Mixdown July #243

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M U S I C I A N S

243

JULY 2014

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INTERVIEWED: SEPULTURA FRACTURES LOWTIDE TAKING BACK SUNDAY

AR’S SUPPL E Y A Y

KASABIAN OF ND SOU TO RO

ROAD TESTED: BLACKSTAR HT CLUB 40 VINTAGE PRO COMBO STEINBERG UR44 INTERFACE MATON S60 ACOUSTIC GUITAR AUDIO-TECHNICA 2050 CONDENSER MIC MC SYSTEMS LHR DYNAMIC DISTORTION PEDAL

STRINGS

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CONTENTS 6

GIVEAWAYS

8

NEWS & TOURS

12 THE INDUSTRIALIST

LIVE ELECTRONIC SPECIAL

FORE WORD

14 PRODUCT NEWS 22 KASABIAN 24 JACK WHITE,

LIVE ELECTRONIC SPECIAL

MASTODON

PAGE 36

25 SEPULTURA

30 UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD, WHAT’S THAT SOUND KEYS 32 ON THE DOWNLOW, BANGIN THE TUBS 34 (D)IGITAL (J)OCKEY, HOME STUDIO HINTS 35 WHAT’S MY RANGE AGAIN 36 LIVE ELECTRONIC SPECIAL 42 ROAD TESTED

Aleksei Plinte Editor In Chief

SEPULTURA

FRACTURES

PAGE 25

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PUBLISHER Furst Media

COVER ART Gill Tucker

Mat Drogemuller, Dan Watt, Jaymz Clements

EDITOR IN CHIEF Aleksei Plinte mixdown@beat.com.au

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CONTRIBUTORS Peter Hodgson, Rob Gee, Adrian Violi, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Peter Vox, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown,

ADVERTISING Aleksei Plinte E: mixdown@beat.com.au Phone: (03) 8414 9704

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26 EVERY TIME I DIE

Yep, it’s officially Winter and g’damn it’s been a battle this month to get amongst it. However, we have and this issue is a true testament to the live scene with our Live Electronic Special that is skewed towards both the EDM scene and simply any gear that you need to hit the stage.

We have the absolute pleasure of interviewing titans of rock’n’roll Kasabian about their upcoming national dates and new release 48:13.

The master of tone and all things cool, Mr. Jack White the illusive drops by for a chat, OMG Jack White! Heavy hitters Mastodon take no prisoners with their new release alongside thematic brawlers Sepultura who give us the inside scoop on creating their numerous brain busting records!

Could this issue seriously get any better? Well, the answer is yes, as we get to speak with metal core rockers Talking Back Sunday and post hardcore players Every Time I Die. Locals making waves, Fractures and Lowtide also join us for this incredible ride.

Our eclectic set of road tests, product and industry news, coupled with some ripper hints and tips in our columns will have you entertained and occupied for the month. If you’re a guitar slayer, our good friends over at Galactic Music are also giving you the chance to win a year’s worth of Rotosound electric guitar strings to boot!

TH

TAKING BACK SUNDAY

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WIN A YEAR’S SUPPLY OF ROTOSOUND GUITAR STRINGS This month Mixdown and Rotosound are giving you the chance to win a year’s supply - 24 packs - of their brand new range of strings.

Rotosound strings now come with colour coded ball ends, and because of where they are made are Red, White and Blue. The strings have an incredible pure tone, typical of their home country and provide exceptional sustain with clear bright sounds.

TO ENTER THE COMPETITION SIMPLY: 1: Like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mixdownmagazine and share the Rotosound giveaway post 2: Email your full name and postal address to mixdownstaff@beat.com.au and tell us where this awesome range of strings are made.

*This giveaway is for Australian residents only and one entry per person.

For more awesome monthly Mixdown Giveaways, be sure to LIKE our Mixdown Magazine facebook page at www.facebook.com/mixdownmagazine and check out the Giveaways section of our website www.mixdownmag.com.au

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MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 7

NEWS & TOURS BIGSOUND 2014 ANNOUNCES LINE-UP

COURTNEY LOVE – AUSTRALIA TOUR

BAD//DREEMS

BIGSOUND has come out swinging with its first live line-up announcement for 2014. With the 80+ acts dropped today and dozens still to come, the program is one of the best yet with the likes of Gold Fields, DMA’s, Holy Holy, BAD//DREEMS, Client Liaison, Kingswood and Remi all set to play in front of both industry and punters in a celebration of live Australian music.

They’ll be joined for the festival on September 10 and 11 by Seekae, Deep Sea Arcade, Thelma Plum, HITS, Sampology ft Tom Thum & Jordan

Rakei, Blank Realm, D.D Dumbo, Fractures, Ash Grunwald, Halfway and over 140 artists over two nights, in fourteen venues in Brisbane’s iconic Fortitude Valley live music precinct. This year will see the site map expand north to include venues like The Underdog, Crowbar, The Elephant and The New Globe as well as welcoming a new outdoor venue behind Brightside and Magic City. BIGSOUND Live passes, currently on sale, give punters wrist-band access to the shows for one of the best value tickets in the country.

HUSKY TOUR

Fans of Husky can rejoice in the news of a capital city headline tour for July, which will see the band gracing stages at intimate venues in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Fremantle, Sydney and Brisbane. The band’s signature sophistication in song writing, musicianship and orchestration captivated both industry and public, and saw them touring Australia, the US and Europe for almost two years running. Since then, the band have been enjoying time back home in Melbourne, crafting and rehearsing their new songs. The new string of shows will see Husky Gawenda, Gideon Preiss and Evan Tweedie joined on-stage by drummer Arron Light, playing songs from their much loved debut Forever So

Courtney Love, the infamous first lady of Grunge and lead singer of Hole will be hitting Australia’s shores next month with a string of shows across the country. Courtney has had a range of media highlights this year such as her on public ‘burying of the hatchet’ when she hugged it out with Dave Grohl during Nirvana’s induction into the hall of fame and her viral social media insights into the search for the lost MH370 plane. However her best and most overlooked highlight was the recent release of fiery double A side ‘You Know My Name/Wedding Day’ released on Love’s independent record label Cherry Forever Records. So get out your oversized T-shirt, find

TOUR DATES August 13 – Metro City, Perth WA August 15 – Theabrton Theatre, Adelaide SA August 16 – Festival Hall, Melbourne VIC August 18 – Wrest Point, Hobart TAS August 20 – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane QLD August 22 – Panthers, Newcastle NSW August 23 – UC Refectory, Canberra ACT August 24 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW

CAITLIN PARK’S THE SLEEPER TOUR

as well as brand new material. Their new single ‘I’m Not Coming Back’ just released on June 30 offers the first glimpse at a new collection of songs that form Husky’s second LP. The album itself is scheduled for release this Spring.

TOUR DATES July 18 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC July 19 - Jive Bar, Adelaide SA July 24 - Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA July 25 - Mojos, Fremantle WA July 31 - Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW August 1 - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD

Sydney songstress Caitlin Park has announced an East Coast tour to celebrate the release of her sophomore album The Sleeper. Just months ago Park took to east coast stages to launch the first single lifted from her new LP ‘Hold Your Gaze’. Now with The Sleeper out in the world, it’s only fitting to hit the road to bring the album to life on stage. Aptly named The Sleeper Tour, Caitlin and her band will play shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane respectively. Tickets have already gone on sale and special guests

HOWLING BELLS

DEAD KENNEDYS

Live Nation by arrangement with Artist Voice are thrilled to present bohemian rock’n’roll outfit, Howling Bells in Australia this September. In support of their recently released fourth album, Heartstrings, the band will return for their first set of national headline shows since 2011.

Forming in 2005, Sydney-locals Howling Bells relocated to London where they filled their sound with elements of Americana, ambient electronica and their deliciously dark brand of lyrics. They combine the honeyed vocals of front woman, Juanita Stein, lo-fi riffs from guitarist-brother Joel and the chest-banging beats of drummer Glenn Moule, all galvanised by the recent addition of London-born and bred bass player, Gary Daines. Their latest album, Heartstrings,

KillRockStar Big Dog Entertainment presents the triumphant Australian return of hardcore punk rock legends Dead Kennedys, who will be spreading their message against political apathy right across Australia this September and October. Lucky South Australian teenagers will be included with a special all-ages show at Fowlers Live. For fans of punk rock Dead Kennedys need no introduction. One of the most influential and essential bands of the hardcore punk generation, Dead Kennedys along with their trademark breakneck riffs, shattering volume and enlightened political conscience ignited a flame that still burns as brightly in the hearts and minds of punk rock fans today as it did when the band first formed in the late 70’s. Across four studio albums, various EP’s, live albums and compilations, Dead Kennedys continue to inform the

PG. 8 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

your flannel, pull on some army boots and be prepared for a loud, boisterous and always original show from Courtney this August.

was written during a “creative spell” in the basement of Juanita’s north London home last October and released earlier this month. It was recorded in London’s Assault & Battery Studios, under the watchful eye of legendary producer Alan Moulder (The Killers, Depeche Mode). The time away has only strengthened their artistry and desire to get back on the road to share this album with their fans.

TOUR DATES September 6 - Amplifier, Perth WA September 11 - Howler, Melbourne VIC September 12 - Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney NSW

will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans who are yet to purchase The Sleeper will have the chance to do so at the ticket check out at a very special price.

TOUR DATES July 11 - The Vanguard, Sydney NSW August 1 - Bella Union, Melbourne VIC August 2 - The Hive, Brisbane QLD

thoughts of a generation and engage an entirely newer younger audience and inspire the ethos of DIY, freedom of thought and the power to rise above political and conservative oppression.

TOUR DATES September 30 – Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA October 1 - 170 Russell, Melbourne VIC October 3 – HiFi, Brisbane QLD October 4 - Coolangatta Hotel, QLD October 5 – HiFi, Sydney NSW October 8 - Mona Vale Hotel, NSW October 9 - Entrance Leagues Club, Bateau Bay NSW October 10 - The Small Ballroom, Newcastle NSW October 11 – Capitol, Perth WA

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MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 9

NEWS & TOURS THE CAT EMPIRE

Like fanatic disciples of a new age religion, people flock in the thousands to worship The Cat Empire’s live show. The bands annual global pilgrimage now sees The Cat Empire play to over a quarter of a million people each year, not including festival crowds, which can treble that number. Following on from a July/August tour headlining European summer festivals, these modern day preachers of good living, great music and dancing will be back at home in Australia to welcome in the Spring. The Cat Empire will tour nationally in Sept/Oct, with a show that will blow you away – literally and figuratively. On the road with The Cat Empire is a band with almost as many “slashes” in its genre description as The Cat Empire. Madre Monte, features hard hitting horns funkin’ up 50s style Cumbia, a tight rhythm section dissecting Afro-Colombian progressions, skankin’ guitars infusing reggae grooves, and a front man recreating the ancient mythological stories of Colombia, all intertwining to create a unique 9-piece Latin Reggae outfit. If that wasn’t

NICK CAVE ANNOUNCES SOLO TOUR

enough, add in Sydney TED talk sensation Tom Thum, who pushes the limits of the human voice to create incredible soundtracks of impossible beats and phenomenal sounds. The Cat Empire played their 1000th show in March this year, and show no signs of slowing down.

TOUR DATES September 26 – Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth WA September 27 – Metro City, Perth WA October 3 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide SA October 4 – Festival Hall, Melbourne VIC October 10, 11 – The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD October 12 – Rabbit & Cocoon, Gold Coast QLD October 17 – UC Live, Canberra ACT October 18 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW October 19 – Panthers, Newcastle NSW October 22 – Club Forster, Forster NSW October 23 – Panthers, Port Macquarrie NSW October 24 – CEX, Coffs Harbour NSW

Nick Cave will visit Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2014 to perform a series of rare solo concerts. Supported by a small ensemble of musicians Nick will be presenting songs from right across his considerable catalogue, including from the stunning 2013 Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds release Push The Sky Away which achieved pole position in the Australian and New Zealand charts (and five other countries). Nick last toured the region in 2013 with the Bad Seeds for the release of Push The Sky Away in what was a spectacular run of sold out shows in some of Australia’s most revered live music spaces. This very special and more intimate concert tour will see Nick perform

OBITS TOUR AUSTRALIA

JEN CLOHER

Brooklyn rock band OBITS have announced their second visit to Australian shores, following their acclaimed maiden tour in 2012. Obits occupy the space between various elements of the rock music genre, skirting garage, punk and surf. They forge straightforward, head nodding rock’n’roll with a dark edge, jamming guitars a muscular rhythms. An exciting prospect, and an impressive offering in live practise. No fuss.

Cool as. A whole throng of sweet local supports will be joing them for the tour ranging from the mighty Six Ft Hick for Brisbane, to 90’s indie-

After releasing one of the albums of 2013, Jen Cloher announces her only headline shows for 2014. With Courtney Barnett on guitar, Bones Sloane on bass and Jen Sholakis on drums, In Blood Memory saw the band deliver an unexpected album of raw rock n roll, evoking vivid musical pictures of The Velvet Underground and Crazy Horse. To coincide with the July tour, Jen and her band recorded their take on The Loved Ones’ ‘Sad Dark Eyes’ with engineer Burke Reid (The Mess Hall, The Drones). 2013 saw Jen play an epic 40 date tour with Dyson Stringer Cloher, garner a nomination for the Australian Music Prize for her third album In Blood Memory and

rock favourites Freak Wave in Melbourne. Obits playing live in a sweaty, dark Australian rock’n’roll club is an experience you cannot afford to miss.

TOUR DATES July 30 - Transit Bar, Canberra ACT July 31 - Goodgod Small Club, Sydney NSW August 1 - Barwon Club Hotel, Geelong VIC August 2 - Reverence Hotel, Melbourne VIC August 3 - Crowbar, Brisbane QLD

JOHN GARCIA

John Garcia is instantly recognisable as the voice of a genre bringing the California Desert Rock sound to the world via his works with the incredibly influential band Kyuss as well as Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano and Vista Chino. His deep baritone and soulful delivery take you on a hypnotic journey that coupled with huge riffs and driving bass is hard to escape. On August 1st John will be releasing his debut solo album and Australian fans will be able to hear a taste of it live come September for the Desert Rock Showcase. John will be playing his solo material PG. 10 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

in some of the more majestic theatres and auditoriums in Australia and NZ.

TOUR DATES November 27, 28 - Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth WA November 30 - Festival Theatre, Adelaide SA December 3 - Convention Centre, Brisbane QLD December 4 - Gold Coast Convention Centre, QLD December 6, 7 - Civic Theatre, Auckland NZ December 8, 9 - St James Theatre, Wellington NZ December 11, 12 - State Theatre, Sydney NSW December 16 - Melbourne Convention Centre, VIC

take I Manage My Music, the workshop series she began in 2011, to self-managed artists all around Australia. This one-off tour will begin in Sydney at the Newtown Social Club on July 18 and finish up with an intimate solo performance in Brisbane on July 25. The shows will wrap up in 7 days and tickets are very limited.

TOUR DATES July 18 - Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW July 19 - Shebeen, Melbourne VIC July 20 - Wheatsheaf, Adelaide SA July 25 - Skukum Lounge, Brisbane QLD

WILLOW BEATS

along with tracks from all his previous bands and joining him on the tour will be Palm Springs natives Waxy and Melbourne’s ‘good time murder fuzz‘ exponents Mammoth Mammoth.

TOUR DATES September 11 – Oxford Arts Factory, Sydney NSW September 12 – The Espy, Melbourne VIC September 13 – The Zoo, Brisbane QLD September 14 – Great Northern, Byron Bay NSW

Pilerats Records are over the moon to announce brand new Willow Beats music, the twilight swampy tones of ‘Merewif’. It’s an exciting welcome back for the NSW boy-girl duo that burst onto Australia’s music scene last year with their massive self-released Alchemy EP. ‘Merewif’ is the first single to be released off Willow Beats forthcoming EP set for release later in the year.

Stooped in fantasy, mystery, and the stories of Hare Krishna folklore,’Merewif’ breaks out with soul, love, and light. Three days after dropping ‘Merewif’ on the Willow Beats Soundcloud, the single has had over 33,000 plays with fans and Australian and international media outlets delightedly praising the duo’s return. Fans all over the world have held their breath for 7 months

waiting for the other-wordly duo’s next move.

The wait is over! Willow Beats offer a truly welcome departure from the current crop of sugarrush dance music making waves here and overseas, and welcomes you to go on a journey, to dream, drink the potion, and emerge in an uplifting lush new reality.

TOUR DATES August 1 - Mondo, Perth WA August 8 - Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD August 9 - Goodgod Nightclub, Sydney NSW August 15 - Rocket Bar, Adelaide SA August 16 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC

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THE INDUSTRIALIST MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS WITH CHRISTIE ELIZER

FOR CONTENT SUBMISSIONS TO THIS COLUMN PLEASE EMAIL TO CELIZER@NETSPACE.NET.AU Client Liaison

ICEHOUSE GO PLATINUM Universal Music Australia threw an intimate party to celebrate Icehouse’s White Heat: 30 Hits compilation going platinum. The band’s founder Iva Davies said that the album went gold quickly but sales continued to climb because of Universal’s creative ways to find new audiences, and through Icehouse’s hard touring. The band just announced 12 dates running from September to February with more to be announced.

BAKEHOUSE STUDIOS OPENS DOORS TO PUBLIC ALL AGES GIGS IN PUBS RETURN TO VICTORIA In a special afternoon event at Collingwood’s Gasometer Hotel on Sunday July 6, Client Liaison and Animaux will take to the stage for the first all ages gig in a Victorian pub for over 20 years! From July 1, amendments to the regulations of Victoria’s Liquor Control Reform Act means that our renowned live music venues can now host all ages-gigs by simply notifying the Victorian Commission of Gaming and Liquor Regulation a week before the show.

Vance Joy

As part of Melbourne’s Leaps and Bounds festival, Bakehouse Studios opens its doors to the public for the first time on Saturday July 12 with tours through the afternoon. The day includes live performances, installations for musicians in this working studio (including those made of icing, a metal room by a jeweller, early punk images, a ”backstage’ and a homage to pulp fiction.

UNIVERSAL MUSIC AUSTRALIA RESTRUCTURES George Ash, Universal Australasia President, restructured the company to bring together its International and Australian marketing, strategic, marketing, promotions, classics & jazz and the A&R teams under one. The old Mercury/ Island set up which housed various labels will now be one (except for EMI, which is run as a stand-alone by John O’Donnell). Executive Vice President of A&R, Universal and Island Records Australasia Mark Taylor and Head Of Marketing Darren Aboud are joint Managing Directors.

Ash commented, “Both Mike and Darren are true music people who have forged entrepreneurial and creative visions for our company. “

APRA WINNERS

MORE ACTS FOR 123 AGENCY

Vance Joy has added another couple of notches to his belt with his song ‘Riptide’ which picked up the 2014 Song of the Year Award and also the Pop Work of the Year Award. Lorde and Joel Little won the inaugural Outstanding International Achievement Award. Louis Schoorl, who has collaborated with the likes of Jessica Mauboy, 360 and Daniel Johns, won Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year. The Most Played Australian Work was ‘Lanterns’ by Birds of Tokyo while Gotye’s ‘Somebody That I Used To Know’ won Most Played Australian Work Overseas.

123 Agency expanded its roster with Melbourne producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Spender, Tasmanian rock band Luca Brasi, Melbourne jazz pop outfit Animaux and hip hop electro outfit BAGSvDK.

STUDY: LIVE PERFORMANCE INDUSTRY WORTH $2.5 BILLION The Australian live performance industry is worth $2.5 billion, according to Live Performance Australia (LPA)’s second study of its economic size and scope. The study is based on the latest data, from 2012. Among the numbers making up the $2.5 billion output, 49.6% comes from box office income ($1.2 billion), 28.9% from corporate sponsorship and support ($99.90 million) and 17.6% from government funding ($44.7 million). It shows it has 34,131 employees – more than the 20,439 working in film and video as their main job.

NSW’s live performance sector contributed $586.5 million to the NSW state economy, Victoria’s $422.4 million to its state economy, Queensland $236.5 million, Western Australia $161.7 million, South Australia $87.9 million, ACT $19.4 million, Tasmania $13.2 million and NT $1.5 million.

In event category terms, Contemporary Music has the highest share of value add at nearly 37%. It generated an output of $830.9 million.

In terms of value add, the category contributed $564 million to the Australian economy, representing 36.9% of the total value add by the industry.

LIVE NATION PARTNERS WITH QANTAS Concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment Australia and New Zealand has partnered with Qantas in a multi-year agreement. Its international touring acts will be flown by Qantas around the region. The promoter and the airline will work on projects across Live Nation’s online platforms, content, concerts, and ticketing operations. For Qantas it means more international sales and increase benefits for its Frequent Flyers with preferential ticket offers.

PG. 12 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

NEW INITIATIVES AT APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS is offering Aboriginal musicians in NSW a helping hand through its Aboriginal Music Development Project to overcome the fact that Aboriginal music is underrepresented in many sectors of the music business. The NSW Government is funding it to the tune of $65,000, to be run through APRA AMCOS’ ATSI Music Office. The project includes mentorship and workshops to build skills in songwriting, business management, demo and basic studio recording, marketing and individual skill development.

APRA AMCOS also launched a new license, The Online Showreels License, to cater to agencies wanting to use licensed music for promotional purposes.

QUICK RESPONSE GRANTS MusicNSW announced the 2014 Quick Response Grant Program to support NSW artists and artist managers in developing export opportunities. This is through developing export opportunities whilst attending Australian industry conferences, trade fairs and other career defining opportunities.

EVENTBRITE SETS UP IN AUSTRALIA US-based online events marketplace Eventbrite has expanded into the Australian marketplace by setting up an office in Melbourne. Founded in 2008 it processed almost $3 billion in ticket sales to millions of events in 187 countries. It supported 75,000 events in Australia.

SA GOVERNMENT CREATES STIGWOOD MUSIC FELLOWSHIP As part of its contemporary music program, the South Australian Government has set up the Robert Stigwood Fellowship. It is named after one of SA’s most successful music exports Robert Stigwood who moved to England in 1954. He went on to manage the Bee Gees and Cream, produced the phenomenally successful Saturday Night Fever movie as well as theatrical productions as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. The Fellowship Program is run through the new Music Development Office, a collaboration between the Department for Manufacturing, Innovation, Trade Resources and

VALE: ANTHONY LAMBERTI It is with great sadness that we must say goodbye to one of Australia’s great pioneers of Australian made instruments and musical equipment retailers, Anthony Lamberti, who recently passed away. Our condolences go out to the Lamberti family, Zaccaria Family and his loved ones. Mr Lamberti had an amazing career which began in the mid 30’s in Clayton Victoria.

Whilst he worked on a farm and studied at Richmond Technical School, he began repairing piano accordions which soon led to the opening of a music instrument and repair store in 1946.

He eventually outgrew this store and in 1954 invited his brother into the business and opened the famous Lamberti Bros retail store which operated up until 1996 offering records, musical equipment and instruments including well respected and highly popular Lamberti made amplifiers and Banjo Mandolins. Anthony was an integral part of the wholesale and retail music sector in Australia and is survived by his wife Teresa, 6 children and 15 grandchildren, many of which are still in the industry as directors and employee’s of Dominant Musical Instruments.

