MIXDOWN MAGAZINE #246 OCTOBER 2014

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

ISSUE 246

OCTOBER 2014

FREE MIXDOWNMAG.COM.AU

NEW FOUND GLORY SLASH MONUMENTS STEVE MORSE GERARD WAY PEEP TEMPEL JOSH T PEARSON

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YAMAHA DBR POWERED SPEAKERS SEBATRON AXIS 200VU PRE-AMP MATCHLESS LIGHTNING 15 COMBO DV MARK MARAGOLD GUITAR AMP PAISTE PST5 UNIVERSAL CYMBALS RANDALL DIVALO 100 HEAD MOTH MIC

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CONTENTS 6

GIVEAWAY

8

NEWS & TOURS

12 THE INDUSTRIALIST

FORE WORD

14 PRODUCT NEWS 24 SLIPKNOT 26 TRIVIUM NEW FOUND GLORY 27 SLASH MONUMENTS 28 DEVIN TOWNSEND STEVE MORSE 30 GERARD WAY PEEP TEMPEL 32 JEFF MILLS & THE MSO JOSH T PEARSON 34 (D)IGITAL (J)OCKEY HOME STUDIO HINTS 36 ON THE DOWNLOW BANGIN THE TUBS 37 WHAT’S MY RANGE AGAIN? 38 UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD WHAT’S THAT SOUND KEYS 40 ACOUSTIC & BLUEGRASS

What an eclectic issue! One that reflects our infamous Australian Spring time and the abundance of different musical events, festivals and master classes that have been announced and are soon to hit our shores. A slew of heavy metal and rock lords slay our pages this month in lead-up to Soundwave and Summer tours, alongside some more classically trained guitar virtuosos, beat merchants and acoustic troubadours.

Speaking of acoustic musings, many of you will be happy to see our annual Acoustic Special including not only the latest models on the market from some of the biggest names in the business, but also incorporating some gear to aid the often overlooked style of bluegrass.

Yes, we also get our hands on some banjos, ukes, strings, amps, pedals and accessories that have created the perfect little buyers guide for beginners through to professionals looking to improve their acoustic and bluegrass output and live performance.

If you’re looking for the latest in new gear, our Product News and Road Test reviews highlight some exclusives, including the locally made and super impressive Sebatron AXIS200VU Stereo Valve Pre-Amp and the very vintage and cool Moth Mic that’s made out of vintage electronics and recycled parts.

SPECIAL 50 ROAD TESTED

PG. 4 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

ALEKSEI PLINTE EDITOR IN CHIEF

PAGE 40

SLASH PAGE 27

PUBLISHER Furst Media EDITOR IN CHIEF Aleksei Plinte mixdown@beat.com.au EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Keats Mulligan PRODUCTION MANAGER Michael Cusack

GERARD WAY PAGE 30 CONTRIBUTORS Adrian Violi, Rob Gee, Peter Hodgson, Nick Brown, Peter and Ryan Vox, Christie Elizer, Augustus Welby, Michael Taylor, Michael Edney, Paul McBride, Tyson Wray, Patrick Emery, Lachlan Kanoniuk, Cara Williams.

ADVERTISING Aleksei Plinte E: mixdown@beat.com.au Phone: (03) 8414 9704 GRAPHIC ARTISTS Michael Cusack, Robert Smith MIXDOWN OFFICE Level 1, No. 3 Newton Street, Richmond VIC 3121.

Phone: (03) 9428 3600

PG. 5 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

‘LIKE’ US

ACEBOOK.COM/MI X AT F

YAMAHA APX 500 ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GIVEAWAY One lucky Mixdown reader will be taking this gem of a guitar for the paltry sum of zero dollars. All you need to do is enter the competition, and here’s how.

HOW TO ENTER: STEP 1.

Like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/mixdownmagazine and like/share our YAMAHA APX 500 Giveaway post.

This month we’re giving away the lovely Yamaha APX 500.

The APX series is built with playability in mind. The thin profile sits comfortably and Rosewood fret board makes for an especially smooth playing experience. The APX500 doesn’t hold back on aesthetics either. Featuring a stunning mother-of-pearl sound hole ring inlay, white fingerboard binding and white/black body binding. The APX500 also features a revamped version of the tried and true System55T. This is a 1-way piezo pickup system that comes with a 3-band EQ and built-in tuner.

STEP 2.

Email your full name and postal address to mixdownstaff@beat.com.au and answer the following question which you can find in our Acoustic & Bluegrass Special starting on page 40.

QUESTION: How many of the YAMAHA guitars reviewed in this months Acoustic & Bluegrass Special contain a variation of spruce wood in the overall build?

Winner chosen at random, best of luck!

*This giveaway is for Australian residents only and one entry per person. All winners agree to have their name and photo published in the magazine and online with their prize.

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 for your chance to win more awesome monthly giveaways.

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www.jands.com.au PG. 6 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

NMAGAZINE DOW

G I V E N AWAYS W O D X I M

AUSTRALIA TOUR 2015

6 6 FEB: FEB: SYDNEY SYDNEY Metro Metro Theatre Theatre // 77 FEB: FEB: MELBOURNE MELBOURNE The The Forum Forum 8 8 FEB: FEB: BRISBANE BRISBANE The The Tivoli Tivoli // 10 10 FEB FEB HOBART: HOBART: Hellenic Hellenic Hall Hall 11 11 FEB: FEB: ADELAIDE ADELAIDE HQ HQ // 12 12 FEB: FEB: PERTH PERTH The The Astor Astor tickets & VIP packages available from the venues & tombowler.com.au

Tombowler.com.au PG. 7 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

NEWS & TOURS

NE OBLIVISCARIS

THE TEA PARTY

P R E S E N T S

Canadian purveyors of rock The Tea Party will return to Australia for a national tour this October. The Ocean At The End Tour marks The Tea Party’s fourteenth Australian visit and coincides with the release of the beast, that is, The Ocean At The End, which is the trio’s first studio album in ten years. Throughout The Tea Party’s 2012 sell out Australian ‘Reformation Tour’, after 8 years apart, it was clear to see that the on-stage magic between Jeff Martin (vox/ guitar), Stuart Chatwood (bass/keyboards) and Jeff Burrows (drums/percussion) remains as strong as it ever was. Produced by Jeff Martin and mixed by David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, Muse,

Tool), The Ocean At The End is out now through Anthem/Sony Music Entertainment Australia.

TOUR DATES October 9 – Crown Theatre, Perth WA October 11 – Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide SA October 12 – Palais Theatre, Melbourne VIC October 15 – The Enmore, Sydney NSW October 17 – The ANU Bar, Canberra ACT October 18 – Waves, Wollongong NSW October 20 – Panthers, Newcastle NSW October 21 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast QLD October 23 – The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD

BLUESFEST 2015

The first artist announcement for Bluesfest 2015 is here, and it is a big one! Topping the bill is The Black Keys, who are set to return to the Bluesfest stage after nine long years. Joining The Black Keys on the bill is Zac Brown Band. Gracing the Bluesfest stage back in 2013, Zac Brown Band have made quite the name for themselves, wining several Grammys and being described as “fucking great” by Dave Grohl himself. Other acts announced include Alabama Shakes, Train and Paul Kelly with Dan Sultan.

The lineup also includes the incredible talents of; Michael Franti & Spearhead, George

Melbourne metal outfit Ne Obliviscaris have announced a run of headline shows for this November. The tour takes in seven shows nationally in support of Ne Obliviscaris’ upcoming sophomore album, Citadel.

Citadel was produced by Troy McCosker and violinist/clean vocalist Tim Charles at Pony Music in Melbourne, Australia and mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Devin Townsend, Opeth, Katatonia). 2014 has been a massive year already for Ne Obliviscaris, after they broke Australian records for music related crowd funding in only 10 days, raising a total of $86,132 to support the bands first ever world tour.

The band is joined by internationals Beyond Creation on all dates, who are touring Australia for the first time to coincide with forthcoming release, Earthborn Evolution.

TOUR DATES November 21 – 170 Russell, Melbourne VIC November 22 – Uni Bar, Adelaide SA November 26 – The Basement, Canberra ACT November 27 – The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney NSW November 28 – The Cambridge, Newcastle NSW November 29 – The Brightside, Brisbane QLD December 6 – Amplifier Bar, Perth WA

CYPRESS HILL

TOUR DATES

One World Entertainment is pleased to announce the return of seminal West Coast hip-hop crew Cypress Hill. With over 18 million albums sold worldwide, a massive back catalogue of hits and a dynamic live show, the group, who have sold out all their previous Australian Tours, will be performing at The Enmore Theatre in Sydney on December 8 and The Forum in Melbourne on December 11. The group’s dynamic stage show sees them performing their hits including ‘Insane In The Brain’, ‘We Ain’t Goin Out Like That’, ‘How I Could Just Kill A Man’, ‘Lick A Shot’, ‘Hits From the Bong’, ‘Dr Greenthumb’ and loads

April 2 – 6 - Tyagarah Tea Tree Farm, Byron Bay NSW

THE HARPOONS

Clinton Parliament-Funkadelic, Kira Puru, Vika & Linda Bull, Xavier Rudd, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, Rebelution, Soja, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Beth Hart, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls, Mariachi El Bronx, G Love & Special Sauce, Pokey LaFarge, Band of Skulls, RocKwiz (Live).

more. The original South Gate trio of B-Real, Sen Dog and producer, DJ Muggs have reunited to work on a new album that is slated for a spring 2015 release. This is the first time in ten years that the original trio is back together in the studio and their sound is even more booming than ever.

TOUR DATES December 8 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney, NSW December 11 – Forum Theatre, Melbourne, VIC

THE MEANIES

25 years is a long time for anything to last really, but especially a punk rock band in this uncertain world of music. The Meanies have somehow weathered many a storm to still be not only around, but being more relevant now than ever before. With labels across the globe releasing records in the bands heyday and more wanting to release old product as well as new now, The Meanies are happy little vegemites, although maybe not so little anymore. And for a band who used to dine out on how ugly they were, they’ve grown up to very handsome men indeed. To celebrate the milestone, The Meanies are heading out on their Silver Jubilee national tour this October. Also for the Meanies 25th anniversary, Tym records is proud to offer, PG. 8 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

remastered on limited edition wax, the re-issue of the Meanies Never/Steve Sex God/Sorry ‘Bout The Violence 7” on glorious coloured vinyl with the original artwork and insert.

TOUR DATES October 10 - The Roller Den, Sydney, NSW October 17 - Brisbane Hotel, Hobart, TAS October 18 - Prince of Wales Hotel, Brisbane, QLD October 24 - The Hi Fi, Melbourne, VIC Never/Steve Sex God/Sorry ‘Bout The Violence 7” will be released in November exclusively through Tym records worldwide.

To celebrate the release of their debut album Falling For You, Melbourne based four piece The Harpoons are hitting the road for an Australian East Coast album launch tour.

The Harpoons are best described as a four piece whose ‘genre-bending melodies’ and ‘old-school soul vocals’ channel the best of RnB, Soul and Pop music and bring their own unforgettable charm that resides in the hybrid musical landscape of today. It’s the harmonies and undeniable melodies that envelop you when The Harpoons are on stage, one that houses bespoke marimbas and pentatones, deftly handled guitars, and analogue and digital drums

like two hearts beating. Their debut album Falling For You has been carefully shaped over the last two years, tastes of it’s forthcoming diversity revealed in recent singles ‘Unforgettable’ and ‘Can We Work This Out’. The Harpoons Falling For You is out now on vinyl and digitally via Two Bright Lakes / Remote Control.

TOUR DATES October 18 - Howler, Melbourne VIC November 12 - Goodgod, Sydney NSW November 14 - Brightside, Brisbane QLD

20-TIME GRAMMY™ AWARD-WINNING JAZZ GUITARIST RETURNS FOR ONE SHOW ONLY AFTER NEARLY 30 YEARS

PAT METHENY UNITY GROUP Wed 22 Oct

ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE, HAMER HALL

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THE GLOAMING FEATURING Martin Hayes, Iarla Ó Lionáird and Dennis Cahill (MASTERS OF TRADITION), Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh (AFRO CELT SOUNDSYSTEM) and Thomas Bartlett (aka DOVEMAN)

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PG. 9 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

NEWS & TOURS HANd oF mERCY

Since forming in 2007, Sydney hardcore band Hand Of Mercy have been impressing crowds across the world and sharing stages with some of the biggest names in their genre. A string of strong independent releases and impressive local touring saw the band become the go-to choice to complement bigger bills. Shows with Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction, August Burns Red and The Ghost Inside got the attention of Australian indie label UNFD who picked up the band for the release of their second album, 2012’s Last Lights. Taking a break from recording the follow up to Last Lights, Hand Of Mercy returned to Europe for massive shows and festivals alongside Emmure, Carnifex and fellow Australian’s IKTPQ and Northlane before coming home to complete album number three, Resolve, which will be released by UNFD on October 31. Just in time for the guys to go on a rampage across the country on their massive 18 date national tour.

LANiE LANE

ToUR dATES November 5 - Youth Hub, Port Macquarie NSW November 6 - YAC, Byron Bay NSW November 7 - The Brightside Brisbane, QLD November 8 - The Lab, Brisbane QLD November 9 - Gympie Civic Centre, Gympie QLD November 11 - Magpies, Canberra ACT November 12 - Masonic Hall, Wodonga VIC November 13 - Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne VIC November 14 - Phoenix Youth Centre, Melbourne VIC November 15 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA November 16 - The Edge Hotel, Mildura VIC November 20 - Hombre Records, Newcastle NSW November 21 - Bald Faced Stag, Sydney NSW November 22 - Masonic Hall, Blacktown NSW November 23 - Towradgi Surf Club, Wollongong NSW November 28 - Elliot Street, Bunbury WA November 29 - Villa Night Club, Perth WA November 30 - YMCA HQ, Perth WA

THE BEAUTiFUL GiRLS

The Beautiful Girls have taken the wraps off their brand new single ‘Dancehall Days’, the title track to their new album out now through MGM. To celebrate, The Beautiful Girls are dancing their way around Australia, bringing back the unique live music celebration that fans have missed over the last few years of the band’s hiatus.

