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#289 — MAY 2018
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SE EL EC BFG M TRONICS V IC 7 STACK ROPHONE , S FX F UZ GAZER PEDAL Z
INTERVIEWS — Courtney Barnett, Sevendust, Pridelands, West Thebarton + more
REVIEWED — Fender California Acoustics, Marshall Origin Amps, ZVEX Fuzz Factory, Audio
Technica Noise Cancelling Headphones, Morley DJ Ashba Wah Pedal, Yamaha SessionCake Amps, Taurus Pedal
EFFECTS NEW For Your Pedalboard mixdownmag.com.au
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EFFECTS NEW For Your Pedalboard
INCLUDES legacy effects library from DL4 M Series, DL4, MM4, FM4 and DM4
HX Effects features 100+ effects taken from the award-winning Helix hardware and software processors, all in a compact pedalboard-friendly format, and up to nine effects can be run simultaneously. In addition, legacy effects from the acclaimed Line 6 M-Series and Stompbox Modeller pedals are also included. Effortlessly edit effects using the eight capacitive-sensing footswitches, six scribble strip LCDs, and colour-coded LED rings. Simply touch a footswitch with your finger to instantly jump to any effect and quickly adjust its parameters. HX Effects also offers a choice of analogue bypass or DSP bypass with trails, and an industry-leading 123dB of dynamic range delivers tremendous depth and ultra-low noise. Extensive routing and control options provide flexibility in the studio or on stage, and facilitate easy integration with traditional pedalboards and amps.
• 100+ HX effects for your pedalboard—run up to 9 simultaneously • Capacitive-sensing switches with LED rings and scribble strips • Acts as the command centre for your entire amp and pedal rig
MORE INFO line6.com/hx-effects
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Sevendust PG. 18
Foreword
Pridelands PG. 19
Courtney Barnett PG. 20
One thing I love about being a gear nerd is that there is always something new to try and explore new territory with. Whether it be a new delay pedal, a new amp or down to little things like trying different strings out, it’s always nice to mix things up in the hopes of breaking new ground. This month we’re talking about tone and cool ways to expand your sound amongst all of the regular goodies. With winter just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to find some new gear to keep you indoors for a while. NICHOLAS SIMONSEN - EDITOR
PUBLISHER Furst Media 3 Newton Street, Richmond VIC 3121 (03) 9428 3600 EDITOR Nicholas Simonsen mixdown@beat.com.au
For breaking news, new content and more giveaways visit our website.
ONLINE EDITOR Jessica Over jess@furstmedia.com.au
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CONTRIBUTORS Rob Gee, Peter Hodgson, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, David James Young, Adrian Violi, Michael Cusack, Augustus Welby, Luke Shields,
EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Alex Watts, Jacob Colliver, Will Brewster, Tex Miller
Alex Watts, Tex Miller, Jessica Over, Aaron Streatfeild, James Di Fabrizio, Adam Norris, Alex Winter, Will Brewster
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MAY ISSUE #290: STREET AND ONLINE DATE: WEDNESDAY JUNE 13 AD BOOKING DEADLINE: MONDAY JUNE 4 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: TUESDAY JUNE 5 ARTWORK DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY JUNE 6 For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact us at: (03) 9428 3600 or email nicholas@furstmedia.com.au
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GIVEAWAYS
Last Month’s Giveaway Winners A Perfect Circle Eat The Elephant Vinyl Giveaway
sE Electronics V7 BFG Microphone Giveaway The signature microphone for legendary ZZ Top guitarist and lead vocalist Billy Gibbons captures your voice in the most natural way and features a distinct custom chrome and purple design. Thanks to our friends at Sound & Music, we’re giving away a special edition V7 BFG microphone absolutely free.
US rockers A Perfect Circle recently released their highlyanticipated fourth studio album Eat The Elephant, the first full-length body of work from the band in 14 years. Thanks to our friends at BMG Records, we had a shiny new Eat The Elephant vinyl to give away and the winner is: Robert from Perth, WA. Congratulations!
UDG Record Carry Bag Giveaway
Stacks FX Fuzz Gazer Pedal Giveaway Featured on Foo Fighters’ latest album Concrete and Gold Gold, the Stacks FX Fuzz Gazer is a must-have for any setup. Twenty-four limited edition gold versions of the pedal were released and thanks to our friends at Maniac Music Factory, we have the 12th pedal of the exclusive range to give away to one lucky reader.
You’ll never have to worry about breaking a record again with the UDG Ultimate CourierBag. It’s the perfect option for those who like to travel light, securely holding 40 records or an audio interface and cables in one compact case. Thanks to our friends at Electric Factory, we had one of these fantastic bags to give away last month and the winner is: Leanne from Brisbane, QLD. Congratulations!
Audio-Technica AT-LP3 Turntable Giveaway The Audio-Technica AT-LP3 belt-drive turntable lets you take your analogue listening experience to the next level, providing excellent high-fidelity performance with fully automatic operation. Thanks to our friends at Audio-Technica Australia, last month we had an AT-LP3 turntable to give away and the winner is: Tino from Melbourne, VIC. Congratulations!
For your chance to win any of these prizes, head to our giveaways page at mixdownmag.com.au/giveaway and follow the instructions. *These giveaways are for Australian residents only and one entry per person. For full terms and conditions visit mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions
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INDUSTRY NEWS Will Pill Testing At Festivals Go National? There’s a push for pill-testing at music festivals to go national after the first official one at Groovin’ The Moo in Canberra last month proved to be a success. Of the 20,000 who turned up for the event at the University of Canberra, 128 participated, with 85 samples in the mobile lab conducted by the STA-Safe (Safety Testing Advisory Service at Festival and Events) consortium. Fifty percent were pure MDMA and 50 percent were ‘other’ (lactose, sweetener, paint). The sobering statistic is that two were pure toxic, and that if their owner had taken them, they would definitely have ended up in a morgue. This has strengthened the resolve of the pro-test people, and has also meant that some of the politicians who’ve been sitting on the fence on the issue have clambered down and made the right noises in support of the tests. It’ll be interesting to see how authorities in other states will respond. The ACT government at least was enthusiastic about the tests because it would limit harm. But NSW and Victoria, for instance, have long said that testing merely did the work of the dealers, or they sabotaged the work of the cops or…well, you know the symphony.
Australia Slips To Eighth Biggest Music Market, Remains Healthy Figures released by Australia’s ARIA and the global IFPI show that Australia’s music industry is in pretty good shape. True, the rise of new markets particularly in Asia has provided competition: Australia slipped from seven to eight because of the South Koreans doing so well. China entered the top ten list for the first time, and it’s expected India will pitch in there soon. ARIA figures show that streaming is now the dominant format in this country, (54 percent and accounting for revenues of $213 million), pushing the recorded music industry with a 10 percent growth to a total of $391 million in 2017, and marking the third year of consecutive growth. Streaming, of course, is counted as part of digital figures, which were up 19.7 percent to total revenues of $294.5 million. Digital albums fell 27.6 percent to $38.5 million, and digital tracks dropped 24.6 percent to $31.1 million. Physical (CD and vinyl) sales still make up a healthy 25 percent share of the Australian market. The vinyl renaissance continues in this country, growing for the seventh consecutive year and increasing by 19 percent in 2017.
Sonos Filing For IPO? California-based smart speaker company Sonos, which has operations in Australia, has reportedly filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission for an IPO. The US financial press reckons Sonos is eyeing June or July for the listing, with a targeted market value of $2.5 billion $3 billion.
Study On Music Industry Harassment Since the rise of the MeToo movement, the Australian entertainment industry has been emerging with codes of behaviour – from associations representing the live entertainment industry to screen producers to funding bodies. It doesn’t just cover their members; it also includes their suppliers, freelancers and recipients of grants and funding.
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However, there’s very little real data on harassment in the Australian music industry workplace. UTS PhD candidate Jeff Crabtree is calling on music biz workers in Australia and New Zealand to tell their stories anonymously to Music Industry Harassment Research. Once it’s completed, it will give the industry greater information on where the problems are and how to fix them. Go to musicharassmentresearch.org/participantinformation for more details.
Gibson Guitars Creditors Take Over Company The Nashville-based Gibson guitar company has gone through a complete revamp as it was unable to trade its way out of its $500 million debt. Its blue chip creditors have put the company in bankruptcy protection while they restructure the firm with a fresh $135 million to keep it operating. There are some major changes in store for Gibson: CEO Henry Juszkiewicz and president David Berryman have been dropped from their positions to be consultants for a year. The consumer electronics division will be closed, and Gibson will go back to making guitars (and pianos and Wurlitzers). Juszkiewicz admits that taking the punt in expanding to lifestyle items such as headphones, sound monitors and turntables was a mistake. Gibson’s debts meant it wasn’t able to spend money on technology innovation, research or marketing the way its rivals did. Founded in 1894, Gibson sells 170,000 guitars each year in 80 countries.
New ABC Show The Recording Studio In The Works At last, an Australian music reality show with an original format. Screening next year is a new ABC-TV show called The Recording Studio. It’s a co-production with FremantleMedia Australia, and comes from the premise that each of us has at least one good song lurking in our bodies. The show functions according to the challenge, “If you could record one song, what would it be? Could it change the way you see the world? Would it mean a lot to you personally, to someone else in your life
or your local community?” This is not about recording the next number one smash hit. It’s about demonstrating the transforming and healing power of music. Those chosen will be mentored and guided by top Australian musical producers, directors and engineers in the studio. The song will be recorded in ABC-TV’s state-ofthe-art studio. Apply at trs.castasugar.com.
Victoria Comes Through For Musos, Fans … The Victorian state government is setting the benchmark in the way it is supporting the local music industry. With the latest (and final) part of its $22.2 million Music Works package, it has set up two new initiatives – the Victorian Music Development Office (VMDO) and The Music Market. The VMDO will be run by Music Victoria and will introduce an industry research program, a free event program featuring international speakers, an export focused program that includes global marketing campaigns about Victorian acts, music business development activities including a small business and enterprise lab, and a service providing free or low-cost advice to music businesses and the support acts for the big names which will encourage promoters to book First Australians, women and under-represented artists as support for larger musicians. The Music Market is a new cluster of hot desks and office spaces where musicians can work, learn, collaborate and do business. There will be a multipurpose space for events and exhibitions, a training room for education programs, and meeting rooms for the music industry to share ideas.
…So Does WA … During the WA election campaign trail, then-opposition leader Mark McGowan promised he’d shovel some moolah at the WA music industry if he got into power. And why not? Research by the state’s peak music association WAM found that WA’s contemporary music industry is worth almost $1 billion to the WA economy each year and creates almost 3,000 direct full-time jobs.
years to produce and promote WA music, develop local, national and international markets, and ensure that someone keeps allocation. Part of the push is to make Fremantle the live music capital of Australia.
…And The Gold Coast… Applications for the Gold Coast Council’s Activate Music Grant close on Monday May 14. The grant scheme has a total $70,000 fund pool, and focuses on three areas. The council is creating new works (recording, website, social media), professional development skills for artists, managers and industry workers, and “new market development” which boils down to being able to tour nationally and internationally to develop new followings. Questions? Contact cultural@goldcoast.qld. gov.au.
…And South Australia The South Australian government set up the Robert Stigwood Fellowship five years ago to help SA musicians wanting to kick-start their career. Luke Million, West Thebarton, Tom West, MANE and Electric Fields are just some of the musicians who got a helping hand to fame, fortune and Festival Hall. Recipients receive tailored project funding and mentoring from Sydney-based Wonderlick Entertainment. Applications close on Friday June 1 at arts.sa.gov.au/grants/ robert-stigwood-fellowship-program.
The Vault Draws ‘Em In The Australian industry’s hall of fame and permanent memorabilia exhibition The Music Vault at Arts Centre Melbourne has been a huge success. It hit the 200,000 attendance market in April just four months after it opened. The Vault team told The Industrialist that many of the crowd members are from outside of Melbourne and, indeed, outside of Australia. They come in groups of grandparents, parents and kids, and many of them are discovering a lot of Australian music history. As a result, two of the most popular sections – First Australians and hip hop – are being expanded.
Now that McGowan is a big cheese premier, he’s come through with $3 million over four
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MUSIC NEWS Guns N’ Roses Announce Appetite For Destruction Limited Edition Box Set Following rumours sparked by a mysterious billboard appearing in London seemingly teasing the Appetite for Destruction era lineup of Guns N’ Roses, the band has announced a huge reissue of the classic album in a limited edition box set. Appetite For Destruction: Locked N’ Loaded Edition features four CDs, seven 12” LPs, seven 7” singles and more, including a new version of Guns N’ Roses seminal 1987 debut album remastered from the original stereo analogue tapes. While many had hoped the rumours were leading to an announcement of a reunion tour, fans can rest assured the reissue is the perfect way to celebrate decades of Guns N’ Roses’ success – and to pass the time until we can see Appetite For Destruction live in the flesh.
Get Re-Born On Jet’s National Tour This Month
St Vincent Is Helping Vivid Sydney Celebrate 10 Years Of Success
Leo Sayer, John Paul Young and Marcia Hines Are Touring Together
Jet are getting ready to hit the road on their ‘Get Re-Born’ national tour, where they’ll celebrate the 15th anniversary of their debut album Get Born. The band announced the show earlier this year with a free gig in a Melbourne laneway, and are now preparing to perform seven headline shows across the country where audiences will be treated to a live reproduction of Get Born in its entirety. Jet’s tour kicks off on Tuesday May 29 in Newcastle before finishing up in Melbourne on Monday June 11. For tour dates and tickets, visit Live Nation’s website.
As Vivid Sydney prepares for another huge year, they’re pulling out all the stops for their tenth anniversary celebrations. Mazzy Star, Cat Power, Alison Wonderland, Vera Blue, and Middle Kids are just some of the names heading to the festival later this month, and they’ll be joined by industry heavyweights Ice Cube, St. Vincent, and Neil Finn. Vivid 2018 will also see the debut of a new collaboration between Silverchair’s Daniel Johns and Empire Of The Sun’s Luke Steele, titled DREAMS. Vivid Sydney will run from Friday May 25 - Saturday June 16.
The 2018 APIA Good Times Tour is back for its sixth year, bringing an array of classic hitmakers across the country. Brian Cadd, Marcia Hines, Russell Morris, Leo Sayer and John Paul Young will all take to the stage to play careerspanning sets with thirteen shows in regional and capital cities. Expect tracks such as 'The Real Thing', 'You Make Me Feel Like Dancing', 'Love Is In The Air' and more. You can catch the Good Times tour around Australia this month with full details and tickets via Frontier Touring.
The Cure To Record New Music For Their 40th Anniversary
An Album Of Unreleased Prince Music Is Arriving This Year
Neil Finn Has Officially Joined Fleetwood Mac
Celebrating their 40th anniversary as a band, it's been confirmed that legendary act The Cure have returned to the studio to work on new music. “I’ve suddenly fallen in love with the idea of writing new songs,” said frontman Robert Smith in an interview with BBC 6 Music." He went on to confirm that he's since "booked studio time for the band." The Cure hasn't released any new music since 2014 when they shared a cover of The Beatles' 'Hello Goodbye' for a Paul McCartney tribute album.
The caretakers of Prince’s estate are set to share an album of unreleased music from the late musician later this year. Troy Carter, who leads the team overseeing Prince’s estate, told Variety a time-specific “full-length album” is currently receiving final touches ahead of a September release. Rumours of new Prince material being released after being stored in the Paisley Park vault have been circulating since the musician’s death two years ago. Prince was known for maintaining a strict strategy when it came to releasing his music, and according to Carter, “he pretty much left a blueprint of how things should go.”
Known for his legendary work with Crowded House and one for being one of our favourite New Zealanders, Neil Finn has taken the next step in his career by joining another iconic band – Fleetwood Mac. From now on, we’ll see Finn harmonising with Stevie Nicks, and shredding the guitar in place of Lindsay Buckingham who was reportedly fired from the group. “Two weeks ago I received a wonderful invitation to be a part of a truly great band," said Finn. "A few days later I was standing in a room playing music with Fleetwood Mac." Also joining Fleetwood as a touring member is longtime Tom Petty collaborator Mike Campbell.
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PRODUCT NEWS Charvel’s Pro-Mod DK24 Sets A New Standard Of Elegance FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU The Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M QM from Charvel perfectly combines elegance with a high performance design to deliver a guitar that will effortlessly help players push musical boundaries. Featuring an alder body with a stunning quilt maple top, the Pro-Mod DK24 matches a sleek aesthetic with quality appointments such as a Seymour Duncan Full Shred bridge pickup, a Seymour Duncan Jazz neck pickup, and a recessed Floyd Rose 1000 series double-locking tremolo bridge system. The guitar is available in two exclusive finishes: Root Beer Burst with gold hardware or Transparent Purple Burst with black hardware.
T-Rex Effects Is Resurrecting Three Legendary Pedals
Ampeg Delivers Ultra-Affordable AllAnalogue Pedals
Introducing New StingRay Classics From Sterling By Music Man
AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU Three classic pedals from T-Rex Effects are being revived two decades on from their beginnings with the Danish company. Alberta “The Blue One”, Mudhoney “The Yellow One”, and Tremster “The Red One” are being reissued to give players and vintage pedal collectors a chance to own the famous units. Whether you’re after no-nonsense overdrive with Alberta, a beefy distortion with Mudhoney or an organic tremolo effect with Tremster, these T-Rex reissues have got you covered.
AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU Ampeg continues to impress with its considerable lineup of pedals, and the range only gets better with the additions of the Classic Analogue Bass Preamp and the Scrambler Bass Overdrive. Authentic Ampeg tones are achieved with the Classic Analogue Bass Preamp featuring a three-band tone stack and highly flexible Ultra-Hi and Ultra-Lo circuits. Meanwhile, the Scrambler Bass Overdrive offers as much overdrive as you could need, covering every tone from subtle to screaming. Both pedals feature an all-analogue, true bypass design and all-metal enclosures designed to survive life on the road.
CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU Retaining the classic qualities of one of music history’s most enduring accomplishments, the StingRay RAY24CA and RAY25CA models are worthy additions to the revered Sterling by Music Man collection. The StingRay RAY24CA and its five-string counterpart feature a two-band active preamp powered by a jumbo H1 humbucking pickup alongside open gear tuners and a Music Man-style single action truss rod for easy setup. The new StingRays also feature a bridge modelled after the Music Man design, completed by fully adjustable and intonable steel barrel saddles to ensure you achieve world-class tone every time.
Yamaha Enhances Soundmondo With New MONTAGE Capability
Achieve Power And Clarity With The Gretsch Electromatic Jet BT
Guitar Lab 3.0 Arrives With A Breakthrough Software Update
YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM Soundmondo, the groundbreaking social sound-sharing website launched in 2015, has broadened its capabilities with its new compatibility with the MONTAGE Music Synthesiser. Designed to allow users to create and share reface sounds for free online, Soundmondo now offers the added options of organising more than 400 MONTAGE performances into set lists, and adding demo audio/ video. Users can access Soundmondo for these latest advancements and to discover new content from the global music-making community.
FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU Gretsch has introduced the G5220 Electromatic Jet BT Single-Cut with V Stoptails, a sophisticated guitar from the esteemed company that fuses Broad’Tron power with Jet clarity to create a truly enviable machine. Each guitar boasts rich tones thanks to a chambered mahogany body and maple top, while a pair of Black Top Broad’Tron pickups ensures astounding definition and note balance is maintained for aggressive sounds through to pristine, clean tones. The Electromatic Jet BT also features a range of volume knobs to give you comprehensive and intuitive tonal control.
DYNAMIC MUSIC | DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU Guitar Lab for Mac and Windows has made a name for itself as a much-loved and well-known software offering downloads of patches, effects and amp/cabinet emulators. In its updated 3.0 version, Guitar Lab has added full-effect editing and boasts an increase in productivity for patch settings. The enhanced user interface will generate greater performance when communicating with Zoom Multi-Effects hardware products, and is available as a free download on Zoom’s global website.
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POWER THAT DEMANDS ATTENTION
More power, more time-saving technology, plus available wireless control, streaming and linking means you can sound better, get louder, and have more control than ever. Break through and get noticed with the insanely powerful and ultra-affordable Thump Series. 1 3 0 0 WAT TS
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PRODUCT NEWS Boost Your Creativity With The Nektar Pacer SOUND & MUSIC | SOUND-MUSIC.COM If you’re looking for a device that grants you hands-free control of your DAW and MIDI software or hardware, look no further than the rugged, stage-ready Nektar Pacer. This innovative foot pedal features ten programmable LED footswitches, four switching relays, and connections for up to four external footswitches and two expression pedals. Simply press a button to send up to 16 MIDI and relay messages with this seriously impressive MIDI DAW footswitch controller.
Samson AHX Fitness Headphone System To Arrive In Australia Next Month ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU Offering wireless freedom via the world’s smallest clip-on transmitter, Samson’s AHX Fitness Headset system generates high definition sound and reliable performance in a device that fits easily into the palm of your hand. The system also features a water-resistant condenser microphone and double-ear headset which are both ultra portable, extremely effective and ideal for any high-energy performer.
Sterling By Music Man’s 2018 Signature Series Lineup Is Now Available CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU It’s only been a few months since a host of exceptional new models and finishes for Music Man’s Sterling range were unveiled at NAMM, and the fresh additions to the range are now available locally. The retro-style Albert Lee model, the Majesty in John Petrucci’s signature Arctic Dream finish, Steve Lukather’s striking “Luke” model, the Stealth Black HHH St. Vincent design, James Valentine’s stunning signature guitar, and the 15th anniversary JP150 and classic JP60 have finally reached our shores, and there’s no doubt they’ll fly off the shelves in no time.
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First PRS Silver Sky Shipment Lands In Australia ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU The long-awaited collaboration between PRS and John Mayer has just touched down in Australia. The Silver Sky is inspired by Mayer and Paul Reed Smith’s favourite characteristics of vintage instruments, and is two and a half years in the making. Featuring an inverted PRS headstock to suit Mayer’s playing style, the guitar is also designed with a number of vintage appointments, including closed-back tuners and a neck shape modelled after 19631964 instruments. Mayer’s Silver Sky guitar also includes single-coil pickups, a bone nut, an alder body, and a choice of four finishes: Frost, Horizon, Onyx, and Tungsten.
IK Multimedia Debuts First FullAnalogue Synthesiser
Zoom And Avid Team Up For Pro Tools|First
SOUND & MUSIC | SOUND-MUSIC.COM Working with Italian synth veterans Soundmachines and one of the creators of Alesis' famous Andromeda Synth, Erik Norlander, software experts IK Multimedia have teamed up to bring the world the new Uno Monosynth. Capable of creating sounds anywhere from your vintage classic analougue synth noises to more modern tones, the Uno comes with your staple two-oscillator setup, and high-lowband pass filter suite, as well as seven LFO waveforms, amp, filter and continous oscillation wavetables for modulation purposes. Whether you're an amateur working on a passion project, or a professional putting together a serious production, this could easily be the perfect tool for you.
DYNAMIC MUSIC | DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU Two industry giants have joined forces to introduce Pro Tools|First, a streamlined version of Pro Tools 2018 audio production software. Zoom and Avid have developed the software that makes the most of the collaboration with a valuable collection of 21 plug-ins compatible with Zoom Handy Audio Interfaces. Pro Tools|First is designed to enable music-making anywhere, and users of U-44, U-24, and U-22 can visit Avid’s website to register for a download of the new software.
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TROPICAL FUCK STORM THROW CAUTION TO THE WIND We’re sitting in a Fitzroy café and Gareth Liddiard is feeling decidedly less rested than Erica Dunn, his bandmate in Tropical Fuck Storm. Considering that during the past year the pair has created a band, released four 7” singles with accompanying B-sides and videos, taken part in two high profile tours of the US, and written and recorded their debut album, which was completed mere weeks ago, a little weariness is understandable. “It’s been a really intense year of learning to be a band,” muses Liddiard. “It’s pretty funny. Like, ‘Shall we do a bunch of gigs here?’ ‘Yep.’ ‘Have we got time to rehearse?’ ‘Not really.’ ‘Have we got enough songs?’ ‘No.’ And we just fuckin’ do it anyway. You’ve just gotta start—you could spend six months rehearsing and getting good, or just, ‘Fuck that, just do it.’ That’s what we did, it’s more fun.” “It’s very caution to the wind, we’re sort of making a lot of decisions and laughing,” agrees Dunn. “It’s a pretty funny way to approach a band, but in a good way. It’s really energised.” Tropical Fuck Storm began to provide Liddiard and bassist Fiona Kitschin a creative outlet outside of their other band, The Drones. Having laboured under that banner for 20 years, and with the increasing domesticity in the lives of his bandmates making the organisation of tours and recordings seem arduous, the idea to do something different was clearly a refreshing one. “It had never occurred to me I could just do something else,” says Liddiard. “I said to Fi, ‘Do you think people would come to gigs if we did something that wasn’t The Drones?’, and she said, ‘We’ll give it a razz, yeah.’ And then Fi said, ‘Do you think it’d be okay if it wasn’t a band full of boys?’ ‘Yeah, we’ll give it a razz.’” Dunn was a natural choice, having toured with The Drones alongside the other members of her band Harmony, and sung on their most recent album, 2016’s Feelin’ Kinda Free. Completing the lineup with High Tension’s Lauren Hammel on drums, the quartet threw themselves into the project head first, playing just three local shows under different pseudonyms before embarking on a run of theatre shows across the US in support of Band of Horses and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
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“WHAT DID YOU SAY, YOU WATCHED SPEED, WENT TO BED AT SEVEN? I TOOK SPEED AND WENT TO BED AT SEVEN.” Having solidified their sound as a band, the next step is an album, A Laughing Death in Meatspace, which moves further away from the comparatively traditional rock of The Drones to explore odd-timings and sonic textures, while still within a rock/ pop format, with the fingerprints of each member clearly audible. “For me it’s just doing something I haven’t done yet,” says Liddiard. “The main thing I would do was just plan a rhythm section bit. You know when it’s good if the guitars can stop and it still sounds good. I’m deliberately trying to write shorter, and more sort of pop. In The Drones it’s a savoury thing, but this it’s trying for something sweet and savoury, more like Talking Heads—it’s a minor chord thing but you can dance to it. It’s like a disaster movie. Small budget disaster movie.” “Like Speed?” asks Dunn. “Like that. There’s a sense of fun, a playfulness,” says Liddiard. There is also, however, a decided sense of foreboding that permeates the album’s lyrics and ties in with the disaster movie analogy,
only the apocalypse is happening incrementally and every day, on the streets of Sunshine, the hospitals of Papua New Guinea and the algorithms of social media. “It’s so polarised now, everyone’s got an ideology and anyone who doesn’t share that is just fucked,” says Liddiard. “I think you should be critical of bad behaviour, but what the internet has done, it’s made people behave differently. You got a right winger and a left winger going at it, but they’re not even talking to each other, they’re talking to these weird ideas of each other that they’ve formed. I think they’re signalling to other primates using ideas the way football teams use colours on jerseys. And I think people underestimate the importance of those social bonds— they’re paramount. People die in trenches for social bonds, they don’t die in trenches for food.” With the album being launched with a national tour throughout May, TFS plan to stay busy, with Liddiard asserting that he’ll start writing for their next album in June/July. This begs the question that many have pondered since the names of The Drones’ social media pages were changed to TFS Records last year: what does this all mean for the future of that other band? “We need a kick in the arse, and it’s generally me and Fi that kick it in the arse. I can’t be fucked doing that for a while,” says Liddiard. “Until I feel like doing it—and I will— but that could be next year, it could be in ten years, I dunno. I don’t really care at the moment, either. I’m having fun.” BY ALEX WATTS
A Laughing Death In Meatspace is out now via Mistletone. You can catch Tropical Fuck Storm on tour around Australia from Thursday May 3.
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P L AY DEAR BOY
SOMETHING #HEREFORTHEMUSIC
DIFFERENT THE CALIFORNIA SERIES ™
N E W P O RT E R ™ C L A S S I C IN COSMIC TURQUOISE
MUSIC INTERVIEWS Developing their own niche of heavy, groovy rock, they shed their nu metal beginnings in favour of a more mature and wider reaching sound. Whilst the journey had its ups and downs, the shift obviously paid off as this month sees the release of the bands 12th studio album All I See Is War, the latest in a long line of stellar records. What is it that’s kept the band going for over 20 years? Frontman Lajon Witherspoon explains, “I don’t like to say we have fans, I like to say we have family. That family has supported us for so long and kept that energy there. That’s a huge part of what has kept us going and stopped us from ever giving up”. All I See Is War is everything you’d expect from a Sevendust record in every possible way. It’s packed full of immense groove, huge riffs and powerful, soulful melodies and marks the next logical step in a long and consistent discography. Most bands don’t make it past album number three nowadays, so reaching album 12 is no easy feat by any means. Witherspoon attests this longevity to the group’s ongoing creativity and hunger to create.
Growing Up With Sevendust At the turn of the century, heavy music was in an odd state of affairs. Grunge was dead, Metallica had forgotten how to write riffs and the age of nu metal came about... and thankfully disappeared fairly quickly. Whilst so many bands died off when the genre started to fall away, Sevendust was one of the very few that evolved and carved their own lane.
“Every one of us in the band writes, so we’re never short of ideas when it comes to hitting the studio,” he says. “We actually went into the studio with 60 songs this time. We really felt like we had something to prove. After taking some time off and coming back with the backing of a new record label, we felt so energised and excited.” That excitement is certainly evident when listening to All I See Is War. It would be easy to assume that a band with over 20 years and a dozen records under their belt might sound tired or burnt out, but Sevendust sound like a fresh band with a new lease on life here. Sevendust has had a very sordid history with labels throughout their existence, but it sounds like the band has finally found the right home in new label Rise Records. “The thing about Rise is that they really have their finger on the pulse, not only in their history but also with their approach to marketing and social media. The relationship has already been so great and it just makes me feel like that young kid getting his first record deal that never thought it was going
On the menu – aside from the prerequisite carpaccio, serrano ham and taramasalata that cornerstones his diet – is a copy of self-described ‘ethno-prog’ outfit BaK’s debut EP (or as they refer to it, ‘Bakpack’), Flower. “All of these Bakpacks are aligned to different Baks that exist in your reality,” the Bakmaster tells us. “There’s an Ancient Egyptian sculptor named Bak, for example. He took the idea of being an artisan from a lowly position to one that was highly sought after. Flower relates to a mystical hybrid orchard, the Orchidaceae Bakerara – a star-shaped beauty speckled in mystifying purples and whites. That orchard is an avenue into Baklandia.”
The Journey Into Baklandia A benevolent ruler to the lavish throne of Baklandia, the Bakmaster sits with a godly stature. His stare is piercing, every second his pupils spend gashing into this writer’s soul boils the sweat rolling down his brow to a more aching temperature. We’re sitting in a restaurant where waiters aren’t the least bit phased by his noblesse – they’re almost unaware of his presence, as though to them he’s camouflaged as an average Joe. His feathered wings clutch a glass of rosé with supernatural poise, washing down the beef carpaccio he pecks at between answers. 18
Okay, we know what you’re thinking: what the fuck is Baklandia? Wedged at large in a dimension somewhere between our own and the ninetieth, a vast universe blooms with myth and legend. The aforementioned Baks (which include a crater on Mars, a Dutch physicist and a breed of Indonesian bee, amongst thousands of others) serve as links between our known reality as humans and the alternate reality that is Baklandia. And because their universe lingers just below the surface of ours, the Bakmaster explains, Baks are virtually everywhere. “Baklandia is inside, it’s outside and it’s everything, everywhere,” he says. “It’s a spotlight on all the different Baks that exist and have existed through time, space and culture, which unify everyone as one human race, one human entity. Even outside human beings like yourself; Baks are a part of the greater universal entity. Like all those science dudes – Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan, myself – say, we’re all made out of the same stuff as the universe. You are stardust. And in that essence, Baks are stardust, and you are a Bak. “If you’re a scientist, you fall in line with the Dutch physicist Bak. If you’re an artist, you’re aligned with the Ancient Egyptian sculptor Bak. If you’re into pretty shit, you’re a Bak orchard.” Thus brings us to the lyrical notions of Flower – an ethos rooted in ethical positivity. “If you have to sing about something, it may as well be something pertinent and of importance,” the Bakmaster says. “The thing that makes
to happen. After so many years of doing things ourselves, it’s so exciting to have a passionate team behind us.” With the new record ready to hit shelves, it’s time for Sevendust to hit the road and reconnect with the aforementioned family they’ve built over the past two decades. Witherspoon is all too aware of the special and unique bond that has formed between band and audience as they’ve grown up together. “I think about it all the time,” he says. “We’ve grown up together and that seems so crazy. I was 21 years old when we started this band and now I’m 45. The fans that were with us 20 years ago now have kids and those kids are coming along to shows. It’s like we have multiple generations of Sevendust fans that have grown up before our eyes. What more could we ask for?” The frontman’s genuine gratitude and appreciation for their audience is plain to see, and it’s so easy to understand how the band can continue to release music and tour the world after so long given the undying and unconditional support they receive from their fans. BY NICHOLAS SIMONSEN
All I See Is War is out Friday May 11 through Rise Records/BMG.
your world interesting is its vast diversity and all of its little differences – the living, breathing change you witness when you expand your worldview, even through something as small as trying a different food from a different culture. So the music is all pro-environment and pro-people. It’s an observation, without pointing a feather at anyone, of humanity and the state of the world.” An attempt to pry at the political leanings of BaK themselves proves futile – not because they keep their personal opinions private, but because, well, BaK doesn’t really exist. “It’s not so much an actual band as it is the all-encompassing soundtrack to Baklandia,” the Bakmaster clarifies. “Y’know the German composer, Richard Wagner? He was one of the first dudes to have this idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, which translates to ‘complete entertainment’. It’s not just the compositions or the musicians that bring a piece to life; it’s the story, the music, the lighting, the visuals. It’s a complete experience. And that’s what BaK is, too.” With that comes the crushing ratification that fans are unlikely to witness the grandeur of BaK live anytime soon. Before being hastily whisked away by his assistants – two doe-eyed gremlins nicknamed Beau and Kit – the Bakmaster drops a claim as bold as it is cold. “Our first gig is going to be in a stadium or it’s going to be nothing. I don’t want to be representative of something hollow, y’know? I don’t want to have this soundtrack built on music that’s big and over-the-top and then have it be ‘BaK: four best friends from the Blue Mountains that play shows at the Lansdowne!’ That modus operandi has its merits – hell, I’ve seen some awesome gigs at the Lansdowne – but that’s not what I’m trying to achieve.” BY MATT DORIA
Flower is out now via Clown Town.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS Produced by Jamie Marinos, Any Colour You Desire is set to be a seminal release for the band. “This feels like we’re now going in the direction we want to be,” guitarist Liam Fowler tells us. “We spent a long time not knowing exactly where we wanted to take this or what kind of band we wanted to be.” One listen to Any Colour You Desire and you can easily see what Fowler is talking about. There’s a sense of progression and confidence that Pridelands exerts on this EP. As Fowler explains further, finding who they wanted to be really came from the idea of finding each other.
Pridelands Reach New Heights Pridelands have been a staple in the local metalcore scene for quite some time now. Sounding akin to UK metalcore giants Architects and performing with the ferocity of a hungry pack of wolves has helped them secure a firm place in many a local’s heart. The band’s latest EP, Any Colour You Desire, is no doubt going to take them to new and unexplored heights.
“We took a far more collaborative approach to the writing. Formally, I would put together a whole song and everyone would add their little bits.” What was once a process helmed by Fowler is now a process that had just about every member involved from the ground up. “Josh [Cory, vocals] and I started writing it early last year and we spent so much time in the bedroom just bouncing off of each other. Our new drummer Joe [Lipsham] had a really big part in the writing this time too. It all just comes from one of us having an idea [and] bouncing off of each other until we find something that’s perfect.” From Fowler’s perspective, there wasn’t a single downside to writing this way. “It felt like we were actually a band.”
