GEAR NEWS & REVIEWS FOR MUSICIANS
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Allen&Heath Qu-16 Rackmountable Digital Mixer Reviews on...
Nord Stage 2 Line 6 DT25 AMP Crafter TB-Rose
Digitech JamMan Solo XT
Warwick Rockbass Robert Trujillo GEAR & INDUSTRY NEWS MEDIATECH 2013 Reviewed
TUTORIALS by ALAN RATCLIFFE ALISTAIR ANDREWS | JON PIKE KURT SLABBERT & SERGIO PEREIRA
WWW.MUSEONLINE.CO.ZA
www.audiosure.co.za
www.hybrid.co.za For trade enquiries or to find your closest retailer : Call (011) 250 3280 | orders@hybrid.co.za
Line Array System K-LA unbeatable price, unbelievable sound Full System Price: R 165,850.00 Includes: 8 X K-LA 28 Line array cabinets (Dual 8” MF Drivers, dual1 “HF Drivers - 4 Cabs per side) 2 x Bumper Frames for the K-LA array speakers 4 x Audiocenter VA1201 Amplifiers 4 x Dual 18” Bass Cabs
Total system power: 15 Kilowatts Components VA1201
K-LA 28
Dual 18’’ Bass Cab
AUDIOCENTER Dynamic Audio Solutions
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EDITION 26 | AUG/SEPT ‘13 | Proud Supporters of SA Music!
CONTENTS
tech 4 6 8 10 12 16 18 20 24 26 28 30 32 34 38
Editors Note and Index 6 Cover Review: Allen & Heath Qu-16 Gear News Instrument Review: Crafter TB-Rose Instrument Review: Clavia Nord Stage 2 Gear Review: Line6 DT25 Amplifier Gear Review: Digitech JamMan Solo XT Instrument review: Warwick Rockbass Robert Trujillo Interview: Han Van Den Essenburg from TC Electronic Special Feature: Mediatech 2013 Tutorial: Tips for upcoming bands Guitar Maintenance with Alan Ratcliffe Play Better Bass with Alistair Andrews Play Better Guitar with Kurt Slabbert Your Private Universe: Noise Gates
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he world is becoming a digital domain. Slowly but surely we’re all morphing into digital beings consumed by the internet, our Smartphones, tablets and other multimedia channels. The world of music gear too is becoming one big digital trading place although thankfully organic, analogue instruments such as guitars, drums, pianos, valve amps and analogue circuitry still have a big warm place in the hearts of many a musician, producer and sound engineer. That’s not to say digital is bad when done right as evidenced by the spectacularly brilliant Qu-16 rack mountable digital mixer by Allen & Heath. This is a company that built its reputation in the 70s on analogue circuitry [and Pink Floyd, thanks to Alan Parsons] and has continued to sustain an exemplary record of top
quality products over more than 40 years. Greg Bester will tell you all about them and the Qu-16 on Pg. 6. Crafter is a Korean guitar brand now available in South Africa. Kalin Pashaliev gave it a go; he also took the Line6 DT25 combo amp for a jam session deep in the heart of Joburg which was well received amongst his fellow ‘jammers.’ Nic Roos stepped out his comfort zone of guitar based reviews by checking out the Nord Stage 2. He solicited the help of accomplished keyboardist, Richard Brunyee of We Set Sail who happens to own a Stage 1, so he was in good company. Nic also got to play around with the new Digitech JamMan looper pedal and was suitably impressed. Top Jazz bassist, Alistair Andrews, decided to see if Robert Trujillo knows a thing or two about bass guitars and apparently he does, as witnessed by the signature series
16 Warwick Rockbass with the Metallica bassist’s name on it. In the aftermath of Mediatech Greg also got to chat to TC Electronic product manager, Han van den Essenburg and yours truly (that’s me) takes a closer look at how the 2013 trade show fared this year along with some positive feedback from several of the exhibitors. As always we have some great band tips, tutorials and advice too so read, absorb and enjoy. Errata: Apologies to Yamaha South Africa for referring to their wonderful THR series amplifiers as TRH in parts of our review last edition (Jun/Jul ’13 issue). Tardy indeed! We also misspelt Yamaha product specialist Ryan Schnettler’s name without the c. Sorry Ryan! Dave Mac
Imported and Distributed by
www.audiosure.co.za
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Cover Feature | ALLEN & HEATH QU-16: RACK MOUNTABLE DIGITAL MIXER | words: Greg Bester
ALLEN & HEATH QU-16: RACK MOUNTABLE DIGITAL MIXER THE MAIN GOAL WITH THE QU-16 IS COMPACT VERSATILITY AND BEING SO, ALLEN & HEATH HAS TARGETED THE LIVE, STUDIO AND INSTALLATION MARKETS FOR ITS USE.
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llen & Heath, the Harman International company and prolific console manufacturer, breaks the mold once again and presents the audio world with a product with a never-before-seen feature set. Not that each of its features hasn’t been done in one way or another, it’s just that I haven’t seen it all in one compact package before. Allen & Heath, of course, is famous for their analogue consoles. They were founded in 1969 but it wasn’t until the early 70’s that they made a name for themselves by custom making a quadraphonic console for Pink Floyd that Alan Parsons used to mix their live performances. As advanced as that was for the day, Allen & Heath has continued to remain an innovative company that has many firsts under its belt. They were the first manufacturer to mount pots and switches on the input channel circuit boards that were part of separate, modular sub-circuits that could be replaced individually. They
were the first audio company to make small, six input transistorised mixers, called the MiniMixer. One of their consoles, the Syncron A, was the first to use Op Amps. The first console to use a microprocessor to integrate MIDI was an Allen & Heath: the CMC. I personally didn’t know any of that before doing research despite having nothing but good experiences with the brand. Their ML series consoles have a sweet, forgiving sound (great EQs!) and their GLD-80 is one of the warmest sounding digital consoles I’ve ever heard. It’s no surprise then, that their latest offering is an innovation as well.
Features The main goal with the Qu-16 is compact versatility and being just that, Allen & Heath has targeted the live, studio and installation markets for its use. It is four basic things in one: a digital mixer, a 24 x 22 audio interface, a DAW controller, and a multi-track recorder when using the Qu-Drive
system. The Qu-Drive system records and plays back multi-track audio directly to and from any compatible USB flash drive. It has 17 motorised faders, 16 mono inputs (TRS and XLR) that feed the 16 recallable AnaLOGIQ preamps, three stereo inputs (TRS), four stereo FX engines derived from the iLive, four FX returns, 16 busses, twelve mix outputs (LR, Mono Mix 1-4, Stereo Mix 1-3), four mute groups, an Alt out, a 2TRK out and an AES3 out. The Alt, 2TRK and AES3 outs can be individually custom assigned from a variety of sources. Additionally there is a dSNAKE port for connection to AR2412 and AR84 remote stage boxes, a RJ45 Network port for connection to a 100Mbps network and a USB port for connection to a Mac computer for multi-track audio recording/playback and DAW control. The network facility is used to allow remote control of mixer parameters via the Qu-Pad iPad app when using a wifi router. Finally, there is a dedicated Talkback input and an XLR lamp socket.
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In Use The Qu-16 instantly impressed me when I pulled it out the box. It is sleek and modern looking with an intuitive layout. You’d really have to know absolutely nothing about operating a mixer to get this desk wrong. I didn’t have a gig to take it on since I only had it for a couple of days so I decided to test its facilities by using it as an audio interface. My plan was to feed it audio from the computer and try out some of its features. I must admit, without reading the manual (hey, I’m a man) it took me quite a while to find out why I wasn’t able to stream audio to the channel strips. Then I finally figured out that the console defaults to Qu-Drive which records and plays back from the USB port on the top panel of the console. To stream multitrack audio from the computer you need to use the rear USB port and set the console to USB-B Streaming. Once I had the console and computer talking nicely to one another I chose to send an un-mastered, live twotrack recording through the console to test the quality of its processing. The EQ was sweet and musical and I was able to accomplish surgical precision notching all the way to wide band tone shaping. The compressor was versatile. I was able to get it to bite nicely on the drums or, if I so desired, to gently and transparently level things out. The FX section was pleasant to work with because of the vintageinspired GUIs and, well, because they sounded great. The EMT plate emulation was fantastic sounding and a little bit mixed in with the recording I was testing which really supplied the space my unmastered track was lacking.
