MIXDOWN ISSUE #257

M A D E B Y M U S I C I A N S F O R M U S I C I A N S

SEPTEMBER 2015 #257

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THE SWORD

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PLUS: CLUTCH, STEREPHONICS, ANDREI EREMIN, BAD//DREEMS, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA + MORE ROAD TESTS: YAMAHA REFACE KEYBOARDS, ORANGE ROCKERVERB MKIII HEAD, SHERLOCK ANGRY ANT, MOOER WAHTER PEDAL,

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CONTENTS GIVEAWAY

6

NEWS & TOURS

8

THE INDUSTRIALIST

10

PRODUCT NEWS

12

BRING ME THE HORIZON

20

ANDREI EREMIN,

22

FORE WORD

STEREOPHONICS FIDLAR

24

BAD//DREEMS FOALS

25

BAD//DREEMS PAGE 24 CLUTCH PAGE 22

LAST DINOSAURS CLUTCH

26

THE SWORD PARKWAY DRIVE

30

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA DAVE GILMOUR

32

MANLY JAZZ FESTIVAL

33

WHAT’S THAT SOUND

34

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD [D]IGITAL [J]OCKEY

35

HOME STUDIO HINTS ON THE DOWNLOW

36

BANGIN THE TUBS

FOALS PAGE 25

THE AMP DOCTOR

38

PROFESSIONAL STUDIO FEATURE

40

FOR BREAKING NEWS, NEW CONTENT AND MORE GIVEAWAYS VISIT

STUDIO EQUIPMENT SPECIAL

44

ROAD TESTS

48

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My studio is what you would call a dog’s breakfast, in that I don’t really have a studio, but I have some speakers and a dog, and I usually feed my dog in the room that I keep my speakers in. That’s why this issue of Mixdown is as interesting to read for me as it is for anyone else, even after I’ve put weeks of work into it. I need some studio kit, and this issue has got some really awesome stuff in it.

We have some of your studio classic names, but also some more obscure lines in this issue that we haven’t looked at before.

Beyond that, we take you out of the home studio and into the professional one with a series of conversations with some of Australia’s best and brightest studios and producers.

On top of that we have some ace features, some awesome new products news and some great road tests. If I’ve learned anything from this issue it’s that no one single aspect of the recording process can ever be underestimated. It takes a concoction of epic proportions to get the desired result out of a studio, be it professional or home, and in this issue we examine all of them. I also learned that I should find a better place to feed my dog.

KEATS MULLIGAN EDITOR IN CHIEF

@MIXDOWNMAGAZINE

MADE BY MUSICIANS, FOR MUSICIANS SEPTEMBER ISSUE #258 DEADLINE AND STREET DATES: STREET AND ONLINE DATE: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 30 AD BOOKING DEADLINE: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23 ARTWORK DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24 For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact us at: (03) 9428 3600 or email mixdown@beat.com.au

PUBLISHER Furst Media

MANAGING DIRECTOR Patrick Carr

Drogemuller, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Michael Edney.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Keats Mulligan mixdown@beat.com.au

ART DIRECTOR / DESIGNER Michael Cusack

COVER ART Michael Cusack

CONTRIBUTORS Augustus Welby, Rob Gee, Peter Hodgson, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, Adam Norris, Nik Corbet, Elijah Hawkins, Phoebe Robertson, Michael Clarke, Chris Scott, Kate Eardley, Michael Cusack. Mathew

ADVERTISING Patrick Carr patrick@furstmedia.com.au Phone: (03) 9428 3600

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Michael Edney

PG.4 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

MIXDOWN OFFICE Level 1, No. 3 Newton Street, Richmond VIC 3121.

Phone: (03) 9428 3600

www.mixdownmag.com.au

BRING ME THE HORIZON T H AT ’ S T H E S P I R I T 11 TH OF SEPTEMBER

GIVEAWAYS Musical Fidelity MF-100 Headphones Giveaway With a new issue of Mixdown comes a new prize to give away to one of our awesome readers. This month we’re giving away a pair of Musical Fidelity MF100 headphones courtesy of our friends at Audio Marketing. The MF100’s are comfortable as all hell, with the option to use either the leather or alcantara material for the ear pads. The on-ear headphones produce solid and reliable sound, and are excellent in the highs and mids whilst holding their own in the lows against other models in their price range. They are a lightweight design which makes them a pleasure for long listening sessions, and they won’t weigh down your bag. They also have an inbuilt microphone, so you can finally be one of those cool people who answer their phone calls without taking their headphones off, what a killer feature. So if you want to be in the running to win these headphones, all you need to do is visit our giveaways page at www.mixdownmag.com.au/giveaways and follow the instructions.

For full terms and conditions visit www.mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions.

Last Month’s Giveaway Winner GLX-D Digital Wireless Guitar Pedal Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway from our previous issue, unfortunately as with many things in life there can be only one winner. The winner in the case happens to be Graham Leach of Melbourne, Victoria.

Graham will be receiving a GLX-D Digital Wireless Guitar Pedal courtesy of Jands. There’s one bloke who will never get tangled up in his wires again.

Congrats Graham!

*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 regularly check our Giveaways page on www.mixdownmag.com.au/giveaways for your chance to win.

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NEWS & TOURS A Place To Bury Strangers

Drunk Mums

The Garden

The Stiffys

Boasting a live show that has been critically acclaimed as one of the best in the world, Brooklyn’s own A Place To Bury Strangers are making their way around the east-coast of Australia to deliver you an unpredictable and chaotic night. If you haven’t seen them before, APTBS can only be described as a sensory overload, claiming every inch of space for their kaleidoscopic orgy of light.

Not sold yet? Then their latest record Transfixiation may get you there. The album deconstructs their sound to its core elements: mechanic rhythms that oscillate between cold and catchy, beneath frenetic whims of cascading guitars and Ackermann’s Peter Murphy-esque intonations. Yet the spirit still remains the same – these songs are fractured and frenzied, demanding a physical space in which to twist, decay and unfurl.

Melbourne Garage outfit Drunk Mums have announced the release of their sophomore album Gone Troppo. It’s their first full length offering since the band’s 2012 self-titled album, containing previously released singles ‘Nanganator’ and ‘Plastic’ on top of a plethora of equally suburban garage tales. The release of Gone Troppo comes off the back of a huge couple of years for the band, that has included performances at Boogie, Blurst of Times and Paradise Music. To celebrate the release of the album, the band has lined up an extensive national tour that will see them hit 15 separate shows over three months.

West-coast punk outfit The Garden are bound for Australia for a tour of the eastcoast, which includes a performance at Sounds of the Suburbs. The Garden is comprised of twin brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, a duo that strive for creative freedom in a world bound by conventions.

While still holding the rudimentary punk ideals close to their hearts, they purposefully aim to evade definition and maintain fluidity in their musical identity. The duo has four releases up their sleeve already, and sits in good company on the Burger Records roster. With a heavy minimalistic approach, The Garden’s sound is sure to resonate with Australian audiences who seem to have a contemporary infatuation with the artistic approach to punk.

The Stiffys have had a big year already.

On top of releasing new singles ‘Kick Another Flip’ and ‘Kissy Kissy’, the Melbourne two piece have toured extensively with Aussie folk rockers The Beards. ‘Kissy Kissy’ garnered support from both Channel V and Rage, while Triple J Unearthed gave the single some decent airplay. Now, to make this an even bigger year, the band has announced the release of their brand new EP Art Rock One, which is due for release later this year. To coincide with this release, The Stiffys have announced that they’ll be heading out on tour, demonstrating the importance of helmets and other safety equipment to audiences up and down the east-coast.

TOUR DATES SEPT 4 – CORNER HOTEL, MELBOURNE VIC SEPT 5 – MANNING BAR, SYDNEY NSW SEPT 6 – CROWBAR, BRISBANE QLD

TOUR DATES SEPT 12 – THE JACK, CAIRNS QLD SEPT 24 - MOONSHINE, MANLY NSW SEPT 25 - CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, NEWCASTLE NSW SEPT 26 - YOURS AND OWLS, WOLLONGONG NSW SEPT 27 - SOUNDS OF THE SUBURBS, CRONULLA NSW OCT 2 - BRIGHTSIDE, BRISBANE QLD OCT 3 - GREAT NORTHERN, BYRON BAY NSW OCT 4 - QUICKSILVER INSTORE, COOLANGATTA QLD OCT 9 - KAROVA LOUNGE, BALLARAT VIC OCT 10 - JIVE, ADELAIDE SA OCT 17 - GOOD GOD, SYDNEY NSW OCT 24 - HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC NOV 6 - JIMMY’S DEN, PERTH WA NOV 7 - PRINCE OF WALES, BUNBURY WA DEC 31 - THE NORTHERN, BYRON BAY NSW

TOUR DATES SEPT 24 – THE CURTIN, MELBOURNE VIC SEPT 25 – ELSEWHERE, THE GOLD COAST QLD SEPT 26 – THE GREAT NORTHERN, BYRON BAY NSW SEPT 27 – SOUND OF THE SUBURBS, SYDNEY NSW SEPT 27 – SECRET LOCATION, NEWTOWN NSW OCT 3 – THE BRISBANE HOTEL, HOBART TAS

TOUR DATES SEPT 11 - RIC’S CAFÉ, BRISBANE QLD SEPT 12 - THE BEARDED LADY, BRISBANE QLD SEPT 19 - THE EEXTER, ADELAIDE SA SEPT 24 - PHOENIX BAR, CANBERRA ACT SEPT 25 - BRIGHTON BAR, SYDNEY NSW SEPT 26 - LASS O’GOWRIE, NEWCASTLE NSW OCT 1 - THE TOTE, MELBOURNE VIC

White Fang

Angie

The Ocean Party

Megadeth

American thrash-punk band White Fang will be hitting our shores in the back end of September for a short, five date tour of the South-East coast. White Fang are said to embody the most idealistic aspects of the American Spirit. They’re driven, self-made and constantly getting better.

Celebrating their delinquent spirit with tracks like ‘Can’t Find My Weed’, ‘Portland Sucks’ and ‘High On Life’, it’s clear that a lot of Aussies will be able to resonate with their easy-going, don’t-sweat-thesmall-stuff ethos on life. Further, they’ll be bringing their alter-egos, lo-fi poprockers The Memories, for some special one-off shows. The tour comes ahead of the band’s eighth LP Chunks, and follows on from their large discography including ‘Positive Feedback’, ‘Full Time Freaks’ and ‘High expectations’.

Angie has announced that she’ll be playing a string of shows down the east-coast in celebration of her latest release Free Agent, including a special performance as a part of Bigsound. Angie is perhaps best known as a member of influential Sydney bands Circle Pit, Ruined Fortune, Straight Arrows and Gloss. More recently, Angie has been working on her solo material. Free Agent is the culmination of that, a unique exploration of one of contemporary Australia›s most important underground songwriters. Angie recently released clips for the first two singles from the album ’Down For The Count’ and ‘Out Of Age.’

The Ocean Party has announced their biggest Australian tour to date, along with the upcoming release of their fifth album, ‘Light Weight’.

‘Light Weight’, the first ever album recorded in a studio by The Ocean Party, is said to have a refined pop sound, coloured with touches of horns and pedal steel. With help from John Lee (Lost Animal, Love of Diagrams).

As well as the members themselves, the album features a number of cameos from Melbourne musicians including Ashley Bundang (Totally Mild, Zone Out) singing backing vocals and Aaron Silver (Francolin) on the trumpet.

After supporting acts such as Real Estate, Stephen Malkmus and Cass McCombs, The Ocean Party has proven themselves as a great live act time and time again. The band will be roaming through the back roads of regional Australia, visiting fans all around the country, with a total of twenty-six shows to date.

Thrash metal legends Megadeth are set to destroy the Australian stage later this year. Escaping from the confines of the studio, Megadeth are eager to show fans what they have been working on.

Megadeth’s Australian tour will be the first chance the band gets to show off their new members including drummer Chris Adler (Lamb Of God) and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro. While the line-up is different, Dave Mustaine has stated that the band has stayed true to who they are, venturing back to its thrash roots for their upcoming album. Accompanying Megadeth on the Australian tour is Finnish thrashers Children Of Bodom.

Bringing together the godfathers of thrash metal and the new generation of modern metal, this is one show not to be missed.

TOUR DATES SEPT 26 – SECRET PARTY, MARRICKVILLE NSW SEPT 27 – SOUNDS OF THE SUBURBS, CRONULLA NSW OCT 1 – THE CURTIN, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 2 – CHOPPED FESTIVAL, NEWSTEAD VIC OCT 3 – THE EASTERN, BALLARAT VIC

TOUR DATES SEPT 4 - WAYWARDS, SYDNEY NSW SEPT 8 - BLACK BEAR LOUNGUE, BRISBANE QLD SEPT 10 - WOOLLY MAMMOTH ALEHOUSE, BRISBANE BIGSOUND QLD SEPT 12 - THE JOHN CURTIN - MELBOURNE VIC

PG.8 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

TOUR Hitting WA, TAS, VIC, NSW, QLD and SA throughout September and October. See mixdownmag.com.au for the full list of dates.

TOUR DATES OCT 16 - RED HILL AUDITORIUM, PERTH WA OCT 18 - HORDERN PAVILION, SYDNEY NSW OCT 19 - FESTIVAL HALL, MELBOURNE VIC OCT 21 - EATONS HILL HOTEL, BRISBANE QLD

www.mixdownmag.com.au

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INDUSTRIALIST LIVE MUSIC SECTOR CONTRIBUTES $15.7 BILLION Australia’s live music sector contributes a total of $15.7 billion to the country in economic, social and cultural terms, according to The Economic and Cultural Value of Live Music in Australia 2014. It was researched by the University of Tasmania and released by the Sydney-based Live Music Office.

While most live music surveys look at attendance and ticket sales, this one puts a sum on the contribution of live music over a 12 month period to the community’s well being and health.

NSW has the biggest live music market, worth $342.5 million, followed by Victoria at $275.7 million. Third is Queensland ($158.6 million), then WA ($103.6 million), SA ($59.6 million), ACT ($9.2 million), Tasmania ($5.7 million) and NT ($3.1 million).

In other findings, ticket sales of $958.1 million make up only 19.2% of total live music expenditure, after food and drink (29.3% of total spend) and before travel (17.6%) and accommodation (12.4%). Nationally, an estimated 65,000 full and part-time jobs are created by monies spent on live music. An online version of the report is available at livemusicoffice.com.au.

MUSIC INDUSTRY COMMITS TO DEVELOPMENT PLAN

The inaugural National Contemporary Music Roundtable held in Sydney is comprised of 50 heavyweights from all the major music associations committed to a National Business Development Plan. The associations will work in groups to develop detailed national strategies “to increase public respect for Australian music; ensure a vibrant national live music scene; strengthen Australia’s terms of cultural trade in music; improve remuneration and employment for creators and performers; and optimise a skilled music workforce.” The resulting agenda will be reviewed by the industry and then presented to Government.

APRA AMCOS GRANTS FOR ‘ART MUSIC’ COMPOSERS APRA AMCOS has introduced three new additions to its $1 million music grants program.

F OR CONTE NT SUB MI SSI ONS TO TH I S COL UMN PL E ASE E MAI L T O CELIZER@ NET S P A CE. NET. A U

The largest of the new initiatives is worth $135,000 for composers of “art” – jazz, experimental and classical. Nigel Westlake, an APRA board member and chair of the Australian Music Centre said art music was recognised for its “influence … toward the creation of innovative and vibrant works, and acknowledges the need to nurture and embrace this contribution toward a healthy ecosystem, thereby promoting a diverse and fertile foundation for musical practice in Australia.” To commission up to eight new Australian or NZ composers, the fund will invest $100,000 in its first year, to expand on this as partners come on board with matched funding.

An Art Music Fund advisory group will be established in the coming months.

Boomerang will be back at Bluesfest 2016, next to the Jambalaya stage. “The Boomerang precinct at Bluesfest is all about cherishing culture and ending the disparity between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australia,” said Bluesfest promoter Peter Noble. Boomerang debuted in 2013, and was nominated for the Best New Event at the 2014 Australian Events Awards and Best Indigenous Tourism for the 2014 NSW State Tourism Awards. But due to funding issues, it was not held this year. Boomerang organiser Rhoda Roberts said its vision was to integrate culture in people’s everyday lives and that “Having ready access to live culture from the globes first peoples is essential for our future as a cultural leader worldwide.”

See boomerangfestival.com.au.

EMC ANNOUNCES MORE SPEAKERS

VEVO TO GROW TO 200M MONTHLY STREAMS IN OZ?

After announcing DJ Carl Cox as the first keynote speaker, the Electronic Music Conference (Dec 1 and 2 at Ivy Sydney) announced 22 more names. They include DJ and festival curator Gilles Peterson, Perth producer Ta-ku, Beatport’s VP of Artist Relations Liz Miller, Tigerlily, Ministry of Sound’s Anna Fitzgerald, Purple Sneakers’ Martin Novosel and Erin Flanagan of Thinking Loud/Boiler Room. This year’s theme is ‘Connectivity’ as it allows creators and fans around the world to connect and as EMC founder Neil Ackland said, “More than any other genre of music, electronic music relies on connections both to be created and to be shared.” The Visitors Program will see talent buyers from Asia, North America, Europe and the UK meet with local artists and managers.

FESTIVAL CHANGES NAME TO PANACEA

The organisers of November’s inaugural Between The Hills in regional Victoria have changed its name to Panacea to avoid any confusion with existing The Hills Are Alive/ NYE on the Hill festival brands.

The groups met amicably over a coffee and settled their concern over the similarity of names.

BOOMERANG BACK AT BLUESFEST

Aboriginal music and arts festival

PG.10 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

The Vevo platform has shown a significant growth in users and revenue in the first half of 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

According to Authentic Entertainment which manages Vevo in ANZ, June reported a 14% year on year growth. Australia accounts for 9 million of its 11 million users.

Both countries have 147 million monthly streams, 115 million from Australia. It also had a 205% increase in monthly revenue in the past 18 months. Authentic predicts hitting the 200 million monthly streams mark in the next 12 months.

ADELAIDE LIVE MUSIC CENSUS

The Adelaide Live Music Census, released last month by peak music association Music SA and the Live Music Office, offered a snapshot of live music activity in May 2015. It revealed that 962 gigs were held in Adelaide and its suburbs.

Hotels provided 80% of gigs (769) in Adelaide and 69% of venues (108). Of these, 35% were gigs by original contemporary music acts.

MELBOURNE MUSIC BANK ANNOUNCES FINALISTS

The Melbourne Music Bank has announced the twelve finalists of this year’s competition.

After being overwhelmed by the interest of the Victorian music playing public, the Bank

of Melbourne has revealed the names of those who were lucky enough to make it to the final round in 2015.

The finalists run the gamut when it comes to genres, giving an insight into Victoria’s rich musical diversity. This year’s finalists are Anna Cordell from Ivanhoe, Arctic Maps from Preston, DL Music from Narre Warren, Feelds from Alphington, Imogen Brough from Geeelong, Jade Alice from Viewbank, Kudzai deom Narre Warren, Milo from Breamlea, Napier from Essendon, Playwrite from Northcote, Sam O’Connell from Mt Martha and Sarah Map from Boonie Doon.

Now the public is invited to vote on who should be the ultimate winner of the competition.

Public voting is open from now and will close on September 27. Voters can share in weekly prizes including Spotify Vouchers and ticket giveaways. To learn more about the finalists and to cast your vote head to bankofmelbourne.com.au/ melbmusicbank.

COLLARTS ANNOUNCE NEW CONFERENCE

Collarts has announced the launch of REPOST, Australia’s only Entertainment Media Conference. The conference is an evening of industry-led panels, Keynotes as well as networking drinks.

The event offers it’s patrons the unique chance to network and learn how to diversify their media careers by taking advantage of various platforms to better connect with the industry and their audience.

Leaders in film, media, music, fashion and food will all be present at the event, offering an insight into the media industry and shedding light on the mechanisms that drive it. It’s an event that would be hugely advantageous to any aspiring media/entertainment professional. For more information head to collarts.edu.au/repostmedia-conference.

THINGS WE HEAR • Australians certainly have a reputation in the global digital sector for early take-ups. Apple Music is tossing up between Australia and one of the Asian countries as the first place to launch a 24-hour version of Beats radio service. Australia will also be among those getting Rdio’s new live radio broadcasts.

• Things are starting to move towards the October 22 staging of the 10th Carlton Dry Independent Music Awards on October 22 in Melbourne.

Judging by the 400 judges finished on August 31, with a nominations shortlist due next.

• AC/DC’s first singer Dave Evans is so pissed off that Akka-Dakka books don’t seem to cover with any detail the band’s first 12 months (with him, bassist Larry Van Kriedt and drummer Colin Burgess, replaced respectively by Bon Scott, Mark Evans and Phil Rudd) that he’s writing his own. He told us that “some of the biggest publishers in the world” are interested in his memoirs.

• Musos touring Brisbane can get a free meal at vegetarian café LostBoys in Fortitude Valley. Owner Pixie Weyland who has many musician friends told the Brisbane Times she knows how much of a financial struggle it is on the road, and wants to offer them an alternative from fast food.

• Sydney’s Allphones Arena is rumoured to be up for a name change in 2016 after a new naming rights deal to be announced. It would be its fourth name since it opened in November 1999. It started as Sydney SuperDome, then became Acer Arena in 2006 while Allphones took over the name in September 2011.

• Byron band Valhalla Lights’ 32 minute doco Shades of Black was selected from hundreds of entries as one of ten finalists in the Salt Lake International Film Festival in America. It chronicles their challenge in recording their epic task the band undertook to record and release their debut album Krypton after the death of vocalist Phoebe Black.

• Activist group Collective Shout, who put the brakes on this month’s Tyler The Creator’s Australian tour, also managed to get lads magazine Zoo pulled off Coles shelves.

• Daniel Unwin, guitarist with Melbourne band Crossfire Hurricane, was accidentally shot in a finger when a gun fell off a wardrobe during his day job as a furniture removalist. The 31-year old owner of the house has been charged with having an unlicensed gun and faces court in October.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

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PRODUCT NEWS

DV Mark Multiamp and MIDI Pedalboard CMC Music | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au

AIM Bachelor of Music (Audio) Australian Institute of Music | 19 5444 | www.aim.edu.au

The Bachelor of Music (Audio) is a thorough and complete study of sound engineering and music technology. The course combines three technology streams to ensure students are highly skilled and qualified by course completion.

The Audio Major Study stream is highly practical. During stage 1 and 2, students learn the foundation mixing and recording skills, and then choose one of four specialised audio pathways. The benefit for AIM students is that they learn specialised skills in the area they are most interested in and will gain experience and knowledge in that environment. Four Pathways commences at stage 3, and features the specialised pathways as follows: The Professional Studio, Live Sound Production, Media PostProduction and The Digital Studio.

The Audio Technology Stream focuses on the theoretical aspects of sound engineering. This includes: acoustics, perception of hearing, digital audio, sampling, electronics and system design.

The last stream, Digital Technology focuses on the software used in the field of sound and music production. All units are undertaken in the Digital Media lab with access to digital audio workstations.

,

DV Mark has announced a range of new developments for the Multiamp – their flagship all in one 500w powered modelling amplifier. First up, the Multiamp MIDI Pedalboard is now shipping. This custom pedalboard enables complete, easy and customisable control of the Multiamp functions from a remote pedalboard, including access to tap delay and tuner functions as well as input for an optional expression pedal. The Multiamp has also received an update. Software update V4 for the Multiamp includes additional new amplifier models and several new effects types, enhancements to both the Multiamp’s MIDI implementation and user interface.

Rounding up the news, the Multiamp now has its own website - www.multiamp.com.

Featuring tutorial, media, update and support sections, the site is the perfect companion for your DV Mark Multiamp. Perhaps the best feature of the site though is the Multiamp Community section where users can download free custom presets from artists like Corrado Rustici, Dean Brown, Pierre Cotè, Marco Sfogli, Ciro Manna and many more.

Users can also become Multiamp Ambassadors themselves by joining the community and sharing their presets, videos and opinions. New sounds are being added to the site regularly.

Sennheiser MK8 Cardioid Condenser Microphone Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au

Markbass Nano Mark 300 CMC Music | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au

Just over a decade ago, Marco De Virgiliis started pioneering small, lightweight amps; the Markbass Little Mark heads started a new era in bass amplification, inspiring many other companies to follow their lead. Featuring Markbass’ proprietary ultra linear frequency response power amp - designed to project the true tone of any bass - at just 20cm wide, the Nano Mark 300 once again raises the bar for bass amp heads. This tiny amp is not a toy - it gives you the Markbass tone in the most portable package possible, easy to transport everywhere, featuring simple and effective controls and yet it gives you all the volume you need for most gigs. It’s a professional-grade amplifier, and for such a small package, it has to be heard to be believed.