Performing the songs of singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist and producer Mat McHugh, The Beautiful Girls became one of Australia’s most recognised roots music monikers, resulting in over 250,000 albums sales and nearly a decade of touring, both here and abroad. Since the act’s last activity in 2012, McHugh has been busy exploring a life, experiencing the world, looking for inspiration, releasing a solo album, working with the close collective that formed the core of

The Beautiful Girls and continuing to write the songs that eventually became Dancehall Days.

You can catch The Beautiful Girls touring the country throughout October and November in support of the release.

ToUR dATES October 16 – Wollongong Uni Bar, Wollongong NSW October 17 – The Metro, Sydney NSW October 18 – Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW October 23 – Spirit Bar, Traralgon VIC October 24 – 170 Russell, Melbourne VIC October 25 – Barwon Heads Hotel, Barwon Heads VIC November 7 – Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA November 8 – Blues at Bridgetown, Bridgetown WA

Three years have passed since Lanie Lane released her much loved debut album To The Horses. It was a record that saw Lanie reach dizzying heights and live out some experiences that most songwriters only dream of. After bright lights, big stages and long flights, Lanie moved to a secluded area in the Victorian bush to write her next body of work, the end result is Lanie’s astonishing new album Night Shade. To coincide with the release of her brand new album, Lanie is extremely excited to announce that she will be embarking her first national tour since 2012, accompanied by the excellent band that helped

bring her new songs to life on record.

Tickets on sale Monday 22 October from www. lanielane.net

ToUR dATES October 29 - Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC October 30 - Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW October 31 - Anita’s, Wollongong NSW November 7 - The Bakery, Perth WA November 8 - Jive Bar, Adelaide SA November 15 - The Hi Fi Bar, Brisbane QLD

oRPHANS oRPHANS

Comprised of artists Sam Hales (The Jungle Giants), Lewis Stephenson (The Belligerents), Spencer White (Morning Harvey), Aidan Moore (Moses Gunn Collective) and Steve Kempnich (of Last Dinosaurs and Millions), Orphans Orphans have released their first single ‘Orphan’ from the forthcoming debut EP. The Brisbane based musicians and writers came together to create a brand new band as a home for the songs that don’t quite fit the mould of their other musical projects. Self produced in

bedrooms, hallways, garages and the occasional studio, mixed by Magoo and mastered by Leon Zervos, Orphans Orphans debut EP is set for release this September via Amplife Music.

ToUR dATES October 10 – Shebeen, Melbourne VIC October 11 – Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW October 18 – The Blurst of Times, Brisbane QLD

VioLENT SoHo

ViCES It is with great pleasure that we can announce that Violent Soho’s Hungry Ghost LP has achieved gold status in Australia (35,000+ sales). Thankfully, Mansfield’s favourite sons are choosing not to slow down and instead are excited to announce the ‘No Sleep Til Mansfield’ tour, a huge 23-date national tour that will see Violent Soho hit every capital city in Australia and a number of intimate Hardcore kids VICES are the latest to join the Resist Records roster, with their sophomore album We’ll Make It Through This set to be released via the label on November 14th. With their hearts on their sleeves and an unwavering commitment to hard-hitting songwriting, Vices are blazing a trail for ‘east coast feels’ hardcore. Their debut album Between My Mind and the World was a squall of riffs and passion, and captured the attention of fans around the world. Following an extensive US tour in late 2013, Vices returned to the studio to write and record their sophomore release We’ll Make It Through This, which promises to be their most honest musical PG. 10 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

endeavour yet. Vices are set to hit the road this November/December with Counterparts.

ToUR dATES November 27 - The Brightside, Brisbane QLD November 28 - The Lab, Brisbane QLD November 29 - Wasted Years, Sydney NSW November 30 - Bald Faced Stag, Sydney NSW December 3 - Hombre Records, Newcastle NSW December 4 - The Evelyn Hotel, Melbourne VIC December 5 - Wrangler Studios, Melbourne VIC December 6 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA

regional towns that they are yet to have visited on the Hungry Ghost album cycle. These dates promise to be full of all the Violent Soho swagger that fans have become accustomed to and will also be punters last chance to see them perform in Australia before they go into hibernation to write album number four.

ToUR dATES November 5 - Discovery, Darwin NT November 7 - Mansfield Tavern, Mansfield QLD November 8 - Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast QLD November 11 - Brisbane Hotel, Hobart TAS November 13 - Spotted Cow, Toowoomba QLD November 14 - Kings Beach Tavern, Sunshine Coast QLD November 15 - The Northern, Byron Bay NSW November 19 - Prince of Wales, Bunbury WA November 20 - Dunsborough Tavern, Dunsborough WA November 21 - Studio 146, Albany WA November 22 - Capitol, Perth WA November 23 - HQ, Adelaide SA

November 25 - Yahoo Bar, Shepparton VIC November 26 - Star Bar, Bendigo VIC November 27 - Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC November 28 - 170 Russell, Melbourne VIC November 29 - Barwon Club, Geelong VIC December 3 - ANU Bar, Canberra ACT December 4 - Waves, Wollongong NSW December 5 - The Metro, Sydney NSW December 6 - Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW December 12 - Festival of the Sun, Port Macquarie NSW December 13 - Mansfield Tavern, Mansfield QLD

MIKE MANGINI DREAM THEATER D R U M S C E N E P R O U D LY P R E S E N T S

Photo by Janet Balmer

AUDIO AND VIDEO COLLECTIONS CELEBRATE THE CAREER AND LEGACY OF

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PG. 11 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

THE INDUSTRIALIST MUSIC INDUSTRY NEWS WITH CHRISTIE ELIZER

FOR CONTENT SUBMISSIONS TO THIS COLUMN PLEASE EMAIL TO CELIZER@NETSPACE.NET.AU AUSSIE EVENTS IN LIST OF GLOBAL INFLUENTIAL FESTIVALS

A Spotify survey of global festivals estimated worldwide stream numbers by headliners two weeks before and after the event. The resultant Most Influential Festivals list saw Future Music coming in at #2 after the UK’s Glastonbury and Laneway at #7. Top 10 most globally streamed festival headliners saw Australian events take an awesome first three spots. Top of the list was Pharrell Williams’ headlining of Future Music in March (global streams up by 90%, Australian streams by 102%) followed by Deadmau5 at Future Music and James Blake at Laneway.

SA LAUNCHES MUSITEC TO PROMOTE ITS MUSIC INDUSTRY

The South Australian Government launched its latest initiative to promote the state’s music industry. Musitec is a cluster of music, technology and creative companies at St. Paul’s Creative Centre in Adelaide. Based on a European manufacturing sector model, the idea behind Musitec is to create opportunities and business models through collaborations and find worldwide recognition with innovative schemes and ideas. Musitec’s Managing Director David Grice wants SA musicians to think outside the box and to look globally.

BRISBANE MANAGEMENT COMPANIES MERGE

Brisbane management companies, Jesse Barbera’s The Fans Group and Maggie Collins’ Golden District have officially merged operations as Fans Creative Management. It will manage DZ Deathrays, The John Steel Singers, The Creases, Jeremy Neale, Velociraptor, Philadelphia Grand Jury, Feelings and MT (Australia only) and also Fans Group’s venue booking, marketing, operations and events divisions. Barbera and Collins co-own Brisbane venues Alhambra Lounge, Brightside and Hotel Metropole and run events as Blurst of Times, Stranded and Aloha.

AWAKENINGS FESTIVAL HEADS TO AUSTRALIA

Another European dance brand is heading our way. The Amsterdam techno festival Awakenings is now owned by US EDM empire SFX, which wants to expand it to Australia and the UK. The Australian expansion will be through Stereosonic promoter Totem OneLove which SFX acquired last year. There’ll be an Awakening stage at this year’s Stereosonic and a branded tour in 2015.

RADIO LAUNCHING $25 MILLION CAMPAIGN

The commercial radio sector’s peak music association Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) will launch what its CEO Joan Warner calls “our biggest and most impactful brand campaign for some years.” It will stress the strong relationship between listeners and their favourite stations, how they are influenced by what they hear, and how beneficial this is to advertisers. The $25 million campaign will be unveiled at the National

Radio Conference in Melbourne on October 17.

It will involve research from Colmar Brunton, a song written for the campaign to be aired across 260 metropolitan and regional commercial stations, radio ads and a new industry website.

SPECIALIST COPYRIGHT COURTS?

Music and movie copyright owners are pushing for copyright infringement cases in Australia to be heard by a specialist court, like a tribunal or fast track system. Currently the justice system is considered too expensive and slow, and they tend to lump infringement alongside other thefts. Former ARIA anti-piracy chief Michael Speck told this column that the UK has a fast track for smaller infringement cases and a specialist police squad in London. “Both are delivering real results in prosecuting infringements,” he said. While Australian pirates get a few months jail, a UK pirate recently copped a 33 month term.

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNT AT BIG SOUND

• The Association of Artist Managers unveiled its new Code of Conduct to be introduced next winter after consultation with the industry. A panel of artist managers discussed, among other things, the changing role of managers who now also run the labels and websites on behalf of indie clients. The Church’s Steve Kilbey, the sole artist on the panel, asked why an act should pay both an agent and a manager’s commission.

• Neil Finn suggests the way to keep the “struggle” in making new music is to balance out how “cosmically insignificant” you are and the feeling that you’re making an important music that everyone should hear.

• Spotify’s Director of Economics Will Page unveiled data that showed music streaming has cut down music piracy by 20%, especially casual piracy (“but a hardcore minority remains”) with TV and movie piracy four times more than music. He said music streaming also helped spread Australian music across the world. Page also revealed that since Spotify launched in Australia in 2012, one in six Aussies have tried it (3.3 million) and three quarters of its Australian users are under 34.

• It costs $9 million to run triple j for a whole year compared to the $20 million for just one season of The X Factor.

SECOND ROUND OF SPEAKERS FOR FACE THE MUSIC

The second round of speakers for Face The Music includes UK media presenter and label co-founder Jen Long, John Wardle (National Live Music Office), Ange Henley (Angela Henley Publicity), Rhett McLaren (The Hills Are Alive / Unified), Pete Williamson (Sabretusk), Tim Dalton (Collarts), Zac Abroms (Viceroyalty), Tom Harris (Whitesky), Shane Wickens (The Push) and Sarah Guppy (This Much Talent).

Artists including Helen Croome (Gossling), Evelyn Morris (Pikelet), Drew Wootton (The Panics) and Stu Grant (Primitive Calculators)

will talk on topics as the importance of regional touring, gender in music, building the right team and collaborative songwriting. The third round of speakers is announced this month, with two exciting names on the list that have been fiercely independent and add to FTM’s DIY ethos.

WJO OPENS PUBLISHING, SYNC LICENSING ARM

WJO launched a music publishing and synchronization licensing arm as part of the expansion of its label services model. WJO began offering budget radio and media servicing options and global royalty collection in the past year.

MITSHUBISHI, KICKTONE, CALL FOR WRITERS

What do people feel when they drive their cars?

That’s what Mitsubishi Motors and Kicktone want budding Australian songwriters to capture in the new initiative Accelerate to find their next jingle.

Winner also gets $10,000 cash and $5,000 of studio time. Go to acceleratemusic.com.au, deadline Oct 12.

MORE AUSSIES USING MOBILES FOR MUSIC, VIDEO CONTENT

Australians are consuming more music and videos through their smartphones. The 2014 Mobile Media Consumption Report by global mobile advertising platform InMobi found that such content takes up 15% of our time on phones, compared to 8% last year. Mobile commerce is rising: 86% plan to do that in the next 12 months, a jump of 11% last year. 34% believe mobiles are a key factor in their purchasing decisions, up from 27%. The study found three trends among Australians – we spend more time on mobile, almost as much time as we spend watching television. Of 6.7 hours of media a day, mobiles

MOST RECENT SIGNINGS

After eight years being managed by Wonderlick Entertainment, Josh Pyke assigned his recording to Wonderlick Recordings, a joint venture with Sony Music Entertainment Australia. Sydney’s DMAs inked with Mermaid Avenue/Mom & Pop Records for the States and Partisan Records for Europe. Iggy Azalea assigned her worldwide publishing to Sony/ATV. Shock’s hardcore imprint Halfcut took on Melbourne’s Belle Haven. Alberts secured the sync licensing rights in Australia to John Butler’s songs, through his publishing company Family Music Pty Ltd. Koolism frontman and triple j Hip Hop Show host Hau Latukefu landed a deal with NZ’s urban label Frequency Media Group for his solo stuff. Liberation will locally release material by Sydney born Josef Salvat who’s creating a buzz in his new home of London. are 23.3% compared to TV (23.8%) Mobile is becoming an important companion particularly for in-between times – 86% use mobiles while waiting for something and 73% while lying in bed. 55% of mobile web users use mobile as their many reason for going online. Time spent on mobile web represents only 10% of mobile usage, with 89% of time spent using apps.

VICTORIA’S AGENT OF CHANGE KICKS IN

In what could be a world first for an entire state, the Agent of Change principle is now law in Victoria. From now, anyone moving into a neighbourhood with a venue or registered rehearsal studio cannot complain about their noise. Local councils have the right to include community halls, record stores and radio performance spaces. The new law is the result of tireless lobbying by Music Victoria, SLAM (Save Live Music Australia) and Fair Go 4 Live Music.

THINGS WE HEAR Paul Kelly’s The Merri Soul Sessions was removed for nomination from the Best Independent Blues And Roots Album category for the Independent Awards – on the account it, er, hasn’t actually been released yet.

AC/DC confirmed that Malcolm Young left the ranks due to an unspecified but severe illness.