Conclusion As far as the digital mixer topology goes, the expected features are there. There’s the usual channel strip controls for trim, pan, polarity, HPF, gate, insert, 4-band PEQ, compressor and delay for all input channels. Each main and mono mix output gets an insert, 1/3 octave GEQ, compressor and delay. The stereo mix outputs replace the GEQ with a 4band PEQ and a built in signal generator and RTA makes system equalization easier and more convenient. All mixer parameters and configuration is reflected in an 800 x 480 full colour touch screen that is surrounded by system navigation
buttons and an encoder for changing whatever parameter is selected. As mentioned, the Qu-16 is also a 24 x 22 audio interface. It is 100% Core Audio compliant which means that it is instantly recognizable by Mac OS X without needing any further drivers. This alarmed me a little bit as there are no PC drivers available and none foreseeable in the near future. We can only hope that A&H has this in the works. Finally, the Qu-16 is compatible with A&H’s ME Personal Mixing System.
Despite not having PC support, I am a huge fan of the Qu-16. It has everything that I need in a compact digital mixer and certainly if I had the opportunity, I would grab one in a heartbeat. I give it nine stars out of ten and once it gets those PC drivers, I’ll give it ten.
Supplier: Audiosure Tel: (011) 790-4600 Website: www.audiosure.co.za Pricing: R 37,995.00
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Gear & Industry News | FOR DAILY GEAR, INSTRUMENT AND INDUSTRY NEWS VISITS MUSEONLINE.CO.ZA
Gear News CASIO XW-P1 PERFORMANCE SYNTHESIZER FOR THE PERFORMING MUSICIAN
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he XW-P1 is a 61 key performance synthesizer with Casio's exclusive (HPSS) Hybrid Processing Sound Source. The six oscillator monophonic solo synth engine provides screaming virtual analog monophonic leads and basses, drawbar organs, complex layers, stereo pianos, drums and more, the XW-P1 has the sounds and real-time control needed for performing musician. You can combine all six oscillators to make a single tone. You get two virtual analog style oscillators, two PCM oscillators, one noise oscillator, and one external oscillator for use with line and
mic inputs. Each oscillator has its own filter, portamento, envelopes, key tracking, a master resonant filter, and two LFOs. The XW-P1 is an extremely powerful synth that lets you really edit and tweak each setting. You also have access to the original CZ synthesizer's waveforms. The unique step sequencer gives you nine tracks for basses, drums, synths and chordal parts, four controller tracks for adding panning, filter changes and other animation to existing parts and eight patterns make up each sequence. You can build and mix your performance on the fly with the XW-P1 synthesizer.
A 16-step programmable arpeggiator gives you the power to create complex and innovative patterns.
! 6 Oscillator Monophonic Solo Synthesizer
! HexLayer ! Drawbar Organ Mode Retailing at R 9,499 incl. VAT this instrument is keenly priced and packed full of features. SA Distributor: James Ralph (PTY) Ltd www.jamesralph.com | (011) 314-8888
IMIX INTRODUCE NEW 'I' RANGE DIGITAL AMPLIFIERS TO SOUTH AFRICA IMIX's "i" range of digital switch mode-power supply, AB class amplifiers combines the best of digital convenience yet retaining the audio warmth associated with AB class amplifiers. These amplifiers utilize nanocoil technology allowing highly efficient power output in a compact 2U design while minimizing heat production. The on-board digital processor incorporates a full parametric EQ, environmental effects, delay, crossover, limiter, and the coolest feature of all, an output- voltage regulator. The "i" series amplifiers were designed to
backup options - what this means is that your show will never experience down-time due to amplifier failure. The controller monitors everything from temperature to output control, input sensitivity and even amplifier failures. The backup unit will replace malfunctions within 0.3 seconds. The "i" series comes in 3 available models: i5 (1650RMS/channel at 8 ohms), i6 (2000RMS/channel at 8 ohms), i7 (2600RMS/channel at 8 ohms).
offer clustered control, through a variety of available controllers with redundancy
Supplier: IMIX Sound and Light (011) 974-1121 www.imixsound.co.za
NEW YAMAHA PACIFICA 611HFM ELECTRIC GUITARS NOW AVAILABLE IN SA First launched in 1990, the Pacifica series was driven by the California session scene of the day - where versatility,
performance and individuality were key. Inspired by those custom-shop guitars, and that original version, PAC611HFM is
today's embodiment of the Pacifica concept. According to Yamaha, total sales of the Pacifica are in excess of 1,000,000 since its launch and it's arguably the only brand that can hold its own at the lower and mid reaches of the market against the massive names of Squier, Fender and Epiphone. Yamaha SA | (011) 259-7600 www.yamaha.co.za
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IBANEZ INTRODUCES TWO NEW PAT METHENY MODELS
PM200 NT
ebony fretboard delivers clean, articulated phrasing. As an option to working musicians and serious students of jazz guitar, Ibanez is also introducing a Metheny version of their new Artstar series. The PM2AA is the guitarist’s favourite of Ibanez’s new Artstar line, and customized to his taste. This all-maple full hollow body sports the legendary Ibanez jazz pickup, the Super 58, and is built to satisfy the purist. Both guitars include cases. Check out Ibanez.com for more info.
PM2AA
The long time relationship between jazz great Pat Metheny and Ibanez, his guitarmaker-of-choice for several decades, has yielded two exciting new guitars. Collectors, serious jazz players, and fans of this year’s Downbeat Reader’s Poll winner in the Jazz guitar category will be thrilled to know the guitarist has collaborated with the guitar builder on two new instruments. The made-in-Japan PM200 NT is built to Metheny’s exacting specifications, and players can expect a full tone from the 16.5” width maple body. Custom made Silent 58 pickups and bone nut combine to produce smooth, warm response. Fine grain
For SA enquiries contact: Midi Music | (011) 403-0199 www.midimusic.co.za
PALMER DREI TRIPLE SINGLE ENDED AMPLIFIER Main benefits of single-ended amps:
! Extremely responsive ! highly interactive and touch sensitive ! purist design with a minimum of The Palmer DREI design is more than just a visual extravaganza - it mirrors the concept and the circuitry. For the purest, most natural distortion only a singleended design will do. Single-ended tube circuits are straightforward and simple, providing the most organic, raw tube sounds possible. In contrast to the more powerful push-pull designs the output of single-ended circuits usually does not exceed 5 Watts. That is why single-ended circuits are mostly found in small practice amps preferred by many top-notch players for recording.
CHORD GUITARS Chord continues to sell like hot cakes in South Africa combining great pricing with decent playability, hardware and style. We look at two more models to catch your eye...
Dating back to the first days of vacuum tubes single-ended amplifiers are nothing new. However, the Palmer DREI incorporates THREE of these providing three times the output power of a standard single-ended design! Moreover, it accepts a variety of output tubes which all have their own unmistakable sound characteristics. The Palmer DREI works with the following power tubes:
Supplied by www.tvaudio.co.za (011) 805-9910
Distributed through Segma South Africa www.segma.co.za | (011) 312-1846
STAGE78
STAGE78 ELECTRIC GUITARS An all nato wood set-neck construction guitar with a spartan, dark styling. The 22 wide profile frets are set into a rosewood fingerboard and the finish is matte black with a generous showthrough of wood grain. 2 Wilkinson humbucking pickups deliver a punchy output via 2 volume and 2 tone controls, all governed by the rear mounted 3-position toggle switch. The whole package totally lends itself to all styles of rock guitar. ! 2 x Wilkinson covered humbucking pickups ! Set-neck construction ! Chamfered body ! Dark rock styling
El84 6L6 6V6 KT90 KT77 EL34 Three different single-ended amps in a single unit - that's the Palmer DREI formula!
CAT50
CAT50 SEMI-ACOUSTIC GUITAR Semi-hollow full body arch-top guitar with spruce laminate top, mahogany laminate back and sides and mahogany neck with rosewood fingerboard. A trapeze tailpiece ties to the rear bout and feeds an adjustable floating bridge. Pick-ups are 2 x covered humbuckers, each governed by a separate volume and tone control and switched via a 3way toggle. Machine heads are closed geared type and all hardware is gold plated. ! Twin coil hum-cancelling pick-ups ! Full body arch-top styling ! Gold-plated hardware
components
! direct signal path ! pure, natural distortion
! ! ! ! ! !
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Instrument Review | CRAFTER TB-ROSE PLUS ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC GUITAR | words: Kalin Pashaliev
CRAFTER TB-ROSE PLUS ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Introduction Choosing an acoustic guitar is a precarious affair - an acoustic instrument of any kind (and I believe more so than most other instruments) must speak to its owner in a delicately personal way, or else the relationship’s survival may be doomed from the outset. That is why it may be problematic to prescribe an acoustic instrument to anyone without them hearing it for themselves. So let us at least try and lure you into testing out this particular guitar instead of trying to make a yay-nay call like most other instrument reviews. Crafter guitars were first made in 1972 by guitar maker Hyun Kwon Park in a basement factory in Seoul that progressively expanded to bigger and bigger work spaces. In 1986, Park was joined by his eldest son, In Jay, and the brand was extended further outwards to the international market. Crafter guitars have always maintained that their level of craftsmanship surpasses most other acoustic brands. Even their promotional videos will try to play on that element, one which is based on the sanctity of a family-run business.