PG.12 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

The Sennheiser MK 8 offers a great solution for advanced home recording applications and project studios alike. It is the microphone for people who pour all of their passion into their audio projects. The MK 8 offers sophisticated options to sign off your sound with your own personal handwriting.

The dual-diaphragm condenser microphone delivers warm and precise sound reproduction.

Its five independent polar patters allow for a multitude of recording applications and sound design options. No matter which mixing desk or recording device is used, the MK 8 matches the input sensitivity with a 3-step attenuator. Two adjustable filters compensate for the proximity effect as well as low frequency rumble or structure born noise.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

SHAPE YOUR SOUND Bose F1 Model 812 Flexible Array Loudspeaker ®

1 speaker. 4 coverage patterns.

STRAIGHT

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Introducing the first portable loudspeaker that lets you easily control the vertical coverage – so wherever you play, more music reaches more people directly. The Bose F1 Model 812 Flexible Array Loudspeaker’s revolutionary flexible array lets you manually select from four coverage patterns, allowing you to adapt your PA to the room. Plus, the loudspeaker and subwoofer provide a combined 2,000 watts of power, giving you the output and impact for almost any application. Your audience won’t believe their ears.

F1.Bose.com.au | 1800 659 433

©2015 Bose Corporation.

PRODUCT NEWS Godin Summit Classic HB Crème Brule Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 www.dynamicmusic.com.au

Dream Cymbals Vintage Explosion Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au

The popularity of Dream cymbals continues to grow as the range expands and more drummers and percussionists alike discover the modern twist on a vintage sound.

From traditional lathed standard designs to something looking like they are straight out of the 1940’s, Dream satisfies the growing trend of drummers wanting to create a more unique and personalised cymbal sound. You can easily tell the handmade aspect of this professional quality cast line with its precise custom hammering and micro lathing. Warm, dark washy tones are popular and there’s plenty on offer for the traditional palette too. Today’s trends are for big cymbals and Dream have plenty of those. Popular choices are Bliss and Vintage Bliss series in 18”, 19”, 20” and 22” crashes and ride styles. Big 24” rides are back and the Energy series offers an unlatched bell for those that want a higher pitch and brighter articulation.

What’s really winning people over however, is the affordability of this brand. Great cymbals no longer need to cost a fortune! So if you are getting a little tired of the same old sounds, and the idea of walking out of a music store with some change in your pocket appeals to you, grab a pair of sticks and try out some Dream cymbals.

Porter & Davies Kt Platform Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au

P&D now recognised as the leaders in tactile monitoring for drummers now branch out into to world of bass. The KT Platform is perfect for bass players, DJs, guitarists, stand-up keyboard players and percussionists. It gives a full and faithful transfer of the sound and the weight of the sound through bone conduction. There is no time lag.

It’s not just a low-end rumble: All notes are faithfully transmitted, including harmonics and all dynamics. The KT Platform will give you the exciting power, depth and tone ranging from subtle levels to bone shaking, that other monitors (in-ears, in particular) just can’t deliver. You can choose to monitor just your own instrument, or take a mix from the monitor board and lock into the groove in a way you’ve never felt before.

PG.14 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

It’s almost worth buying this guitar just to look at it. Featuring a beautiful sculpted maple Carved top, a lightweight Spanish cedar body and a mahogany set-neck with a bound Richlite fingerboard & headstock, it’s a real treat for the eyes.

Going beyond the surface level however, there is plenty to like about this guitar, with a Graphtech ResoMax bridge system, two Seymour Duncan pickups, a three way toggle switch and two mini switches for pickup selection, it is feature rich.

The highlight of this guitar though is the High Definition Revoicer, which revoices and augments the frequency range of each pickup and allows the player to go from passive to active pickups at the push of a button. This provides extra bite and dynamic response for the sounds, and redefines the character of the guitar.

Alto Black Series PA Systems Pro Audio Group Australia | (02) 9521 4844 | www.proaudiogroup.com.au

Alto Professional continues to stay at the forefront of the speaker game, with their Black Series integrating technology to allow settings to be changed from an iOS device. There are five models in the range, all with 2400 watts of power and the ability to connect with iDevices. This is done through the ‘LiveDrive’ App, which is available free of charge from the app store or the Alto Website.

The speakers are constructed from 18mm birch ply with a scratch resistant finish and a full metal grille. They also feature up to three custom moulded carry handles for easy transport. The Alto Black Series 10, 12 and 15 inch models have been designed to make sure the mids aren’t too harsh, and that there is a crisp top end response courtesy of their 1.75 inch High Frequency horn loaded drivers.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

PRODUCT NEWS

Sennheiser MD 421-II Cardioid Microphone Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 www.sennheiser.com.au

Alto Professional TrueSonic Monitors

Extremely versatile, robust legendary cardioid microphone, the Sennheiser MD 421-II is easy to handle due to its pronounced directivity. With clear sound reproduction, the MD 421-II is suited for most recording conditions and broadcasting applications. Featuring five-position bass control, the MD 421 II is one of the best-known microphones in the world. Its excellent sound qualities enable it to cope with the most diverse recording conditions and broadcasting applications. The five position bass control enhances its ‘allround’ qualities. The microphone features a black exterior with a black refined steel sound inlet basket.

Pro Audio Group Australia | (02) 9521 4844 | www.proaudiogroup.com.au

For versatility and efficiency, the TrueSonic range of monitors have got most others covered. Their many uses include front of house speakers, foldback monitors, portable PA systems or everyday Karaoke systems. The philosophy behind these speakers was a pursuit of total transparency between audience and performer, trying to make sure that there is absolutely no interference in the purity of the sound. The range features a built in two channel mixer with mic or line inputs, and is incredibly light due to the advanced Class D amplifiers used, which are energy efficient and much cooler than other amps like the Class A and AB designs. The TrueSonic Series also offers an LF driver with large voice coil and a HF Neodymium driver. The design was highly focused on efficiency, meaning that more power is going towards producing sound rather than generating heat, which leads to better performance.

Sennheiser MK4 Cardioid Condenser Microphone Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 www.sennheiser.com.au

A Professional quality cardioid condenser microphone for home, project, and professional studios, the MK4 Cardioid Condenser Microphone from Sennheiser is a true condenser capsule that produces a powerful and warm sound. Highly sensitive, the MK4 is ideal for vocals, and acoustic instruments. Featuring fine resolution and outstanding sound quality, the MK 4 is easy to handle and excellent value for money, making it an ideal choice for professional project studios and home recordists. It features a 1” true condenser capsule based on the acoustics of the e 965 high-end vocal mic, optimised for recording. The MK 4 is made in Germany, its transducer being manufactured in the same clean room as all high-end Sennheiser condenser capsules.

Kinman Pickups Big Nine-0 Zero Hum Pickups For Stratocaster Gladesville Guitar Factory | (02) 9817 2173 | www.guitarfactory.net

Kinman’s Authentic Vintage Noiseless (AVn) series pickups with zero hum, introduces the Big Nine-O that has the outside appearance of a traditional Strat pickup with alnico rod magnets, but has the powerful heart of a P-90 and the soul to match. The Big Nine0 has an advanced magnetic circuit and needs to be adjusted close to the strings to get it’s best performance. It really cooks, is very loud and sounds like a P-90. Kinman’s patented technology avoids the choked, compressed sounds of conventional noiseless pickups. They feature more sensitivity and greater dynamic range which means that notes explode effortlessly.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.15

PRODUCT NEWS

Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival www.guitarmakers.com.au

The sixth Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival is fast approaching, set to take place on Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11 at the Abbotsford Convent. Punters will see guitars from over 30 luthiers, both local and international, and will also be treated to performances and workshops from top players. “The instrument is a part of how serious guitarists develop their style and sound. A manufactured instrument will not cater to an individual’s style,” said Festival coordinator Jack Spira. “The makers will be there and people can ask questions and try out their instruments.” Sting, Debra Conway and Xavier Rudd are just a few of the many well-renowned artists who play handmade guitars from luthiers on display at the festival. There will be something for everyone there, with all types of guitars ranging from standard steel string and classical guitars, to jazz archtop designs, to bizarre and unusual styles.

Orange Bax Bangeetar Guitar Pre-EQ Pedal Gibson AMI | (03) 8696 4600 | www.gibsonami.com.au

Having made amps for 47 years, Orange has decided that it’s finally time to release a guitar pedal for the first time. The Bax Bangeetar Pre-EQ Pedal is versatile, equally quiet or powerful when required, and has a range of different uses. At its most basic level, the Bax Bangeetar is useful as a clean boost or low gain driver, and at its most intense it can crank up to full face-melting levels of distortion. It delivers clarity from the pedal board to the amp, allowing for a pure signal to be achieved. A key feature is the internal charge pump, which doubles the power to 18 volts, allowing for a wider dynamic range and greater definition in the sound. Perhaps the most impressive feature, however, is the CabSim output, which emulates the sound of an Orange 40th Anniversary PPC412 4×12 cabinet mic’d up to give the classic Orange feel. This can be plugged straight into a recording console or even into the live PA set-up to allow for the Orange sound to really be captured and felt by the listener.

Denon DJ DS1 Interface Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au

If you’re looking for a professional DVS system at an affordable price, look no further than Denon DJ’s new DS1 interface. Unveiled at the Winter NAMM exhibition in January, the DS1 is finally making its way down under. The system is integrated for use with Serato, and it is the first time that the DJ software giants have collaborated with anyone other than Rane for a hardware interface, making it a landmark device.

However, the DS1 stands above the Rane SL2 in terms of audio quality, spitting out 24-bit/96kHz audio, whereas the SL2 caps out at 48kHz. This interface allows DJs and turntablists alike to feel the touch of vinyl under their fingers, but have the ease of use and versatility of a digital library. The super compact design allows for portability, meaning that it can be taken to any gig, party or club with ease. The DS1 comes bundled with Serato DJ software, two Serato NoiseMap control tone vinyl records and two CDs for use with a CDJ.

PG.16 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

Dave Lombardo Drum Clinics Gibson AMI | (03) 8696 4600 | www.gibsonami.com.au

If you’ve ever heard double kicks on a heavy metal or thrash song, it’s likely due to this guy. Dave Lomabrdo, named the “Godfather of Double Bass” by Drummer World, is coming to Australia to perform a series of exclusive performances presented by Allans Billy Hyde.

Folks in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney will have the opportunity to see the drum whiz of Slayer fame do his thing. It will be an intimate affair, with only 150 tickets being released in each city. Famed for his high-intensity, high-energy playing, Lombardo is one of heavy metal’s most revered drummers, known for 16th note kicks at rapid-fire tempos and insane patterns. Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday September 1 at 9am on the Allans Billy Hyde website and are likely to go quick. Make sure you don’t miss out on the unique opportunity to see this legend in action.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

PolyTune® Clip perfectly combines state of the art tuning technology with an unprecedented attention to aesthetics and functionality.

Unmatched in speed, precision and grace, PolyTune Clip isn’t just the best PolyTune we’ve ever made - it’s the best clip-on tuner by any measure.

tcelectronic.com/polytune-clip

www.ambertech.com.au

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sales@ambertech.com.au

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1800 251 367

PRODUCT NEWS Donny Benet

BIGSOUND 2015

Lewitt Audio Microphones To Arrive In Australia

www.qmusic.com.au/bigsound

Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au

And so, we arrive at that time of year again when the Australian music industry converges on Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley to explore and discuss the challenges and experiences of our industry, now and for the future. BIGSOUND takes place from Wednesday 9 September to Friday 11 September this year, and promises to uphold its tradition of innovation and togetherness that it has come to be defined by. Fortitude Valley’s convenient mixture of a high number of live music venues and conference facilities alike makes it the perfect location for this gathering. BIGSOUND is not all about suits and deals though, it also serves as an artist showcase, and when the sun goes down the delegates and the Brisbane public will enjoy performances from artists including The John Steel Singers, Donny Benet, Fraser A. Gorman, High Tension and Jaala across 14 venues. The event is good for networking and business reasons, but it also promises to be a hell of a good time and would be well worth checking out.

Born out of a vision for quality products and a drive for perfection, Lewitt Audio creates microphones for professionals. Their range includes recording, live, wireless and percussion microphones and has been endorsed by artists from Steve Aoki to Faith Evans. The company was born when founder Roman Perschon left his job as a project manager at a leading European microphone manufacturer to create something that he could call his own. This lead to him packing his bag and travelling around the world to find people who shared his vision. He found his people, and in 2010 the small line of microphones were launched at NAMM and Prolight+Sound festivals in Anaheim and Frankfurt respectively. The launch was met positively, and was the beginning of what is now a global company, distributing microphones all over the world. Australia will join this global network soon, and when they do the microphones will be available from Electric Factory.

Sensaphonics Silicone In Ear Monitors

Sensaphonics ER Series Earplugs

Sensaphonics Australia | (03) 8676 0369 | www.sensaphonics.com.au

Sensaphonics Australia | (03) 8676 0369 | www.sensaphonics.com.au

Custom earphones manufacturer Sensaphonics will be bringing their collection of high quality audio equipment to Australia later this year. Sensaphonics’ signature product, the Silicone In-Ear-Monitor Earphones are tailor made to your ears, with medical grade silicone ensuring perfect isolation and a comfortable fit. Developed with playing music live in mind, Sensaphonics’ Silicone IEMs enable you to monitor your sound by cutting out up to 37dB of outside noise. Stay tuned to Sensaphonic’s website for a release date.

Sensaphonics’ ER Series Earplugs offer a high fidelity solution to fans and musos alike who are constantly being exposed to unsafe sound levels. Using ear impressions to customize the plugs specifically to you, the ER Series Earplugs give a balanced sound reduction without the murkiness that traditionally comes with over-the-counter plugs.

The ER Series Earplugs also come with three interchangeable ER filters, (9-dB, 15-dB, 25-dB) making them suitable for any environment whether practising solo or enjoying a gig. Grab a set and protect your hearing without sacrificing sound quality.

PG.18 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

www.mixdownmag.com.au

C O V E R

S T O R Y

As fans of music, change is always the hardest thing to accept. For a band, it is an exciting prospect that has the potential to reach limits that were unimaginable. It is a risk most musicians face at some point in their careers, and one that can’t be taken lightly. In 2015, Bring Me The Horizon has reached this crossroad, and their latest album That’s The Spirit sees the Sheffield lads take an extraordinary leap into unfamiliar territory. With already ample playing time on Triple J with their single ‘Happy Song’, it is evident that Bring Me The Horizon is set to reach bigger heights than ever before. We sat down with Keyboardist and Producer Jordan Fish to chat about his emergence in the band, as well as his role behind the desk for their latest LP. So far from what we have heard, That’s The Spirit looks set to steer Bring Me The Horizon even further away from their metalcore roots, and into an almost alternative rock/ pop kind of sound. What are your thoughts on the change of sound and what inspired the band to trek into this unfamiliar territory?

We don’t really worry about that kind of stuff when we’re writing to be honest.... like whether it’s metal or pop or whatever. People can call it whatever they like, we just try to write music we are into. I guess that will work for some people and not for some others but that’s cool!

Your single ‘Happy Song’ is receiving ample playing time on some of our big radio stations (such as Triple J) in Australia.

Do you feel that this album will push BMTH into the mainstream? Was this band’s intention with the new direction?

I guess it’s a good thing if new people get into the band, especially people who might not have been into heavier music before.

A lot of metal/rock bands think pop is a dirty word but we don’t really give a shit. We like metal bands and we like some pop music too. I like the idea of us being a gateway band for people to get into rock music.

I read that you stepped in as a producer for That’s The Spirit. What led to the decision of not hiring a producer, and where will we see your producing influence on this album?

Me and Oli produced it, yeah. We just thought we could do a good job on it and felt like we didn’t really need a big name producer to get the band’s ideas across. Between us we knew what we wanted to achieve with the record and I think we made the right decision.

I read on our Wikipedia the other day that we produced it ourselves to save money, haha. That’s not the case, we blew whatever we saved on quad bikes and stuff.

There are some pretty dark themes explored in That’s The Spirit. What inspired Oli and yourself to explore these themes in the writing process?

Oli writes the lyrics so they’re usually quite personal to him. That said, I can relate to a lot of the lyrics, but I couldn’t answer that for him.

The band has been known to isolate themselves during the writing and recording process. This time you headed to the

PG.20 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

Me and Oli produced it, yeah...

Between us we knew what we wanted to achieve with the record and I think we made the right decision. I read on our Wikipedia the other day that we produced it ourselves to save money, haha.

That’s not the case, we blew whatever we saved on quad bikes and stuff.

Greek island of Santorini. Why did you make the decision to record there and how has that experience shaped the album?

We sent the studio through to our management as a bit of joke to be honest... It was listed as one of the most amazing studios in the world, so we thought ‘why the hell not?’Our management came back and said we could go there so we just went for it. It was an amazing two months!

BMTH have such a large and diverse following. Do you think this new direction could alienate fans from the pre-Sempiternal era?

I have no idea, possibly. I guess if someone just likes metalcore, then they probably won’t be into it. If someone comes to the album with an open mind I think they will get it.

Only joining the fray in 2012, how did you find fitting in to a well-established band with such a large reputation?

I dunno! The guys are all cool and made me feel welcome and shit when I joined. It’s just a cool band to be in. Everyone is on the same level, our crew and everything. We’re all working for the same thing at the end of the day so I think every part of it is integral.

There is no denying that Bring Me The Horizon has been able to break the mould of the typical metal act to reach even bigger horizons (pardon the pun). With this new direction, where do you see the band heading in the future and what is your ideal goal for BMTH. I think we’d all like to get to the point where we no longer have to wipe our own arses... That’s sort of always been our aim... Err I don’t know. If people buzz off the new album then that’s enough for us!

Lets talk about gear. What keyboards/ Synths did you use to record That’s The Spirit. Do you use similar gear on tour?

Nothing exciting here in afraid, I did the whole album on Pro Tools on a Mac. That’s how I always work. I’m so used to working with a mouse and keyboard I can get the sounds and stuff I want a lot quicker than any other way. I also do a lot of sound manipulation and stuff rather than traditional synth stuff so it works great for that.

What’s the plan for the rest of 2015?

Loads of touring, America, UK/Europe, Russia! Then chill for a couple of weeks at Christmas I hope.

Any hints on seeing BMTH in Australia soon?

We hope to be able to tell you very soon!

BY MICHAEL EDNEY

That’s The Spirit will be out September 11 through Sony Music

www.mixdownmag.com.au

YOU CAN’T IMPROVE

ON PERFECTION

BUT WE DID IT ANYWAY ROCKERVERB

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I N T E R V I E W S Oscar Key Sung at work and take note of things to employ when you get stuck into your own work?

I don’t really take note, it’s more inspiration. I find that I get more inspiration out of the people who I directly work with than the people I listen to. Just because you see a creation from start to finish, and I find that really inspiring. People like Hiatus influenced me a little bit, and Oscar Key Sung and I’lls, they’re probably right up there.

ANDREI EREMIN Over the past four years, Melbourne’s Andrei Eremin has spent a lot of time in the studio, mixing, mastering and producing recordings for the likes of Oscar Key Sung, I’lls, Hiatus Kaiyote and Banoffee. He’s now gearing up to release his debut solo EP Pale Blue, due on August 28. Mixdown caught up with Eremin to find out about the disc’s germination.

Pale Blue is the first EP released under your own name. Has it been a long time coming? Or did you think you’d probably be fully focused on production and engineering for the foreseeable future?

Honestly there was probably a time about two years ago when production stuff started getting really full on and I thought I was going to stop making music all together. I’ve been making music all my life pretty much, but once I was working 60 hours a week in the studio I was like, ‘Oh God I don’t have time to keep up with all of this.’ So a lot of these songs have been collected over that time period. I went off writing and then I came back on and now I’ve collected this set of songs that I’m really proud of.

You’ve worked on record for a really diverse range of artists in the past few years. Have you tried to use those experiences for your own creative gain? Do you watch the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote or

STEREOPHONICS Welsh rock mainstays Stereophonics are all set to release their ninth album, Keep the Village Alive, this September.

It comes two-and-a-half years after their commercial return to prominence, Graffiti on the Train. Weeks out from the album’s arrival, Mixdown spoke to bass player Richard Jones, who formed the band with frontman Kelly Jones back in 1992.

Keep the Village Alive has been in the works for quite a long time.

It’s tagged as a companion piece to Graffiti on the Train, and if I’m not mistaken, you initially toyed with the idea of releasing them together as a double album.

That’s right. When we started the whole project, the songs just kept on coming thick and fast. Over the space of about 12 months we had about 36 songs. So we had the thought then of releasing a double album, just to try and release the majority of that material. But then through various talks with management and different people we know in the industry, they dissuaded us by saying that people’s attention spans ain’t what they used to be and they’d rather listen to single songs and shorter albums. So we decided to condense Graffiti on the Train down to ten songs, and the other bunch of songs we thought “We’re not going to waste those,” so we continued to work on them along with a bunch of other tracks. And that’s rolled into Keep the Village Alive.

PG.22 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

When you started exploring electronic production, were many of your idols/influences local artists? Or was it mostly overseas stuff?

Probably local artists, to be honest. I used to write a lot of rock music and that was when I was inspired by international acts. But the thing that got me into electronic music was just seeing the possibilities… The first real record I mastered was I’lls’ first EP [Thread, 2011]. I think them creating that was really inspiring to me and made me realise that there’s a whole different medium that you can explore with a lot more possibilities. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

Along with Fractures and Kucka – who feature on the singles ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Anhedoniac’ respectively – Nearly Oratorio (Simon Lam from I’lls) sings on the EP’s final track ‘Two Dones’. What led you to work with vocalists on three of the five songs?

Because I get exposed to such a wide variety of new music in the studio, I know when a song needs to be carried by something else. I think with those three songs, as an instrumental they didn’t actually hold up by themselves. Part of what I’ve been aiming for with the EP is a real minimalist aesthetic. For instance, the song with Simon on it, ‘Two Dones’, if you take out the vocal there’s a harp and a synth chord for the first minute and a half, which people would just get bored of and tune out.

So I wanted to get them on board to try and add a Have you usually felt like there’s a big distinction between each successive Stereophonics album?

And, in contrast, do you feel like the latest two inhabit the same stylistic and creative space?

Graffiti on the Train was a bit of a departure from Keep Calm and Carry On [2009]. We used a lot of orchestration and let the songs breathe a little bit – we weren’t afraid to add big instrumentation. I think we kept about five similar tracks for this album, but we stripped back a little bit. So even though they were from the same bunch of songs, I think people will distinguish this album from the previous one. We’ve got a lot more instant songs on this new release. The first two singles are a good indication [‘C’est la Vie’, ‘I Wanna Get Lost With You’] of the type of direction we went on this album.

Keep the Village Alive and Graffiti on the Train were both recorded between ICP Studios in Brussels and Stylus Studios in London. Although you stripped a few things back, in terms of the sounds on the new record, did you stick with the same recording/ production methods?

I think the method is going to be pretty much the same, but we did change the actual instruments. Me personally, I didn’t use a lot of the Fender Jazz, which I always use. I used the new Gibson EB bass, which is a new one they brought out about two years ago and it gives a little bit more of a raw sound to the bass.

I also used an Epiphone Jack Casady bass on a lot of the mellower sounding tracks. We tend to do that – on each album we usually find an instrument that departs from the previous album. There’s something about playing a new instrument as well. It makes you play differently.

We’ve got our own studio in London, so it gives us a lot more breathing space to try out new things as well. Jamie [Morrison, drums] is very accomplished and very experimental. He’s great at coming up with different sounds from anything – he hits anything and

story to it and just another dimension of interest.

All three of them just totally killed it.

Fractures and Nearly Oratorio are Melbourne based. How did you team up with Kucka?

That was my first long distance collaboration, so it’s a whole different set of challenges. Having people in the studio, everything happens quite quickly and naturally, but with long distance you’ve got to email back and forth. But it was a good challenge and I’m really happy with what she’s done with the track.

Working on other people’s projects, you have a priceless distance that allows you to make quick decisions. But when you’re completely in charge of your own project, you’re more prone to obsess over minor details. Are you able to switch into producer mode and discipline yourself?

It’s definitely a lot trickier. With every step of the process that you take on board, you lose a bit of an objective view on it. I find usually the best projects I work on are those where I do only one thing – maybe I just make the beats or maybe I just do the mix or whatever.

Probably the biggest challenge in making this EP is trying to take on every single hat from start to finish – taking it from blank canvas to a mastered CD. The thing that I’m slowly learning as I go is just to create anchor points for myself.

So if I make a demo and there’s one section that everyone universally loves, I’ll keep that in mind and don’t mess with it – build the rest of the song around that and just remember that one time when everyone loved it. Even if I forget that it’s good, I still remember that other people had a really good first impression of it.

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Andrei Eremin’s debut EP Pale Blue is out now independently. makes a good rhythm out of it. I think we spent a lot more time trying to find these different sounds and actually distinguishing the two records apart.