“If you look closely at the cover, you’ll see that each acolyte is receiving a different colour. Those colours all represent a different emotion. What I’d done previously is work out the core emotion of each of the songs and then worked out the opposing emotion. I then found the shade on a psychology chart of these more positive emotions and matched them up”. Rather than focus on the negative emotions portrayed in the music, Fowler wanted to make sure that the acolytes were portrayed as receiving the colours they desired, ringing true to the EP’s title. If this new batch of songs has got you salivating at the mouth for more Pridelands, then you’re in luck because Any Colour You Desire is only the beginning. “This is only the first taste. We’re stepping further and further away from what people might expect from us.” Fowler says, excitement in his voice. Whilst he can assure us Pridelands won’t be going full pop anytime soon, he does reiterate not to place bets on their future sound just yet. “We’re gonna start releasing stuff that I don’t think people are expecting.” BY MATT SIEVERS
This unity in the writing applies also to the EP’s dark themes. “It’s a very emotive record to us,” Fowler candidly says. “Everything we’ve done in the past, though we like it, just doesn’t feel like us anymore. This record feels like an amalgamation of where we all are at in our life. It’s very dark and it feels a lot more mature, a lot fresher to us and we’re really happy with it.” One thing that isn’t dark is the cover art designed and coconceptualised by Pat Fox. Whilst it looks like something out of a scene of Guardians of the Galaxy, there’s actually a lot of meaningful symbolism to the design that Fowler generously shared with us.
Any Colour You Desire is out now. Pick it up so you can say you liked Pridelands before they’re playing mainstage at everyone’s favourite festivals.
Internationally acclaimed Bluesman DAVE HOLE
NEW ALBUM
OUT APRIL 27 ON CD, DIGITAL & LP
“Slide guitar fanatics will have their brains blown out …. prepare to hear your jaw hitting the floor” BILLBOARD, USA
“Magnificent, staggering, almost beyond belief”
GUITAR PLAYER, USA
03 04 05 06
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AUSTRALIAN TOUR MAY 2018
May May May May
Cronulla NSW Balmain NSW Bulli NSW Islington NSW
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May May May May May May May
Brunswick VIC Mulgrave VIC St Kilda VIC Broadbeach QLD Broadbeach QLD Broadbeach QLD North Perth WA 19
4/04/2018 8:08:59 8:08:02 PM
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COURTNEY BARNETT DEFIES THE STATUS QUO Courtney Barnett’s sound is certainly definitive. Her half-spoken lyrics which manage to sound conversational whilst containing phrases like “I want to wash out my head with turpentine cyanide/I dislike this internal diatribe” have garnered the world’s undivided attention and prove that if put on a pedestal, she certainly won’t disappoint you. This makes releases that stray from the expected, such as her joint album with Kurt Vile Whole Lotta Sea Lice and the uncharacteristically sing-song chorus of ‘Need A Little Time’ from her latest album, all the more exciting. ‘Need A Little Time’ is no outlier, either. Barnett’s latest album Tell Me How You Really Feel displays a subtle yet undeniable shift as a whole, in both approach and attitude. Previously, we’ve seen Barnett reflecting on herself through introspective and often analytical lyrics, though this time she has turned the mirror on the world, as if we are seeing it from her perspective. “This kinda feels like an extension of ideas and just kind of seeking new interest, experimenting with different things,” she says of Tell Me How You Really Feel. “Nothing felt too like, you know, wildly different. [I’m] just kind of, you know, constantly trying small different things and different sounds.” Between playing alongside her partner Jen Cloher and working closely with Vile, Barnett is constantly testing her creative boundaries, and the effects are evident. Where previous tracks like ‘Debbie Downer’ and ‘Pedestrian At Best” were timid, vulnerable and self-deprecating, Tell Me How You Really Feel is upfront, unapologetic and fed up with the status quo. “I try to keep pretty open to, kind of, different strains of inspiration. That project [Whole Lotta Sea Lice] definitely crossed over while I was writing my album,” she says. “Every project I get to work with [does], but especially Jen. ‘Cause I’ve gotten to play in her band for a couple of years now and had two albums with her and she’s just growing [as a] musician over time. I think it all adds towards the ongoing project.” That’s not to say Tell Me How You Really Feel is less personal or honest; Barnett is still baring it all, we’re just seeing a different
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“I THINK JUST LIKE SEEING A CONNECTION, PHYSICALLY KIND OF FEELING A CONNECTION BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE CROWD, IT’S REALLY POWERFUL.” side this time around – something she says was a natural progression and a theme that developed organically. “I just kind of write the songs without really thinking about it. It is a kind of strange thing. But it’s just quite liberating I think, to share those stories,” she says. “I just sat down and wrote everything out without having something in mind and then things kinda became apparent. It was like a behavioural study of myself and other people in my life.” Tell Me How You Really Feel displays a rockier, punk infused sound than what we’ve previously heard from Barnett, though the melodies are complex and intricate across the album, with moments of fragility amongst the jagged, angry riffs. “I was playing a little piano, actually. I was kind of figuring out how to play that and writing a lot on it, which was nice to kinda let the happy accidents [happen]. I think it opens up this other world of melodic ideas that I hadn’t really found on guitar.
“I probably tried a couple of sounds, just like lots of different pedals. I’ve been playing a lot of bows, with the cello, [to] get the kind of rich string sound. We only ended up doing it on one song on this album, but, I tried on a couple. I loved the sound that it made.” Barnett’s passion for creating new sounds and exploring the abilities of an instrument is palpable and something that undoubtedly stems from her beginnings as a musician. “My very first guitar was just this nylon string guitar which was just like half broken, but a family friend gave it to me. He then passed away, and it always held a kind of sentimental spot for me, just ‘cause you know, the kindness of someone sharing their instrument with me. And that’s how I learned to play. I think that’s a really beautiful part of music, that kind of sharing.” Having kicked off 2018 sharing the stage with Cloher, Barnett is gearing up for another tour following the release of her new album which will take her across Europe, America, New Zealand and Australia. Excited at the prospect of sharing a new set of songs with the world, she describes the feeling of performing as an entirely different energy to that of creating an album. “I think just like seeing a connection, physically kind of feeling a connection between yourself and the crowd, it’s really powerful,” she says. “The minute you play a song to someone else, it takes on a whole other meaning and you know, people project onto it and it just becomes another kind of story, in a way.” BY KATE STREADER
Catch Courtney Barnett on tour throughout Australia from Friday August 17. Tell Me How You Really Feel is out on Friday May 18 through Milk! Records.
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MUSIC INTERVIEWS “We kind of lay everything out and then the mix dictates what goes up or down. If something isn’t necessarily needed, we’ll make it a little lower. Everyone’s in there, but depending on the song then different parts and instruments are emphasised.” Gordon’s the first to admit that writing songs for West Thebarton – whose debut album, Different Beings Being Different, comes out this month – is a task that needs to be undertaken with a bit of strategy and tact. Sure, that’s antithetical to the rambling, rag-tag nature of the band – but, in a way, that’s kind of the point.“You have to start simple – if you’re going in there with something too complicated, it can easily end up being completely insane,” says Gordon, who also plays in Horror My Friend with fellow West Thebarton bandmate Josh Battersby.
West Thebarton Navigate The Chaos
“It’s a matter of building for us – we bring ideas in with a good foundation so that everyone can add in their own ideas over the top of it. That certainly runs a risk of becoming really convoluted, but I think we all trust in one another to develop off the bones of a song. We all have plenty of different tastes and play really differently as musicians, so if one of us doesn’t know what to do with a song idea, we can work together to make it something that the original writer wouldn’t have thought to come up with themselves. It can actually end up being pretty positive.”
It’s one thing for West Thebarton to work as a live band. The all-in ensemble is a mess of jangly guitars, scattered drums and shared microphones that makes for one of the most fun live shows on the circuit. But what happens when the Adelaide collective makes the pilgrimage into the studio? How does one navigate all of the chaos? Put simply, it just needs to be mapped out. “We record everything – and I mean everything,” says Tom Gordon, one of the band’s four(!) guitar players.
Different Beings was recorded between December of 2016 and March of 2017 in the band’s native Adelaide. Although taking on guitar and vocal duties in both bands, Gordon is personally quick to point out that his guitar set-up for West Thebarton is completely different to Horror My Friend’s. “I’m playing a 1966 Yamaha SG2 – it’s an old Japanese guitar that was only made for a short amount of time,” he says. “No-one wanted to buy them because they’re seen as like a student brand – in reality, these guitars are just as good as Fenders, if not better. When I bought it, I got it for $800. These days, they retail for up to two-and-a-half grand – people eventually realised what great guitars they actually are. I run it through a lot dirtier amps than I would for
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Horror My Friend, too – it’s pretty perfect for garage rock.” Gordon adds, however, that he’s onto his second SG2 after he snapped the neck of the first at a show: “I was just trying to be a cool dude,” he jokes. The delay of the record to May of 2018 was not out of frustration or red tape – rather, it was an exciting chance to be a part of something new in terms of releasing the record. Different Beings is the first full-length LP to be released by Domestic La La Records, the new imprint headed up by Violent Soho’s James Tidswell. Gordon notes that, after meeting Tidswell at Bigsound in 2017, the rest of the band knew he was the man for the job. “We met with a lot of label people, managerial people and A&R people while we were up in Brisbane,” says Gordon. “The test was this: I’d ask all of them what their favourite songs on the record were. Half of them couldn’t tell me the name of a single song on there, and I knew that they just didn’t care about it at all. When we asked Tidswell, he went into a detailed explanation of his favourite parts on every single track. It’s not about the business for him – it’s a real venture of passion.” BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
Different Beings Being Different is out Friday May 18 via Domestic La La Records. Catch them on tour in June. For more details, head to westthebarton.com
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ADVICE COLUMNS MUSICOLOGY
Mixdown’s Top 8 Tips For Tasty Tone As part of this month’s tone special, we thought we’d look at some of the areas that may be affecting your guitar tone. Some of these are obvious, some are not, and some kind of are, but maybe you didn’t want to ask, and that’s cool. There are so many components to do with your signal that have an incremental effect on the overall sound. Here are a few to keep in mind. Amplifier valves If you want to go to Tone Town, you have to let your valves warm up before playing. You’ll hear a massive difference if you can leave your amp turned on for half an hour before playing. If you plug in and turn on immediately you won’t be getting the full sound of warmed up valves that sounded so good in rehearsal until the tail end of your set. Secondly, if you are gigging regularly with a valve amplifier, it’s a good idea to change the output valves every year. Valves will begin to wear after a while, resulting in loss of volume and occasional errant high frequency noises. Understand your volume settings Many won’t have realised that the volume pots on your guitar also act as a subtle low-pass filter, meaning that when you turn down the volume you also roll off some of the treble. This is by no means a problem, but it’s good to understand how that may be affecting your overall tone when you turn down during the quieter sections of your set. Strings Hate to be Captain Obvious here, but your string choice will drastically alter your guitar tone. Regardless of the gauge, the make of the strings is a tone-oriented decision. It’s fairly easy to get a consistent, medium tone from the round-wound nickelplated steel strings produced by the major brands, however it’s also fun to experiment. Generally speaking, pure nickel strings will give a ‘rounder’ sound associated with vintage tones, while stainless steel strings are brighter and more aggressive, and flatwound strings are mellower, with less treble emphasis resulting in a tone favoured by jazz musicians. Power supply choice Many of us have been guilty at one stage or another of carefully selecting the pedals that will help shape the sound we are after and then using a $12 power supply and daisy chain for the lot of them. Take a little time to check the different power requirements of your pedals, especially if you have second-hand pedals that were made for an overseas market, and get to know the difference between AC, DC and negative and positive polarity tips. Having one pedal in the chain that doesn’t match the power requirements can at best result in a loss of tone and introduce a 60-cycle hum, and at worst destroy your pedals. Using an isolated power supply will help ensure that your board doesn’t affect your sound adversely.
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Remember to adjust the settings from rehearsal to stage Again, this seems so simple, which is why it’s so easy to overlook. Of course you are going to set your pedals for what feels right during rehearsal, but remember to adjust them during soundcheck as each venue is different and you will need to react to that in order to sound your best. A large reverberant space will call for less delays and reverbs muddying up your tone, and similarly you will usually want less bass frequencies once you are playing at full volume with other instruments through a large PA. Speaker choice The type of speaker magnet used is one of the major factors affecting your sound, with ceramic and alnico being the most common. Alnico was once king and can be relied on for warm, 1960’s tone, whereas ceramic is much more common these days and delivers a cleaner and punchier sound. Leads The longer distance your signal has to travel the higher capacitance it will have, resulting in a loss of high frequencies. There are other factors that affect your tone when it comes to guitar leads, but assuming you are using good quality brands, capacitance is important to be aware of. Picks Picks are made from a variety of materials and each will result in a different tone. Softer materials, such as nylon, typically yield a softer attack and therefore a ‘rounder’ sound. Harder materials, like Tortex, on the other hand tend to be better at producing a brighter and more percussive attack. Thinner picks, such as the .40-.60mm nylon range, will have a lighter sound well suited to acoustic strumming, while the .60-.80mm range produces a fuller sound, either for solo performers or rhythm guitar players as they are both stiff enough to accentuate individual notes with high-end bite, and flexible enough to still strum with. BY ALEX WATTS
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ADVICE COLUMNS ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION
The Art Of Listening A really valuable exercise that can help you on your way is listening to music you like - really listening to it. Pull it apart in your head. Dissect it. Try to isolate each instrument and element. What kind of sound is the kick drum? Is it a muffled sub-bass ‘thunk’ or an aggressive ‘bzzz’ with lots of high end frequencies? Is it a quick and tight sound or does it have a long decay? Are there two different kick drums? Nod your head to the tempo and identify where those kicks are in the beat. Think about each individual element of the percussion and instrumentation. What’s making those sounds sound like that? Some parts can be really difficult to isolate and ‘crack’. There’s no shame in downloading your chosen song and popping it in your DAW of choice to help with the dissection. You could, for example, loop the first 16 bars of the track and concentrate on figuring out what’s happening there. Use an EQ or filter to help isolate low, mid and high frequency ranges so you can hear how each range fits together. Looping a segment will also help you identify repetition and changes in the rhythm and melody. Pay careful attention to how many bars each element goes for before it repeats or changes. After doing this for a few songs, you may find that melodies of a certain length, for example, may be a calling card of your genre of choice. When it comes to melodies, even if you know zero music theory, think about the
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apparent distance between the notes. Are there big jumps between low and high notes? Or are there only slight changes up or down? Is it atonal with tension and structure implied through rhythm and effects? How is it phrased around the rhythm? Where does each note strike happen on your 1-2-3-4 count? Is there lots of space between each note or does it ring out until the next hit? If possible, try and play along to work out what notes are being played and their phrasing around the rhythm. You may find similarities in a lot of your favourite songs. I know I’m asking you to ask a lot of questions here, but there are actually tonnes more to be asked. We’ve barely touched on song structure and arrangement, but if you are just starting out, that can come later. Learning what it is that you like is paramount at the beginning. Even if actively
listening to a track on the radio has left you wondering, "How the hell do I make my snare sound like that?" This is good, you’ve identified that you like that snare. Out of all the stuff going on in that track, you’ve locked onto that one individual element.
By the way, once you start listening to music like this, there’s no going back. Kiss your old music listening habits goodbye. BY MICHAEL CUSACK
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ADVICE COLUMNS GUITAR
BASS GUITAR
Learn the Fretboard
Recommended Players
Continuing last issue’s idea of improving your fretboard knowledge, we’ll dig a little deeper this month. We looked at some three notes per string shapes with G minor and D Mixolydian to understand the concept of seeing these notes all over the neck (not just starting on the root and playing standard shapes). Of course, start slow with these exercises and focus on accuracy at first rather than speed.
As mentioned last issue, I love the access to (seemingly) endless amounts of music and videos these days thanks to the internet and social media. The ability to hear something and then instantly check it out, find out more about the artist and buy their music is amazing. It gives so many players exposure and creates lots of avenues for releasing music. One of the downsides I sometimes see, however, is the lack of longevity due to this saturation of content. You might be really looking forward to a band’s new album. Release day comes and you buy it online, listen to it a heap, but within in a week/day/ hour/month, more of your favourite bands have released something or you’ve discovered another six artists in the meantime. It’s hard to keep up with everything out there and give everything the attention it deserves. The same often goes for individual musos such as the ones below.
Figure A recaps this idea using C Phrygian (C Db Eb F G Ab Bb). By starting on the lowest note (F) we then play the mode using three notes per string which takes us to Bb on the high E String. Obviously we should also practise descending to end up back on low F, which then takes us to Figure B. This is still C Phrygian, but starting on G on the low E string. Continue the pattern up the neck and then try improvising using the mode all over the neck to get some fluency. Try breaking these patterns too and take the mode all over the neck in any direction. You can then see the further possibilities: scales, modes, all keys, arpeggios, etc. Some of the more commonly used keys, scales and shapes might be fine but when you push a little further, I’m sure they’ll get tricky.
Now, let’s take the concept to four notes per string. F Major is a good starting point (Figure C) as it commences on the root note. Have a look at the spread of the notes and take a minute to think about potential fingerings. These may take some stretches, so go slow to make sure of correct notes.
How did you go? Any problems? You might try 1 2 3 4 for the first four notes (F G A Bb) or even 1 2 4 4 (with a slide) if the stretch is really pushing you. In the end you can cover all these notes however you like; the concept is more about getting to know the notes. Having some boundaries can help with getting the idea flowing as a start. Figure D starts our F Major scale up a tone (on G on the low E string) and again creates some awkward stretches and fingering options. Starting slowly again is the key and trying to not be restricted by the fingering. One of the first things you might notice about four notes per string is the flow of the rhythm and sound. Playing four notes per string fits nicely when playing quavers in 4/4 with the new string starting on the beat and eliminating some of the issues players have with three notes per string moving in 4/4 and accenting different beats of the bar.