Appearance The Crafter TB-Rose Plus is an exceptionally beautiful guitar. Because it is an anniversary edition instrument, it is forged with extra care and dedication. The first thing that one notices, apart from its natural and quite clean-looking finish - is the two hummingbirds feeding adornments found on its neck and below its soundhole. This element gives this particular guitar quite an effeminate quality that might have the real macho player look the other way. The TB-Rose Plus is a grand auditorium acoustic instrument, which means that it has a cutaway on its bottom shoulder to allow finger players to get right up to the higher notes of the neck. It has a gloss finish, which makes it slightly more desirable than its TB-Maho Plus counterpart, whose nickel hardware - instead of gold - gives it less visual warmth.
Materials, Construction and Parameters Top - Solid Engelmann Spruce Back and Sides - Indian Rosewood Fretboard - Indian rosewood
Suggested Retail Price: R 9, 399.00 Supplier: Tuerk Music Technologies Tel: (011) 792-8402 Website: www.tuerkmusic.co.za
Neck - Mahogany Nut’s Width - 45mm Machine Heads - Gold tuners with mushroom buttons Bridge - Indian Rosewood
Electronics The job of a pickup-preamp combo is to preserve the instrument’s original sound when the EQ is set in the middle and to capacitate further sound alteration to the player’s liking. And this guitar’s electronics certainly delivers that. The TB-Rose Plus is fitted with a LR Baggs Element pickup that leads to a LRT DX preamp. The preamp contains a built-in tuner and notch filter, of which the latter can be used to eradicate unwanted frequencies and feedback. The preamp’s interface features a simple 4-band EQ, a phase button and the master volume knob that you should never crank to full if you want to keep this guitar’s sound close to its original timbre. The entire system is powered by a 9V battery that has its special slot casing located right next to the end pin. This is also the location for the jack input.
Playability and Sound The Crafter TB-Rose Plus is an easy guitar to play. Its corpus is quite light for just about any player to perform on. It is a comfortable guitar, which has a lot to do with the way its body has been cut, namely its grand auditorium style of design. Its neck is smooth, and there is enough spacing between the strings for those who have larger hands and/or fingers. When we get to the crux of the matter, as said before, it is very much to the player to decide whether this guitar is the right choice in terms of sound. Personally, I like louder- and fullersounding acoustic guitars, so this one doesn’t really work for me. I like a guitar that can fill a hall without having to be amplified, a jumbo guitar if I can help it. However, this does not in any way mean that this guitar will not work for you. The Crafter TB- Rose Plus has a neutral sound to it, which means that you can use it in different instances such as live or in studio. It can work for country, rock, blues, or around the braai at home. When plugged into an amp or run through a soundcard and computer, its
delivery is preserved well enough to render its original sound unaffected; and if you do wish to alter the sound to a fuller body, you can easily do that by the help of its preamp and equalizer.
Verdict The Crafter TB-Rose Plus is a decent guitar - well crafted and very easy to play, the main con for me being its lack of overwhelming personal sound and although it is a little heavy on the pocket, it is certainly worth trying out.
Distributed by:
For a Authorized Dealer in your area visit: www.tuerkmusic.co.za or call us on 011 792 8402
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Instrument Review | CLAVIA NORD STAGE 2 HAMMER ACTION 88 KEYBOARD | words: Nic Roos & Richard Brunyee
CLAVIA NORD STAGE 2 HAMMER ACTION 88 KEYBOARD The Stage 2 however offers a world of highly detailed, realistic sounds AND it's easy to use and expandable!
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xpanding greatly on previous versions of the Stage range, the Nord Stage 2 HA88 is Clavia's current flagship model. Drawing from elements of other Nord variants, it's a “best of” compilation and has some innovations of its own. With a well balanced feature-set of rich, realistic sounds, realistic feel and intuitive functionality it is uniquely positioned in the stage keyboard market.
At A Glance As its name suggests the Stage 2 HA88's keys are fully weighted and have realistic hammer action. Like other Nords, the control panel is arranged so that all controls are at your fingertips without needing to scroll through endless menus. The controls are divided into the following sections:
Organs This section features the improved B3, Vox Continental and Farfisa organ models, new rotating speaker, chorus and vibrato effects from the Nord C2 Combo Organ. The Draw Bars are controlled via an easy to read LED bargraph.
LFO, a very versatile filter, an ADR/ASR section, a Master clock and an Arpeggiator. Crucially, it now also includes sample playback that is compatible with the ever expanding Nord Sample Library and along with the Nord Sound Manager software you can load your own samples.
Pianos
Control and Programming
Featuring various grand-pianos (including a new Bösendorfer), uprights, electric pianos, a Wurlitzer, clavinets and harpsichords, this section now includes advanced String Resonance - allowing harmonic bleed-through from adjacent notes, Long Piano Release, and Dynamic Pedal Noise – all add greater realism.
From here you can control and create pre-sets (or Programs) as well as combine and layer any or all of the 3 instruments across the entire keyboard or around any of the 10 pre-defined split points. Up to two sounds from each section can be combined, totalling up to six in a single Program! The Morphing function offers great level of flexibility and expression, allowing one to blend between settings of almost any parameter.
Synths This vastly improved section based on the Nord Wave includes virtual analogue, FM and wave table synthesis, a dedicated
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External Section The Stage 2 can be a master keyboard for external sound modules via improved midi-functionality that seamlessly integrates them into the Nord's Program system.
Effects Section Here we find a multitude of beautiful effects to which each instrument section can individually be routed. Effects bank1 offers either Tremolo, 2 Wahs, Auto-wah, Auto-pan, and a fantastic Ring Modulator. Effects bank 2 offers either Vibrato, 2 Phasers, 2 Choruses and a flanger. The Delay bank features a variety of delays that can be synced to the Master Clock or by the Tap Tempo. Next is an Amp Simulator that includes models of a Fender Twin Reverb and a Roland Jazz Chorus 120. This section also features an amp-integrated or independent 3-band EQ and overdrive.
There are two global effects at the end of the control panel - a Compressor, that can really tighten up dynamics, and Reverb, which features six different reverb sounds ranging from rooms, halls and stages. Finally, the back panel gives you a choice of 2 stereo unbalanced outputs for flexible routing, a Monitor-In for mp3 players, a Headphones output, inputs for
sustain, control and latch pedals, an Organ Swell input, Midi in and out and a USB port for loading samples via computer.
In Use Firstly, the hammer action is incredibly realistic and an absolute joy to play with no stickiness whatsoever. This adds greater realism to the excellent acoustic pianos, but - and this is no real hindrance - it is nothing like the keyboard response of actual organs and clavinets, which aren't as weighted. The characteristic Nord warmth in the mid-range is very much in evidence across all the sample sets. Very few sonic artefacts are in evidence in the extreme high frequencies even on the smaller grand pianos where it would usually show up and there is a common richness and cutting openness to all the various synth sounds. While it is impossible to talk about all the available sounds in detail here, it would be a crime not to mention the most obvious highlights. The B3 has an amazing, tactile quality in its sound, due in part to the realistic percussive edge and the bleed through of the Draw Bars, which themselves add tremendous vividness and detailed tones in any combination. In the Piano section I was immediately drawn to the 'Grand Imperial' BĂśsendorfer, which is a considerably larger and more detailed sample set than the others. I have to say it sounded impeccably realistic and gorgeously rich, especially with the String Resonance engaged. I really enjoyed the intuitive, compact control layout, particularly in the surprisingly powerful synth section. With a complex synched sawtooth sound I found the filter particularly versatile, rich
and fat sounding with minimal tweaking. Its compatibility with the included Nord Sample Library along with a vastly improved storage memory (nearly 500 megabytes) and the compact but lossless sample format makes this an incredibly powerful and expressive tool. The inclusion of strings, brass and many other instruments (including Mellotron and Chamberlain samples which aren't readily available) really opens up the Stage 2's palette as a versatile live instrument. To add to that, the creative possibilities of the Morphing and layering functions is vast! The ability to sync the Arpeggiator and delays at separate intervals to the Master Clock opens up yet another avenue of expression. Do yourself a favour and check out some demos on YouTube to see what I mean.