Energy and Arts SA. There are two parts to it.

Industry Fellows, where Sydney’s Wonderlick Entertainment will mentor up to four emerging SA music industry entrepreneurs who are working in music management or other areas of artist representation. Artist Fellows will tailor programs for participating artists and may include song writing, production, business skills, marketing and public relations, and attendance at conferences and high-level industry meetings.

stepped down. They are replaced by Henry Compton (Client and Retail Marketing Director at music distributor The Orchard,) Future Classic Label Manager Ed Sholl and Chugg Entertainment’s Artist Services Manager Andrew Stone. They join current board members Jaddan Comerford (Unified), David Vodicka (Rubber Records), Andrew Walker (Head Records), Philip Mortlock (Alberts), Ashley Gay (Xelon) and Basil Cook (ABC Music).

CHANGES AT AIR BOARD

ARIA BRINGS BACK NUMBER ONE CHART AWARD

After four years as GM of the Australian Independent Record Labels Association (AIR), and seven years in total with the association, Nick O’Byrne stepped down to concentrate on his other activities. These include being Executive Programmer for Brisbane’s Bigsound and as manager for Courtney Barnett, Milwaukee Banks and Sterling Silver. He will remain engaged with the organisation to consult on the 2014 Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards. From July 1, AIR’s former CEO Stu Watters returned as AIR spokesperson on advocacy issues facing the independent sector.

The AIR board went through changes also Mushroom Group’s Matt Gudinski and Correne Wilki and HUB Artist Service’s Troy Barrett

ARIA revived the Number One Chart Award to recognize local acts who hit #1 on its charts.

Since January 2013 Aussies have spent 34 weeks at the toppermost of the poppermost. Singles were Dami Im’s ‘Alive’, Taylor Henderson’s ‘Borrow My Heart’, 5 Seconds Of Summer’s ‘She Looks So Perfect’, Sheppard’s ‘Geronimo’ and Justice Crew’s ‘Que Sera’. There were 17 #1 albums: Flume, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Hillsong United, Bir ds Of Tokyo, Bernard Fanning, Harrison Craig, Bliss N Eso, Karnivool, Rufus, Boy & Bear, Keith Urban, Triple J Like A Version 9, Dami Im, Taylor Henderson, INXS, Kylie Minogue and Chet Faker.

THINGS WE HEAR • Changes: Former Powderfinger guitarist Ian Haug joins The Church for their next album as Marty Willson-Piper is unavailable.

Vines singer Craig Nicholls has a new line up with Tim John (The Griswolds) and drummer Lachlan West (Something With Numbers) with an album on the way.

• The Australian commercial radio industry’s first AudienceScope study on listeners behavior claimed that radio captures more than 60% of all listening compared to the streaming industry’s 8%. Music collections are at 25%.

• The Face The Music conference will take places on Friday November 14 and Saturday 15 at Arts Centre Melbourne. If you want to submit a panel idea, contact Program Manager Paris Martine at paris@facethemusic.org.au.

• A ukulele festival is to be launched in Tamworth this year.

• In a Facebook post directed to “Hey AU/NZ pals... It’s been WAYYY too long,” Foo Fighters hinted at a tour of Australia and New Zealand.

They asked fans to sign up to their newsletter “Cause you never know where/when the Foo’s may show up. Just sayin...”

• The Australasian World Music Expo in Melbourne claimed a record number of artist applications from across Australia and around the world.

• After playing to 100,000 opening for Alicia Keys and John Legend, soul singer Ngaiire is playing the Glastonbury festival in England.

• The Delta Riggs wrapping up their 25-date tour across Europe had the great Jimmy Page turn up unexpectedly and visit backstage to say hello.

• The Basics are recording at Abbey Road Studios in London.

• D.D Dumbo will play in the UK for the first time this month, including a slot on the Latitude Festival and dates with Daughter and Tame Impala. He’s just become the fourth Aussie to be signed to legendary 4AD label for the world outside Australia/NZ. • A Day On The Green series added another Victorian winery, in Goulburn Valley at Mitchelton Wines which showcases its first concert in spring.

• Rapper 360 struck a partnership with Sol Republic Headphones. Fans get limited edition, custom 360 ‘Utopia’ headphones to coincide with the premium Price of Fame and Utopia tour packages when Sixty tours in September.

• Wendy Matthews told ABC Radio that her six ARIA awards are holding up a shelf of cactus plants in her home.

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PRODUCT NEWS PRIMACOUSTIC PAINTABLE ACOUSTIC PANELS

TC ELECTRONIC ALTER EGO VINTAGE ECHO X4

Add a Primacoustic London Kit or some Broadway Panels to almost any r oom and you can tur n it from a simple r oom into a viable r ecording or mixing space. Up until r ecently we had a choice either black, beige or grey which for most people was enough, but Primacoustic wanted to of fer another option. Primacoustic Paintable Panels can be painted the same colour as the walls of the room, used as-is to blend into white ceilings or paint them a completely dif ferent colour and make them stand out. It is even possible to print photos onto Paintable panels or use them in place of canvas as artwork. The panels don’ t offer quite the same range of absorption that the standard fabric-covered panels do. However they are most ef fective in the range of human voice which makes them ideal for vocal recording rooms or any number of other applications where vocal intelligibility is important.

TC Electronic knows that you’ve been missing the sound of those classic delay units but thanks to their amazing TonePrint technology they also have a solution! The new Alter Ego X4 is the latest collaboration between TC Electr onic and Pro Guitar Shop. T ogether they have elegantly modelled the classic delays and echoes of those famous delay units that you love and packed them all into the fully TonePrint enabled, 4-button Alter Ego X4. The unit includes all the usual high-end features that you know and trust such as True Bypass, Analog Dry Through, MIDI capabilities and is built tough with metal chassis, buttons and connectors. It featur es tap-tempo, three stomp-presets, twelve classic delay types plus four TonePrint preset slots, a forty second looper with Undo function and independent delay and looping engines. The stylish r etrolook comes courtesy of Pr o Guitar Shop and being both easy to read and simple to operate,

For more information on the range of Primacoustic products, phone Amber Technology on 1800 251 367 or visit www.ambertech.com.au

STERLING BY MUSIC MAN JOHN PETRUCCI JP-70D PWH 7 STRING GUITAR

MARKBASS NEW YORK 151 BLACK BASS CAB

For more information on the Markbass range of amps phone CMC Music on (02) 9905 2511 or visit www.cmcmusic.com.au

MC SYSTEMS BSL HYBRID CHORUS AND CGN DYNAMIC DELAY PEDALS MC Systems BSL Hybrid Chorus Pedal is the second chorus pedal released in their Apollo range of Dynamic Effects pedals and is equipped with some unique featur es and contr ols and utilizes digital bucket brigade technology for maximum spectral output. A versatile chorus pedal, the BSL offers everything fr om light swirls, to doubling, rotating speaker ef fects and then takes the player beyond that for an entirely new sonic palette. Two separate levels of chorus depth are available via the patent pending V Switch true bypass system. How har d you step on the V Switch determines how much additional depth you get. Fr om rich lush swirls to heavy vibrato and whacked out detunes - the Apollo range’ s V-Switch lets your attitude determine your tone.

For more information on the Sterling By Music Man range phone CMC Music on (02) 9905 2511 or visit www.cmcmusic.com.au

ERNIE BALL ALUMINUM BRONZE STRINGS

PG. 14 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

For more information on the range of TC Electronic products, phone Amber Technology on 1800 251 367 or visit www.ambertech.com.au

Check out the New Y ork 151 Black Cab fr om Markbass. This unit is a practical, smart and inexpensive solution for those who like the sound of 15” speakers in a compact package. It sounds is clear and def ned with gr eat bottom end. It can be used alone or as the perfect extension for the Little Mark 250 Black Line Head, the CMD 151 JB Players School or the Mini CMD 151 P combo to create the perfect rig for small/ medium/large size gigs.

The newest member of the John Petrucci JP Series, born out of the overwhelming r equest of fans and players worldwide, is the seven string JP70D PWH. This long awaited limited edition guitar featur es custom contour ed basswood body, a striking Pearl White f nish, scooped forearm contour, new impr oved metal 3-way switch, Petrucci dome knobs, and Sterling Modern Tremolo bridge and two mor e important items U.S.A made DiMarzio LiquiFir e and Crunch Lab pickups. LiquiFir e is a neck pickup with a f owing, singing solo tone when used with a heavily over driven amp and a clear chord sound with a clean amp setting. Crunch Lab pickups ar e just what they sound like, “crunch” is what it’ s all about with a big, tight sound that’s neither muddy nor thin. Just 10 of these outstanding instruments arrive in Australia in July. Visit your local Sterling by Music Man dealer for a test drive!

Ernie Ball has released a new cutting edge tool to help musicians achieve superior tone with the release of Aluminum Br onze Acoustic Strings.

Aluminum Bronze is the f rst signif cant material innovation for acoustic strings since the r elease of Phosphor Br onze in 1974! Engineer ed from an optimal blend of copper and aluminum specif cally tailored for acoustic guitar strings, Aluminum Bronze Acoustic Strings feature more projection and clarity than traditional br onze strings, while also providing improved corrosion resistance. Aluminum Br onze Acoustic Strings are made with Er nie Ball Maraging Steel hex cores and Aluminum Br onze wrap wir e which provide more pronounced lows coupled with crisp brilliant highs. Aluminum Br onze Acoustic Strings were road tested by some of today’ s most respected acoustic guitarists fr om world renowned guitar virtuosos, Andy McKee and Antoine Dufour to multi-platinum and grammyaward winning artist, John Mayer. The response has been in r esounding agreement that Aluminum Bronze Strings pr ovide a shockingly clear and robust tone unlike anything else on the market.

this is sur e to be a winner! The Alter Ego X4 will become available during July 2014 and is expected to have a retail price of $549.

For more information on the Ernie Ball range call CMC Music (02) 9905 2511 or visit www.cmcmusic.com.au

MC Systems CGN Dynamic Delay Pedal pr ovides classic analogue delay effects, while giving the player a truly innovative yet intuitive contr ol system that maximizes perfor mance options.

Switch between two different delay times using the Alternate foot switch. Access two separate levels of repeat/regeneration using the V Switch true bypass system. How har d you step on the V-Switch determines how much additional r egeneration you get. Fr om tone-fattening slapbacks to complex multi-layer ed rhythms to 50s sci-f mind bends - the Apollo range’ s V-Switch lets you stomp with attitude.

Offering innovative yet straightforwar d performance controls over a wide range of top quality effects in tank-like metal enclosur es guarantees that MC Systems pedals will be taking a fr ont row seat on your pedal board for years to come.

For more information on the entire MC Systems range phone CMC Music (02) 9905 2511 or visit www.cmcmusic.com.au

PRODUCT NEWS AURALEX ACOUSTIC TREATMENT

ROTOSOUND GUITAR STRINGS

Auralex, one of the undisputed Kings of acoustic treatment, has partnered up with a new Australian distributor, Electric Factory. Based in Indianapolis, USA, Auralex have been a driving force in the world of professional sound treatment since their inception back in 1977 – almost 40-years ago.

They are best known for their highly r egarded MoPAD and ProPAD monitor isolators, as well as their impressive array of foam absorption panels, bass traps and diffusors essential for any self-respecting studio. With the crew at Electric Factory now on board, expect super-competitive prices and a streamlined product range with strong emphasis on all the best selling pr oducts. The f rst container is expected to hit retailers in August.

Rotosound has intr oduced it’s guitar string range with new colour coded ball ends in new environmentally friendly airtight packaging. The new innovative, air-tight packaging provides an unparalleled moisture barrier ensuring strings will not tarnish or fade while in the packs keeping them factory fr esh until r eady for use. Rotosound strings now come with colour coded ball ends, and because they ar e British through and through they are Red, White and Blue. The strings still r etain their pur e, typically British tone, providing exceptional sustain with clear bright sounds. The new coloured RWB ball ends, new packaging and a new packet design elevate the Rotosound strings to a new level. It characterises Rotosound’s continued commitment to the use of intelligent materials and systems and ensures strings reach musicians factory fresh and easy to use.

To find your nearest Auralex Stockist, please contact Electric Factory directly (03) 9474 1000 or email sales@elfa.com.au

SUNSHINE RECORDER STUDIOS Sunshine Recorder is establishing itself as a strong growing force in Melbour ne’s music scene. Their label HQ and r ecording studios are world class and house some of the most desirable music gear to ever hit the globe; from vintage Ger man microphones, to the ultra rare (and rather enor mous!) British Calr ec recording console, to the 1978 all-American 2” 24 track tape machine. Ther e’s a vast array of eclectic guitars and amps. Oh, and ther e’s a very old and very beautiful 9-foot grand piano.

Sunshine Recorder really does have what it takes to get the classic tones. The cr eative hub has been bustling with activity this month, as the team have been working on r eleases for Morningfence, Caroline Gale, and Mighty Sun,

which are all set to hit online str eams by mid July. The studios ar e home to their label artists, and together they ar e assembling a top quality lineup to appear with Rachel Shaw at this year’ s ‘Goddess’; a unique night of female perfor mers in a vaudeville/cabaret format, which will be held at The Exchange in South Y arra on July 19th starting at 8pm. And, in early August, Sunshine Recorder will be holding a launch party , so be sure to keep up to date online.

For your chance to win a year’s worth of Rotosound Guitar Strings see page 6 for details.

For more information on the Rotosound range of products, phone Galactic Music on (08) 9204 7555 or visit www.galacticmusic.com.au

For more information contact Sunshine recorder by emailing info@sunshine-recorder.com or visit www.sunshine-recorder.com

JANDS XPAR 336 INDOOR LED LIGHT The XPar 336 belongs to the XPar indoor LED lighting series, with 36pcs LEDs (RGBW). This product adopts a large power LED OSRAM 3W light source, with the advantages of long servicetime, high output eff ciency, non-radiation and low power-consumption. This luminaire features smooth colour mixing plus macr o, wide colour temperature varying fr om 3,200K to 10,000K, fast strobe, very light weight and is small in size.

The XPar 336 is ideal for a lot of applications such as pubs, clubs, TV studios, concerts, banquet halls, and many more.

HANDY PATCH CABLES Handy Patch’s mission is to solve your audio connection issues with pr oducts designed to eliminate the problems of audio and digital integration for home studio and live music applications.

With the advent of smart phones, tablets, laptops and the multitude of audio interfaces and mixers, more than ever befor e the pr oblem of connecting audio and digital signals between various types of equipment is upon us. They use only high quality cable and connectors that r etain the integrity of audio fr om input to output and are available in various lengths and styles

For more information on the Jands range of products phone Jands Australia on (02) 9582 0909 or visit www.jands.com.au

JANDS STAGE CL LIGHTING CONTROLLER If you’re running a small lighting rig in a club, as a rental, or in a r etail space, you’ve probably upgraded to LED lights. Why? Because moder n LEDs can pr oduce any colour without the need for f lters, so you can pr oduce fantastic combinations of colours with just a few lights.

Sounds great, but you’ve probably noticed that when it comes to choosing a contr ol console most of the ones available either aren’t designed to control colour and intensity or ar e way more complicated (and expensive) than r equired.

This is why Jands have cr eated the Stage CL. A compact, affordable and simple to use solution that will suit many small to medium scale events and venues.

PG. 16 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

For more information on the Jands range of products phone Jands Australia on (02) 9582 0909 or visit www.jands.com.au

in an ef fort to eliminate unnecessary clutter in your setup. If you can’t f nd the product you are looking for in their inventory or have a particular audio connection pr oblem, Handy Patch insist that you contact them for advice or have them even design a specif c solution for you.

For more information on Handy Patch Cables phone Jade Australia on 1800 144 120 or visit www.jadeaustralia.com.au

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PRODUCT NEWS THE CASIO PX-350 DIGITAL PIANO

PAISTE PST7 CYMBAL SERIES

The new Casio PX-350 r epresents a signif cant step in the continuing evolution of the Privia digital piano line. A combination of a new keyboar d action and a powerful new sound engine pr ovide a new level of detail, nuance and expression for a superior grand piano experience in the lightweight and stylish design that Privia is known for. The award winning grand piano sound in Privia has been dramatically improved. The new PX-350 utilizes mor e than three times the memory of the pr evious generation for a mor e natural piano tone. In addition, Casio’ s new proprietary sound source “AiR” (Acoustic and intelligent Resonator) pr ovides unmatched realism and detail. This engine pr ovides seamless dynamics for a remarkably expressive and powerful performance. For further realism a new Damper Resonance simulator provides the rich sound of the strings when the sustain pedal is used.

The PX-350 also featur es improved key action, some powerful new pr esets and features and USB MIDI for ease of connection to your PC and DAW or iOS device.

The renowned cymbal maker Paiste has announced the launch of the new PST7 cymbal series, adding an affordable line for drummers who like a traditional sound, look and feel. PST7 ar e made from 2002 bronze in Switzerland using traditional methods that have remained unchanged in over half a century. The cymbals are lathed by Paiste’s Swiss hand craftsmen to achieve their distinctive traditional f nish. The result is a warm and clear overall sound and by of fering three weight classes, light/thin, medium and heavy , PST7 covers a wide range of dif ferent music styles. The light/thin class of cymbals of fers an authentic sound to acoustic styles, with sensitivity and a soft feel. The Medium class pr oves itself to be versatile because of their contr ollability, being assertive but not intrusive, lending them to mor e rock/pop styles. If mor e volume and aggression are needed, the heavy class of PST7’s provides meaty ener gy that is pr eferred for classic and har d rock. Paiste completes the assortment of PST7 with traditional ef fect cymbals 10” Splash, 14” and 18” China.

For more information on the range of Casio Products contact Shriro Australia by phone (02) 9415 5000 or visit www.soundtechnology.com.au

For more information on the entire range of Paiste products visit www.paiste.com

OGRE KRONOMASTER DELAY

CASIO WK-7600 KEYBOARD From live performances to composing sessions, this feature packed High-Grade keyboard offers it all. The keyboar d comes with 50 specially selected built-in drawbar or gan tones. Nine sliders can be used to change har monic overtone level settings and add per cussion and click sounds for real-time sound creation as you play. A rotary speaker simulated using a built-in DSP provides the distinctive acoustic ef fect of drawbar organ speakers. The keyboard is packed with powerful featur es including a powerful tone editor, DSP effects, equalizer, arpeggiator,

sequencer, and audio recording. Head in to your local keyboard specialist and have a play, it’s the only way to see just how powerful the WK-7600 truly is.

For more information on the range of Casio Products contact Shriro Australia by phone (02) 9415 5000 or visit www.soundtechnology.com.au

The very unique and very psy-f metal Kr onomaster delay pedal fr om Ogre is now available and based on PT2399 Digital Delay IC the industry standard digital delay. Featuring 3 control knobs for delay parameters (T ime, Repeat and Mix) recessed under the top sliding panel, users can tune in various unique delay characteristics to arrive at their own signature sound. From slap echo style to old school tape echo to moder n delay tones (war m to bright) the Kr onomaster delay will deliver. The Kronomaster Delay pedal is constructed using an aluminium die casting method and it unique design featur es include the convenient sliding top panel which covers the delay parameter control knobs to keep your delay pedal settings intact during transport and when playing live on stage. And like all Ogre effect pedals the Kronomaster is constructed using top quality parts including metal f lm capacitors and resistors, solid knobs and well constructed input connectors.

For more information on the range of Ogre products contact Ubersonic by phone on (03) 9580 2060 or visit www.ubersonic.com.au

M-AUDIO HDH50 HEADPHONES

M-AUDIO TRIGGER FINGER PRO PAD CONTROLLER M-Audio have joined the pad and controller game with their T rigger Finger Pr o and featur es and awesome standalone step sequencer . Perform, produce, remix, and take command of any audio software with an array of har dware controls: 16 velocity- and pr essure-sensitive RGB pads and 4 assignable knobs, faders, and backlit buttons

PG. 18 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

that offer comprehensive control of virtual instruments, DAWs, effect plugins, and more.

For more information on the range of M-Audio products, contact Pro Audio Group Australia on (02) 9521 4844 or visit www.proaudiogroup.com.au

M-Audio have r eleased some incr edible new monitor headphones that build upon their worldclass reference technology, the HDH50 highdef nition headphones bridge the gap between studio monitor engineering and private audio.

Incorporating premium audio components into a rugged, durable design, HDH50 delivers critical sound r eproduction and audio isolation for use in professional recording and monitoring

environments. The over -the-ear design helps reduce fatigue during extended studio sessions, and the plush padding ensures that the HDH50’s deliver purpose-built, high-f delity sound.

For more information on the range of M-Audio products, contact Pro Audio Group Australia on (02) 9521 4844 or visit www.proaudiogroup.com.au

BEHRINGER POWERPLAY P16 PERSONAL MONITORING SYSTEM Behrigner have newly released a great way to take control of your foldback with the Powerplay P16 personal monitoring system. A 16 channel mixer network (Behringers Ultranet) can be connected to the X32 family of digital mixers or can be added to any PA system via the P16I analogue interface. The P16 lets each performer take control of what they hear, allowing the engineer to concentrate on FOH sound. The P16-M features Ultra-intuitive “analog” operation with total recall and 16 presets for custom mixes, State-of-the-art 24-bit D/A converters for premium audio quality, 3-band EQ, and Solo and Mute functions on each channel. Finally, optional mounting brackets mean the P16-M personal mixers can be mounted off any standard mic, music or drum stand.

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For more information on the Behringer range of products, phone Galactic Music on (08) 9204 7555 or visit www.galacticmusic.com.au

P16-I

ZOOM IQ5 MICROPHONE

ZOOM H5 HANDY RECORDER

The Zoom iQ5 is a high-quality mid-side stereo condenser mic, perfect for recording music and compact enough to be slipped into your pocket.

Simply connect it to the Lightning connector of your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch and get ready to do some serious stereo recording. The iQ5 employs a unique rotating mechanism that enables audio recording with correct left-right stereo orientation whether used vertically or horizontally. Use it in standard “audio” position or simply rotate it to the “video” position in order to record video with the attached iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch held horizontally. The iQ5 contains two microphone elements: a directional “mid” mic that captures audio coming from in front and a bidirectional “side” mic that covers ambient signal. Stereo width can be to either 90° or 120° for a wide or narrow stereo image and can even record the mid and side mic signals as raw MS data so that you can later adjust the stereo width from 30º to 150º with Zoom’s free Handy Recorder iOS app.

Zoom’s H5 provides four tracks of simultaneous recording and, like the flagship H6, it can use all Zoom interchangeable input capsules, allowing you to choose the best microphone for every recording situation. Choose X/Y recording for louder sounds up to 140 dB SPL or Mid-Side recording for ambience, the optional Shotgun Capsule for high directionality and side-rejection or plug in the optional XLR/TRS Combo Capsule for two more inputs. The H5 also provides dual combo XLR/TRS inputs that can handle both mic- and line-level signals and there are lots of output options as well. The flexible and powerful H5 provides everything you need to create multitrack recordings, audio for video, and state-of-the-art podcasting, broadcasting and electronic newsgathering.

