com.au World of Music 809 Nepean Hwy, Brighton East VIC (03) 9557 8600 Cranbourne Music 204 LaTrobe St, Melbourne VIC (03) 9654 5115 Pedal Empire 2/12 Lucy Street, Moorooka Brisbane QLD (07) 3892 3292 The Rock Inn 762 Beaufort St, Mount Lawley WA (08) 9371 8822 Deluxe Guitars 9 Union St South Melbourne, VIC (03) 9686 4755 Cranbourne Music Lynbrook 5/550 South Gippsland Hwy, Lynbrook VIC (03) 9799 5400 Modern Musician 106 Murray St, Hobart TAS (03) 6234 5537 Guitar Factory Parramatta 255 Church Street, Parramatta NSW (02) 9635 5552

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Road Tests ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN St. Vincent Signature Model CMC Music Australia | cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: $4295

The concept of a signature guitar relies heavily on a unique design, innovation and communication with the artist at hand. If any of these three components are found wanting, there’s every chance you end up with an instrument that merely mimics the makers’ stock model. Ernie Ball Music Man’s St. Vincent signature guitar, thankfully, avoids falling into this trap; from design, to construction and playing experience, it’s a shining example of a signature model bringing something entirely new to the table.

A WORK OF ART The angular shape, rounded shoulders and bold finish make the St. Vincent a striking piece of eye-candy. Like Annie Clarke herself, this is a guitar bursting with personality. The African mahogany body, in the case of the reviewer’s model, is dressed in a black, high gloss polyester finish – light bouncing off the angles of this stunning outer layer. In true EBMM style, the Rosewood neck is finished with a gunstock oil and hand-rubbed wax blend, its dark earthiness combining beautifully with the smooth craftsmanship.

Offset against the rosewood fingerboard are custom inlays, which add another dimension to the instrument’s futuristic character; likewise the parchment coloured pickguard against the body’s deep black finish. With Schaller locking tuners and a Music Man modern tremolo, it’s equipped with a sophisticated setup to match its aesthetic appeal.

MOVING IN SYNC The St. Vincent is a streamlined instrument, made to interact with the player’s movement and performative expression. If you have ever seen St. Vincent play live, you will understand the sense of theatre in both her onstage presence and playing style. Thus her signature guitar has been designed to hug the body, almost acting as an extension of the torso. I use a rather short guitar strap, and so this body shape suits me well, however for players who like to let their guitar hang down low, or are looking for a substantially weighted axe, the guitar’s proportions may take some getting used to. Weighing in at a measly 3.31kg, it’s slight and slender – the compact nature of which is a real joy to play.

FIVE FOR THE PRICE OF ONE Three DiMarzio custom mini humbuckers

and a five-way selector switch navigate the guitar’s many tones. A control function diagram comes with the guitar, and helps to explain the wiring of each position: positions 1, 2, and 3 utilise a single pickup, position 4 combines all three pickups in parallel, and positions 5 mixes the outer two. These unconventional electronics provide expressive tones that respond to the way you attack the guitar, and across the board offer solid, natural sustain. In position 1 there’s brightness, but it isn’t jangly, rather sweet with a pronounced sonic width. At position 3 you can dial in a bass-ier crunch and pummelling fuzz with the extra girth. The St. Vincent brings clarity and exceptional articulation to a multitude of different tones – you will find that it impacts through richness in sound, rather than relying on massive grunt.

STRAUSS SPM-30 Personal Monitor

The Sunbury Music Festival stands proud as the big bang at the dawn of the Australian music industry. A swarthy troupe of young TV industry blokes took a long hard look at Woodstock and thought ‘We could bloody well do that!!’ And bloody well do that they did! Between ’72 and ’75 they blasted the likes of Billy Thorpe and The Aztecs and Skyhooks, as well as imports like Queen and Deep Purple, paving the way for Mushroom records to sprout into the juggernaut that we kneel before today. The unsung hero of the whole shebang was the pride and joy of a couple of Melbourne boys made good, John Woodhead & Gary Nessel, who’s builtlike-a-brick-shithouse Strauss amps formed the majority of the backline keeping the whole thing louder than love.