Like all of your albums dating back to Language.

Sex. Violence. Other? (2005), Jim Lowe coproduced Keep the Village Alive. By now is it a no-brainer he’ll be the producer? Does he feel like a core part of the recorded side of the band?

I think he’s been an integral part in the way we work.

We’re really quick – as soon as we get an idea, we want to get it out as quick as possible. Then what usually happens is the demo turns into the finished article. Jim is really good at getting everything set up so quick. He’s got tracks up and running even before we pick the instruments up, and he’s always really quick with coming together with demo drum tracks and sounds. He’s got a vast library of sounds and he’s always really quick at finding a good sound when we need it as well. He’s a great bloke to have around and he’s a good friend as well.

You said that with each album you try to introduce new sounds and experiment with different instruments – do you pay much attention to what’s happening elsewhere in music and make decisions based on what you hear?

It’s inevitable you kind of get influenced by different music and different sounds that you hear over the period between the previous album, but when we’re in the studio we are very mindful of not being similar to what is going on. We want to set ourselves apart and try to find a sound which suits where we want to go.

You need to have that different sounding thing so it pops out on the radio.

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Keep The Village Alive is out September 11 via Warner Music.

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I N T E R V I E W S

FIDLAR Zac Carper is an improbable guy. Finding yourself the lead singer in a band of any success is a lottery in itself, but surviving a gauntlet of drug-fuelled touring, repeated overdoses, and relationship breakdowns – all while continuing to write songs and steer the band from strength to strength – is the kind of fortitude few hope to ever have tested. With the release of FIDLAR’s sophomore album, Too, Carper looks back on their early uncertain grasp of success, to the ever-evolving survivors the Los Angeles indie punk rockers are today.

“I’m in Oakland at the moment with this band who SHOULD BE PRACTICING RIGHT NOW. JUST FUCKING RUN THROUGH IT AGAIN!” Carper screams down the phone line. He chuckles. “Sorry. A day in the life of Zac Carper is trying to get some FUCKING BAND TO PRACTICE. One thing that a lot of bands don’t understand is that they have to do a lot of PREPRODUCTION. Sorry, they’re standing in front of me right now so I’m trying to tell them what they need to do.”

He doesn’t need to apologise at all, since the sounds of him corralling musicians into some semblance of order is pretty entertaining. Plus, it helps to demonstrate just how adept he has become at multitasking.

Since 2009, Carper and the band have bent all of their energies into

BAD//DREEMS It’s a staple of academia that the outsider is traditionally someone to fear, a figure emerging from the untraced borders of the world, to pin all our trepidations to. They can be charming, quick with a smile, but with evil intent in their heart and ruin on their lips. The stuff of bad dreams, in other words, my vials of holy water and silver bullets aren’t necessary when I chat with self-proclaimed outsiders, Bad// Dreems. Turns out, they’re the kind of lads you could take to meet nanna.

“I just came into this place for a coffee,” Ben Marwe confesses, “but I just realised they do cheese platters here and I’m totally going to get one. Pretty rock and roll, right? Cheese platters. I should be at work right now but I’m not, so I guess that’s kind of rock?”

Though seemingly quite affable and down-to-earth in real life, lead singer Marwe is happy to keep the outsider label going. Hailing from Adelaide, Bad//Dreems are legitimately outside the usual music landscape, and while they are hardly the sole act of note to emerge from the Festival State, South Australia does tend to be overlooked by the mainstream music circuit.

“I think we brought that label upon ourselves. For some length of time we even had it on our Facebook. ‘Outsider rock from South

developing FIDLAR into a sustainable act, and between writing, touring, recording, publicity and rehearsals they have become adept at juggling many balls at once. That time has also seen both the band and its members grow quite substantially.

“We’re totally, totally different people now. We were, like, twenty when the band started. Max [Kuehn, drums] was still in High School when I met him! It was such a different thing then. A lot of my love for music started in the recording studio then. I’d write something and I want to learn how to use the recording gear so I could actually get to recording songs for FIDLAR. I don’t want to say it’s been us all growing up since then, but that’s kind of how it is. When you’re a teenager, you just want to write songs. For me it was always kind of a therapy thing, to be honest. I had some problems with the world, especially being out in public. I love just locking myself in my room and writing songs, recording it all.”

Carper’s understatement here is pretty impressive.

He is legitimately lucky to be alive, after several brushes with mortality that ring all too familiar in the annals of music history. Innumerable people suffer various forms of addiction, and for all of the hard work and dedication that goes into sustaining a career in entertainment, it is also one of the few areas that rewards and romanticises debilitating habits. “you know ... touring and being in a band is the only job where you get a bottle of whiskey before you play. You’re in fact encouraged to drink before going up on stage and doing your job. It’s such a weird fucking thing. And being on tour for three years and struggling with addiction, of course I’m gonna get addicted to alcohol. It was a dark …”

Carper trails off. Not wanting to seem ghoulish by pressing any further I start to move on, when he suddenly continues.

“It was one of those things that started out so fun,

but you just don’t know how to control yourself. In a song like ‘Overdose’, well the song is just straight about me overdosing three times in one month.

I overdosed twice in a week. After that, I kind of realised ‘shit, something is really wrong with me’.

Now the hard part is going on the road and coming home, and everybody else has a girlfriend and I don’t have anybody. It was a weird, dark road for a while, weird because the media really portrayed us as happy skater, slacker punks who don’t give a fuck. In reality, we were just kids who were just as self-conscious as any other person in their twenties.

In general though, I had the power of alcohol to help me through this stuff, but by the time we got off the tour I just didn’t know how to deal with life any more. I just wanted to keep going on tour, keep the party going. Eventually you upgrade to different drugs, and I got really hooked on heroin and meth.

It was fucking dark.”

Having survived his demons, Carper and the band are standing stronger than ever. Too brims with some damned catchy tracks, and it’s arguably a much stronger record than their self-titled debut.

Of course, there are always going to be fickle fans, endlessly bitching that they didn’t stay in one place, producing the same kind of music again and again.

“We wanted to try something new. That’s the fucking shitty part about that garage punk scene in general. They want you to still be broke, they want you to just stay wasted and stay in this little box because you’re their band, you know? But that’s where the reality comes in. I want to make a living, I want to keep making music. I don’t believe in selling out. That’s such bullshit to me.”

Australia’. Very early on in our gestation we made a conscious decision that we didn’t want to move to Melbourne or Sydney, because I think when you expose yourself to those bigger, more intense music scenes, you can lose what growing up in a more removed place like Adelaide means to you.

Mostly it’s because we really are so separated from the rest of the country. We have unbelievable heat waves and bitter, bitter winds, so it does make us outsiders, but we like that. And it’s cheap,” he laughs.

To many, Adelaide remains a place of great curiosity; a city on the periphery, with a history both vibrant and macabre. It is home to the Snowtown murders and the missing Beaumont children, tragic stories that nevertheless tap into common fascinations. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the darkness below the surface has proven a strong source of inspiration for the band.

“Snowtown was filmed not too far from where we live. It’s interesting, these places you pass through on family holidays when you’re young. Passing Waterloo Corner Road, where John Bunting lived with barrels in the back of his four-wheel drive with human remains in them. Alex [Cameron, guitar] is pretty obsessed with the dark underbelly here, what you find when you scratch beneath the surface of Adelaide over the past 60 years. These things are at your back door without you really realising. But I guess some [songs] stem from Alex’s obsession with true murder stories, and you can only really write about what you know and are exposed to.

Unfortunately we didn’t grow up in New York during the ‘60s, we weren’t part of the Beat scene, so we’re not going to try and tell stories about things we know nothing about. You’ve got to write what you know.”

It’s an engaging, if grim insight into one of the band’s preoccupations, and makes you ponder if there is an even darker record lurking in their repertoire; something akin to Nick Cave’s Murder

Ballads.

“Man, I love that album. We actually wanted to do a piano track on this album, but our producer Mark [Opitz] pulled the chain pretty tight on that one.

He said, ‘You’re writing a rock record – don’t fuck it up,’” Marwe laughs. “Mark’s incredible, he’s a real artist. Very early on in the recording process Mark wanted to gauge who we were as people, who we were as a band, our past, our future, our influences.

He implemented that into his strategies of how he was going to produce us. I love writing in that Nick Cave style. I don’t really write the rock songs very well, not as well as Alex and James [Bartold, bass].

But I’d definitely like to write a slower, darker album at some point in the future. One day.”

Now that their first EP, Dogs at Bay, has dropped after years of honing their sound across countless gigs and tours that have stretched the country, you’d be forgiven for thinking the road ahead is that much clearer now. But the realities of life as a musician aren’t so magically remedied; there are still pitfalls and frustrations, balanced out by eager fans and a record they can be proud of.

“We still have those moments where stuff has gotten really hard. Trying to get everyone in the same room to jam on new material. Everyone’s schedules are all over the place. Alex has had trouble having time to tour with us over the last year, and he’s our lead guitarist, so that’s a massive headfuck. It does get rough, but we respond well to shit happening. Even if it’s down to someone being late for a Friday night flight after work so we miss a sound check, we respond well to it. At the end of the day, it’s about rock music. It’s not about perfection or being too glossy.”

BY ADAM NORRIS Too is out September 4 via Warner Music.

BY ADAM NORRIS Dogs At Bay is out now through Ivy League Records. Bad//Dreems are touring nationally from September 25 until October 31. For more information visit www.mixdownmag.com.au

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I N T E R V I E W S

When British outfit Foals arrived in 2008 with the debut album Antidotes they did so wielding a brand of angular rock that stood apart from the pack, so much so that “angular” wasn’t even a pejorative as it may have been with their peers. The years since have seen the band perform remarkable transitions of style, evolving into festival headliner status with their previous album Holy Fire, and continuing a sonic dexterity with their just-released fourth LP What Went Down. On a whirlwind promotional jaunt, ahead of their return for New Year’s in Australia, vocalist Yannis Philippakis and guitarist Jimmy Smith speak on the band’s journey so far. Here’s what went down:

You’ve now reached the stage of being major festival headliners. Was there a point where you saw that being your direction? How does that affect your writing and recording, knowing it will find a home on that larger live scale?

Yannis: We were offered a festival headline set in the UK, and we couldn’t turn that money down.

Jimmy: When you’re making the record, the live setting in your head is only as far as you’ve got on the last record. If you think about the biggest crowds, you think about a festival. On Holy Fire, it’s not like we were writing with headlining in mind or anything like that.

Yannis: Some of it was slight of hand I think. When we were writing Holy Fire there was that sleight of hand by making the production quite massive, in ways we didn’t even realise when we were working on it.

I remember thinking it sounded like a regular rock record, then all the feedback started coming in from the outside world it. We definitely felt that songs like Inhaler were much heavier than anything we’d written before. We knew that. We didn’t realise the vastness of the production. Some of it is because we started off with what we did on the first record, the interlocking, tightly wound guitars and it was dance orientated.

Then the second record [Total Life Forever] was more introverted and atmospheric. The natural thing to do since then is combine those natural threads from the past, but expand into heavier stuff as well. It feels good to play live.

Four albums is a rarity for British bands this side of the millennium. How have Foals managed to survive?

Jimmy: By not putting all our eggs in one basket Yannis: It’s hard to talk about other bands, it depends which ones. We’ve worked really hard at the records and progressing, making good records and pushing ourselves. And also playing live, playing really hard, not getting distracted or tempted. There’s been a bit of luck as well. Each record has been different and progressed. We’ve never remained static. The longer you stay in one spot the more likely you are to be hit by a bullet. We haven’t got killed yet.

There’s obviously a lot different between this album and your first, but what do you feel has remained the same?

Yannis: I think the intent behind all of them is the same, which is a pure drive to make music that is thought-provoking, entertaining, passionate. That has depth and beauty but is also fun. I think that’s always been the same. It’s just different variations of that.

I don’t feel like we make shallow, one-dimensional

FOALS

well. We realised there was a whole other side of the world that was very interested in what we were doing.

So it was kind of a blessing taking that long, because if we didn’t we probably wouldn’t have realised there was this massive opportunity in Southeast Asia.

LAST DINOSAURS It’s been three and a half years since Last Dinosaurs debut LP In a Million Years. The breakthrough release thrust the Brisbane four-piece into major pub and theatre venues all over Australia and Southeast Asia. Despite such success, it wasn’t until late last month that they returned with album two, Wellness. Mixdown spoke with frontman Sean Caskey to find out where they’ve been for the last couple of years.

Given the momentum generated by In a Million Years, were you initially planning to follow it up as quickly as possible?

Of course. You have no idea how difficult it is. We just don’t have a choice.

We can have all the songs, but it doesn’t matter – we can’t decide when we record and stuff like that. We’re very conscious of the fact that we’re on the edge of taking too long. It just kept getting delayed. But I’m hoping this one is good enough to generate interest again and then next album hopefully we can record when we should record.

It certainly doesn’t seem like people have forgotten about you.

Wellness’ first single ‘Evie’ was an instant success, leading to sold-out national tour in June/July.

We were actually just doing a lot of international touring [during the last couple of years]. After exhausting Australian touring, this massive door opened for Asia – and it was awesome. And we went to South Africa as

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From a creative perspective, did you run into any major hurdles writing a second album? Or was that not one of the stalling factors?

There was definitely pressure to try to beat the first one. The pressure I put on myself was just to make it cooler. I didn’t care about anything else. I wanted to do something I was proud of – songs that I thought were deeper and artistically better and sonically cooler as well. I got older and I listened to better music and had a better idea of what I thought was cool.

Production-wise, while Wellness sounds like the work of a rock band, it’s clear you guys didn’t just bash it out live. It’s a really tight and brightly produced record. There’s plenty of atmosphere; atmospheric keyboards, guitar effects and electronic drums. Scott Horscroft produced the album. Did you go to him with some firm production ideas?

What I respect about Scott’s production style is that he doesn’t get your song, pull it to pieces and be like, “Nah this is no good.” He’s just like, “OK that’s your thing, I get where you’re going, you probably don’t need this little bit here, but let’s record it and I’ll record it in a way to make it better and make it sound how it should sound.”

All my demos are very structured and electronic. I program everything – the drums, sometimes bass and guitar – and then I’ll translate it from MIDI to guitars later on. He got that; he made the drums super tight, really quantized and stuff like that. He wanted to keep elements from the demos in the songs. We talked about it and we were like, “That’s perfect.” We didn’t really have any directions to give him.

records. That’s been the same with every record, we crave that depth. We work hard at the records. There are some obvious sonic things as well, the interlocking ways we play guitar are here on this record – probably more so than the last record in some ways. We’re definitely suckers for rhythm, that’s really important.

Even if we’re using a straight up 4/4 beat there’s been a decision behind doing that, rather than using stock beats.

With your fan base, are you rolling the dice each album by changing up your style?

Jimmy: I guess so. Maybe now on the fourth album, we’re definitely be rolling the dice with getting new fans, but our traditional fans who have stuck with us for a few albums perhaps expect something different each time.

Yannis: It definitely is a bit nerve-wracking. By the time the album comes out we’ve put out a few songs to show there is a spread in terms of sounds. But it’s always nerve-wracking when you put the first track off the record out. I remember when we put Spanish Sahara out we didn’t know whether people would like it – same with Inhaler and same with What Went Down.

You can’t predict it.

What are the frontiers for Foals beyond 2015?

Yannis: We want to make more records that we feel are better than what came before. We want to make an amazing record.

Jimmy: We’re getting close.

Yannis: Universal domination. What’s the Scientological overlord? Xenu?

BY LACHLAN KANONIUK What Went Down is out now via Warner Music.

Foals will also be performing at the 2015 Falls Festival.

Building your demos using MIDI – is that something you’ve been doing all along? Or has that approach developed out of convenience?

It’s just easier to do it on MIDI for me. Even though it’s time consuming and I just hit one note then copy and paste and move it all, I’m not the kind of guy to bash it out on guitar. I always like to be fiddling with it, because I’m really OCD with that sort of shit. I’ve always programmed drums and most of the time bass and it works well. That song ‘Wellness’ for instance, that’s actually my demo. It’s all stock Pro Tools plug-ins – drums and bass and synth.

That’s one of the definite highlights on the record.

The dreamier electronic nature of it suggests where Last Dinosaurs could go from here.

That was more [like] the stuff that I listen to. I don’t really listen to the stuff that we play. I’ll probably never listen to our stuff – maybe except for ‘Wellness’ – but for some reason it’s just what I do. ‘Wellness’ is closest to the stuff I really enjoy listening to – more dreamy and a bit deeper and more soundscape-y. I do like guitar music, but I’m more a fan of stuff like that.

Are there any major artists that were on high rotation during the period in which you were writing these songs?

I’ve always listened to Panda Bear. Panda Bear - Person Pitch [2007] would probably have come out 2,500 times now. Mr Twin Sister was a huge influence for me. When I found them I was just like, “Oh my God.” The thing that I admire was that every song of theirs sounds completely different, because it’s supposed to.

They take it all the way. That’s what we haven’t really that much. [On] demos I have, but then we peel it back and turn it into pop songs.

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Wellness is out now via Dew Process / UMA.

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I N T E R V I E W S

CLUTCH Psychic Warfare, the 11th album from US heavyset, stoner rockers Clutch, is on its way on October 2. Much like their previous LP, 2013’s Earth Rocker, the album was produced

by Machine (AKA Gene Freeman). Though, this time the band left the east coast and set-up camp in Machine’s new Texas studio, Machine Shop. To find out about the recording experience, we spoke to bass player Dan Maines.

You worked with Machine on Earth Rocker, as well as Blast Tyrant (2004) and Pure Rock Fury (2001). After reconnecting on Earth Rocker, did it seem obvious you’d get him to produce Psychic Warfare?

We all felt really good about the sound and flow of ER, and it is our best received album by the public yet. By the time we went into the studio to record that album we were very comfortable with Machine and how he works as a producer. It’s not a typical way of recording an album, but he makes it work and both parties were very happy with the results. For Psychic Warfare, we wanted to do something a little different to distance it from ER while maintaining the same level of energy that album had.

Lucky for us Machine had just transported himself from New Jersey to Texas, just outside of Austin. He got himself a nice big plot a land and built a barn from scratch to house a new studio. It’s got a cool laidback vibe that we really liked.

THE SWORD Since the release of their acclaimed debut Age of Winters, The Sword have thrust their way into the hearts of all lovers of doom metal, even earning a support slot on Metallica’s 2013 tour of New Zealand and Australia. The band’s latest album has already received positive reviews from the likes of Rolling Stone Magazine, which compared the track ‘Empty Temples’ to the work of Thin Lizzy and ZZ Top. Lead singer and guitarist John Cronise is happy with the reviews they have received, noting that on this album they have chosen to swing their weapons in a slightly different direction.

High Country is more than a stylistic step forward for the band, which has in the past been commonly compared to heritage metal heroes Black Sabbath. “I definitely hear the differences,” John says, “but as far as trying to describe exactly what it is, I’ll leave that to others.”

Those others have gone as far as to describe the album as melodic southern rock and heavy rock as opposed to metal, which John says is a fair description. ‘’It’s much more of a rock and roll album. It has a little moodiness here and there; it’s not all rainbows and sunshine.

Overall it’s meant to be mellow. It has its moments of intensity and

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Over your 11 albums, you’ve worked with a lot of producers, and some really big names (Joe Barresi, Jack Douglas). The relationship between artist and producer is obviously very important, and I imagine it’s not always smooth sailing. Do you feel like Clutch have a real artistic affinity with Machine?

Working with Machine is still a bit challenging for us sometimes, in a good way. When we recorded Blast Tyrant with him back in 2004 his methods were so unorthodox it led us to go in a completely different direction when it came time to record the followup, Robot Hive/Exodus. But there is a sound to his method, and an energy that works well for us. He gets himself involved in the music more than any other producer we have worked with, and he will share every thought and idea he has. We won’t always agree with him, but we encourage his input.

While Machine has worked closely with other heavy acts (Lamb Of God, Every Time I Die), he’s really into hip hop and beat-making and the use of samplers. Does his background in these areas have an effect on the recording of Clutch albums?

I do think that one of the things he’s got going for him as a music producer is that he is also a musician. He’s someone who knows what the songwriting process is like and is able to bridge those two worlds of being a musician and a producer. When he gets excited about a particular part or a lyric he does like to say something ridiculous like “that’s hip-hop!”

What excites him about it is its loop-ability. He records into a computer and has the music laid out on a grid. He can sample a section and break it down and manipulate if wanted. As a songwriting tool that’s great. What is interesting, though, is out of the entire Clutch catalogue, when it comes to adding samples into the music, the albums we recorded with Machine have the least.

Psychic Warfare is a very live sounding record. It’s not overly compressed and doesn’t sound beatdetected or digitally tidied up. Was the essential aim to go in and bash it out?

When we went into the studio for ER we essentially did what we did for Blast Tyrant, which was have JP [Jean-Paul Gaster] record the drum tracks to scratch vocals and guitars and then re-record the guitars and vocals to those drum tracks. It’s a longer process but makes for a tighter sound. By the time we got in the studio to record Psychic Warfare we had already played most of the songs out live on tour. Our intent was to write as much as we could at home, book a tour and play a few of the new songs each night, end the tour in Austin and go straight into Machine’s studio. We told Machine we wanted to approach this one differently, to give the songs a much more live feel. We recorded the songs as a band, with minimal overdubbing. It’s the best sounding album we’ve done with him in my opinion.

heaviness, but it’s not just beating your brains out from start to finish.’

Now almost a decade into their career, the band is feeling more comfortable and confident in their capabilities, which has resulted in a more dynamic and variable album. At 15 songs in total, the album is not overly long due to the general brevity of the individual tracks. “The longest song on the record is barely five minutes,” John says, acknowledging the change in length. “People seem to be into writing really long songs these days. Maybe my attention span is getting shorter as I’m getting older.”

“I was listening to some Tom Petty records the other day and some of his classic hits are less than three minutes long. You realise you don’t need to play a riff a million times to make a song.”

Drawing on a wide range of influences, from blues to funk, might have led to the album’s unique sound, which is overall surprisingly lacking in darkness.

“To me it’s just fun music to play; that’s really the whole point. A lot of the songs on the album are pretty straightforward and to the point. Some of the songs are more dynamic and go from really subtle to really heavy, but then there are songs like the first track ‘Unicorn Farm’. That one we just made up in the studio. Our producer thought it would be really cool if the album started with a track that made people wonder if they were even listening to the right album.”

With the band planning to tour the album in Australia early next year, the variance in the album’s tracks has led to a situation where some of the songs might be left off the live playlist. “Some of the songs on the record are not really even rock and roll songs. There’s a synthesiser instrumental, an acoustic instrumental, a ballad. There might come a time and place where it would be cool to play those, but when we first hit the road it will be the full band numbers.”

“My live rig is pretty simple. Just a couple of pedals

for overdrive and distortion, and the MXR Phase 90 and a Carbon Copy delay pedal. Because I sing and play guitar live I don’t like there being too many buttons and knobs and lights to confuse me while I’m playing.”

In comparison, they used a range of equipment in the studio to create the dynamic and interesting sound of the album. “For each song we really tried to get a tone that worked for that song, rather than just dial it in and have the whole album sound the same.”

“We used various amps, mostly small stuff – a lot of little combos and old tube amps. We would just play with stuff in the studio and see what sounded cool and appropriate for each song. Distortion-wise I used various fuzzes and overdrives; I went for a dirtier tone rather than the super-saturated, creamy, thick distortion I always used in the past. In a lot of ways I always used that tone to hide mistakes in my playing. On this album I just tried to play better so I didn’t have to do that!”

High Country represents a stylistic expansion for The Sword, but also a growing confidence in their abilities and a maturity in their goals. “I would say we have better control now; I feel evolved,” John says. “What we’re trying to do as songwriters now is not what we were trying to do initially. Back then we were trying to make a much louder noise sonically; it was more about the riffs and the driving assault of the thing.”

Still, he’s quick to clarify that they’re still metal heads at heart. “We still like stuff heavy, but it’s not heaviness for heaviness’ sake.”

Clutch have now made 11 albums and never really rested on your laurels. But, perhaps more than ever, this album seems like a celebration of four-to-the-floor rock’n’roll music. Was that intentional?

I think we have just come to terms with the fact that that is what we are. We are always willing to experiment with different styles of music and adding extra instrumentation, but it really boils down to the four of us, what’s created by just us four guys in a room jamming. It was our intention to create that vibe on ER and I feel like we took it a step further with Psychic Warfare; to create a heavy and live sounding album, to recreate what we try to do each time we walk on stage.

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Psychic Connection is out October 2 via Weathermaker Music / Rocket.

BY MATHEW DROGEMULLER

High Country is out now via Cooking Vinyl Australia.

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I N T E R V I E W S that and still have the same feeling when we feel that we literally poured everything we’ve got into that formula. So you’ve got to start trying to reinterpret sounds and stuff like that and really challenge yourself all over again. So it sounds like the most creative time of the band since we started the band.