For more information on the Zoom range of products contact Dynamic Music by phone on (02) 9939 1299 or visit www.dynamicmusic.com.au

For more information on the Zoom range of products contact Dynamic Music by phone on (02) 9939 1299 or visit www.dynamicmusic.com.au

MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 19

PRODUCT NEWS COLLINGS CJ SUNBURST ACOUSTIC GUITAR Bill Collings moved from Ohio to Houston, Texas in the mid-1970s. More interested in guitars and engineering than in medical school, he took a job at a machine shop and began building guitars on his kitchen table with just a few hand tools. Now over 30 years later Collings Guitars are the first choice of many musicians who seek the finest handmade instruments available. The Collings Jumbo, or CJ, is their version of the classic slope-shouldered dreadnought, a shape that has enjoyed renewed popularity in recent years. While the CJ is similar in width and depth to the traditional dreadnought, it has a distinctly different tone. Despite its large size this model works well with the optional shorter string scale, resulting in a somewhat percussive bottom end ideal for acoustic blues or other styles that benefit from a more controlled bass response. Of all the Collings body shapes, this is the one most often requested with a sunburst top finish, and the wide range of wood options, neck widths, and string scales allow the CJ to be many different guitars to a wide variety of professional players. The CJ Sunburst really epitomises quality in craftsmanship and tone to boot!

For more information on the range of Collings Guitars contact Gladesville Guitar Factory by phone on (02) 9817 2173 or visit www.guitarfactory.net

TELETRONIX MULHOLLAND DRIVE - OVERDRIVE/ BOOSTER PEDAL

THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MUSIC AT SPLENDOUR IN THE GRASS 2014

Keeping all the tone of your amp and favourite guitar, the Mulholland Drive was designed to give you more of that drive you desire without sacrificing something else – your tone. The idea was simple.

Clarity. The Mulholland Drive is the result of starting at square one and designing an overdrive that is not only transparent in its tonality, but natural in its drive. A completely unique overdrive that stands alone in a market flooded with hot-rodded tube-screamer clones. Unlike traditional overdrive pedals, there is no “Tone” knob. Why? – A “Tone” knob balances bass and treble ratio, that is; it will give you more treble while sacrificing bass, or the other way around. Add in a touch of treble with the “Treble” control, without affecting the bass and midrange frequencies. A simple, yet remarkable and completely unique overdrive pedal that will also have a run of limited hand painted ones coming out soon as well.

AIM is proud to announce they will be the educational sponsor of Splendour in the Grass 2014 and as part of this have been able to provide 9 students studying the Bachelor of Music (Audio) the opportunity to volunteer at the festival, assisting in production on the three main stages, working alongside some of the best engineers in the world. This is a unique and once in a life time opportunity for these students to gain invaluable experience, and a chance to apply the skills they have gained in their study to a professional festival situation. This year the Australian Institute of Music will also be presenting, operating and running the Buskers Stage which will host some of AIM’s homegrown talent with an intimate, raw and stripped back vibe whilst showcasing a mixture of other amazing musicians. Handpicked by Splendour, all of the acts performing on the Busker’s Stage are sure to impress and no doubt punters will uncover some hidden gems!

For more information on the range of Teletronix products contact Gladesville Guitar Factory by phone on (02) 9817 2173 or visit www.guitarfactory.net

PG. 20 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

AIM will host an open day Saturday August 16 2014. For more information visit www.aim.edu.au

Apply now Trimester 3 commences Sydney & Melbourne

08 09 14

Australian Institute of Music For more information visit aim.edu.au or call Sydney: 02 9219 5444, Melbourne: 03 8610 4222 MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 21

CRIC CR COS OS 00 06 66 65 5C

KASABIAN GOING FOR THE JUGULAR

Photos by Rebecca Houlden

Much has been made of Kasabian’ s ‘band of the people’ status. Their run of four studio albums fr om 2004’s Kasabian to 2011’s Velociraptor! have often been described as a distillation of the collective energies of The Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Oasis, and their anthemic choruses and palpable sense of fun ar e undeniable. They’ve soundtracked a dozen summers for millions of fans. But in many ways their new album 48:13 feels like the f rst album that they’ve made for themselves rather than their legion of adorers.

It harks back to the experimental electr onics of their debut while hanging onto the looseness of the intervening albums. But ther e’s just something a little mor e “we’re doing this for us” about 48:13. It’s not as dir ect and immediate as its predecessors.

“Y’know, I love it,” vocalist Tom Meighan says down a crackly phone line as the band prepares for its Glastonbury set (and subsequent world tour, which hits Australia in August). “It’s our album, y’know? We spent so much time doing it and I think it’s the best

thing we’ve done. I didn’t think it was going to be that, to be honest with ya. Because people fucking love it and a lot of people hate it. And that’s great. We’ve experimented as well, y’know.

We’ve experimented, which I love. We’ve gone for the jugular.” We suggest that especially where the notoriously fickle UK press is concerned, that whole ‘equal parts love and hate’ thing is usually a good sign that what a band is doing is strong enough to make an impression. It’s better than nobody feeling particularly strongly one way or the other. “Exactly,” Meighan shots down the line. “We’re one of those bands where that’s what happens! I suppose it’s natural. I think with our band, our fans, whoever it is, we try captivating you. I think people relate to us because they believe they know us and they love the group and they’re infatuated with us, and it’s lovely. That’s why it works so well. Y’know why it works? Because we’re good. That’s why it works. It’s good. We hold it, captivate it, yeah!”

W With so many layers and m moods, where does Meighan p picture the album finding a

place in fans’ lives? Is it a car album? A party album? “The ideal way to listen to it, I’d imagine is to just kick back and pour yourself a cocktail and black out, I imagine! You Australians, you like a drink. (laughs).” The album follows a discernible ‘mood arc,’ beginning with some ambient soundscapery before kicking into high energy, then dipping into more experimental, spacey stuff (with more instrumental interludes here and there), and then coming around again.

“It just happened,” Meighan says. “We never plan anything, mate. We went away for a year, stopped touring for a year, and Serge had his demos which he thought were taking it to another place, and it just naturally happened.

We didn’t think about it. It was lovely, y’know?

Look, I think it’ll be difficult to top this record. Oh wow, man, I can’t explain it to ya. Everything’s come at the right time, y’know? On headphones it’s beautiful. The textures… there are loads of beautiful interludes on there. But we did that on the first record! People are like ‘Wow, the interludes…’ It’s like miniature little gaps of music that are about a minute long and I love that.” When I suggest that there’s musical precedent for this kind of stuff dating back to David Bowie’s Low, where the whole second side was of a similar instrumental nature, you can hear Meighan smiling. “Exactly! Yeah man, yeah, you’re so right, David Bowie, Low, yeah! That’s good journalism, that’s knowing your shit, that is. You’ve nailed it down, mate, you know what your’e fucking on about, y’know what I mean?

You haven’t tried to stick the knife in. People get angry and confused about it, like why are we doing that? But that’s the whole point! Nice one, bro. I appreciate it.”

The recording took place at Serge’s home studio outside London. “It’s suburban London, really, and when we’re in the studio our work ethic is massive. We’re proper, we get down to business.

We don’t mess around and take fucking two months on a vocal. We nail it.” So it wasn’t like the legendarily decadent recording sessions of 80s bands like Van Halen and Motley Crue, then? “ Fuck me! The 80s were really different. If we were around in the 80s we’d have recorded the album for over a year, doing coke every day, bloated egos, nice hair… nah! (laughs)”

BY PETER HODGSON

TOUR DATES August 5 – Metro City, Perth WA August 7 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide SA August 9 – Festival Hall, Melbourne VIC August 10 – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney NSW August 12 – Eatons Hill Hotel, Brisbane QLD PG. 22 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 23

JACK WHITE ALONE IN HIS HOME Jack White’s position in pop culture is a complicated one. Few artists are as feted, yet so strangely opaque and confusingly contradictory, as the man born John Gillis in Detroit, Michigan. Since taking on the name – and persona – of Jack White, he’s steadily worked his way through the levels of rock stardom’s crust, and burned not a few bridges (and relationships) behind him. Depending on your view of him, he’s either the man keeping the creative spirit of rock alive as its be-hatted, guitar-toting saviour, or a gimmick-pushing entrepreneurial charlatan; rock’n’roll’s version of Willy Wonka.

Having successfully reinvented himself as a solo artist on Blunderbuss, White tour ed his debut outing with two bands (the all-female Peacocks and the all-male Buzzards) for the next two years.

Eventually he settled back into Nashville to write and record, all the while dealing with a divor ce from then-wife Karen Elson.

As a result, Lazaretto (an old term for quarantine hospitals) is a very dif ferent record – bigger , more unrelentingly and in your face. Moments like ‘Alone In My Home’ feel like the downer side to The White Stripes’ ‘My Doorbell’ fr om Get Behind Me Satan, while ‘That Black Bat Licorice’ is delightfully bonkers and ‘High Ball Stepper’ is a brutal stomper. But the overall feeling is one of deeper, darker r ef ection, if not r esentment.

It also sounds far mor e expansive than the characteristic, somewhat sparse, Jack White we’ve come to know.

This approach came about thr ough the use of something White had never had befor e: time.

Lazaretto is the record that the 38-year-old father of two has spent the longest working on in his entire career, 18 months all up; a move he made, he says, for family r easons. “When we f nished touring at the end of the last r ecord, I wanted to take a whole year of f to be with my kids … a couple of years before that, I did take ten or 11 months off when my son was born to be with him as much as I could.

“And I thought, ‘W ell, since I’m doing that anyway, why don’t I – for the f rst time in my life – work at an album for a r eally long time? What would that be like?’ I’ve never done that. But this, I was working on it for a whole year . Sometimes I really liked it, sometimes I didn’t like it at all. It was a lot of new things I’ve lear ned by doing [it that way]. I’m glad about that and I’m glad I’ve learned so many good things.”

No stranger to taking odd approaches to writing, White’s material on Lazaretto stems directly from his f nding and using stories, poems and the like written by his 19-year -old self. While most of us would blanch at such an experience, it gave White a much-needed sense of perspective.

“I thought about my younger self, and to be an experienced person now and an inexperienced person then – what can I tell myself, or where can I take myself to tur n into something new? Y ou know, I wrote a lot of things back then,” he says.

“It wasn’t a scenario like, ‘Oh, I don’ t have any ideas… thank God I found all these ideas!’” he laughs. “It wasn’t like that. These were ideas for something like a one-act play . A one-act play or a poem. They had nothing to do with music at all. To take that, rip it apart, and change into some other new things, or new songs – that was the idea. The music was all completely brand new as well. So it was interesting.”

He’s also adamant he’ s not r evealing as much

Photo: by Nicholas Irving

as about himself on Lazar etto as people might believe. “I don’ t think it says too much about me personally, but it does say a lot about me as a songwriter and a pr oducer. Because there’s def nitely things I’ve never done before. So when I look at it or when I hear it, I go, ‘W ow! That’s not Jack White from The Raconteurs or that’s not Jack White from The White Stripes.’ This is Jack White from 2014, and I feel good about that. You know, in some ways, if I’m feeling, ‘Oh, it just sounds like I made another White Stripes record’ – I wouldn’t release it if I felt that way about it.”

Even with his r ecent, since-apologised-for remarks about for mer collaborator Meg and his bagging of The Black Keys, ther e’s no denying that being Jack White suits Jack White.

His success has meant he’ s been able to do things most artists would give their left ar m for. Holographic vinyl r eleases; reissues of lost 1920s music; producing Neil Young at his Thir d Man studios; doing vinyl singles collections with artists fr om around the world – no matter what you make of him now, White is doing what he loves. So how does he feel about 19-year old Jack today? “I just feel like he’ s very lucky because he has got a whole world ahead of him,” he laughs.

Have you been practising guitar a lot?

Every chance I get. I play every day. I just recently started trying to lear n how to do scales. I never took any lessons. I just picked up the guitar when I was a kid and started playing it. Ther e never were people that gave rock lessons where I lived. I would just put on my Metallica r ecords and Slayer and f gure out how to tune to them and start playing along. I like to do lead, which is something that goes over the rhythm that may be like a melody or a har mony but played on higher notes. Brent does the actual rock and roll solos, lots of f nger picking and r eal fast f nger movements. I can play a little solos her e and there but I’m not that great at them.

Rustball Custom. That’s kind of my go-to guitar .

I also have my own signatur e Gibson Explor er and my own signatur e Lace pickups Dissonant Aggressors, I use those here and there sparingly.

Lazaretto is out now via Sony Music.

BY JAYMZ CLEMENTS

MASTODON HEATING UP Mastodon are the not-just-metal juggernaut that have rocked the Western World with their blend of astral riffs, catchy choruses and brutality. On each of their previous 5 albums they have presented a different aspect of the truly original phenomenon that they are, from psychedelic to stoner rock. When Mixdown spoke to lead guitarist Bill Kelliher about it, he was “just hanging out in Switzerland,” cooling down on the eve of their new release Once More ‘Round the Sun. Bill: It’s fucking 1:30 in the morning here. We just got done with a gig and we’r e hanging out on the bus. I’m not sure where we are exactly. In fact I don’t know where the hell we ar e. Somewhere in rich country.

What’s new on the latest album?

Everything’s new on it. Obviously ther e’s 12 brand new songs. I think we continue to put out records where each one is dif ferent. Each one is pr ogressive in a dif ferent way and this one is no exception. It’ s kind of like a summer rock and roll record. There’s lots of catchy rif fs, and sonically it sounds amazing. Ther e’s a lot of melody and catchy verses and choruses stuff that makes a good r ock record. A little faster paced than Oblivion. More like Colony of Birchmen, Divination, stuff like that. When you hear it you’re going to be like, ‘that’s def nitely a Mastodon record’ but it’s not going to be what you expect. I don’ t know what people expect from us now , because every r ecord has got a little different f avour to it, so it’s more of that.

You’ve been in a lot of video games and TV shows. Is there going to be more of that?

I don’t know. I love being in video games. That’s def nitely a cool aspect, because it’ s harder to sell records these days. W e’re not on the radio per se. We have a couple of singles they play on the college stations but we’r e not like a major pop band or anything. So you put them into a video game and it gives them that cool factor .

A kid might want to f nd out who that band is PG. 24 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

playing in the back while they’r e racing a car or whatever. It’s def nitely cool. And being in movies is awesome. We did the Jonah Hex sessions and wrote the music for that movie and that was great. I’d love to do that again. We did some for Monsters University, which was great fun. We’re all about doing stuf f like that. W e haven’t got any phone calls yet but I think once the r ecord comes out in a couple of weeks people will be calling like crazy.

Do you think you will get awards and accolades for this album like you did for The Hunter?

You never know. Going off ‘Colony of Birchmen’ and ‘Curl of the Burl’, the 2 songs that we wer e Grammy-nominated for - I think ther e are a lot of songs that ar e better than that on the new record that ar e very similar in that 4/4, very catchy melodies, poppy verses and choruses way. I think that song is kind of tongue in cheek too. On the new record there’s a lot more serious songs that ar e a little mor e evil, a little mor e thought out, a little bit better.

What’s your favourite song off the new album?

I really like ‘T read Lightly’. That’ s one of my favourites. I get to play acoustic guitar at the beginning of it. It has a kind of Middle Easter n feel at the beginning and kicks in and has a great chorus. Troy did a gr eat job on the verses and the vocals. It’s got an awesome guitar solo by Brent, which is really kick ass. It’s a mover and a shaker that gives me goosebumps when I hear it.

What kind of gear have you been using?

I use a Dave Fr eedman HBE100, which stands for the Hairy Br own Eye - kind of a goofy name but it’s an awesome, fucking sick amp. I mostly use that with a Dave Fr eedman cabinet that he gave me with Celestion 65 watt Cr eambacks in it. They’r e like Gr eenbacks but with a little more wattage and they don’ t break up quite as easily. They sound r eally creamy; they sound fucking great. I also use mostly a 1978 White

What is your favourite metal band?

I grew up on Slayer . And I gr ew up on a lot of punk r ock. I loved Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys and Metallica was def nitely up there for a long time with their early records.

What about your favourite non-metal band?

My favourite non-metal band is a band called Metric. They’re fucking awesome. It’ s a chick singer, Emily Haines. She plays keyboar d and sings. They’re kind of like Blonde Redhead or The Pixies but they’r e even fucking better .

They’re really catchy. People assume that I listen to Cannibal Corpse – I don’ t – I listened to that like 25 years ago when I was a kid.

Once More ‘Round the Sun Warner Music.

BY MATHEW DROGEMULLER

is out now via

SEPULTURA HEAVY THEMES Sepultura are stayers. They’ve weathered all sorts of line-up changes and shifts in musical style - not to mention shifts in overriding heavy music trends occurring around them - and yet they’ve never given up and never made the same album twice. Their latest, The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart, finds the band (guitarist Andreas Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Jr. and drummer Eloy Casagrande) working with producer Ross Robinson for the first time since 1996’s Roots with incredible results. Inspired by the 1927 film Metropolis, the album is dark, foreboding, mysterious, aggressive and energetic, bursting with intense guitar work and Green’s trademark guttural vocals. It’s been far too long since Sepultura visited Australia, but they’ll be back in October with dates in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. We caught up with guitarist Andreas Kisser.

The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart is another theme-based album, after Dante XXI (based on Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy) and A-Lex (based on A Clockwork Orange). It’s great that you do this because it really shows you can never run out of things to write about.

Yeah, def nitely, man. The most important thing for us is that we’r e enjoying it a lot, ourselves.

Our drummer Eloy Casagrande has been with us for two years now and we’ve done lots of gr eat concerts, lots of old stuff as well. I think you can see a little bit of everything we ever did on this album. And working with Ross Robinson again brings a nice f avour. It worked out gr eat, and the response has been very positive. I mean it.

So, you recorded this album in the States, which you haven’t done for a long time.

Yeah, because of Ross Robinson. His studio is there, that’s where he lives and it’ s a beautiful place to stay and live and work ther e, it’s his own equipment, his own envir onment. And Los Angeles is a place where you can f nd everything there - even your own sound, you know? Amps, cabinets, pedals… so it was gr eat to be back there, especially with a friend. Ross knows Sepultura so well and the chemistry is still there.

It’s been great.

The solo in the song “Vatican” is classic Andreas - two tracks of craziness at once! Tell me about your approach to soloing, because it’s so unique!

[Laughs] Yeah, y’know, I’m always trying to do something else, something dif ferent. And I play with so many dif ferent people, y’know?

Especially in Brazil, I play with musicians fr om different styles of music, fr om blues to Brazilian music to pop. I love classical guitar . I love to play fun music r egardless of the sound and style. Of course I come fr om a heavy metal cradle, and metal is what I love and that’ s how I express myself best. And every time you play with somebody else you have a dif ferent way of playing, you lear n something different and you hear something different, and it keeps the f ow going, and you also enjoy it, y’know? And that f lters through into the performance of a solo like ‘Vatican’.

‘Grief’ is an amazing song.

‘Grief’ is a song that is based on a tragic accident that happened here in Brazil. Lots of lives wer e lost, more than 300, in a f re that happened in a nightclub. It was horrible. Many families wer e hurting so much, a r eally deep sense of loss.

Originally we tried to do something cleaner , almost like a ballad but Sepultura style. But the

song’s so heavy. It’s very heavy. There’s lots of atmosphere, just creating momentum. That song is really special and very different to anything we ever did. It’s going to be a challenge to bring the song on stage. We can present the song a little differently on stage, y’know? Ther e’s so much going on.

What guitars are you using?

Well lots of things. I don’ t like to stay with one guitar. I’m using a Fender Stratocaster and some Jacksons, mostly the Randy Rhoads model with EMGs and a Floyd Rose. I’m also using a Brazillian guitar that I’m developing, a signatur e model which is called Seizi. And it’ s from a luthier here in Sao Paulo, an amazing guy who is doing a beautiful job. It’s good to have my own instrument. I’ve used ESP , Fernandes, all the other brands, y’know? And I’m using the Orange amplif cation for the last year or so, and I’m in love with it, man. It’s fucking great. I use it on the album and I’m using it live as well. I’m using the Rockerverb 100. And it’s working great.

Your tone always has that midrange punch, which isn’t so common in metal, and it’s very direct.

Yeah, I like a tone that’ s real, y’know? I love the Mesa Boogie sound and we used that for the last, whatever, 20 years, the T riAxe and the Strategy 500… it’s great and stuff, but it’s dead, y’know? That sound is very… well, I guess I feel I explored all the possibilities of that sound over 20 years, so it was really good to have the option of Orange and a whole different range. It’s great!

PETER HODGSON

TOUR DATES October 3 - 170 Russell St, Melbourne VIC October 4 - The Hi-Fi, Brisbane QLD October 5 - Manning Bar, Sydney NSW

TAKING BACK SUNDAY FINDING BALANCE For 15 years punk-come-alternative rock band Taking Back Sunday have enjoyed the relative spotlight earned with their razor lyrics and aggressive gusto. 2014 brings the release of their 6th studio album Happiness Is and a co-headline tour of Australia with The Used. Mixdown spoke to lead singer and guitarist Adam Lazzara about Kanye West, the band’s recent tour of the Middle East, and what the future holds for these punk professors.

You’ve already sold out one show in Melbourne, so I think Australia’s pretty excited for the tour.

I didn’t know that, thanks! W e’ve been trying for some time to work out how to get back to Australia so the timing of everything worked out perfectly. These shows - ther e’s something special about them. Ther e’s a certain ener gy about them that I think folks will enjoy.

What gear are you taking with you?

Mark plays Gr etsch drums. Sean and Eddy run everything through the Orange. Eddy has this Fender hollow body that he plays that is pr etty awesome.

On the r ecord we used a lot of Fenders. John loves those T elecasters. Also I spent like 3 months scouting this one Dan Electr o on Ebay for the price I wanted. It was so frustrating because I kept losing and then a week would go by and another one would come up and then there was one that I found and I stuck with it and I was so happy. Around the house I play an acoustic Takamine, which I just love and I’ve had it for years.

What’s it like being back with the original line-up?

Happiness Is marks the second r ecord since they’ve been back. W e’re all in a place wher e we’re all very comfortable with each other , from all the writing and all the touring and working as a unit again. At f rst it was a little strange because we hadn’ t talked for like 8 years. But now it feels like no time has passed. I think that’s how you know you have a true friend.

What kind of music have you been listening to lately?

Earlier today I was listening to this band fr om New Orleans in Louisiana her e called Hurray For The Riff Raff. They’re really great, like delta blues, singer/songwriter, folk music. Ther e’s this other record by this guy called Phosphor escent called Muchacho and that’s really great. Recently in a r ecord store I came acr oss Rod Stewart’s Greatest Hits which is incr edible. I think for the longest time I didn’ t want to admit that I liked Rod Stewart cos I’m punk r ock. But I absolutely love it. Songs like ‘Legs’ and ‘Maggie May’ they’re just great songs.

When we were recording we did half the r ecord in Michigan and half in New Y ork. In New Y ork we were all living at this place at the studio and that new Kanye W est record had just come out so John and I were listening to that all the time.

It didn’t inf uence the record at all but we’d be playing guitars and scr eaming our heads of f all day and then we’d go and just listen to this megalomaniac rap.

What do you think of your old albums now that your sound has changed?