Lots of further possibilities here – try different scales (chromatic, diminished, modes), arpeggios and develop some licks and vocabulary. You’ll be surprised how much this can help your note recognition, knowledge of the fretboard, and thinking and concept of the neck. You’ll hopefully start seeing new paths all over the neck as well as groups of notes and chords. Yes, chords! We’ll get onto those next issue in a similar concept to this month. BY NICK BROWN
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MonoNeon Dwayne Thomas Jr aka MonoNeon has been super prominent on YouTube for the last few years. His highly identifiable persona (lots of fluoro, beanies, glasses, ski masks, hoodies, etc.) is matched by his style and setup – playing left handed upside down often with an orange and yellow sock adorned on the headstock of his bass. In terms of sound, he’s got a great groove with lots of character and a touch of quirkiness thrown in for good measure. Gaining much notoriety on social media for his live clips with the likes of Cory Henry, Daru Jones, Eric Gales and the New Power Generation, he was also one of the last bass players to play with Prince. A great mix of style, groove and character.
Teymur Phell Born in Azerbaijan to musical parents, Teymur built his early foundations studying bass (both double and electric) at university. Arriving in the USA in 2011, it wasn’t long before he was an in demand sideman gigging with the likes of Oz Noy, Mike Stern and Arturo Sandoval. Solid technique and a great feel see him at home in anything from rock, pop, and funk to Latin, fusion and jazz. He’s also a great educator with lots of online instructional content and a book titled Killer Walking Bass – Melodic Lines for the Advanced Jazz Bassist. He’s definitely worth checking out online (or in person if you get a chance).
Janek Gwizdala Not necessarily a new name, but one that deserves plenty of recognition. A London native, Gwizdala moved to the USA to study at the famed Berklee College of Music. Playing pop, jazz, funk, Latin and almost anything in between, he is a dedicated musician with great chops and musicality that has landed him gigs with players such as Wayne Krantz, Randy Brecker and Pat Metheny. An in demand player, session muso and educator, he produces lots of online and physical content and is endorsed by brands such as TC Electronic, Aguilar, Dunlop and Fodera. BY NICK BROWN
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ADVICE COLUMNS PERCUSSION
Warm Up / Chop Builders Warming up is something that many teachers recommend and for some drummers, the gig can’t begin until they’ve warmed up. Regardless of whether you think of the following exercises as warm ups, they’re definitely good for general techniques and chops. With some simple exercises you can extend the level of comfort you have on the drums overall and get some power into your single strokes/ rudiments. Let’s get into it. There’s good news and bad news here. The bad news is that in reality, the best exercises to improve technique can be boring. The good news is that they’re great for you. I’ll tell you more about what can make the below exercise more interesting but for the moment, let’s discuss the boring basics. These exercises are based around super simple rhythms and rudiments focusing on correct technique and clear, precise strokes. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to play each of the exercises just using wrist strokes rather than fingers or other motions. The idea here is to be able to strengthen the hands and promote the ability to play on any surface. For example, the snare drum is often tuned the highest and therefore has more natural rebound to the toms, which by contrast tend to have less rebound as the drums get bigger and heads tuned lower. Ever tried playing a double stroke roll on your snare drum/pad and then the floor tom? Worlds apart.
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Figures A, B and C are super simple and should sound the same. We have four preliminary single strokes as 8th notes followed by the three basic rudiments as a burst of 16th notes. The 8th notes give the wrists a break to then prepare for the faster 16ths. At slower tempos, be mindful to be very deliberate and play at a range of dynamic levels - louder is okay as larger strokes require more work, so this is good. As the tempo increases, you might find the strokes naturally get softer and this is natural based on shorter strokes equalling more speed. Trying to play louder is still good though. Again, only use wrists to really work that muscle gear. You can also try the whole exercise/s as finger strokes if you wish or beginning on the opposite hand.
hand are followed by singles strokes in the opposite hand. The next bar is vice versa. As before, the preliminary strokes give you a little break but as the tempo increases, the break is short and harder than before.
Figure D is a little self-contained exercise that allows for swapping the lead hand every bar. You’ll notice that the rhythm is the same as our initial exercises but the sticking is different. The preliminary strokes on the one
Begin with four strokes per hand - again, all wrists at a comfortable tempo. Then, move to eight strokes per hand. If the strokes feel strained or difficult, don’t increase tempo and where necessary, decrease tempo until
My final exercise is a common idea and this is to perform gradually increasing numbers of strokes on a single hand. Some drummers do this starting at one stroke per hand, then two strokes, three, etc. This exercise simplifies things a little.
comfortable. You must have a base camp/ starting point. When ready, move to 16 strokes per hand (a full bar) and then 32 strokes per hand (two bars). When you feel up to it, do the whole thing again with a set amount of bars per hand. It’s great when you can do this quickly. Try all wrists but also with fingers if you want to work those gears. To spice up your life, you can try adding foot pattern/s. You can make it something simple like four bass drums a bar or alternating feet if you wish. As the tempo increases, you might prefer your feet to play half time so it feels more natural. How crazy you make the foot patterns is up to you. Go nuts. BY ADRIAN VIOLI
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PRODUCT REVIEWS MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION
Origin Amplifer Series ELECTRIC FACTORY | ELFA.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $849 - $1399
These days, the guitar amp market seems littered with amps and simulators that can do anything your heart desires. With the introduction of amp modeling and digital technology, never has it been easier to have a one stop shop for all of the coveted sounds you want to recreate. That’s all well and good, but sometimes it’s an absolute delight to take your rig back to the studs and go back to where it all began. That seems to be Marshall Amps’ ethos with the new Origin line of amplifiers, their new range based on the look and sound of their JTM and Super Lead amps. Classic look, classic sound, but with little hints of modern updates that make for ease of use and a damn great time. The first thing I loved about the range was that it wasn’t massive. The last thing we need is another 20 different versions of the same amp on the market to choose from, so Marshall have kept it nice and tidy. The range offers combo amps in five watts, 20 watts and 50 watts, as well as head units in both 20 and 50 watts. More than enough variety for anyone from the bedroom enthusiast, to the avid Jimmy Page fanatic who wants to recreate that iconic full stack from The Song Remains The Same. Perfect. Before even turning any of the amps on, I had to take a moment to admire just how classy these things look. The only JTM’s I’ve seen in recent years have been very battleworn and covered in dust, so it was refreshing to see a classic looking Marshall amp that was spotless and ready to be put to work. I was lucky enough to sit with the entire range of the Origin amps and they’re all excellent in their own right. The only real difference throughout the range is the wattage attached to each one, so there’s no need to unnecessarily delve into a wealth of features that just aren’t there. That said, these amps operate as a perfect base to build your tone from the ground up through pedals. Their basic tone is very clean and
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transparent, which makes it perfect to colour your tone as you please. For those wanting to emulate classic David Gilmour and Eric Clapton, find yourself a nice Tube Screamer and Delay pedal to throw in front of one of these and you’ll be set. For those wanting a dedicated clean amp for jazz gigs, run a nice reverb pedal through the effects loop of the 20 watt combo and you’re laughing. At the start of this review I talked about little modern updates from the original JTM and Super Lead amps. The older amps had two separate channels, a bright and normal channel. If you found yourself wanting more gain or a bit of a boost, you used to have to bridge the two channels together with a patch cable so you would effectively blend both channels and have the benefits of both in one. The Origin series circumvents that need with the help of tilt control. This control allows you to blend the sound of the normal and high treble sound, cutting out the middle man and the need for excess cabling in your signal chain. Good thinking, Marshall. Marshall has really nailed the Origin series and they’re a great way of showing this generation of guitarists how cool it is to build and explore your tone by adding pedals to a classic and revered sound. These amps lack in features and variety, they make up for in bringing that classic, warm Marshall tone to a new generation at a very affordable price. It’s hard to knock something for being a one trick pony when it does that one trick really damn well. BY NICHOLAS SIMONSEN HITS ∙ Elegant and tasteful look ∙ Warm and classic tone MISSES ∙ Too basic for some (but certainly not me)
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PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
Santa Ana Overdrive FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $399 “I really just want that classic dirt sound, ya know? Which one of these things gives me that?” Anyone who works in a music shop, studio or any place where guitar based advice is metered out will attest to just how long the ensuing conversation can be. Dirt is, after all, literally everywhere in the world with many different combinations and permutations responsible for what is all too often lumped in under the one roof. Between the few different types of fuzz, the dense thicket of distortions and the seemingly unreachable horizon of overdrives, the answer is almost always, “How long is a piece of string?” Sometimes a design will hit that nail right on the head and stand the test of time as a sought-after sound, and pedals like the often imitated Tube Screamer and its ilk become the things of legend. In the Santa Ana Overdrive, Fender has plunged into the deepest water in tone town and come up for air with what may prove to be the next Excalibur. Released at this year’s NAMM conference, Fender’s new line of stompboxes has pricked the ears of the majority of players. While the company’s chief competition flounders in a mire of its own mistakes, Fender has done well these last few years to keep their eyes on the prize and not put out anything that could be misconstrued
as too great a risk. Aiming their gaze at the floor at this point might seem like the widest swing they’ve chanced in a while, but this determination to avoid the fate of their peer seems to have driven a range of pedals that is very much up to the challenge of what has become a particularly saturated market. Of all the pedals in this new line, the overdrive is by far the one with the fiercest and most convoluted competition. The Santa Ana Overdrive is every bit the working players’ pedal. The whole line comes in a roomy but stylish folded steel chassis that is finished off nicely by blue slivers of LED atop the knobs. Candy Apple Red in appearance, it is simultaneously one of the simpler yet more flexible drives I’ve tried in a long time. I personally have a lot of time for twin pedals, and the fact that you can change the order of boostinto-drive or vice versa is always a massive boon. It allows you to fully explore the tone-stacking options by driving one side harder with the other, meaning there is much more tone on tap than even the most tricked up single stomper. As with all ODs, the only thing you really need to know is what the clip is like and this is where I was most impressed. With the Tone knob at noon and the front end hammered, it has all the crystalline chime of an OCD
or a dimed AC30; however, at the bottom of the dial it’s as clean a boost as they come. You can even dial in that horrible 808 mid hump if you’re that way inclined. Fender is clearly taking care to limit their output to sure things and their batting average is through the roof as a result. The Santa Ana Overdrive is not only one of the more flexible examples now on the market, but it is as close as you’ll get to that classic dirt sound no matter whose ears you’re listening with.
BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS ∙ Unparalleled flexibility coupled with the choicest clip in town MISSES ∙ None
ZOOM
AC-2 Acoustic Creator DYNAMIC MUSIC | DYNAMICMUSIC.COM. AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $459 Acoustic guitar can be a tricky one to handle in both live and studio situations. Capturing the intricacies of an acoustic instrument together with having a constant reliable level, whilst still sounding how you want can be harder than it seems. And what’s the answer Mics? DI? Pedals? Effects? There is no one real solution but Zoom’s latest offering, the AC-2, aims to help with your choices a little. Billed as ‘your acoustic sound – amplified’, the AC-2 is a DI. Not just a DI though; it incorporates a preamp, reverb, EQ, tuner, anti-feedback circuit, boost, a range of input/ output options, including balanced and unbalanced, a ground lift and options for pre/ post EQ and USB connectivity. Coming in a slightly larger than standard housing, the focus seems to be on usability live although the AC-2 can sit nicely on a desk or on the floor for studio use. The front of the unit is raised giving you access to mute/tuner and the boost function also means a stray foot shouldn’t alter the rest of the controls. The rest of the unit is clearly marked and easy to tweak quickly when needed. One of the first things you’ll notice is the source guitar dial. Zoom’s premise is to use acoustic remodeling to restore tone that is
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lost when playing an acoustic guitar plugged in, be it to an amp or front of house or to an audio interface and the like. With settings from round and slope shoulder through to single cutaway, nylon string, resonator, 12 string and upright bass, Zoom are definitely trying to cover a broad section of the acoustic community. The manual goes into further detail regarding these settings, too, if you need some more info. After selecting your instrument type, you can tweak as needed. The EQ seems effective and clear and in a lot of cases may only be needed minimally if you’re using the EQ on your instrument as a starting point. From there the volume level and boost feature are handy for balancing levels and giving you access to extra oomph for solos or quieter passages.
The AC-2 is a great little unit. I was a bit sceptical at first of the modeling aspect, especially in terms of acoustic instruments, but it does seem to sound natural and perhaps add a little body to your tone. Tuning is clear and accurate, the reverb is usable and subtle at lower settings and the inbuilt boost is super handy. I know plenty of acoustic guitarists that just take a boost pedal to acoustic gigs, so having the added features is a bonus.
HITS ∙ Natural sound ∙ Accurate tuning MISSES ∙ The faux wood look/exterior of the pedal will be a hit for some but not to my taste
BY NICK BROWN
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PRODUCT REVIEWS EARTHQUAKER DEVICES
Pyramids Stereo Flanger GLOBAL VINTAGE | GLOBALVINTAGE.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $349 We’re calling it: flangers are due for a comeback. But there’s a lot more to this classic effect than what first meets the eye. Whether you want to emulate Eddie Van Halen to a tee or push the envelope of experimentation further than ever before, EarthQuaker Devices has you sorted with the revolutionary Pyramids Stereo Flanging Device.
Yes, the Pyramids Stereo Flanger can do classic tones with ease. But if that’s what you’re looking to get out of this pedal – and nothing else – I’d suggest you look elsewhere. The players who get the most out of this pedal are those looking to seriously experiment and expand their tonal horizons. And if that’s what you’re after, you’ve come to the right place.
With eight modes, five presets, detailed controls (including rate, width, mix, feedback, and mod knobs) EarthQuaker has clearly designed this pedal with detailed tweaking in mind. But while it may be intimidating at first, the selection of presets offers both a great launching panel for further sonic exploration and an easy sound to dial in mid-show. The addition of a variable mix control and stereo outs makes for a worthwhile contemporary update to a classic sound, and adds bucketloads of extra versatility. Built using EarthQuaker’s proprietary DSP architecture, sound quality is pristine and deep throughout. Capping it off is the addition of a tap tempo/ trigger control, which makes dialling in rhythmic effects easy. All in all, EarthQuaker has gone all in on this one. They’ve spared no expense in making one of the most inventive, expansive flangers on the market today. But the question remains: is it overkill? Of course, that’s where you come in. The Pyramids Stereo Flanger is as useful or as useless as you want it to be – the only limit is your own creativity.
Utilising the presets is a great way to start defining your own sound. Moving past classic, you’ll find barber pole up, trigger up, step, and random. Each progressively messes with your signal until you eventually find your guitar sounding something more like a synth. I had great success coming up with synthlike arpeggios, randomised bass flanging, and scatter-shot rhythms that would work exceptionally well in electronic music. And that’s part of the beauty of this pedal: flanging is the entry point, but there’s so much more under the surface when you start digging. At low rate settings, you’ll get the mushy and swirling tones that are perfect to lose yourself in – suited for psych or ambient music. Cranking up the rate, things begin to get gloriously erratic. It’s a surefire way to freshen your approach to the guitar – you’ll find yourself playing and writing things that you never would have been able to without this pedal. After all, isn’t that what effects are for in the first place? Inspiration pours out of
this device, and I’d wager you could spend an entire year discovering new tricks with it. While it may not be for everyone, EarthQuaker’s Pyramids Stereo Flanger is the perfect purchase for those wishing to take their playing to strange and unusual places. The world has enough of the same-sounding guitar lines. Why not make something different? If that sounds like you, just start here.
HITS ∙ Stereo output ∙ Tap tempo ∙ Numerous controls MISSES ∙ Not suited for beginners
BY JAMES DI FABRIZIO
AUDIO-TECHNICA
ATH-PRO7X Headphones AUDIO-TECHNICA AUSTRALIA | AUDIO-TECHNICA.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $299 I’ve used Audio-Technica headphones on and off for the last thirty years and have seen some rather tasteful designs - and some that I would rather not remember, to tell you the truth. That said, no matter how they looked, they always sounded great, even if you did look a little like a 1930’s fighter pilot walking down the street with some of the older models. I’m always keen to try the latest offering from Audio-Technica when it comes to headphones, as I know I am usually in for a good listening experience. This month, it was the turn of the ATH-PRO7X to have a listen through, and I certainly wasn’t going to turn them down. These headphones make me eat my words about design and Audio-Technica. They look great. To try and put them into a design category that I may have just made up, they are a little European Chic perhaps, mixed with Modern Art and a touch of Urban Industrialism. In short, they look sleek and offer a very comfortable fit. The fit is important, as any set of headphones can adjust to suit the size of your head, but they need to remain comfortable after an extended period of listening, which is exactly what the ATH-PRO7X headphones do. Long listening sessions are not a problem as they don’t pinch your head slowly or have any weight imbalance that becomes evident with fatigue over time. Put simply, these headphones look great and are comfortable enough to wear all day long.
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Of course, it isn’t all about the looks these days. When we are talking about headphones, it should be the sound that sets one pair apart from another. These are no different as they have been designed for meeting the demands of DJ use in a loud club environment. They certainly deliver plenty of volume, which is a good thing when it is delivered like the ATH-PRO7X does, with no distortion or undesired compression in any way. When listening at comfortable levels, it is clear and concise, with plenty of low end and a nice, fast transient attack on the high frequencies. Turn the volume up and that is all that happens - it gets louder. The signal doesn’t break apart or focus on a narrow frequency range with volume as so many headphones can often do. No, these headphones deliver a crisp audio signal no matter what level you are operating at. You’ll love them for listening to music at home, on the train, or walking down the street. At night, they will perform how you need them to when monitoring from a DJ mixer or audio interface, even in the loudest of environments. With a detachable cable, and both a straight and curly cable included, you can get your way around the DJ booth how you like with these cans, hear what you need to and look great in the process. Not bad at all. BY ROB GEE
HITS ∙ Great looks and great sound ∙ Built tough ∙ Able to handle high sound pressure levels with ease
MISSES ∙ I don’t own any
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PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
California Series Acoustics FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $1599
As the company from which the electric guitar took its first bold steps into the waiting world, Fender has a long and illustrious history flowing out behind it. To their credit, they have scarcely skipped a beat since shifting the paradigm and with many and varied pretenders to the throne falling foul of fashion and finance, the fact that they have simultaneously kept one eye on newness and the other on legacy seems to be the wind in their sails. This is one thing in particular that they have continually excelled at over the course of the last few years: tributes to historical builds with a few choice updates to add a pinch of freshness to proceedings. The California Series is a prime example of this as these three designs come plucked from the archives without besmirching the pride of collectors the world around. There are three body shapes in this series. The first and smallest in stature is the Malibu. Fender first released a Malibu design in the heady days of the early ‘60s and they fast became the guitar of choice for surfers and beatniks alike, with their blonde-onblonde veneer and slung-over-a-shoulder portability. Looking like something out of a Peter Sellers movie, this little pipsqueak
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tips its hat to the calm and relaxed nature of parlour guitars without the boxy, squarenecked nuance that causes many a love/hate relationship. The classic tone wood pairing of a solid Sitka spruce top on mahogany back and sides is gentle on the pokey midrange commonly associated with guitars of this limited girth, offering a little more tonal width than expected and making it really come alive when approached with finger picking techniques. Next up is the sassy middle child of the range. The Newporter, with its narrow hips and pronounced lower bout, definitely has a personality all of its own. With all the tightness and compression of mahogany rumbling around that big butt, the hip focuses the guitar’s energy and squeezes it out through the top end of the frequency spectrum, lending it an odd yet not unfamiliar voicing that almost sounds like a cocked wah. Lean back on your picking hand and it croons at you like an Elvis ballad; however, really dig in and get sweaty and it’s more like Neil Diamond in a sequined jumpsuit in its raucous, sexy, barking attitude. The six in–line tuners on Hot Rod Red matching headstock only accentuate this, making the Newporter the cocky front-person of the trio.