PARKWAY DRIVE There is no denying that Parkway Drive is the most fearless band in Australia. We’ve seen the Byron Bay lads dive off cliff tops, surf some of the world’s biggest waves, and even jump out of planes for their latest music video. However, their fifth full length, Ire, sees the band take their biggest leap of faith yet. Jumping into unknown territory, the band that has inspired many acts in the metalcore scene has taken a stunning creative turn in an attempt to reach even greater heights. Vocalist Winston McCall sits down to chat with Mixdown about what fans can expect from the Ire, and reflects back on 12 years in Parkway Drive.

Upon first listening of the album you can definitely see some changes from previous material. For a fan it’s actually quite inspiring to see a band such as yourself of such a high stature take such a leap of faith with this new sound. I think it’s definitely going to pay off in the long run.

Hopefully. The thing is, no matter what it has paid off for us. We loved the process of making this record. It pushed us so much further than anything we’ve ever done, literally since starting the band. It is one of those things, we’ve put out a back catalogue of albums which we’ve put our heart and soul into and people have connected to it. It’s been absolutely amazing, and we still completely love those songs, but we kind of can’t recreate

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA From their breakout, second full-length release Plagues, to their latest full-length 8:18, The Devil Wears Prada has transitioned both sonically and spiritually. Their latest offering, Space EP, sees the band treading on familiar territory five years on from their career defining Zombie EP. However, this time they’re with a new guitarist, Kyle Sipress, and have collectively evolved as a band to deliver six songs that strike the perfect balance between melody and aggression whilst managing to maintain that ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ edge that had fans captivated from the very beginning. We sat down with Vocalist Mike Hranica to reflect on the band’s progression over the years, as well as discussing what fans can expect with their latest offering.

On first listen, Space EP felt a bit softer than the last few releases by the band. Was this intentional when writing the record or was it more organic?

We have always tried to work very naturally. When we did With Roots Above and Branches Below and the Zombie EP, it was very intentional to make those albums heavy. These days, when we are writing

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How do you believe your writing processes have developed over these years?

Well originally we had no writing process. Jeff would write riffs and we’d put some lines together and that was the song, and no riff could have more than like two parts stacked together before they had to have a breakdown. That was as simple as it literally once was and that rolled for quite a long period of time.

We slowly started working in the idea that you don’t necessarily don’t have to have 25 different riffs in the song, you can actually play that one memorable part more than once, so that was the basics. This time around it went also into trying to get different sounds and focus in on what we actually wanted the highlights of our sounds to be and simply making sure that when the guitars were highlighting the melody that they weren’t clashing with me going mental and getting lost and the same thing with the vocals. That was kind of the difference in the writing process this time round. It leads to a much wider sound as well; the whole idea was to create a far larger sonic scope which is going to expand the actual live sound when you hear it live. When you’re playing in one style, fast with breakdowns, it leads to a very specific style of mixing and a very specific wall of sound when you get in the live arena. But when you open it up and you draw back the amount that’s in it means the sound can flatten out so much further because they don’t have to compress it that much. It makes a massive difference when you hear it live and that was the whole thing, being able to create a full spectrum of sound. The difference between the old sound and the new sound is black and white and colour, and each have their own amazing forms to them, but when we combine them it’s always going to end up that’s a lot different from

together, we can identify when we need to make a part heavier instead of forcing it. So, I guess with ageing it is a little bit of an organic and natural kind of process. I wouldn’t say our influences are exactly soft, but I feel like we were starting to draw more from rock and post hardcore songs for inspiration in certain ways. We never really go about writing a song based on what is expected of us, or what kind of obligation is to be met. You can all tell what Space was born out of. When we did South Of The City EP, the songs felt very true, and I think there were some aspects that carried over to the Space EP. I’ve heard that you felt like Zombie was the turning point for the band in terms of genre, with the EP drawing the band away from the ‘metalcore’ genre. Do you feel that Space is perhaps another turning point in the bands’ future writing direction?

I think that our writing process is definitely different, and this creates a different product. I think that the Space EP is a totally unique project to anything else we’ve released. The heavy side of things were pretty unexplored in the Space EP. We concentrated on the bounciness, which always comes down to tempos and rhythms, and that’s a big sort of underline from the present aspects in songs such as ‘Supernova’. I can definitely see us getting thrashier, much thrashier than what is apparent in the Space EP, especially after touring with Slayer again given the influence that that had on Kyle. The fact that his influences are a little different from what our last guitarist Chris’s were, I think that future releases are going to be a different product, and that prospect is very exciting.

I wouldn’t say that Space is where things are going to go by all means. I think vocally it becomes pretty close, but we will see. We are looking to start on our next full length in the coming months, so I don’t

anything we’ve got What can fans expect from the new shows?

We haven’t toured Australia in a quite some time; it’s changed a little bit. It’s not like it’s lost anything.

We’ve focused over the last couple of years on really intensifying the live experience, rather than it being just the old ‘we are a soundtrack to chaos’ out there and that’s it. We wanted to make sure that what was happening on the stage heightened the experience to go along with the music. I don’t want to give too much away, but there is definitely a very large step up in, when it comes to us performing. The actual show design as well, it’s not so much an ‘anything goes’ and we just kind of roll with it. It’s a very well designed thing and a lot can actually go wrong and it involves some pretty amazing visuals.

There’s quite a bit of emotion behind Ire, what inspired you in the writing of the album?

It’s one of those things where I don’t necessarily find one topic and write about it, it’s very hard for me to pinpoint an exact point in time where it’s like ‘hey, that’s what inspired me.’ I mostly wanted to convey a human sense of anger, simply to go along with the album title. The songs came before the album title, but a lot of them are born out of frustration and the idea that the world that we live in is not functioning in a way that is equal or fair or basically speaks to the best of human quality. That’s basically where it comes from; it comes from trying to connect those human emotions to a level of understanding to the idea that to be angry at this point in time is what needs to happen rather than just feeling complacent and lost.

BY MICHAEL EDNEY Ire will be out September 25 via Resist Records. Parkway Drive are touring nationally from September 23 to October 11, for more information visit mixdownmag.com.au

know, I guess it’s a mystery to us too.

How do you view your evolution as a writer from, say, Plagues to the Space EP? I think everything is different. Especially Dead Throne, which was two full lengths after Plagues, I really wanted to honour the fact that everything I wrote lyrically could be a piece on its own. Looking at Plagues, there were songs on there that were totally hit or miss rather than a song being its own, which I think 8:18 is comprised of. I think that was a big part of me evolving personally.

There is no denying that you are one of the most iconic front men in the modern metal scene. How do you preserve you vocal cords to continue to have such a commanding roar 10 years on?

I have had really big ups and downs. Funnily enough, my biggest struggle is that when I start a tour I have to get broken in and no matter what I do, no matter how long or how short the set is, it takes me a good week, week and a half to get broken in. Otherwise I’m pretty good. I try and take care of myself, I try not to push my drinking too much. I quit smoking almost a year ago, which I am definitely proud of. I think that has helped, not for just my general lung capacity, but for my vocal chords as well. I feel good. I think I’m more fatigued in other areas by all means. When I finished the summer tour we did last year, I came back and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which basically means that my thyroid doesn’t create enough of this hormone, which causes a lot of fatigue, exhaustion and anxiety in my body on a chemical basis. Those factors have gotten to me more than my voice wearing out.

BY MICHAEL EDNEY Space EP is out now via Warner Music.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

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I N T E R V I E W S

DAVE GILMOUR From malnutrition on the streets of Europe to global superstardom, the story of David Gilmour is as long as it is complex. His fourth solo album Rattle That Lock is the latest release in an industrious career spanning six decades.

From the early days of Pink Floyd, where he was just an extra musician with little or no song writing responsibility, to a co-lead singer and song writer, to having complete control, Gilmour’s relationship with the band has been typified by internal conflict as much as by great songs. Nevertheless, he worked with the band on twelve albums, including the huge successes of The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. He certainly came a long way from being a broke busker on the streets of France and Spain.

At age 11 Gilmour met Syd Barrett and Roger Waters, who went to school on the same road as he did, and would eventually form Pink Floyd. In 1967, having pretty much bottomed out when thieves stole his gear in Paris after a string of unsuccessful gigs playing poor quality covers of current chart hits, Gilmour went home to London in search of new gear. When he was in town he watched Pink Floyd record ‘See Emily Play’ upon invitation to the studio by Barrett, who didn’t recognise him when they met up, which led to Gilmour being shocked by perceived changes in his personality.

In December 1967, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason asked Gilmour if

PG.32 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

he would like to join the band as a fifth member, while Barrett was retained as a non-performing songwriter. Within six months Barrett was out of the band and Gilmour started to write some of the songs with Roger Waters. After the commercial successes of The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here, Gilmour took greater control of the band, writing and singing lead vocals on most of Animals and the critically acclaimed The Wall.

Keyboard player Rick Wright was fired during the sessions for The Wall and the relationship between Waters and Gilmour became strained. June 16, 1981 was the last time that Waters played with the band until their reunion in July 2005 for the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park. During this time Gilmour continued to record albums both with new line-ups of Pink Floyd and with his own solo projects.

2015 sees the release of Rattle That Lock, Gilmour’s first solo release since his 2006 number one album On An Island, and comes just a year after the Pink Floyd release The Endless River which went number one in 21 countries. ‘Rattle That Lock’ is the name of the lead single for the album, and uniquely features a four-note-tone from an announcement at a French train station. It was recorded at Aixen-Provence on Gilmour’s iPhone and provides the backbone for the song. Consequently, Michaël Boumendil, the creator of the tone, is credited as a writer of the song. Some of the guitar playing on the track is vintage Gilmour, and evokes images of the Wish You Were Here-era soloing. The song is impressive, with the rare quality of allowing space for each of the instruments to interact in without sounding too sparse or empty, or, on the flip side, sounding too dense with many instruments playing at once. The lyrics were written by Gilmour’s wife and long time collaborator Polly Sampson, who also wrote lyrics for four other songs on the album.

The album was mixed and partially recorded at Gilmour’s houseboat studio ‘Astoria’, which he

purchased in 1986 because he “spent half of [his] life in recording studios with no windows, no light, but on the boat there are many windows, with beautiful scenery on the outside”. The other recording studio used was in Hove in the UK. As with On An Island production of the album was handled by Gilmour and Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera. Many artists were employed in the recording of the album, including Steve DiStanislao, Guy Pratt, Manzanera and Gilmour’s own son Gabriel, who was making his recording debut playing piano on ‘In Any Tongue’.

This album is shaping up to be a real collectors item, available on vinyl and CD, as well as the option for the Deluxe Edition with a DVD pack or a Blu-Ray pack. The Deluxe Edition includes 4 “Barn Jams” filmed in January 2007, featuring Richard Wright on keyboards, 4 documentaries, 2 music videos, 4 non-album tracks, a lyric/photo book, a copy of the book Paradise Lost, Book II by John Milton (which Sampson based the lyrics of ‘Rattle That Lock’ on), a double-sided poster and more.

Gilmour will head out on tour in support of this album, with UK and North American dates already announced. It will be his first solo tour in nine years.

BY ELIJAH HAWKINS

Rattle That Lock will be out September 18 via Sony Music Australia.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

I N T E R V I E W S

MANLY JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015 –

CAROLINE SPEIGHT

Manly has become synonymous with Jazz in Sydney and now in its 38th year of operation, the Manly Jazz Festival continues to put on a program of performances and workshops featuring national and international artists in predominantly free events. The Speight name has long been associated with the festival, and Artistic Director Caroline Speight carries on the legacy of her late educator, musician and father John Speight to bring jazz to the masses in a family friendly setting in beautiful Manly.

The festival is in its 38th year, how did your association come about?

My father (John Speight) basically started the festival, so I was young when he got involved. He was initially the artistic director, but also handled a lot of the logistical side of things, and his aim was to take jazz music to the masses and for the general public to see and hear it and learn to appreciate jazz music in all its forms. One of the main drivers behind that was to encourage young people to get involved in jazz. The Young North Side Big Band was one of his groups which was made up of young performers across the northern beaches area, and back in the day had young players such as James Morrison and Dale Barlow. So as an educator and a musician he was very involved

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in the scene, and the Manly Jazz Festival became one of his projects to promote and push jazz music into the community. He wanted an opportunity for musos and young up and comers to play so he thought ‘well, I’ll create an event and then they’ll have somewhere to play’. So he really put the Manly Jazz Festival on the map and it’s been going strong ever since. Unfortunately, Dad passed away in 2007, and my brother and I were left with the dilemma of what to do – we decided to put it together for the year and then see what happens.

Well that was seven years ago and I’m still here!

With the likes of James Morrison, Darren Percival, Jeff Clayton and the Rehab Brass Band, it’s a mix of international and national artists?

Absolutely, we’ve been lucky to have many international performers over the years, and we like to continue the balance of those with our own talent. There are names and lesser known players that are still phenomenal musicians in their own right and sometimes, like a good wine, jazz musos seem to get better with age, so we have performers of all ages. On the flip side we have a whole stage devoted to high school stage bands, as well as a community band stage, so it is open to all levels and age groups which helps with the welcoming feel of the festival. Putting the program together has always been a mix of jazz styles to hopefully cater for everyone. If you don’t like big band stuff you’ll find a modern/contemporary artist, or you can see [traditional] or vocal jazz, or something more Latin and worldly. We try and program different music on different stages, we are definitely careful that we have a mix of styles.

Are all performances free?

Predominantly so, we do offer a couple of ticketed events in the evening and some workshops but the idea has been to make it as accessible as possible.

The Manly council have been great support and although there isn’t a bottomless pit of money, they can see the opportunities it provides, the enjoyment people get out of the festival and the number of people it draws. And again, one of the big things about the festival is the mentoring and passing on of jazz knowledge to the younger players coming through, so we want to continue to build up that part of the festival.

Some festivals seem to be under pressure to really mix it up and stretch outside their boundaries to modernize things – have you felt any pressure in that regard?

A lot of Australian jazz festivals are quite fixated on sticking to one particular style which has never been our outlook. Obviously people will have their own favourite style and over the years we have copped some criticism for being diverse, but we still seem to get the crowds, so we’ll continue to offer our broad palette of jazz which works for us and hopefully the Manly council and general public continue to support it for many years to come!

If you had to sum up the Manly Jazz experience in a sentence or two?

World class talent with something for everyone really. Its family friendly with a community feel and suits the casual listener right through to the jazz tragics.

BY NICK BROWN

The Manly Jazz Festival runs from September 25 until October 5, for more info visit www.manly.nsw.gov.au

DIRTY DOZEN BRASS BAND

WIND & BRASS INSTRUMENTS

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.33

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C O L U M N S

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD Setting A Stratocaster Bridge To Float

I was the kind of kid who always tinkered with gadgets and stuff.

When I got something new, I had to take it apart to find out how it worked. So, when I got my first Stratocaster copy I remember being fascinated with the six-screw vintage-style vibrato bridge and I couldn’t wait to tear the damn thing apart and see what was going on.

Musically, I could use it to make rocket noises and whale sounds, but mechanically, I could do all sorts of fascinating things like …make springs shoot across the room by accident. Oops.

But then I listened closely to a few of my favourite artists and I realised they were doing something extra with their whammy bars instead of just using it to make wild noises, something I wasn’t able to achieve with my guitar’s bridge, (as it came set up from Santa Claus) they could raise the pitch as well as lower it.

Dudes like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Dimebag Darrell, Nuno Bettencourt and Jeff Beck were doing things with the whammy bar that I knew weren’t so easily explained as “they have a locking trem.” Heck, Beck was doing his thing with 2-point Strat trems! So I started experimenting with the screw heights on my bridge, seeing what happened if I lowered or raised them. I jammed those suckers right down to the wood, played the ‘Enter Sandman’ solo and promptly snapped the bar right off. Then, I thought about Beck and his 2-point system, and I did a bunch of digging to figure out why I’d broken the bar (uh, the screws were holding the bridge down so tight it was practically a fixed bridge, moron), and how I could get more travel from the bar, including the coveted upwards direction. I had a feeling I’d get better results if I got the middle four screws out of the way and focused just on the outermost ones. That gave me smoother travel downwards, but I eventually discovered that the secret is in the springs in the back of the guitar, not in the screws holding the bridge down.

You need to balance the string tension with the spring tension, pulling the bridge up slightly off the body so it’s sitting at an angle rather than flush. Once you’ve got that nailed down, you can pull up on the bar or push down, and it will return comfortably to the starting pitch.

So how do you get it to float in a useful, musical way? The secret is to angle the claw in the back of the guitar so that it’s tighter on the bass side and looser on the treble side - turn the screw further into the body on the bass side of the claw compared to the treble side. When I pull it backwards, I get a minor third

– the equivalent of three frets – on the G-string, a whole step (two frets) on the B, and a half-step (one fret) on the high E. Once you’ve got those strings set up to work this way, you can use the bar to create some beautiful pedal steel-like sliding melodies, and you can either use the bar to bend up to specific notes, or you can simply push on the bridge itself with the edge of your hand to get quick rise-and-fall bends, Jeff Beck style.

Another great reason why you should set your bar this way is that you can get those great David Gilmour vocal-like vibrato effects on bent notes. This has a different quality to the same bend/vibrato technique performed with a flush vibrato bridge or by using your fretting hand to generate the vibrato. Think about it: when you hear a singer applying vibrato, they don’t just go up from the note; they go up and down around it.

Whichever way you set up your bridge, it’s important to also make sure the nut, saddles and string trees are properly lubricated so the strings can pass over those contact points without friction.

If the string gets snagged at any one spot, that’ll mess with your tuning. The cheapest way to lubricate these points is to use a pencil, although I often use products like Big Bend’s Nut Sauce, which keeps those crucial contact points slippery. It’s also a great source of juvenile comic material in the rehearsal room.

So there isn’t any one thing that gets a Strat trem humming along nicely, but if you get all of these factors working together in harmony you can get an incredible amount of expression and range out of a traditional Strat trem without even having to lock down a nut or rout out a lion’s claw.

BY PETER HODGSON

PG.34 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

WHAT’S THAT SOUND? David Bowie Is...That Sound

It’s now about a quarter to twelve on a Wednesday evening, and I have just returned from Sennheiser’s 70th birthday celebrations that culminated in a private evening at the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition currently on display at ACMI (Australian Centre for the Moving Image) in Melbourne.

For those of you that were unaware, this exhibition has travelled the world with more than a million people having already seen and heard a glimpse of the incredible life that David Bowie continuesto lead. Aside from the costumes, album art, original hand-written lyric sheets and sketches, the exhibition also focuses heavily on the aural experience.

This is where Sennheiser deliver their excellence in sound.

Through The Ages Visually And Audibly

Much like many exhibitions in galleries the world over, this one was accompanied by an audio guide in the form of a portable player and headphones to help you understand what you are seeing as you walk through the exhibition. These audio guides often end up being very dry, formulaic and downright boring. In fact, they usually detract from the experience of the exhibition and leave you trying to align your audio with your visual senses somewhat unsuccessfully. Sennheiser has changed this experience once and for all with ‘David Bowie Is’.

We were all issued with a player on a lanyard and a pair of headphones upon entering the exhibit with the simplest of instructions; “Just turn the volume up or down, don’t worry about pressing play, it does it itself”. Well, that seemed pretty simple for those experiencing the exhibit.

Behind the scenes, it was a logistical nightmare that was brought together seamlessly by Sennhesier’s wireless technology.

As you moved through the exhibition, the audio faded out of one track and into another depending on where you were standing. They linked the audio and visual experience perfectly and saw very few people removing their headphones to talk.

Instead, the audience was fully involved in the exhibition. The system worked so flawlessly that a wall with five TV monitors, about two feet apart from each other playing video clips allowed you to walk along the wall and hear the songs change as you moved from one screen to the next.

The transmission from the current screen kept playing if you moved slightly from one side to the other, but once you had clearly moved on to the next screen a few feet along, the audio changed with your movement. This meant that everyone could experience their own separate viewing of the exhibition at the same time, whilst standing in the same room.

The Suitcase

Not wanting to spoil the whole thing for you, I am not about to go into intimate details of the event or the exhibition as it is something that you all should experience for yourselves. It is definitely worth a weekend trip to Melbourne for interstate fans of David Bowie. Yes, the crystal ball riding crop from Labyrinth was in a display case for all to see, along with a range of costumes from film clips and tours over the years, dating back to Bowie’s earliest work.

This is an experience that comes around very rarely, being able to get a glimpse into the life of such a great artist, and the ability to see the development of ideas in behind the scene footage and writings.

What really excited me was a piece of synthesizer history that was on display. There it was, in the final room of the exhibit in a glass display case for all to see, the much sought after EMS Synthi AKS, the suitcase synth that was responsible for some incredible sounds over the years, none more famous that the Dr. Who soundtrack.

Built into a suitcase design for portability, this was essentially a large modular synth with three oscillators and a peg-board grid used in place of a patch bay for routing the audio path. I have read about these synthesizers before, I have seen plenty of pictures of them, but I had never seen one up-close and I felt somewhat honoured to be in the presence of one in this great collection of David Bowie’s life. So, as this exhibition leads us to question who, or what, or when or where, David Bowie Is, I think I can walk away knowing that David Bowie Is an EMS Synthi AKS when it comes to personifying the man in a keyboard.

He is a vast array of sounds, thoughts, words, emotions and images and part of that experience can be found in the heart of one very special keyboard, and with the soul of one very special artist. David Bowie Is… that sound.

BY ROB GEE

www.mixdownmag.com.au

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26/06/20

C O L U M N S

[D]IGITAL [J]OCKEY

HOME STUDIO HINTS Making The Connection

New So ware Avenues

One thing is for certain, software is not going away as a DJ tool any time in the near future. An increasing amount of control and creativity is given to the performer with the ever-growing capabilities of the software platforms that are available today. I can still remember turning up for a set in a club, and the guy before me was using his computer and something called ‘Ableton Live’. It was the latest software for DJs to perform with and he had a grasp on it before just about anyone else in town, putting him way ahead of the game. There I was, standing there with a crate full of vinyl and he was performing his own productions from a computer. I had to jack a MiniDisc player into the mixer to get my own tracks into the set. However, that was all about to change. The computer soon became an integral part of the modern DJ rig.

Taking Audio To The Next Step

Vinyl records and CD’s have always offered DJs a handy way to play the crowd favourites, but they are fairly limited in what they deliver. By that, I mean they are restricted to a linear delivery of a stereo image. You only get a left and right signal of a mixed track that can be played and worked with. This meant that EQ and filter effects were suitable across the entire mix, but didn’t make it possible to remove individual aspects of a track in a live format. Once it was mixed to that stereo recording that was all you had to work with.

The computer changed all of that in a hurry. Now, when I say “in a hurry� I actually mean the computer took a bloody long time to get around to offering DJs what they really wanted in flexible music performance. It took a very long time for computer audio to be a workable medium that was stable enough to rely on in a live environment. It also took a long time for the computers that were readily available to gain the ability to manage the workloads demanded of them by the modern DJ. Due to this, we are now only beginning to see what can be achieved with a computer in a DJ set. It was almost twenty years ago when I was carting a computer tower to certain events to run it as a sequencer, but the advancement of computer technology over the last five or so years has sped up the process at an alarming pace. And now, the continued development of Stems means that we are going to see a lot of improvement in live computer performance.

The Stem Revolution

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last year or so, Stems are what we are all going to be using soon when it comes to mixing live music. Gone is the simplicity and restrictiveness of only

mixing stereo tracks. Now you can work with a stem and get four separate parts to that track that will allow you to mix and edit each part, as if it were its own track in itself. A track is broken down into four separate groups, usually being Drums, Bass, Vocals and Instruments. So, you can rip out just a vocal part of one track to play over another, without having to try and filter out the drums and bass and inevitably failing to do so. It’s like working with a simplified multitrack recording, right there, in a live environment. The stem revolution takes live mixing to an all new level and with the help of new hardware coming out specifically designed for working with stem audio, this is going to be the next step forward for digital DJs. The big question is, how does one source the stems to play? Native Instruments are leading the charge on this puzzle by releasing a beta version of their new Stem Creator Tool that enables you to build your own Stems for playback on their Traktor Stem decks. As is so often the case with digital DJing, we are once again entering a whole new realm of possibilities and the results are sure to push the boundaries of what we thought to be possible in terms of live mixing.

What lies ahead for this exciting new audio format may well depend on whether other hardware manufacturers join the party and whether it gets totally embraced. Yes, you can generally work with and preview Stems on a variety of players, even iTunes, but to get the full potential of Stems, you need a controller that allows you to pull them apart and see individual attributes from the console itself so you don’t have to rely on the computer as an interface as such. What lies ahead for DJs and Stems is going to be interesting, that is for sure.