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BY CHRIS SCOTT

HITS • A myriad of tones • Slender frame • Eye-catching aesthetic MISSES • The conventionally-minded guitarist is going to struggle with this one

own. Now, usually that’d be the opposite of what you want out of an amp but in reality it’s this versatility that makes it so useful.

You have treble and bass controls to dial in a sweet spot, an effects loop and two channels with individual volume knobs and that’s it; just the absolute necessities for raising Cain wherever you plonk the thing down. I did my other reviews for this issue through it and was suitably impressed by just how honest, clean and transparent it was. She handled pedals and bass alike with the steady ease of a freshly tuned Torana.

Jade Australia | musocity.com.au | RRP: $329

For almost a decade Strauss was responsible for some of this country’s most relied upon, road-dog amplification with Thorpe being one of their loudest proponents.

They made a name for themselves with heavy-duty builds, a hotter than hell signal path and more headroom than the back of a B-Double. The onset of what we now call the ‘lawsuit’ era of cheapened, offshore manufacture on behalf of some of the bigger international brands saw the hometown heroes sell the business sometime in the mid seventies. The Strauss badge never really went away though; their combos still sell like hotcakes and some of their classic rigs fetch a pretty penny

ONE OF A KIND The way the St. Vincent is unique is how it looks, feels and plays. Its small stature is comfortable and aesthetically appealing, while the tonal versatility on offer here is quite extraordinary – a signature guitar in the truest sense.

No nonsense, get the job done and get it done well is the name of the Strauss game.

Whether you’re knocking out ‘Khe Sanh’ at the Irish or working on your Angus Young impression at home, the SPM-30 is the simplest tool you’ll find to make yourself heard. Just like a good laborer, whatever sound you throw its way will come back just the way you want it, no bullshit and no questions asked.

BY LUKE SHIELDS amongst collectors.

Strauss has always been about delivering workhorse amps for working players so it stands to reason that they trot out the SPM-30 Personal Monitor. Think of it as a fold back wedge that you can plug straight into and take pretty much anywhere you find yourself playing. The 10” speaker is poised like a pit-bull behind a sturdy, metal grill on a 45-degree angle with 30 watts of grunt inside the nuggety, rock solid chassis. It’s low to the floor and ready to

be knocked around, which makes it perfect for anything from shredding in the shed to busking up and down the main drag.

Tonally it’s an odd little beast. Essentially it’s designed to amplify just about any sound you can plug into it, anything from guitar to keys to electronic drums; as long as it has a 1/4” TRS jack, you’re good to go. What works for the goose doesn’t necessarily work for the gander though and knowing that, the engineers have given it almost no intrinsic tonal signature of it’s

HITS • Sturdy and durable • Versatile • Workhorse styled amp • On-board controls MISSES • None

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Road Tests ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN 40th Anniversary “Old Smoothie” StingRay Bass CMC Music Australia | cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: $4895

Picture this: the year is 1976. You’re sitting in a sunken lounge lined with shag pile carpeting listening to your brand new copy of Frampton Comes Alive or Songs In The Key Of Life, reading about the dissolution of the Viet Cong. Everybody has been talking about this raucous new wave of bands they’re calling ‘punks’; The Ramones have just put out their first 12”, some ugly English kids calling themselves The Sex Pistols have played two shows to less than fifty people (many of whom would go on to change the world themselves) and it all sounds like the second coming of rock and roll Jesus.

You swap the newspaper for a catalogue from your local music store and nestled somewhere around the forth or fifth page is the brand new StingRay Bass. Little do you know the lasting effect just about every detail of that situation is to have on the next forty years!

Entering production just two years into the Ball family’s history, the sleek, modern design and notorious mid-range focus have split audiences into two camps and delineated the vintage and modern eras of guitar history. You’re either a StingRay type, or you’re not, with countless players relying heavily on the bright, beady jab to add sought-after clarity to their playing and to help their lines sail through the low-end.