On our f rst record, the sound of my voice, I just can’t take it at all. It’s just a personal thing. At the time I didn’t know how to sing, I was just yelling everything to get it out. The only time I listen to it is if I’m going back to it for r eference. There’s never a time when I sit down and I’m like ‘I’m gonna listen to Where You Want To Be’.

What kind of music were you listening to when you wrote that early stuff?

I’m from the South and the band’ s from New York so when I moved up North and I was going to pick up a friend fr om the train station. I had this old Honda Accord and I’m going to pick him up and I was listening to L ynyrd Skynyrd in the car and they just gave me so much crap. “Why are you listening to this, what ar e you doing?”

I was like, “Hey, I grew up on this.” A lot of the guys in the band would just listen to a lot of punk rock and other bands like us, Get Up Kids and stuff like that.

What do you have planned for TBS after the tour?

After we’re down in Australia we have a couple of shows in Asia and then we f y back home and then we go over to Eur ope for a while. I imagine until summer of next year we’ll be on the road. We all write individually so it’ s just a matter of us getting together to put those ideas together for the next album. So I would imagine that probably towards the end of this year and beginning of next year we’ll start to thr ow some ideas around.

You toured the Middle East for 2 weeks. What was that like?

It was insane, man. It’s these places you see in the

news or on television or the internet but you feel like you’re never going to go ther e, it’s just this place that exists very far away . Then to actually be there was r eally something else. Ther e’s a song on Happiness Is called ‘We Were Younger Then’ that sums up the experience of being over there really well. It was very eye opening.

What’s cool about the Navy entertainment is you get to hang out with a bunch of tr oops. There was this one show we played on an aircraft carrier and we got to talk to a lot of the guys ther e.

It’s crazy to hear their stories. They’r e brave and have a lot more patience than I have ever had. …And what are you up to tonight?

I’m going to go watch the new Game of Thrones after this phone call. Real rock and roll stuff.

BY MATHEW DROGEMULLER

TOUR DATES August 21 - HQ, Adelaide SA August 22 - Eaton’s Hill Hotel, Brisbane QLD August 23 - UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney NSW August 25,26 - 170 Russell, Melbourne VIC

PG. 25 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

EVERY TIME I DIE STAYING S TA AY YIN NG A ALIVE LIVE L IVE Every Time I Die have never let themselves sit still. They’ve always pushed themselves into bold new territory when lesser bands would have been content to hammer away on the same successful sound over and over. But after sixteen years as a band they’re just as creative and driven as ever, as is perfectly encapsulated by their new album From Parts Unknown. “Instead of making something that the kids can all sing along to, we wanted to make music that scares them,” vocalist Keith Buckley says. And that’s a pretty damn good way to put it. Written over 18 days, this album is loud, angry, driven and intense in ways that surpass anything they’ve done before - and that’s saying something. To achieve their vision they brought in producer and Converge co-founder Kurt Ballou to hammer out the tracks at his GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. “Working with Kurt was stressful in the best way, like when your dad comes to watch you play baseball for the first time and you just want to make him proud,” Buckley says. Mixdown caught up with guitarist Andy Williams as well as Ballou to talk about exactly how one makes a scary album.

How the hell do you write an album like this in 18 days?

Williams: Y’know, we’ve kinda always done records in almost a pressure-cooker environment.

We want the label to tell us when they need us to do a record, and once they’ve told us ‘Hey, it’s time,’ we book recording time and that’s our measuring stick of ‘Okay well, that’s how much time we have so let’s do it.’ This time we were supposed to have all of January and February off and then we got an offer we couldn’t turn down from A Day To Remember to go to Europe, and that kinda threw a wrench into everything.

Ballou: The songs were mostly done when they got to the studio, but there was definitely arrangement work done on every song in the studio. Sometimes not as much as others that were completely dismantled and reassembled in the studio, and there was also quite a bit of vocal arrangement that had to happen during the recording process. The songs were maybe 60, 70 percent done by the time they got here but we put the finishing touches on it together.

What did Kurt bring to the album?

Williams: For one, weirdness. He’s a very weird guy, in the best way possible. When you hire a producer you’re hiring them to be like a fifth member of the band, and sometimes it doesn’t work but sometimes it does. I think with Kurt it was the first time we actually got a guy that we gelled with musically. There was no weirdness in that aspect. We would do something and he would hear it a whole other way that we didn’t, and then he’d bring it to the table and you’d have these almost epiphany moments like, ‘Holy shit, that’s it, he’s a genius.’

Kurt, what do you think Andy means by ‘weirdness’?

Ballou: Um, I don’t know… I’m probably a bit weird. But I also like to make noise with pedals and that kind of stuff so we had a lot of fun making a racket in the overdub phase of the record with a host of crazy pedals. So that was weird and fun. And I guess anything a little leftof-centre whets my whistle. The kind of music

they play has become so competitive amongst all those bands, there’s a certain benchmark that they feel they need to meet to stay competitive, and I don’t think Every Time I Die was concerned about that. I’m certainly not. We wanted to do something outside of the norm, hence the weirdness!

So what does Keith mean when he says he wanted the album to scare kids?

Williams: We wanted to create a mood. When you’re listening to it you’re going to get in a mood. Especially with his lyrics, in the past I know that he’s sang from the heart and a lot of stuff is tongue-in-cheek, but on this one I feel like he got really personal with himself, and if you read the lyrics they’re pretty scary but at the same time super-uplifting. And then the music,

we tried to put an awkward hand in everyones’ face. When you’re listening to it it’s going to be like there’s hand that’s almost touching your face and it’s going to annoy the shit out of you and just fuck with you.

From Parts Unknown is out now on Epitaph Records.

BY PETER HODGSON

ALDO SAMPAIO JMC TUTOR PROFILE What kick-started your interest in audio engineering and sound production?

When I was young, my best friend and I used to record music just for fun. We would record until the early hours of the morning! I wanted to know how to make the recordings sound better, so I started reading lots of audio recording technique and sound gear books. I got really fascinated in how you can capture the emotion of a great performance. While learning about the art of sound production, I soon realized that this was just the tip of the iceberg and that there is so much you can do in this industry from sound design for film to mixing live sound in a pub.

Why were you drawn to study at JMC Academy?

I saw a flyer while studying Civil Engineering at Sydney University and noticed the add for audio engineering. This was a breath of fresh air since I didn’t particularly want to design bridges and study soil for the rest of my life! So I went to their seminar to learn more about it and I was instantly sucked in.I guess it was one of those “fork in the road” moments and one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.

What were the most important rules or lessons learned studying this course?

The biggest lesson that I’ve taken from studying the course is that you are constantly learning all the time. Never assume you know everything and don’t have an ego. Take in all your experiences and channel that into making innovative experiences for everyone to listen to.

Why do you think prospective students around the country should consider studying at JMC? The high caliber of the teachers. The teachers at JMC have a lot of great experience and techniques to pass onto the students. Students can then use this knowledge in practice in the great facilities they offer.

PG. 26 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

Tell us about your transition into working on video games and working as the Audio Director for Ubisoft?

I started in the film industry working as a freelance boom operator/location sound recorder. I then got a position as studio recording assistant for an orchestral scoring studio where I gained some valuable knowledge and experience on recording techniques and how to work in a professional environment. From there I transitioned into the gaming industry as sound designer at Perception where I worked on the unreleased game Stargate-The Alliance.

I then worked at a few other games companies before I was hired at Ubisoft Montreal to work on Assassins’ Creed 2 as sound designer before being eventually promoted to Audio Director to ship Assassin’s Creed Revelation, Assassin’ s Creed III, Assassin’ s Creed IV Black Flag and Watch_Dogs.

How does the working environment differ from your traditional studio work?

The major differences are that you have to now work with programmers, animators, game testers as well as level and mission designers and then integrate the sounds to make them function in the game. Since the game is dynamic, there are many variables like time of day or the vehicle speed which can be altered again depending on weather or location. Making the sound great in games is a very collaborative process that needs support from all the different departments.

What is one of your favorite projects and video games to work on to date?

Assassin’s Creed Revelations where we went to Istanbul, Turkey where we recorded sine sweeps to create the impulse responses in places like the Hagia Sophia and Cisterns. We did this to simulate the reverb of the real interior space with the in-game convolution system. I think we have the longest reverb sample (10.7 seconds) using convolution in any game to date.

What inspires you creatively in the world of audio engineering?

There are many inspirations, such as just playing guitar in the park, spending time with my wife, traveling, reading books, listening to all kinds of music and recording and designing crazy soundscapes. Also just keeping informed of new audio techniques for example on Prince of Persia –The Forgotten Sands , we had a game mechanic in which the player could reverse time. So I had the idea of asking our composer to compose the music backwards, then record this music and in post-production reverse the music back. The goal was to have the tonality of reversed motion, but to maintain the timing and melody. The results came out nicely and were quite innovative.

Although every project is different, what is your favorite part or stage of a project to work on?

The best parts of a project are when you are creating the sound assets (production) and during mixing phase. Gathering all the sounds from creating SFX to recording music is when all the ingredients are being added into the game.

When all the sounds are all integrated in the

game, the mixing phase may commence. It is a great feeling to see everyone’s hard work come together during this period.

What is your go-to or favorite piece of studio gear to use?

The go-to piece to use is the Sound Devices 744T and the Soundfield ST450 for recording high quality surround ambiences and sine sweeps to create the impulse responses. Also the Neumann TLM170R is a great mic to have in the arsenal when recording clear dialogue.

Finally I like using the audio middleware Wwise and Reaktor 5 for prototyping sound ideas.

What’s coming up in the next 6-12months for Aldo Sampaio?

I just finished working on Watch_Dogs and now I am on another unannounced project.

BY MATTHEW SPRAGUE

JMC CONTACT DETAILS: Phone: 1300 410 311 Website: www.jmcacademy.edu.au

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MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 27

FRACTURES

ALL COMING TOGETHER

Booked for this year’s Splendour In The Grass festival, Fractures is essentially a semi-electronic one-man band from Melbourne known for atmospheric, dynamic compositions. In the coming months, he will release his self-titled, debut EP and set off on a 2-show tour of Melbourne and Sydney.

Mixdown spoke to Mark Zito, the mastermind behind the moody music, about the new EP, the transition to live performances with his band, and a surprising love of 80s wonder-band Toto.

How did Splendour come about?

It’s a pretty boring story and I think if I told you it would demystify it. I was lucky enough to be signed onto a booking agency called Village Sounds and my understanding is that the guys who run it have a stakehold in Falls and Splendour and things like that, so maybe it was a bit of in from the outset. Even if I’m bottom of the list, I’ll take anything I can get.

You’re doing a tour soon?

At the moment it’s just two shows. Unfortunately I’m not giving the Northern and Western folks much love just yet, but time will heal those wounds. I’m doing a show at the Vanguard in Sydney and one at Northcote Social here in Melbourne so hopefully people turn up. So far my live experience has been 5 gigs as far as Fractures is concerned. I’m probably not a natural front-man yet so I’m working on ironing the kinks out and getting a steady routine going so I can give the punters a good show.

How do you go about recreating the recorded sound of your songs in a live setting?

They’re obviously a bit electronic. I’m not a huge fan of turning up to a live concert and some guy whose recorded sound is huge rocks up with a 3 piece and it’s missing an organ or something vital like that. I don’t want to put that on the people that are nice enough to turn up to my shows, so when I write the songs I write for 2 guitar parts, a drummer, a bassist and a keyboard.

Your new EP is going to be self-titled. Was that a big decision?

I wish it were. It was just pure laziness more than anything. I didn’t think any of the songs themselves were strong enough to lead with as far as the title of the EP was concerned. Someone told me that your first release is when you do the whole self-titled thing so I went along with that whole idea and it seemed to suit. Hopefully people will form their ideas more on the songs than what they see on the front cover.

What kind of artists and genres have you been influenced by?

A bit of everything. When I was growing up I was very much into the whole shredding thing. I was a huge Toto fan believe it or not. There’s no shame in me saying that. I love them. I was on forums and everything. I even went in underage to see them. Then I got out of adolescence and I got into Radiohead and all the darker stuff. I liked Muse and Karnivool and hard rock. All of these elements are probably in my music but mostly alternative rock and alternative electronic stuff. Radiohead are inspiring in that they don’t conform to any style or structure of song necessarily. They just do what sounds good and it seems to serve them well, so I try to adopt that method.

What kind of gear do you use?

When recording it’s very much in the box. I’ve got a Native Instrument Komplete and that’s got Kontakt and Battery, which I use quite a bit.

They’re really powerful and easy to use. I’ve got my handy Macbook Pro, which is nearly dead but it still works. Straight into a Mackie Onyx Firewire, but it’s all a pretty basic set up. I’ve got a Sebatron pre-amp. Local guys make them.

And some kind of Neumann TLM 103. That kind of covers it because I re-amp using Amplitude and I’m really happy with that. It gives you the versatility to change your mind. Beyond that in the studio just what’s in front of me. I’ve got a few guitars. A Fender Deluxe Strat. I’ve got this old Fender Highway Tele cheap on eBay and it was a piece of shit so I got new pickups wound

by Clingan Guitars in Collingwood, Melbourne, and he turned it into an actual guitar, because otherwise it’s just a piece of wood with strings attached. I’ve got a Fender Twin Reverb, the ’65 Reissue. A bunch of Tube Screamers. This company out of New Zealand called Red Witch make mini pedals - I’ve got the overdrive and delay of that. They sound great for how cheap they are. Then a Line 6 DL4 for good measure.

I’ve been eyeing off all that Strymon stuff but I do not have the coin so that’s kind of a pipe dream.

How did you go about promoting yourself?

I’d show my friends and family and they’d say “Yeah, that’s good,” but that’s as far as it went.

They’re not going to get me a record deal obviously. Then a family friend cottoned on to it and approached me to manage me. It was very

much a ‘who you know’ situation. Triple J Unearthed actually got onto it without me having to prompt them or managers getting involved so I had a bit of luck there. I had management pretty early on, which really helped the process.

What do you value more – the recognition of playing at Splendour or the creative effort that went into your EP? Until next week I won’t know if the EP’s doing well or not. I’m very proud of it but it’s been two years in the making so maybe there’s a bit of disconnect there. At the moment the live achievements are something I have a lot more pride in because they seem to be gradually escalating to a point where maybe this thing can be taken a bit more seriously and I can devote all of my time to it.

Fractures debut EP comes out on July 4 via Create/Control

BY MAT DROGEMULLER

TOUR DATES July 25 - Splendour In The Grass, Byron Bay NSW August 8 - The Vanguard, Sydney NSW August 9 - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC

LOWTIDE

A KIND OF BLUE

One of Melbourne’s best kept secrets isn’t set to stay that way for much longer, with Lowtide set to unleash their long-awaited debut, self-titled album after what feels like something of an eternity. Painting deft melodic strokes on enormous canvases of shoegaze, the four-piece have been fostering a slow-burn of a following surrounding sporadic live appearances in the past few years. Ahead of the release of the album, guitarist Gabriel Lewis takes a gaze back on the history of the outfit.

What were the evolutionary steps between starting as your solo project into the Lowtide we know today?

The solo thing was kind of hard work and lonely, I figured that having a few other people around would make it easier. That sort of grew into something that was no longer a solo thing and needed its own space. That turned into Lowtide, and it’s just gone on from there.

The album’s been a long time coming, at what stage were the foundations laid down?

I guess the oldest song would have to be three or four years, then there were a couple of songs just before we started recording. ‘Held’ was the last one that was written, that was probably two weeks before we started recording. People would go away and we’d think we would have this time to sit down and write stuff because we weren’t doing anything else. Then nothing happens, so eventually we made a rule we would never say when anything was going to be ready.

We kept quiet about it, now finally we have something out.

What were the differences in constructing a setlist for a live performance and selecting the tracklist for the album?

Live, it was just week to week, gig to gig. It depends on who we’re playing with, and we’ll try and tailor it to whoever is supporting us.

With the album, we tried to squeeze everything in so it would fit on two sides of a record. There were a few things that weren’t fitting quite right and we weren’t quite sure about it. Then Lucy PG. 28 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

[Buckeridge, bass] had a connection to Simon Raymonde from Cocteau Twins and sent off an early mix of everything, and he sent back opinions and ideas on track order and things like that. It was great having outside input, especially from him. We took on some of those ideas, then freed it up a bit more by removing songs, then it had a nicer flow.

The huge walls of sounds on the record kind of feel like every instrument is on equal footing, is that something you aspire to achieve within the band?

That’s kind of impossible. We come from different backgrounds and have different tastes in music. We’re aware of that, and that nothing is going to be exactly like we all want it. We’ve learnt that there is this place in between the four of us, and that’s our direction, and nobody gets their nose put out anymore. Then we had Gareth Parton producing, and he’s bringing his own opinions to the table. With the initial recording it was live tracking. Our seven-inch and EP were all single-take live recordings. I didn’t want the album to sound like that, because I’m trying to do too much stuff at once and feeling choked. I wanted the album to feel airy with this sense of space, which is a lot easier to do with double tracking. So I recorded all this stuff and dumped it off to Gareth, and he sort of said “what the fuck am I supposed to do with all this?” So it was a case of reconstructing songs. He got the idea of what I was trying to get at, and managed to put everything into place. In the end we let him have his say. It was

a mutual thing, but then we let Gareth do what he wanted with it.

How do Giles [Simon] and Lucy divide the vocal share?

I often wonder about the choices they make – not doubting them at all, it’s just something I’ve never considered, how to make the vocals sit properly and not overload each other. They’ve figured out their space and play off against each other.

Do you prefer open air or confined performance spaces?

It’s hard to say. On stage, you only know what the stage sounds like. I’d imagine the bigger the space the better, to let the sound swell out a bit and not be so imposing. At the same time I’ve had really good feedback from people in tiny rooms like Pony and Liberty Social where I might be a bit afraid to let it fly, so I don’t kill people. But it seems to adapt to whatever situation, which is good. We’re not a very visually active group, so perhaps a situation where it’s about what you hear rather than what you see is better for us.

The shoegaze tones are quite a distinct signifier, but there are also these pronounced pop sensibilities in the album. Do you feel like you have to overcome pigeonholing?

I do want to be cautious about that, but you can’t change people’s opinions about things.

And that shoegaze aesthetic is exactly what I’m trying to get it to sound like. It’s a recent thing, everyone’s so sick of hearing about it now because it’s back in fashion, but I’ve been really into it the past 15 years or so. I don’t really see it as any different from a blues or roots group rehashing old shit. But obviously I’m trying to add elements of pop to the guitar stuff I’m doing. You need a catch and a hook, it’s not just experimental music or noise, it needs substance and structure, something that will make listeners latch on. The sound is just they way it’s passed onto you.

Lowtide’s self titled vinyl LP will be released July 18 through Lost & Lonesome.

BY LACHLAN KANONIUK

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facebook.com/FishmanAustralia ďŹ shmanaus.com.au MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 29

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD PICKUP MAGNETS

GUITAR

When you really get down to it, a pickup is simply a magnet with a bunch of wire wrapped around it. Sure, it can get a little bit more complicated than that if you want it to, but in a nutshell, the magnet creates its own magnetic field (obviously - it’s pretty much number one on the magnet job description list) and the metallic guitar string interacts with that field. The disturbances in the magnetic field are sent down your cable, and then some stuff happens in an amp, and then an audience gets rocked. Ah, but it’s more complicated than that.

The size and type of magnet you use in your pickup has a big inf uence on the sound that the pickup produces, as does the type of wir e: how thick it is, how it’s insulated, how it’s wound around the bobbins and how many tur ns of wire. Then ther e are the pole pieces, dif ferent materials there can also affect the magnetic f eld in different ways and adjustable pole pieces can also help you to ref ne the magnetic f eld and its interaction with different strings. Is the B string a little quiet compared to the rest, especially when you’re running a clean tone? W ell then, raise its pole piece a little to boost the height of the magnetic f eld in that section of pickup. W ant less bass output but mor e treble? Lower the pickup a little and raise the pole pieces. Easy!

All of these factors inf uence the sound of a pickup, but one of the easiest to quantify is the magnet type. There are a few magnets that ar e typically used in pickups and by knowing a little bit about them you can mor e easily f gure out which one might work for the sound you’re going

for. We’ll start by looking at Alnico, an iron alloy which includes ir on (of course), aluminum (Al), nickel (Ni) and cobalt (Co), as well as a little bit of copper (Cu). I guess when they were naming it they decided against Fealnicocu. The three most commonly used Alnico magnets for pickups ar e Alnico II, Alnico III and Alnico V, although Alnico VIII is also sometimes used. Let’ s look a few of the most popular magnets, with a focus on how they apply to humbuckers.

ALNICO III It may be a little counter -intuitive, but Alnico III is the weakest of the magnets used in pickups because it has no cobalt. But I guess it’d be confusing to just call it ‘Alni.’ It has the lowest magnetic pull, which means the strings ar e less inf uenced by the pickup’ s magnetic pull, and this makes it a popular choice for neck pickups.

It’s a little more ‘conf dent’ in its tone compared to Alnico II, although both exhibit a similar ‘softness.’ Many players like to balance an Alnico III neck pickup against an Alnico II in the bridge.

heavy distortion with an Alnico V pickup. It’s also a little war mer in the midrange, which makes it great for lead guitar.

ALNICO II Alnico II is associated with the original P AF humbucker, and it’s still used today in a gr eat number of pickups. The tone is r elatively soft and clear, often described as sweet, with a slight rounding off of the mor e brittle tr eble frequencies. It can sound very musical and mellif uous with a clean tone, and rather singing’ ’ with overdrive. If you’re running a hotter , more distorted tone you may f nd that Alnico II humbuckers tend to pr ovide excellent note separation for complex chords.

ALNICO V Alnico V pickups usually sound hotter and mor e ‘edgy’ than their Alnico II and III counterparts.

They’re great at mor e aggressive tones and in situations where you need a little mor e ‘unity’ in your chords: notes may knit together a little more tightly when you’r e chording through

ALNICO VIII Alnico VIII is probably the least common magnet type but as far as I’m concerned, it’s a relativelyundiscovered gem. I have an Alnico VIII magnet in my Seymour Duncan Custom Shop pickup, the Magnetar, and it’s great for generating ceramicstyle power but with Alnico V -style warmth and harmonics.

CERAMIC Ceramic magnets are also used in some pickups.

Their sound is usually characterised as mor e ‘modern,’ with a tighter low end, more ‘cut’ and higher output compared to Alnico magnets. You can usually bet that a ceramic-loaded guitar will sound pretty fat and thick, maybe with a little more bold midrange, especially in the upper mids.

BY PETER HODGSON

WHAT’S THAT SOUND

THE NEW 101

KEYS

I think each and every synth nerd out there remembers a time when we saw someone strutting their stuff on stage with a Roland SH-101 slung over their shoulder with the extended grip in place for added cool factor. As the Yamaha Keytar had proven to be so popular on stage and in video clips, it was no wonder that Roland’s SH-101 was also taken to by the masses for its stage presence that gave the keyboard player the ability to show up the guitarist for once. But, the SH-101 wasn’t all just about the show it was a great synthesizer that offered the user plenty of sonic challenges in the way it could be tweaked. Today, Roland offers a new take on this classic synthesizer with the SH-01 GAIA taking off where many moons ago the SH101 left us all wanting more.