Conclusion The Nord Stage 2 HA88 has a great deal to offer the modern player. There are other brands that offer even greater sonic realism but a limited number of instruments, or many instruments of lesser sonic quality. The Stage 2 however offers a world of highly detailed, realistic sounds AND it’s easy to use and expandable! If you are about to drop R 50K on an instrument of this magnitude you will no doubt do some research and no doubt your choice will come down to personal preference and what exactly you want to use the instrument for, be it on stage performance, studio work, conventional composing or more avant-garde (read electronic) type works; whatever your requirements, the Stage 2 should certainly be up to the challenge with not too many contenders in the live keyboard market offering such a rounded and rich feature set.
Supplier: Tradelius Music Group Tel: (031) 502-3080 Website: www.tradelius.co.za Expect to Pay: R 54,995.00 incl. VAT
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Gear Review | LINE 6 DT25 COMBO AMPLIFIER | words: Kalin Pashaliev
LINE 6 DT25 COMBO AMPLIFIER
Supplier: Active Music Distribution Tel: (011) 466-9510 Expect to pay: R 17, 995.00 effectively run two amps simultaneously if you require a needed boost during your performance. The Pentode-Triode the third switch to the gallimaufry of tonal combinations - gives you further depth into the tonal range. The Triode mode will deliver a murkier and rounder tone compared to the Pentode mode that oozes more sparkle.
The Rear Panel The rear panel of the DT25 again lets you do anything that comes to mind in a live or studio setting: MIDI input /output, the L6 link - which you would connect your POD® HD multi-effect pedal/rack to - a footswitch to shift between both channels, an effects loop for any other desired effects or effects chain, a lowvolume switch, DI (which simulates the amps speaker/cab), and 4, 8 or 16 ohm speaker outputs if you decide to bypass the original combo’s speaker, which is a 12 inch Custom Celestion® G12H90. What more do you need?
The Test
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ne thing that I have always looked out for in an amplifier, whether guitar or bass, is versatility. Being a musician who enjoys more than just one style of music, I always search for a clean canvas to begin with that I can later colour in with any hue that enters my mind. That is what intrigued me about the Line 6 DT25 Combo Amplifier: right off the bat I knew that this seemingly simpleto-operate, high quality amp (the canvas) would have everything I need (the colour spectrum) to get the right sounds out of it.
Overview The DT25 was designed with the help of madcap German amp maker Reinhold Bogner who in the 1980s relocated to Los Angeles from Bavaria and made a name for himself by making some of the best quality tube amps to date. The really nifty aspect about the DT25 is that it is first and foremost a tube amp that can operate at 25W or 10W. It is essentially four tube amps in one, giving you variations that the makers have dubbed British Crunch, Classic American Clean, Class A Chime and Modern HighGain, which should cover most musical
styles. Additionally, if you were to acquire the Line 6 POD® HD multi-effect pedal/rack, the possibilities become endless.
HD Modeling and Power Tube Modes The element that makes the DT25 unique is the Voicing switch that toggles between the aforementioned tones/styles. This function operates via various negative feedback loops to give you the desired tonal product. This amp is therefore a tube amp taken to the next level by front-end digital technology modeled after some of the best known amps in history, including the Fender Twin, Vox AC30, Park 75 and Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. And that’s just the modeling of the standalone amp. When in combination with the Line 6 POD® HD multi-effect pedal/rack, as said before, even more amp modeling options will be available to you to make it the ultimate live/studio sound factory. Yet another switch that works in combination with the Voicing switch is the Class A/Class AB switch, which determines the wattage you want to employ. If you wish to push the tubes, just switch to Class A and the amp will begin running at 10W and really get those tubes burning. With the DT25 you can also
After unpacking the first thing I did was take the DT25 to a jam session which I believe is one of the most exciting in the Johannesburg area. It is an ensemble with some of the most thrilling musicians currently wasting their time in the Joburg scene, except for one violinist Waldo Alexander. I gave the amp to a Serbian madman, Nenad Djelic, and as the night progressed, he took the DT25 to the test. Being the guitarist that he is, he opted to play most of the time on the Class A setting driving the tubes as much as possible. In the no-wave style segment of the jam, where Sonic Youth could be heard in the distance, the DT25 played a pivotal role in giving the overall mix of the band a powerful but equally beautiful and discerning hum. Later, in the reggae section, the guitar changed its overall timbre to a classic clean tone that was again unfaltering. During solos (that Djelic loves playing with the aid of a bolt as a pick. Don’t ask…), the DT25 was again up to the task and sounded better than any amp the Serbian has used to date, he says. In short, the Line 6 DT25 was a breath of fresh air that dazed guitarist, musicians and listeners alike. Buy it; it’ll help accommodate your creative being by translating what’s in your mind into the physical world.
LTD EC-50
LTD EC-100QM
Features: Bolt-On 24.75” Scale Basswood Body Maple Neck Rosewood Fingerboard 42mm Standard Nut Thin U Neck Contour 24 XJ Frets Chrome Hardware ESP Tuners TOM Bridge & Tail ESP LH-150 (B&N) p.u. Finish: BLKS, 2TB, BCH, OW
Features: Bolt-On 24.75” Scale Basswood Body Maple Neck Rosewood FB 42mm Standard Nut Thin U Neck Contour 24 XJ Frets Black Nickel Hardware (Chrome for FCSB) ESP Tuners TOM Bridge & Tail ESP LH-150 (B&N) p.u. Finish: FCSB, STBLK, STBC
Suggested Retail:
R 3,895
LTD EC-401
Suggested Retail:
R 4,295
LTD EC-1000 BLK
Features: Set-neck construction Mahogany body with flamed maple top 24.75" scale mahogany neck Rosewood fingerboard EMG 81 (bridge) / 60 (neck) active pickups 42mm standard nut Thin U neck contour 24 XJ frets Black nickel hardware Grover tuners Tune-o-matic-style bridge & stopbar tailpiece
Suggested Retail:
R 9,995
Features: Mahogany body Mahogany neck 24-3/4" set neck Thin U neck contour Rosewood fretboard (ebony on vintage black) Abalone flags plus the model name at the 12th fret 42mm standard nut 24 extra jumbo frets TonePros locking Tune-o-matic bridge Genuine EMG 81/60 pickups (Seymour Duncan JB/59 set on amber sunburst model) ESP locking tuners
Suggested Retail:
R 12,795
* Recommended Retail incl. 14% VAT
FOR TRADE ENQUIRIES CALL: Tel: (011) 466-9510 | Fax: (011) 466-9514 info@activemusicdistribution.com
music distribution
18
Gear Review | DIGITECH JAMMAN SOLO XT STEREO LOOPER/PHRASE SAMPLER PEDAL | words: Nicolaai Roos
DIGITECH JAMMAN SOLO XT STEREO LOOPER/ PHRASE SAMPLER PEDAL “THE JAMMAN SOLO XT'S EXPANDABILITY IS ITS BIGGEST ATTRACTION...�
L
ooping and sampling has infiltrated almost every form of music and performance style becoming a very popular means of layered selfaccompaniment and a great song-writing tool. Digitech adds even more flexibility into this area with the next generation of their popular JamMan Solo pedal, the JamMan Solo XT.
Features At a glance it's hard to imagine that this standard 'Boss'-styled pedal is (excuse the pun) jam-packed with such a wealth of features and functions. There are 3 recording modes: FreeForm - The standard, completely manual method found in most loopers, Auto Record - in which recording is triggered by the input signal, and Auto-Quantise which records to tempo and automatically corrects the loop points if your timing is off. The JamSync feature allows you to hook up multiple JamMan Solo XTs in a
master/slave configuration via mini-jack in and outputs, making multi-track looping possible, either on your own (in series) or with other musicians (in parallel)! It has a Tap Tempo that accommodates different time signatures and can also adjust loop speed without pitch change! There is also an adjustable Rhythm Guide Track with various clicks and drum samples that can be used as a metronome. It has left and right inputs and outputs that are processed separately for true stereo looping and an Aux In for connecting your iPod or other source to play backing tracks. There is plenty of storage space available - 200 internal memory locations for 35mins of loop storage space, but also supports Micro SD and SDHC cards which bumps up storage with an additional 200 locations, totalling 32 hours of loops! It also has a Mini-B USB connection which, in conjunction with Digitech's free JamManager software, makes it easy to load and store loops onto your Mac or PC.