His nephew Steve Young, who plays on their November 28-due album Rock Or Bust will be on their 2015 world tour. Meantime, the Seedies have fans everywhere. The Member for Orange in NSW, Andrew Gee, stood up in Parliament to ask 2BS Gold Bathurst to drop its long time ban on AC/DC music. “It is unAustralian and a position that we do not want to see in the country,” he said.

Applications for the Carlton Dry Global Music Grant saw a record of 130 entries.

Gene Simmons confirmed Kiss will return to Oz as part of their 40th celebrations.

As Great Southern Blues Festival gears up in Narooma during the long October weekend, Neil Mumme expects crowds to hit 15,000.

The event pumps $8 million into the local economy and gives money to local charities.

Which venue landlord is threatening to throw the club operators out after he heard they allowed a porn film to be made there?

Which band is calling its current national tour “the bankrupter”?

Which two bands got into a punch up in the car park after their show after one accused he other of sounding “too American”?

OUT 24/10/14 ON DVD, BLU-RAY & DIGITAL AVAILABLE AT

AND WHERE ALL GOOD DVDS ARE SOLD

PG. 12 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

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Also available 2LP vinyl and limited deluxe edition

Slipknot1.com

Ava ila ble 2DV D a nd Blu Ray for mat

AVAIL A BL E

OCT 3

TOUR ING AUST R A L I A d rea mt heater.net

MEL B: Oct 29 t h S Y D: Oct 30 t h PG. 13 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

PRODUCT NEWS TC ELECTRONIC ALTER EGO V2 PEDAL The incredibly popular Alter Ego Delay Pedal from TC Electronic has now repeated. With a new aesthetic that echoes the design of its bigger brother and nine new and exclusive delay sounds expertly crafted by TC Electronic and Pro Guitar Shop, the Alter Ego V2 is history repeated for future bliss. Taking all the best features from the original Alter Ego and the Alter Ego X4, the new Alter Ego V2 is a celebration of the best tape, analogue and digital delays in history.

Echorec, 2290, Deluxe Memory Man and Space Echo are just some of the classics included in the V2. The Alter Ego V2 comes packed with features like audio tapping, 7 seconds of delay, 40 second looper, delay time, feedback repeat controls, true bypass, stereo in/out, spill-over on/off and road-ready design. Its eleven delay types are Toneprint and Beam enabled so you can make all the old classics all your own.

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

DV MARK LITTLE 40 II TUBE-POWERED HEAD

DV Mark has completely revamped its award winning line of heads, combos and cabinets for 2014/2015 and the winners this time around are guitarists. On the Little 40 II 40W tubepowered head, DV Mark added an onboard pedal circuit (on channel two), featuring more controls than a simple pedal offers, with a full and effective EQ, plus gain and master controls.

Another highly requested feature for the 2014 model was onboard reverb. For the Little 40 II, DV Mark chose the latest generation of digital reverb: sweet-sounding, warm and natural with less noise than a common spring reverb.

Weighing 9.2kgs, the DV Mark Little 40 II also features a footswitch input for channels switch and Reverb, and a voltage selector (120V/240V).

Retailed at $1450, for November and December CMC Music is offering an introductory cash back of $75 for purchases of 2014 model DV Mark products.

For more information on DV Mark products contact CMC Music on (02) 9905 2511 or visit www.cmcmusic.com.au

SEBATRON AXIS-200VU VALVE PRE-AMPLIFIER

ELECTRIC FACTORY ANNOUNCE DISTRIBUTION DEAL WITH DENON DJ

Electric Factory Pty Ltd is proud to announce their appointment as the Australian Distributor for DENON DJ products. DENON is a highly regarded manufacturer that became a brand name in Japan in 1947 and were very instrumental in developing professional broadcast products. Notably in 1981, DENON developed a professional use CD Player ahead of the release of the Compact Disc launch in 1982. This progressive company boasts a vast history of professional audio development, including their range of high quality DJ products.

The acquisition of DENON DJ by inMusic USA compliments inMusic’s other successful brands; Numark, Akai Professional and Alesis.

DENON DJ joins Electric Factory’s strong list of professional audio brands including, Numark, Akai Professional, Focusrite, Alesis, EVE Audio, Auralex and Samson Audio.

For further information on ELFA Products visit www.elfa.com.au or contact ELFA Brand Manager Mark Spies via email at mark.spies@elfa.com.au

PG. 14 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

If you want to produce professional high quality recordings with depth and clarity, check out the AXIS-200VU two channel valve preamplifier

by Sebatron. Features include high current phantom power for condenser microphones, a sweepable high pass feature and fully variable input/pad and output controls. There is also a ‘Direct Injection’, or D.I, high impedance input for guitars, basses and keyboards. The Direct Injection input is also useful for running prerecorded tracks through to create organic valve tones and textures. All circuitry is discrete Class A and a proper High Tension Voltage is used to supply the valves.

The Sebatron company, head-quaters based in Melbourne, was founded in the late nineties

with a view of producing and supplying high end organic analog pro-audio equipment for the global professional and home studio markets.

Products include valve and solid state pre-amps, direct injection boxes for guitar and keyboards, compressors and soon to be released equalizers.

The Sebatron ‘sound’ has been described as ‘organic’ and ‘vibrant’, a combination of the classic warm broad textures of the past, with the tightness and clarity of current designs.

See our review this issue in our Road Tested section.

For more information on Sebatron products contact Sebatron by phone on (03) 9484 3789 or visit www.sebatron.com

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PRODUCT NEWS MATON SRS 808 ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

SOLID STATE LOGIC XL-DESK

For a long time Maton have been looking for ways to improve their incredibly popular 808 series of smaller bodied guitars, and it seems as though now, with their newest venture, they’ve achieved everything they set out to do. A forward shifting of the X braces and the shifting of scallop peaks to nodal points around the soundboard help to enhance the vibration of the top of the new Maton SRS 808. The shifting of the X braces also allowed the inclusion of a second, parallel tone bar which allows the scalloping of both tone bars, and spreads the load while reducing mass.

Adjusted bracing heights as well as a locked 15 foot radius for the arch of the back, gives the plate resonance separation between top and back. The new 808 now has the full, open, lower frequency response we were looking for as well as a crisp, well defined treble response. It sounds a whole lot bigger than a small bodied guitar should. Maton were hoping the end of this journey would produce a guitar that amazes the player at first strum, then continues to impress as each aspect of the sound of the guitar meets and surpasses the player’s expectation. With the new 808 series they’ve done just that.

For more information on the new Maton SRS 808 visit www.maton.com.au

EPIPHONE PRO-1 ACOUSTIC GUITAR COLLECTION

Remember analogue? The word itself is derived from “analogous” meaning “comparable in certain respects”. It’s those electrical signals that are just a few microns of fluttering Mylar away from what our ears call sound. It doesn’t need ones and zeros. It doesn’t need gigabytes, or gigahertz or GUI’s. For all its foibles and inconsistencies it has an almost palpable quality, a feeling about it which somehow gets lost in PCM. The guys at Solid State Logic remember analogue. They live and breathe it every day. SSL has perfected art of making amazing analogue, super analogue! The exciting new XLDesk is all about analogue. So let’s be clear. The XL-Desk is not a Matrix or a Nucleus. It’s not a control surface at all. So what is it?

XL-Desk is a true Super Analogue SSL mixing desk with 100% analogue signal path designed

by the same engineers responsible for the Duality, AWS and Matrix consoles. The idea behind XL-Desk was to produce an all analogue desk suitable for the modern project studio.

XL-Desk seamlessly incorporates a 16+2 500-series rack, 8 patented VHD microphone preamplifiers, the legendary G-Bus compressor with side chain filtering options, 4 stereo mix busses, talkback and listen mic circuit and comprehensive monitoring section, plus of course much more. Now you can enjoy the superior sonics and workflow of mixing on an SSL analogue console.

XL-Desk will be on tour in Australia from October 13 to 17. It will be on display in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. If you would like to see the XLDesk first-hand please register your interest at sales@ambertech.com.au

PRESONUS STUDIOLIVE RM SERIES

Epiphone have released the PRO-1 Collection – four ground breaking new acoustic guitars fully equipped with innovative trademark features designed to make playing guitar and learning new chords simple! The PRO-1 Collection is made to be easy to play and easy to tune, yet still remain a dependable and superb sounding instrument that players will want for life. The PRO-1 Acoustic Collection is designed by Epiphone luthiers with consultation by pros from every musical genre. The Epiphone PRO-1 Acoustic Collection includes four new instruments, each with a unique voice and style; the PRO-1 Classic, the PRO-1 dreadnaught, the PRO-1 Plus featuring a Solid Spruce Top and PG. 16 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

the PRO-1 Ultra featuring the ground breaking Shadow Performer preamp and NanoFlex pickup syste. The PRO-1 guitars are not just the new ground-breaking “student” guitars, but the first in a new line of totally “pro” instruments that combine classic styling and bold new features, making it easy to play from the first note. There’s no “breaking-in” time with te PRO-1 Acoustic Collection – thanks to Epiphone, your first guitar will also be one of your best guitars.

For more information on the Epiphone PRO-1 range of guitars contact Australian Musical Imports on (03) 8696 4600 or visit their website www.gibsonami.com

Based on the StudioLive AI-series mix engine and controlled with battle-ready UC Surface software for Mac, Windows, and iOS, the StudioLive RM32AI and RM16AI 32-channel, 25-bus rack-mount Active Integration™ digital mixers are scalable, compact, and 100 per cent recallable. Like all StudioLive Active Integration mixers, the RM series delivers unrivalled sound quality, XMAX Class A solid-state preamps, amazing DSP performance, direct Wi-Fi and wired LAN communication, fast and intuitive workflow, an on-board FireWire S800 interface, and a tightly integrated software suite for Mac, Windows,

and iOS, creating a streamlined working environment for both live and studio use. On offer are two StudioLive RM models. The RM32AI has 32 mic inputs and 16 Mix outputs and mounts in four rack spaces; the RM16AI has 16 mic inputs and 8 Mix outputs and mounts in three rack spaces. Otherwise, the two mixers are identical in every respect.

For more information on the PreSonus StudioLive RM Series visit www.presonus.com or contact National Audio Systems on (03) 8756 2600.

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PRODUCT NEWS CoLE CLARK ANGEL AN3EC-RdRw ACoUSTiC/ELECTRiC GUiTAR At Cole Clark the factory is back in full production, in fact at a higher level than before the fire which was in August 2013. They have upgraded their finish and reviewed many of their production techniques in the time they were down. They are now making the best guitars they have ever made. The first new guitars are the long awaited 3 Series Angels. Pictured is one with a stunning figured Redwood top and Rosewood back and sides. This completes the Angel models which now match all the Fat Lady’s. At the National Association of Music Merchants in January this year Cole Clark released a series of guitars with Californian Redwood tops. This is a highly protected species in the USA. They are the tallest trees in the world and very old. In the late 1850’s, Baron von Mueller, Government Botanist of Victoria, supplied plants for the new Ballarat Botanical Gardens. Among these were Californian Coastal Redwoods, Sequoia Sempervirens. Cole Clark have had access to some of this which has fallen in recent storms, as well as other examples planted around the same time throughout Victoria. This has been a much sought after guitar in the USA so their export department has had no stock for the Australian market until now. Redwood is very resonant. If you are a picker or soft player, then you should try Cole Clark guitars with Redwood tops. They also happen to look fantastic.

TC ELECTRoNiC T2 REVERB PEdAL TC Electronic are never happy with being the best. They always want to be better. The T2 Reverb pedal takes the all rich and beautiful reverbs that made the Trinity Reverb so popular and adds a whole lot more. T2 adds 10 new exclusive reverbs, hand-crafted in conjunction with Pro Guitar Shop. Each custom tone has been made specifically with ambient guitarists in mind, with reverbs as lush and deep as the Grand Canyon and as hauntingly beautiful as the Aurora Borealis.

As we have come to expect from TC Electronic, the T2 includes True Bypass, Analog-DryThrough, easy battery access, metal chassis and high-quality components all through, and don’t forget, the T2 is Toneprint and Beam enabled just in case those reverbs need any extra attention from you.

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

dEEP PURPLE LIVE IN VERONA dVd

For more information on the range of Cole Clark guitars phone (03) 8727 5655 or visit www.coleclarkguitars.com

SHURE QLx-d diGiTAL wiRELESS SYSTEm

QLX-D Digital Wireless Systems deliver defined, streamlined performance with transparent 24-bit digital audio. Combining professional features with simplified setup and operation, QLX-D offers outstanding wireless functionality for demanding live sound events and installations.

Shure digital wireless technology enables QLX-D to transmit detailed audio with extended, virtually flat frequency response. Designed to be incredibly RF spectrum efficient, QLX-D reliably operates more channels on-air than any other wireless system in its class. Automatic channel scan and IR sync make finding and assigning an open frequency quick and easy. Ethernet connection provides networked channel scanning across multiple receivers and Shure Wireless Workbench 6 PG. 18 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

control software compatibility for advanced frequency coordination. AES-256 encryption comes standard and can be easily enabled for secure wireless transmission.

Compatible with the Shure SB900 lithium-ion battery, QLX-D rechargeable power options provide dramatic long-term cost savings and extended transmitter battery life over alkaline batteries, with battery metering that reports remaining runtime in hours and minutes. With clearly defined performance, QLX-D delivers the very latest in wireless technology innovation from Shure.

For more information on QLX-D and other Shure products, contact Jands Music on (02) 9582 0909 or visit www.jands.com.au

Shock Entertainment are pleased to announce the release of Live In Verona by Deep Purple on DVD and Blu-ray. This amazing performance includes ‘Smoke On The Water,’ ‘Lazy,’ ‘Strange Kind Of Woman,’ ‘Perfect Strangers,’ ‘Highway Star,’ ‘Woman From Tokyo’ and many more.