MOVING WITH THE TIMES Roland is the one synthesizer company that continually looks to the futur e. They ar e not interested in r ehashing ideas fr om the past just to move a few units, but rather ar e always striving to create a new path for musicians and technology to come together . Each and every time they pr oduce a new instrument that pays homage to a classic, you will never see a re-issue of the old, but a completely new design that draws some ideas from the past and makes them more workable in a moder n environment. This has never been truer than with the GAIA SH01 synthesizer. Its name is similar to the classic and a quick glance looks somewhat similar , but under the hood it’s a completely different beast altogether.

HANDS ON CONTROL Roland has ensur ed that this synth r emains a stalwart for those that like to sculpt their own sounds. There are no LCD screens on the GAIA, and so there are no menus to scr oll through in order to r ecall factory settings, the GAIA is all about letting the user cr eate their own sounds.

This might come as a bit of a shock to some modern keyboard players. I think many of us have become far to accustomed to simply PG. 30 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

scrolling through a menu to f nd a sound that kind of does the job and settling for that. It is all too easy to pull up a pr e-set sound that almost does what we need and not bother to sculpt or create your own tone. This makes for a fast and easy workf ow, but ultimately ends up with so much music all sounding the same as we all draw from the same sounds. What the GAIA promotes is the creation of new sounds. Personally when I am searching for the new sound, the last thing I want to do is scroll through menus. I want to get hands on with the instrument and hear the tone change as I adjust the physical contr ols. GAIA brings the joy of contr olling an old analogue synth back to the moder n digital synthesizer user and encourages them to test the limits of their imagination and lear n how to control their tone to accommodate their needs. Really , it is just a whole lot of fun to get hands on with a synthesizer like this that responds so well to your commands.

DIGITAL POWER Unlike the original SH-101, the GAIA of fers a really powerful synth engine. The old classic was an analogue mono synthesizer that worked well as a bass machine, sounding something like the lovechild of a TB-303 and a Juno-6. But it was

still somewhat limited in what it could ultimately come up with. Roland have given the GAIA a solid basis with analogue modelling at the core of a digital engine that allows the user to really bend and mould the sound to just about any extreme. Because of the power it has under the hood, the GAIA gives the user the ability to tweak the oscillator, the f lter, the amp and the LFO, three times over . Most synthesizers with multiple oscillators have them mixed together before the signal passes on to the flter stage, but not the GAIA. The mixer for the three oscillators actually comes into the signal path after the LFO, so each oscillator can have the f lter, amp and LFO tweaked dif ferently as the thr ee layers are virtually stacked upon one another making for some r eally full on sounds. The level of depth you get from this synthesizer design is just massive and sets the moder n unit miles apart from the now somewhat sad sounding SH-101.

Because of this virtual layering of contr ols and functions within the engine of the GAIA, it really tests the creativity of the user. Instead of dialling in a simple set of controls to pull up a synth tone,

as most of you would be used to doing, you now need to go through this process three times over to get the full potential out of each sound. As you adjust each layer it inadvertently affects how the adjoining layer sounds and so leads you on a path of tonal exploration that will have people asking you, “What’s that sound?”.

BY ROB GEE For more information on the Roland GAIA synthesizer SH-101 visit www.rolandcorp. com.au

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Bass Centre 206 Park St. South Melbourne basscentre.com.au 03 9696 6561

SA

WA

John Reynolds Music 175 - 181 Waymouth Street Adelaide johnreynoldsmusic.com.au 08 8212 4827

Kosmic Sound Osbourne Park 94 Hector St. Osbourne Park kosmic.com.au 08 9204 7577

Proudly distributed by Galactic Music – www.galacticmusic.com.au

Musicland 1359 Sydney Rd. Fawkner musiclandshop.com.au 03 9359 0006

Kosmic Sound Cannington 8/1296 Albany Hwy Cannington kosmic.com.au 08 9258 4236

ON THE DOWNLOW GIBSON BASSES

BASS

A few weeks ago I got to head over to Gibson AMI headquarters in Melbourne to check out a bunch of 2014 models, including the Thunderbird bass, an imposing behemoth of an instrument with an interesting history.

The Thunderbird was introduced in 1963, and was designed by U.S. auto designer Raymond H. Dietrich (Chrysler, Lincoln, Checker). Gibson turned to Dietrich to push its radical guitar shapes (like the Flying V and Explorer) to another level and the model survives today with the spirit of the original design very much intact.

Gibson’s association with the bass stretches back to the 1953 introduction of the EB-1. With a shape that was inspired by upright basses and with false f-holes painted onto the body, the EB-1 was a rather simple instrument with a solid mahogany body, raised pickguard, and a 30.5” scale neck. It was a particularly “bassy” sounding bass, with its single pickup butted right up against the neck for maximum low end. It further distinguished itself from the early electric basses of the time with the addition of a telescopic end pin, easing the transition for upright players to the new electric instrument. Although the EB-1 was innovative, it wasn’t until 1958 with the introduction of the EB-2 – featuring a shape reminiscent of its companion six-string, the ES335 electric guitar – that Gibson really started to forge an identity as a bass company. The EB-2 initially shared the same pickup placement as the EB-1, and soon the model was augmented with a “Baritone Button,” a pushbutton for alternating between a deep bassy rumble or a more midrange-present voice.

The EB-O followed the EB-1 a year later in 1959, initially with a body shape very much akin to the Les Paul Special, and again with a single pickup placed right against the neck. The spirit of this design lives on in the current LP

Junior DC Bass. By 1961, the body shape had morphed into that of the SG, with pointy horns and a standard cherry finish and the lone pickup began creeping down towards the bridge a little in some iterations. The SG shape proved quite successful and well suited as a bass, it was with a twin-pickup Gibson EB-3 with pickups right against the neck and right by the bridge that Jack Bruce used to cut many Cream classics.

The spirit of the EB-3 lives on in the current SG Standard Bass. The SG outline also was used as the basis for the SB series in the early ’70s, a budget-priced model with two pickups and with cheaper-to-produce, plate-mounted controls.

Perhaps one of the most distinctive Gibson bass outlines is that shared by the Grabber, G3 and Ripper models introduced in 1973. A doublecutaway instrument, the Grabber featured a pickguard with a one pickup, mounted in a channel through which it could slide backwards and forwards. This allowed players to achieve both neck and bridge pickup sounds, although the range of motion was limited to a space of a few inches around the middle of the body, rather than right up against the neck or bridge. The G3 was the same basic bass as the Grabber but with three single coils in humbucking configuration, along with a three-way selector switch for

neck/middle, middle/back and “all-on” pickup options. The Grabber was given the reissue treatment in the form of the Grabber II limited edition model in 2009, while the G3 enjoyed a second wave of popularity thanks to Green Day’s Mike Dirnt during the band’s “big break” days.

The Ripper was initially made of Maple, then briefly Alder in 1975, before it switched back to maple in ’77 and featured a pair of “Super Humbucking” pickups designed by the legendary Bill Lawrence. The current Ripper II model features a pair of redesigned humbuckers wound for Gibson exclusively by the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop in California. A few interesting Les Paul basses were designed in the 1960s and ’70s. The first Gibson Les Paul Bass, from 1969, featured similar low-impedance pickups and electronics to those favored by Paul himself in his guitars. Suzie Quatro was a notable user. In 1973 the semi-acoustic Les Paul Signature Bass offered an entirely new design, part Les Paul, part ES-335, with a single Super Humbucking pickup and an attractive gold finish. This model has long been used by Karl Kippenberger from New Zealand’s Shihad, and it

served as the basis for the Epiphone Jack Casady model, the signature bass for the Jefferson Airplane legend. The more traditionally “Les Paul” bass and its Epiphone cousin are favorites of Robert Sledge of Ben Folds Five.

The latest signature instrument to join the Gibson bass family is the Krist Novoselic Signature RD Bass (pictured). Styled after the RD bass introduced in the 1970s and used by Novoselic on Nirvana’s Nevermind 20 years ago, the model features a maple body and neck, and Seymour Duncan Bass Lines STK-J2n and STKJ2b Hot Stack pickups. And that’s not all! There are other gems throughout Gibson’s history – the Allen Woody Rumblekat, the Epiphone Viola, the Flying V and Explorer basses and even a bass version of the M-III guitar.

BY PETER HODGSON

For more information on Gibson basses visit www.gibsonami.com

BANGIN’ THE TUBS WARM UP IDEA - ROLLS This issue I thought I would share a simple but effective warm up that I’ve used in the past that concentrates on open roll rudiments. These rudiments work the double stroke roll in short, controlled bursts and if practiced correctly, enable you to feel how to use the roll on different parts of the bar. This simply means that you’re able to ‘use’ and apply the roll rudiments more competently in context because you know how to ‘feel’ them more competently. By this I mean, using the rolls as fills, in grooves etc. Another benefit to this warm up is that you get to practice several rudiments at once and in a musical way, not to mention that blasting out a double stroke roll for hours isn’t exactly the most soul stimulating exercise.

DRUMS ROLLS YOU SAY? This warm up uses five, nine and thirteen stroke rolls. If you’re unsure of these rudiments, I’ve listed them below. Each rudiment has an accent at the end (underlined).

5 Stroke Roll 9 Stroke Roll 13 Stroke Roll

RRLL R or LLRR L RRLL RRLL R or LLRR LLRR L RRLL RRLL RRLL R or LLRR LLRR LLRR L

Each of the rudiments is simply a continuous double stroke roll, sustained for a short, timed period. You can see by the above that the 5-stroke roll has one set of doubles (RRLL) followed by an accent. The 9-stroke roll has two sets of doubles followed by an accent and the 13-stroke roll has three sets of doubles followed by an accent. Now, today, we’re only doing the three rolls but for the record, the 17-stroke roll has four sets of doubles followed by an accent – RRLL RRLL RRLL RRLL R. You could easily add this to the warm up should you wish. A point to note here is that I don’t think of the roll as numbers 1-13 etc. I simply ‘feel’ how many sets of doubles I use. It makes it easier when you’re smashing along at higher tempos.

HIT ME The warm up itself is a simple rhythmic phrase followed by a rotation through the rolls, permutating the accent through each part of the bar. In other words, I’m playing the exercise and then shifting it by a crotchet each time so that the accent ends up being on all 4 beats at some stage. You’re then able to feel what it’s like to use the roll on different parts of the bar. I’ve written the exercises in cut common time, 2/2.

It still looks like 4/4 but I’m feeling the exercises twice as fast so instead of 8th and 16th notes, I’m feeling 16th and 32nd notes. Just doubletime basically.

Check out the notation and get creative with it.

You can add a bass drum pattern underneath to make it into an independence exercise, change the rhythms around the roll or move the accent from the roll on to the toms/cymbals. There are lots of options to enjoy!

BY ADRIAN VIOLI

PG. 32 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

Welcome to the VIP Club HT CLUB 40 VINTAGE PRO LIMITED EDITION Since its introduction, the award-winning HT Club 40 has established itself as the go to valve amp for the working musician.

Combining boutique clean sounds with contemporary high gain overdrives, it delivers amazing tone in a compact 1x12 combo format.

This stunning limited edition HT Club 40 is covered in red Artisan tolex with black paper fret for a classic vintage feel. It also comes fitted with a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker in place of the standard Celestion Seventy/80.

Artisan tolex and black paper fret for a classic boutique appearance Loaded with the industry standard Celestion Vintage

Award-winning boutique clean tones and modern high gain distortions Specially voiced reverb Blackstar’s patented ISF control Unique ‘Limited Edition’ badge fitted

RRP: $1,449.00 VIC: Drum Power (03) 9720 4581 Factory 2/55 Malvern St, Bayswater, VIC 3153 Mannys (03) 9486 8555 161-163 St Georges Rd, North Fitzroy, VIC 3068 Ron Leigh’s Music Factory (03) 9593 3900 625 Hampton St, Brighton, VIC 3186 Cranbourne Music Centre – Cranbourne (03) 5996 6955 130 High St, Cranbourne, VIC 3977

LIMITED PRODUCTION OF 30 PIECES IN AUSTRALIA

Bass N Blues (02) 6551 5067 Shop 10/20 Albert St, Taree, NSW 2430 Turramurra Music (02) 9449 8487 Rear 1267 Pacific Hwy, Turramurra, NSW 2074 Landers Music (02) 6362 6588 286 Summer St, Orange, NSW 2800 Macron Music – Erina (02) 4367 8500 Shop 8, Erina Plaza, 210 Central Coast Hwy, Erina, NSW 2250

ACT: Pirana Music (02) 6162 3311 Unit 2, 56 Heffernan St, Mitchell, ACT 2911 DW Music (02) 6260 5626 301 Canberra Ave, Fyshwick, ACT 2609 SA: Derringers Music (08) 8371 1884 66-72 Leader St, Forestville, SA 5035 Twang Central (08) 8231 9255 208 Gilbert St, Adelaide, SA 5000

Mooloolaba Music (07) 5444 8889 Shop 2, Cnr Nicklin Way & Kensington Dr, Minyama, QLD 4575 The Guitar Shop (07) 3369 9530 40 Latrobe Ter, Paddington, QLD 4000 Variety Shop N Save (07) 4661 4433 129 Palmerin St, Warwick, QLD 4370 Margate Music (07) 3284 8143 28 Baynes St, Margate, QLD 4019 Musicians Oasis (07) 4162 4523 Shop 20 Alford St, Kingaroy, QLD 4610

Cranbourne Music Centre – City (03) 9654 5115 204 LaTrobe St, Melbourne, VIC 3000

Macron Music – Tuggerah (02) 4352 3377 Shop 1006 Westfield Shopping Centre, Tuggerah, NSW 2259

Gippsland Music & Sound (03) 5144 7860 395 Raymond St, Sale, VIC 3850

Coastal Music (02) 6581 3016 5/148 Lake Rd, Port Maquarie, NSW 2444

Southern Music (08) 8382 7933 65 Beach Rd, Christies Beach, SA 5165

Marban Music (03) 5153 1234 70 Macleod St, Bairnsdale, VIC 3875

Muso’s Corner (02) 4929 2829 1 National Park St, Dangar, NSW 2302

WA:

Anthony Breed Music – Maryborough (07) 4123 1877 206 Bazaar St, Maryborough, QLD 4650

Music Junction (03) 9882 7331 204 Camberwell Rd, East Hawthorn, VIC 3123

Bam Bam Music (02) 9831 5101 156 Main St, Blacktown, NSW 2148

Mega Music (08) 9330 2777 95 North Lake Rd, Myaree, WA 6154

Anthony Breed Music – Gladstone (07) 4972 1229 1/117 Toolooa St, Gladstone, QLD 4652

The Rock Garage (03) 9753 5093 1/1182 Burwood Hwy, Upper Ferntree Gully, VIC 3156

Icon Music (02) 9809 6700 3 Chatham Rd, West Ryde, NSW 2114

Guitar World (08) 9358 6665 1240A Albany Hwy, Cannington, WA 6107

Alive Music (07) 4152 7243 15 Walla St, Bundaberg, QLD 4670

Concept Music (08) 9381 2277 246 Cambridge St, Wembley, WA 6014

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The Rock Inn 1300 304 418 762 Beaufort St, Mount Lawley, WA 6050

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Westwood Music (03) 9746 6667 Shop 3/44 Smith St, Melton, VIC 3337 Five Star Music (03) 9870 4143 102 Maroondah Hwy, Ringwood, VIC 3134 Guitars & Things (03) 9770 1765 Shop 3E, 415-417 Nepean Hwy, Frankston, VIC 3199 Muso’s Stuff Bendigo (03) 5441 2340 115 Mitchell St, Bendigo, VIC 3550 NSW: Park Beach Music & Hifi (02) 6652 3725 Shop 57, Park Beach Plaza, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450

Planet Music – Lismore (02) 6621 7784 25 Molesworth St, Lismore, NSW 2480 Planet Music – Ballina (02) 6681 1125 83 River St, Ballina, NSW 2480 South Coast Music (02) 4421 8688 Shop 8 & 9 Shoalhaven Arcade, Kinghorne St, Nowra, NSW 2541 Guitar World City Arcade (02) 4626 6876 Shop 25-26 City Arcade, 156-166 Queen St, Campbelltown, NSW 2560 Guitar Factory Penrith (02) 4732 2663 12 Castlereagh St, Penrith, NSW 2750

Ceceres Music (08) 8331 9246 249 Magill Rd, Maylands, SA 5069

Music Park (08) 9470 1020 341 Albany Hwy, Victoria Park, WA 6100 QLD: Shake It Up Music (07) 5441 5454 Shop 4/186 Currie St, Nambour, QLD 4560 Gympie Musicland (07) 5482 3226 36 Mary St, Gympie, QLD 4570 Ellaways Music – Kedron (07) 3359 8266 315-337 Gympie Rd, Kedron, QLD 4031

Ultra Music (07) 4128 2037 51 Main St, Hervey Bay, QLD 4655

The Guitar Centre at the Gabba (07) 3392 3821 922 Stanley St, East Brisbane, QLD 4169 The Music Spot (07) 3800 5229 129 Browns Plains Rd, Browns Plains, QLD 4118 TAS: Barratts Music (03) 6331 9355 104 George St, Launceston, TAS 7250 McCann’s Music Centre (03) 6234 4544 141-143 Elizabeth St, Hobart, TAS 7000

127 Merrindale Drive, Croydon Victoria, Australia 3136 T: +61 (0)3 8756 2600 F: +61 (0)3 8756 2699 MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 33

(D)IGITAL (J)OCKEY TAKING IT TO THE STAGE

DJ

These days the modern DJ find themselves needing to customise the equipment used in a live set to suit their needs. It’s no longer a matter of turning up with a selection of records or CDs and using the turntables or CD players provided by the club. Today’s DJs are pushing new boundaries that border somewhere between studio production and live performance and each artist has a unique set of requirements to achieve this task. It’s not uncommon now to see a DJ spending quite some time integrating all their gear into the house system before they get going. A laptop is most certainly going to be involved along with one or more controllers and probably and interface as well. This means that today’s DJ has a lot of delicate and expensive gear that needs to be transported from one gig to another and this month I take a look at some of the many products and ways to safely and easily get your gear on the road.

NEW LUGGAGE I have a range of record bags and cases that over the years have served me well for getting all my vinyl to and from clubs when I needed to. In the past, that was all I really needed to consider lugging around. All my other gear stayed safely stowed within my studio, but these days that has all changed and it’s almost like a luggage store for musicians is needed and in many cases (no pun intended) your local music store is probably going to be able to help you meet your needs.

But, just like guitar and amplifier cases, there is nothing simple about housing your DJ gear.

Every make and model is slightly different and taking the generic option doesn’t always fit the bill. Yes, you can look into a range of keyboard or similar cases and fit them out with foam lining to accommodate your DJ gear, but you’re going to be much better off with a transport system specifically designed for the gear you have.

ULTIMATE DJ GEAR It is hard to talk about housing your DJ gear without mentioning UDG. As their name suggests, they have created the ultimate range of bags and cases for getting your equipment

MONO EFXKONTROLLERJB DLX DJ CONTROLLER BAG

probably the coolest looking travel options for the DJ with a real sense of style but they aren’t all just about the looks. These bags are seriously well built too. They certainly aren’t cheap, but when you get your hands on any of their products you will quickly understand why they cost what they do. A Mono bag is one that will ensure that no matter how many times you drop, hit and throw around your gear that it not only stays safe, that you look good doing it.

MONO CASES For those of you who not only want a lightweight and extremely heavy duty option but want it to look slick too, Mono Cases offer some great solutions. Renowned for their incredibly high quality padded bags for guitars and basses they also offer an EFX series range of bags suited to the DJ and producer on the go. These are

GATOR GTOURDDJT1S1ARM1PL PIONEER DDJSX DJ CASE

SKB AUDIO AND DJ RACK CASE

UDG U8411BL CREATOR NI MASCHINE ROAD CASE

around with you. With a selection of styles and materials, UDG have focus on lightweight options that still provide maximum protection for your equipment and have an option for almost each and every DJ focused product released by the major manufacturers.

for instruments, but also for audio production equipment as well, including miser and rack cases, there are plenty of options to meet the needs of the modern mobile DJ. What I love the most about the SKB cases is the build quality.

They take into account even the most ridiculous circumstances and offer features such as water proofed cases and tough TSA latches that are field replaceable and come with a million mile warranty. Try and wear one of these cases out, you simply can’t.

SKB CASES There is no secret to the fact that I am a big fan of SKB cases. I personally use a range of their cases for not only my music gear but also my sporting equipment too. They make a case for almost everything, if you have a set of golf clubs, a vintage analogue synthesizer, two hunting rifles and a large LCD television that you need to transport somewhere, you can be certain that SKB will have cases to suit them all. Being that their focus in the music area has not just been

GATOR CASES I have owned a number of Gator cases over the years and love how much protection they offer for the very limited amount of weight they add to your setup and their new website makes it incredible simple to find the case you need.

Gator has very cleverly taken into account just about every music manufacturer there is and have catalogued all their makes and models to create a search feature on their site which takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect case.

The list is enormous and takes into account brands I didn’t even know existed anymore, so you should have no problem finding a transport solution for your DJ gear with Gator cases and bags.

BY ROB GEE

HOME STUDIO HINTS

GOOD REVERBERATIONS

In recent months, I have recognised a pattern that I have fallen into with my recording that I am sure just about all of you are following too, possibly without even realising it. I am talking about the use of reverb within your recordings and how you go about the process of applying it to your individual tracks within a song. What I have seen with my own production has probably spawned from an inherent laziness that ultimately has resulted in sounds that all seem to be a little too generic and lifeless. When I think back to certain projects from the past, I can remember the excitement that I would get when hearing the added life that a particular reverb would bring to a certain recorded part. So this month I want to look at ways that your use of reverb can bring back this excitement and enhance your music the way you really want it to.

THE NATURAL WAY I am guilty of this: recording everything as dry as possible with the idea in my head that it’s all good, I can just add reverb later in the mix. And this is indeed the case, but what we need to remember is that what all our reverb plug-ins are doing is trying to replicate the natural result of the sound bouncing around the room. So, given that you have a room ready to go, why not try and capture the natural sound to begin with?

What this requires is for you to first consider the space within which you are recording. It is not as simple as just dropping a reverb plug-in into an auxiliary channel and pulling up a pre-set patch.

Now, you have a range of variables that need to be carefully thought through before you start to record. Firstly, consider the environmental noise within the room and try to isolate your microphone from any unwanted sounds. Given that you are trying to record the sound as it moves around the room, you are aiming for a lower level signal than the main source and external noise will be more evident. So, once you have reduced and unwanted noise, you now need to consider the surfaces you are dealing with. Hard surface make for good reflections, PG. 34 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

but are often removed from your home studio for just this fact. Most of you will have treated you room to try and remove reflections, making reverb very hard to capture. So, consider the other rooms in the house and what they might offer. I know it sound a little crazy, but set a microphone stand up in the toilet or bathroom and see how that works. The hard surfaces will give you an incredible natural reverb that can then be calmed down to suit your requirements with the addition of some other softer surfaces to control reflections.

Once you have the room sounding how you want it to, consider your microphone placement.