In Use There's a bit of a learning curve with loop pedals. Apart from just the compositional aspects of working out how to layer a song on the fly, looping requires some co-ordination and skill. It can be a lot to juggle, so ease of use is crucial. While the JamMan's manual requires a bit of a read before getting
Supplier: Rockit Distribution Tel: (021) 511-1800 Website: www.rockitdistribution.co.za Expect to pay: R 3,895.00 started (as many knobs and buttons have multiple functions and modes), with a bit of practise it's actually quite intuitive and very flexible. The first 15 memory slots come loaded with great sounding drum loops in various styles to get you started. To help you along until you (again, excuse the pun) find your feet with the FreeForm mode, the AutoRecord and AutoQuantise modes are extremely convenient. Auto-Quantise also helps when making accurate tempomatched loops for verses and choruses of a single song. The Tap Tempo function is fantastic and the ability to slow down or speed up loops with minimal change to the sound is very cool. That said the tempo display, which is a tiny slit-like LED, stays on for slightly too long making it hard to read and judge the tempo. The optional footswitch gives you additional control, such as the ability to jump between any stored loops during playback, which is handy, especially in a situation where you need different loops for different song sections. It's as easy as scrolling through the memory locations to the desired loop, while the current loop is playing. It will only change over to the next loop once the loop that's playing reaches the end of its current cycle. Another example of its flexibility is that not only can you play backing tracks through the Aux In, you can loop from this input too. Also, the included power supply is a godsend, as it comes with interchangeable plug attachments for different countries. Why other pedal companies don't do this is beyond me.
Conclusion The JamMan Solo XT's expandability is probably its biggest attraction for me and while a second (let alone a third) JamMan may be pricey at R 3,895 a pop, the ability to do linked looping with other musicians with the JamSync function sounds incredibly exciting! As looper/sampler pedals go this is definitely the best I've played thus far, and while there may be more comprehensive options, few that are this compact and pedalboard-friendly that also offer this level of flexibility.
20
Instrument Review | WARWICK ROCK BASS® ROBERT TRUJILLO (METALLICA) SIGNATURE BASS 5-STRING | words: Alistair Andrews
Warwick Rock Bass
®
Supplier: Music Power Tel: (011) 466-9510 Suggested Retail Price: R 15,995.00
ROBERT TRUJILLO (METALLICA) SIGNATURE BASS 5-STRING
W
hen I picked up this instrument for the first time I was amazed at the balance. Naturally Robert Trujillo must have had a lot to do with this because, although he is a big boy, I would think that due to his unique playing style and the stance he takes up on his instrument, he would require a very well balanced bass guitar to remain comfortable for a full Metallica gig. Speaking of the band, the Metallica inlay on the 12th fret also caught my eye immediately and just adds to the overall ‘signature feel’ of the instrument.
First Impression As with the other rock basses in this range the awesome balance makes it feel much lighter than what it actually is (4,3 kg for the 5-string). This particular model is also available as a 4-string. The Black Satin finish with chrome hardware gives the bass a very classy look. But to be honest all Warwick basses look great in my opinion. The Bolt-on design has the neck at a very comfortable angle that allows for a super low action. This is perfect for tapping and other modern playing styles. The shape of the neck is asymmetrical and very comfortable to play which also makes it great for the shredders amongst us. The body is made of Alder and this could be one of the reasons for the beautiful growl in the lower midrange register. The maple neck with Ekanga veneers has a Tigerstripe Ebony fretboard. I use the same ultra-hard wood on all my fretless fret-boards, needless to say I am a big fan of this wood. The Warwick Just-A-Nut III is an accurate two-piece height-adjustable nut, which is now made from a fibreglassreinforced synthetic material called Tedur. The 24 Nickel-silver Jumbo frets are very well finished. You can hardly feel them under your fingers. The 34” scale length is a perfect match for the body shape. The Patented Easy Access™ electronics compartment, gives as the name implies, easy access to the electronics at the back of the body.
Sound Robert Trujillo knows what he wants so it’s no wonder this bass has such a big sound. The punch in the bottom end is exactly what any serious rocker, metalhead or grunge player needs from his/her bass instrument. The Alder used for the body gives it a huge amount of bass response and lots of definition in the midrange yet still keeps the low-end clean, solid and punchy. Harmonics really pop out once you start adding a bit of treble. The EMG J/J pickups, as we all know, add a lot of clarity to one’s sound and the Bartolini Preamp is one of the top bass preamps on the market today.
Versatility With its active MEC 3-way electronics this Rock Bass proved extremely versatile in its tone and this instrument can be tuned by using its own EQ controls to accommodate your playing style with absolute ease and accuracy. Naturally, being a signature bass by Robert Trujillo, it is more geared towards Rock and Metal players, although Funk and Jazz players should also enjoy this guitar once you’ve done a bit of tweaking on the EQ. ® In a nutshell the Warwick Rock Bass Robert Trujillo Signature 5-string suits modern playing styles very well and is versatile enough to satisfy many, many different genres.
Build Quality
Conclusion
The build quality is in one word, awesome and it has a finish to match. In this price range I personally think only another Warwick can come close. The hardware is solid and practical and the Warwick machine heads, as expected, are super accurate. The two-piece Warwick bridge adds to the sustain of the instrument and you also get security locks for your strap.
You may have noticed words like ‘comfortable’ and ‘versatility’ being repeated quite a bit in this review. Other than the obvious quality of finish, top notch hardware being used and classy look, the most important feeling I am left with after playing the Warwick Rock ® Bass Robert Trujillo Signature 5-string is just that; super comfortable and really versatile… two components that should give you endless hours of satisfaction!
Taylor Swift Baby Taylor A ¾-size Dreadnought that's big on tone.
Inspired by memories of writing songs on her own Baby Taylor, Taylor Swift collaborated with Taylor Guitars to design the Taylor Swift Baby Taylor (TSBT). Based on our compact ¾-scale Dreadnought, the TSBT is crafted from a resilient sapele laminate body with a solid Sitka spruce top. Swift's custom, screen-printed rosette design features the word "Love" three times among a delicate vine motif. The personalized design also features her signature above the bridge. With a slim 1 11/16-inch neck and a compact shape, the guitar is just right for a young player's hands and anyone who likes to pick up and play on the go.
Suggested Retail: R 4,395 incl. Bag
Taylor 210ce-K
Taylor 214ce-K
The potent tone flatpickers and strummers love.
Beautiful gloss-finish Hawaiian koa laminate back and sides distinguish this robust-voiced 200 Series Dreadnought. A solid Sitka spruce top yields great tonal definition, while cream binding and small diamond fretboard inlays add clean aesthetic touches. A Venetian cutaway offers access to the upper register, and Taylor’s ES-T® electronics make for a great plug-and-play
Taylor’s signature shape embodies the ultimate all-purpose acoustic.
Our rosewood laminate 200 Series models hone in on the fundamentals of a great guitar-playing experience to give you clear, balanced tone and great intonation. Choose from an optional cutaway and Taylor ES-T® electronics. If you crave an extra splash of visual style, don’t miss the tobacco sunburst top 214ce-SBand the all-black maple laminate 214ce-BLK.
Suggested Retail: R 18,295 incl. Bag
Suggested Retail: R 18,295 incl. Bag
* Prices are recommended retail including 14% VAT
For Trade Enquires call: DISTRIBUTED BY
MUSIC POWER
Tel: 011-466 9515 or kevin@musicpowersa.com
of line array
is active... NEW
PRODUCT
2013
DVA T8
DVA T12
THREE-WAY ACTIVE LINE ARRAY SYSTEM
DVA T8 DVA T8 is the latest and most advanced incarnation of a string of successful line array systems that started with the DVA T4. • 3-Way Active with a 700 W RMS Digital amp • High-End 56 Bit DSP on board • 96 KHz Sampling rate • Network-ready with an integrated RDNet port • Six modules connected to one 16A phase plase • Lossless signal path with no need for speaker cables • Acoustically compatible with DVA T12 • Mechanically compatible with DVA T12
DVA T12 • Long-throw system • Fully powered three-way unit, freely scalable to setups of any size • Sequentially configurable array segments • High-end digital controller (DSP) on board • Network-ready with an integrated RDnet port • Hardware compatible with DVA T4 systems
DVA S09
DVA S10
ACTIVE SUBWOOFER
DVA S09 A remarkably compact 15 subwoofer in a band-pass design, the DVA S09 delivers true, tight, and punchy bass response. The S09 comes with two features that make it the perfect base for a high-quality satellite system an integrated active stereo crossover with an adjustable cutoff frequency (90Hz and 120Hz) and a phase inversion switch.
DVA S10 The bandpass subwoofer DVA S10 dpc is equipped with a single 18" woofer of the newest generation, driven by a 1000W digipro digital power amp. Using the optionally available flyware, up to two DVA S10 can be flown mounted to the DRK-10 rigging kit. Further the DVA S10 can be used as a compact PA system together with either 3x DVA T4 on a speaker pole or 2x DVA S10 and 4-6 DVA T4 as a Groundstack.