BY ROB GEE

PG.36 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

It still comes up as a regular topic of conversation with people and is often confused or misunderstood. So, whilst we are getting all excited about starting a home studio this month, let’s take a fresh look at your cables and connections. There are a range of terms that are thrown around for certain leads, connectors and format uses, so before you go adding a range of new connections to you room let’s first take a glimpse at some of the basics to ensure you are getting the right connection.

XLR

Often called Cannon Connectors, after the inventor of this format James H. Cannon, XLR cables and connectors are most commonly used in a three-pin format in the studio and have a range of uses. Being a three-pin connection, XLR cables are easily the most common form of balanced cables and can be used for running long audio cable runs to stage boxes, consoles and patch bays. They are also the most common form of cable used for microphones.

TRS

The TRS or Tip/Ring/Sleeve connector is the second most important connector in the home studio. Like the XLR, it offers a balanced audio signal and often takes the place of an XLR in patching between hardware. This is often confused as being a ‘stereo’ cable, but it is rarely used for such a purpose. TRS connectors are mostly used for mono signals that require a balanced connection when an XLR isn’t available.

TS

The TS connector is what is often called a Mono Jack and looks much like the TRS, but it doesn’t have the Ring connection.

Yes, it is a jack style connection and yes it is mono, but so too is the TRS in most applications. The TS, which is the common connection for guitars and similar instruments, is a mono cable. However, what distinguishes it from the TRS is not the number of channels it can carry, but the fact that it is an unbalance audio connection. This is why instrument cables are best kept to as short a length as possible; to reduce interference from the unbalance signal they carry.

MIDI

Although MIDI data is transferred via USB more and more these days, there are still plenty of instances where it requires a classic 5-pin DIN connection that has been found on musical equipment since the early 80’s. This is not an audio connection and can sometimes be confused as one. Sure, there were some wild, boutique German Hi-Fi systems back in the 60’s and 70’s that implemented a DIN connection for audio, but that sort of behaviour was soon

uprooted. DIN connectors are generally reserved for MIDI when found in the 5-pin format. This delivers MIDI information, not audio, and allows you to control instruments and audio devices through a series of control changes and note data that is sent through three of the five available pins in the cable.

RCA

Deriving its name from the Radio Corporation of America, the RCA cable has been a stalwart of audio-visual connectivity for some time. The common Red, White and Yellow terminations denote Right, Left and Video. Unfortunately, this is a very common connection format, but a very poor quality one simultaneously. RCA connectors are unbalanced and the cable is usually very poorly shielded. Due to this, it is best kept to short distances in the studio, or better still, avoided if other options present themselves.

SP/DIF

This hard to pronounce jumble of letters stands for Sony Panasonic Digital Inter Face and is a digital audio format that has been widely accepted and used on audio interfaces and devices. Although generally delivered as a stereo signal on RCA connections, this does not share the disadvantages of analogue RCA connectivity and allows for high quality digital audio in limited channels.

ADAT

This is the other most commonly found digital audio cable in a home studio and owes its heritage to the old Akai ADAT recorders of years gone past. The digital conversion in these devices allowed for up to eight channels of 16 bit/48kHz audio to be transferred through one cable, generally in an optical or light-pipe form. This is now commonly used for upping inputs on interfaces by added additional preamps, with the digital connection allowing for the clock on the preamps convertors to be slaved from the master clock on the interface.

BY ROB GEE

www.mixdownmag.com.au

C O L U M N S

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ON THE DOWNLOW

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The Bassists Of Bowie

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Using three core Cuban grooves taken to the next level. I thought I would share a couple of ways to challenge your independence and take these classic Latin grooves up a notch.

Since we don’t have ten years up our sleeves to do countless gigs and learn these grooves gradually, I thought I’d share some ‘extended’ versions of the three main Cuban grooves that I’ve had to play on the Salsa gigs I’ve done. These, by far, get used the most and depending on the instrumentation in the band, will somewhat dictate, on what you are required or allowed to play. Each of these grooves is an adaptation from the combined percussion instrumentation variant – something to be mindful of when approaching the music.

Rumba

Rumba is a popular Afro-Cuban groove and is categorised on the drums by a syncopated snare drum part and a four-on-the-floor bass drum part (FIG A). You approach the groove using 16th notes on the hi-hat with both hands – disco style. The hands move to the snare drum as required. The right hand handles the down beats and the left hand, the off beats.

The extended version (FIG B) of the Rumba adds a couple of little embellishments like 32nd note ruffs and an open hi-hat on the last snare. This involves having to play a left hand stroke on the downbeat at the end of the phrase. This is probably the easiest of our trio of grooves, but that left hand can catch you out.

Cascara With Clave

This is the groove for the verse of a Salsa tune (FIG C), and there are a few ways to play this standard version. The whole groove is based around a ‘Clave Pattern’. Without going into too much detail, this pattern (playing on the rim of the snare drum using the left hand) can be halved and reversed. In other words, beats 1 and 2 become 3 and 4 and vice versa which moves all the parts.

The right hand Cascara pattern – traditionally played on the side of the timbale, is a highly syncopated phrase, played with accents on the hi-hat or the side of the floor tom. The bass drum part is noted as the bombo note – traditionally played on the final semiquaver of beat 1 and 3, but often interpreted as the full pattern you see in Figure C and follows the bass guitar. This initial groove needs to be really comfortable before attempting the

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extended version.

Getting a little more involved (FIG D), our Cascara pattern now has the left hand on the hi-hat, filling in the gaps in the existing pattern as soft strokes or ghost notes. This creates a very heavy 16th note pulse with accents. The Bombo note bass drum pattern remains but crucially, the clave pattern (no longer available for the left hand) is moved to the left foot. This is often achieved with another bass drum pedal attached to a cowbell. The tricky bit (apart from the more difficult independence) is keeping the hi-hat closed with the toes of the left foot and operating another pedal with the heel. The only way to avoid this is to create other sounds (extra set of hi-hats or a set of timbales).

Songo

The Songo (FIG E) is the only groove created for the drumset by master timbale player Chanquito. However, it does utilise some of the key elements from the Cascara groove such as the clave and bass drum in the extended versions. Like the Cascara pattern, the whole groove can be halved and reversed.

The basic version is a true, linear groove.

Nothing overlaps, the right hand plays crotchets on the ride or hi-hat, the bass drums plays the bombo pattern and the left hand employs a combination of accents and ghost notes. This basic pattern works perfectly in the chorus of a salsa tune and ‘fits’ around the other percussion instruments.

In Figure F, you can add crotchets stepped in the hi-hat as well as a strong cowbell pattern that employs very heavy, accented crotchet notes on the mouth of the cowbell and the offbeats on the tip. This pattern is often played with a hand-held bell. The left hand remains the same as the original pattern.

The final, and perhaps hardest pattern (FIG G), is identical to figure F but puts the clave in the left foot as before. This changes the ball game in terms of independence but makes for a very cool groove. It’s important to remember that these groove cover percussion parts so if they’re already being played, you don’t have to. This means that you might have to vary the groove but if the patterns are not being covered, go for gold!

BY ADRIAN VIOLI

Melbourne is lucky enough to be host to the ‘David Bowie Is’ exhibition, which brings together all sorts of Bowie related artefacts, from hand-written lyrics to costumes to instruments - even his coke spoon. It’s a really incredible exhibition and I urge you to see if you find yourself in Melbourne between now and when it closes on November 1.

One thing that has always stood out to me about David Bowie is his choice of bass players. I would consider Bowie to have had three particularly distinct bass players in his career, as well as a lot of great players who have drifted in and out of the band at one time or another. I don’t want to discount the contributions of the various great players who have worked with Bowie over the years players like Carmine Rojas (Let’s Dance) and Erdal Kızılçay (Bhuddah of Suburbia, 1. Outside) - but I feel that there are four who have had influence on my playing personally, all in different ways.

Trevor Bolder

Bowie’s bassist from the ‘Spiders From Mars’ era, Bolder came from a generation of bass players who applied compositional elements outside of a standard rock template. Like Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers and Michael Anthony of Van Halen, Bolder learned trumpet, and when you have this in mind you’ll hear a lot of interesting melodic choices in his bass playing that don’t sound like the usual decisions a bass player might make. He wasn’t afraid to wander about the neck, playing lines that were as important harmonically as they were rhythmically.

After the Spiders, Bolder went on to Uriah Heep, with whom he played until he died of cancer in 2013.

Tony Visconti

Tony Visconti has worked with Bowie in a production capacity on many different projects, but he’s also a great bass player and has contributed a lot to the vocabulary of rock bass over the years.

He also has a great handle on R&B styles, which you can hear really clearly via a particular pattern he often uses; a great place to hear it really closely is “Slow Burn” from Heathen, and once you know what I’m talking about, you’ll start to hear it everywhere. Visconti practically wrote the book on rock and grunge bass in particular, and has never really got his fair share of the credit. Want to hear the weight of his influence? Listen to his work on The Man Who Sold The World - not just the influential title track but also

songs like All The Madmen and The Width Of A Circle - then listen to what players like Jeff Ament did later.

Gail Ann Dorsey

Gail Ann Dorsey is an immediately recognisable bass player oweing largely to her uncanny ability to play right on the beat with plenty of attack. There are often times where her bass playing is so solid that it effectively takes over the time-keeping role, letting the drums or percussion move around the beat a little more than they otherwise might. Dorsey has also played with Tears For Fears, The The, The Indigo Girls, The B-52s, Joan Osborne and many more. One of her alltime coolest moments has got to be her show-stealing performance from Freddie Mercury’s vocal parts in “Under Pressure” on Bowie’s Reality tour, while holding down that iconic bass line. Dorsey’s playing is also in sharp focus on Bowie’s Earthling, where the drums are often so busy and the guitars so textural that the bass drives much of the material.

George Murray

Murray played with Bowie through the second half of the 70s: that’s him on Station To Station, Low, Heroes (playing a very Tony Visconti-sounding line on the title track, unless that track’s actually Visconti?), Lodger, Scary Monsters and Super Creeps as well as the live album Stage. This was one of Bowie’s most intensely creative periods, and Murray was called on to play everything from funk and disco rhythms to abstract, avant garde pieces. It’s interesting that Bowie tends to select instrumentalists for their unique voice on their chosen instrument, such as Reeves Gabrels on guitar or Mike Garson on keys, but Murray more than any long-time band member brought a lot of variability and adaptability to his playing.

You can learn a hell of a lot about the art of bass by running through each of those albums from 1975 to 1980 in order.

BY PETER HODGSON

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.37

C O L U M N S

- FAQS

with

THE AMP DOCTOR -

Guitarists often ask me, “I have a humming, buzzing noise coming from my amp, what’s causing it!?” The first thing you should in order to solve this problem is to find out exactly where the noise is coming from. In the case of the electric guitar and bass player’s setup, there is an instrument with pick ups, most likely some pedals and the amplifier, tube or solid state. This comprises a system.

So the question should be, “where is the humming, buzzing noise coming from in my system?” To simplify this problem, it’s a good idea to break the system down by isolating the various components so you can find the source of the noise.

Checking The Guitar For Noise

Most likely, the culprit is your guitar, so check that first. Unplug your pedals or bypass them and go straight to the amp, turn up the volume on the guitar and listen for the noise. If it’s there, turn down the volume and if the noise goes away, it’s your pickups.

Single coil pickups are renowned for picking up noise, and manufacturers go to great lengths to design low noise or noiseless pickups due to this problem.

Switching to a Humbucking pickup will reduce the noise, confirming again that the guitars pickups are the cause.

However, there is an acceptable level of noise tolerated from pickups and if this level is reasonably low then you will have to live with it. If it’s excessive, you may want to get a Luthier to offer some advice

on reducing those noise levels.

Leads And Pedals

Guitar leads generally work or don’t work, so if your lead hums it probably won’t work either. Get it repaired if it’s a good quality one, or use another.

A lot could go wrong with pedals, due to the multitude of electronics in so many little boxes, each with connecting cables and usually a common power supply operating all of them at once.

Noise from your pedals may be coming from an over-burdened or poorly regulated power supply, introducing hum into the system. If this is the case, check the power supply’s capacity to see if it can handle the total power requirements of all your pedals.

Your pedal itself may be faulty (check by physically removing each pedal from the system one at a time) or it may be one of the connecting leads that is causing the issue. It’s a good idea to occasionally push connecting leads in and out of each pedal. This will give them a clean in case there is some corrosion build up in the

pedal sockets. Other noise problems with pedals could be put down to poor pedal location, i.e. hum sensitive pedals like Wah or distortion pedals being located too close to a noisy power supply, etc.

Checking The Amplifier For Noise

This procedure will systematically allow you to check the various section’s of the amplifier to locate the source of the noise.

The first thing to do is to remove the guitar lead going into the input of the amp. This will allow you to check the amp for noise in isolation.

Turn the amps Master Volume and Gain controls to off or zero with the speaker plugged in and then turn the amp on and listen for the noise.

If the noise is there it’s being made by the power section of the amplifier,

possibly by a bad tube, transistor or a power supply component like a capacitor.

If the noise is not there with the volume and gains turn down, turn the master volume up and if the noise appears, then there is a fault with the preamp section of the amp, possibly a noisy valve.

If there is still no noise when you turn the Master Volume up, leave it up and now turn the Gain control up. If the noise appears, the problem is to do with the input section of the amp, possibly the first valve or even the input socket. Also, if the amp has reverb, turn its control up and if the noise appears then there may be a problem with the reverb unit (or the connections to it).

BY DR SHERLOCK

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DAX LINIERE OF PUZZLE FACTORY

Phone: 0412 599 533 | Website: www.puzzlefactory.com.au

Dax Liniere runs Puzzle Factory Studios in the ACT, a business he’s been at the helm of for over a decade. In his time working in the industry he has collected a wealth of knowledge, and not all of it is acutely technical. As he explains to us, the most important thing in the production of a great song is not always the equipment used to produce it, but the people and the attitudes behind it.

“Basically I was working a job that I was really unhappy with. I thought, ‘well, I’ve got the gear and I’ve got the enthusiasm, why not give this thing a shot.’ I started out in Sydney in 2001 and I relocated to Canberra in 2010. To be honest, it’s less about Puzzle Factory and more about Dax Liniere, there are plenty of studios out there that have a good reputation, but then what they’re putting out is dependent on who you get on the day. If you get someone that’s not so experienced with the genre you’re working with and so on and so forth, then you’re not going to get a good product. So I focus on me as a specific producer and not any specific studio site.”

In his time working with Puzzle Factory, Dax has received an enviable amount of praise from his peers, earning attention for his work and being rewarded with experiences that most aspiring engineers could only dream of.

“In 2012 I was awarded a Winston Churchill fellowship for my work in audio engineering and music production, which saw me journey to Europe for a six week research project where I learned from some of the world’s best. The guys that have done Grammy awardwinning albums for artists like U2, Coldplay,

John Mayer and Nine Inch Nails, which was an absolutely phenomenal experience.”

Though his experiences alone hold him in high regard, it’s the ingenuity he applies to his work that distinguishes him from others out there.

“I realized that very early on I was calling myself an audio engineer… but I realized that when I was working with bands a lot of them didn’t know what a producer was and that it would be advantageous to have one.

To be honest, at the time I barely even knew myself. I noticed though that quite frequently I would be one that would solve problems…

I came to realise that the thing I was doing all those years was producing. It’s not simply button pushing, you have to be involved with the process. That’s one of the reasons I say that it’s mostly about the people. It’s knowing how to record something in a technically correct way, it’s about the music and how to make it better, but mostly it’s about how to deal with people and support them in the way they need in the studio.”

Recently Dax worked on Sydney band Dumbsaint’s album Panorama In Ten Pieces.

It is a notable release because it also

operates as a start to finish soundtrack to a film created by the band. It presented Dax with an opportunity to present a record in a unique manner that is more reminiscent of film scores than it is of contemporary music. Essentially, as Dax explains to me, in contemporary music dynamic quality is consistently compromised in order to make songs louder, and therefore more attention grabbing when it comes on the radio. It’s called ‘the loudness war’, and the way Dax operates is in direct opposition to this.

“One of the questions that I always ask a band [is] ‘what serves the song best?’, not what serves the ego of the musicians or anything else; it’s what serves the music. The loudness wars do nothing to serve music; it’s a misguided technique that’s rooted in marketing.

“Dynamics are an extremely important part of contemporary music, as they are in film. There are loud passages and some quiet passages, and it’s the difference between those that gives you the impact. That’s one of the things

that that struck me straight away as soon as I started pre-production with Dumbsaint, the potential to release the album in a high dynamic range (HDR) presentation. As I look into it more, it’s something that hasn’t been done before in the heavy music genre, there’s nothing that’s been done this way.”

Presenting an album of this style in a high dynamic range is certainly unique, perhaps even revolutionary, and it’s something that Dax is extremely proud of. It’s not solely an issue with heavier music either. The loudness wars are relevant in most contemporary genres, and the HDR approach is something that, in Dax’s opinion (and mine also), should be applied more often across the board.

Preserving the power of music is clearly something he’s deeply passionate about, and at the end of the day, isn’t that the kind of person you want your music in the hands of?

are able to focus more directly on providing specific services for clients; tailoring each session to each client’s needs. We have a long history of service to the music industry and therefore have an extensive list of contacts covering an enormous range of goods and services (creative, technical, practical) all of which we can direct towards our clients to help meet their needs.

What have you learned in your time working at Sing Sing? How has your experience shaped the way you go about your work?

We have learnt that the music industry is completely random in terms of where the work is coming from – you just have to go with the flow. We have learnt that the music industry can change in the blink of an eye, so you must be able to adapt. TThe other thing we have learnt is that, if you want a great sounding recording, you still need a studio

and you still need a great Producer/Engineer (either in one person or as two individuals).

Australia is full of amazing talent: in this we include creative and inspiring artists, gifted Engineers and Producers and some great studios; and the truth is that all, in the right combination, can produce world standard work right here in this country.

Extras: Each studio at Gordon St has its own private lounge area plus we’ve got spacious common areas for dining and relaxing (both indoor and outdoor) … You can cook here and have a BBQ if you like.

There are a few distractions for when you’re on a break (billiards/table tennis, electronic games). We’ve got some cool hire gear (outboard and instruments) plus some great cameras, lenses and lights for hire.

For more information about the loudness wars or HDR, head to www.mixdownmag. com.au

SING SING STUDIOS Phone: 03 9428 4622 | Website: www.singsing.com.au

Location: 1-9 Gordon St, Cremorne, VIC and First Floor, 643 Chapel St, South Yarra VIC. Tell us about the history of your studio.

The studio was established in 1975 under the name of Dahlstrom Recording Studio – an owner/operator concern run by Kaj Dahlstrom.

It morphed later into K.A.J Recording and then in 1983 it became Sing Sing Recording Studios which it has remained for the past 33 years.

All manner of Australian and international artists have worked in our studios over the years and to us, all are equally important … but some of our clients have included Paul Kelly, Nick Cave and The Badseeds, INXS, Missy Higgins, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, Temper Trap, British India, Crowded House, Powderfinger, The Living End, Dead Letter Circus, Shihad, Renee Geyer, Kiss, Lady Gaga, Elvis Costello, Mark Ronson and The Mars Volta.

What are your studios digital and/or analogue capabilities for recording?

If you are an analogue purist and have the budget for tape costs, we have the facility to track and mix completely to tape. Equally, you can track your project to Protools and mix digitally or you can mix it up using both analogue and digital.

How many rooms does the studio include and what are they ideal for?

We have six studios within our two complexes.

At Gordon Street we offer: The Neve Room - our largest and best appointed tracking room, The K Room - our premiere mix suite with two overdub rooms, The SSL Room - useful as both a mix suite

and an overdub suite, The M Room - great for vocals and general overdubs and the Mastering suite – including mastering for vinyl – we are certified iTunes MFiT providers through Ross Cockle (Mastering Engineer).

At South Yarra we offer: The Back Room - our B tracking room and the Front Room - for vocals and general overdubs.

What recording gear is available to use?

Consoles: Neve VR (64 CH) and Neve Console (20 CH of 1073’s) and SSL G (80 CH) and SSL XL 9000K (72 CH).

Mics – Neumanns, AKGS, Royers, Shures, Senheisers, Calrecs, AEA, Mojaves, RCA’s, B and K’s etc Outboard Gear: incl. Neves, APIs, GMLs, Summits, Focusrites, Avalons, Ureis (wide range), EMT’s, Pultecs, Tube-Techs, Manley Vox Boxes, Universal Audio, DBX 160’s, TC 6000, Roland, AMS – and many more!

Who are your in-house engineers and what is their experience?

All the Engineer/Producers who work at our studios are freelance operators. However there are around 20 Engineer/Producers who often work out of Sing Sing and they know our rooms inside out. These are all experienced operators who have worked in a wide variety of musical genres.

What do you think makes a good studio?

The ability to listen to and understand the client and respond to requests; being able to provide a wide range of gear; being able to provide a clean, comfortable, relaxed atmosphere in which to work.

What separates you from the rest? Why should people come to you?

We are not an owner operator facility so we

PG.40 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

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DAMIEN GERARD STUDIOS Phone: 02 9331 0666 | Website: www.damiengerard.com.au

Location: Balmain, NSW Hours of operation: 7 days – 10am – 8pm Tell us about the history of Damien Gerard Studios.

Damien Gerard Studios is one of the oldest and most established studios in Sydney. Founded in 1982 by Luke “Gerard” Everingham and Adam “Damien” Everingham, the facility began as one recording studio and three rehearsal rooms in an Old Wool Store Warehouse in Ultimo.

In 1985 Marshall Cullen and partners took over ownership of the facility. During this time Russell Pilling began his long-standing role as chief engineer. After being trained by Marshall, Russell is still currently the chief engineer to this day.

In 2001 the original Electric Avenue building in Balmain (designed and built by Sydney Studio legend Phil Punch and home to The Church for many years) became available, and DG’s found a new permanent location. The premises now houses two rooms, the iconic

Studio A which has one large live room and three separate booths as well as The Red Stairs Room - a mastering/mixing suite with a vocal booth.

What recording gear is available to use?

Our main console is a Soundcraft 2400 mid 80’s classic analog 32/24. Presamps included are: Neve, ATI, Gappre 73, API, BAE, Avedis, UA. Compressors include: Urei, UA, DBX, AMEK, API, Neve Portico, Opti1A, Dramastic.

Outboard EQ’s included: Neve, JLM, ATI, We also have plenty of microphones on offer, featuring high quality brands such as Neuman, Rode, Shure, Sennheiser, AudioTechnica plus plenty more.

Who are your in-house engineers and what is their experience?

RUSSELL PILLING Russ has been engineering for over 25 years and has worked with Grimskunk, Hoodoo Gurus, Yothu Yindi, Noiseworks, Pete ‘Lucky’ Luscombe (Rockwiz), The Vines, Ghostwriters, Died Pretty, Jon Stevens, The Church, The

Cruel Sea just to name a few artists.

ANDREW BECK Starting out in the intense music-recording scene on the USA West Coast throughout the 90’s, Andrew has worked with the likes of Soundgarden recording “Superunknown”, Delicious Vinyl, Bad Animals Studios Seattle, Ocean Way Studios and MCA Music Publishing in house Studios and Trauma Records, among others.

PETE HOLZ Pete has completed a masters degree in acoustics at Sydney University and was one of the chief lecturers at The School of Audio Engineering (SAE) and JMC Sydney. Pete joined the Damien Gerard Studio team in 2005 and has since attended prestige courses

such as a mixing workshop with Michael Brauer (Coldplay) in Southern France. Since joining the team, Pete has become one of our most sought after engineers, providing worldclass clarity and quality in his mixes.

Extras: The Studio is in inner city Balmain where cafes, bars and much more is only a walk away. There is an in house label that provides consultation, radio plugging and promotion to selected clients as well as cd and vinyl manufacture and distribution if required.

DG’s is also the booking side of Grammy Award Winner William Bowden’s mastering suite now residing in Tasmania.

the esteemed RG Jones Recording Studios in London as an assistant engineer. RG Jones was one of the top studios in the UK since the early days of recording (major artists including Sir Cliff Richard, George Michael, Moody Blues and many more).

He settled in Australia in the mid eighties and started working immediately at Flagstaff Studios in Melbourne, staying a year before becoming freelance. Over the next decade he worked with a swag of Australian and international acts, most of which enjoyed great success here and overseas - from The Black Sorrows, Things of Stone & Wood, T Bone Burnett, LRB and Split Enz to the Uncanny X-men and many others.

What are some of the projects you’re most proud of?

Remixed and mastered Deep Purple Made in Japan, Jon Lord Concerto for Group and Orchestra (5.1 and Stereo mastering), Master Steve Morse Outstanding in Their Field Album, Mix and master for Ritchie Blackmore’s A Night in York DVD. What separates you from the rest? Why should people come to you?

We can provide great personal service and have a wealth of experience in mastering.

What recording gear is available to use?