Obviously you want a microphone to record the main source, and this will also capture reflections from around the room, but an additional microphone will really enable you to take creative control of your reverb. Setting up a secondary microphone further away from the main source will then set the two sounds apart when you listen back to the mix. It will allow you to feed in more natural reverb as you adjust the levels of one microphone to the other and allow you to create a room sound that is bigger than the actual space you are working within. Now,

it just comes down to experimenting with the microphones you use and how you space them apart to get the best working combination.

THE DIGITAL WAY Obviously, it can be quite time consuming to record natural reverb and it is also limiting in the fact that once you have it on tape, you are stuck with it. When working with digital reverb, the biggest advantage is that you begin with a dry recording and are able to make changes to how the reverb sounds later in the mix. The important thing to remember though is that just because it is easier than recording natural reverb, you shouldn’t take it lightly. It is all too easy to become complacent when using reverb in the mix and simply fall back on the same pre-set patches time and time again. What this results in is one mix that sounds just like the next. You begin to lose the life that the reverb was supposed to inject in the first place. So, first of all, open up a series of auxiliary channels and launch a range of different reverb plug-ins for your mix before you even send anything to them.

If you only operate with one reverb plug-in, still launch a few instances of it right away and load in a range of different patches. This will set up the session for you in a way that will encourage you to experiment with a few different reverb sounds. By having them loaded and ready to go before you begin the mix, it will stop you from just sending everything to the one reverb and you will begin to mix it up a little. This way, you

STUDIO Recording in the bathroom

can feed each channel through different reverbs and hear how each one responds, broadening your horizon to new ways of presenting your sounds.

It is really quite simple, but it is often overlooked.

What often becomes the case is that many of us end up using the same reverb patch not only across all the channels in a mix, but across all our different mixes. So, step back from the mix for a moment and think about what you want to achieve by adding reverb to your sound.

Whether you are using a plug-in or recording it naturally, remember that it needs to compliment your overall sound and bring new life to it.

BY ROB GEE

WHAT’S MY RANGE AGAIN? ARE YOU SINGING IN TUNE?

The cardinal rule as a singer is to sing in tune all, if not most of the time. If you feel like you sing some notes off key, out of tune or you are pitchy, don’t worry - you are not alone. Even the very best vocalists have at times, had trouble with this. I remember, as a teenager seeing one of my favourite singers in a very well known, world wide touring band (whose name I will not mention).

The lead singer sounded flat, pitchy and even lazy. It was disappointing to say the least, but it reiterates that everyone, even professionals can have pitch problems.

SOME OF THE REASONS WHY PEOPLE SING PITCHY OR OUT OF TUNE The number one reason why singers occasionally sing out of tune is because they ar e unable to hear themselves. Some of these r easons can be because: 1. You are trying to sing over the top of the band or music that is too loud.

2. You cannot hear the chord based instruments or music as a reference for the point of key.

3. You cannot hear yourself adequately thr ough the fold back speakers or your in ear monitors.

4. You have a cold, f u or virus that is preventing you from hearing sounds correctly. This can also inhibit the usual control you have over your vocal chords that help you to hit correct pitch.

Another reason you could be having tr ouble is that you ar e having diff culty hearing what key you’re supposed to be singing in. This will require pitch training using scales played on a piano that are specif cally designed to impr ove your ear, musicianship and pitch.

A FEW HELPFUL HINTS AND TIPS TO IMPROVE YOUR ABILITY TO SING IN TUNE 1. Hearing yourself is the most important skill and asset a singer can have. I am going to stress the word hearing here. You want to hear yourself sing, not listen! You listen to someone speak and you want to hear your voice sing. Listening takes a lot of concentration. Have you ever listened to an hour lectur e? Even on a subject that you’r e interested in, it is diff cult to stay focused and

listen for the entir e time. A singer must always be paying attention to the music, the beat, the key the song is in, to your own voice and make it all blend together . Start by closely listening, without singing along to the singer in your favourite song. Then hum or nar nar along exactly to the melody. When this is down 110% then move along to singing the song with the lyrics precisely.

2. Mimic the exact same sound as what you hear.

You can do this with anything - the sound of a car engine, the ring of a door bell, someone’ s quirky joke, anything to start practising your pitch. Start practising by gently humming along to your favourite song - this is a fantastic way to start honing your ear. Really focus on copying the exact same sound (tune) as the singer. Then begin singing along with the same tune and try to stay in key for the entire song.

3. Remember to pick songs that suit your vocal range and abilities. Don’ t go off and start singing really high songs if your voice does not fall naturally in this range. Pick songs that feel comfortable and natural for your voice. This will greatly improve your ability to sing in key or in tune.

4. Pitching scales are a great way to learn exact pitch to musical notes. This includes scales counting with numbers. Doing this will teach you to visualise the sound going higher and

VOCALS

lower via a sequence of numbers, kind of like going up and down a ladder for your voice.

5. Pitch testing is a good way to continually challenge yourself thr oughout your entir e range. This is done by playing dif ferent scales and notes randomly on the piano within your vocal range. This will test you, impr ove your musicianship and keep your ear sharp and focused. A good singing teacher should provide the correct techniques to give you the vocal ability, conf dence and courage when doing key changes. This means that if you lose your way when singing a song and become pitchy you will have the skills r equired to self corr ect and f nd your way back to the right tune.

6. Fold-back not loud enough? Then this means you can’t hear yourself sing thr ough the PA when you do a gig. As a perfor mer this is embarrassing and frustrating but can be easily avoided. Purchasing some in-ear monitors is the only way to be certain that you will hear yourself clearly and adequately at all times. Ensur e that your band is not too loud and dr owning your voice out on stage and ask for mor e. Ask for different mix or mor e volume in your foldback from the sound engineer if you cannot hear yourself properly. Also remember to rehearse in the same fashion.

7. Don’t be lazy! A lot of f at notes can easily be corrected simply by articulating the pr oper vowel placements. The basic rule is to open the mouth more when singing up high (like going to the dentist), and to r elax your mouth a little when singing in a lower key.

8. Use correct breath support when singing.

Many untrained singers for get about this resulting in lazy, sliding or f at notes. Remember to always use diaphragmatic support throughout your entire vocal range but especially when singing high notes.

TO SUMMARISE 1. Hear yourself singing clearly and adequately at all times.

2. Pick songs in a key that best suit your vocal range.

3. Support all notes corr ectly using your diaphragm.

4. Don’t be lazy 5. Perfect practice makes perfect performance.

BY PETER VOX

MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 35

LIVE ELECTRONIC SPECIAL Welcome to our first ever Live Electronic Special that encapsulates all the gear that a musician skewed to performing live electronic music or about to hit a stage would need, to perform their craft. This month we have assembled an eclectic range of reviews that include some of the latest DJ Controllers, USB MIDI controllers, Mixers, Headphones, PA and Monitors, Stands, Microphones, Wireless Systems, Effects and Lighting. A section of the latest gear released to get you started on stage performing or setting up a live music space. So make sure you take some notes, tick some boxes and then head down to your local retailer to plug in, play and hear exactly what we are talking about!

NUMARK 4TRAK

RRP: $498

DISTRIBUTOR DETAILS SHRIRO 1300 768 112 www.soundtechnology.com.au

PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA (02) 9521 4844 www.proaudiogroup.com.au

ELECTRIC FACTORY (03) 9474 1000 www.elfa.com.au

DYNAMIC MUSIC (02) 9939 1299 www.dynamicmusic.com.au

JADE AUSTRALIA 1800 144 120 www.jadeaustralia.com.au

SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA (02) 9910 6700 www.sennheiser.com.au

AMBER TECHNOLOGY 1800 251 367 www.ambertech.com.au

NUMARK MIXTRACK QUAD

RRP: $549

PRODUCT TYPE : DJ CONTROLLER DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

PRODUCT TYPE: DJ CONTROLLER/ USB MIDI CONTROLLER DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the setup designed for Traktor users who want the ultimate level of control and the best possible build in a hardware device available. For serious DJs at home or in the club, this is the controller setting a new benchmark for quality.

RECOMMENDED FOR: For the serious DJ who wants a compact and portable controller for their live sets. This is also a great introductory unit for anyone wanting to start out in world of the digital DJ. It is a fully featured unit that will give you plenty of options for creativity and expression.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: As a four deck controller, you have total flexibility in utilizing Traktorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four channel mixing capabilities. There is very little that cannot be achieved on this controller as it is packed with faders, rotary controllers, buttons and triggers.

USEABILITY: The addition of the extra control bar to add further knobs and buttons to the device means you can tackle just about any feature within Traktor and stay away from using the mouse too much. This is a serious piece of kit that will have most DJs wanting to get their hands on it.

CONSTRUCTION: In short, this unit is built like a brick outhouse. Its metal construction means it is more suited to a permanent setting, but in a good case itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to take anything you throw at it. The jog wheels feel great, the pots are all smooth acting and the faders have a fast snap to them. The cross-fader is replaceable too, if you go too hard on it.

OVERALL: This is one of the best built DJ controllers I have come across. It is really going to raise the bar for features and build quality and will have Traktor users keen to get going with it. I thought I had seen them all, but this is up there with the best controllers on the market.

PG. 36 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Working with just about any software available, the Mixtrack Quad allows you to bring four virtual decks into the mix at once so you can really create some amazing sounds and mixes. You are only limited by your imagination with this unit.

USEABILITY: A simple design and layout allows for fast interaction with software. The pads can be assigned to trigger functions or work as chromatic triggers for sampled sounds to merge the boundaries between DJ control and synthesizer.

CONSTRUCTION: As a slim and compact unit with a solid build. The faders are smooth, yet feel firm, as are all the pots and transport control buttons. The jog wheels are swift moving, but still react as you want them to under the lightest of touches.

OVERALL: A good design on a common theme, but the way it has been set up to incorporate the drum pad concept to act more like a synthesizer trigger really makes this a device for a wider audience. Bundled with Serato DJ Intro software, you are ready to go with four channel mixing right out of the box.

CASIO XW-J1

RRP: $399.95

AKAI PRO MPC STUDIO

RRP: $339

PRODUCT TYPE: DJ CONTROLLER DISTRIBUTOR: SHRIRO

PRODUCT TYPE: USB MIDI CONTROLLER DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

RECOMMENDED FOR: The perfect starting place for anyone looking to experiment with DJ and VJ control integrated with an iPhone or iPad. The XW-J1 has something for the beginner at home and the serious DJ looking for a real portable option.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who is looking to get a great start in computer music production and live performance, or anyone who wants to get that classic old MPC layout in a modern package. This makes studio production and portable performance hardware come together brilliantly.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: For such a compact controller, there is just so much going on with this unit. Combined with the included DJay software, you have the building blocks to create just about any combination of sounds you like; it really comes down to how you bring those sounds together.

USEABILITY: The familiar layout will have any DJ comfortable with the console in moments and will be easy for beginners to pick up in no time. With transport controls located just below the jog wheels, either side of the cross fader, you have basic control without the need to move your hands at all.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into a compact and portable frame, it is understandable that this isn’t going to be the most rigorous of builds. The plastic case feels tough enough and the jog wheels have a really smooth action. The pots and faders on the other hand aren’t quite as tough and may require some care to retain their original condition, but the included carry pouch will help keep the unit protected over time.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With the idea of the original MPC units in mind, Akai have created a software and hardware combination that is capable of harnessing the power of your laptop. You can integrate it with any other software as a generic MIDI controller if you like, but it works best when combined with the included software.

USEABILITY: Anyone who has used an MPC before will love the familiar layout. But, even if you are new to computer music production, you should become one with the system very quickly. The intuitive layout of the controller and its interaction with the software means you get more hands-on control and less pushing the mouse around.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into a casing that is less than an inch thick, this is really going to appeal to the iPhone generation that love slim design with clever functionality. It is tough enough to handle any procedure you will perform with the pads and doesn’t mind taking a few bumps in transit either.

OVERALL: Given the swell in this area of the market in recent years, Casio have entered with a good combination of hardware and software that is forward thinking and aimed at the iOS crowd. It is going to be a great introduction to digital DJ rigs for anyone who has nsidering this and it is easily portable for use just about anywhere. been considering

OVERALL: This is a real workhorse that shows how old ideas can be brought into the present and improved upon. As a studio tool, or in a live environment, this is going to o open up the creativity of the user and generate great results.

AKAI PRO LPD8

ALTO PROFESSIONAL ZMX862

RRP: $99

RRP: $199.99

PRODUCT TYPE: USB MIDI CONTROLLER DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

PRODUCT TYPE: COMPACT AUDIO MIXER DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: For the home studio producer or DJ when space is of the issue.

This is going to appeal to just about anyone working with a laptop for music production and performance looking for a portable and compact controller to add some organic feel to working with the computer.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a handy companion for any DJ, solo artist, duo or small band when additional inputs might be needed or for integrating microphones and line level signals with your performance gear. It will help get a lot of performers out of a bind when they need extended amounts of inputs in a flash.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: There isn’t really any sound to speak of; it is what you do with the controller that will bring the sound to life though. With the 8 drum pads you can trigger samples, play in synth lines or tap out live drum beats in a flash.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: As a retelling of an old favourite, this mixer offers a range of inputs allowing two microphones to be introduced to a host of other signals. It delivers a fairly low noise mix bus and so can be reliably added to an existing mixer for a few extra inputs. The high headroom offered by this unit means that it doesn’t end up in unwanted noise when you push it for additional volume.

USEABILITY: A simple layout makes it all too easy to get around this controller, even in a dark club environment. The 8 volume pots can be assigned to any function and work really well for EQ and filter applications to get that DJ mixer feel from your software.

CONSTRUCTION: This unit is built into a fairly sturdy frame that is going to travel well, and that is what it is designed for. The pads all have a really solid bed and take a pounding just as you would expect. The 8 knobs are a bit of a let-down though, feeling a little clumsy in the hand and not quite as tough as you might prefer.

OVERALL: In short, this is not a new concept, with plenty of similar models available from other manufacturers, but for the price and the purpose, Akai have ticked the boxes with the LPD8. It is compact and lightweight, so it will easily travel well with any laptop and requires no additional power.

USEABILITY: If you have ever used an audio mixer before, you shouldn’t have any troubles getting your head around this unit. It is the traditional compact mixer layout, with a three band EQ on both microphone inputs as well as the two stereo channels as well.

CONSTRUCTION: Although it doesn’t quite look it at first glance, this is a really solid well built little unit. The compact frame allows for the housing to remain rigid and rock solid, even with all the controls supplied on the top panel.

OVERALL: The compact mixer is by no means a new idea and this is not trying to reinvent the wheel in any way. But it does deliver a large amount of inputs and balances TRS connection where needed for such a small frame.

PG. 37 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

CAD SESSION MH510

RRP: $199

SENNHEISER HS25SPII

RRP: $299

PRODUCT TYPE: DJ HEADPHONES DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

PRODUCT TYPE: DJ HEADPHONES DISTRIBUTOR: SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: These are sure to be a favourite for any DJ requiring a good measure of bass. Also, as a general listening set of headphones for when you want to remove yourself from the world and hear the intricacies of a piece of music.

RECOMMENDED FOR: For any and all DJs who know the difference between using average headphones and using really good headphones. Great cans for when you want to hear everything in your mix, even when the room is running at extremely high volumes.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: There is plenty of bottom end in these headphones. Be careful if you try and adjust a mix with these as a reference, you might just end up pulling out the low frequencies in aid of the fact that you get so much delivered to you from the closed drivers.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: These offer a clear and precise sound that can be driven to very high SPLs without distortion. There is a reason why Sennheiser headphones are used by pit crews in Formula One racing teams. They deliver amazing sound in a very loud environment,

USEABILITY: These are a very comfortable set of cans and although they do have a fair bit of weight to them, this does not really come to mind when using them for extended listening sessions. They are very comfortable when placed over the ears and it is quite easy to wear them for long periods without fatigue.

USEABILITY: The lightweight design almost has you forgetting that you are wearing them half the time. They fit comfortably over the head and the soft pads rest upon the ear and don’t overheat you after long periods of use. With the earpieces able to be rotated completely on the headband, they work very well for single ear monitoring too when held up to the head.

CONSTRUCTION: Solid. These cans are built tough and will get you through many a studio session without fear of damage. The folding mechanism is simple too, so it doesn’t allow for damage when packing away or setting up.

OVERALL: These are a really great sounding set of headphones that are comfortable and look the part too. There was no problem wearing them for a couple of hours.

CASIO XW-H1

RRP: $199.95

CONSTRUCTION: The simple design means there is very little to go wrong with the HD25SPii headphones. The support band that runs over the head is quite flexible and the drivers are well protected with replaceable soft pads. The cabling is hard wearing too, and it needs to be as it will see some serious punishment within the DJ booth.

OVERALL: Being optimized for DJ use and so delivering more low frequency than similar headphones in the range, these cans are ideal for the DJ who wants quality monitoring without a the bulk that is often attributed to high performance drivers.

RARE AUDIO D1500EX

RRP: $1699

PRODUCT TYPE: DJ HEADPHONES DISTRIBUTOR: SHRIRO

PRODUCT TYPE: PA SYSTEM DISTRIBUTOR: JADE AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: Great for the DJ looking for a compact and durable set of monitoring headphones, or just the ordinary person on the street wanting comfort and sound quality when listening to music on their iPod. These headphones really cover a wide range of options.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This PA system is an ideal portable solution for sound reinforcement in compact environments. It’s small enough to be set up by one person and still powerful enough for a small band.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The 40mm drivers have plenty of bottom end in them, even without completely closing over the ears with the outer pads. A crisp high frequency response is also delivered with decent SPL levels attainable given the power is there in the headphone amplifier driving them.

USEABILITY: The compact design means they fit easily over the head without being too obtrusive or weighing you down at all. They sit comfortably and stay in place when you want them to, so they tick all the boxes in this area. The smaller ear pieces do allow for some room noise spill however, so you do need to run them pretty hard in a loud mixing environment.

CONSTRUCTION: These headphones are built a lot tougher than they first appear to be.

They fold up in an unusual way to allow you to store them in your bag, but will then take all sorts of beatings and continue to deliver. The headband actually flexes and twists when undue pressure is exerted upon it, so they move with impact, rather than breaking.

OVERALL: These are a headphone that may well be better suited to street use over club use in the long run. They are in a small enough frame to go wherever you want to go and they will certainly take a beating when you carryy them in your bag or backpack and come in three colour choices: black, white and silver.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Aided by the grunt of the 15” sub-woofer to give you plenty of bottom end, the twin satellite speakers deliver plenty of punch. Although small, these satellites do well to fill a room when mounted on the included stands getting them up to ng the sound across any space. head height and projecting mpact and USEABILITY: A very compact easy to set up system, it can be up w minutes and running under a few and has all the controls on the rear of the sub, so you can control the n and only volume from one location o on point need to supply power to as well.

CONSTRUCTION: Put together pact, solid really well, they are compact, ht to them, and have a decent weight ble in any without being unmovable way. This is without a doubt the best built PA system from Rare r.

Audio I have tested so far. ou slug it OVERALL: Whether you f, get busy out on stage by yourself, hole gang in a duo or bring the whole eat deal of along, you will get a great use from the D1500-EX.

PG. 38 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

RARE AUDIO RA-G8F-150R

RRP: $449

EZ CLAMP ULTIMATE HOLDER

RRP: $79

PRODUCT TYPE: FOLD BACK MONITOR SPEAKER DISTRIBUTOR: JADE AUSRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: IPAD STAND MOUNT DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

RECOMMENDED FOR: Perfect for solo or duo artists who want a compact personal monitor on a small stage. Also great for keyboard players and DJs who need a separate monitor for their own sound outside of the fold back mix.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is perfect for any singer or musician who wants to use their iPad on stage, or in the studio as a reference for lyrics, chords, charts, or just for keeping up to date with Facebook during a gig.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Equipped with an 8” bass driver and delivering 150 watts of power, the unit delivers a loud, clear and a full-range sound that allows you to hear everything you need to whilst on stage, without being so overpowering that it spills into the room or causes feedback easily.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Unlike some iPad and tablet holders on the market, the EZ Clamp makes it simple to adjust the device to suit the newest and latest tablet. With eight separate arms supplied (and four only needed to hold a unit in place) you have a variety of size options to match up with your tablet of choice.

USEABILITY: This is a fairly simple design, and it’s meant to be. There is no need to over complicate the issue when you just want a compact speaker to deliver a monitor mix to you.

With a three band EQ and the option of a line input as well as a microphone input, there are a variety of uses for this little speaker.

USEABILITY: As this screws on to the top of a microphone stand, it is really quick and easy to set up on any stage and remove as soon as you are done. The mounting arms for the tablet easily slide in and out of the bracket to quickly adjust for different units and the ball mounted arm allows for swivelling to just about any angle once set up on the stand.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a tough little box that has been built to be operated on the floor most of its life. So, it has a rugged wood case with a flexible metal grill to protect the amplifier and drivers soundly. A second set of connections is provided in case you mount these on speaker stands so all leads are kept to the rear of the unit.

CONSTRUCTION: The overall design seems solid enough and it holds the weight of any tablet without worry. The plastic threading that tightens the ball joint may cause issue in time, but who can tell at this point.

OVERALL: A clever design, especially with the option of two separate power and audio inputs for different setups. Very lightweight for what it delivers and easy to carry in and out of any venue. This would make a great little companion to just about any gigging musician.

g of similar units on the market, this is a reallyy clever interpretation p OVERALL: With a range e concept and one that does stand out ahead of so many others out there. The ability ab of the ate the tablet completely without unscrewing anything is very handy, especially w to rotate when eing shared on stage between two users. it is being

BLUE ENCORE 200

BLUE ENCORE 300

RRP: $229

RRP: $309

PRODUCT TYPE: LIVE MICROPHONE DISTRIBUTOR: AMBER TECHNOLOGY

PRODUCT TYPE: LIVE CONDENSER MICROPHONE DISTRIBUTOR: AMBER TECHNOLOGY

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the microphone that singers should reach for when they want something a little different, something a little special, something that strays away from the typical live microphone sound that can seem so stale at times.

RECOMMENDED FOR: For the vocalist who really wants to bring their best voice to the stage and deliverr a sound similar to what you would get within the studio.

This is a microphone worth looking at and listening to.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The Encore 200 has a crispness in clarity and tone that you just don’t usually expect from a dynamic microphone. It still has exceptional stage noise rejection and only really captures sound from a close proximity to the capsule, but the sound it does capture really makes it all worthwhile.

USEABILITY: This microphone will work well on just about any stage. Obviously, there are some circumstances when it just doesn’t fit, but for a wide variety of both male and female voices, this is a great microphone for adding depth and characterr to the sound.

CONSTRUCTION: Unlike most microphones built

by Blue that look ever so delicate, the Encore 200 is built with a rugged design that is just begging to be punished on stage time and time again. The capsule is well suspended, so it can handle a series of bumps without any damage and the cage is tough so it isn’t going to crumble when you drop the microphone.

OVERALL: From a company that doesn’t really bring thoughts of live dynamic microphones to mind, this is a very, very good tool for any singer out there. It is well built, offers a great sound and will definitely give your voice a unique quality that many other microphones on stage will not.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Blue have taken all that they know from creating great studio microphones to bring together the Encore 300. It delivers a rich tone and exquisite high frequency roll off that you just don’t expect to get in most live microphones.