With this anniversary edition, all the familiar sights are on show; hardened steel tailpiece, active circuitry and that trademark

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ovoid, three-ply scratch plate. The neck is silky, blonde maple with walnut skunk stripe down the back whose generous 7.5” radius is one of the smoothest rides I’ve had in a while.

As anyone who’s ever throttled one of these things knows, the pick up is the real silver bullet here. The ten pole piece design developed by the Music Man team years ago sees five elongated alnico magnet pairings sit beside each string, as opposed to directly behind it, meaning that they cooperate to pick up more of what you’re putting down.

As a result there is more power behind the whole frequency spectrum and more colour for you to play with. For many, this is the

hinge. Not everyone knows what to do with that much poke in the ribs and often accuse the StingRay of being nasal and awkward.

On the contrary, played with a bit of finesse and sensitivity, there is so much character to work with that sits comfortably in a mix without getting lost and, particularly in this edition, is able to splash around in your dirt pedals without getting too muddy.

Few instruments are so divisive yet so definitive as Ernie Ball Music Man’s iconic StingRay, however if you are in the mood for that So-Cal sound then there’s absolutely no substitute.

HITS • Classic style • Same-old StingRay bite MISSES • Might not be for everyone

BY LUKE SHIELDS

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Road Tests SOULTONE Custom Brilliant Cymbals Electric Factory | elfa.com.au | RRP: Contact for Pricing

Founded in 2003 by LA Drum shop owner Iki Levy, Soultone’s quality and fresh artist roster has seen the brand earn cult status.

Levy developed the cymbals after becoming frustrated with quality control issues in other brands. He states, “The blend of the metals we use is our own process that employs a balance of proper weight and tone properties. This creates the real difference between Soultone cymbals and any other brand.”

Whatever he’s doing, It works. The rise of Soultone has been phenomenal and fun to watch. I remember trying the cymbals around three years ago. Three things struck me. The look; a cross between a hand-hammered and lathed cymbal that represented the best of both worlds – shiny but with tradition. The feel; I remember hitting an 18” crash and thinking it feels like a cross between a K Custom and a Byzance – a pretty good feeling. And finally the price; super competitive and great value for money. Coupled with a reputation for being robust and hard to break, these cymbals had to succeed.

The Soultone range is always expanding and evolving. The addition of the Custom Brilliant series has been the company’s finest achievement. Like the Custom Series, the Custom Brilliant Series has a beautiful finish. This creates a

brighter and more versatile precision handhammered cymbal. These pies are built for versatility, projection and to last.

I had the opportunity to revisit and play an array of Soultone Cymbals a few weeks back. I have to say the Custom Brilliant range where the standout. These cymbals have such projection. You hit them and you feel like you are making a real statement.

Your stick glides through the cymbals and meets little resistance. The result is a powerful yet musical punctuation that rings out without a hint of nasty overtone. The hi-hats are articulate and bright. Sticking patterns sounded clear and precise. The

closed hi-hat sound is clean, yet full. Hats are available in 10”–16” For those of you who love to ride a crash, the series has four crash rides ranging from 18”–22”. Crashes are available in 13” – 22” and rides are available in 19”–24”.

The series also has an impressive range of splashes 6”–12” and china cymbals 10”–24” to round out any setup.

BY CONRAD TRACEY

HITS • Crashes are incredible • Great range and sizing • Durable • Well priced

These cymbals are gorgeous. They feel great to play. The range is huge, but not confusing, and the price makes them a no brainer. Soultone are perfect if you’re looking for an affordable set of cymbals that separates you from the crowd.

MISSES • Ride is less versatile than the rest of the series.

something special, the the Mapex Saturn V is available as an Exotic edition, featuring black nickel fittings and exotic maple burl outer. Depending on the configuration this will cost you an extra $200 to $300 per kit, but I think it worth it as the finishes are exceptional.