Filmed in the spectacular surroundings of the Arena di Verona, a Roman amphitheatre originally built in 30 AD, this concert from the summer of 2011 sees Deep Purple joined on stage by a full symphony orchestra for performances of all their classic tracks. Deep Purple remain one of the finest hard rock bands on the planet and are undoubtedly at their best when performing live. The line-up for this show features Ian Gillan

(vocals); Ian Paice (drums); Roger Glover (bass); Steve Morse (guitar) and Don Airey (keyboards).

As bonus features, two extra tracks are included, ‘Hush’ and ‘Black Night’ recorded that night. On Live In Verona the orchestral arrangements give an added depth and range to the familiar songs and the band respond to both playing with the orchestra and performing in such a historical location to deliver a brilliant show in front of a huge and enthusiastic crowd.

Deep Purple’s Live In Verona is out on October 25 through Shock Entertainment.

www.tc-helicon.com/play-acoustic

THE NATURAL COMPANION FOR ANY MODERN SINGER-SONGWRITER Professional Vocal Effects and Tone with natural sounding Vocal Harmonies guided by your guitar

Guitar FX styles from TC Electronic’s Hall of Fame Reverb and Corona Chorus pedals

BodyRez™ filtering and onboard EQ and DI for impeccable acoustic guitar tone

Guitar feedbackSeparate vocal and proofing with notch guitar outputs, or a filter and phase stereo mix of both controls

Distributed in Australia by Amber Technology | www.ambertech.com.au | sales@ambertech.com.au | 1800 251 367 PG. 19 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

PRODUCT NEWS DV MARK NEOCLASSIC 212 GUITAR CAB

The DV Neoclassic 212 is a standard-sized 2x12” cabinet, but is much lighter than other cabs in its class. Thanks to its impressive 300W power handling, it can easily handle full-sized heads.

The DV Neoclassic 212 will also run in either mono (8 ohms) or stereo (2x16 ohms) - making it compatible with both mono and stereo heads, or able to simultaneously accept signals from two independent mono heads. Retailed at $995,

the DV Neoclassic one is also one of the lightest 2x12” cabinets available, weighing only 12.4 kg. It’s the perfect choice for anyone who needs a compact rig, with classic tone in an ultraportable unit.

For more informatrion on DV Mark products contact CMC Music Australia on (02) 9905 2511 or visit www.cmcmusic.com.au

JMC THROGA VOCAL WORKSHOPS WITH RICHARD FINK

Celebrity vocal coach, Richard Fink IV, will be visiting from New York to teach his worldrenowned vocal development techniques known as Throga (throat-yoga) in the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane JMC Academys.

Learn how the 7 Dimensions of Singing and the Throga Guidelines can help you reach your full vocal potential. Focusing on safe and efficient methods for warming up, maintaining, and developing your voice, including an open format where Richard will address your voice and vocalrelated questions directly. Join Richard and share your one-of-a-kind voice in a safe, supportive, and educational environment. Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned professional, this workshop is proven to take your voice to the next level with Throga techniques.

TOUR DATES October 11 – JMC Academy, Sydney NSW October 12 – JMC Academy, Sydney NSW October 13 – JMC Academy, Brisbane QLD October 15 – JMC Academy, Melbourne VIC Richard will be running performance workshops in Sydney over two days in October as well as ‘Intro to Throga’ classes in Brisbane and Melbourne, for more information on the Throga Vocal Workshops visit www.jmcacademy.edu.au

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MONO GUITAR SLEEVE & BASS SLEEVE

Slim and minimalist design solution for traveling light and simple! The Guitar Sleeve and Bass Sleeve are the latest addition to MONO’s collection of professional luggage for musicians.

The new Sleeve collection of cases merges MONO’s innovative protection and high quality construction standards into a super slim, stylish and competitive price-point design. Mono have taken some of the award-winning design features of their Vertigo case and streamlined them to fit inside the Sleeve. Some of those features include

a headlock patented neck suspension system, top-loading for stand up access and EVA insole to keep the body off the ground and protect the strap pin. The Guitar Sleeve and Bass Sleeve are available in jet black and ash color options.

For more information about the The Guitar Sleeve and Bass Sleeve MONO range of products contact Dominant Music on (03) 9873 4333 or email info@dominantmusic.com.au

THE NEXT BIG THING TALENT COMPETITION

Throughout July, August and September solo performers under the age of 21 will have the opportunity to discover if they are “The Next Big Thing”. Applications are open to all solo vocalists / instrumentalists in NSW central west.

As part of the Competition Lander’s Music and Yamaha Music Australia are excited to announce that Stonefield are returning to Orange for a gig that could only be described as ‘Incendiary’.

Stonefield’s uncompromising rock and roll beats will shake the foundations of the Orange ExServices Club to the ground. In 2010 Stonefield won the Triple J Unearthed competition with their song ‘Foreign Lover’ and followed that up with the rocking ‘Through the Clover’. Soon after Stonefield were offered a gig at Glastonbury, arguably one of the world’s greatest rock openair rock concerts.

With over $5,000 worth of awesome Yamaha gear on offer as prizes, and a chance to support Australian rock band Stonefield at an all-ages gig at the Orange Ex-Services club, ‘The Next Big Thing’ is sure to be just that, the next big thing.

For more information head to www.yamahabackstage.com.au

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PRODUCT NEWS PLACID AUDIO – COPPERPHONE MIC

Originating from Dallas Texas, The Copperphone is a great looking microphone that’s purpose built to produce a distinctive lo-fi character.

Hand crafted in the U.S.A with a rugged copper housing, the Copperphone, unlike full range high fidelity microphones, operates within a limited bandwidth of frequencies, which lends a nostalgic quality to the signal. The sound is achieved through a combination of vintage telecommunication components and a mechanical filtering effect. The microphone’s element is rear ported into a hollow resonant chamber. As sound passes through the diaphragm and into the hollow chamber, upper mid range frequencies are accentuated while low and high frequencies are reduced. The resulting product is a sound reminiscent of an

CROSSFIRE CWS-10 WIRELESS TRANSMITTER & RECEIVER

old record, lo-fi, but with a familiar warmth.

These microphones are suitable for a number of applications. Though used most often as a vocal mic, they’re equally great for recording harmonica, guitar, drum overheads or even as crowd mics. They’ve been used by notable artists such as Queens Of The Stone Age, Jack White, The Black Keys as well as the microphones creator, Mark Pirro of The Polyphonic Spree. If you’re looking to record with that old gravelly lofi quality, or even looking to replicate that sound in a live setting, look no further, this is your guy.

For more information about the Copperphone contact Federal Audio on 0475063309 or visit www.federalaudio.com.au

NOCS NS900 HEADPHONES

The Crossfire CWS-10 Digital Wireless Transmitter & Receiver is a piece of innovation that’s essential to any performing musician looking to delve into the world of wireless on stage live sound. The CWS-10 is a 2.4Ghz digital wireless system that works with any instrument with a 1/4” jack output, and with a transmission distance of 20 - 30 meters inside and a whopping 80 meters outside, the CWS10 opens up all sorts of performance possibilities.

What separates the CWS-10 from the rest of the pack is its digital capability. It isn’t an analogue piece of hardware so it isn’t performance isn’t obstructed by outside signals or phones. An antiinterference button is located on the transmitter

for making sure any interference experienced can be quickly rectified by the press of a button.

Further placing the CWS-10 at the top of the pile of wireless technology is the additional microphone mini jack input with its own volume control. This enables you to transmit both your vocals and instrument at the same time. Or simply transmit the microphone signal alone if you wish. This is certainly a worthwhile piece of hardware.

For more information on the Crossfire CWS-10 Wireless Transmitter & Receiver contact Jade Australia on 1800 144 120 or visit www.musocity.com.au

GEORGE LOWDEN F35 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

From Sweden, a country often associated with technological innovation and industrial design, comes Nocs. Nocs produce a range of earbuds (in both Android and Apple compatible versions) as well as their flagship product: the NS900 Live DJ Headphone. The NS900’s are truly an amazing headphone, designed from the ground up for today’s professional DJ. Exceptionally robust; with a one-piece metal band and stainless steel anchor points, sublimely comfortable and featuring a solid sound profile than enables the DJ to comprehend how his front of house sounds – these headphones set PG. 22 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

the new standard. This is the first time that Nocs has had representation in Australia, and Electric Factory is very proud and excited to be making these available here. Currently available from Store DJ and Crossfader, we encourage you to try these headphones and earphones out for yourself.

For more information about the Nocs range contact Electric Factory on (03) 9474 1000 or visit www.elfa.com.au

George Lowden has been one of the world’s most renowned guitar builders for almost 40 years, using original and innovative designs, and select timber specifically chosen for their particular tonal qualities. A family business based in Ireland, George Lowden guitars are famous and highly sought after for their finely tuned responsiveness, accuracy and unique refinements, such as finishing and bracing.

The Walnut used in the featured F35 is quoted as one of George’s all time favourite timbers, great in all three Lowden body sizes, especially for clarity and definition. The F35 features

Walnut back and sides with Sitka spruce top, Rosewood and Abalone rosette and Figured Maple binding, Rosewood, Mahogany and walnut purfling with Gotoh gold/Ebony 510 machine heads, Rosewood bridge and 5 piece Mahogany,Rosewood and Walnut neck. A beautiful build quality that needs space to be played and heard.

For more information on the George Lowden range of guitars contact Gladesville Guitars on (02) 9817 2173 or visit www.guitarfactory.net

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SLIPKNOT UNVEILING A NEW CHAPTER

It’s been six years since metal heavyweights Slipknot unleashed their fourth ferocious record All Hope Is Gone onto the world, and during that time the band, who 15 years ago captured worldwide attention off the back of their blistering self titled release, have been embroiled in the most tempestuous, tragic and discordant moments anyone could have anticipated.

On May 24 2010, Slipknot’s founding member and bass player Paul Gray was found dead in his room at the TownePlace Suites Hotel in his hometown of Iowa. Toxicology reports later indicated Gray had overdosed on a lethal cocktail of morphine and fentanyl.

Then, in December 2013, Slipknot’s drummer of

18 years Joey Jordison controversially departed the band. While the reasons for Jordison’s departure remain unclear (the band have kept tight-lipped about it), once thing’s for certain; Jordison didn’t quit the band on his own will.

Taking to Facebook on January 2, Jordison announced, “I want to make it very clear that I DID NOT QUIT SLIPKNOT.” For many, one questioned whether the Slipknot juggernaut had come to a halt.

Would the band be able to soldier on and continue to make music after the demise of their bandmate and departure of an integral member?

When Slipknot’s axeslinging guitarist Jim Root decided to pick up the pieces and begin writing new material for their fifth record .5 The Gray Chapter, a mere four years after the death of Gray, a profound realisation knocked him off his feet.

“I had an epiphany while I was writing the demo music for this album,”

Photo: Rebecca Houlden PG. 24 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

Root confides. “I realised I was approaching writing songs the way Paul would have, and it hit me like a tonne of bricks. Essentially, I realised Paul was here helping me through the process of putting these demos together.”

For Root, .5 The Gray Chapter marks a distinct evolution in the band’s sound. While frontman Corey Taylor has suggested the new album sits somewhere between earlier records Iowa and Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), additional layers of depth and darkness exist within the record. An uncompromising sense of urgency is apparent within tracks, which sway between melodic, melancholic and chaotic aggression. While Root agrees .5 The Gray Chapter is noticeably bleaker than previous releases, he is quick to point out a vast difference between Iowa and Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), and their new record.

“I guess the record is pretty dark,” he contemplates. “That could be the content of Corey’s vocals and it could be the state of mind I was in when I started putting the arrangements together. But we took a different approach to this album. I wrote most of the arrangements; it’s a Slipknot record mainly written by a guitar player, but it was important for me that we remained what Slipknot is, and that’s a very percussive band. You don’t want to keep putting the same record out over and over again, and for me, it’s very important that we evolve as a band.”

Since their inception 15 years ago, Slipknot has been shrouded by mystery. For years the band has been cloaked in a veil of anonymity, notoriously disguised behind a mask unique to each member, and were known only as numbers.

As the news filtered out that Slipknot were busy in the studio working on the new record, rumours began to circulate as to who the two replacements were that’d taken over bass and drum duties. In the video for ‘The Devil In I’, these two members are hidden behind new, identical masks. While Root is quick to defuse rumours Slipknot’s new bass player is Alessandro ‘Vman’ Venturella, he isn’t shy about reinforcing why the identities of the two new members will be kept under lock and key.

“What did you fucking call him?” he teases, emitting a roguish laugh. “Alessandro? I don’t know if we’d ever have somebody in the band with that kind of a name.”

“Regardless of who anybody thinks our two new guys are, they’ve got a lot of work cut out for them to become part of what it is we’re doing,” he notes, the humour quickly dissipating from his voice. “That’s why they have the masks that they have in the video. They’re ambiguous and they don’t have an identity.

If they’re smart enough they’ll work towards having their identity in this band, but right now they really don’t. Nobody is going to come into this band cold and think they’re going to have all the privileges that we had to work so long to obtain –they’re going to have to earn it.”

Indeed, the past six years have been an extraordinarily turbulent time for Slipknot. Was the notion of disbanding ever on the forefront of Root’s mind? “It’s hard to say because I never once felt we were over,” he reflects. “We’ve been through a lot as a band and this was another hurdle that we had to overcome. We had an opportunity to rise above it all or let it fucking beat us, and I’ve worked way too fucking hard for many years and sacrificed too much in my life to let any of that shit beat me.

“I’ve come to find that no matter how dark some things are there seems to be a good reason for the way everything works out,” he says. “You can bottle off, become a recluse and disappear into oblivion – or you can fight back and do your best to pull your head above the water. I think the latter is more fun and interesting.”

BY CARA WILLIAMS

Slipknot release .5: The Gray Chapter via Roadrunner Records on October 21.

TOUR DATES New Found Glory pay Soundwave Festival 2015, visit www.soundwavefestival.com for more.