USEABILITY: The beauty of this unit sees a smaller than usual capsule well supported in a design that could only come from the team at Blue. It has been specially put together to deliver the best sound possible on a loud stage while offering the greatest rejection off handling noise at the same time. This means just about any singer is going to improve their performance with the use of one of these microphones.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a beautifully constructed microphone that sees the capsule very well protected from shock and damage. The internal circuitry is also very well housed. These microphones are not only built to look and sound great, but they are built to last the journey too.

OVERALL: To say I was surprised with how this microphone sounded would be a lie. I knew it was going to deliver the sound it did purely based on Blue’s reputation and my experiences with most of the otherr microphones in their range.

PG. 39 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

CAD STAGEPASS WX1200 SERIES

RRP: $399

ALTO PROFESSIONAL STEALTH SYSTEM

RRP: $649.99

PRODUCT TYPE: WIRELESS COMBINATION SYSTEM DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

PRODUCT TYPE: WIRELESS SPEAKER TRANSMITTERS DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: For any musician looking to take their performance wireless for the first time. Whether a beginner or a serious performer, when you want variety and versatility, you will get it from the WX1200 Combination System.

RECOMMENDED FOR: For any DJ or band who runs powered speakers in their live setup and wants to simplify the setup and eliminate long cable runs. Perfect for crowded rooms when speakers need to be some distance from the mixer.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: This is probably the most versatile wireless system on the market. It comes complete with pretty much every combination of transmitter you will ever need, so you can cover all bases for any gig. You get a hand held microphone as well as a belt pack, one of which can be used at any one time with the receiver.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: These deliver a clear transmission direct from your mixer outputs, either in mono or stereo to the receivers so it sounds just like they are only meters away from the sound source to begin with. Operating on a range of channels, so multiple systems can be operated in close proximity, there isn’t any hassle with bandwidth.

USEABILITY: It’s easy to switch from one transmitter to the other, with the process of aligning transmitter and receiver being quick and easy. When using the belt pack transmitter, you get a guitar lead for wireless guitar, but you also get a lapel microphone and a headset microphone. There is no application this system cannot operate within.

USEABILITY: Setting up is a breeze, with both receivers terminating in XLR outputs for easy connection to your powered speakers. This means only power cables need to be run a short distance to each speaker location and long audio cables are no longer needed.

CONSTRUCTION: All in all, representative of the price range of this unit, the receivers are not the most rugged in design. The receiver is pretty tough, but that is the part of the system that doesn’t take much punishment in the long run.

OVERALL: This is a great idea; it is almost unheard of for a wireless system to incorporate all of these transmitters in one collection. It is essentially a do-it-all wireless solution for those who do not know exactly what their needs will be.

SENNHEISER XSW-35

RRP: $529

CONSTRUCTION: All three units in the set are built into tough little cases that are ready to handle the rigours of a live room. There is so little going on with them externally, that there is very little that can go wrong.

OVERALL: This is a really clever idea that turns the concept of wireless transmission around the other way. It will now mean that your portable PA system can be set up in locations and configurations that may not have been possible previously.

TC VOICESOLO FX150

RRP: $599

PRODUCT TYPE: WIRELESS MICROPHONE SYSTEM DISTRIBUTOR: SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: FOLD BACK MONITOR SPEAKER & EFFECTS DISTRIBUTOR: AMBER TECHNOLOGY

RECOMMENDED FOR: For vocal artists working as solo performers or in a group, including MCs working with DJs, this is a really high quality wireless microphone option that will get you around the room and help you interact with your audience.

RECOMMENDED FOR: When you can’t decide if you want better vocal effects or a vocal monitor speaker in order to hear yourself better, why not have both. This is perfect for any singer who wants to take control of their sound and hear it too.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The digital transmission of the XSW wireless systems is flawless and really quite transparent. A full frequency response is delivered right up to the boundaries of the unit’s range, so it does not degrade in quality as you move away from the receiver.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: This unit delivers classic TC Helicon vocal processing with reverb, compression and EQ over a three channel on board digital mixer and allows the singer to control the sound as it can be mounted on any microphone stand. With a 6.5” Tannoy powered speaker built in for fold back applications, you can clearly hear everything from your position behind the microphone.

USEABILITY: Setting up each unit is quick and easy, with a range of separate channels available to stop cross-talk. Now all completely class compliant to meet with new broadcasting laws, you should not have any issues operating these systems well into the future. And matching the transmitter and receiver is a sinch.

CONSTRUCTION: A stronger and tougher build than the previous system they replaced; the XSW-35 sees a metal casing on the receiver and a tough microphone housing with excellent protection of the capsule for low handling noise in the roughest of conditions.

OVERALL: These are a high quality wireless system at a price that is well below their worth.

I would happily have these as a touring wireless system knowing the audio and build quality will hold up to whatever conditions and applications they are used within. This is the mark for quality at this price point, without a doubt. benchmark

PG. 40 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

USEABILITY: The Voice Solo is really easy to set up and tweak to your liking. It can be placed on a stand, set up on the floor angled up at you or it can hook onto your microphone stand so it is only a couple of feet from your ears and in an optimum listening position that will avoid feedback too.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into a tough plastic case to keep the weight down, there is not a lot to fault in the construction of this unit. The rear connections are all easily accessible yet still recessed out of the way to avoid damaged and the front control panel features firm rubberised buttons and pots that feel really solid and long wearing.

OVERALL: This is a really cool design that is going to excite a lot of singers out there. Not only for rehearsal purposes, but for use on the stage as well, this means you can always control your vocal sound as well as your fold back to ensure you and the audience hear your vocals the way you want.

FISHMAN TRIPLE PLAY

RRP: $699

PRODUCT TYPE: WIRELES GUITAR MIDI PICKUP DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

RRP: $569.99 PRODUCT TYPE: LIGHTING RIG DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the addition that every guitar player needs for their recording or even live setup. If you want to add some extra versatility to you guitar, or just completely change the way in which you sound live, this is what you should look into. Cool for electronic musicians wanting to play live traditionally with a guitar.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: As far as sounds go, they are pretty much limitless. This is the ultimate in guitar versatility given that you transmit a MIDI single from your guitar and this can then be translated into any sound you want. If you want your guitar to sound like a sitar, a Juno synth, a drum kit or a tuned pack of roaring lions, you can do it with the Triple Play.

USEABILITY: It’s easy to install the pickup on any guitar, without any damage to the instrument. Wireless transmission terminates in the compact USB dongle that then feeds the signal direct into your laptop. It is so simple to achieve results that used to require multiple pieces of hardware and a dozen cables.

CONSTRUCTION: Both the receiver and transmitter are housed in a tough plastic case and the pickup and mounting brackets are all tough enough to take any punishment they could possible get when mounted on your guitar.

OVERALL: For anyone who has thought about the idea of a MIDI guitar in the past but has been put off by how complicated it all seemed, you can leave your worries at the door. The Triple Play has just made it not only simple but fast and efficient when tracking MIDI notes m a guitar and converting them to amazing sounds. from

AMERICAN DJ VERTIGO HEX LED

AMERICAN DJ MEGA PAR PROFILE SYSTEM

RRP: $189.99

RECOMMENDED FOR: The is the perfect addition to any live musical performance.

Whether you are a DJ, a solo guitarist, a duo or a small band, this unit will help bring your show to life and add vibrant colour and movement to the stage.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With four separately adjustable LED lighting cans hardwired onto the stand’s crossbar, you can angle them to any point on the stage or across the room to highlight your show how you want. As they are LED lights, a range of colours is available without the need to change gels; each panel can change colours as wanted.

USEABILITY: From the carry bag to full operation, it takes about a minute to set up and you are ready to go. The foot controller allows you to change the colours and turn lights on and off. You can even set it to respond to the sound from you music.

CONSTRUCTION: Keeping the unit as light as possible, it is still fairly ruggedly built and ready to go from one gig to another. The stand more than handles the weight it supports and the foot controller comes with a really tough cable that is ready to take the abuse of being stood upon all night long.

OVERALL: This is a really great idea for anyone wanting to add some lighting to their set.

The LEDs draw very little power, they don’t generate any heat and you don’t have to worry about changing globes all the time. It is a low maintenance lighting solution for a compact stage area.

CIOKS ADAM POWER SUPPLY

RRP: $209

PRODUCT TYPE: LIGHTING RIG DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: POWER SUPPLY DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

RECOMMENDED FOR: For any artist or lighting engineer that wants to bring extra life to the club and add moving colour without high power needs or creating too much heat.

Being lightweight also means it is a great accessory to the portable PA to improve your show.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Primarily designed as an effects pedal power supply the Adam will suit sources needing 9V DC up to 250mA or 9 or 12V DC up to 100 mA. Handy for those needing a smaller unit that can be stashed under a pedal board, on top of a sound module or in your gig bag for those times when you need some juice for any range of gear including controllers and audio interfaces.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Offering a range of colours due to the LED technology this unit utilises, it can change colour and move in time with the music. It will fit in with any existing lighting rig and work alongside traditional incandescent lights with great effect.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Sound wise it is actually the fact that it’s super quiet and will keep your pedals quiet. For versatility you do get the option of 9v and 12v at both 100 and 250 mA and the fact that it’s quite small in form makes it easy to transport and slot in.

USEABILITY: This is so simple to operate. You simply need to mount it on a lighting bar or a floor stand and adjust the frequency to which the microphone controls the operation.

Then, just let the vertigo do its thing in time with the music for stunning effects and long reaching beams of colour.

USEABILITY: Easy to get going and does the job of either separate power supplies, batteries or a heap of messy leads. It’s basically plug in and play and some dip switches for changing the outlets and you’re good to go.

CONSTRUCTION: Housed in a lightweight but rigid case, the Vertigo is going to give you years of use fitted to a permanent installation. As a travelling unit, you can see how a few bumps and scratches are going to build up on the unit, but that will not affect its performance.

CONSTRUCTION: This is one of the clinchers for the Adam (and Cioks in general!). Seriously built tough you could run a car over it and I reckon it’d still work. The design, layout and assembly are well thought out and best of all the power is clean and noise free with isolated sections for each outlet.

OVERALL: This is another clever addition to a lighting solution that will not overheat a stage. It is easy to see why it has become so popular and I have no doubt most of you will recognise the effect when you see it as it is likely to be in a range of clubs and other venues.

OVERALL: Cioks has made a great name for itself over the past few years with bullet proof power supplies that are quiet, flexible and powerful. The Adam showcases a smaller scaled unit that will suit a range of uses and all for less than the price of a guitar pedal or sound module.

PG. 41 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

bass up and the treble down. There’s not quite as much dimension as the top-dollar US-made Music Man pickup of course, but because this version uses the same dimensions you could easily upgrade the pickup down the track.

EVERYBODY LOVES RAY The SUB Ray4 is a far better bass than you would expect at this price range, especially in playability and construction. The sounds are better than you could honestly expect. The Ray4 sums up everything that beginning players or budget-conscious experienced ones expect in a Ray-spec bass, and it does so with Music Man’s own approval.

BY PETER HODGSON

STERLING BY MUSIC MAN SUB RAY4 This gets a bit tricky, so bare with me. Originally there was Music Man, a company co-founded

by Leo Fender which made instruments and amplifiers. One of their developments was the StingRay bass, which Sterling Ball helped to design. This company was eventually sold to Ernie Ball. In the noughties, certain Ernie Ball Music Man designs were the basis for a budget line called OLP (which quite blandly stood for Official Licensed Product). They were great budget instruments but eventually that came to an end. Then there was (and still is) Sterling

By Music Man, which offers mid-priced (and brilliant) instruments based on classic MM designs. Now there’s SUB by Sterling by Music Man to cater to the budget end of the market again. These instruments were released at NAMM a couple of years ago and they feature several classic Music Man designs, one of which

is the StingRay, in the form of the Ray4 fourstring and Ray5 five-string.

SPEC CHECK The Ray4 is available in four colours: Black (BK), White (WH), Walnut Stain (WS), Transparent Red Stain (TRS) and the beautiful Transparent Blue Stain (TBS) of the review model. Whichever colour you go for, the heart of the instrument is a solid hardwood body (it’s not specified exactly what kind of wood it is, and it’s hard to tell through the transparent finish, but it appears to be made of up at least three pieces). The Maple neck features a Rosewood fretboard on the TBS, TRS, WS and WH models, or a Maple fretboard on the BK and the Ray5. And all the key Music Man features are here: the split 3/1 tuning key layout; the curved control plate; the proprietary bridge design which adds mass and

MC SYSTEMS LYN DYNAMIC PHASER

increases the amount of metal making contact with the body for better string energy transfer; the sturdy six-bolt neck joint. Even the neck profile feels unmistakably Music Man-derived.

The electronics include a humbucker which looks just like the ‘real deal’ Music Man model, joined to a volume control and a two-band active EQ (Treble and Bass, each capable of boosting or cutting its selected frequency).

Battery access is through an easily accessible compartment in the back.

PLAYTIME The Ray4’s playability is exceptional, not only for a bass in this price range but for a bass in general. A bit part of this is the fretwork. It’s totally flawless in terms of the fret ends, which plays a big role in enhancing playability. The frets themselves aren’t exactly polished shiny but they’re still quite good. And sustain is incredible. This bass has a really nice natural tone which translates well to the plugged-in sound.

The EQ gives the humbucker a wider range of sounds than would otherwise be available, including great slap/pop sounds, and you can get some nice deep dubby tones by turning the

IT’S MORE THAN JUST A PHASE Like all pedals in the range, the LYN Dynamic Phaser is designed so that there are two depth levels: one general depth and one that you can access by flipping the ‘V-Switch Enable’ toggle and stomping the pedal at a specific velocity. In other words, the depth of the effect depends on how hard you stomp. It’s a very cool, interactive way to access your sound. Controls are Depth and V-Depth, Definition, Rate and Alt-Rate. The Alternate footswitch lets you select between the two rate controls, giving you the ability to PG. 42 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

BY PETER HODGSON RRP: $245

DISRIBUTIOR: CMC Music Australia PHONE: (02) 9905 2511 WEBSITE: www.cmcmusic.com.au HITS

• Selectable depths • Selectable rates • Lots of variety MISSES

• None! Nailed it!

SPECS

NECK: Maple FRETBOARD: Rosewood BODY: Solid Hardwood PICKUPS: High Output Humbucking Pickup NUT: RAY4 – 38MM NUT / RAY5 – 45MM NUT HITS

• Nice satin finish • Comfortable neck • Flexible electronics MISSES

• Slightly high factory setup

a few uses. As far as the components go, I love the use of the slim Neutrik connectors for both the mono and stereo terminations.

These are a solid jack and offer very little movement for the internal cable when twisted in use. Inside, the soldering is very neat, especially at the stereo connector’s end where there is very little room to move with the three solder points in close quarters. I always prefer a cable that allows you access to the solder points. It’s the first thing I check when I get a new cable and it is good to know that you can get in there and repair them easily if you ever need to. The addition of heat shrink for strain relief at the mono ends and at the split in the cable gives it added strength, so you can rest assured that this lead is going to handle whatever punishment you give it on stage or in the studio.

SET YOUR PHASERS TO STUN The effect itself is a lush, four stage classic FET phaser, and anyone looking for cool and very controllable phaser textures will love it, from vintage fans who want to get some of that ‘different Leslie speeds’ vibe through to modern anarchist texturalists who want some altogether more alien sonics. It offers everything from gentle, barely-perceptible phaser warbles to truly outthere “No Quarter” style phaser wobbles, and it sounds just as good either way. Through the front end of your amp you’ll hear nice syrupy harmonic overtones, while if you use it in the effect loop it has a more pronounced ‘swoosh.’ From a practical standpoint the V-Switch takes a little bit of getting used to, but after a little while it starts to feel pretty natural, and you can even create rhythms with careful use of the Alternate switch and rate controls. In fact, as with the Dynamic Distortion, the Alternate switch really unlocks something great from this pedal that you’re not necessarily gonna get from other phasers, even ones that sound similar.

Although the phaser as an effect pedal has undergone a few changes over the years, it’s been essentially the same for a few decades now. Not a lot of innovation happening in phaser-town. But by simply applying the flexibility of their dynamic technology to the common phaser, MC Systems has blown the effect wide open in a way that we’ve never seen before.

DISTRIBUTOR: CMC Music Australia PHONE: (02) 9905 2511 WEBSITE: www.cmcmusic.com.au

KLOTZ VARIO STEREO GUITAR CABLE

get those cool Leslie fast-slow effects. Power is via 9v adaptor (not included) with the input and output jacks along the top for neat pedalboard presentation, and the pedal itself seems designed to take any stomping that you wish to dish out.

SWOOSH Phaser is the perfect effect to apply this kind of dynamic technology to because it allows you to access the more Leslie-like elements of the phaser sound as well as more out-there textures in a truly interactive way.

RRP: $595

GREAT TONE What is the best thing about this lead is the sound. It delivers plenty of high and low frequency response with plenty of volume.

There is no choking of the signal from the cable itself, so you pretty much get out what you put into it. In short, these are simply very well made cables. There is no denying that.

And, given the purpose, this has been well constructed to meet a need that many cable manufacturers don’t address.

For those guitarists who use instruments with two outputs, generally as a result of a piezo pickup system running on a separate output, there are very few options available for a quality cable on the market. With a range of cheaper moulded cables that are really designed for insert use over short distance seeming to be all that is ever available, Klotz have come to the aid of the guitarist with special needs. This is the cable that anyone with a dual output or stereo output needs.

SMARTLY BUILT With over a foot of cable on each side of the split section, this lead will a range of combinations your setup might involve.

The cable itself doesn’t have any noticeable memory in it after being coiled up and has plenty of flex to allow you optimum movement around the stage. After all, there is nothing worse than a cable that curls up on you after

BY ROB GEE

RRP: $119.95 (3metres)

DISTRIBUTOR: CMC Music Australia PHONE: (02) 9905 2511 WEBSITE: www.cmcmusic.com.au

HITS

• Memory free cable with plenty of flex • Great audio quality • Great construction

MISSES

• May not suit your purposes

MC SYSTEMS LHR DYNAMIC DISTORTION Australian company MC Systems has created a range of pedals which will change the way you play guitar. Now, stick with us cos this sounds more complex than it is: they’re true bypass ‘dynamic response’ pedals where when you’re coming out of bypass, the amount of effect you get is dependent upon the velocity with which you switch the pedal on via the V-Switch. That is, when you enable the effect you’ll get whatever preset amount of drive you dialled in on the top control, but when you hit the switch harder you’ll go into another preset level depending on how hard you stomp. And in addition there’s a second switch labelled Alternate, which gives you access to a parameter you’d like to access quickly.

DYNOMITE The twin Drive levels are selectable via the V-Switch and the Alternate switch gives you two tone options. The unit itself is quite sturdy: it’s a nice strong pedal which takes up the perfect amount of space on your board, ALTERNATE PICKING The tone control gives you a really nice range of sounds from smooth to scratchy, and there’s plenty of scope for gain-shaping, from a light Stones-y overdrive to full on hairy distortion. It doesn’t go all the way up to brutal death metal distortion but there are plenty of textures here depending on your preferred style.

THAT’S A NEW ONE The Dynamic Distortion is great for distortion junkies, blues-rockers who want different levels of crunch and scream for rhythm and lead, or pro players who need a lot of tone without a lot of hassle, buttons and LCD screens. It’s a really unique, interesting and adaptable pedal, not just for its tone but also for the way it encourages you to access that tone.

BY PETER HODGSON HITS

• Wide gain range • Two switchable tones = genius.

MISSES

• V-Switch is a bit of a learning curve.

RRP: $245

DISRIBUTIOR: CMC Music Australia PHONE: (02) 9905 2511 WEBSITE: www.cmcmusic.com.au

OGRE TUBEHOLIC OVERDRIVE In the world of guitar effect pedals, it can be really difficult to do something different. And there are so many ‘straight outta Portland’ boutique builders crafting hand-wired fuzzes built into discarded tuna cans painted by their dreadlocked girlfriends, that new builders on the scene really need to do something outthere to be noticed. Enter OGRE. Or maybe that should be “Enter OGRE, smashing through the wall on a flaming motorbike that’s bristling with spikes that have skulls impaled on them.”

This company has really gone for the throat with their innovative designs, including the Thunderclap Distortion (which looks like a demonic steel demon skull with glowing eyes and horns jutting out of its head which are actually the volume, tone and gain controls), and the Tubeholic Overdrive, which encases the controls behind a sleek space-age mask which looks like a cross between a Transformer and a Power Ranger.

TONEBOTS IN DISGUISE So let’s get the design out of the way. The controls – Level, Tone and Gain – are hidden away quite safely underneath the sliding cover that forms the forehead of the face, while you step on the lower part of the face to engage the effect. The controls themselves are easy to use but carefully hidden when you want to keep them safe. It’s an extremely well-built pedal, both stylistically and structurally. Everything makes sense, and the stomping mechanism and the controls themselves feel very reliable. There are two blue LEDs which illuminate when the effect is on, and the pedal is true bypass.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE I tested the Tubeholic with my Ibanez Iron Label 8-string with Seymour Duncan Pegasus and Sentient pickups. I soon discovered that believe it or not, this thing is ideal for blues, alternative, country and indie etc as well as the heavier genres that you would expect a pedal that looks like this to be suited to. It’s a surprisingly smooth-sounding overdrive which would definitely please vintage tone hounds, despite its ultra-futuristic look. There’s a simultaneous smoothness and fatness to the tone which I was able to use to thicken up the twang of my pickups’ single coil modes, and which gave a nice vocal-like quality to sustained lead lines. When used as a boost to add some gain and tone-shaping to the dirty channel of my Marshall, I noticed a really pleasant midrange ‘honk’ which allowed notes to remain clear and articulate even at high speed. It’s nice to hear a variant of the ‘overdrive pedal into distorted amp’ tone that doesn’t smear out the pick attack.

ROLL OUT In a way it’s a shame it looks so out-there because the looks might turn off some players who would love the tone. Sonically it’s a really great overdrive that transcends its love-it-orhate-it looks to really reveal itself as a powerful sonic tool regardless of your musical style. If you like the look, go for it! If you’re a bit iffy, give it a try anyway and let the tone have a chance to win you over.

BY PETER HODGSON

HITS

• Nice smooth overdrive tones • Very solid construction RRP: $229

DISRIBUTIOR: Ubersonic PHONE: (03) 9580 2060 WEBSITE: www.ubersonic.com.au

MISSES

• Could be mistaken for a robot

JULY 2014 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 PG. 43

PRESONUS STUDIO LIVE PA SYSTEM This month I was lucky enough to have a demonstration of the new Presonus StudioLive PA system so I could see, and hear, just what this beast of a system was capable of. Now, I have heard a large number of different PA’s in the last year and I can honestly say, this was the first one in a long time that got me excited. Made up of a range of components, you can build a system to meet your needs and have total control of the sound, right from your iPad as you stroll around the room.