Prices are recommended retail incl. 14% VAT For trade enquiries or to find your closest retailer call (011) 250 3280 | orders@hybrid.co.za
www.vivaafrika.co.za
24
Industry Q ‘n A | HAN VAN DEN ESSENBURG FROM TC ELECTRONIC | words: Greg Bester
HAN VAN DEN ESSENBURG FROM TC ELECTRONIC
Yes, this is the first looper we did and it can record up to five minutes. It’s just a simple stomp box with one knob and one switch, which you can do basically anything with; even a whole song is possible. But we’ll come up with some new products really soon like four new bass amps around September. There will be six or seven new pedals and new TC Helicon products. One of the pedals will probably be a bigger looper with more possibilities. We’ll bring out a stereo looper and at the end of September we’ll bring out the PolyTune 2 with a better crystal and a strobe tuner. By June next year we’ll have brought out 21 new products including new looper pedals.
J
ust in time for this year’s Mediatech trade show, TC Electronic Sales Manager Han Van Den Essenburg was hosted by local distributors Prosound for a week long TC Electronic training tour, appearing at music stores around the country. Van Den Essenburg, a guitarist since 12 who worked for Fender previously, is a veritable expert in guitar effects and of course particularly those made by TC Electronic. I had a chance to meet up with Han at the Prosound offices at the Hillfox centre in Roodepoort to talk shop and find out more about what TC offers the guitarists of today. Turns out, a lot. Guitars are technology to an extent that they are the organic instrument and paired with effects, the tonal and rigbuilding possibilities are endless. Coming from Fender to TC, was that a pretty easy transition for you? Yes, in a way. The guitar is absolutely the organic part of it and Fender is a company that has a lot of heritage. They started in the 50’s with Leo Fender and he came up with all these great ideas and he went on to Musicman and G&L. He was a very inventive guy so they have a lot of history to develop on but in comparison TC is a new kind of company. We are more like an Apple kind of company in that TC comes up with new ideas and solutions and are more inventive with what they’re doing. TC did the same thing with guitar pedals. Guitar pedals are everywhere. You have more expensive pedals like Fulltone that copy
the old designs but use better components and implement true bypass, etc. TC came up with similar pedals but they also came up with innovations like the TonePrint. Can you elaborate a bit more about TonePrint? The TonePrint range gives you the possibility of changing your sound and adding new sounds to your pedal with your iPhone. We have collected sounds from Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Joe Perry from Aerosmith, etc. There are a lot of pro players that added sounds and these sounds are on the internet for you to download to your pedal. In a way there’s a difference because TC sells you a pedal that gives you the possibility to load a sound into your pedal that wasn’t there yesterday. What significant trends have you picked up on your travels that are relevant to the future of TC Electronic? People have gone back from the multieffect kind of thing to the stomp boxes where they can intuitively configure their sounds. That’s a worldwide trend and I think it’s because people are just digging those old sounds. With TC Helicon we’re seeing a trend of more vocalists getting into the possibility onstage to change their sound themselves, such as with the VoiceLive range. Loopers have become hugely popular in SA. TC seems to only have one in their range, the DITTO Looper. Does TC see this as a potential growth area?
What is your general impression of South Africa and our market? My general impression is that it’s a great country totally full of opportunities which is a different thing from Europe as many gaps are filled in there. The music shops look very, very good I think. The way they utilize their space is good and the gear they have is all very modern and up and running. A lot of the people that I spoke to at Mediatech were all very up to speed. What did you think of Mediatech in comparison to international events of its kind? The show in itself was a great show. Every day was very, very crowded. A lot of people were interested and wanted to know more about our stuff. There was very little on the MI side but other than that, it was good. Lastly, what did you think of Dan Patlansky’s performance at the Mediatech Prosound stage? It was amazing. Amazing guitar player, totally. I bought three CDs so I’ll listen to them at home.
Muse Report | MEDIATECH 2013 |
SPECIAL FEATURE
25
MEDIATECH 2013
”... Mediatech offers a much needed 'shot-in-the arm' for the industry and is a great platform for business to take place and deals to be done.”
E
very two years Africa’s biggest technology trade show for the media and entertainment industry takes place in July. Simply known as Mediatech and hosted at the Coca Cola Dome in Northgate, Johannesburg [from 17-19 July this year], the event showcases the broadcast, film and production; professional AV, sound, lighting, staging and rigging; DJ and professional music equipment; system integration; animation, new media and web; satellite and signal; computer music and production tools; and musical instrument sectors. The 2013 exhibition was the 7th successive event of this nature and is now regarded by many industry players as the primary showcase for new technology and products in Africa. It also serves as an excellent networking hub for many companies. Both the 2009 and 2011 event recorded attendances of over
6,000 visitors each and whilst final figures for the 2013 show had not yet been released at time of going to print, this year has been widely regarded by many as potentially the most successful to date. There are three main components to the show; the massive Coca Cola Dome exhibition hall which was packed with over 120 exhibitors this year, workshop areas which include ongoing seminars and presentations at designated times and the ‘sound-off’ demonstrations that take place at regular intervals outside the dome in a designated area. Our final impression of the event is that Mediatech offers a much needed ‘shot-in-the arm’ for the industry and is a great platform for business to take place and deals to be done. It is still quite ‘industry’ orientated (i.e. not altogether geared up for the ‘man in the street’) and as such the event could do with a bigger showing of musical instruments and DJ
gear and more demos of said gear. This was evidenced by the Numark 'DJ Tunnel' which was one of the busiest areas with 20 plugged in and operational workstations for visitors to try out their variety of DJ controllers. Both Prosound and Audiosure also had DJs present at their stands performing on their products which garnered regular interest. There was however little in the way of actual music instruments being demoed which could have added a great point of interest. Highlights, certainly from a visual perspective, included the lighting displays (DWR Distribution excelling with this), the sound demos outside at which Martin Audio stole the show with dB Technologies and Nexo also impressing, the aforementioned Numark ‘DJ Tunnel’ and Prosound who hosted a special performance by blues guitar maestro, Dan Patlansky to an appreciative crowd on Thursday evening.
26
Special Feature | MEDIATECH 2013 | Muse Report
Prosound
Academy of Sound Engineering
Viva Afrika | dB Technologies
“
Mediatech 2013 was a breath of fresh air. The energy was positive and there seemed to be a greater number of young people attending. Maybe because it fell during a holiday period for our students for the very first time! The other noticeable thing was the support from the international community. So many manufacturers sent international representation which shows great confidence in our local market.
“
Audiosure | Samson
George Hattingh Jnr. - Marketing Manager and Lecturer, Academy of Sound Engineering
T.I.D | beyerdynamic
Dan Patlansky shredding his guitar at the Prosound stage
Segma | LD Systems
MediaTech 2013 surpassed all expectations for Prosound this year. We knew we were going big to celebrate our 40 years but were blown away by the response to our stand and the exceptionally high standard of this year’s show. The bar has been set very high for 2015 and we are very excited to see how the show grows from here. Lauren Roodt - Marketing and Media Liason, Prosound
Rockit Distribution | Focusrite, AKG
As a visitor to the world’s largest Music & Pro Audio exhibitions annually, being Namm & Musikmesse, I was overwhelmed by the Mediatech showcase relative to wealth of world class products and the exciting displays provided by the exhibitors.
“
“
Michael Vaughan - Rockit Distribution & Marshall Music, Cape Town
“
“
27
Mediatech 2013 was a very positive experience and the whole fair was of a very high international standard. Our demo area for Numark controllers was a very popular and busy area and a lot of DJ’s tried the new controllers. The feedback of the Outdoor LIVE Demo area was very positive and one of the highlights for us, as well for our dealers who visited us from overseas.
“
“
Bernard Pienaar - Director, Viva Afrika
“
This was my first experience at Mediatech and I was blown away by the quality of the event. It was well run and the exhibitors’ floor was world class. It’s exciting to see how fast our entertainment industry is growing and Mediatech is good reminder that even though we often only see the front end of our industry growing there is a solid dynamic back end developing to support it.
Trenton Birch - Head of Marketing and Operations, SAE Institute
SAE Institute
Imix Sound & Light
Viva Afrika | dB Technologies
Martin Audio at the sound demo
“
Chris Andrews - Marketing Manager, Audiosure
“
Audiosure enjoyed a hugely successful show, with an excellent return on our decision to take more stands and more space this time. We were also fortunate to have some amazing new products to show, many for the first time in SA. Those, and our normal range of worldclass brands didn't fail to capture the interest and imagination of many visitors to the expo, so for that, we are thrilled.