22x18 kick drum completes the package with great responsiveness and heaps of bottom-end. The Mapex Saturn V is a winner.

A DEFINITE WINNER At $2699 the Mapex Saturn V is a no brainer. The kit is a sight to behold and to hear, and you could play these drums in any commercial or studio setting and get great results. The 5-piece configuration gives you all the tom sizes you’ll need for those melodic phrases and epic tom fills, but the

HITS • Huge sound • Looks great • Comes fitted with Remo heads

MAPEX Saturn V MH Standard Series 5-Piece Shell Pack Electric Factory | elfa.com.au | RRP: $2699

Mapex has been producing great quality drum kits, hardware, and snare drums for over 27 years. Their brand is innovative and has captured the attention of drummers from all over the world. Synonymous with great looking, full sounding and reliable drum kits, Mapex are famous for the Mars, Meridian and Black Panther series of drums. Perhaps the starship of the Mapex line, the Saturn series is famous for great finishes, solid attack and great value for money. The release of the new and improved Mapex Saturn V has seen the legacy continued and improved upon. The new line of Saturns have a new tom mount isolation system and Soniclear bearing edge along with several new finishes. This new bearing edge allows the drumhead to sit flat and optimises the relationship between head and shell which leads to greater response.

A GRAND IMPROVEMENT I had the pleasure of playing the Mapex Saturn MH Standard Edition 5-piece kit a couple of weeks back, and it was awesome. The kit was fitted with clear Remo Emperors. Huge win! These heads come standard and are a great choice for these drums. The maple and walnut hybrid shell of the Saturn V were so rewarding to play; I was taken by the tone of these drums and could have played them for hours. The toms 44

were punchy, had a great note when hit hard or soft and the sustain was perfect. I think the Soniclear bearing edge is a great improvement, as I don’t remember the Saturn IV being as responsive as this kit.

Very cool!

HIGH QUALITY BUILD The Mapex Saturn V MH features 7ply 7.5mm bass drum shells, 7ply 6.15mm tom & snare shells, chrome fittings, lacquered finishes, low-contact bass drum claws, memory-mark bass drum spurs and 2.3mm power hoops, as well as Soniclear tom suspension, floor tom feet and bearing edge. For those of you wanting that extra

BY CONRAD TRACEY

MISSES • You’ll need to BYO snare, or get a Black Panther mixdownmag.com.au

Show & Tell Ben Barclay of Going Swimming What piece of equipment do you have to show us today?

Today, I present to you my 21” Zildjian Sweet Ride.

How did you come across this particular item?

I found it in a Kinder Surprise, I was stoked... Nah, I bought it from a guy name Phil at a music store down the road from my house. I’m sorry I don’t have a better story for you.

What is it that you like so much about it?

Well I know this is a very common cymbal that a lot of drummers use, but I’ve never been much of a gear junkie. So for me, this really changed things. Before this I used a chunky 20” Paiste ride that I kind of borrowed (stole) from my mate Jack. Whilst I

was very grateful of Jack’s loan, the thing sounded like an infant running unknowingly into a garage door. I just thought that’s what ride cymbals sounded like – until I got my hands on the sweet ride.

How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way you write music?

I use it for everything. It really did change the way I play drums as I would only ever use my ride for the bell. When I started playing this sweet ride I finally understood how other drummers used their ride cymbal to crash so much. This cymbal pretty much sounds great however you use it. I have a pretty minimal kit so I need something that’s going to fill in a lot of space, and that’s exactly what this cymbal does. Our music has definitely become louder as a result.

Any other interesting points/stories about it?

I accidentally found out that it looks awesome if you spit beer all over it and then crash it real hard. It’s kind of like when Triple H comes out in his entrance and then sculls a bottle water and spits it all into the air like a mad dog. So yeah, I guess me and Triple H are kind of the same dude.

Tell us a little bit about what you have coming up?