HOW IT LOOKED I was presented with a system that was made up of two StudioLive 18sAI subwoofers paired up with two StudioLive 12AI speakers to create a powerful combination that really impressed not only inside, but in the outdoor environment that I also got to hear it perform in. At close range, I felt like I was going to have the skin peeled back from my face, as it was run hard, but moving back, even up to a range of around forty meters when it was set up outdoors the clarity just shown through in its projection. This system almost sounded like a pair of studio monitors, just with a stupid amount of volume backing them. But, joyfully, they did not break into harsh harmonic distortion when driven hard, like so many powered speakers can tend to do. This is achieved with the coaxial design of the high frequency drivers that deliver sound from a range of frequencies in time with one another and in perfect sync. The result is a true listening joy.

BEHIND THE SCENES The real beauty of these speakers is not so much in hearing them, but in operating the almost too easy interface. All the speaker and subs have built in DSP controllers that allow you to tune them with EQ, compression and other features

wirelessly through the use of an iPad app. The beauty of this is that once you have the system tuned for any room, you can save that setting and instantly recall it any time you set up in that space again. It couldn’t get any easier. Without even really needing to get too in depth with the system, you can tweak it to suit a room in a flash and then fine tune it as you walk around the room with your iPad and make adjustments as needed. No more trying to guess how a room is sounding when you tune from the engineers desk tucked away in a corner, this system will make sure it sounds good and from anywhere on the floor. Gone are the days of doing hard work to get a PA sounding right. Now, with Presonus’ new StudioLive PA speakers, you have no excuses. You are just going to have to sound good up on stage.

BY ROB GEE RRP: $1999

DISTRIBUTOR: National Audio Systems PHONE: (03) 8756 2600 WEBSITE: www.nationalaudio.com.au

HITS

• Modular system that can grow from one speaker to an entire array • Easy control with iPad app • Incredible studio monitor clarity • Plenty of headroom to move with when needed MISSES

• It’s just a little too easy, gone is the challenge

EXCEPTIONAL DIGITAL CLARITY MEETS SEAMLESS OPERATION. GLX-D Wireless Systems Debuting Next Generation Wireless A ground-breaking offering, GLX-D Wireless Systems combine revolutionary LINKFREQ Automatic Frequency Management and battery rechargeability with world-renowned Microphones, and the rst Shure pedal-mounted guitar option. GLX-D Wireless Systems de ne the newest standard for seamless ease of operation and exceptional digital audio clarity.

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PG. 44 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

S60 SOLID ROAD SERIES

SOLID AUSTRALIAN TIMBERS. SOLID AUSTRALIAN TONE.

WHY COMPROMISE. maton.com.au/product/solid-60

MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 45

MATON S60 ACOUSTIC GUITAR Adding quite a few new models and variations of late, Maton have continued to pump out new guitars with refined features that suit players of all levels. Coming in at the more affordable end of the scale but still displaying some well known Maton touches is the S60 – an all solid dreadnought acoustic guitar that should suit a range of players and styles.

SHOULDER A dreadnaught guitar style with slightly rounded shoulders the S60 has a traditional, vintage look and features a combination of Spruce for the top, Queensland maple neck, back and sides, an Indian Rosewood neck and Rosewood bridge.

Maton have gone for bone in both the nut and saddle and the Sapele headstock veneer adds to the retro look (reminiscent of older Maton guitars) with the Maton logo sideways in style.

The S60 is finished in a satin ‘pre catalysed’ nitro finish which looks clean and subtle, letting the guitar do the talking for you as opposed to super glossy, glitzy adornments. An all acoustic guitar there are no electronics onboard, really making it a ‘Solid’ guitar.

60 WAYS TO...

Maton are pretty rapt with the playability and improved design and construction of the S60 and rightly so. I found it to be nice and light yet solid and strong giving you the confidence to dig in or really bash out chords. The subtleness is there too though and you can use fingers for a more refined touch or increase the dynamics with a pick for single note lines and the like.

Neck wise the S60 fits into Maton’s existing stable and you’ll be at home in first position or right up the neck meaning it’ll suit the open chord strummers and shredders alike (and everything in between).

PG. 46 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

SOLID Maton really have produced the goods with the S60 at this price point and it does a fine job as a straight acoustic guitar without electronics on board. You get a nice combination of woods (including some Aussie timber) in a classic shape that can cover more than a few bases. Pop, country, blues, folk, rock, singer/ songwriter, live, studio, the S60 acoustic will work nicely being rich in tone with various strum hand actions and finger-picking styles. In summary, the S60 is an all-rounder and a ripper addition to the existing Maton line of acoustics with a price tag that will open some more doors for those on a tighter budget, but who still want that classic Maton spark.

BY NICK BROWN RRP: $1099

DISTRIBUTOR: Maton Guitars PHONE: (03) 9896 9500 WEBSITE: www.maton.com.au

HITS

• Clear and snappy with good volume and projection.

• All solid and all acoustic.

• Great value for money.

MISSES

• Some players will prefer it with a pickup as standard/an option.

SPECS

FACE: ’A’ Spruce FACE INLAY: Sapele ring BACK AND SIDES: Solid QLD Maple NECK: QLD Maple HEADSTOCK: Sapele Veneer-2mm FINGERBOARD: Ballcut Indian Rosewood FINGERBOARD INLAYS: 6mm dots NUT AND SADDLE: Bone BRIDGE: Rosewood PAINT: Natural Satin MACHINE HEADS: Chrome Grover SCRATCHPLATE: Black

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MIXDOWN NO. 243PROUDLY / JULY 2014 / PG. 47 BY CASIO DISTRIBUTED SHRIRO AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

BLACKSTAR HT CLUB 40 VINTAGE PRO EDITION COMBO TWEAK IT The tone stack in the amplifier has also been tweaked slightly, but most users will hear the tonal change in the speaker more so than the subtle tone stack differences that are greatly masked by the Vintage 30’s characteristics. When you blend the ISF EQ you can really hear the changes in tone form British to American tone stack now that the new speaker is in place. It suddenly sounds like a more complete amplifier and one that has a voicing that is going to be more suited to today’s players. Obviously, the Vintage 30 in the model I heard was still pretty stiff and could benefit from some playing, but I didn’t have a good 20 or so hours spare time this month to test how the sound developed. I can only imagine it is going to improve and win players over with time.

Many of us have come to know the sounds, features and various models on offer from Blackstar. In recent years Blackstar players will also know, they do love to release limited special editions from time to time. One such release this year that has a number of people talking and a lot of people listening is a hot-rodded version of the ever popular HT Club 40. So, let’s see what all the fuss is about.

FAMILIAR LOOKS First glance will have Blackstar fans seeing just what is going on here. Essentially, this amplifier is still a HT Club 40 combo, it still bears the same frame, front panel and that all too familiar HT amplifier look. But, the obviously striking difference to the original is that it is featured in the dark red tolex that is usually reserved for the Artisan amplifiers. This gives it a great look and instantly makes it come across as something special. Well, when you have a closer look and a careful listen, you will realise there is something even more special to this amplifier than just a change in tolex.

CELESTIAL SOUNDS Peering around the rear of the combo to get a glimpse of what is hiding within the cabinet reveals the backbone of the tone in this limited release. Blackstar have been quick to realise just how many users like to hot-rod their amplifiers and so they have given you a head start in this instance with an upgrade to the speaker right out of the box. This version comes loaded with a Celestion Vintage 30, probably the most popular Celestion speaker of all time and one that has a distinct tone. It brings a new characteristic to this amplifier and changes the voicing for a more edgy modern rock sound.

BY ROB GEE

RRP: $1499

DISTRIBUTOR: National Audio Systems PHONE: (03) 8756 2600 WEBSITE: www.nationalaudio.com.au

SPECS

40 Watt valve combo 2xECC83, 2xEL34 Celestion Vintage 30 speaker for classic tone Two footswitchable channels Clean and Overdrive Blackstar’s patented ISF control Fitted with a ‘Limited Edition’ badge Digital reverb with dark/bright switch Speaker emulated output Effects loop 2-way footswitch included

HITS

• Great vintage look.

• All the features of the original HT Club 40 • Perfectly sculpted sound to match the speaker choice • Limited edition appeal

MISSES

• Very limited run – going to be hard to get your hands on one.

2014 GIBSON LES PAUL MELODY MAKER

There are certain things we think of when we hear ‘Gibson Les Paul.’ Chief among these are the single cutaway design, two pickups each with their own volume and tone controls, and a carved top. And Gibson’s long-running Melody Maker model differs from this in many key ways, including a slab body, pickguard-mounted controls (most often just single volume and tone knobs), and usually just a single pickup. The Les Paul Melody Maker combines aspects of both designs and it does so in a way that brings out the best elements of each at a price that’s almost unheard of for a US-made guitar.

STRIPPED TO THE BONE TONE The Les Paul Melody Maker features the traditional Les Paul materials of a Mahogany body with a gently carved Maple top, although here the neck itself is Maple rather than the much more common Mahogany. The fretboard is Rosewood with 22 cryogenically tempered frets and a flattish 12” radius. Fretboard inlays are pretty restrained– plain acrylic dots–aside from a 120th Anniversary decorative inlay at the 12th fret, common across a wide range of 2014 Gibsons. The tuners are vintage-style units with white buttons and while they do the job they’re not the most high-spec tuners you’ll find on a Gibson. The pickups are a pair of Alnico V-loaded P90S single coils, a calibrated set with a hotter bridge pickup and hum cancelling in the middle pickup selection.

Each pickup has its own volume and tone control.

The finish is a low-labor satin which helps to keep the cost down while letting the wood breathe, and the tailpiece is the Lightning Bar model, a single wraparound intonation-compensated design in satin chrome.

MERRY MELODIES Tonally, the Les Paul Melody Maker is an aggressive, crunchy little bugger. The bridge pickup is capable of a punchy country twang in clean mode, but add a little grit and you’ll hear all sorts of great classic rock tones from the Stones onward, with a fine line in angular modern indie and alternative sounds as well. The neck pickup

has a juicy, responsive feel which is perfectly voiced for slide or for textural rhythm guitar or for vintage Sabbath-style riffsmanship, and the humcancelling middle position is a perfect all-rounder tone, letting you crank up the gain for stoner/ doom metal tones or coax rich, three-dimensional R&B chord work with equal ease.

NAILED IT This is a solid axe with solid tones for any player, and great playability no matter what your preference. If you’ve never gotten along with Les Pauls before, this one will prove a little more player-friendly, and if you are used to the unique angles and characteristics of a Les Paul, this is like a more ergonomic and spine-friendly version.

BY PETER HODGSON

RRP: $1199

DISTRIBU TOR: GIBSON AMI PHONE: (03) 8696 4600 WEBSITE: www.gibsonami.com

SPECS

BODY: Top Maple, Back Mahogany NECK: Maple FINGERBOARD: Rosewood NUT: White TekToid TUNERS: Vintage with White Buttons PICKUPS: Neck P-90SR (Alnico V), P-90ST (Alnico V) ELECTRONICS: 2 Volume Controls, 2 Tone Controls, Three-way Switchcraft toggle switch with Black Plastic Tip

HITS

• Very affordable • Great noise-free twin-pickup setting • Super-comfortable neck

MISSES

• Bridge intonation is a compromise • Very noisy pickups

STEINBERG UR44 USB AUDIO INTERFACE Following the continuing success of their UR22 interface, it just made sense that Steinberg should deliver an option for those looking to achieve a little more with their recording. So, after a long wait, we were finally given the UR44 USB audio interface, the next development in what is proving to be the right combination of features and portability.

GIVE ME MORE For those of your who have seen, used or even own the UR22, you will know it as a simple 2 In / 2 Out USB interface that delivers for its size. What Steinberg has done with the UR44 is go the extra step. The name suggests double the IO, but in fact they have offered up even more than that. The front panel offers four XLR/TRS combination inputs, with two of these supporting Hi-Z instrument levels. Phantom power can be supplied to these inputs in pairs, so you need not send it to all four inputs if not needed. A separate input gain pot is also supplied on the front panel as well, for easy trim control. On the rear of the unit, there is an additional two line level inputs, bringing that to a total of six physical analogue inputs.

On the other end of the mix, you get a main stereo pair of outputs on the rear of the unit and an additional four line level outputs, all supplied on TRS connectors. The front panel also offers output possibilities with two headphone outputs, both with their own volume pot. Put all this together with MIDI input and output and you have a lot of IO crammed into this unit.

PG. 48 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

SOME MUCH IN SO LITTLE Obviously, the IO count is quite impressive on the UR44, but it becomes even more so when you consider the size is really not that much bigger than the original UR22. Steinberg have ensured that this is a portable recording studio that can go anywhere with just a laptop or even an iPad to pair it up with. But, it isn’t just about quantity, or location, the UR44 is also striving for quality too.

You do get sample rates of up to 192 kHz, which is just about unheard of in the price range that the UR models sits in. The UR22 cleaned up the marketplace in this regard and the UR44 follows suite. Furthermore, the four XLR inputs feed into Steinberg’s D-Pre microphone preamps that are quickly proving to be a sound to chase. They deliver a warm character to your sound and a clarity that brings your recording to life. Run these preamps into the included Cubase AI software and you have a complete audio recording and production suite designed to integrate seamlessly between both hardware and software.

BY ROB GEE

HITS

SPECS

• • • •

COMPUTER CONNECTION TYPE: USB 2.0 SIMULTANEOUS I/O: 6 x 4 A/D RESOLUTION: 24-bit/192kHz BUILT IN DSP/FX: Yes (for monitoring with effects/processing) NUMBER OF AUDIO INPUTS: 6 AUDIO INPUTS: 4 x XLR combo, 2 x TRS AUDIO OUTPUT: 4 x TRS NUMBER OF PREAMPS: 4 D-Pre PHANTOM POWER: Yes MIDI: In/Out

Super portable small frame casing Four microphone preamps Bundled with Cubase AI software 192 kHz sampling rate

RRP: $419

MISSES

DISTRIBUTOR: Yamaha Music Australia PHONE: (03) 9693 5111 WEBSITE: www.steinberg.net

• Not quite as fast as other models for fine latency registration • Lacks digital IO and clocking options

MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 49

CASIO XWG1 SYNTHESIZER Around 6 months ago I got to have a brief look at a pair of Casio synthesizers that got me all excited. It had been years since I had played with a Casio synthesizer and these reignited an old fire in my soul. So, now I am more than happy to have a more in depth look at one of these keyboards again, the Casio XW-G1 synthesizer.

NOT JUST FOR THE BAND The XW-G1 has been built as a performance synthesizer, focusing on how the user can create sounds on the fly, rather than being put together for studio production.

Casio are cleverly presenting a keyboard that DJs and electronic music producers alike will want to integrate into their live sets. The first thing to consider is that you do not need to be a classical pianist to get a great sound out of this synthesizer. It is going to snuggle in with the other tools any modern DJ uses and will be a logical addition to their workflow. The inbuilt sampler and looper is what makes this such a powerful tool for the modern DJ and integrated with a controller or CDJ combination, it allows you to create some truly unique and amazing tracks on the fly.

KILLER SOUNDS The sounds are generated from Casio’s Hybrid Processing Sound Source, stemming from a 6 oscillator monophonic solo synthesizer engine. Essentially, what you get is a wide range of sounds that have a real classic analogue sound to them, but have the control

and flexibility of a modern digital synth engine.

Each voice can be made up of two virtual analogue oscillators, two PCM based oscillators, a noise oscillator and an external input source defined as an oscillator. Each oscillator having its own envelope generator and filters as well as a master filter across the entire sound. Before you get to the stage, you can sculpt and craft your own set of sounds to work with that have more complexity to them that anything you are likely to hear in a typical sample library.

EASE OF CONTROL It is the power of the synth engine within the XWG1 that gives you the awesome sound and the clever interface that allows you the flexibility and creative control to bring those sounds into a live set. It then becomes a synthesizer, looper, sampler and drum machine all bundled into one unit. For those DJs who love to bring their own beats to life on stage with hardware, this is the unit for you. If you don’t play keyboard confidently, that is no reason to shy away from the XW-G1 either. You just need to think of it as another controller with a serious loop engine behind it and ignore the keys in their traditional sense. If they are simply treated as pads for triggering samples and beats, the ease of workflow while in the mix just gets better.

BY ROB GEE

RRP: $999.95

DISTRIBUTOR: Shriro Australia PHONE: (02) 9415 5000 WEBSITE: www.soundtechnology.com.au SPECS

SOUND ENGINE: Hybrid NUMBER OF KEYS: 61 POLYPHONY: 300 Notes NUMBER OF PRESETS: 300 ARPEGGIATOR: Yes SAMPLING: Yes – up to 19 secs USB: Yes – MIDI USB MIDI: In/Out/Thru AUDIO IN: 2 x TRS AUDIO OUT: 2 x TRS, 1 x Stereo TRS Headphone

HITS

• Quick and easy looping function • Incredible depth of sound when building your own patches • Plenty of real time control functions • iPad integration for more mobile use • Can be operated on batteries if needed MISSES

• Maybe a little large for some DJ booths

AUDIO-TECHNICA AT2050 STUDIO CONDENSER 2014 GIBSON LES PAUL STANDARD ELECTRIC GUITAR MICROPHONE the included features. A low cut switch helps fight unwanted vibrations getting into your recording, as does the included suspension mount too. A pad allows you to drop the input volume by 10dB too for high SPL recordings. The real gem of this is the polar pattern switch that allows you to go from Cardioid to Omni to Figure of Eight patterns. The dual diaphragms housed in the upper casing allow for this variety and give this microphone a great deal of versatility. In both Cardioid and Figure of Eight patterns, the capsules sound fairly similar, perhaps with slightly less bottom end in the latter.

Popping into the Omni position takes a little out from the upper mid frequencies, giving it a slightly scooped sound that can work well depending on the room you are operating within. In all, this is a lot of microphone for the price tag. It does sound like a more expensive unit than what it actually is and offers plenty of versatility for a range of instrument and vocal applications. Best of all, it doesn’t offer up a great deal of operating noise, so it makes it an ideal candidate for an all-rounder in a home studio environment.

Audio Technica have certainly extended their range of studio and live use microphones in recent years, but it’s the guys who are recording at home that have gotten the best selection it seems. With AT delivering a series of microphones that offer exceptional quality and an array of features for the price range they fall into, one has to wonder why every home studio does not have at least one Audio Technica microphone in use right now. Having played with quite a few already, I was keen to get a closer look, and a listen, to the new AT2050 multiple pattern condenser to find out what was on offer.

THE CLASSIC LOOK Audio Technica have styled their ever growing range of side address condenser microphones so they conform to a classic look that makes them recognisable at a glance. This is especially so when complimented with the appropriate suspension cradle. I could pick the silhouette of an AT microphone without even thinking twice, it comes as a part of the consistency you get with these microphones. So, not only is the look similar amongst the range, but also the performance. Audio Technica deliver a standard for each step of each range and this makes it incredibly easy to choose the microphone that is right for your needs without even really needing to hear them first. Although the AT2050 bares the distinct housing shared by other microphones in the 20 Series, it has so much more to offer than other models in the range.

WARMED UP Once I had the AT2050 running on phantom and ready to cook, it comes to the time to check out PG. 50 / MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014

BY ROB GEE

RRP: CALL FOR PRICING

DISTRIBUTOR: Technical Audio Group PHONE: (02) 9519 0900 WEBSITE: www.audio-technica.com.au

SPECS

ELEMENT: Externally polarized condenser POLAR PATTERN: Cardioid, Omnidirectional, Figure-of-Eight FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 20-20,000 Hz IMPEDANCE: 120 ohms WEIGHT: 412 g OUTPUT CONNECTOR: Integral 3-pin XLRMtype

HITS

• Includes cradle to suit • Three polar patterns to work with • Offers a vibrant, transparent sound

MISSES

• Switches are not easily accessible when seated in the cradle • Diaphragms are not as large as similar models from other manufacturers

Don’t let the name throw ya, this is a very different guitar to a 1959 Les Paul Standard, the guitar that launches a million riffs. But in a way the use of the name here makes perfect sense: there are all sorts of design enhancements on the 2014 Standard which represent what a guitar can be in 2014, rather than 1959, in terms of tone, playability and tuning stability. Gibson has seen fit to apply the Standard name to this new evolution of the instrument. So what exactly is so different?

WHY WEIGHT? For starters, the Les Paul Standard’s Mahogany body is given Gibson’s Modern Weight Relief treatment, a series of strategically-drilled holes which tame the Les Paul’s traditionally back-bothering weight down to more manageable levels. The top is made of Maple (and there are three levels available: Standard, Standard Plus and Standard Premium), and the neck is Mahogany with a Rosewood fretboard and 22 cryogenically frozen frets.

The first obvious concession to updated playability is the asymmetrical ‘60s Slim Taper neck (which is more of a teardrop-shaped profile than a regular ‘60s Slim Taper neck) and a compound radius fretboard which goes from curvy and chord-friendly at the lower frets to flatter and more bendable at the higher frets.

The pickups are a pair of Alnico 5-loaded Gibson BurstBucker Pro Humbuckers, and the two volume and two tone controls have push-pull switches which give you single coil options for each pickup, a phase switch for haunting, hollow, liquid twin-pickup tones, and a ‘Pure Bypass’ switch which sends the bridge pickup signal directly to the output jack for maximum power, instead of going through volume and tone pots which rob the signal of a bit of guts. Oh and the Standard features Min-Etune self-tuning technology, which is natural and unobtrusive, giving you all sorts of instant tuning options both stock and custom right there at the press of a button.

LES WITH MORE We all know what a great humbucker-loaded Les Paul sounds like and the Burstbucker Pros deliver it in abundance: warm, punchy bridge tones, rich sustaining neck tones and plenty of sustain. So the real surprises here are the single coil and out-of-phase settings, which really open the guitar up to become the ultimate studio tool. The out-of-phase mode in particular really shines: it’s almost like a fixed-wah-wah tone or a carefully

voiced parametric EQ, and it’s capable of some very expressive, articulate sounds whether played clean or dirty. And the Min-Etune system lets you instantly go from standard to dropped and altered tunings, or to simply adjust your tuning between songs in a much more efficient way than the old Robot Guitar system.

THE PAUL THAT HAS IT ALL This is pretty much the ultimate Les Paul in terms of tone, giving you everything from classic vintage sounds to modern, up-to-the-minute textures. This really does set a new standard for what a Les Paul can be, so the more you play it, the more the name makes sense. If you want something more like a ’59, try the Les Paul Traditional, which keeps many of those classic specs alive. But if you want a guitar made for now, check the Standard out.

BY PETER HODGSON

RRP: $4899

DISTRIBUTOR: GIBSON AMI PHONE: (03) 8696 4600 WEBSITE: www.gibsonami.com SPECS

BODY: Chambered Mahogany Maple NECK: Mahogany FINGERBOARD: Bound Rosewood NUT: GraphTech TUNERS: Min-Etune BRIDGE: Tune-o-Matic PICKUPS: Gibson BurstBucker Pro Rhythm and Lead humbuckers ELECTRONICS: 3-way toggle pickup selector with volume and tone controls for each pickup.

Pull/push tuned coil-taps, phase switch and rhythm bypass (switches to bridge pickup flat out) HITS

• Out-of-phase sound is killer • Beautiful finish • Very comfortable neck MISSES

• May be too modern for some Les Paul lovers

MIXDOWN NO. 243 / JULY 2014 / PG. 51

THAT REFRESHING CLASSIC SOUND

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