Preamps included: Neve 1073LB, API 3124 + 4-Channel Microphone Preamp, Pair of Chameleon Labs 7062 Preamp/ EQ (Neve 1073 Style), FMR Audio RNP Stereo Microphone Preamp, 24 Toft ATB Microphone Preamps (Board Preamps), Tl Audio 5051 Valve Channel Strip.

Compressors included: Warm Audio WA76 Discrete Compressor (1176 clone), 2 x FMR RNC Stereo Compressors, TL Audio C1 Valve Compressor, DBX 160A Compressor, DBX 266XL Stereo Compressor/Gate.

What are some of the projects you’re most proud of?

Matt Gresham’s second album (which was recorded in a day). Matt really knows

exactly what he wants in his songs, every take he does is perfect and we never recorded anything we didn’t use on the album.

What separates you from the rest? Why should people come to you?

We really look after the artists from the minute they walk in to the release of their product. Brian sees the whole process through to the end until everyone is completely happy with no compromises. I think that’s why we are one of the busiest studios in WA.

EDENSOUND MASTERING Phone: 0418 545 948 | Website: edensound.com.au

Location: Balwyn, VIC Hours of operation: Flexible Tell us about the history of your studio.

Edensound Mastering has been in operation since the early nineties. Owner and engineer Martin Pullan helped to build Studio RB-X in Richmond and there he set up Edensound Mastering and over the next few years started to concentrate solely on the mastering business. In 1995 Edensound Mastering moved its operation from RBX Studios into Studio One’s control room at Metropolis in South Melbourne.

Engineer Martin Pullan has worked in some fine studios both in Australia and internationally. As one can imagine, he felt right at home in the expanse of the old Armstrong/Metropolis Studio One facility. Edensound Mastering operated from the prestigious South Melbourne building for 16 years turning out many hit records along the way.

How many rooms does the studio include and what are they ideal for?

One room. No recording here, just mixing and mastering. A combination of digital and analog is used.

What gear is available to use?

Focusrite Blue Mastering Suite (Australia’s only approved by Focusrite), which includes EQ and Compression (analogue).

Tube-Tech SMC 2B Stereo Multiband Compressor, T.C. Finalizer Plus, Audient Sumo (summing amplifer), Protools 9, Apogee Convertors, Tannoy Gold 15” Stereo Monitors, Tannoy Berkely II 15” 5.1 surround system, B&W near field monitors.

Who are your in-house engineers and what is their experience?

English born Martin Pullan has been at the helm at Edensound since its inception during the mid nineties. His reputation in the industry is one of high acclaim, the result of a career that has exposed him to almost every imaginable facet of music and audio production, performance and composition.

In the late seventies he was invited to join

FREMANTLE RECORDING STUDIOS Phone: 0433 196 224 | Website: www.fremantlerecordingstudios.com.au

Location: O’Connor Industrial Area, Fremantle WA Hours of operation: Noon to morning.

Tell us about the history of your studio.

Fremantle Recording Studios has been in operation for 4 years. We have had a number of talented acts such as Shock One, Rainy Day Women, Sugarpuss, Methyl Ethyl, Grace Woodroofe, Lunar Inverse, Sam Carmody & The Warning Birds, Rob & Thom (Blud), Kevin Parker and Nick Allbrook (Tame Impala, Pond), Steve Parkin (Eskimo Joe, Basement Birds), Malcom Clarke (Sleepy Jackon). You can play, record, listen, write, mix and rehearse at our facility.

What are your studios digital and/or analogue capabilities for recording?

Control Room features: ToftATB24 72-input Analog Mixing Console, RME Fireface 800

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Interface, Creamware A16 ADAT, iMac Desktop w/ Protools DAW and Digidesign Command 8 Control Surface.

Tape Machines include: Fostex R8 (8 Track Analog Reel to Reel Recorder), Ampex ATR700 (2 Track Analog Reel to Reel Recorder), Tascam MS-16 (out of order) and Fostex E8 (out of order).

Monitors include: 2 x NS-10 Monitors with Jensen Sub and 2 x Alesis M1 mkII Monitor.

How many rooms does the studio include and what are they ideal for?

Our studio features a Control Room, Live Room and Jam Room - which doubles as a vocal/amp booth for multi-tracking live. All rooms have bass traps effective down to 60 Hz, no parallel surfaces and double glazed windows of different thicknesses with lineof-sight through all studios.

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S T U D I O

P R O F I L E S

BLACK PEARL STUDIOS Phone: 9939 7209 | Website: blackpearlstudios.com.au

Location: 9/21 Capella Crescent, Moorabbin VIC. Yury Kogan is the owner and one of the inhouse sound engineers at Black Pearl Studios.

With over 30 years experience in the field, he opened Black Pearl Studios back in 2012.

This studio now boasts that it is one of the highest quality recording studios in Australia with an extensive microphone and instrument collection comprising of both vintage and modern items. Instruments include 2 grand pianos, a B3 organ with Leslie, an upright piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes and over 130 guitars, 30 basses, 140 amps and 650 effects. The studio spaces themselves are impressive, with high ceilings and fantastic acoustics, providing a rich environment for groups of up to 50 musicians at once.

Black Pearl Studios’ engineering team consists of Yury Kogan, Terry Hart and Julian Mendelsohn. Melbourne-man Terry Hart is an accomplished musician who has worked with audio engineers such as Matt Voigt and Jimi

Maroudas, and in addition has been involved with artists like Powderfinger, Paul Kelly, Kimbra, and the Hilltop Hoods.

“These days I work pretty much exclusively out of Black Pearl Studios in Moorabbin. Yury and Galina have setup an amazing facility down there, with the most extensive list of gear I’ve ever seen. What you get for the price down there is hard to beat!” -Terry Hart The world-renowned audio engineer and record producer Julian Mendelsohn has worked closely with the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Elton John, INXS, Bob Marley and Paul McCartney and many others. He has also been involved with over 25 #1 hits in the UK charts and is a proud past recipient of the Producer of the Year Award from the British Phonographic Industry.

“I have worked in many top studios in the UK, Europe and the US and I can honestly say that both recording rooms at Black Pearl are fantastic recording rooms and their acoustics are up there with the very best. Fabulous

sound for both the musicians and the recording engineer together with the massive amount of outboard gear, microphones and instruments makes Black Pearl a fantastic place to record.” -Julian Mendlesohn Additional studio information: The backbone of the Black Pearl complex is two large studios, Studio A and Studio B. Studio A’s live room, which measures a generous 120m2, boasts an SSL 4000 E series console and comes complete with amazing Yamaha C7 grand piano. Monitoring in Studio A provides a combination of Focal, Dangerous Audio and Avantone Mixcubes. Studio B’s 110m2 space has made a name for itself as “the best drum room in the world.” To take advantage of its strong acoustics, the studio

is home to two sets of Adams, Avantone Mixcubes and the ubiquitous Yamaha NS10Ms. The services available include live recording, mixing and production, with access to on-site services including the legendary Black Pearl mobile studio van.

Both studios allow for recording to ProTools, Radar or even 24 track analogue tape on the pristine Studer A827, 2 inch tape machine.

Outboard and external preamps in both studios are the epitome of desired gear; Teletronix, Drawmer, TC, Lexicon, Universal Audio, dbx, Cranesong, Neve, Telefunken, Urei and Manley all make an appearance, with clocking and synch done via Antelope Isochrone.

should people come to you?

We are not going to pretend to be the cheapest studio. We are not. However, our clients get what they pay for. Extreme attention to detail and commitment to bringing the project to the absolute best that it can possibly be. Our location is amazing. We are literally 5 minutes walk from North Sydney and the Sydney CBD. Access and parking are all free and the bus stops right outside. It sounds trivial but that’s a huge thing. We’ve really made a huge financial investment to ensure that no other studio can beat our sound. We’ve also adapted ourselves to the modern era by integrating video and audio in close proximity. So many of our audio clients needed video to sell their audio product, so naturally we have started filming a lot of the

recording process, doing simple video clips and have even got a small green screen in the studio.

What have you learned in your time working at Crash Symphony Productions? How has your experience shaped the way you go about your work?

I’ve learned that every project is different and that clients don’t want to have a producer thrust their own idea on to them. They want to be presented with options that they can accept or reject while being made to feel comfortable.

James Englund has created an app called Audio Engineer that’s filled with recording tips, search for it on the Apple App Store.

of Music. Combining the latest state of the art equipment with a musical and artistic approach Benchmark Mastering will bring a level of quality and attention to detail to fulfill any artist’s vision. Operating independently out of the Blue Mountains allows for flexibility, quick turnarounds and affordable budgets.

Extras: Approximately 1 minute walk from Blaxland Station and shops in the lower Blue Mountains and just over an hour from Sydney and easy parking available.

Don is available for a mix evaluation prior to mastering. To find out more, get in touch via the Benchmark website.

CRASH SYMPHONY Phone: 0408 300 403 | Website: www.crashsymphony.com.au

Location: 90 Ben Boyd Road, Neutral Bay, NSW. Tell us about the history of your studio?

The studio has been in commercial operation since 2006 and we’ve been going strong since.

We do a combination of music projects and voice over/post production projects. Our vocal capability has really been our forte since we began. We made a conscious effort to position ourselves as THE PLACE TO GO for the highest quality vocal recordings in the country.

How many rooms does the studio include and what are they ideal for?

We have a vocal room, a recording room and control room. We are a small studio compared to other large tracking studios. We find that larger studios are not necessary to complete projects. Their purpose these days is to track large ensembles like orchestras, etc, but all our projects are centralized in our studio.

We have even placed all our noise computer equipment out of the control room so that the space is completely silent. All you can hear is the music. That’s the way it should be.

What recording gear is available to use?

Most notably, we have a Wagner U47w microphone and a modern Neumann M149 Tube Microphone. We also have the standard microphones that you’d expect to see in a recording studio like AKG 414’s and Shure SM57s. We have Shure SM7b’s and Neumann KM184 pen microphones, Royer 121 Ribbon microphones, Sennheiser MK416’s for voice over recording, and many more.

We have some great compressors. We have an UA 2-LA2 dual compressor, 2 LA2A’s, an F96 Brook, 2 distressors. We have a Neve 1073 pre’s, 8 channels of API 3124’s, Chandler TG2’s, also. We have a Pro Tools HD Omni rig and we also use an Apogee symphony IO that has 24 in and 24 out.

Who are your in-house engineers and what is their experience?

Our in house Producer Engineer is James Englund. He’s been working as a professional engineer and producer since Crash Symphony Productions started in 2006 What separates you from the rest? Why

BENCHMARK MASTERING Phone: 0412 217 779 | Website: www.benchmarkmastering.com

Location: Blaxland, Blue Mountains NSW. Tell us about the history of your studio.

Benchmark Mastering was set up by Don Bartley and family in 2006 after 35 years experience mastering with CBS, RCA and EMI. We have worked with major Australian and International artists and music companies.

What are your studios digital and/or analogue capabilities for recording?

We are equipped with state of the art analogue and digital equipment that covers most formats and requirements.

What recording gear is available to use?

Neumann SP-79 Mastering Console, Ampex ATR-100 1/2 Inch Recorder with Class A Aria pre-amps, Studer A810 ¼ Inch Recorder, Sequoia Workstations, Dangerous Monitor Controller, Pass Labs Amplifiers GML, Manley, Duntech Sovereigns and much more.

What are some of the projects you’ve worked on most recently?

The Cold Chisel vinyl box set, the Australian Crawl re-master, the Tumbleweed re-master and vinyl, the Alberts Goodtime box set, Illy, The Brothers 3 and a whole lot of great new Aussie music coming out of the A&R company.

What are some of the projects you’re most proud of?

The Beatles Sergeant Peppers audiophile vinyl release for EMI, You’re The Voice

by John Farnham, Duran Duran, Alanis Morisette, Radio Birdman, Icehouse and many more.

What do you think makes a good studio?

Being user friendly, a relaxed atmosphere, listening carefully and knowing your place.

What separates you from the rest? Why should people come to you?

Most experienced mastering engineer around offering personal attention to every detail of your project. Benchmark is able to offer the best possible results for any Genre

PG.42 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

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S T U D I O

P R O F I L E S

AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MUSIC Phone: 9219 5444 | Website: www.aim.edu.au

Location: 1/55 Foveaux, Surry Hills NSW What are your studios digital and/or analogue capabilities for recording?

The studios are almost entirely run in a Pro Tools environment but we do have the capacity to record to 2” tape if desired.

How many rooms does the studio include and what are they ideal for?

The studio complex has 6 control rooms and 6 live rooms in various shapes and sizes ranging from the main studio A with connecting B (window for vision between) to smaller rooms for single performances or a larger live performance space. All spaces can be used on their own directly connected to the control room next door or can be tied to other control rooms via the patch bay, making several live rooms available to the one control room in a session.

What recording gear is available to use?

Studio Q has a large 32 channel SSL G-Series as the main analogue console, plus an older Tascam and a newer Toft. In the digital desk realm we have an Icon, a C-24, a Control 24 and a Behringer X-32.

A great overall range of mics are available and outboard gear covers the basic needs (compressors, delays etc). The SSL has a few special pieces with a Distressor, TLA

and Vox Box plus others.

What are some of the projects you’ve worked on most recently?

At the moment I am recording a touring EP for Taelor-Jane Hanley, who writes dark, but energetic folk tunes. It really fits into my ‘keep it simple’ recording ethic as I like to record performers whose work shines best when you just let them do what they need to do. Taelor and her band’s delivery is great so I can concentrate on recording and mixing it well.

What are some of the projects you’re most proud of?

I’m most proud of a three track EP I did for Trio Red, a purist jazz trio (organ, guitar, drums) that did a few covers and an original. The session allowed me to record far more than necessary so I was able to take my pick for the EP. The musicians were professional and the session really allowed me to concentrate on mic placement experimentation. I am very proud of the resulting EP and I think the band are too.

What do you think makes a good studio?

A good studio is welcoming but encourages professionalism. A good studio has good gear in it, but doesn’t put that

at the forefront, preferring to concentrate on the creative product and making sure the result is in focus. The general public don’t care what gear you have, they want to hum and sing and dance along to the music!

What separates you from the rest? Why should people come to you?

Musicians should work at Q Studios when they study at AIM because playing live is fantastic and that’s what you’re studying for, but the ability to walk into a studio and record your performance sets you up for opportunities later on. You can’t get halfway into your career and never have been in a studio.

What have you learned in your time

working at Q Studios?

The time I’ve spent in Q Studios has been invaluable. Not only have I learned a whole bunch of new ways of doing things, I’ve managed to delete a lot of bad procedure from my workflow. I’ve become more relaxed behind the desk during recording and my mixing has benefited out of this world!

Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival 10 11 October 2015 At the Abbotsford Convent

MIXDOWN DIRECTORY LAUNCHING SOON The directory listing is a great new opportunity for retailers with the mag being distributed via musical intrument and equipment stores, record stores and retailers, live music venues, rehearsal rooms, studios, cafes, music schools and unis and high school music departments. If you trade online this is also a great opportunity to let our Australia-wide readership know about your offerings.

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PATRICK CARR E-MAIL: PATRICK@FURSTMEDIA.COM.AU MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.43 PHONE: 03 9428 3600

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STUDIO SPECIAL

Studio Equipment S

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INTRODUCTION

GIVEAWAY!

The home studio market seems to be growing incredibly quickly. Bedroom producers are popping up here, there and everywhere in the age of the internet, contributing thoughtful and considered material that sounds every bit as powerful as anything else playing on the radio. In this month’s issue of Mixdown we take a look at some of pieces of kit that could help you build the home studio of your dreams.

MUSICAL FIDELITY MF-100 HEADPHONES See Page 6 for Details

DISTRIBUTOR DETAILS AUDIO MARKETING | (02) 9882 3877 | AUDIOMARKETING.COM.AU ELECTRIC FACTORY | (03) 9474 1000 | ELFA.COM.AU GIBSON AMI | (03) 8696 4600 | GIBSONAMI.COM.AU JANDS | (02) 9582 0909 | JANDS.COM.AU PRO AUDIO GROUP | (02) 9521 4844 | PROAUDIOGROUP.COM.AU YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA | (03) 9693 5111 | AU.YAMAHA.COM

SAMSON MTR201 STUDIO CONDENSER MICROPHONE PRODUCT TYPE: CONDENSER MICROPHONE | RRP: $339 | DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

AURALEX ISO-TONE TURNTABLE ISOLATION PLATFORM PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO ACCESSORY | RRP: $149.00 | DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

RECOMMENDED FOR: The home studio owner that wants an all-rounder of a microphone. This will do the job for vocals, guitars, percussion and wind instruments. The MTR201 is a great starting point when wanting to step up from a dynamic microphone for home recording.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: This microphone offers a surprisingly detailed high frequency response, without lacking in the lower mid, so it doesn’t result in a lifeless recording. There is plenty of body to the tone it delivers.

USABILITY: Delivered with a new look packaging to match this new look microphone, the MTR201 is packaged with a cradle style suspension mount and a pop filter that mounts directly to the microphone itself.

CONSTRUCTION: With a solid suspension mount and pop filter included, this microphone package comes together quite well and it didn’t fall to pieces when I tried to dismantle it upon opening the included carry case.

OVERALL: All in all, it assembles easily and has a somewhat retro look about it that will make you feel like a pro, no matter how

bad your singing voice is. Although, my voice could not be helped no matter what retro styling was added to the unit.

SPECS Microphone Type: Condenser Mono/Stereo: Mono Polar Pattern: Cardioid Diaphragm Size: 1” (25.4mm) Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz Max SPL: 142dB Pads: -10dB Connector: XLR

PG.44 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

RECOMMENDED FOR: Every studio with a performance turntable and every home with a turntable that’s used for listening to and enjoying music. This is the ideal tool for getting the most from your vinyl playback.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The isolating effect this foam platform has on the turntable results in a clearer sound getting through to the amplifier.

No resonance comes back from the surface that the turntable is mounted upon, so the needle is free to only register vibrations from the record itself.

USABILITY: This is so simple to use. Place it on the bench where your turntable would sit and place the turntable on top centrally

aligned to all four edges. Then, just forget it is there and let it do its job.

CONSTRUCTION: The heavy carpeted top is ready to withstand the abuse a nightclub environment might throw at it. Its overall weight ensures it sits solid and still, with nothing that could ever fail as it just sits there, motionless.

OVERALL: This is a well-executed production that many people have tried to achieve in the past with similar products, except this time it works, even with heavy turntables that require serious stabilising.

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STUDIO SPECIAL

KRK KNS8400 STUDIO HEADPHONES

GIBSON LES PAUL STUDIO MONITORS

PRODUCT TYPE: REFERENCE MONITOR HEADPHONES | RRP: $199 DISTRIBUTOR: GIBSON AMI

PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO MONITOR LOUDSPEAKERS | RRP: 4” $1998 PER PAIR, 6” $2678 PER PAIR, 8” $3330 PER PAIR | DISTRIBUTOR: GIBSON AMI

RECOMMENDED FOR: Any home or commercial recording studio.

The KNS8400 are the perfect headphone for both tracking and overdubbing as well as playback and mixing functions.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Offering a wider frequency response to the KNS6400s, the KNS8400s really let you hear everything that is going on in your mix. They allow you to get a good grasp of the stereo imaging and deliver a flat frequency response and fast transient attack. They can be likened to actual studio monitors.

USABILITY: These headphones can certainly be used for achieving workable mixes when doing dynamic and EQ sculpting of your recordings. They can either offer an alternative option, or an additional perspective to the role of the monitor speakers in your studio.

CONSTRUCTION: I have used the same pair of KNS8400s for well over three years now and have not had a single problem with them. They are well built, not trying to be too fancy, but just trying to get the job done for you.

OVERALL: I love the way these sit over the ear and how they don’t stress your ear drum too greatly. The smooth low frequency

RECOMMENDED FOR: Every guitarist’s home studio. For all of you wanting to capture a classic guitar vibe in the look and feel your monitors bring to the room, these will do it.

response is a real pleasure and they are comfortable enough to work with for hours on end.

SPECS Cable: 2.5 m, (8.2 ft.), 99.99% OFC detachable Tranducer: 40mm, neodymium Power Handling Full Range:1000mW Nominal Impedance: 36 ohms Frequency Response: 5Hz to 23 kHz Dimensions: 3.7” (94mm) x 10.5” (267mm) x 9.6” (244mm) Weight: 0.5 Lbs. (0.23Kg)

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: A front ported design on these large cabinets means there is plenty of lower frequency response delivered directly to the listener and that placing them close to walls doesn’t affect the overall sound greatly.

USABILITY: The simple design with a balance and unbalanced input and two-band EQ means you don’t have to do much but sit back, listen to the sound and enjoy the look.

CONSTRUCTION: I’ll give it to Gibson, for guitar builders they certainly do put together a really solid studio monitor. They have all the weight

and solidness of a classic Les Paul guitar and are finished with the same detail.

OVERALL: Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, however, these are still a surprising pair of monitors that still deliver in sound as well as their aesthetics. I never thought of Gibson as a studio monitor manufacturer before, but they have hit the ground running with this design.

SPECS System Type: Active Monitor, bi-amplified High-Frequency: Diamond-like carbon-coated titanium tweeter Low-Frequency: Non-woven carbon fiber woofer Frequency Range: 4” 55Hz – 47kHz, 6” 37Hz – 47kHz, 8” 31Hz – 47kHz System Power: 4” 103 Watts, 6” 247 Watts 8” 247 Watts Input Sensitivity: +4dBu Balanced / -10dBV Unbalanced Inputs: Input RCA, Balanced TRS, Balanced

JBL LSR305 ACTIVE STUDIO MONITORS

SHURE SHR940 STUDIO HEADPHONES

PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO MONITOR LOUDSPEAKERS | RRP: $299 each speaker DISTRIBUTOR: JANDS AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: REFERENCE MONITOR HEADPHONES | RRP: $449 DISTRIBUTOR: JANDS AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: Use in both professional editing and post-production studios, or in home studios where quality and a compact size are both a requirement.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone looking to hear more in their studio headphones, or anyone simply wanting to listen to quality audio at home in peace and quiet.

quality.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Very clear and defined response that is quite flat for a 5-inch driver, still delivering an even amount of lower frequency response to pair up with the mid and upper frequencies.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The low end is there, it is in no way compromised or removed, but it remains tight and sits in with the rest of the mix as you would have expected.

The transient response of the higher frequencies is nice too.

USABILITY: Very easy to set up and tune to suit a space. Once in place, they are a very forgiving speaker that is easy on the ears over extended listening periods, but still lets you know where the offending frequencies are in the mix.

USABILITY: These sit snugly over the ears and don’t weigh too much, so you don’t feel like you are being weighed down when they are on. The velour pads offer a nice change to the leather styled pads out there, allowing longer wearing periods without your ears getting too warm within the headphones.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a quality studio monitor and is built like one too. The solid housing and firm switches on the rear are all signs of a good build and a speaker that will go the distance when you want continued performance over the years.

SPECS

CONSTRUCTION: Built tough like all higher end Shure headphones, these are designed to last for years and will easily do so.

OVERALL: JBL may not be widely known as a studio monitor brand, but in professional postproduction circles their quality is well recognised. These speakers now offer a price and size more suited to the home environment, but with professional

Frequency Range: 43 Hz-24 kHz Max Peak Input: +23 dBu LF Driver Size: 127 mm (5”) HF Driver Size: 25 mm (1”) LF Driver Power Amp: 41 W Class D HF Driver Power Amp: 41 W Class D Inputs: 1 x XLR, 1 x TRS Balanced Dimensions: 298 mm x 185 mm x 251 mm Weight: 4.6 kg (10.12 lbs)

OVERALL: Everything you need is in the box and everything you need to hear is in the headphones. I was quite surprised at how articulate they were in demonstrating a flat response that you wouldn’t usually expect from a set of headphones.

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SPECS Transducer Type: Dynamic, Neodymium magnet Driver Size: 40 mm Frequency Range: 5 - 30,000 Hz Sensitivity: (@ 1 kHz) 100 dB/mW Impedance: (@ 1 kHz) 42 Ohms Connector: Gold-plated 3.5 mm (1/8”) stereo mini jack plug with 6.35 mm (1/4”) threaded adapter Cable Length: 3 meters, detachable Ear Pads: Removable Weight: 322g

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.45

STUDIO SPECIAL

M-AUDIO M-TRACK MK2

M-AUDIO M-TRACK QUAD

PRODUCT TYPE: AUDIO INTERFACE | RRP: $159 | DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP

PRODUCT TYPE: INTERFACE | RRP: $459 | DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP

RECOMMENDED FOR: Beginners looking for their first audio interface. It meets the needs of someone simply wanting to improve their input and output quality for a new recording setup.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The preamps on the M-Track MK2 more than do the trick. They don’t offer any fancy promises of vintage tone or extended headroom, but they do ensure your microphone has enough volume without noise.