Emendy Sound & Music Technology College
“
Numark DJ Tunnel
28
Band Tips | THE DOS AND DON'TS OF CREATING YOUR BAND BIOGRAPHY | words: Sergio Pereira
THE DOS AND DON'TS OF CREATING YOUR BAND BIOGRAPHY
I
n order to captivate the attention of the music industry, you’ll need more than just talent - you’ll require marketing skills, too. I can already hear the groans, moans, and the “music is supposed to be an art - not a business” argument. Well, my friends, if you want to make a serious career out of this, you’ll need to learn how to stand out from the pack, because the reality is this: Every time you shake a bush, a new band pops out. The only way to fight through the crowd to the front of the line is by making a good first impression - and this is usually done via a well-written band biography. If you don’t have the budget to employ someone to write it for you, here are some dos and don’ts of creating a band biography.
Dos: Give a brief history of the band and its mission statement. Who are you? Where are you from/based? Where did it start? What are you about? What are you doing? Those are the fundamentals. The biography only needs to be roughly a page or two. Furthermore, keep it up-to-date; the general rule of thumb is: one biography per album cycle. Use proper punctuation and grammar. This is a professional document (much like a CV) - not a
text to your boyfriend/girlfriend so, please, treat it as such. List a couple of notable press quotes and achievements. If you’ve played big shows alongside big bands or been on TV, mention it. Also, if you’ve received favourable words and reviews, quote the media outlet and add links to the feature(s) where you can. List influences or RIYL (recommended if you like). Most bands hate being compared to others, but if you’re a new band, points of reference are needed. The key thing here is to list sound influences - not your favourite bands. Chances are pretty high that you don’t sound like a mash-up of Slipknot, The Beatles, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Nirvana, and Rancid. List your official links and contact details. Include links to the places where people can find you on the web, and contact details for your booking agent, manager, and press agent. Include a professional band photo and logo. If I really have to explain this one to you, please take all of your instruments to Cash Crusaders right now and give up.
Don’ts: Clichés. Words like “face-melting,” “reinventing the genre,” “innovative,” “groundbreaking,” and so forth are over-used and make you sound pretentious.
Waffle. Keep it simple and avoid going into extreme detail. Be boring. Your biography shouldn’t read like a shopping list, either; it needs to flow and be interesting. Lie. Don’t falsify quotes or list fake achievements. The truth always comes out, and you could end up facing legal consequences. Complain. Do not talk about how your band hasn’t received the recognition it deserves, and how the industry sucks for failing to see your potential. Save your vitriol for future interviews. Brag. This is a tricky one, because obviously you’re promoting yourself. However, referring to yourself as “the best” or “the only band that matters” isn’t going to win you over any supporters. Embed the biography in the body of an email. Always send your biography as an attachment (such as Word.doc or PDF). Treat the body of an email as you would a cover letter. Embed hi-res images in the document. Supply hi-res images on request, instead. Overall, the best advice I can give a band about writing a biography is to take it seriously. This is the document that could prove to be the vital difference-maker in getting your band noticed by the right people in the industry.
Author Blurb Sergio Pereira is a music journalist, copywriter, radio commentator, and soon-tobe published novelist. For nearly a decade, he has been involved in interviewing high profile musicians, reviewing concerts and albums, providing consultancy to international music companies, contributing to radio, digital, and magazines, and writing press releases and biographies for musicians and entertainment companies. www.sergiopereira.co.za
30
Guitar Maintenance | MAINTENANCE – CLEANING FRETBOARDS | words: Alan Ratcliffe
ELECTRIC GUITAR MODDING BASICS
T
hese days it’s pretty common for us to modify our guitars - to replace or upgrade parts on the guitar with some of the many aftermarket replacement parts available. Sometimes it is worthwhile, other times it is better to sell the guitar and rather spend our money on a better one altogether. Most guitars these days, particularly, electric guitars are modular in design - a small number of body shapes, neck styles, hardware and electronic styles are used in different combinations to make a wide variety of different guitars. There is a huge spares market, comprising hundreds of different brands, all making parts to the same few basic designs, but with many different variations, materials and quality levels.
Why mod? Modding a guitar allows you to personalise it to your exact tastes - if you want something that looks traditional but performs more like a modern instrument (or vice versa), you can do it easily. You can take a guitar that is near perfect for your needs and change it so that it is perfect. Modding also allows you to upgrade an inexpensive guitar so that it sounds or performs more like a more expensive instrument. Most importantly, it allows you to do it over time – you can change it part by part as your finances allow.
When not to mod As the saying goes, you can’t polish the proverbial. A cheap and nasty guitar can only be modded so much and the chances of it becoming a great instrument are small because of the few things it is not practical to change (usually the neck and body). A major concern with modding is resale value. Unfortunately, upgrades to an instrument don’t really increase the resale value much (if at all) and a R5 000
guitar with another R5K’s worth of upgrades does not equal a guitar sellable for R10K on the second-hand market. Usually the best approach to these instruments is to only replace parts with others that are drop-in replacements (needing no further modifications to fit) and hang on to the replaced parts, so that if you ever want to sell the guitar, you can undo all the mods and hang on to the valuable parts for your next modding project.
The ideal candidate for modding The ideal guitar for modding is one that you are comfortable playing as no amount of mods will make a Gibsonstyle guitar play and feel like a Fender or vice versa. Judge the tone from the unplugged sound, as that is the base tone your pickups have to work with and, a guitar that sounds great unplugged, but not as good plugged in is a prime candidate as the pickups are easily changed.
What to mod These are your most common mods: Pickups - The simplest mod and the one
with the most impact. Easy to undo unless you rout out the body to fit a larger style of pickup. Electronics - Also easy to upgrade, but more likely something you will not undo easily as the cheaper parts are usually smaller than the replacements. Bridge - most conform to a few different styles, so a drop in replacement (i.e. one vintage-style Strat trem for a higher quality equivalent) can be removed again easily. Changing style of bridge is usually something you will not undo easily, so if you fit a Floyd Rose to your Les Paul, it’ll likely have to stay in when you sell on. Nut - a fairly pro job to replace and cannot be undone. However a good, well fitted nut will make a huge difference to playability, tuning and tone, so well worth the upgrade. Tuning machines - Like bridges, try and get a drop-in upgrade that can be removed, but if you change style, the upgrade will be permanent. Plastic parts - pickguards are mostly easy to swap out and easy to undo (any differences in screw holes are always hidden). However, with knobs and switch tips note that Asian sizes are different to US ones, so might require changes to pots and switches too.
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32
Tutorial | PLAY BETTER BASS | words: Alistair Andrews
PLAY BETTER BASS
MAJOR SOUNDING SCALES FOUND INSIDE WESTERN CLASSICAL SCALES In Western Classical Music the most popular three scales used are: 1) The Major Scale 2) The Harmonic Minor Scale 3) The Melodic Minor Scale
This C Lydian Scale works over. C, C6, CMaj7, CMaj9, C6/9, CMaj7b5, and CMaj7#11 chords The notes of G Lydian will be G, A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G D Mixolydian: D, E, F#, G, A, B, C, D (Major b7)
(We will only deal with the ascending versions of the two minor scales.) These three scales could be started from different points and we get what we call the modes. (We dealt a little bit with this in some of the previous issues.) In the previous issue we dealt with the Minor Scales inside the Western Classical Scales. Let us look at the Major sounding scales within the G major scale this time: These scales consist of a major third interval. The concept will obviously be the same in all 12 keys. G Major Scale consists of the following notes: G, A, B, C, D, E and F#. There are Three Major Modes within the MAJOR SCALE: 1) Ionian Mode (first mode) G to G 2) Lydian Mode (fourth mode) C to C 3) Mixolydian Mode (fifth mode) D to D
5th Fret Some People call this the Dominant Scale, as it works over dominant chords. This is actually a Major scale wit a b7. This Scale works over D, D7, D9, D11 and D13 chords The notes of G Mixolydian will be G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G The notes of C Mixolydian will be C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb, C The C HARMONIC MINOR Scale. This scale has 3 Major Scales: Modes III (Eb to Eb), V (G to G) and VI (Ab to Ab). Harmonic Minor Mode III: Eb, F, G, Ab, B, C, D Eb This scale and its modes are used a lot in Eastern Music. This Scale is also called Ionian Augmented. (major #5).
The G Ionian Mode: G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G This is just a normal major scale starting on the Root.
9th Fret
The G Ionian could be used over G, G6, G6/9, GMaj7, GMaj9 and GMaj9add13 chords.
This Scale works over Eb+, EbMaj7#5 and EbMaj9#5 chords. This scale will also clash with the normal Maj7 as the 5th is sharpened in these chords. If you start this scale on C the notes will be C, D, E, F, G#, A, B
Harmonic Minor Mode V: G, Ab, B, C, D, Eb, F, G (Phrygian The C Lydian: C, D, E, F#, G, A, B, C (Major #4) This is the 4th mode of the Major Scale. You will notice that this Dominant). If we started on C it would be C, Db, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, C is actually a major scale with a sharpened fourth. Have you noticed that when you are playing a song in G and when you get to the C chord the F note does not work in your lines or solos? The F# will work, as you are not playing in the key of C but in the key of G.