Once upon a time I was lucky enough to borrow one of the most original sounding and feeling guitars I’ve ever played. I pried open an ancient, chocolate brown hard case in the late afternoon sun and there in all its beach white spruce–on–maple glory was a late ‘70s Fender Kingman. Stately as a limousine and with the resonant glory of Abbey Road’s echo chamber, this guitar really set the benchmark for boldness that I expect when I pick up a dreadnaught. The Redondo, resplendent in Cosmic Turquoise, has a lot of that same confidence. The largest in stature of the three, this is where you really get to take in the subtle yet refined appointments that Fender has afforded their new beauties. The painted face and matching headstock crest over Koa binding like the edge of a cliff, and leaning over to gaze longingly at the naturally finished undercarriage is a classy and aweinspiring experience. You really feel the solidness of the timbers as the increased girth sends low end rippling through your ribcage, while highs and mids dance handin-hand around the corners of the room. The balance and relaxed confidence in the Redondo makes it easily the most playable of this new holy trinity.
All three guitars in the California Series are a nod and a wink to what have since become collectors’ items in Fender’s history. One thing they are not, however, is a set of re-issues. Aided and abetted by a Fishman co-designed pick-up system specific to each tier, every one of these guitars has a voice and a vista uniquely its own that separates it not only from its ilk, but also from its ancestors and indeed most other guitars on the market. The Malibu’s plucky precociousness, the Newporter’s quirk and Redondo’s grand statesmanship make for a strident power-trio in combination, but all three stand alone as some of the more unique acoustic guitars in recent memory. BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS ∙ Uniqueness ∙ Playability ∙ Build-quality ∙ Devastating handsomeness MISSES ∙ I’d like to see a natural finish top
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PRODUCT REVIEWS MAD PROFESSOR
Little Green Wonder Overdrive DUNPHY IMPORTS | MADPROFESSOR.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $265 When an overdrive pedal comes in some variation of a green finish and it has three knobs, we all know what it’s inspired by and there’s no point beating around the bush about it: the Ibanez Tube Screamer. The Tube Screamer is so ubiquitous and so iconic that every player feels they need some version of it on their pedalboard. But the relative simplicity of the circuit also means it’s easy to customise, so there are plenty of options on the market from other companies who know that you may want something in the Tube Screamer neighbourhood but with enough variation to set you apart from everyone using the same little green box. That’s where the Mad Professor Little Green Wonder Overdrive comes in. All the expected features are there: the three-knob layout (Volume, Drive and Body), 9V battery power or external AC adaptor jack, big ‘ol footswitch, bright red status LED. Unlike many Tube Screamer-inspired pedals, this one doesn’t have any extra switches, knobs or modes. But there’s some stuff happening under the hood that sets it apart. Where the Tube Screamer has a distinctive midrange bump and a thinner low end, the Little Green Wonder evens out the frequency spread to give you a more natural midrange and fuller bass. The idea is that the Little Green Wonder gives you a more natural overdrive that
doesn’t colour your sound as much as a Tube Screamer, but does more than simply hit your preamp tubes with more input gain; it still has some personality of its own, even when you set the Drive control to zero and use the pedal as a clean boost. The Body control sets the frequency range of the sound: turn it counter-clockwise for more bass and low mids with a slight treble boost, or clockwise for just a slight treble increase which is great for helping a guitar to find a place within a busy mix without clouding the low end. There’s also plenty of drive available, crossing that magical threshold from ‘overdrive’ to ‘distortion’ with a slight fuzzy edge. Think Richie Kotzen’s drive tone and you’re pretty much there, right down to the ‘roll back the guitar volume to clean it up’ vibe. It works great for blues-rock, country and alternative styles but also has a certain Josh Homme-esque charm. This is a really easy-to-use, great-sounding all-rounder overdrive. It may not have the high degree of customisation of many other pedals in this market segment, but it doesn’t need it because it does what it does spectacularly well thanks to that carefully-voiced Body control and the scope of the Drive knob. Having said that, if you want a drive that does more, check
out Mad Professor’s Bluebird Overdrive (with built-in delay), 1 Pedal (overdrive with reverb) or brilliant Simble overdrive, inspired by classic Dumble amps. Then there’s the Golden Cello, described as ‘Eric Johnson in a box’ and which Johnson himself uses, which replicates a fuzz into an overdriven amp with an Echoplex delay. The point is, Mad Professor covers a heck of a lot of ground with its overdrive offerings, and the Little Green Wonder is among some really impressive company and well worth your consideration.
HITS ∙ Well-voiced Body control ∙ More gain than you might expect. MISSES ∙ No extra controls like some Tube Screamer-inspired pedals
BY PETER HODGSON
MARKBASS
Combo 121 Lite Bass Combo CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU | RRP: $2595 Having played with the likes of Frank Gambale, Mike Stern and Billy Cobham, Alain Caron is a highly respected player in the music community. Likewise, Markbass is one of the most well-known bass amp manufacturers on the planet. It’s then understandable why the two parties would collaborate on the Combo 121 Lite. Continuing with their portable and lightweight amps that push some serious volume, Markbass seems to be onto another winner. Somewhat similar in stature to the popular CMD 121H and CMD 151P, the new 121 Lite is taller and skinnier with some added cabinet depth, and measures approximately 38.5 x 46 x 49 cms making it still pretty small. Great for fitting into small stages or carrying around town, the 121 Lite can sit right on the back seat of your car and the combo weighs in at just over 16kgs. Markbass have followed suit to the rest of their line and have gone with the spongey carpeted type cab covering and solid plastic corners, which seem to offer good protection and durability and can be wiped or vacuumed clean if needed. Some standard Markbass controls are present on the front with gain, low, midlow, midhigh, high, VPF, VLE and master volume. I should mention the
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inclusion of a mute switch, which is really handy for changing instruments mid–gig. The front panel also has in/outs for aux in and headphone out. Flick to the back of the combo and you’ll find a line out, effect send and return, tuner out, preamp out, speaker out and ground lift and pre/post EQ switches. In terms of power, the 121 Lite runs 500 watts through the 12” woofer and 300 watts into the 1.25” tweeter, allowing for some serious dynamics and volume. Starting with the amp set flat and the VPF and VLE off, I managed a tight, fat tone that had some great punch in the mids when digging in, and plenty of volume on tap when you start balancing the gain and master volume controls. Dialling in some of the variable pre shape filter and vintage loudspeaker emulator to taste, you can then add some body and edge if needed. The combination of the 12” and 1.25” driver also gives you a wide EQ spectrum to handle plenty of players and styles of music. Great for a range of basses and tones, the 121 Lite definitely has that MarkBass vibe and offers so much as it’s portable and efficient, yet can handle anything from small quiet rehearsals to big gigs. BY NICK BROWN
HITS ∙ Plenty of volume, headroom and tone ∙ Portable, light, smallish MISSES ∙ None
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PRODUCT REVIEWS STACKS FX
Limited Edition Gold Fuzz Gazer Pedal MANIAC MUSIC FACTORY | MANIACMUSICFACTORY.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $279.95 Like him or lump him, Dave Grohl and his ragtag gang of BMX bandits in the Foo Fighters look from the outside like they are living every musician’s dream life. Grohl himself seems like he never grew out of being a teenager worshipping his favourite bands. His exuberance and vim combine to give him a puppy-with-a-bone kind of energy that most of us unfortunately lose as soon as we are forced into ‘real jobs’. The further along their career path they get, the more Foo Fighters explore the outer reaches of the guitar rock plateau, and to their credit they have managed to escape the clutches of MOR tedium even if it is by sheer force of moxie alone. The video for their single ‘Run’ is a sort of goofy metaphor for this idea as it sees them dressed up as elderly versions of themselves starting a prison riot as they play before a shocked nursing home crowd. It may be quintessentially adolescent, but it won them a Grammy so there’s no point arguing. One of the most talked about aspects of the song apart from the clip is the guitar tone driving the whole song like it stole it. The machine responsible for that velcro tight, chewy fuzz sound is the Stacks FX Fuzz Gazer. I personally have a standoffish attitude to fuzz. Every time I go to plug one in, I can’t
help but think that I don’t really want to limit myself to Hendrix and Homme riffs for an entire afternoon. However, every time I explore one on behalf of our beloved Mixdown I find a new colour or flavour that I hadn’t expected, which leads me to think I’m being a pretentious twit. From the creamy simplicity of the Fuzz Face to the beefy wall built by Big Muffs, it is a facet of sound so distinct that I find I really have to abandon myself to it or leave it alone altogether. The thing that really sets the Fuzz Gazer apart is just how unnervingly flexible it is. If you asked around you’d struggle to find a guitar player who would think of using a fuzz box to achieve a subtle amount of clip, but lo and behold the settings that I had accidentally dialed in when first I fired up Stacks FX’s pride and joy had just that. It almost sounded like the bastard child of a Rat and an OD808 in its pinched, pointed clarity and my ears were well and truly pricked. With that in mind, I wandered around the dials for a while and what I found was an absolute treasure trove of fuzz sounds, both standard and otherwise. That thick, tight Mudhoney woof was there: Trent Reznor sticking a screwdriver in a JCM800 style, busted transistor jank was
there, Eric Clapton’s rolled off, heavenly warmth was there. It was all there. It is not a modeler by any means, but all the greatest sounds were to be found in the combination of five simple dials. To celebrate the hand-in-hand success of both Foo Fighters’ most recent output and their little treasure, Stacks FX have gilded their lily so to speak and offer up this limited edition gold Fuzz Gazer. Whatever you thought you wanted out of a fuzz it’s got, making it a must -have for those who, like me, are hungry for more.
BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS ∙ More variation then ever achieved by silicon-based fuzz in a hipster friendly box MISSES ∙ Leans too heavily on the bias knob rather than body for tonality
STEINBERG
UR-RT4 Audio Interface YAMAHA MUSIC | AU.YAMAHA.COM EXPECT TO PAY: $999 Steinberg’s range of UR audio interfaces has been around for a number of years now, with details of the expected upgrade to certain models recently being released. At present, the existing models currently stand proud on features and audio quality for their price points. Steinberg did not need to bring out replacements for these proven interfaces, and that is not what they have done here. The new UR-RT4 is not a replacement for the UR44, so don’t think of this as just another upgrade. The UR-RT4 is part of a whole new direction for the UR range that introduces two new interfaces designed to deliver a greater standard in audio quality with something very special that will make these models stand out from the regular UR range, and that something special comes with the name of Rupert Neve in the design process. There can be no denying that the name Rupert Neve is revered in audio circles. His consoles and preamps are the stuff of legend and their tone has been heard on countless classic albums over the last two centuries. Yes, it sounds pretty impressive when you think of it that way, and the fact is, Rupert’s designs were impressive and the quality and character of their tone has been emulated and replicated time and again in search of that ‘Neve’ sound. It goes without saying
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that you can expect something special when Steinberg releases an interface with the Neve name attached to it. What is on offer with the UR-RT4 is an interface not dissimilar in specification to the original UR44 as far as connectivity goes, but it is in the signal path that it differs greatly. The team at Rupert Neve Designs worked closely with Steinberg to create an interface that offers four switchable Neve transformers, allowing you to bring the tone and character that a Neve transformer is known for into your signal path when recording at home. This is something very special for the price, as it opens up access to Rupert Neve Designs’ transformer sound to a much wider market. It sounds not unlike a Neve in a compact USB audio interface. The four separate transformers have been carefully designed
and built into the housing of the URRT4 in a modular fashion so they can be added to or removed from the signal path depending on your needs. By engaging the Rupert Neve Designs transformer, a certain natural distortion and richness is added to your signal, with a responsiveness that we’ve come to expect from Neve consoles. Of course, this is not four dedicated Neve preamps in one box; you still have Steinberg’s great sounding D-Pre microphone preamps, but the signal path is then lifted with the Neve transformer that adds headroom and a richness of tone that is certainly characteristic of that classic Neve console sound. It really is a very clever design and implementation of the concept to get the UR-RT4 together. This will certainly open up a world of sound for many users that would previously not have been able to work with a Neve circuit in
their recording signal path. I can see this interface, along with the smaller UR-RT2, being a big hit amongst home and project studio setups. The UR-RT4 sounds great, and it’s much smaller than a Neve console. BY ROB GEE HITS ∙ Four Neve transformers in one interface ∙ Healthy I/O, including MIDI and additional line inputs ∙ Again, four Neve transformers in one interface MISSES ∙ Not at all
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PRODUCT REVIEWS ZVEX EFFECTS
Silicon Fuzz Factory GLOBAL VINTAGE | GLOBALVINTAGE.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $339 For the faint of heart, don’t even bother. This is probably one of the most unruly fuzz pedals you could ever hope to wrestle with. But for those who are looking for a dose of semi-controlled chaos matched with a huge sound in an economically-sized package, look no further. A world of gnarly fuzz awaits. Many silicon fuzz pedals claim to offer the classic ‘60s and ‘70s sound of germanium pedals. Unfortunately, most are just throwing around buzzwords and hype. There’s nothing wrong with the silicon sound – it’s got its own thing going on. But of all the silicon fuzz pedals out there that claim to come close to the warmth and responsive texture of germanium, ZVEX comes out on top. With the neck pickup on a humbucking guitar, expect woolly sustain for days. Rolling down the tone knob will get you into the territory of Clapton’s ‘Woman’ tone with ease, as well as coming close to J.J. Cale’s scuzzy blues sound. Over to the bridge pickup and you’ll find instant gratification. Singing, endless sustain and a mid-range honk that works perfectly for metal and doom. You’ll be smashing out new riffs in no time. This isn’t just a fuzz pedal; it’s a hard rock inspiration machine. Altering the comp knob will offer you varying levels of sustain too. And if you’re after notes that ring out infinitely –
and I genuinely mean infinitely – the Fuzz Factory has you covered. The double-edged sword of the Fuzz Factory, however – and what will make players either love it or hate it – is its idiosyncratically unruly nature. Depending on how the gate, stab and comp settings are set in correlation with each other, you’ll be greeted with either rich sustain or some of the most hectically self-oscillating frequencies you’ve ever received from a pedal this size. This can either be a blessing or a curse. When set right, you’ve got a natural back and forth between your guitar lines and radically escalating frequencies that make for a challenging push and pull. In any case, it’ll make your solos stand out with ease and is a quick ticket to some extremely adventurous tones. On the other hand, if you’re looking for a straight-ahead fuzz pedal, this might not be the choice for you. However, there’s a bunch of pedals that do that; there aren’t too many that do what the Fuzz Factory does. With more volume than you could ever use, this pedal could either blow your amp to pieces or grant you some of the chunkiest riffs you’ve ever composed. The choice, of course, is yours. If you’re after a gateway into exploring some
stimulating sonic terrain, check this pedal out immediately. You never know what inspiration might be on the other side. BY JAMES DI FABRIZIO
HITS ∙ A wild unruly pedal MISSES ∙ A wild unruly pedal
TOCA PERCUSSION
Kalani Flex Drum PRO MUSIC AUSTRALIA | PROMUSICAUSTRALIA.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $189 Percussionist Kalani has teamed up with Toca Percussion to create a new and innovative drum that could appeal to many players. It’s called the Flex Drum and sound and playability aside, it’s actually the construction and versatility that could be the real selling point. For lovers of convenience and the next new thing, read on. The Flex Drum is essentially a hand drum that has a couple of really cool party tricks. The bare basics are a drum that is 23” tall and made from synthetic PVC, with a unique pattern for a finish - shadow grey was the look on the model I sampled. The Flex Drum itself vaguely resembles a skinny conga with a smaller rubber lined opening at the bottom and widening to an 11.5” diameter top with a pre-tuned head. There’s also an adjustable shoulder strap for wearing the drum. The party tricks on the Flex Drum are cool. First of all, it’s light - really light, like less than two kilos. Basically, you can throw the thing around. To be honest, when I went to open the box initially, I actually thought it was empty. The weight is a real surprise, but the tricks don’t stop there. The pre-tuned head is actually easily removable from the shell, giving you an instant frame drum. Super cool. Toca claims that with the head removed, you can actually stack these drums inside themselves and this is basically the coolest
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storage solution ever - more drums, less space. They also claim that six Flex Drums stacked inside one another adds up to less than 30 pounds (13 kilos). Ever tried lifting six congas? Portable is one way to describe the Flex Drum. The Flex Drum has a familiar sound. I’ve mentioned congas a few times, but actually the drum has a different vibe. The pretuned synthetic drumhead is your normal type skin and when played, instantly resembles a Djembe or even a lower tuned Darbuka. It’s a versatile sounding instrument when attached to the shell with a distinct low end and easily achieved bass note, but the real sound is from the open tones near the edge that have a lovely sustain and cut. Slap tones are also easily achieved with super clarity, and they’re quite loud too. The synthetic lightweight shell probably doesn’t deliver the extremes of tone that you might get with a wood or metal shell but in many ways, the drum is so unique, it’s kind of doing its own thing and it’s a good thing. Taking the head off the shell is another thing altogether. As a frame drum, the pitch is instantly higher with lots of cut. Holding the frame allows you to use the head with a stick or by hand with the ability to mute strokes. The notion of a hand drum isn’t particularly revolutionary,
but the fact that you can just use it with the shell as desired is really cool. If you’ve played a Djembe before, you’ll feel at home on the Flex Drum, albeit on a smaller playing surface, and you’ll instinctively get the rhythms going straight away. Some people might lament not being able to tune the head themselves and prolonged use might be something to consider but straight out of the box, there’s a very ‘musical’ instrument. The Flex Drum would be a great drum for large groups as it’s easily transportable and light enough for anyone to use for long periods of time. Even finding a way to mount one off a drum kit wouldn’t be super hard, even if it was the head/frame by itself. The sounds are really musical and the versatility is a winner. Worth a look. BY ADRIAN VIOLI
HITS ∙ Super light and clever construction allows for great portability, storage and versatility ∙ Great tones straight out of the box ∙ Wonderfully playable, similar sound to a Djembe
MISSES ∙ Head can’t be tuned ∙ Some might feel the PVC shell isn’t as special as wood/metal
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PRODUCT REVIEWS SE ELECTRONICS
Voodoo VR1 Ribbon Microphone SOUND & MUSIC | SOUND-MUSIC.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $470 I know there are many of you who simply own one studio microphone - or worse, have several yet still fall back on the same microphone time and time again. Going with the safe option on a microphone, you know it can have its pros and cons. Yes, you understand how that microphone works and can get a good result with it, but usually the results are all the same. There is no variation in colour or tonal texture, which is why I always recommend using several microphones in different ways for any application. Whilst the large diaphragm condenser is the staple for studio recording, the benefits of a ribbon microphone usually stand out in the mix when added for some tracking. It’s because of this that the sE Electronics Voodoo VR1 is such a clever option for the home studio recording kit. The Voodoo VR1 ribbon microphone is a passive microphone (with the VR2 being the active model) that implements a patent pending design by Siwei Zou, the company’s CEO, which enables a full frequency capture from 20Hz to 20kHz, with a fairly linear response across the range. That is what the folks at sE Electronics tell us. This is what I will tell you: it does just that. Although a fairly compact microphone, the special design incorporating a metal plate with the housing enables the VR1 to capture all the top end frequencies that are often lost with a ribbon microphone, but at the same time
maintain the openness and natural character that you would expect. The smooth response that sees ribbon microphones employed in various recordings is not lost with the additional capture of higher frequencies with this microphone. This means that the VR1 can be used for a far greater number of applications than most ribbon microphones. It works very nicely in most situations where a high quality condenser microphone would be employed and is an ideal option to double up takes with when wanting to add a slightly different flavour to your sound capture. Whereas many ribbon microphones I have come across in the past are delicate tools, the VR1 is built to last. Although it is fairly compact, it weighs a lot more than you would expect. The rugged housing that contributes to this weight is what makes it so durable. This feel like a workhorse, and looks like it is set to become one. Packaged in a neat little wooden case, the VR1 comes complete with a standard microphone clip to attach it to any microphone stand, also housed within the wooden case. In addition to this, sE Electronics has also included a suspension mount for use when low end rumble is an issue. The elegant design is, like the microphone it is designed for, quite unlike many other suspension mounts on the market in looks, although it still uses the same isolation techniques as most cradle style suspension mounts.