USABILITY: The simple redesign of this unit takes it away from the desktop style layout and back to the original front panel design seen on similar interfaces. The big volume knob does make it easier to control your DAW volume for playback.

CONSTRUCTION: For the price point, this is a well-built little box. The pots don’t feel two crash hot, but they are not going to suffer like those on a live mixing console will. For a home recording setup, this should meet your needs for toughness.

OVERALL: When you are looking for a great value interface, there are very few units on the market that can compete with this one on price for what it offers; a great starting point for home recording.

SPECS Inputs: 2 XLR+1/4” combo inputs with phantom power Outputs: 2 Balanced 1/4” main outputs with dedicated level control, Headphone out with independent level control Power: USB-powered connectivity Audio Resolution: 24-bit/48kHz Software: Ableton Live Lite

RECOMMENDED FOR: A growing home recording environment where more inputs are needed and additional hardware is being integrated.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Four microphone preamps or four inserts means you have a range of options for connecting audio sources. Additionally, the added USB hub is ideal for powering and running other hardware like keyboards, license dongles and controllers.

USABILITY: This is a clever design that is ready for your setup to develop around it. The MIDI I/O and USB hub means external hardware can be joined up with the interface and the extra inputs makes it ideal for expanding to a mixer or similar device.

CONSTRUCTION: Housed in a tough, somewhat oversized casing, this unit has been designed to take a little more punishment, as you may

well be changing your connectivity in your studio.

OVERALL: This is still a great value interface from M-Audio when you consider all that it offers. The inclusion of insert makes adding hardware compressors and EQs a breeze and really allows for expansion in the future.

SPECS Audio Resolution: 24-bit / 96 kHz Inputs: 4 XLR+1/4” combo inputs, selectable phantom power, each input includes a Mic/Line or Instrument level switch.

Inserts: 4 TRS 1/4” inserts MIDI: MIDI In and Out jacks Outputs: 1/4” balanced outs (1 & 2) with dedicated level control, 1/4” balanced outs (3 & 4) with fixed level, Stereo/Mono monitor switch, Headphone out with independent level control.

USB: powered USB hub with three ports

M-AUDIO AXIOM AIR 61 CONTROLLER KEYBOARD

M-AUDIO BX5 STUDIO MONITORS

PRODUCT TYPE: KEYBOARD CONTROLLER | RRP: $699 | DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP

PRODUCT TYPE: STUDIO MONITOR LOUD SPEAKERS | RRP: $349 per pair DISTRIBUTOR: PRO AUDIO GROUP

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who want a compact pair of studio monitors for their home setup, without having to spend too much.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who seek a perfect all-rounder MIDI controller keyboard for a home studio and are looking to reduce the need for the mouse and QWERTY keyboard. An ideal control surface and keyboard all in one.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: As a controller, you get a wide range of options with the Axiom Air 61. The faders, pots and transport controls are ideal for making DAW integration a breeze and in turn, increasing workflow.

USABILITY: The added drum pads give this a greater role as an instrument along with the 61 note keyboard. Plenty of data is provided on the LCD screen too, so you always know what is going on when adjusting a controller.

CONSTRUCTION: The keys have a great tough to them

and respond well to playing at various velocities. The housing itself, along with the drum pads, is solidly constructed and ready for years of extended use for sure.

OVERALL: With all that this keyboard offers in the way of transport, controllers and instrumentation, this is the ideal companion to any music producer looking to create a more ‘hands on’ workflow and get back to feeling the music again, away from the computer. Quality.

SPECS Keys: 61 TruTouch semi-weighted piano-style keys with aftertouch Pads: 12 trigger pads (pressure and velocity sensitive) Assignable controls: 8 rotary encoder knobs, 9 long-throw 70mm faders, 9 buttons and pitch bend and modulation wheels. 3 banks of pad and knob assignments with colorcoded illumination Memory: 128 memory locations for saving your custom settings

PG.46 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: With a single adjustment control for room size and space, it is pretty easy to get these speakers to sound somewhat right in the environment you want to use them in. They are not perfectly flat, but they are only 5-inch drivers and sound pretty good for the price.

USABILITY: Simple and easy to use, these are just what studio monitors should be. They don’t offer great volume or pounding bass, but they aren’t supposed to, they simply work and don’t take up too much space in the process.

CONSTRUCTION: Now built in a new, cool looking case that is fairly solid and with all balanced inputs, this is a monitor speaker that is punching well above its weight in what it presents.

OVERALL: These are probably the best value monitors on the market. There is very little you can purchase for less, and anything you can is not worth listening to really. These are a great pair of speakers for a reasonable price.

SPECS Type: 2-way near-field studio reference monitors LF Driver Size: 5-inch (127 mm) Kevlar curved cone HF Driver Size: 1-inch (25 mm) natural silk dome Frequency Range: 56 Hz – 22 kHz Inputs: 1 x XLR balanced input connector, 1 x TRS balanced/unbalanced input connector Dimensions: (height x width x depth): 250 mm x 176 mm x 200 mm Weight: 5.0 kg

www.mixdownmag.com.au

STUDIO SPECIAL

STEINBERG UR242 USB AUDIO INTERFACE

AXIS VOICEBOX STUDIO MONITORS

PRODUCT TYPE: INTERFACE | RRP: $299.99 | DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA

PRODUCT TYPE: MONITOR LOUDSPEAKER | RRP: $2,496 per pair DISTRIBUTOR: AUDIO MARKETING

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those after a serious monitor that’s tuned to deliver exceptional clarity, especially when listening back to the final mix.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who think they might need a little more on the input side of things for their home recording interface in the future.

When two inputs just aren’t enough, this might solve the problem.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into the same tough frame that both the UR44 and UR22 have proven can go the distance, this unit should stand up to any home studio use without worry.

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: Offering balances connections and up to 192 kHz sampling rates on the inputs, the UR242 is really at the top of its game for audio quality in this price bracket.

OVERALL: This is a great compact interface for the price with excellent preamps and conversion. The added line inputs means a mixer can be added for extending input capacity with more preamps to make the most of your home recording space.

USABILITY: These interfaces are quick and easy to install. Once set up, operation is fairly straightforward, with no noticeable latency when monitoring both direct and from the DAW. With either Mac or PC systems, this will integrate with just about any DAW, and also comes bundled with Cubase AI for those in need of a software upgrade.

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SPECS Audio Resolution: 24-bit/192 kHz Inputs: 2 XLR+1/4” combo inputs with phantom power + 2 1/4” line inputs.

Outputs: 2 Balanced 1/4” main outputs with dedicated level control, Headphone out with independent level control iOS: iPad connectivity MIDI: MIDI In and Out jacks Cubase AI included

SOUND AND VERSATILITY: The two drivers deliver a phase correct reproduction of frequencies in which the voice tends to sit and the extended frequencies fall into place around. Thanks to the ribbon tweeter, it can and will give you plenty of volume for close listening, without any signs of fatigue or harmonic distortion in the higher frequencies.

USABILITY: The concept behind this speaker was to deliver voice perfectly in phase.

What comes of this is not the same as a traditional studio monitor speaker that strives to deliver a flat response across the entire frequency range, but a well-tuned speaker box that allows you to listen to music loud and to be able to enjoy what has been laid down on the final recording.

CONSTRUCTION: These two drivers are housed in a very pretty cabinet that not only looks the part, but is built to deliver results. You get no vibration or rattle from the cabinet when tapping it around any surface, so you know it won’t be adding any unwanted nastiness to your sound when driven hard.

OVERALL: It isn’t that common for a pair of passive

speakers land on my desk these days. The design is by two of the guru’s gurus in high-end speaker knowledge, John Riley and Brad Serhan. What’s resulted is a loudspeaker focused on delivering voice in phase for an ultimate listening experience.

SPECS Frequency response: 45Hz-20kHz (Sensitivity: 83 db @ 1 meter (2.83 volts input) AXISVBSWHT Impedance: 5 ohms White Power rating: 100 WRMS Crossover: 18 element electro-Acoustic Linkwitz-Riley 4th. Order @ 3kHz System type: Bass reflex-rear ported Bass transducer: 133mm (5.25”) NOMEX PAPER High frequency transducer: 50mm Metal true ribbon Dimensions: 182mm x 313mm x 195mm Weight: 6.4kg each speaker

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.47

ROAD TESTS Yamaha Reface Series Yamaha Music Australia | (03) 9693 5111 | www.au.yamaha.com | RRP: $699.99 each

Yamaha are finally back exploring the smaller more portable keys world with their new Reface series. There are four Reface models, the DX, CS, CP, and YC, each reimagining a classic Yamaha instrument series from years gone by within a simplified and miniaturised body. In fact, the Reface name is a contraction of “reimagined interface,” that should give you a good indication of what Yamaha’s set out to do here.

Each keyboard boasts 3 octaves of newly developed HQ-Mini keys, (the action of which is derived from their flagship Yamaha Motif XF workstations) with velocity sensitivity. They’re also Web MIDI compatible with Google Chrome, meaning that with Yamaha’s native sound sharing community Soundmondo, you can plug your Reface in via USB and download patches.

The USB is also there for MIDI control from your DAW - additional DIN type MIDI I/O is there via an included MIDI breakout cable as well. All three boards also have inbuilt speakers and the ability to be powered by batteries.

For some internet forum warriors, this and the mini-keys scream ‘toy,’ a bastardisation of Yamaha’s legacy. However, I would insist that you try the Reface series out for yourselves - these keyboards are not toys.

DX

The original DX series synths from the ‘80s were revolutionary.

Additive synthesis or FM synthesis as it’s more commonly known gave musicians a whole new palette of sounds, previously unheard. So what have Yamaha given us in 2015? Well, the Reface DX is indeed a reimagined FM synth, something not seen in dedicated hardware form for some time. Under the hood is 4 sine wave operators, each with feedback modulation, 12 algorithms (essentially how the 4 sine wave operators are routed), an LFO, 2 fx blocks with the usual suspects, a looper, 4 amp envelopes for each operator and a pitch envelope that can be turned on or off for each operator.

On FM synths in the past the sound design aspect was incredibly difficult to understand and use.

But thanks to Reface DX’s large screen, users can now see exactly what’s happening while modifying 4 parameters via a touch screen interface. In fact, the interface is incredibly easy and intuitive.

Within 30 seconds of plugging the DX in (after the initial shock of how incredibly small it is), I was modifying parameters, looping bizarro pads, clangs, bells, whistles, and then pulling it back in for disgusting distorted bass.

The touch data entry section is something I haven’t seen on a synth before, it almost behaves like a smart phone or tablet’s multi-touch screen. Dragging four fingers across the arrows to

push the feedback up on all four operators is instant fun. Whether or not Yamaha might have been better off including physical sliders with more tactile control is up for debate, however, they’re certainly usable, and match the overall ‘80s throwback aesthetic.

A solo electronic musician could easily have this plugged into his/ her laptop on stage running MIDI sequencers and tweaking them live, or even live improvisation/song construction with the excellent looper. Of course, the famous DX series sounds from just about every pop song of the late ‘80s are there too, so if that’s your bag, the Reface DX is your ticket.

CS

Yamaha’s CS series subtractive synths have a long history, and with the resurgence of analogue synthesisers over the last 5 years, it’s no surprise Yamaha have revived the CS name once again.

The Reface CS is virtual analogue, a digital emulation of true analogue.

However, being equipped with knobs or sliders for every single parameter is truly a revelation in a package this small. Surprisingly, Yamaha have opted to do away with preset memory on the CS. This may be a deal breaker for some, but I love that it forces you to actually learn and understand the underlying concepts of subtractive synthesis, rather than just changing parameters willy nilly. Oscillator selection sits in the middle of the synth, with filter, envelope and fx controls on the right, portamento,

PG.48 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

LFO, looper, transpose, volume and pitch bend on the left. The oscillator select has five different options, each of which seem to change the roles of the ‘texture’ and ‘mod’ sliders next to it. For example, on the dual square wave oscillator setting, texture de-tunes an oscillator, all the way up to an octave up, and the mod slider becomes a band-pass filter.

On the whole, it’s a good sounding analogue emulation, the lopass filter is resonant, nice and gritty with plenty of character and I couldn’t hear any stepping – a common fault in analogue emulations. The delay fx seems to be an analogue emulation too, tweaking it in the middle of playing some monstrous cinematic pads gives you that delicious sounding off pitch warble that always puts a smile on my face.

This synth has some limitations, the envelope selection slider between filter and amp is a begrudgingly elegant solution to having such limited real estate, but in the end, a hardware synth needs character and tactile control to compete with software synth plug-ins and this little guy has it in bucket loads.

CP

The Reface CP builds on Yamaha’s legacy in electric pianos. The original CP series came into existence in the mid ‘70s, in response to demand from musicians for an easily amplifiable stage piano. In the Reface CP, Yamaha have obviously included the classic CP tone, but most exciting to me is the inclusion of classic and highly sought after Wurlitzer, Rhodes and Clavinet sounds. Combined with the inbuilt effects and expressive keyboard, this is a truly incredible sounding package.

The retro aesthetic is palpable on the CP, a rubbery black finish, brushed aluminium fascia, switch and dials straight from the ‘60s...it looks really damn nice.

We have 6 key tones to work with, a gorgeous sounding drive, a tremelo or velocity sensitive wah, a chorus or phaser, a digital delay or analogue delay and a reverb.

Each effect with a basic depth and

time/speed/rate control, except for reverb and drive with only depth.

More control might be desirable, however, the Yamaha engineers have absolutely nailed it with what we’re given. Full disclosure, I’m not a fantastic keys player, but even I found myself pretending I’m Stevie Wonder on the Clav with the autowah and phaser turned on, then going down to the lowest octave, cranking the reverb and drive for disgusting fuzzy drone.

With the popularity of jazzy, soulful beat orientated electronic music, I could see these in many bedroom beat maker’s studios creating those retro organic piano sounds. Hell, with that lush reverb, delay and inclusion of a toy piano tone, you could make an ambient avant-garde album on this thing.

YC

Last but not least, we have the Reface YC, Yamaha’s reimagining of their YC series of combo organs.

YC’s appeared on the scene in the late ‘60s.. yes, almost 50 years ago.

Staggering isn’t it?

In 2015, Yamaha have packed the best organ sounds all into one small, portable package. Maybe for some purists the back breaking weight and size of the originals is worth it, but I’m quite happy to cop the minor sound differences in exchange for reliability and portability.

We’ve got 5 different sound engines based on various organs from around the world, including of course Yamaha’s own classic YC sound. There are nine drawbars, a vibrato/chorus rocker switch, rotary speaker emulation, distortion and reverb. Basically everything you need to get whatever organ sound you’re after – whether it’s an aggressive rock’n’roll tone or something more subtle.

In my mind these kinds of sounds are more the realm of kick ass traditional keys players, but on an instrument that can be very dependent on playing bass lines and melody lines at the same time... are three octaves of mini keys going to be enough? Potentially not, but in the end, the Reface YC can be used as a MIDI sound module as well as

being a portable solution. Any self respecting keys player with magical hands is going to invest in a good quality full size keyboard before exploring portable options – that’s where the YC would come in.

SMALL BUT BIG

The Reface series are tiny... really tiny. But in a marketplace filled with bedroom producers and musicians, available physical space in studios is at an all time premium - I’d be willing to bet a cranky vocal few are vastly outnumbered by musicians excited

by Reface’s small stature.

There’s plenty of competitors in the market of small synths/ keyboards, but many are plagued by flimsy lightweight feeling hardware. To me the Yamaha’s feel like a step or five up. The build quality is truly excellent. They may look like toys upon first glance but once you start noodling, size is forgotten. With the price in mind, I’d say each of these is a solid deal. Yamaha don’t over promise with the Reface series – you get a high quality product that does what it does very well.

Kudos Yamaha, I’ll take one of each please.

BY MICHAEL CUSACK

HITS • All 4 sound fantastic with excellent interfaces • The FX on each unit are also huge hits • For me, the size is a win • Well constructed and good looks • USB MIDI as well as DIN MIDI is a welcome inclusion • 3.5mm aux audio input is a nice addition for daisy chaining gear • Battery power, great for less cables on stage

MISSES • Although the size is a win for me, I can certainly understand how it doesn’t suit all needs, it’ll be interesting to see if the Reface series is Yamaha testing the waters before releasing full size units as we’ve seen from competitors.

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ROAD TESTS Bose F1 Portable Array Speaker System Bose Australia | 1800 173 371 | f1.bose.com.au | RRP: Contact For Pricing

There is a good reason why line array speakers are used for most concerts and festivals these days, and it’s not simply because they look so darn impressive. It’s a matter of delivering the sound to the audience. There is no point having speakers up on a high stage firing right over the heads of half of the crowd. And you can’t blast the front row in the face when a raised setting is in place and expect the people up the back to still hear clearly. The way a line array system angles the speakers to cover the entire audience placement within a space allows everyone to hear more clearly. Bose have brought this principle to their new and exciting portable speaker system, the F1.

MIXING IT UP

A portable PA system often ends up being utilised in a variety of spaces and rooms, meaning the placement of the speakers can often differ greatly and deliver mixed results. Bose have given the versatility of a modern line array rig to the flexibility of a portable PA setup. The F1 system is comprised of two elements, the F1 816 Flexible Array Speaker and the F1 Subwoofer.

The two, mounting atop of each other with a pair of joining arms brings the system in line. The subwoofer houses two 10-inch drivers that deliver a punchy, powerful bottom end. Being smaller drivers, they have a very fast transient attack and produce a sharper sound than that of a large bass speaker. To those with any concerns about the bottom end, I can assure you that they

have plenty of dirty, nasty low frequency response, delivered with a powerful force and punchy tone. Housed in the subwoofer is a splitter for you to allow for pass-through, so adding more of the same is a breeze. The crossover is actually located in the top boxes, somewhat unconventionally, but with good reason, as these become your master unit and can be operated as a full range unit on their own.

THE ARRAY

The magic all happens in the top speaker array, the F1 812 module. This features 8 drivers, mounted in a vertical design.

The central two drivers are fixed, pointing straight out from the box. However, the upper three and lower three drives can be tilted either down or up respectively to suit the

environment. When the array is set up at head height for a room of standing people, it can be left with all speakers flat.

If it were on a raised stage, with an audience below the “J” position sees the lower three drivers angled down to reach the audience in the front. For an audience on raised seating above the stage, a “Reverse J” position is employed, with the lower speakers set flat and the upper three pointing upwards.

In an auditorium where the

audience starts below the stage but work up in height as the room goes back, a “C” shape can see the sound sent both up and down, with the centre speakers still firing flat. Ultimately, these speakers will absolutely tear the room up. My neighbours hated my evening demos of these at home, so I am sure your audience will love them.

BY ROB GEE

HITS • Defined sound delivered to where your audience is located in relation to speaker position • Plenty of punchy bottom end • Big, rich sound and headroom to allow for almost any application

MISSES • Rather heavy and cumbersome for a ‘portable’ PA solution

Orange Amplification Rockerverb MKIII Gibson AMI | (03) 8696 4600 | www.gibsonami.com | RRP: $2899.00

Remember when once upon a time Orange amps were super-rare? Like they were the soundtrack for the ‘60s and ‘70s but then you barely saw them out in the wild. That all changed a little while back, and now you can see, or at least hear, Orange amps driving the sound of bands as diverse as Rush, Slipknot and The Sword. The Orange sound typically has a little more hair on it than, say, a Marshall or Mesa Boogie, and that’s what attracts a lot of players to it: a certain rawness around the edges but a refined, harmonically rich body. The Rockerverb has been through a few different incarnations now, and the latest version incorporates improvements to the clean channel, a new more dynamic reverb, and power scaling which lets you go from 50 down to 25 watts.

CITRUS ELF DOWN

At the heart of the Rockerverb MK III’s tone is a twin-channel Class A/B 50 watt power section with two EL34 power valves. There are four ECC83/12AX7s and two ECC81/12AT7s: in addition to the preamp tubes the reverb is also tube-driven, and the effect loop is tube buffered. There are two channels; Clean and Dirty.

The Clean controls are Volume, Bass and Treble. You hopefully won’t miss the lack of a midrange control since Orange amps are usually built with great-sounding mids anyway. The Dirty channel gives you a wider range of customisation with Volume, Gain, Bass, Mid and Treble controls.

There’s also an Attenuator control which determines where and how the signal distorts after it leaves

the preamp. In other words, you can get some killer grind at lower volumes even before you think about hitting the halfpower switch. You can control the channel selection, reverb on/off and Attenuator via foot switch.

I’m a big fan of the Attenuator being foot-switchable since it effectively lets you set two different volume levels for different applications.

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK SABBATH

I tested the Rockerverb MK III with a bunch of different guitars including a Gibson Les Paul Traditional with Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz pickups, a Taylor SolidBody with three mini humbuckers, and a Squier Bass VI. In all cases, the clean sounds remained

PG.50 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

clear and full of character. So if you’re in an alternative, blues, country or indie band where your cleans are as important as your dirty tones, this is a great choice.

Having said that, the Dirty channel is an utter monster. Lurking in here you’ll find everything from loose garage tones to vintage proto-metal all the way up to modern extreme metal. The famous Orange upper-end rawness translates into massive attack and aggression at the far end of the gain spectrum, but it also gives you lots of grunt and presence at more open levels of overdrive.

The reverb is also very nicely voiced, with a deeper, fuller and more airy tone than before.

FRUITS OF THE DEVIL

It’s hard to think of a style this

amp wouldn’t be suitable for. You can use it if you’re ever called on to join Iggy and the Stooges, or if Ministry needs a sub for a night, or if the local black metal band loses a member in mysterious circumstances, or if you want to play some AC/DC covers, or if you get booked on a country gig and you need a clean sound with plenty of poke.

BY PETER HODGSON

SPECS • Finish: Orange or black basket weave vinyl • Output Power: 50 Watts / 25 Watts Switchable • Speaker Outputs: 1×16 Ohm or 1 X 8 Ohm or 2 X 16 Ohm • Valves: Preamp: 4 X ECC83/12AX7 & 2 X ECC81/12AT7 • Power Amp: 2 X EL34 • Dimensions (W X H X D): 55 × 27 X 28cm • Weight: 20.75kg

HITS • Improved reverb • Great clean tones • Huge range of dirty tones

MISSES • None. Nailed it.

www.mixdownmag.com.au

ROAD TESTS

Radial Tonebone Bassbone V2 Amber Technology | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au | RRP: call for pricing

The original Tonebone Bassbone by Radial was used by players like Marcus Miller, John Patitucci, Rhonda Smith and Victor Wooten - in other words, some of the world’s greatest bass virtuosos, and in particular players who demand unparalleled clarity. The V2 version takes this same audio circuit but packs in a bunch of new features and flexibility.

THE BASICS

You can connect two basses to the Bassbone V2 at one time and then toggle between them as needed. This makes mid-set bass changes a breeze. Each of the two channels have a separate level control too, so you can fine-tune the signal strength for each bass. There’s a passiveinteractive EQ which Radial says is so powerful that you can use it to “emulate switching from a P-Bass to a Rickey using the same bass!” There’s also a

special PZB booster circuit which lets you connect a piezo-loaded instrument such as an upright bass or acoustic bass, and levelmatch it with your magneticpickup bass.

New features include a boost footswitch which you can use either to engage a power booster for solos or as a mute switch for quiet on-stage tuning (although this isn’t really necessary because there’s a dedicated tuner output as well). There’s also an effect loop activated by

bass player who needs distortion, fuzz or overdrive from time to time, the blendable effects loop means you can have a bi-amped sound perfectly tailored to the musical situation.

BY PETER HODGSON a foot switch, with a wet/dry control which lets you maintain the integrity of the original signal and blend in as much of the effected sound as you like.

CONFIGURE IT OUT

I don’t know too many bass players who take two basses to a gig - although it does happen sometimes - so I can imagine most players would

configure the Bassbone V2 for use with a single bass and using the EQ section as a foot-switchable virtual second channel. This is especially great if you have a passive bass but you occasionally require the expanded range of an active circuit, for instance cranking the highs and lows while zapping out some midrange for slap-andpop sounds. If you’re the kind of

HITS • Lots of signal routing options • Powerful EQ • Great FX loop

MISSES • Dedicated distortion section would be nice

Diamond Bolero QM3 Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $1650

Diamond is almost two totally different guitar companies - they make aggressive metal axes with extra strings, pointy bits and Floyd Roses, but they also make plenty of more traditional guitars with a few modern twists.

The Bolero QM3 falls into the latter category. It’s reminiscent of a Les Paul in some ways but still has plenty of its own thing going on.

MAPLE TREE HUGGER

The materials list is pretty much standard: a mahogany body with a quilt maple top (and this is most definitely a top rather than a veneer - the edges of it are unfinished and there’s a carve on the bass side that also gives you a peek at the unpainted timber to let you see just how chunky it is); the neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard; there are 22 frets and a three-a-side headstock which carries Grover tuners.