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TRIVIUM FOREVER EVOLVING

Florida Metallers Trivium were signed to Roadrunner Records a decade ago, and since that time they’ve toured the world countless times, played to what’s gotta be over a million people at this point and released an everevolving series of albums that tell a story. Not a literal or literary story, but a musical story of a band finding and refining their own voice. No two Trivium records sound the same, 2005’s Ascendency (which introduced guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paulo Gregoletto to the line-up) blasted a Thrash-Metalcore hybrid. The Crusade (2006) played down the Metalcore and emphasised the thrash elements. Shogun (2008) introduced progressive metal elements. In Waves (2011) successfully blended elements of its predecessors while moving further from the bands’ influences and deeper into its own sound (especially with regards to great vocal arrangements).

Last year’s Vengeance Falls introduced the production influence of Disturbed vocalist David Draiman, pushing vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy’s melodicism to new levels while maintaining the band’s powerful metal rhythms and blazing solos. With the band preparing to hit Australia for the second time in a year (they were last here for Soundwave) we felt it was high time to pick Heafy’s brain about surviving life on the road, and navigating the challenges of a changing music industry.

You seem like a pretty centred dude. How do you stay sane on the road? It must be difficult going from city to city and trying to maintain a peaceful mindset.

I’ve always said that I’m half Japanese, half marine. My mom is Japanese, my dad is a marine. And both cultures are very regimented, very structure-based. So every day, even offdays, on tour, off tour, I have a very regimented structure of things I try to pull off. So on tour one of my favourite things to do is eat the local food.

Melbourne is, I think, one of the food capitals in the world and has one of the greatest restaurants I’ve ever been to, called Chin Chin, and we will be going back there again. But another thing I’ve gotten into in the last 16 months: I’ve gotten really into Brazilian Jiu Jitzu, and that’s something that gets me through touring. At least three or five days a week I’ll train with either our tour

manager, our guitar tech or Matt our drummer, and I’ve been teaching them for the last couple of months, so it’s something I do off tour. It’s all about ways of filling your days with ways to stay physically fit but also doing things that are fun like eating and drinking really well, and taking good care of yourself.

So with the music industry being in such a state of flux over the last decade or more, if you were to start out now, what would you do differently?

Man, you’d have to completely re-learn the industry. I guess when we came in it was what it was. The decline of CD sales, the changing of the guard of radio in the US. I guess coming into it now would be a little bit harder. Thankfully we were able to get started in this a little earlier, but nowadays it seems that labels are looking at

bands that are creating an internet presence. It’s such an interesting way to think of it. When we came into it, it was all about MySpace. You’ve just got to learn how the market works and make sure you’re making the best decisions you can.

Paid ‘meet and greets’ are another way bands are trying to make up the revenue that’s no longer there from album sales. You could never imagine Led Zeppelin doing that kind of thing back in the day.

It’s crazy. We were, quote, ‘making money’ from CD sales during Ascendency, but as soon as that record was done and the next record came around, the industry totally changed for a band our size. We’re a band, in North America at least, that rides the line between alternative metal and the mainstream metal world, and when you’re in that realm you don’t really make money off CDs, so it’s all about touring and merch. But I saw an article a band posted that bands aren’t making money touring any more either. It’s sad, but it’s true. There are so many pieces of that pie being divided between so many powers that be, whether it be label and management or booking agents and crew, or costs, or having to pay yourself salary so you can pay your rent.

It’s getting harder and harder for bands, which makes me think again when you asked a couple of questions ago, ‘how would you do it now?’

I don’t know. There are avenues where bands have to do an optional paid meet & greet for the fans who want to do it, and hopefully they get something out of it like a piece of merch or to meet their favourite band, and hopefully their favourite band is cool. If someone were to come to a ‘meet and greet’, whether it’s paid or a fan club ‘meet and greet’, or a signing at a CD store, if someone wants to hug us, let’s hug. We’re cool with that. Our fans are the ones who make it possible for us to do this. So it’s all about shifting and evolving with the times.

BY PETER HODGSON Trivium are touring nationally throughout November alongside In Flames.

TOUR DATES November 19 – The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD November 21 – UNSW Roundhouse, Sydney NSW November 23,24 – 170 Russell, Melbourne VIC November 25 – HQ, Adelaide SA

NEW FOUND GLORY A REAWAKENING OF SOUND

New Found Glory has been a household name in the punk scene across two decades, creating genre-defying music while touring relentlessly. Now, after 17 years of circle pits and sing-alongs, the band are set to release their 8th full length studio album, Resurrection. Mixdown were lucky enough to chat with lead singer Jordan Pundik about the new album, life as a four-piece and his personal reflections on the band’s progression over the years.

Resurrection is set for release next month, what can we expect from the new album?

Well now that we are a four piece, we are definitely committed to that. You’re going to hear riffs as catchy as the vocal melodies, uplifting lyrics, songs you can mosh to and sing along to.

How did you find the writing process for this album, compared to your previous releases?

This is the most prepared that we ever were for writing a record. Cyrus (drums) and I would go up to Chad’s (lead guitarist) house like once a week and talk about how we want the songs to sound, what we want to write about, and what we want to say. By the time we got to the studio we were pretty much all done, and we could actually focus on making the songs sound good without having to think about lyrics or melodies.

It was a really good experience. The last few records were like “We have to finish this record, and we only have 3 songs done and we only have one week of recording left.”

You recorded Resurrection with Paul Milner (Death by Stereo). How was that experience?

What did Paul bring to the table with this record that differs from other producers?

Paul’s great. He helps me keep my confidence in the studio, as I tend to get into my own head. My voice starts to suffer because I’m thinking about it too much, and I try to think of a melody or harmony, and I piss my self off and get frustrated and punch walls or whatever. Paul is really good

at stepping out of the control room and calming me down by talking me through it. He has always been good with that. He also has a lot of dirty jokes; we are always having a laugh.

When listening to Resurrection, I can’t help but feel nostalgic and reminiscent of earlier 2000s New Found Glory, revisiting old punk roots whilst still maintaining a fun pop sound.

Was this the intended direction of the album or a by-product of your writing?

I think it was a little of both. We committed to only having one guitar, a bass and drums. In past records we had a rhythm guitarist, and we would just layer guitars to make it sound full and heavy.

Going into this record knowing we were going to be a four-piece and write that way, we wanted to make the riffs equally as pitchy as the melodies.

I remember just listening to Cowboys From Hell (Pantera) and hearing what Dimebag did. We would just listen to those riffs. They only had one guitar player and look what they did. They were a four piece. They were fucking brutal. Not saying that New Found Glory is brutal, but we have always been known to have heavy guitar parts with melodic vocals, and we wanted to still stay true to what people like about our band, but with this new formation.

We will see you back in Australia for Soundwave 2015. What can your fans expect this time around?

Well, a lot of the same, we are just more overweight [laughs]. It will be the first time that

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people are seeing us as a four piece, and I just feel that based on the feedback that I have been hearing that we are sounding tighter and are having more fun as a band. For me, that’s all I needed, and the confidence I needed.

What gear will you guys be bringing down with you?

Ian, our bass player uses Ampeg. A drum company called SJC, which makes really cool custom drums, sponsors Cyrus. They are based out of Massachusetts. Chad will probably be using his Mesa Boogie, but he likes to change it up once in a while. There are songs where he will want to change the tone of it and will use like a Bad Cat or his Vox, but most of the time it’s a Mesa Boogie, Dual Rectifier. I’m not really particular with mics. Most of the time I end up breaking everything, so the band really never spends money on me for gear [laughs] because I’m always smashing it or dropping it or like, ripping the cable out.

How do you prepare your voice for a live show?

I’ll try any voodoo there is, especially when I’m on tour for a long time. Most of the time I like to relax with red wine for some reason. A couple of glasses helps me relax and relaxes my vocal chords. I mean it dries it out a little bit, but I supplement the dryness with throat coat… or I’ll just pound water all day. So I’m just constantly pissing and drinking water [laughs]. I also do a warm up called VoixTek by Ron Anderson, who is a well-known vocal coach here in California. His warm ups are great. That’s pretty much it. I try and not think about it, because when I do, I get in my head and just sing like shit.

BY MICHAEL EDNEY

TOUR DATES New Found Glory pay Soundwave Festival 2015, visit www.soundwavefestival.com for more.

SLASH FIRING UP THE FURNACE In 2001, former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash collapsed at a sound check, woke up in hospital and was given between six days to six weeks to live.

A pivotal point in the hard-drinkin’, heavydruggin’ Los Angeles native’s life, it marked a turning point that saw the legendary axeman get sober and eventually begin writing and releasing records of his own.

“I’ve gone through a lot of different stuff,” he says. “I was comfortable with a lot as far as when Guns N’ Roses was happening, but there’s been a lot of stuff I’ve had to go through to get to the point where I’m at now, on my own; it was very hard. Maybe there were periods there when I probably had question marks in brackets around whatever I was doing, but I never really stop and specifically think about stuff like that, I just like doing what I do. It seems insane to people that I don’t have a specific motivation now other than just liking music. I like playing live, I like writing, I like touring and everything that goes with it. Making records and going out in front of audiences; this is what I picked up a guitar for.”

World On Fire is Slash’s third solo album, and the second on which the 49 year-old has worked with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.

“It’s exciting; we finished it in May,” he says.

“We’ve been doing this for five years now. It started off as nothing; I didn’t have any plans for this. It was just really a band that I’d put together to support my first solo record, but it turned out to be such a great bunch of guys that I decided to work with them to make the next record following that, which was Apocalyptic Love. Basically at that point it had already turned into a band and was one of those sort of magical combinations of people that I didn’t see coming, but turned out to be really great.”

Produced by Michael ‘Elvis’ Baskette, World On Fire is 17 tracks of typically Slash-esque hard rock, with plenty of big riffs and solos, and was recorded in double-quick time.

“Usually it’s one or two songs a day,” Slash says.

“But with this record we ended up doing 17 tracks in six days. It was good. I write the stuff

on the road, here and there, and then I work it up with Brent [drums] and Todd [bass] and start getting a real musical arrangement together. I then send it out to Myles so he can start getting some ideas. They’re with me the whole time on the road when most of these ideas come in the first place, so they’ve heard most of it before.

We’ve jammed in sound checks and dressing rooms or whatever, so most of the initial ideas they’ve heard. I grew up in a very rock and roll environment, musically, and guitar solos are a very important part of rock and roll songs.

They’re just a really exciting part of a good rock song.”

An upcoming slot on the Soundwave 2015 bill will give Slash and Co. a chance to play the new material to Australian audiences for the first time.

“I’m excited about it,” he says. “We did it in 2011 or 2012 – I can’t remember exactly. We did the tour and there was Slayer and a bunch of cool bands on the bill. It was a lot of fun, and was one of the coolest moving tours that I’ve ever done.

We are really looking forward to it. Everything [on the album] is basically all recorded live. We don’t write songs with the intention of them being live songs, but when we go in to record it, we just play the songs live so much it just comes out that way. Everything on the record more or less comes from a live setting, so it should all translate great live. We’re on tour now with Aerosmith in the States and then we start a world tour in November. It’ll basically run all the way through next year.”

Despite Gene Simmons recently claiming rock music is dead, Slash is quick to come to its defence.

“I’ve been hearing that same exact quote since the seventies,” he sighs. “I think rock music as a medium will never ever die or anything like that, but it’s going through a hard time, the way that the business has become predominantly, if not one hundred percent corporate at this point.

When it comes to record companies and radio and all that kind of stuff, rock music doesn’t really have much of a place in it.”

“But that’s what I love about what’s going on right now, there’s this really great underbelly of very genuine, spirited rock’n’roll happening.

It’s starting to get that sense of rebellion back, which is really great. I think that’s important, and I think it should be ‘us against them’, you know? I like the way things are going and I don’t see rock being dead at all. I see it in Europe and a lot just recently in America. I can’t speak on behalf of Australia, but I do know certain bands over there that have that same attitude.”

With more than his fair share of hard-living and dark times behind him, and his new band lineup set in stone, the only question remains is whether one of rock’s great survivors is willing to drop the solo moniker and give his band mates equal billing.

“I’m not going to,” he laughs, “never.”

played with Michael Jackson – Jennifer Batten, Steve Lukather, Slash, Eddie Van Halen - it was Bon Jovi that first drew Browne to the guitar. “I heard ‘Living On A Prayer’ when I was very, very young, maybe 8 years old, and I thought ‘That’s what I want to do.’ I listened to a lot of Meatloaf when I was a kid too but I didn’t really associate that with the guitar. I think Bon Jovi was what fuelled it. I started on acoustic guitar and doing a lot of stuff like Bob Dylan, but then I got my first electric guitar when I was 13, which is 15 years ago now, and ever since then I’ve been introduced to more and more music. I went through a stage of looking for a lot of lead guitar players like Yngwie Malmsteen, Joe Satriani,

Steve Vai, Andy Timmons and guys like that and then I heard Meshuggah, and then everything changed! I heard a lot of similarities between Meshuggah and Michael Jackson in all the bouncy rhythms so I kinda just try to incorporate both aspects when I play guitar.”

BY PAUL McBRIDE

TOUR DATES SLASH rocks out Soundwave Festival 2015. For more info visit www.soundwavefestival.com

MONUMENTS BUILDING A PRESENCE UK progressive metal masters Monuments were one of the first bands to be announced for the Soundwave 2015 festival, part of Soundwave’s ultracool strategy of highlighting a few of the lesser-known bands prior to the main announcement. If you haven’t heard Monuments yet you soon will.

Their music is from the same general region of metal as folks like Periphery, Animals As Leaders and Circles, but with an enhanced focus on groove. Call it djent, you can shake your ass too if you must, but the point is that in a genre with a few standouts and a whole lot of soundalikes, Monuments have that extra something to set themselves apart. Now with Chris Barretto (exPeriphery, Ever Forthright) on vocals, they’ve pushed their sound to further levels of originality and power.