I am sure most of you out there who own a few microphones for recording tend to go with the safe options. There are always the same few microphones that turn up again and again when people start to build a collection, and this means many recordings tend to have a similar sound. Why not break the mould and have a go at sE Electronics’ new Voodoo VR1 ribbon microphone? It will certainly add a new character to your recording that any condenser microphone on the market cannot offer.
HITS ∙ Compact housing, and very tough build ∙ Detailed sound with extended frequency response ∙ Handles very high SPLs with ease MISSES ∙ None
BY ROB GEE
YAMAHA
SessionCake SC-01 & SC-02 YAMAHA AUSTRALIA | AU.YAMAHA.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: 01 - $89, 02 - $99 Every now and then, a new device comes along that makes us all stop and wonder why no-one has come up with something like that before. And of course, when a new device like this comes along, it usually opens up new channels of creativity and enjoyment. It is often Japan that comes up with these fun little devices that get our attention and intrigue, and that is certainly the case with the latest offering from Yamaha. The esteemed company has delivered a new concept in practise tools for guitar, keyboard, vocals and just about any instrument that you can plug in. In two brightly coloured devices, the SC-01 and the SC-02 offer us a new way to get together with friends, whilst totally separating ourselves from one another at the same time. It’s time we all took a look at the SessionCake, and apparently we’re invited to take a bite. I know it all sounds a little crazy, yet at the same time it is certainly intriguing, to say the least. When you look a little closer, the SessionCake is quite a nifty little device designed for musicians to play by themselves or with friends just about anywhere. Essentially, these are compact monitoring mixers, designed to be linked up for multiple users to create a hub. You can integrate audio from an iOS device or similar to play along to and then control the volume and balance between your instrument and the playback device. This can then be heard
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through your own headphones, allowing you to quietly practise just about anywhere. As both the SC-01 and SC-02 are battery powered, there are no excuses for not getting your practise in when the weather is good; you can take the SessionCake with you wherever you want to go. The output allows you to link up multiple SessionCake devices, so a group of friends can jam together. Up to eight SessionCakes can be linked, although I didn’t have that many to test. It does make you wonder what might happen if a ninth SessionCake was brought to the party. The two models are really very similar, just with different musicians in mind. The SC-01 is intended for guitar and bass players, with a single Hi-Z input ready for your instrument. The SC-02 covers just about everyone else with both an XLR microphone input and a stereo line input, so keyboards, vocals and even percussion can be added. The top panel allows you to adjust the level of your instrument in your headphones, as well as the level of the input signal that is coming from the other SessionCakes in the mix. You can pan the stereo signals and also control your headphone volume here too. Whilst it looks incredibly simple, and it wants to appear that way for ease of use, it’s really quite a clever little device. Joined with multiple units for a group, it is a very nifty system. You don’t need an iPhone or
some other device to make it work. You don’t need an amp to hear yourself over the other players. All you need is your instrument, your headphones and the SessionCake. Of course, you can add to the setup with an iOS app as an effects device or for added playback, but these are not essential, making the SC01 and SC-02 such likeable little gadgets. They are going to be the new “go anywhere” practise tool that all the cool kids will want to have. I think Yamaha has gone a little left of centre on this one, but it looks like it just might work.
HITS ∙ Easy solo practise ∙ Clever group jamming ∙ Portable, battery powered MISSES ∙ Perhaps a little plastic-looking
BY ROB GEE
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STEREO FLANGING DEVICE
Pyramids (((( INTRODUCING ))))
™
www.earthquakerdevices.com
Pyramids™ is a Stereo Flanging Device with five presets, eight flanger modes, tap tempo, tap subdivision, a multifunction Modify control, positive and negative Feedback, and a variable Mix control, which is something you don’t see on a flanger every day.
PRODUCT REVIEWS FENDER
Mirror Image Delay Pedal FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $299 “This’ll be interesting,” we all mumbled cautiously under our collective breath upon learning the news that U2’s austere and suspiciously silent guitarist The Edge had joined Fender’s Board of Directors. We are all too aware and constantly reminded of the fact that the guitar world is replete with celebrity influences of various degrees of cringe-worthiness (see: Kirk Hammett’s misguided ‘the first pedal made by a guitarist for guitarists’ slogan.) Could the man behind the man behind the glasses really be trusted with decisions affecting the first and last name in electrified instrumentation? We waited with bated breath until Fender unveiled their new line of stompboxes at this year’s NAMM conference. The reason I start my writing here is because The Edge is most notably known for his prolific and particular use of delay as a chief riff-writing tool. To a point, he is the progenitor of the idea that a guitar can and should play itself insomuch as many of his guitar lines hinge on the effect-soaked sonic exploration that birthed them. If there’s one thing we can trust the man with, it’s a delay. Fender’s first proper foray into blissful repetition is as time-honoured as the company itself. A simple switch toggles between pairs of faithful representations of three of the most significant eras of delay voicing: digital, analogue and tape. Throw
in dotted eighth repeats for enough jittery swung time to confuse the hell out of any drummer and you’ve got yourself a deal. Five dials crown the face of the unit affording you control over the essentials: depth, rate, feedback, time and overall level. All of this sounds simple enough, right? Don’t write it off as ‘just another delay’ too soon though. As with all good stompers, the devil is definitely in the details. In the time since The Edge started expanding people’s minds with his pedal collection, the secret world on the floor has come a long way. There are units on the market these days that would have the great man himself in a spin and the manner in which they are being employed is just about the only thing that pales their number in comparison. Many a clever propeller-head these days has come around to the idea of the ‘wet/dry’ rig, where one amp carries the focus of clean signal while another steeps in time-based effects like a bag of sweet tea. Realising this, Fender has cleverly installed a Dry Kill switch on the back of the Mirror Image and its wetter sister, the Marine Layer Reverb. This is really one of those ‘why didn’t anyone think of that before’ kind of revelations as it allows those of us with well worn effects loops to use either or both of these pedals as wet only effects, with all direct
signal cleared to make way for tails only. An achingly simple yet thoroughly road ready innovation indeed. Fender being Fender, they have managed to step into uncharted waters with a confidence and clarity to their thinking that smokes the competition. While other innovations and celebrity endorsements walk wayward down the path to enlightenment, the Mirror Image Delay manages to deftly tread that fine line between giving the people what they want and stepping up the game for the rest.
Incomparably usable, stylish and sincere as Fender is, was and ever shall be. BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS ∙ Classic sounding repeats that raise the bar just ahead of the pack MISSES ∙ No tap tempo
MACKIE
Thump15BST AMBER TECHNOLOGY | AMBERTECH.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $1039 EACH I’m sure you’ve all seen Mackie Thump speakers in stores, at gigs and even in venues over the last few years. They have proven to be a popular budget priced speaker from the company that has been bringing you power speakers for a very long time. I’ve used and heard my fair share of the different models of Thump speakers since their release, and now have a chance to listen to the latest model in the range, the Thump15BST. Not only is it an upgraded amplifier and driver to the previous Thump models, it also comes with a range of added features like digital control and wireless streaming and connection between multiple speakers. This may just be the perfect party speaker for easy setup and big sound. Given that I had the Thump15BST, the biggest of all the models in the range, it goes without saying that this speaker has lots of guts. The Class-D power amp supplies 1000 watts to the low frequency driver and a further 300 watts to the high frequency horn, which moves plenty of air. Whilst not quite the same as a big Class A/B block amp with a wooden speaker box, which now seems very much a thing of the past, the lightweight amp design allows for greater portability in a speaker box of this size. There’s no great struggle trying to set these up in a system, for both the physical weight and the calibration of the system are no
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real restrictions. Turn it up and you’ll find these boxes deliver plenty of volume and can easily be linked for increased sound pressure levels. As seems to be the trend these days, Mackie has integrated an app for remote control of these speakers. You don’t need the app to make adjustments on a speaker though, with a small screen and control on the back of each speaker allowing you to digitally control input levels, three band EQ and a high pass filter. If you don’t want to put too much thought into it, you can simply choose one of the six voicing modes best suited for your system and have the preset options work for you. With two XLR inputs to the Mackie Vita preamps on each box, you also get an added input channel from wireless Bluetooth streaming from a connected device. With the Thump Connect control app, you are able to stream music as well as control and link multiple speakers all from a separate location in the room. This is something that you don’t get on the standard Mackie Thump models, and it's what sets the Thump15BST apart as the one you’ll want to own. The app allows you to control the volume and settings of each speaker connected in the wireless setup, so you can move about the room and make adjustments from your phone. If you aren’t able to run the app,
this can still be done with the screen at the rear of each speaker. This screen can then be dimmed or turned off completely once the speaker is set up. A great sounding, big speaker with a modern control system, the Mackie Thump15BST is certainly a big step forward from where the Thump range first started out. BY ROB GEE
HITS ∙ Big sound with plenty of bottom end ∙ Digital control over multiple speakers ∙ Wireless control and audio streaming MISSES ∙ Lacks that analogue feel in the controls
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PRODUCT REVIEWS TAURUS AMPLIFICATION
Servo Analogue Guitar Enhancer TONE PRO SHOP | TONEPROSHOP.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $235 Taurus says the Servo pedal is capable of giving you the feeling that "you are playing on a much higher-quality instrument than it originally is." That’s a big claim to make, but it also gives you a bit of a hint as to what the Servo’s job is. Basically it gives you control over various harmonic overtones already inherent in your instrument, and that’s gotta be a good thing whether you’re playing a cheapie guitar or something you spent a few months’ wages on. The first thing you’ll notice about the Servo is its unique cosmetic approach, with a metal overlay holding the controls, LED, footswitch and even the input and output labels. The enclosure itself is finished in a white pearl look which really pops under certain lights, and the red status LED is crazy bright. The control layout is very simple, with a Servo gain knob with ‘Dry’ at the lowest end of its travel and ‘Fill’ at the highest. There’s also a boost switch for hitting your amp with extra gain, and it’s your clue that what the Servo does isn’t simply a volume boost to make your amp’s preamp tubes drive harder: it’s designed to actually, actively enhance the signal whether it’s boosting it or not. With that in mind, the Servo isn’t just for electric guitar. It can work its magic on acoustic guitar and bass as well, and it’s also useful as an insert effect in a studio
setting for putting across drums and vocals. And because it’s not just a simple gain boost that depends on the interaction with preamp tubes, it’s also useful with digital modeling devices too. Although our natural inclination as guitarists is always to dial in a kickass sound and then mix around it (which makes real sound engineers cringe), what I found with the Servo is that you’ll get the most out of it when you do the right thing by your soundie and set the pedal while listening to how your guitar sounds in a band or mix situation. You’ll find that there’s a certain sweet spot for the particular mix and the particular key of the song that just lifts everything up. And that’s not just for tube amps or as a front-end effect on digital modelers. Even though Taurus recommends you should use it as the very first component in your effects chain, that doesn’t mean you have to. For instance, try it as an insert effect on a digitally-modeled guitar track - cab simulation and all - and you’ll find that it helps to add in some of those heavenly overtones that real amps naturally exhibit but which modelers have a hard time replicating. And it’s definitely worth using it to enhance acoustic guitar and bass tracks, especially if you’re suffering from the dreaded acoustic piezo pickup ‘quack factor’ - y’know, that brittle high-end snap at the start of your notes?
The Servo won’t get rid of the quack but it seems to ‘lift up’ the other overtones in your guitar sound enough that the quack is balanced out by a fuller, richer sustain. Taurus’ claim that this pedal can make a cheap guitar sound better sounds like marketing speak, but it’s absolutely true. Its effect can be quite subtle but very impactful at the same time, letting you squeeze more tone out of your gear whether it’s a beginner’s rig or a full-on professionallevel setup.