Going Swimming have been pretty quiet lately, but we’ve just released a new track ‘Debt Collector’ and we will be back on the road this month for what some would call a national tour. Get down to one of the shows and I’ll show you what I mean about the Triple H thing.

who owns a Gas snare. If you’ve ever heard his snare live, you know how cracking it is.

He told me they were crafted by one guy in Melbourne. Scott Green then came into my world and I have to say, I owe him the world. He built my drums in a month or two, custom to my desired sizes and at a very good price. He is a legend.

What is it that you like so much about it?

They are deep, big, heavy-duty drums that sound absolutely massive. They are mine, the exact way I want them to feel.

How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way you write music?

It’s used the way every drum kit is used, but I can honestly say that I play drums/ write music with more passion and precision since owning it. I’ve become so much more

aware of tuning and which heads to use (I back Evans heads FYI) and am just far more stoked to have a jam thinking I sound more like John Bonham.

Any other interesting points/stories about it?

Stevie climbs over it all the time even when I tell him not to. I’ve sweated, bled, spat, spewed and almost passed out on it on plenty of tours. It forgives and forgets and always sounds good, supposing I give it a bit of love and attention regularly.

Tell us a little bit about what you have coming up?

We will be heading out on the ‘Destroy The Evidence’ Single Tour!

Not having a lot of spare funds, it was a case of eBay to the rescue. I think the neck and bridge set of pickups cost about $6 and a loaded control plate set me back about the same. I had absolutely no hope for this thing sounding any good but I thought it would be a fun experiment. I already loved the way the bass felt to play; the neck profile is really comfortable and for something with such a fat headstock, no deck dive at all. Somehow though the combination of cheap and cheaper seems to create something really cool and this thing has become my main gigging bass.

How do you use it, and how has it shaped the way you write music?

Generally I’ll have the neck and bridge pickups wide open and the tone up about

a quarter. During songs that need more of that P-Bass sound like ‘Stones In My Shoe’, I’ll back the bridge off completely and bring the tone up to about 50%. Songs like “Hey Blood’ will have everything up at 100% and then sent though a Darkglass Vintage Microtubes overdrive pedal, which has become a favourite of mine.

Any other interesting points/stories about it?

The side fret markers are actually small nails! Definitely someone’s attempt at making this thing stand out; why on earth anyone would do this is beyond me but it sure adds character I guess?

Jake Laderman of CLOWNS What piece of equipment do you have to show us today?

My best friend/worst enemy – my Custom Gas drum kit, which I love dearly, but also beat the shit out of.

How did you come across this particular item?

I first discovered Gas drums after having a hit of the house tubs at the Hot House studio, where we recorded our second record Bad Blood. It was the first acrylic kit that I ever played and they sounded mean. Safe to say, I was very stoked and pretty much knew then and there that I wanted one for myself. I soon afterwards found myself in a brief conversation with my friend the metro gnome/master of speed, Gordy Forman (drummer of Frenzal Rhomb/Mindsnare)

Steve Graham of Born Joy Dead What piece of equipment do you have to show us today?

My 1980(ish) Cimar jazz bass. These were made in Japan and affiliated with Ibanez back in the late ‘70s to early ‘80s.

How did you come across this particular item?

Our guitarist Ben’s housemate gave this bass to me as a ‘fixer upper’. I’ve been building a few guitars lately and she thought this would be something I could mess around with. This one needed a bit of work, the neck volume pot had seized and the bridge pickup must have taken a beating at some stage because two of the pole pieces on the treble side were missing completely.

What is it that you like so much about it?

BLUETOOTH® 4.0 AUDIOSTIX® 318BT

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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

(Recording Studios) A | 230 Crown St, Darlinghurst NSW P | (02) 9331 0666 E | bookings@damiengerard.net W | damiengerard.com.au facebook.com/damiengerardstudios

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

BIG MUSIC

(Music Instruments Retailer & Recording Studio) A | 85 Alexander Street, Crows Nest NSW P | 1300 55 24 20 W | bigmusicshop.com.au facebook.com/bigmusicshop

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