This scale works over G, G7, G+7, G7b9, G+7b9, and G7b9b13 chords.
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Tutorial | PLAY BETTER BASS | words: Alistair Andrews
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Harmonic Minor Mode VI: Ab, B, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab (Lydian #2)
Melodic Minor Mode IV: F, G, A, B, C, D Eb, F (Lydian Dominant). If we Start on C the scale will be C, D, E, F#, G A, Bb, C
8th Fret This scale works over Ab, AbMaj7 and AbMaj7 (#9#11)
8th Fret
The C MELODIC MINOR Scale also has 3 Major sounding Scales. Modes III, IV and V
This scale works over F, F7, F+7, F7b13 and F79b13 chords. Melodic Minor Mode V: G, A, B, C, D, Eb, F, G (Mixoydian b6) If we started on C it would be C, D, E, F, G, Ab, Bb, C
Melodic Minor Mode III: Eb, F, G, A, B, C, D Eb (Lydian Augmented) This is Just a Lydian Scale with a #5 If we Start on C the scale will be C, D, E, F#, G# A, B, C This Scale works over Eb+, EbMaj7#5, EbMaj9#5 and CMaj9#5#11 chords.
We can use this scale over G, G7, G9, G7b13 and G7b9b13 chords.
9th Fret
A SUMMARY OF THE MAJOR SOUNDING MODES STARTING ON C: IONIAN MODE LYDIAN MODE MIXOLYDIAN MODE HAR. MIN MODE III HAR. MIN MODE V HAR. MIN MODE VI MEL. MIN MODE III MEL. MIN MODE IV MEL. MIN MODE V
C
D
E
C
D
E
C
D
E
F
C
D
E
F
E
F
C
Db
C
D#
F F#
A
B
G
A
B
G
A G#
G
E
F#
C
D
E
F#
C
D
E
F#
C
D
E
F
G
G# G G
A
Ab
G
B Bb
A
B
A
B
A Ab
Bb
Bb Bb
As I mention in the previous issue, all these scales should be practiced in all 12 keys and over 2 or more octaves. You will notice that these scales are very similar in construction, but one note can make a big difference. Till next time, “LET THERE BE BASS”.
Alistair Andrews endorses ROTOSOUND bass strings www.rotosound.com
THE WORLD’S FINEST MUSIC STRINGS MADE IN THE UK SINCE 1958
Tutorial | PLAY BETTER GUITAR | words: Kurt Slabbert
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PLAY BETTER GUITAR THE MODES OF THE MAJOR SCALE PART 3
I
n our last lesson we looked at the chord scale relationship within the modes. This can be a real tough and confusing journey for a lot of people so we are taking it slow and I just want people to grasp the idea and more importantly the sound of the modes; ‘knowing a shape and not knowing how it sounds is pretty useless and something that all guitarists should spend a lot of time working on.’
This takes years of practice. It took me a really long time to get a firm understanding of modes and modal playing and I remember going through a lot of frustration on this journey to fully understand how and where to use these tools. Today we are going to take a look at Ionian. So we are going to have a one chord vamp and look at the specific tones that give that mode its colour and or flavour if you will. Let us begin with A Ionia as this is the first mode of the major scale. It has the following intervals:
A
C#
B T
T
E
D st
T
F# T
T
G# A st
Remember that your most stable notes in a Scale are going to be your chord Tones (the notes that make up the chord|). In triad terms this will be 1, 3 and 5 or A, C# and E. This scale is the one we all know or at least should, Do, Re, Me, Fa, So and so on. Here we have the A Ionian or A major scale over two octaves, played with two different fingering ideas.
1
2
If you have any questions please drop me an email on kurt@bluenoise.co.za
37 Okay so lets look at the piece I have prepared for this exercise, there are a couple of really important lessons around the way these notes are played; the ideas are simple but yet if carried across into other areas of playing they will become extremely effective!!
A Ionian Exercise one
chord sound interesting, so a good idea is to build a Melody almost like a vocalist. I have tried to create an idea in bars 1 to 4, I could come back to this idea every now and then just so that it stays fresh in the listeners ear, even displace it by an 8th note. There are so many simple ideas that are the foundation and that we need to learn as guitarists so that we can have a decent conversation
Record this onto your cell phone or a 1.This is a one chord vamp that uses the DAW if you have one, do it preferably D5 chord as a turnaround; because with a metronome and start of slow, there are 3 bars of A Major before a bar making sure you can play the rhythm - the of D5 in bar 4 position it makes it feel rhythm and the lead are always unsettled and a little more interesting. interdependent to one another. I am sure you will notice that this scale is quite bland and I don’t think there is a more difficult exercise than making one
2. I have used 2 note chords in the beginning of the lead line; these are referred to as Double stops or diads.
A Ionian Exercise one - Kurt Slabbert
Using these small parts of chords will always make your lead playing interesting. Here I have used 3rds, meaning that the notes of the double stops are all 3rds apart, or inverted 6ths, it’s a combination of both. 3. From Bar 9 I have used a technique where I accent the off beat notes. This adds a cool nuance to your playing and can be used to spice up your playing. I have also used the scale and play a typical well known pattern known as broken thirds. 4. Take note of the notes I have landed on as the chord changed to the D5. I try to make sure that I keep it on the chord tones as the chord changes. Chord tones are the notes of which the chord is constructed from, in this case a D triad has a D, F# and A. 5. Aural identification; try and sing the lead before you play it... really try and make it a musical connection rather than a mechanical connection, USE YOUR EARS! 6. Find the passion and or the excitement in the most boring of exercises, make them musical and make them yours!
Copyright Kurt Slabbert Bluenoise Productions kurt_slabbert@hotmail.com
Your Private Universe | NOISE GATES | words: Jonathan Pike
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NOISE GATES
I
n this article I am going to look at noise gates and expanders and their applications within the home studio. These can be very useful tools to help eliminate unwanted sounds from your recordings. Noise gates and expanders, like compressors, are used to control the volume of an audio signal and they can be either hardware of software devices. At its simplest you can think of a noise gate as a device that allows you to mute soft sounds, but allow loud sounds through. An expander does just the same, but instead of muting the output of soft sounds; an expander simply reduces the volume of these soft sounds by a user-defined amount.
Where a compressor reduces the level of a signal once it passes above a user-defined threshold, a noise gate or expander will reduce the level of a signal once it drops below a user-defined threshold. So what does this mean? Well, you as the user of the device can set a level below which the sound will be turned down or even muted by the noise gate or expander. This can be very handy if you are recording an electric guitar through an amplifier that is outputting a low-level hum or buzz. With a gate you can set the threshold level just above the level of the hum or buzz so that any sound below this threshold will be muted. As soon as the guitarist begins to
play, the level of the guitar signal will push through the threshold and the gate will open allowing the sound through. As soon as the guitarist stops playing and the level drops back below the threshold, the noise gate will again mute the output. In addition to the threshold parameter, you usually have access to more user controllable parameters on most gates and expanders. A parameter called “ratio” or “range” controls how much the level of the signal is brought down once the signal has dropped bellow the threshold. You can set this to either completely mute the output or you could set how many decibels of reduction must be applied. This is the main difference between expanders and gates. You can use the “attack” parameter to delay how quickly the gate or expander opens once a signal has breached the threshold. When set to its fastest, the gate will open the instant the sound reaches the threshold, and when set slower it will effectively cut off the initial transient of the signal giving a smoother feel that will allow the sound to “surge in” as if you are slowly turning the volume up. The release parameter will allow you to control how quickly the level is brought down once the signal drops back below the threshold. A fast setting will cut the signal instantaneously and a slower setting will gently fade the signal out. Gates and expanders are very useful for removing unwanted sounds from your recordings. If you have recorded a drum kit with multiple microphones, a noise gate could be employed on each individual microphone to channel to remove unwanted sounds. A microphone on a snare drum recording may well have quite a lot of High-Hat spill in it. The noise gate can be used to mute the level of the high hat, but allow the snare hits through. This can help to “tighten up” your over all drum sound by eliminating unwanted sounds. The gate itself can of course be defeated if there is little difference in level between the unwanted high hat and the wanted snare sounds. As bedroom engineers, the acoustics of your recording space are far from adequate, but a noise gate can be used to remove as much of this unwanted ambience as possible. Gates and expanders are often underrated pieces of equipment and they can go a long way to helping make your home recordings sound better.