HITS ∙ Cool design ∙ Actually does what the marketing claims MISSES ∙ None
BY PETER HODGSON
MORLEY
DJ Ashba Skeleton Wah INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $319 DJ Ashba is perhaps best known for his work with Guns N’ Roses and Sixx:A.M. (alongside ex Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx). A bluesy rock based player, the Skeleton Wah is a common go-to for his solos and fills – and playing guitar based rock and metal there are no doubt plenty of chances to put it on display. Morley has more than a little experience in the world of effects pedals so I’m sure they have extended this know-how into the Ashba Skeleton Wah. Coming in the standard size Morley enclosure, the Skeleton Wah is white in colour with some Ashba designed graphics and logos adding a little rock and roll vibe. The white casing is actually glow in the dark, meaning it glows a green-ish colour when the lights are dim - handy for those needing a little more pedalboard clarity on stage. Feeling tough, the Wah is in Morley’s typical steel housing with options for both battery and power supply operation. Of course Morley’s switchless optical operation is in play again, allowing seamless changes from unaffected to Wah and back. The LED indicator gives you a visual cue too if you need a further reference. Whilst taking its visual cues from Ashba, the Skeleton’s tone is essentially a clear sounding Wah with a slightly scooped modern vibe. The action on the Morley switchless pedals really is smooth. It almost
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feels unrestricted to glide back and forth, and the spring loaded design adds a hint of resistance to feel like you’re digging in a little. Good with both clean and dirty tones, the Skeleton moves nicely from warm and round to a brighter quack. And remember, yes all of the classic rock, funk and blues wah uses for solos, rhythmic work and big dynamic noise are great, but the subtle sounds can also be winners. Slightly opening the Wah for vocal effects or slow sweeps with delay and verb for ambient washes can add flavour without sounding over the top wah-wah. And distortion can react differently with Wah too, creating almost filtered tones perfect for special effects or accenting parts. Signature model aside, the Skeleton Wah has a very usable sweep and tone that can quack away for funk, rock, metal, blues and a tonne of other scenarios. The Morley designs seem super tough and well-built, and the switchless operation can help with the ‘Is the Wah on or off?’ dilemma and need to feel that switch click. Pull out your best pentatonic licks and get in the DJ Ashba vibe with the Morley Skeleton Wah. BY NICK BROWN
HITS ∙ Clear and responsive ∙ Optic and spring loaded makes for quick and easy operation MISSES ∙ Glow in the dark and Skeleton looks might be a bit cheesy for some people
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PRODUCT REVIEWS AUDIO-TECHNICA
ATH-ANC700BT Headphones AUDIO-TECHNICA AUSTRALIA | AUDIO-TECHNICA.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $349 Now that certain smartphone makers are moving away from wired headphones, wireless Bluetooth headphones are becoming pretty much the standard, especially as you move upward in the market. Yes, there will always be a place for wired headphones, especially in the recording sphere where latency is an issue, and in the audiophile community where only true analogue will do. But for those of us just listening to music or podcasts on the go, a great-sounding wireless headphone set is pretty much essential. Audio-Technica is no stranger to making great headphones. The ATH-ANC700BT set is among their latest product offerings and it’s packed with features for music nuts on the go. First up, the unboxing experience itself isn’t a long one: the set is packaged with a 1.2m aux cable (which you’ll need if you want to listen to hi-res audio in its full glory), a USB charging cable and a carrying pouch. No airplane or 1/4” adaptors or anything like that. The headphones themselves are quite minimal in design, with a stealthy black matte look and refreshingly few lights compared to some models out there that look like friggin’ '80s discos. There’s one light to indicate that the Bluetooth is active, and one for the ANC noise reduction. Control of your music or phone calls is handled by touch-and-swipe controls built
into the left ear cup; you can answer and end calls, control music and video playback and adjust the volume of connected devices. You can get up to 25 hours of use on a single charge with Bluetooth and noise cancellation used, 30 hours when just Bluetooth is used and 45 hours when you go wired and use only the noise cancellation, and the battery will remain juiced for up to 1,000 hours on standby. It takes about five hours to charge the battery from empty to a 100 percent charge. The noise cancelling is engaged via Audio-Technica’s QuietPoint active technology, a proprietary system which uses four microphones to get a read of the sound environment around you. The speakers are a pair of 40mm drivers with a frequency response from 5 to 40,000Hz, so they’re not the trebliest headphones you’ll ever put on your head, nor will they punish your eardrums with unreasonable amounts of bass. As for the microphone for taking phone calls, it’s an omnidirectional condenser with a similar frequency response to the drivers. Sonically, these are not designed to be flat-response monitor headphones. You can happily use them for tracking in the studio or for composing on a laptop or tablet while out and about, but they don’t sound exactly like the source material, especially when you engage the noise
cancellation. The low and mid frequencies aren’t the most mindblowingly detailed you've ever heard but the high end is pretty impressive, especially if you’re listening to really well-recorded, well-mastered material. Telephone/Skype call quality is quite good and the touch control method is nice and intuitive after a thankfully brief learning periord. These aren’t the ultimate monitoring headphones for musicians, but they don’t claim to be, and they do their job exceptionally well in terms of Bluetooth connectivity (in which they’re more consistent than my Marshall Major II Bluetooth headphones) and noise
cancellation, and the crisp high end is a really nice selling point too. BY PETER HODGSON HITS ∙ Effective noise cancellation ∙ Stable connectivity ∙ Nice treble response MISSES ∙ Lows and mids are nothing to write home about ∙ An included 1/4” adaptor would be nice
FENDER
Blues Junior IV Amp FENDER MUSIC AUSTRALIA | FENDER.COM.AU | RRP: $1149 What a weird and contradictory world the amp world can be. As a young player idolising people on the cover of Kerrang or NME or Mixdown itself, you are quickly lead to believe that in order to achieve tonal enlightenment you must have a monolithic wall of stacks behind you; however, at one time or another we all learn the horrible truth. Like finding out that your parents… gulp… enjoy sex, some of the loudest, filthiest and most stadium filling sounds in recorded history squeeze their way into existence from shockingly tiny amps. Half of Led Zeppelin’s back catalogue was farted out of a knocked about old, low wattage Supro box and bands today render vibrations binary in single channel interfaces before they even attempt to push any air whatsoever. The myth of Tonehenge is more akin to a Spinal Tap joke than a hard and fast rule, and this is why Fender’s Blues Junior remains one of the most loved amps of all time. Fifteen watts of tube driven grunt and a 12” Celestion is all you need, but hardly all you’ll get in this tuxedo black box. Fire up those 12AX7s, tap on the FET-style Fat Boost switch, and you’ll hardly believe your ears. Its clean tones are hot on the heels of bigger brothers like the ’65 Twin or Deluxe Reverb in their chime and sheen. Push the front end, however, and really get that speaker shaking its screws loose and it has the grunt and filth of Keith
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Richards’ perennially postponed hangover, almost like a pushed Princeton with its back against a wall. They have always been the dirty little secret of the studio world and, while originally intended to be little more than a practice amp, they are so favoured by everyone lucky enough to get to know one that they now grace backline hire companies’ equipment lists the world over. Surely we know all this by now though, right? It’s not like we’ve stepped back in time and this little ripper is the newest invention in the shelves. Right, but the reason I bring your attention back to the pipsqueak prince of pitch is that the Blues Junior, like its comrade in clarity the Hot Rod Deluxe, has received a welcome yet tasteful makeover. Fender unveiled several version IV models a few short months ago and I had the great fortune of sampling the aforementioned Deluxe for a previous issue of this here rag. The updates to the whole line are nothing short of much longed for requests made by long time admirers of the Fender catalogue. First and foremost, the reverb tank is much more in line with their vintage builds, that blissful ‘60s sparkle that sounds like heaven’s hallways. It seems too that the humble Blues Junior has had some junk added to the trunk as the break up, which happens at a handily higher volume than previous iterations, is fatter and juicier than ever before.
It takes a particular type of player to stand in front of a wall of quad-boxes and burst eardrums willy-nilly. It takes another, entirely more confident one to jack straight into a 15 watt box of rock and blow the former out of the water. The Blues Junior is much more suited to the latter with its deft handling of sincerity, subtlety and devilmay-care attitude.
HITS ∙ Tiny but mighty indeed MISSES ∙ None
BY LUKE SHIELDS
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PRODUCT REVIEWS AUDIENT
iD44 Audio Interface STUDIO CONNECTIONS | STUDIOCONNECTIONS.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $999 Let’s face it; there are plenty of audio interfaces on the market today to fill just about every price point. And a lot of them do just that, and little more. One thing is for certain though, that when Audient releases an audio interface, it isn’t all about ticking off a budget for the consumer, but rather delivering a quality interface and converter for those who are serious about their audio capture. From their largest consoles to their smallest interfaces, Audient brings an attention to detail that surpasses price point expectations. Not only that, the feature set and quality of craftsmanship always leave me wanting more time with these units. So, it was with great anticipation that I unboxed the Audient iD44 audio interface this month. My first impressions? Well, let’s say I was pleasantly surprised. Straight away it’s evident that this isn’t a toy. The build quality of the iD44 is very solid, and you can feel that in the weight when trying to get it out of the box. This thing is a tank. It is heavy, it is solid and most of all, it feels well put together. The top panel has a nice curve at the front to offer some elegance and invite your touch, but that is about where it ends for softness. The rest of this unit means business. The switches, pots and buttons all feel very sturdy. All the connections on the front and rear of the casing are well appointed and
finished with quality components. Every engagement of the dozen switches on the top panel is smooth, yet certainly firm, so you don’t feel like you are going to damage anything with constant setting changes. In short, this interface is built to be a workhorse and so, is designed for serious recording use. It’s not a home studio startup kit, although any home studio would certainly benefit from a quality interface like this one. This is a quality build to back quality performance. Whilst the name suggests you would be getting perhaps four inputs and four outputs on this device, there is a much greater arsenal on offer with the iD44. There are four microphone preamps that sound great and there are four line outputs, so that sorts out the name of the unit, but there is so much more. Two DI inputs on the front panel and two headphone outputs keep cabling easy when working in the studio and needing to quickly connect to the device. Along with the XLR and TRS connections on the rear, you also get two optical ADAT inputs and word clock out bringing the total number of usable inputs to 20 with 24 outputs. Not a bad offering for a simple desktop device. The four microphone preamps all have dedicated gain pots, along with phantom power, 10dB pads and high pass filter
switches, making it easy to control each channel on its own and see where each input is set at a glance. Separate headphone volumes are found with the rotary encoder and a range of assignable buttons, including Audient’s iD button for greater DAW integration. It’s a solid unit that is well laid out and offers plenty of connectivity but on top of that, it offers that stunning A/D conversion that we have come to expect from Audient in recent years. The mic preamps are smooth and the DI inputs are lively, making it an ideal interface for small to medium setups recording vocals, guitar and a range of other instruments too.
BY ROB GEE
your overall signal in a really charming and technicolour way. On their website, Xotic seems keen to push the idea that this is a sweet spot divining rod, and I couldn’t agree more. With this pushing the front of a thicker drive more suited to bigger jumps in dynamics, I could see any number of avid tone hunters leaning over the fold back wedges to catch a glimpse of your ace in the hole.
BY LUKE SHIELDS
HITS ∙ Solid build quality ∙ Inserts on first two inputs ∙ Plenty of I/O for a small box MISSES ∙ None
XOTIC EFFECTS
Soul Driven Overdrive Pedal GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY | GUITARFACTORY.NET | EXPECT TO PAY: $265 Stompboxes are, by design, implements of very occasional joy. Sure, some stay on longer than others, but you’d be hard pressed to find a player in the world who relies on flanger, for example, as the bedrock of their sound. For the vast majority, the first step on the path to tonal glory is an amp, tube driven or otherwise, that has all the spunk and moxie that they feel satisfied deeming the bare minimum. True as this may be, there have emerged over the last few years an increasing number of pedals that promise to enhance that foundation tone in one way or another. By far one of the most successful ‘always on’ pedals that I’ve come across is the EP booster made by Californian innovators Xotic Effects. This slim little number is intended to be reminiscent of the preamp stage of an Echoplex tape delay with the repeats dialed out, a trick used by Jimmy Page and The Beatles to add extra heat to what they already had cooking. While the owner’s guide calls it a booster, it has fast become a staple starting point for a vast number of effects chains with users noting the way that its warmth and transparency adds a ruddy cheeked sense of health to their tone. Xotic has a number of other tricks up it’s sleeve, and new addition the Soul Driven is sure to rise through the ranks as quickly as its little mate. At its heart, it is a tube screamer. This is
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a chrome plated, single switch whose job is to give you the chime and shimmer of a pair of overheating power tubes at the well timed drop of a Cuban heel. While there are literally hundreds if not thousands of similar pedals on the market today, the Soul Driven certainly does a damn fine job. With all four knobs at noon, the tonal signature is as shiny and crystal clear as the housing itself with a clip that is as close as I’ve heard to a ’65 Princeton at full tilt. While other screamers, especially the more famous iterations, suffer for their bawdy mid hump and icepick sheer high end, Xotic’s unit leans heavily on its particular sense of clarity and headroom beneath the break-up. Having said that, if you want it to sound more like the green machines relied upon by so many guitar heroes then the Soul Driven also has you covered. The Mid Boost knob grants you total control over how smooth you want your 800Hz to be. Wound all the way down, it’s as creamy as Holy Grail 808s, but give it a nudge and it’s closer to the toppy screech of an OCD. The thing that impressed me the most about the Soul Driven is that it has the potential to join the EP Booster in the always-on Hall Of Fame. There are a few different sweet spots in the push and pull between input gain and output level that, depending on your application, could potentially improve
HITS ∙ Harmonically rich, clear and tonally versatile in a snappy chrome casing MISSES ∙ None
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PRODUCT REVIEWS ZOOM
G5n Multi-Effects Processor DYNAMIC MUSIC | DYNAMICMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY $559 Having seen the development of the Zoom range of guitar effects over the years, it has been great to see the ideas all fall into place one by one to end up with a flagship unit like the one that landed on my studio floor this month. Those of you who have used Zoom products before will know that the effects are always top-notch, delivering quality in audio and modeling at any stage in their current range. What the G5n does is to bring together the best of the best and combine them into a user interface that is designed with picky guitar players in mind. It is not just a set of preset patches, it offers the user to the options that individual pedals do, but with far more variety and versatility. One thing that I love about this board, which has so much on offer, is the way in which it operates both like a multi-effects board and at the same time behaves like a selection of individual stompboxes. The lower section of the top panel has five buttons to help you navigate through patches, set up the tempo or engage the tuner. You do need a pointy toe on your boot to engage these easily, no problem for me there, as they are tucked in, out of the way for the other operations. Above these are the four stompbox sections that allow you to have your choice of the 68 models loaded up for instant recall. It’s like having
all the great pedals you always wanted and you can recall a patch with your choice of pedals appearing right beneath your foot. I’m not usually a fan of larger multieffects boards, preferring the flexibility of individual effects. Well, this is what the G5n offers you with four separate parameters that can be adjusted with each effect brought up on the four separate stompboxes. With each different effect, you get a different set of parameters, most appropriate to that effect. So, you can
sculpt the tone you are after from each of these models and store them as part of a larger collection for recall any time. Ten great amp models allow you to run this unit straight into a PA, or you can simply use it as an effects board in line with your own amp for an unlimited range of possible tones to keep you tapping your feet across the board. BY ROB GEE
HITS ∙ Great sounding effects and models ∙ Stompbox style effects recall ∙ Easy to read screens showing effects parameters ∙ Simple storage and recalling of patches MISSES ∙ Volume pedal has very little range in movement
DV MARK
AC 801P Acoustic Amp CMC MUSIC | CMCMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $1095 We all know Markbass and DV Mark by now. Designed by Italian amp guru Marco De Virgiliis, they’ve carved out their own space in lightweight but robust amplifiers known for their clean sound reproduction and high quality speakers. The Mark Acoustic division doesn’t have as many products on the market as their bass and electric guitar counterparts, but the range has recently been joined by the AC 801, which follows on from models like the AC 101 and AC 601, which we reviewed in these pages about a zillion years ago. The AC 801P is a new model inspired by the DV Little Jazz combo, a super-clean yet surprisingly versatile little amp naturally geared towards the demands of jazz guitar. But the AC 801P is carefully designed to cover a broad range of acoustic instruments: not just steel string acoustic guitar but also classical guitar, mandolin, violin, banjo, et cetera. Basically if it’s hollow and comes with a piezo or soundhole pickup or an internal mic, this amp’s goal is to reproduce its sound clearly, efficiently and with plenty of volume. The controls are extremely simple, just volume, bass, mid and high and reverb knobs. It’s rated at 50 watts RMS with a single 8” DV Mark Custom 8 ohm speaker and a piezo tweeter, and a frequency response from 60Hz to 18kHz. Perfect for
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capturing the high-end air and detail of acoustic instruments while also pushing out plenty of low end, but not so boomy as to cause any fights with your bass player or drummer. Hopefully. Other features include an aux In, headphone out, XLR line out, speaker on/off switch and an output jack for an extra speaker cabinet. DV makes a range of different cabinets that would be great for the job, including the FG 212 V Frank Gambale signature. Like pretty much all DV amps, this baby is loud and clear. In fact, sometimes it can be hard to review their cleaner-voiced amps because they very intentionally keep the sound of your instrument as pure as possible, which is great news if you have a good-sounding guitar to begin with. But that’s also where things get tricky: if your acoustic’s preamp or pickup sounds like ass, the AC 801P will give you basic three-band EQ to make the best of it, but there are no magic buttons to turn a bad guitar sound into a good one. So if your guitar needs a little extra help then it might be worth it to invest in some kind of processor to feed into the AC 801P for the ultimate clean reproduction of your guitar-and-little-magicbox combination. But then if you have a great-sounding guitar, you’re gonna get great results with this amplifier. That’s especially good news
for those who have hybrid magnetic/piezo or mic/piezo setups because the clarity and frequency range of the amp will give you the best of everything you put into it. The reverb is good too: earlier DV amps didn’t have the most exciting reverb out there, but they upgraded their reverbs a while back and now they’re perfectly voiced to add dimension and mood without overpowering the sound. If you’re after clean sonic reproduction with great portability and ease of use, this is the ultimate Mark Acoustic amp, with everything you absolutely need and nothing that could be considered a frivolous luxury. There are plenty of busier amps out there but they can get bogged down in their complexity. That’s not a problem with this one.
BY PETER HODGSON HITS ∙ Very clean sonic reproduction ∙ Loud ∙ Classy-lookin’ MISSES ∙ No feedback / phase control
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PRODUCT REVIEWS CATALINBREAD
Belle Epoch Deluxe Tape Echo Pedal GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY | GUITARFACTORY.NET | EXPECT TO PAY: $470 According to Wikipedia, the historical Belle Époque, French for “Beautiful Era”, is “characterised by optimism, regional peace, economic prosperity… and technological, scientific, and cultural innovations.” It was the age before the beauty dropped out of modernity. Where there were narcotics in every medicinal remedy, the Moulin Rouge was the most popular spot in the world and we hadn’t yet seen the constant and fullscale destruction of everything as a result of the most devastating wars and political misdemeanours known to mankind. Harking back to this golden age in the name of one of their flagship designs was a fitting choice by the brains behind Catalinbread’s intoxicating and lush delay machine, aptly referred to as the Belle Epoch. The idea of emulating echoing, delayed and repeating sounds finds its genesis in bulky, multi-headed tape machines like the Roland Space Echo or the now legendary Echoplex. These units utilised multitudinous readings of one piece of ¼” tape to mirror the reflections experienced by spelunkers on their cavernous subterranean adventures. While some of the more famous supergroups of the ‘60s and ‘70s were able to afford to take one of these machines, and the necessary service tech, on the road with them, the spaciousness and
stereo image afforded to their players eluded your everyday schlub in a bar band. That is until d-Bucket and digital models enlightened modern players and spawned a new era in stompbox effects-based thinking. In spite of countless technological advancements over the ensuing decades, few variations on the theme have come close to approximating the honey thick saturation of the original until now. Catalinbread released the original Belle Epoch a few years ago to broad critical acclaim. With its gunmetal grey housing and understated electric blue lettering, it became a firm favourite for its creamy, dreamy warmth as well as the boozy warble of the tails it produced. The Deluxe reprise presents everything its predecessor did and more. You have control over a similar set of dials to the old outboard units: sustain (or length), echo time, echo volume and the level your signal is recorded at. The last pot is where the magic happens as the record level heats up like old tubes the more you push into the ‘tape’ side of the machine in just the same way as the originals did. The other boon is your ability to control the depth of the six different styles of modulation that affect the echoes once they’ve left the ‘heads’. In this way you are able to simulate the drunken swerve of
overly worn tape without having to leave it playing over night. The worm in the bottom of this bottle is the oscillation footswitch, which lovers of analogue units like the DM2 will spin out over. Engaged, it keeps repeats in an endless cycle, escalating to terrifying, dizzying and ear-piercing heights. Long story short, Catalinbread’s Belle Epoch comes closer to a real tape echo machine than any existing unit has been able to. Not only that, the flexibility and tour-ready nature of this simple stompbox supersedes its ancestors where usability is concerned. With an expression pedal in the side, there’s no limit to the wild and wooly trips you and your guitar can go on.