“It’s gonna be amazing,” guitarist John Browne says of Soundwave. “It’s crazy! It’s one of the most iconic festivals, and to come over to Australia for the first time to play such a prestigious festival is going to be amazing. D’know what’s crazy? All my favourite bands are Australian! I’m a really big fan of Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus, Birds of Tokyo… the list goes on!” Before that tour though, Monuments has an epic US trek to warm up with, playing alongside Animals As Leaders and the Devin Townsend Project. “It’s pretty crazy! Devin is one of the leaders of the metal scene - Strapping Young Lad back in the day and all the albums he’s done with the Project. He’s probably one of the biggest inspirations in metal so it’s crazy that we’ve got the opportunity to open that tour.”

So where does Monuments’ palpable sense of rhythm and groove come from? “Michael Jackson,” Browne says without missing a …well, without missing a beat. “When you listen to Off The Wall and especially songs like ‘Working Day And Night,’ if you listen to everything going on, it’s actually a really complicated song. There are some crazy jazz chords in there with some crazy inversions and if someone can write music that’s

so accessible but that complicated at the same time, it’s genius. And it grooves as well.” In fact, if you check out videos of Browne shredding on guitar - and there are plenty out there - you’ll notice that he keeps time by bobbing his head in a manner not altogether unJacksonlike.

“Exactly, yeah! That’s it! Since I was a kid, I think I was about three years old, maybe two when I remember first listening to Michael Jackson.

Mum used to play all that stuff when I was a kid and ever since then it’s been in the back of my mind, that groove thing. So I have to help my mother for introducing me to all that great music when I was a child.”

A virtuoso-level 8-string player (who recently signed with Mayones Guitars from Poland), Browne’s approach to guitar tone is as rhythmically-inspired as what he plays. “I see it like a drum kit,” he says. “I do quite a lot of scratching on the guitar and I associate those with ghost notes on a snare, so I like a really full guitar tone that can still get quite tight.

You have to get quite tight to get that kind of range, so a drum kit is probably the thing I most closely associate with the guitar sound I go for.”

But despite the list of great guitarists to have

BY PETER HODGSON

TOUR DATES Monuments play Soundwave Festival 2015. For more info visit www.soundwavefestival.com

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DEVIN TOWNSEND MASTER OF CLASS

Ever wanted to pick Devin Townsend’s brain about the various musical adventures he’s been involved in? The Devin Townsend project? Ziltoid?

Strapping Young Lad? Steve Vai? Ever wanted to know how he was able to forge such a distinctive guitar style? Want to know how he goes about constructing his monolithic, multi-layered recordings? Devin is visiting Australia in October for a series of master classes for Thump Music, where he’ll open up about all things guitar and production. We caught up with Devin to chat about the tour and the forthcoming opus Z2, also released in October.

I’m stoked about this tour.

So am I actually. It gives me an opportunity to dig into some of the things I’ve wanted to share with people. To be fair, I’ve spent a long time making records and I’ve kinda gotten to this point recently where it’s like, shit, now it’s time to step it up and get other people to start taking over.

So you’ll soon be licensing the Devin Townsend concept to regional Devins?

Yes, everything louder than everything else, with tonnes of echo on it, right? No I think it’s an opportunity as well, not only guitar-wise, but production-wise and vocal-wise, recording techniques and questions essentially. I’ve found recently that a lot of people have a lot of questions about production and I think an opportunity to do this is a forum for me to share some of that with people. I think it’ll be great.

Just listening back to all the stuff you’ve done over the years, your production style has preceded everybody becoming their own auteur. Everybody wants to do these kinds of big productions at home but nobody knows where to start.

Well there’s a good thing. I wish I could say that my reasons for having done it all myself in the beginning were based on some sort of noble pursuit rather than lack of funding, but the end result of it is I’ve done 30 records with this stuff and I’ve encountered every conceivable problem that anybody doing the kind of music I

do could run into. Most of these records I do, or I did in the beginning at least, I do for nothing, right? So I think where there’s a will there’s a way. There are several records I’m made with a concerted effort to do with the least amount of gear possible, like the first Ziltoid, up to the new Ziltoid record which I did with thousands of people.

The Casualties Of Cool album is so haunting, and every time I listen to it there’s more there.

How do you feel about that whole experience?

I mean, it sounds like you’re loving it…

Well we just did three shows. The first show was awkward, the second show was good and the third show was brilliant. And I’m saying that as someone who has a hard time with his own work, being critical of it. I tend to start projects aggressively just so I can get it out there. I try to ‘trial by fire’ it, so at least it gets started.

With Casualties, it took a long time for that first record to be finished, and once that record was finished, in my opinion it was one of my favourite things I’ve ever done. But it is really long, and it is different from what it ended up being live.

In the future I would love to be able to take that project much further. The whole Casualties thing started from me hearing the Alison Krauss/ Robert Plant album Raising Sand. To have that sort of producer, T-Bone Burnett, track the band as it becomes more fluent would just be so great because then I could focus on guitar sounds.

Morgen Agren played the drums on these shows

and it was so great. By the time it was over I was like, “I don’t want this to end.”

And that leads us to Z2.

Well here’s the thing with Ziltoid 2, man. There are some records like Casualties that I went into with calmness and a sense of freedom. Z2 was a battle from the very beginning. I went in thinking “Here’s my opportunity to make this puppet thing that I’ve wanted to do for years.” And the amount of parameters that I needed to impose on myself for what I wanted the project to be, the label, the audience, the pledge thing, the fact that all of a sudden there are kids listening to it. There are so many parameters on Z2 that it wasn’t even compromises that needed to be made. I needed to find the razor’s edge in order to make it function in so many ways man. It was crazy. The whole thing, it felt like a war, from the beginning to the end, and I fought it up to the last second, literally. I delivered the record five minutes after the deadline and that was the third deadline that got pushed. Ultimately I love it, I’m just so proud of it, but it’s also indicative of the end of Ziltoid 1, which started right when we had kids, and now here we are eight years later, and sobriety, and Devin Townsend Project and Retinal Circus and By A Thread and all the people and everything that’s come and gone, the conclusion of it with Ziltoid 2 was something that was honestly just incredibly difficult. I approached it differently than I approached any other record, not only for the sake of the personnel involved, but also for the fact that I feel that my audience has been incredibly kind with allowing me to do all this stuff. Like “I’m gonna make an outer-space country record.

I’m gonna make an ambient record, I’m gonna make a new age record.” And a lot of the time the audience is like “Okay,” y’know? But after Casualties, I thought “There’s your art film, now make a Hollywood movie and go on tour for a while.”

BY PETER HODGSON

TOUR DATES October 20 - Princess Theatre, Brisbane QLD October 21 - Paddington Town Hall, Sydney NSW October 22 - St Kilda Town Hall, Melbourne VIC October 23 - The Gov, Adelaide SA October 25 - 12pm - John Inverarity Theatre, Hale School, Perth WA

STEVE MORSE IT’S ALL SECOND NATURE

Among progressive rock fans Flying Colors has gotta be the ultimate supergroup. It features ex-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, Spock’s Beard keyboard wiz Neal Morse, vocalist Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev) and Dixie Dregs legends Steve Morse (guitar) and Dave LaRue (bass). The band’s first album was released in 2012 to much critical acclaim, The follow-up, Second Nature, has just hit the streets and it finds the band pushing their sound further into each direction, from the Muse-like modern prog of single “Mask Machine” to the 12-minute epic “Cosmic Symphony.” We caught up with the man himself, Steve Morse, to chat about his new sonic adventure.

“Because we’re all so spread out, we had to write separately and share ideas online,” Morse says. “We had a system where we could send files to each other and use Skype to play ideas to each other. We couldn’t actually play along with each other because there’s a time delay, but it was enough to get an idea of what everyone was doing. So how does this one differ from the last?

Well for starters the band is more comfortable within their combined voices. “The recording process was pretty quick,” Morse confirms.

“These are all players who are used to getting it done quickly and who can get it right the first time.”

Morse is a longtime Ernie Ball Music Man endorser with a very distinctive signature guitar.

There are variations, but basically it comes down to a poplar body, “I like the lightness of it - when you’re playing for hours all night you don’t want to be carrying a big heavy chunk of wood around your neck” it’s coupled with custom DiMarzio pickups in a unique ’two humbuckers, two single coils’ configuration. The most recent edition is the Dark Lord model, which Morse likes to use for his ‘other gig’ - Deep Purple. It has covered humbuckers, a black flame maple top and a rarefor-music-man reverse headstock. You might have seen Joe Bonamassa using one on his recent Australian tour.

“It all started when I tried out their strings,” Morse says of his association with Ernie Ball Music Man. “I liked the sound of them and they were really well-made. They were just really nice and it was just no sweat, not worrying about anything. They asked me if I’d like to try the strings and I did, partly out of boredom! At the time I was using different strings and they said ‘Just try these and tell me what you think.’ And they were better, more alive. And then they came out with reinforced plain strings and I knew that they were better. They demonstrated to me how these were stronger, how they could past strength and tension tests, and how the packaging resulted in better volume control and less corrosion on the wire.”

“Then I heard that they were thinking about buying Music Man and making basses again,” Morse continues. “So they asked me about making me a guitar. I had some bad experiences with some other companies where we attempted to make a signature guitar, but one of the key things was they’d always want a certain amount of control, and to me that doesn’t make it a signature instrument, it makes it somebody else’s instrument. So I was skeptical. But Sterling said ‘I tell ya what, we’ll have one rule: when you’re done, we’re done.’ And I thought ‘Well, that sounds pretty good…’ So they made as

PG. 28 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

many prototypes as I wanted, and there it was.”

As far as amplification goes, Morse has his own signature ENGL model which sometimes he augments with various other amps as the situation dictates. “It’s essentially the same as I use in Deep Purple,” he says, “Although it will be rented or borrowed depending on where we’re playing,” he says. “Generally we’re playing thousands of miles from the last night. But there are different configurations. There’s one dry amp and then I carry around TC Electronic TonePrint pedals with me. I’m using the small versions, the miniature ones, which have exactly the same sound but just less dials on them. I have my own perimeters for the delay and the modulation for the delay and I input them by using an iPhone through the pickup of the guitar to load it in. It’s awesome for me to have the rig shrink and to still sound incredible. I’m really happy with that. And with the Voodoo power supply there’s no noise or anything. It’s really nice to have things get better! And I love my ENGL. I go straight into the dry, and the delays are on wet-only with a dry-kill switch. Those go to the Ernie Ball volume pedals, one short delay and one long delay, and those go to the back of the other amps. On the road those amps can be whatever is available.

That’s just the wet signal only so it’ll just be maybe 30% of the volume when it’s used at all.”

Morse has some parting words for the fans of Australia: “We always enjoy playing there, and I can say the level of musicianship is very high there. I remember my first time going there, with Sterling Ball in fact, and Albert Lee, just doing a clinic tour of Australia decades ago. Every band we heard blew us away. They were just so good!

The standards were held very high so I’m hoping to get there and meet some of the people I’m a fan of.”

BY PETER HODGSON

For more info on Music Man and Ernie Ball products contact CMC Music Australia on (02) 9905 2511 or head to www.cmcmusic.com.au.

Second Nature is out now.

PG. 29 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

GERARD WAY SOLO MUSINGS It came as a righteous shock when My Chemical Romance, a band riding high with an undiminished, ever fervent, fanbase, announced their sudden split in March 2013. After the band bowed out on a high, there were no sure answers as to what was next for frontman, and renowned comic author, Gerard Way. The answer came relatively swift, however, with the announcement of Way’s first solo LP, Hesitant Alien. Speaking from his makeshift art studio in LA, Gerard details his transformation into fully-fledged solo artist.

“It took me quite a while to get to the point where I realised there was going to be a solo album. I think the initial plan was to run as far away as I could, erase my identity and change states, play guitar and sing and not talk to the audience in a small fuzz-rock band. That was the initial plan. But time passed, the songs started to feel more ambitious. I didn’t even know I was making an album until around six songs in. I was just making music for the sake of making music, which is something I had not done in a long time,” he reasons.

“I don’t think I had anything to prove. I think proving stuff can be scary, I kind of went through my proving years in My Chem. Not that I had anything to prove with what I accomplished in My Chem, but I think My Chem was all about proving something, and I wasn’t going to challenge myself with that. There’s an invisible, imaginary resistance you can create for yourself by feeling there’s something you need to prove, even if you’re fighting against yourself. It’s a crutch you can fall on. But if you don’t have that, you’re not angry about anything. I was out to share. When you’re out to prove something, it becomes calculated, you use your art as a weapon. I wasn’t trying to do that, I was simply trying to share, pieces of me that I’ve never shared, sonically, before.”

In creating a solo album, Way was not so much emboldened by freedom, but guided by a maturity within his own constraints. “Anyone can put themselves in a prison pretty easy, is what I’ve learned. One of the biggest points of maturity for me in this whole process was truly

understanding that I was my own jailer. My Chem wasn’t a prison, it was maybe part of the problem and maybe what was suffocating me creatively. But you put yourself in that jail. I could have easily done it again with this album, and put myself in a prison again. I had to face that.

Freedom was always up to me, and I came to realise that. That’s when I began to have fun.”

The final two My Chemical Romance albums were defined by sprawling, character-rich, conceptual narratives. Though the title Hesitant Alien might invoke sci-fi visions, the album presents itself as a grounded rock manifesto. “It was super challenging,” Way states. “There was no concept, there were no strong characters – the character ended up being myself. The only thing I felt like I created was a visual language for this record, I don’t think I created a character.

Or in the end, I created myself. I put pieces together to make myself. Not having a story, not having a title long before the album was finished, not having any of that stuff in mind was extremely challenging. And that’s what I wanted.

I was challenging myself sonically, trying one vocal track instead of quadruple harmonising. I was very resistant to harmonies on this record.”

The foremost influences found on Hesitant Alien pertain to strains of early ‘90s alternative rock, venturing into vivid Brit-pop territory at times, which are signifiers not exactly present in the My Chemical Romance back catalogue. “They were always on my mind, I was always listening, and every now and again they would pop into My Chem songs. I had a tremendous understanding and respect for what we did in My Chem, that I

PEEP TEMPEL

was always fully aware that this was our sound.