At the other end you’ll find a Tune-O-Matic-style bridge and a Diamond Custom Stop Tail with an

engraved logo. The neck carve is a little flatter than you might expect of a guitar of this style, perhaps a little more shreddy but not to ‘Ibanez Wizard’ dimensions or anything like that. The pickups are a pair of humbuckers co-designed

by Diamond’s Jeff Diamant and Seymour Duncan and handmade in the Seymour Duncan Custom Shop in Santa Barbara, California. The controls are a master volume and a master tone control with a pushpull coil split which works for both pickups at once, and a three-way pickup selector.

SPECS PICK ME UP

The bridge pickup has plenty of attack and a tight, chunky low end.

It also has lots of output, which makes it great for palm-muted chugs or screaming solos alike. It’s a little more reigned in the high end, so it’s not as rich as you might hope, but the neck pickup more than makes up for it. When you crank up the gain, the neck pickup gives you a juicy, Gary Moore-esque timbre with lots of pick attack and sustain, and a real sense of interactivity. When you roll the gain back and go for a clean sound, it’s delicate and detailed but still full enough to hold its own. Pop

the coil split and both pickups take on a pleasantly ‘hollow’ vibe with scooped mids and brighter high end. The middle position is the big standout here, with the fullness of the neck pickup being balanced out by the clarity of the bridge.

KARMA CHAMELEON

The aggressive points might or might not be for you, but if you’re looking for a versatile guitar that can handle anything from smooth jazz to angry, angry metal it’s worth a look.

BY PETER HODGSON

Sherlock Angry Ant Sherlock Amplifiers | (03) 8802 0499 | www.sherlockamps.com | RRP: $595

The Angry Ant has a single ended 6L6 self-biasing power pentode output stage for pure Class A tone, with a single 12AX7 preamp tube. There’s one guitar input which feeds a two-stage cascaded preamp section featuring Gain and Tone controls feeding the master volume. And that’s it for the front panel, apart from a Power/Standby/ On switch and a beautifully illuminated Sherlock logo that glows blue on the perspex front panel. Around the back, you’ll find an 8 ohm speaker output as well as a line out socket which takes its signal from the speaker out via the

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level control. There’s also a speaker mute switch which switches the Angry Ant’s output to an internal dummy load for line output use only for use without a speaker.

Dale Sherlock has used only the finest components in this amp: Orange drop caps, carbon resistors and ceramic tube sockets, Carling switches, Cliff sockets and Alpha pots fitted with chicken head knobs. The Chassis is 1.6mm aluminium extrusion with machined sides, and the transformers are high-quality hand-wound models using vintage transformer winding techniques, with grain-oriented steel for sound quality and

HITS • Great pickups • Comfortable neck • Really cool finish

a drive pedal in front of a delay but it’s a shame to not be able to run a nice analogue delay or a lush reverb across the amp’s natural overdriven sound.

ANGER MANAGEMENT

Ever get that thing where you wish an amp was built with cheeks so you could squeeze ‘em? That’s how I felt when I first set eyes on the Sherlock Angry Ant, a five-watt little beastie which, like its namesake insect, is capable of lifting way more than its body weight.

GIMME FIVE

• Construction/scale: Set Neck/24.75” • Body: Quilt Maple / Mahogany • Neck: Mahogany • Fingerboard: Rosewood • Inlays: Premier Series • Binding: Natural / Scrape • Pickups: Seymour Duncan Diamond Signature (DD-1B/ DD-5N) • Electronics: Vol/Tone/3-way/ Coil Tap • Tuners: Grover

reliability. And did I mention it’s tiny? It weighs only 2.5 Kg and is 18cm high including the clear handle on top!

ANTS IN YOUR PANTS

Despite its limited control set, there are plenty of tones lurking inside this little biter. The preamp gain/overdrive is achieved by cascading both of the 12AX7 tubes, triodes and is controlled by the Ant’s gain control. You can easily dial in a Vox-like clean tone with full, fat mids by winding the Gain

control back and turning up the Master, then finding the ideal Tone setting to bring out as much or as little treble sparkle as you want. The only real downside to this amp is that it doesn’t include reverb or an effects loop, so you’re basically tied to the natural reverb of the room you’re performing or recording in, or whatever external effects you can apply at the mixing desk. Sure, you can run effects pedals into the front end - and it’ll reproduce them beautifully if you’re sticking with a clean tone or using

If you’re looking for a small amp that can do a lot of things, but do them very simply, the Angry Ant is the amp for you. It doesn’t get much simpler than this, and yet it’s flexible, reliable and surprisingly loud for such a small unit. Check it out in person the very first chance you get.

BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • LOUD! • Very responsive and adaptable • Affordable boutique tone

MISSES • No reverb or effects loop

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.51

ROAD TESTS Godin Core CT Electric Guitar Dynamic Music | (02) 99391299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $1,999

The Godin Core CT proudly proclaims ‘Made In Canada’ right there on the headstock face, and so it should: they consistently make great guitars and have earned the right to be proud of them. The Core CT is a little different to some of the Godins you may have seen in the past. It’s a more traditional than some of their ‘hey, this is a Godin’ designs. So the choice to have so much information on the headstock seems to be a way of saying ‘yep, we can do all of this stuff.’

CORE BLIMEY

The Core CT is designed for ‘blues to hard rock,’ as Godin claims, but already you get the feeling that it takes a detour through country, alternative, indie, goth and even some forms of jazz to get there, instead of taking a ‘blues, rock, hard rock’ route.

It features a high-gloss carved maple top (not flamed, just purty) on a chambered Spanish cedar body - an interesting choice indeed for an electric guitar. The

set neck is made of mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard, and the position inlays are simple dots rather than anything flashy.

It feels like these suit the guitar perfectly. The neck is slightly chunky but its oiled nature makes it quite easy to zip around the fretboard since there’s no sticky finish holding you back, so it feels extremely comfortable and playable.

The bridge is a GraphTech ResoMax Wraparound system with

tone which lets each note ring out clearly when you play complex chords.

I’LL RETIRE TO MY CHAMBER six intonatable saddles. We’re all used to seeing intonationcompensated wraparounds with no serious intonation adjustment to speak of, but this system offers very precise control.

SOAP OPERA

The action out of the box was a little high for my liking but this guitar is definitely built to be played hard, so the higher action allowed me to lay in a bit more to really make the most of that chambered cedar body. The bridge

Mooer Micro Looper Jade Australia | 1800 144 120 | www.musocity.com.au | RRP: call for pricing

Loopers in their various forms have become a common sighting on pedal boards these days. Solo guitarists wanting to add some layers to their sound, band players needing some texture options and bedroom guys through to pros needing a handy practice tool at home or on the road.

I’ve even heard of players using them for sound checking the FOH tones by playing some licks into the looper, turning it on and then venturing out front to hear how it sounds and make adjustments (mic placement/ EQ etc) as needed. With the popularity of their ‘Micro’ line, it makes sense that Mooer have jumped into the looping game too too too too too…

LITTLE L

A white casing, input and output jacks, 9v input, on/off switch, level control and a status LED make up the Mooer ‘Micro Looper’.

Simplicity is key here with the on/off switch getting you started and the level knob controlling the output level of the loop. Hit the footswitch and you’re recording (indicated by a bright red LED), hit the button again to finish and

the Micro Looper goes straight into playback mode, highlighted by the LED changing to blue.

Super easy to get happening be it a chord progression, single lick or percussive noise – and the big kicker here is the massive 30 minutes of recording time!

This gives you the ability to loop massive sections or intricate parts which means you can record the whole form of a song for

pickup has a warm midrange with a bit more treble smoothness than you might expect from a P90. It’s almost more like a clearer sounding, P90-inspired humbucker, in terms of voicing, rather than being too overloaded with that serious P90 snarl, and it’s great for heavy gain or clearer tones. The neck pickup is more traditionally P90, with more edge and unpredictability, and more of an acoustic-like timbre. Put them together and you’ve got a great indie or classic rock ‘jangle’

example and then play it back and improvise over the top. From there your loopy goodness can access Undo, Redo, Stop/Start playback and Delete, making good use of multi functions with just the single stomp switch.

IN THE LOOP

Size wise the Micro Looper is going to win a few friends. And whilst there are other similar sized pedals on the market, the 30 minutes recording time and unlimited overdubbing stretches the possibilities quite considerably.

Whilst more complex pedals with added functionality and foot control options will suit some, it’s great to see companies such as Mooer also see the use for more straight ahead units that are intuitive and still user friendly. With a looper this size and price it’s an easy option to slot into a board (even if real estate is tight) for some extra vibes when needed, or just throw it in your gig bag to grab when inspiration calls.

Radial Tonebone Loopbone

UNCHAIN MY HEART

In practical terms, the Loopbone is a device which lets you select between two discrete effects loops, and there’s also an adjustable clean boost for giving your signal an extra kick for soloing. This is handy if you have pedals that are noisy in bypass mode or just for giving you more foot control

in tighter quarters. There are individual foot switches for each loop plus one for the boost.

The connections include input and output jacks, send and receive jacks for each loop, a tuner output and a Slingshot Remote out. Slingshot is a remote control that can be used to simultaneously change channels on a guitar amp, turn on an effect, or activate another

PG.52 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Comfortably chunky neck • Warm-sounding pickups • Nice bridge

MISSES • Prefer humbuckers? You can get this guitar with those instead!

HERE WE GO LOOP DE LOOP

From simple licks to dense layered soundscapes, loopers have become a seriously useful tool for guitarists in both solo and band settings. With an acoustic guitar you can setup up percussive loops, play bass lines and licks to accompany chords and arpeggios, while band settings can let you loop improvised parts on the fly to build layers or call on for stabs and motifs. 30 minutes of record time and unlimited overdubs means the Micro Looper is powerful and easy to use, great for a range of sounds, styles and players.

BY NICK BROWN

HITS • Small size • 30 minutes recording time

MISSES • Basic looping functions compared to some bigger units

can still hear it swooshing in the background. With the Loopbone I was able to put this pedal into Loop 1 so I could take it right out of the signal chain when not in use, but I could also use it to feed an Envelope Filter in Loop 2, with the sweep of the phaser able to cause the envelope filter to exaggerate its sweep.

Amber Technology | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au | RRP: call for pricing

Some players prefer to plug right into the amp so they can get the most pure, direct sound possible - with no fuss. Others like complex rigs with all sorts of gadgets: MIDI effect switchers, amp switching, buffers, loopers, power conditioners, wireless, and on and on and on. Somewhere a little to the right of the middle is the ideal user of the Tonebone Loopbone. It’s a simple high-performance effects-loop switcher designed to let guitarists insert, remove and combine pedals via two independent signal chains, in a noise-free, sonically efficient way.

This is a great guitar for a wide variety of styles, provided you like a little bit of edge and hairiness to your tone at times.

Slingshot-equipped pedal like the Radial Headbone, and there’s a set of Remote Output Assign controls to configure exactly what this jack will do.

Internally, the Loopbone’s design starts with Radial’s award winning, 100% discrete, class-A buffer circuit to ensure the highest quality audio signal and the lowest noise. They augment this with Drag Control, a proprietary load correction circuit that lets you reintroduce the natural tone and feel of the guitar as if connected directly to

a tube amplifier.

STEP ON IT

The Loopbone is designed with the two loops wired in series so you can feed the first into the second, meaning that not only can you turn on one effect or the other, but you can carefully funnel the signal from one into the other for specific sonic effects. For instance, I have an old Rocktek phaser pedal which I got when I was 14 years old, and not only is it not true bypass but when it’s switched off you

GIVE A TONE A BONE

This is a tricky pedal to use since it doesn’t change your sound (well, the boost does) so much as ensure it’s perfectly clean and authentic no matter how out-there you go with your switching. In the right rig it can give you a surprisingly high level of control over your signal chain.

BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • As flexible as you want it to be • Boost is very handy

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ROAD TESTS

Musical Fidelity MF-100 Headphones Audio Marketing | (02) 9882 3877 | www.audiomarketing.com.au | RRR: $229

Musical Fidelity is a name not well known in musicians’ circles, but after 30 odd years designing audiophile hi-fi and headphones, I hope that will change. The MF-100 is their entry level headset, with a fairly basic looking utilitarian design. I wasn’t too sure what to expect.

FIT

Upon popping them out of the box and giving them a quick run in the Mixdown office, I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not usually a fan of ‘on ear’ headphones, I tend to find them uncomfortable. Not the case with the MF-100s - the light weight headset exerting the perfect amount of pressure on my ears.

Noticing the extra Alcantara (suede like texture) pads in the box, I thought I’d better give them a go, why not try to achieve comfort nirvana?

SO...WHAT NOW?

Getting the leather pads off and the Alcantara ones on proved... challenging. No instructions are in the box so you’re left with your own wits to figure out how to do it. It honestly probably took me a full 15 minutes. Seems getting them off is a matter of carefully pulling them off, to get pads on there’s a small notch that you thread the elastic on and twist. Seems unnecessarily tricky but I got there eventually, and the Alcantara pads are indeed lovely on the ears.

ENOUGH PAD TALK, HOWS IT SOUND?

Really good. Coming from my fairly worn out industry standard competitor, it was like a curtain had been lifted. Clarity over the whole spectrum is stunning, mids and highs are crisp and well defined and I couldn’t detect any distortion or muddiness in the lows. I was finding bass a bit on the subtle side, but with semi-high 64ohm impedance I suspected my phone was struggling to drive the low end.

Trying the MF-100s at home through a properly amplified source, the cans’ bottom end did indeed open up. Still not quite where I thought it would be, but certainly better.

SERIOUS MONITORS OR FILTHY CASUAL? Casual, but anything but filthy.

Coming with a microphone on the cable for hands free mad chats tells us these are designed

for casual listening rather than studio monitoring. However, it’s a damn good listening experience. The frequency response seems quite flat across the spectrum, just a smidge bright and strong on the treble, but otherwise very natural. For a set of cans that double as reference for your mixing in this price range (and plenty above), you could do a lot worse and not much better than these.

BY MICHAEL CUSACK

HITS • Excellent clarity over the whole spectrum • Leather and Alcantara ear pads included • Lightweight design

MISSES • Pads difficult to change • Slightly subtle bass response

PRS Guitars S2 Vela

Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au | RRP: call for pricing It’s not often that PRS Guitars comes out with a new shape but they’ve been on a roll over the last few years with models like the Mira and Starla. Joining that illustrious club is the new Vela, an intriguing instrument which does that magical thing of combining elements of a bunch of comfortable, familiar instruments to come up with something unique and wholly its own.

SPEC CHECK

The S2 Vela has a mahogany body and neck with 22 frets.

The scale length is 25”, midway between a Les Paul and a Strat, and classic PRS length. The rosewood fretboard has a red tinge to it which stands out against the sea foam green body and neck of the review model.

The inlays are the optional classic bird motif or you can pick up an S2 Vela with dot inlays instead. The bridge is a PRS plate-style model with Telecaster-inspired saddles,

but where a traditional Tele has three separate saddle units which each share an intonation adjustment across two strings, this version has two separate units that have two intonation adjustment screws each for a more customisable system.

It’s still not as spot-on as a six-saddle system but PRS has evidently chosen this version for tonal reasons and the intonation seemed more or less fine during testing. PRS S2 locking tuners also help to keep everything nice and tuned. The S2 Vela has

pickup sounds raspier, dirtier and looser, but in a really good way. two pickups: a S2 Starla model humbucker in the bridge position and a PRS S2 Type-D single coil at the neck. The Starla pickup is splittable to single coil mode for a wider variety of tones, and the Type-D is modelled after an old DeArmond DynoSonic single coil pickup. The finish quality of this guitar is great.

TONE TEST

The bridge pickup has a

Ernie Ball Slinky Flatwound Strings CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: call for pricing

Flats have long been the domain of soul and R&B players wanting that vintage thud or double players assimilating to electric. Yes they have a dark, round under current but are often suitable for that type of sound only. Bucking that trend and adding some modern feel and sound to the mix, Ernie Ball have shaken up the flat world with their new slinky cobalt electric bass strings.

CO

Slinky’s are some of the most popular strings on the market and with a wide selection of gauges it’s easy to see why.

With this new flatwound 5 string set coming as a ‘regular’ slinky pack you’re getting 45 – 130 but for 4 string players you can run the gamut from 40 on the G through to 110 on your E string if you wish. Ernie Ball mention that these new flats combine the smooth feel of traditional

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flats with the ‘modern power of cobalt’ and it’s this balance of a cobalt under wrap and a super bright cobalt ribbon on top that works to achieve both the feel and tone. Right across the EQ spectrum they’re designed to add some gusto reworking the traditional idea of flats.

FLAT RAY

Coming on a Stingray 5 I was keen to check out the feel and tone of the new cobalt slinky’s

brightness and a vocal midrange quality, making it great for classic rock, country and fusion tones. It’s bright without being harsh, the bass is tight and controllable, and those mids allow for some great crunch tones when you turn up the gain. This guitar seems most comfortable dishing out great clean tones with plenty of character in both humbucker and single coil mode. The neck

BY PETER HODGSON

HITS • Great clean tones • Versatile pickup system • Great finish

MISSES • Saddle arrangement is a compromise

and what better bass to put them through their paces on than an instrument known for its punchy and often bright tone – quite a mixture of flavours indeed! Smooth under your fingers, I liked the general feel, quick and slick but not too slippery.

Fingerstyle lines felt great with much more clarity and response than you’d expect from a set of flats. Digging into some slap you can then get edgy and bright with the low B chugging along nicely. They really do make you think you’re playing flatwounds and initially I found myself playing differently, anticipating a different tone.

crack. Yes the feel is definitely flat wound but the response and tone is more in the round camp, meaning you can get that snap when you dig in.

ROUND SOUND

• Added snappiness and sustain • Slick feel • Much brighter than traditional flats

Ever wanted to try flats but don’t want the full Jamerson sound?

These could be the answer. The tension feels tight but not super tough so strict roundwound players might be more comfy giving these cobalt numbers a

BY NICK BROWN

HITS

MISSES • Much brighter than traditional flats

MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015 // PG.53

ROAD TESTS Mooer Wahter Wah Pedal Jade Australia | 1800 144 120 | www.musocity.com.au | RRP: call for pricing

Mooer have made some serious waves in the guitar pedal market with their sizeable range of effects coming in a not so sizeable form – in fact the ‘micro’ series has been one of Mooer’s best sellers, so why not tackle an effect that isn’t typically micro. Wah you say?

WAHTER WORLD

In a goldy bronze polished steel styled casing, the Wahter comes from Mooer’s latest release of pedals. At around 9.3 x 4.2 x 5.2 cms it definitely falls into their micro series, and upon opening the box it was even smaller than I’d envisaged a micro wah to be.

It’s a tough little brute though and quite weighty in feel meaning it sits solidly under foot, which is a good thing indeed. And for those questioning whether a 9.3 cm wah pedal length is going to work with even a medium sized foot, Mooer are already onto it.

The Wahter’s treadle features two extendable pedal rings which flip out at the top and bottom extending the length to around 13 cms. Quite clever indeed, and this small increase actually made a lot of difference to the feel and usability in my case. Whilst we’re on design features, Mooer have also come up with something cool in terms of the working mode.

In ‘Sensor’ mode the Wahter is activated by simply putting your foot on the pedal. This can be great for quick changes when needing the pedal engaged/ disengaged instantly – no more

leaning forward and waiting for the click (if you know what I mean). ‘Hold’ mode then needs two quick taps to turn the effect on or off meaning you can leave it on for a half cocked tone or to hit other pedals and come back to exactly where it was. Thirdly, ‘Advanced’ mode includes both the previous modes which can be switched between by two quick taps on the pedal.

MICRO?

All the aforementioned functions seem workable and you’ll need to take some time to see what works best for you, but in general I was impressed with the thought and functionality built into the Wahter. Feel wise, the micro wah is a different beast that (for me) took more of a middle of the foot feel rather than toe and heel which most will be normally used to. The sweep is smooth in feel and tonally runs quite evenly although some may want some

extra quack up top. Micro pedals have been a hit worldwide for the sheer fact that you can fit more effects into a smaller space.

Obviously single stomp pedals such as OD, and Modulation are great as they typically just need one hit but treadle style effects like Wah and Volume haven’t been as approachable. The Wahter is more than workable, has some usable tones and feels tough. So if you’re into saving space and want to delve into a little wah, it’s worth looking into the Wahter.

BY NICK BROWN

HITS • Small size • Three modes give some functional variety

MISSES • Small size may take some getting used to

Musicman Stingray 5 Through Neck Bass CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: call for pricing

The Stingray is a not only a MusicMan classic but a classic of the bass community as a whole. Used by players such as Flea, Louis Johnson, John Deacon and Tony Levin, its sound has defined many albums and gigs with its punchy tone and playability making it a favourite amongst pros and weekend warriors alike. Whilst Neck Through is a newish innovation for the Stingray, it is an even newer idea for their five string model, (initially being offered on the four string versions) with this slim heeled fiver being unveiled earlier in the year to much interest from bass playing pundits.

RUBBER NECKING

With an Ash body, Maple through neck and Rosewood board, the Stingray 5 Through Neck shares some similar specs to its bolt on brother – a 34” scale length, 11’ neck radius, 22 frets and a single humbucking pickup with three band onboard active preamp.

From the front it also looks the same with those tasty stinger body contours, pickguard and (in this case) matching headstock

which sets the Sapphire black finish off a treat. Like most of the MusicMan range, there are a range of finishes and configurations if you want to tweak the look and specs of your bass some more. Flip over to the back and you can see the new slick ‘through neck’ design. Recessed and rounded, it follows the line of the horns for a smooth and unobtrusive look and feel.

STINGER

Those who know the Stingray tone will instantly recognise that the through neck version has those slinky mids and bottom end gusto. The tonal differences more so lie in the slightly smoother/refined/darker sounds for want of a better description. It still has the Stingray punch but is perhaps ever so slightly less aggressive.

With the single bucker model you get a range of tonal options thanks to the pickup mode switch and EQ. Sustain characteristics of through neck

and bolt instruments on will be debated til the cows come home but I can definitely attest to the open, clear ring of this model with harmonics, open strings and vibrato, and overall this Neck Through 5 sounded balanced and clear.

CINCO

Playing it in person is a treat with typical Stingray shape and feel all over the board. Slide up to the extended range (15th fret and beyond) and you’ll notice a smooth transition that’s great for soloing, fills and higher

Dixon Jet Set Plus Traveller Drumkit

or an additional 10 x 12 floor tom in the five piece version.

Hardware is of the single braced variety and consists of a bass drum tom mount, hi hat stand, kick pedal, cymbal stand and floor tom legs (in the five piece).

Enter the Jet Set’s uniqueness with an extra long tom mount that can be extended up to standing height meaning you

PG.54 // MIXDOWN #257 // SEPTEMBER 2015

HITS • Smooth heel • Different tones to the bolt on equivalent

MISSES • Quite pricey compared to the standard bolt on model

I must say I’m pretty impressed with the Jet Set Plus. It looks cool, which you might not think matters much but seriously, who wants to play something they don’t like the look of? The mesh and skins combination is also clever, giving you a traditional drum sound and a practice or silent option – again all in one so no need for two different kits.

Drummers always take the longest to set up, and always take up the most room. Like a lot of equipment, drums have gone through trends of small and big sizes to the point where almost anything is acceptable, but it seems that the quality and design of production with smaller kits has really jumped forward in leaps and bounds. No longer just toys or puny in sound, ‘traveller’ drum kits have become a viable instrument for gigging and recording – not just home, rehearsals and situations where you ‘can’t be stuffed’. Jumping into the ‘traveller’ market recently is the Dixon Jet Set Plus…

Cracking open the Jet Set the first thing that hit me was the classy orange sparkle finish. Hip without looking too raunchy, it adds a funky vibe to an already funky looking mini kit. Size wise the setup comes as a a four piece kit with 12 x 16 bass drum, 6 x 8 and 6 x 10 toms and a 4.5 x 12 snare,

BY NICK BROWN

JET SET..EVERYBODY

Dynamic Music | (02) 99391299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au RRP: 4 Piece $1199, 5 piece $1399

TWO SIDES

range chordal work. I also had the benefit of listening to some great players put it through its paces, and it definitely nails the Stinger 5 tone with a little added twist.

BY NICK BROWN

HITS can forgo a drum stool and play standing up – cocktail kit style.

Clever indeed and an interesting alternative to the traditional sitting arrangement, especially if space is an issue.

Dixon have used nine ply Mahogany shells for the Jet Set Plus and incorporated another interesting idea with the use of

traditional heads on one side and mesh heads on the other. This gives you the option of tuning the top heads normally or flipping the toms over for quiet practice (plus they’ve included silencing pads for the snare and cymbals) or even adding triggers and going electronic.

• Price • Mesh heads/normal skins option • Standard and cocktail kit setup options • Looks great

MISSES • Slightly limited tuning range

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