BY LUKE SHIELDS HITS ∙ Realistic, tape saturated warmth as close to the original units as they come MISSES ∙ The Oscillation switch gets to an unlistenable volume too quickly, slower gradation would be great
A TEMPO PERCUSSION
Flamenco Basico Cajon PRO MUSIC AUSTRALIA | PROMUSICAUSTRALIA.COM | EXPECT TO PAY: $389 Cajons are a wonderful thing. Due to increased popularity in traditional and popular applications, there are lots of situations that will suit this type of instrument. As a result, there’s a lot of choice in the market at the moment, catering for players of all levels and budgets. This Flamenco Cajon from A Tempo Percussion happens to fall right in the sweet spot of ‘budget meets quality’ in many ways and is a good, all-round basic drum. In fact, the company even calls it Basico - simple and basic. Usually this is a great recipe, so let’s see what the simple Flamenco designed Cajon is all about. So what have we got then? A classic designed Cajon, constructed in Peru from solid panels of Monterey pine. The body itself has a natural satin finish overall and the face plate or playing surface is made from thinner lupuna and Spanish cedar, which has a nice amount of give when struck. Overall, the drum looks cool - simple and classic. So far, so good. The Flamenco Basico Cajon also features ever-handy rubber feet and some snare wires inside the body. A Tempo Percussion claims that the unique design and placement of the wires in the corners of the drum provides the ability to produce a clearer bass note with less snare sound. More on this later. Overall, the Cajon is easy to play with strong and low bass frequencies that are easily achieved from the word go. It’s always a first
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go-to on a Cajon for me, and this one passes the test. I wouldn’t say the sound of the bass notes is snare-free - you can definitely hear them - but there is a clear progression to less snare sound as you move further down the drum and it’s controllable. By contrast, clarity from the snares/wires gives wonderful response at the top end and near the corners as predicted. Although not adjustable, you can easily moderate how much of the wires you hear depending on where you play. If you’re the picky musician that wants adjustability, you’ll have to do it with your hands. At times, the wires might be too much for some people, but I was able to find a happy middle ground of balance. We’re talking about a simple Cajon here based on the Flamenco style, so there’s no apology for the addition of the wires and therefore, some of the other features of more expensive Cajons will have to remain optional for those other models. I will admit, however, there’s a surprising amount of volume achievable when slapping the Cajon at the top of the playing board. You can really lay into this drum - always a good thing in an acoustic setting. The drum responds to lighter touches too. In fact, there’s a degree of sensitivity from this drum that really invites you to try more involved rhythms and phrases as the clarity is there for the taking. In combination with the bass response, this Cajon delivers a really
nice playing experience for every situation. A versatile instrument then? It sure is. So, overall, the drum is a winner and at this price point, it’s not going to send you broke either, providing an affordable solution for anyone getting into the game or for someone who doesn’t want all the other options on the market. This A Tempo Cajon is pretty straight up and you know what you’re getting with it. I think it’s a versatile instrument due to clean construction and sensitive response.
HITS ∙ Clean, good looks ∙ Made in Peru ∙ Lovely low-end ∙ Loud/responsive slap sounds ∙ Good value overall MISSES ∙ Snares not adjustable
BY ADRIAN VIOLI
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PRODUCT REVIEWS MORLEY
Maverick Mini Switchless Wah INNOVATIVE MUSIC | INNOVATIVEMUSIC.COM.AU | EXPECT TO PAY: $249 Established in California in the late ‘60s, Morley created a solid line of pedal effects under the guidance of Marv and Ray Lubow. Perhaps best known initially in the ‘70s, ‘80s and early ‘90s thanks to the likes of George Lynch and Steve Vai, the Morley brand soon thereafter went through a series of acquisitions and relocations. Still sporting a significant line of effects, switchers and power supplies, the Morley brand is very much alive today. Falling into Morley’s ‘Mini’ series, the Maverick is decidedly smaller than the company’s full size offerings. In its Mini state it’s not as small as some other brands, but it is definitely a reduction on their standard footprint which can save some pedalboard room. With a tough steel housing (‘cold rolled steel’ to be exact as per the website blurb), Morley pedals are built for gigging and the Mini Maverick seems to continue that ethos. No frills in appearance, its square enclosure is black powder coated with a battery compartment underneath, side mounted input/output jacks, 9V adaptor input on the top right side and a red LED status indicator (that lights when engaged). A slice of grip tape on the treadle and the red font logo round out the pedal. Morley have long been exponents of optical circuitry which eliminates the use of the typical pot controlled wah. The Maverick adds
to that as it’s also switchless, meaning you just start moving the treadle and the effect is on. The reverse then works to turn the effect off – simply stop using the wah/step off it and it’s disengaged. Thanks to the spring loaded mechanism, the wah always returns to the heel down position ready for your next swipe. Described as a hybrid vintage/modern wah, I like the sweep of the Maverick which lends itself to plenty of scope and the bright top lets you really accent funk lines and quick stabs. Good with dirty and clean tones, it could sit in for blues, rock, funk and heavier styles. For me, it was Steve Vai’s 'Bad Horsie' wah that really brought the Morley brand to my attention, and whilst I never had the chance to play one back in the day, I remember seeing them advertised in every second guitar magazine. Now with a big offering of wah models, it’s easy to check out their whole range. Some might think the looks could be modernised a touch whilst others will dig the classic Morley slightly ‘80s rock vibe. Built tough and with cool features in terms of the switchless activity and optical operation. Cool. BY NICK BROWN
HITS ∙ Sturdy and tough ∙ Clear and usable in a range of styles MISSES ∙ Switchless won’t be for everyone
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OriginAL HD-1 Bass Head PRO MUSIC AUSTRALIA PROMUSICAUSTRALIA.COM EXPECT TO PAY: $699 Long a proponent of beefy, big gigging rigs, Ashdown has dived into the ‘Mini’ amp domain with the OriginAL HD-1 Head. Three hundred watts in a small unit that can tuck into a gig bag sounds like a back saving, portable little wonder. Joining the evolution of big bass brand names offering giggable rigs in small forms, Ashdown’s OriginAL range features a head and both 1x12 and 2x10 combos. The HD-1 is rated at 300 watts and offers two ¼” outputs on the back panel for running multiple cabs if needed. A headphone out is also included for late night jamming, monitoring or situations that require an extra send. Ashdown has stuck with its VU meter in the centre of the front panel and distributed EQ into five controls – bass, lo mid, middle, hi mid and treble. Input and output controls let you balance the volume/gain alongside buttons for shape (a pre shape scooped EQ) and active/passive. A DI out is a nice (albeit almost standard) inclusion on the front panel along with an effects loop for those who don’t want to run stomps and rack gear into the front end.
shape adding some extra scoop if needed. Bumping up the bass and lo mid adds some roundness and an extra feeling of warmth which will please players looking for more vintage tones. Slap, pick, chords, and effects all seem to run smoothly with plenty of clean headroom. Of course the DI out will please FOH guys or recording situations too. Great for anything from practise and rehearsals through to decent sized gigs, the HD-1 should hold up in many band’s settings. Then with the aforementioned DI and multiple cab outs you can run extra speakers or to FOH for more support if needed.
I was impressed with the range of tones on offer in the HD-1. Sitting flat, you can get clean and clear rock and funk tones with the
The mini amp isn’t anything particularly new, with many guitar and bass brands incorporating a range of small, portable
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amps and heads into their lines for quite some time. It’s good to see a company of Ashdown’s stature getting on board with the Mini wave. Two main aspects seem to be in line – price and tone. As ruthless as it sounds, the market is so competitive these days and with online selling straining shops, price point seems to be paramount. Price aside, you’d like to think that sound still matters (and I think it does to most musos). With a range of tones housed in the 300 watt mini head, Ashdown is on the money.
HITS ∙ Small size ∙ Usable EQ and plenty of punch MISSES ∙ None
BY NICK BROWN
mixdownmag.com.au
SHOW & TELL
Alex Babinski Guitarist For PVRIS What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? I have the Strymon TimeLine delay pedal. How did you come across this particular item? About five years ago or so I came across it online. I can’t remember how exactly, but I used to browse the internet for hours looking up gear and as soon as I saw it and heard it, I ordered one. I’ve actually had the same one ever since. It’s an amazing pedal and built to survive the road. What is it that you like about it so much? What I like the most about it is probably the ability to have so many presets and the capability of each type of delay is fantastic. It’s really nice having a few different delays to mess around with for each song. How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music? I actually used to write a lot while using just this pedal. It has a built-in loop station, and I would often loop a chord progression and just jam over it for a while. I’ve used it probably every single show since I’ve owned it. I can’t do without it.
PVRIS will be touring Australia in June, starting in Adelaide on Wednesday June 13 thanks to Live Nation. All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell is out now via Rise Records.
Bruce Mathiske What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? My Boss loop pedal, which is an instant recording/playback device. How did you come across this particular item? A mate of mine bought one so he would be able to accompany himself playing two parts i.e rhythm then lead. When he actually listened to the recording of what he had played in the loop pedal, he didn’t like what he heard so he gave it to me. What is it that you like about it so much? It enables me to lay down a rhythm track and improvise freely over it. And then I can create layer and layer harmonies. Also, it tells the truth. Whatever you play in, it plays back exactly the same so I can quickly access where I’m at with a new piece. How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music? I try to use it sparingly as my whole performance is based on the simplicity of me, my acoustic guitar and complete solo guitar arrangements, so when I do use it, it is usually for one song that has four or five guitar parts that I can play together. It helps my writing because if I have an idea that incorporates more than one guitar, I can actually compose on the spot. It also helps me write for ensemble work. either guitar and/or orchestra. Also by hitting the guitar in a percussive manner, I can loop that and play more rhythmic patterns. Tell us a little about what you have coming up? I am touring my new album Six String Anthology around the cities including Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle and Wollongong. I also get requests from Facebook and email asking me to go to regional areas so if they have a theatre, hall or music community there, we will make it happen. For the last half of this year and into next I will be getting out to as many regional areas as possible.
Six String Anthology is out now. Catch Bruce on tour this month. For all of the details, head to mathiske.com
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SHOW & TELL
Callan Orr Guitarist For Dream On, Dreamer What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? Today I want to talk about my Line 6 M9 multi effects. How did you come across this particular item? After a flight home from Europe the airline lost my pedal case and our manager at the time hadn’t purchased insurance so I suddenly lost $2,000 worth of pedals. I wasn’t completely thrilled about forking out another $2k to get back to square one. So I managed to get a deal with Line 6 and I picked this up for $300. That, I can live with. What is it that you like about it so much? A cheap pedal, has everything I need in one place, and for as much noise as my band makes on stage, the quality is more than acceptable. I’ve used it for five years now and it hasn’t let me down. I also saw it on both of the Underoath guitarists’ pedalboards when we toured together with not a whole lot else going on, so I felt reassured that it’s not just me who’s a fan of this thing. How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music? It hasn’t really changed the way I write or anything like that. It’s just solid, it has every effect you could ever need. It’s a whole pedalboard in one. It has looping, a tuner and loads of other features I won’t ever need. And if your airline loses it, it’s not too crushing to replace. Tell us a little about what you have coming up? We are releasing a new record, It Comes and Goes. It has some hints of screamo nostalgia. I listened to a lot of Saosin’s self-titled record. That thing rips, and this is like... almost as good, except not.
It Comes And Goes is out Friday May 25. For pre-orders and tour dates, head to dreamondreamerband.com
Dave Hole What piece of equipment do you have to show us today? My much-loved, much-played, much-travelled Gibson ES-345 guitar. How did you come across this particular item? I bought it new from Nicholsons in Perth in 1972. At the time I was (and still am) a huge BB King fan and this guitar looked to be identical to the one that he used, although I later found out that his was the more deluxe model E-S355. Anyway, I fell for it, had to have it and had my grandmother sign on the dotted line for the hire purchase! What is it that you like about it so much? I just love the sound of it. It has amazing sustain which makes it really sing, especially when using it with a slide which is what I do mostly. It’s had its neck broken and repaired three times over the years on various flights, so I guess I also admire its resilience – it’s a real survivor. How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music? I’ve written a lot of my songs with it over the years. Being a semi-acoustic, it’s the one I pick up most often when inspiration strikes. Of course, I’ve used it a lot for live performances over the years, but lately I’ve been using it only on record and leaving it at home for a well-earned rest when I’m on the road. Tell us a little about what you have coming up? I’m playing a handful of Australian dates in May in support of my just released album Goin’ Back Down. The album isn’t released in America and globally until Friday June 8, but I’ve been doing a lot of pre-promotion which has kept me busy. I’m looking forward to getting out on the road in Australia for a little R and R.
Goin’Back Down is out Friday June 8. Catch Dave on tour this month. For all the details visit davehole.com.
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DIRECTORY
EVOLUTION MUSIC
SKY MUSIC
DANGERFORK PRINT CO
A | 8/2 Northey Rd, Lynbrook VIC P | (03) 8787 8599 E | info@evolutionmusic.com.au W | evolutionmusic.com.au /evolutionmusicaus
A | 4/2181 Princes Hwy, Clayton VIC P | (03) 9546 0188 E | info@skymusic.com.au W | skymusic.com.au /skymusiconline
A | 1-5 Perry Street, Collingwood, VIC P | (03) 9417 5185 E | info@dangerfork.com W | dangerfork.com / dangerfork
(Recording Studios) A | 230 Crown St, Darlinghurst NSW P | (02) 9331 0666 E | bookings@damiengerard.net W | damiengerard.com.au /damiengerardstudios
AA DUPLICATION
FIVE STAR MUSIC
MUSIC 440
MAKE MERCHANDISE
A | 84 Nicholson St, Abbotsford VIC P | (03) 9416 2133 E | sales@aaduplication.com.au W | aaduplication.com.au /AADuplicationServices
A | 102 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood VIC P | (03) 9870 4143 E | websales@fivestarmusic.com.au W | fivestarmusic.com.au /fivestarmusicoz
A | 1/30 Station Rd, Indooroopilly QLD P | (07) 3878 4566 E | info@music440.com.au W | music440.com.au /music440
(Screenprinting, Ebroidery & Promotional Products) A | Unit 22/7 Lyn Parade, Prestons, NSW P | 0423 740 733 E | sales@makemerchandise.com.au W | makemerchandise.com.au /MakeMerchandise
EASTGATE MUSIC
NEWMARKET STUDIOS
BINARY MUSIC
SOUNDS EASY PTY LTD
A | 1131 Burke Rd, Kew VIC P | (03) 9817 7000 E | sales@eastgatemusic.com W | eastgatemusic.com.au /Eastgatemusic
A | 87-91 Arden Street, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 9329 2877 E | callum@newmarketstudios.com.au W | newmarketstudios.com.au /newmarketstudios
JABEN AUDIO
VINYL REVIVAL
CONWAY CUSTOM GUITARS
ARCADE SCREENPRINTING
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Printing/CD & DVD Duplication)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Headphone Specialist Retailer) A | Shop 2 398 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 9670 8231 E | info@jaben.com.au W | jaben.com.au /jabenau
HYDRA REHEARSAL STUDIOS
(Rehearsal Rooms) A | 18 Duffy Street, Burwood VIC P | (03) 9038 8101 E | hydrastudios@bigpond.com W | hydrastudios.com.au /hydra.rehearsal.studios
EASTERN SUBURBS SCHOOL OF MUSIC
(Music Lessons) A | 10 Floriston Road, Boronia VIC 7 Sahra Grove, Carrum Downs VIC P | 0421 705 150 E | essm@essm.net.au W | essm.net.au /easternsuburbsschoolofmusic
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Music Production Studio)
(Vinyl and Record Specialist) A | 405 Brunswick St, Fitzroy VIC P | (03) 9419 5070 A | 128 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC P | (03) 9448 8635 E | info@vinylrevival.com.au W | vinylrevival.com.au /vinylrevivalmelbourne
MELBOURNE MUSIC CENTRE
(Screenprinting & Design Service)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
(Music Instruments Retailer & Education) A | 48 Bloomfield St, Cleveland QLD P | (07) 3488 2230 E | sales@binarydesigns.com.au W | binarydesigns.com.au /binarymusic
DAMIEN GERARD STUDIOS
(Music Technology & Instruments Retailer) A | Suite G05, 15 Atchison St, St Leonards NSW P | (02) 8213 0202 W | soundseasy.com.au /dsoundseasy
(Luthier) A | Wynnum, QLD P | 0408 338 181 E | info@conwaycustom.com.au W | conwaycustom.com.au /conwaycustomguitars
(Screenprinting & Design Service) A | 15/17 Hutchinson St, St Peters NSW P | (02) 9550 6965 E | info@arcadescreenprinting.com.au W | arcadescreenprinting.com.au / arcadescreenprinting
MODERN MUSICIAN
GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY
(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 /melbournemusic.centre
A | 106 Murray Street, Hobart TAS P | (03) 6234 5537 E | nick@modernmusician.com.au W | modernmusician.com.au /modernmusician
(Music Instruments Retailer) A | 280 Victoria Rd, Gladesville NSW P | (02) 9817 2173 E | mail@guitarfactory.net W | guitarfactory.net / GladesvilleGuitarFactory
DEX AUDIO
MONA VALE MUSIC
TURRAMURRA MUSIC
(Audio Visual Retailer)
(Music Instruments Retailer)
A | 393-399 Macaulay Rd, Melbourne VIC P | (03) 8378 2266 E | mail@dexaudio.com.au W | dexaudio.com.au /dexaudioaustralia
A | 55 Bassett Street, Mona Vale NSW P | (02) 9986 0589 E | info@mvmwarehouse.com W | www.monavalemusic.com / monavalemusic
(Music Instruments Retailer)
A | 1267 Pacific Hwy, Turramurra NSW P | (02) 9449 8487 E | general_sales@turramusic.com.au W | turramusic.com.au / TurramurraMusic
Not In The Directory? C O N TA C T
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