I’m not gonna resent it, I’ll bend it to a certain point, but I’m not going to break it past that.

Even if I had a strong desire to write a Brit-pop song, it was never going to be that. So this was always in my repertoire. Stuff you listen to when you’re 12 years old, stuff you listen to in your formative years. Luckily it was a sophisticated type of music, Brit-pop is extremely complex, so it stuck with me, even when I’m nearing my 40s.”

Recent sets, including festival appearances at Reading and Leeds, have strictly focused on Hesitant Alien, with material from My Chemical Romance nowhere to be seen. Don’t expect that to change by the time Soundwave rolls into Australia next year. “I think it would have to be some time passing, it would have to be years, to the point where I truly miss the songs and

they mean something to me again. When the band ended, I was at a point where the songs still meant something to me. But if I were to go one minute more they would stop. To play them again, firstly, I would need to reimagine them completely into whatever I’m doing at the time, even if it’s freeform jazz. On top of that, I need to have a strong desire to do them. The desire just doesn’t exist. It might take years.”

amps. And then our gear: I play a Vox AC30, Stewey used a Fender bass and Steve’s got a great old Pearl kit. We tried to keep it pretty basic – there wasn’t much processing on the record, it was pretty well how the band sounds straight onto tape.”

Scott concedes that his lyrics have an element of social commentary – but with tongue firmly in cheek. “I’m not trying to over think the lyrics – it’s important to have some humour,” Scott says.

“Some of it’s scathing – it can be a bit nasty, but fingers crossed that people take it the way it’s intended. We’re not trying to offend anyone.

But first and foremost it’s the rock’n’roll element that we hope people will pick up on – you want people coming down and tapping their feet.

And if people go on from there and discover the lyrics, then that’s a great bonus. I think you’ve got to write songs that you’ll enjoy playing, and therefore people will enjoy hearing. And the lyrics are an enjoyable part that people can pick up on.”

The press release accompanying the record suggests provocatively that the band hopes the record will leave the listener with the slightly ‘ick’ feeling – the sort of feeling that perhaps you might associate with the consumption of

greasy food. But in a live setting, Scott says the songs on the album take on a different quality, reflecting the rawness of Peep Tempel’s stage persona.

“The record is different live – the same approach isn’t taken when we’re playing live,” Scott says.

“We’re in party mode when we’re playing live, and some of the lyrics that on the record are a little bit dirgy, live they have a bit more humour to them – it’s more of a celebration. We’re not trying to emulate the record when we play live – we’re more trying to play a live show that’s just us, it’s around what we are as a band.”

BY LACHLAN KANONIUK

Gerard Way plays Soundwave Festival 2015.

For more info visit www.soundwavefestival.com

FROM THE UNDERGROUND Growing up, Peep Tempel guitarist and vocalist Blake Scott spent his fair share of time in pubs with his father, taking in the unique Australian pub culture and its larrikin cultural streak. “A lot of that larrikinism has rubbed off on me from the pubs back then. It’s always helped me with lyrics, and having fun with words,” Scott says. So when Peep Tempel came to write the songs that would appear on the band’s new album, Tales, Scott took inspiration – subliminally at least – from the irreverent discourse with which he’d grown up, blending it with his occasional musing on the world around him to create a set of fictional characters who would emerge on Tales.

“I guess I am a natural social observer, but I’m never anywhere just to observe,” Scott says.

“Even though I haven’t had a drink for a couple of months, I’m still quite happy to go to a pub to have a meal. Because I spent a lot of time in pubs when I was young, I’m quite comfortable in there. Certainly even when I’m writing lyrics, and building a character with those lyrics, the character I build in my mind doesn’t actually have a face, or isn’t a face of anyone I’ve met.

They’re an amalgam of people I’ve met over the journey.”

With an album and EP already under their belt, Peep Tempel had set up camp in a room above a bar in West Melbourne to write the songs that would eventually appear on Tales.

Serendipitously, the building was a stones throw from where Peep Tempel had recorded its first album. “Mates of ours used to have a bar there, so we used the upstairs room – it was a residence, and the guy moved out, so we got a heap of plywood and soundproofed the room the best we could,” Scott says. “We spent a lot of time in there, working through the songs, and did all the pre-production, then pretty well got the songs the way we wanted them. And it was handy always being at the bar – there’d be pints downstairs, and sometimes it was pretty distracting, but we got it done in the end!”

Scott describes the new record as “more dynamic” than the band’s debut album; the presence of bass player Stewart Rayner – who’d joined the band after that first record, and played on the EP – necessarily influenced the structure and style of the songs. “I don’t think we’d been listening to anything really different, personally I’ve been listening to a lot of X,” Scott says.

A grant from Arts Victoria provided a robust financial foundation for the record, though Scott says the band was wary of losing its focus as a result of its notional economic security. “Having got the grant, our main thing was to not go into the studio and over produce the record – we wanted to play as live as we could,” Scott says.

“There’s a little bit of overdubbing on the record, but we still wanted to have that live recording like we did on the first record – so that was the main conscious choice we made.”

Having knocked its songs into shape in the West Melbourne practice room, Peep Tempel headed to Sing Sing South studios in South Yarra to record the album. As with the first album, the band was keen to capture an honest rock’n’roll aesthetic. “Sing Sing South have got an Atari two-inch tape machine. It’s a great way to record – we hit it pretty hard, so the sound is spread on there like a thick layer of butter,” Scott says.

“And then we had lots of old, nice valve pre-

PG. 30 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

BY PATRICK EMERY

Tales is out now through Wing Sing Records

TOUR DATES October 10 – Bridge Hotel, Castlemaine, VIC October 11 – The Eastern, Ballarat, VIC October 17 – Spotted Cow, Toowoomba, QLD October 18 – The Bearded Lady, Brisbane, QLD October 24 – The Lansdowne, Sydney, NSW October 31 – The Reverence, Melbourne, VIC

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JEFF MILLS & THE MSO AHEAD OF THE BEAT There are few names as revered as Jeff Mills in the techno world. A founding member of the legendary Detroit outfit Underground Resistance (of which he has never officially left), Mills has pioneered the genre like few others.

However, his artistic endeavours have never been restricted to music. Over the course of his career, Mills has worked within the realms of film, dance and contemporary art. He’s explored the concept of sound environment in the exhibition Diaspora at the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, at Sonar Festival in Barcelona he created a sculpture-installation Mono dedicated to Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and in the past he has collaborated with prestigious institutions such as Cinémathèque Française, Cité de la Musique and Nuit Blanche, just to name a few. Now, as part of the 2014 Melbourne Festival, audiences will get the chance to witness one of his most ambitious projects to date - Light from the Outside World.

Light from the Outside World will allow fans to experience Mills’ music like never before. The 90-minute arrangement will see Mills weave his signature deck and drum machine magic alongside the 60-piece Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Conducted by long-time Mills collaborator Christophe Mangou, the piece is a joint work with film composer Thomas Roussel, interlacing classical, jazz and pulsing electronic music (which includes many of the classical cuts from Mills’ highly celebrated back-catalogue, such as The Bells and Sonic Destroyer).

“It’s a concept – it’s a theory about reality,” he notes carefully when describing the show. Mills is speaking to me from Paris, where he currently has an ongoing artistic residency at Le Louvre.

“It addresses the idea that the time and space that we feel that ‘we’re in’ isn’t necessarily what we perceive it to be. Maybe it’s an extension of some sort of reflection of a time from somewhere else. The lives that we think we’re living - maybe that’s not the case. Overall, it’s the idea that there’s something much, much larger and much greater.

There’s something much more than what we can imagine. It’s referencing the idea that our time is limited - that it’s sensitive.”

“Our reality is something that is tangible, but it’s something that’s subject to change beyond

our control. Light from the Outside World is a compilation of tracks that relay a certain type of sentiment. I chose these compositions from my catalogue because to me they symbolise certain points in my life where things had changed.”

“The decision to mix these genres together, electronic and classical, and to this level, I think it’s really long-past due,” he notes. “It should have been happening much sooner than now, especially considering how close that they are - in the type of emotion that they can convey. With electronic music, if you take away the clubbing/nightlife aspect of it and you take away the seemingly-main objective of making people dance and you just look at it as art form, it’s easy to see that it’s really not that different from beautiful classical music.

Lots of string arrangements are often considered for the same reasons. Percussion is used for the very same reasons. It’s always had this very close connection, I feel - especially in Detroit. We always tried to have this very similar structure. For classical music, I think it’s very important to see if it had the ability to be current - that it could speak to younger people. I think that’s something that Light from the Outside World really conveys.”

While long overdue, Mills also believes that within the fusion of these genres, paying respect to both was imperative. “I wrote the original compositions

and played a very big role in the way that they were translated for the orchestra,” he details.

“Some modifications to the songs had to be made, but it was very important for me that while it is an orchestra performance, it had to retain as much of the character of electronic music as possible. There needed to be compromises but I didn’t think there should be a reduction of the systems that both of these genres use.

“For the performance, I contribute the electronic music component; the sounds that the orchestras aren’t able to create with their instruments. A lot of the tracks that have a certain type of tempo that I support with electronic machines.”

No stranger to Australian shores, Mills’ has toured many times to perform his highly-regarded DJ sets, last returning in June 2013. His 2014 visit will feature three DJ sets around the country and his Melbourne-exclusive collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. “If we’re lucky, people will leave thinking that what they just witnessed was not electronic music or classical - but that they heard something different,” he notes of how he hopes audiences will receive the performance of Light from the Outside World.

“Something in-between, something that is difficult to describe, something that they have enjoyed.

“Some people may ask the question, ‘What

exactly is it going to be?’ We’re in the 21st century; we shouldn’t be seeing things simply like where we came from or what we’re used to. I think this performance is something that showcases how we progress through music. Different parts of the music industry get together for the sake of creating something new. There aren’t many people out there that have the opportunity to collaborate like this, so these shows are special. It really represents how time has passed, and maybe where we’re heading. Maybe in the future we’ll be able to look at things like this and they’ll be much more easily accepted and you won’t have to ask the question of exactly what it is, but you can just go and enjoy it.”

“I wasn’t planning on putting those songs out,” he says. “I was touring in shitty clubs around the UK and Germany and France, off the grid, and I found out how deeply moving some of these songs were for people. It made me reconsider my view. I found a label that was interested in ten minute long acoustic songs and I toured with it.”

Not only can writing songs be an effective form of catharsis, but it’s also a chance to gather existential perspective and find strength in solitude. On the other hand, playing live is a potentially disarming experience – an exposition of one’s vulnerability.

So, beyond paying the bills, what does Pearson get from performing?

“I learn more about the songs when I play live.

Because I’m alone up there, there are more places to swim around, wander a little. It’s a constant revelation every time I play, because I’m always constantly trying to listen to where the music wants to go. It’s different each time. The songs are in their basic form but never quite the same each time.”

Pearson’s been absent from the stage for two years now, but this month he’ll make his long awaited Australian live debut. Not surprisingly, given the record’s emotional intensity, he’s been “very happy not to play [the songs from Last of the Country Gentlemen] for the last two years and occupy a different sort of headspace.” But he recognises it’s time for a change.

“I haven’t left the States for a couple of years. I haven’t really done anything for a couple of years, so hopefully it’ll be good to get out. I hope I can do [the songs] justice. I hope it’s worth the three week flight.”

BY TYSON WRAY

TOUR DATES October 10 – Light From The Outside World, Hamer Hall, Melbourne VIC

DJ SETS October 10 – Royal Melbourne Hotel, Melbourne VIC October 11 – Chinese Laundry, Sydney NSW October 18 – Sugar, Adelaide SA

JOSH T PEARSON AN OVERWHELMING EXPERIENCE

While many artists strive for artistic autonomy, the writing process is generally conducted knowing that it will eventuate in a release of some description.

However, for Pearson, the idea of releasing music is truly an afterthought.

“When I write it’s always for my own therapy,” he says. “It’s always necessary to survive. I’m just writing to try to figure out what’s going on inside me. And that’s the way it’s been for… well, forever.”

In a career that spans nearly two decades, Texan songwriter Josh T. Pearson has released just two records. The first one, 2001’s The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads, was made with his former band Lift to Experience. It’s a post-rock concept album, which Pearson describes as reaching “new levels of where I thought [rock music] should be going…. a narrative over the top of a record as one piece.”

His next full-length release, 2011’s Last of the Country Gentlemen, was a stripped-down country record, released under his own name.

It’s a stark breakup confessional that manages to be at once confronting and comforting. Both records are unique pieces of artistic innovation, which have had a truly life-changing effect on certain listeners. Naturally, the strength of the material leads fans to cry out for more. The thing is, be it a result of self-doubt or precious personal attachment, Pearson is barely compelled to release music at all.

“The last ten years I’ve written hundreds of songs,” he says. “I take them and then throw them away – put it in the shelf, somewhere in my head, not knowing if I’ll ever use it.”

It’s fair to assume that crafting music so uncompromising, yet widely communicable, requires substantial periods of preparation and experimentation, but that’s not all that’s behind Pearson’s reluctance to share his work with the public. For instance, his disinclination seems to correlate to a general disenchantment he feels towards rock music’s artistic credentials.

“I got bored about 2002 or 2003,” Pearson explains. “For whatever reason, I just got exhausted with rock music. I kind of quit listening to other people’s music because it didn’t take me to similar heights as my own. Not in any proud sort of way. It’s a travesty to lose that musical friend, because I took so much respite and comfort from songs in my youth.”

Pearson might no longer take refuge in the music of others, but several of his contemporaries have embraced the little music that he’s shared. After seeing Lift to Experience live, Cocteau Twins members Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde nominated themselves to produce The Texas Jerusalem Crossroads. Following the band’s demise, Pearson relocated to Europe where he would play low-key solo gigs, basically as a means to an end. It was there that he caught the ear of the Bad Seeds/ Dirty Three resident guru Warren Ellis, whose violin work features on Last of the Country Gentlemen. What’s more, Pearson’s music has gathered lofty praise from the likes of Mark Lanegan and Elbow’s Guy Garvey.

Of course, these elite figures aren’t the only ones who’ve latched onto Pearson’s music. He hasn’t penned anything close to a hit, but over the years many investigative, open-minded listeners have found both excitement and solace in his idiosyncratic compositions. In fact, witnessing the affect his music had on audiences was what encouraged Pearson to make Last of the Country Gentlemen.

PG. 32 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

BY AUGUSTUS WELBY

TOUR DATES October 14 – Foxtel Festival Hub, Melbourne VIC October 16 – Newton Social Club, Sydney NSW

PG. 33 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

(D)IGITAL (J)OCKEY

NEW HORIZONS FOR THE NATIVES

There is no doubt that Native Instruments holds a major share in the world of DJ performance and production. Their range of hardware and software solutions for making, creating and mixing music are always pushing to be the future of modern music. So I am sure there are plenty of readers out there that are readying themselves for the next wave of product releases that Native Instruments have in store for you all. For those of you who keep up to date with the online chatter about new products, you will already have some idea of what is about to land. NI dealers from around the country will be a little better versed by the time this magazine goes to print as the official product launch will have just taken place and the public will be not far off from getting their hands on a selection of new tools from Native Instruments. The first to arrive will be Komplete 10 along with a new keyboard control system to work with this system and not too far after that will be the Traktor S8 controller that is going to redefine the way we work with digital DH systems.

THE KOMPLETE PICTURE The first big release is one that many of you will be expecting as it has now been two years since the release of Komplete 9 and stock of this product is getting very hard to find in stores.

So, it comes as no surprise that Komplete 10 and Komplete 10 Ultimate are both about to land with even more goodies bundled into the package than ever before. This software production suite just keeps getting bigger and better with every incarnation. The latest Ultimate version includes a massive 440 GB of sounds and software crammed onto a USB hard drive in order to make installation a little easier. Most of your favourites are there with new sounds and features, but the range has been extended to a total of 75 titles in the package, encompassing many of the single releases that NI has brought out over the last couple of years and some brand new tools that will get the gear forums going in the next few months.

Even bigger news ahead of the software release is the new range of controller keyboards that

NI have announced to be used as a dedicated Komplete instrument interfaces. The Kontrol S-Series will be launched initially with three different models offering 25, 49 and 61-key variations. At first glance these might seem like just another MIDI controller, but NI have worked hard in developing these so that they interact with Komplete like no other keyboard, bringing you closer to your software than ever before. They kind of remind me of the old Kore hardware hubs from NI, infused with a keyboard and some Maschine technology as well. You can use it as a sophisticated browser to work through your instruments as well as a keyboard and MIDI controller. What really intrigues me is the Light Guide system that uses LEDs atop of every key to denote certain information depending on the software instrument you are using. So the keys can be easily assigned to software paths and the colours they are lit helps indicate what they function as or patch they are operating on screen. Plus the two-way communication between the keyboard and the

DJ

TRAKTOR KONTROL S8 computer allows this to be so much more than a standard controller. Auto mapping can be painful and knowing what knob is assigned to what parameter can be near impossible at times.

But the information is fed back to the keyboard so you get clear labelling of each controller for whichever instrument you are using, making it almost like having a dedicated keyboard for each and every program, just all built into one.

THE FUTURE OF THE DJ While Native Instruments have definitely given the electronic music producer so much to work with in the studio and in a live environment, the DJ has not been left out in this latest release of products with the new Traktor Kontrol S8 due to land soon as well. This is going to be the biggest release in the DJ world this year without a doubt.

It takes what NI have done with their S1, S4, Z1 and X1 models and brings it all together with some greater advantages than have ever been seen before in an NI controller. Now like with Maschine, Traktor S8 has got on-board LCD screens that deliver the critical information to you

HOME STUDIO HINTS

BIG ACOUSTIC RECORDING

We have spoken before about recording your acoustic guitar in the home studio and a range of ways to go about your microphone placement to get a fairly natural sound. But, what if you want to get more from your acoustic?

The last thing you want from a recording is for it to be a perfect take and you then discover that the instrument sounds flat and lifeless. Yes, you can fix this sound in the mix process, but there is only so much that can be done when your original signal hasn’t been captured the way you want. Getting a really big sound from your acoustic guitar involves the right combination of microphone placement along with a few tricks in the mix to bring it all together. To do this, I like to start with a good selection of microphones.

THE STEREO SPREAD What I look for when recording an acoustic guitar in my studio is a good stereo spread from the instrument. But, at the same time, I don’t like to discount the other aspects of the instrument’s sound and so like to work with a few extra microphones. I like one close to the fretboard to get some string sounds off the fingers and one shoved right up near the sound hole to get a really direct sound. This often can be a little overbearing and can deliver too much low frequency from the body of the guitar. But it is always better to have more channels recorded and to be able to discard them later if you decide they don’t work, rather than being stuck with just one or two channels of audio and not liking any of them.

Once I have these two areas covered, I like to get a good stereo image of the instrument.

This is what will make up the main sound for my acoustic guitar in the recording and the other two microphones are really just to add extra definition later if needed. I like to work with a good matched pair of large diaphragm condenser microphones. As they are going to provide the main focus of my sound, these are the important microphones in the group. If I don’t have a good matched pair available, I will just work with the best two condensers I have in my kit to pull the stereo image. These microphones PG. 34 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

need to be set up about two feet back from the guitar, but a little closer can work, depending on the instrument and the microphones. A little bit of experimenting is needed to get it right. Set in an X/Y pattern to deliver a true stereo response, and it is now time to let the guitar do the work.

BRINGING IT TOGETHER IN THE MIX As I said before, the stereo pair is what will make up the basis of your total guitar sound in the recording. These are the two most important microphones and will get the most attention in the mix as well. But do not discount any other microphones that you set up around the instrument. We will just hold on to them until later to add a little definition if needed. But first, we will bring the stereo pair up to shine. We start by panning the two microphones hard right and left and bringing them up to a good level.

What I then like to do is to EQ both microphones slightly differently. One I will emphasize the lower frequencies slightly more and the other, I will bring up the higher frequencies a little more. Because an acoustic guitar’s tone can be so dramatically changed by the mid-range frequencies, I will push them slightly apart here too, but not too far as it can start to sound a little nasal in tone. After the EQ has been treated to give both microphones a slightly different flavour, you can hear how the guitar fills the mix

and suddenly sounds like it is spread right across the room. I find it is best to adjust the EQ one channel at a time with mono monitoring so your ears aren’t subject to the stereo image at this stage. Then, when you flip back into a stereo sound, the guitar will grow in sound and size.

Because of this variation in the two channels, I then like to run the signal to a separate stereo mix bus and place some stereo compression over the two channels combined to even out the signal and tame the peaks in the audio slightly.

While I am always running a subtle compressor right in the beginning of the channel, I like to run a combined compression over the total guitar sound in a stereo image afterwards, just to bring it back together slightly and ensure it still sounds like one instrument.

At this stage, you can blend in some of the fretboard sounds and even the direct microphone that was right in front of the guitar. But, often you will find these may not even be needed.

Getting that stereo sound panned left and right with different EQ settings really gives the guitar a massive presence in the mix. Having those extra microphone recordings simply allows you bring a little more to your guitar sound, (should it be needed) in order to have it stand out in the overall mix. It is always good to have those takes there to work with should you need them, but you can always mute those channels and stick with just the stereo pair. The sound you should have achieved with just these two microphones and a few simple tricks, will be huge!

BY ROB GEE

on your performance platform. This eliminates the need to always watch the computer and instead brings you back to a hardware oriented performance. The computer then acts as a powerful engine to drive the rig, but no longer takes a central role in the performance aspect of the Kontrol setup. This is a huge advance for Native Instruments and will see many DJs who prefer to work with the modern CDJ units looking their way in interest as this new controller starts to appear in the club scene. I think this one is going to be big and I am sure there are many of you who have seen some of the teasers going around online already. There are some big names in the DJ world that have stood up and backed this unit even before its release, so this will definitely be one to look out for.

BY ROB GEE For more information on Native Instruments contact CMI Music at www.cmi.com.au or phone (03) 9315 2244.

STUDIO

New i-Series. New song.

iOne™

iTwo™

Tracked on her iPad® with new Capture™ Duo. Beamed wirelessly to her laptop and mixed with Studio One® Artist.

Available for sale to her fan base the same day via Nimbit®. The iOne and iTwo are the only 96kHz USB 2.0 interfaces with a seamless suite of easy-to-use software that encourages your creativity. ©2014 PreSonus Audio Electronics., Inc. All Rights Reserved. iOne, iTwo and Nimbit are trademarks or registered trademarks of PreSonus Audio Electronics, Inc. Capture and Studio One are trademarks or registered trademarks of PreSonus Software Ltd. All other marks are property of their respective holders. Except any smudges you get on this magazine. Those marks are solely your property.

Full info and videos at… www.presonus.com/i-series

PG. 35 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

ON THE DOWNLOW PLAYiNG wiTH 8-STRiNG GUiTARS

BASS

Last year I finally bit the bullet and bought an 8-string guitar (an Ibanez Iron Label RG RGIR28FE modded with Seymour Duncan Pegasus and Sentient pickups, if you must know). At first I was like “Woohoo! I can play superlow guitar parts!” and I spent a few weeks chugging out on the lowest two strings, making some of the most evil sounds known to man. Don’t get me wrong, that’s certainly not all I use the 8-string for: I use it for ultra-wide moody-goth chord voicings and bluesy walking basslines probably more than I use it for djenting out, but after a few weeks of chuggin’ I developed a concern: what the hell am I going to do on bass now?

This is a tricky one because when my 8-string guitar is in standard tuning, its lowest note is only two frets higher than the lowest note of a standard-tuned four-string bass. I can tune my guitar’s lowest string down to E, but when you tune down that low you can’t really make out the chord voicings. If I’m using my five-string bass, my lowest bass note is seven semitones lower than the lowest note of my guitar. Obviously someone’s gotta compromise, so who is it going to be: ‘bass me’ or ‘guitar me’?

One way I’ve found to get the two to sit nicely together in an arrangement - especially if it’s a heavy song where both instruments feel like they should be playing the same riff - is to simply go on thinking of my four-string bass as the sonic foundation, and to consider the 8-string guitar to be a different sonic texture that can sit alongside the bass in the same octave. After all, a punchy bass tone is going to have a different voice to a twangy guitar one in the same octave due to the longer scale length, the amplifier being used, the fatter strings - there are all sorts of reasons why a bass will sound different to a guitar even if they’re playing the same note. In these instances I adopt a ‘lead bass’ approach, allowing the bass to take centre stage while I let the guitar add some hair and grit. It’s a vaguely similar approach to the one we looked at a few months ago in layering a few different bass sounds in a

DAW to get the best combination of punch and growl.

Another option is to let the bass do what it would normally do while the guitar plays wider chord voicings. The 8-string allows you to play root notes higher up on the fretboard (you don’t just have to use the lowest notes on the low F# string), and this in turn lets you play notes on the higher strings that you simply wouldn’t be able to reach on a conventional guitar if you were stuck down the low end. So while that’s all happening the bass can go on doing what a bass does best. So in these cases ‘guitar me’ wins.

But perhaps one of the most fun things to do when playing bass along with an 8-string guitar is to take the opportunity to rise out of the foundations and to take centre stage for a while, letting the guitar hold down the low end while ‘bass me’ gets to explore more solo-like phrasing, since the bass is freed from the role of providing a solid bed upon which to riff out.

In these situations I flip my guitar’s pickups to single coil mode to get a punchier, edgier tone that is more like, say, a Fender Jazz Bass, and I roll back the gain a little. Then I might use a fuzz or overdrive pedal on the bass to enhance the harmonic overtones a little. If the guitar part is dwelling around that low F#, that means I have F# notes I can noodle around at the second and 14th frets of the low E string, the 9th and

21st frets of the A, the fourth and 16th frets of the D string, and the 11th fret of the G string.

That’s a nice wide range of notes from very low to pretty darn high, and each range has its own tonal qualities to explore. I might stomp on a wah-wah pedal for some Cliff Burton-style growl, or perhaps a delay for a little Peter Hook/New Order/Joy Division ambience.

I love the challenge - maybe ‘challenge’ isn’t the

BANGIN’ THE TUBS miKE mANGiNi – A dREAm THEATER mASTERCLASS If you haven’t heard of Mike Mangini, then perhaps you should enlighten yourself by checking out some footage of one of the greatest drummers of today. Then again, maybe you would have heard that world renowned band Dream Theater had acquired a new drummer? Big shoes to fill? Yep, it was Mike Mangini who got the call, and we look into the master of percussion before he lands for a string of Dream Theater shows an intimate masterclasses.

Mike has steadily made a name for himself in drumming circles over the years and with good reason. He’s a complete powerhouse of energy and technical brilliance on the drums, but to pinpoint him as purely an amazing rock drummer is selling him short. Mike considers himself a teacher and a student equally. He credits his teaching at Berklee College to the systems he felt necessary to develop in order to best prepare students for their graded recitals. His concepts and ideas stem from a unique passion for the instrument, knowledge of how the body’s movements are needed to play music emotively and a want of technical freedom.

The terms Right-handed and left-handed don’t necessarily apply to Mike Mangini. His very approach to the way he sets up his drums and the way he thinks about playing the drums attest to this. Mike comes from a classical background and understands the patience and precision that is needed to be a percussionist in an orchestra, as well as the technical prowess needed to be part of a marching corps band. These solid experiences, along with a competency in various musical styles combine to create an approach to drumming that focuses on melodies, emotions and rhythms as equals.

Mike’s two publications – Rhythm Knowledge - Vol 1 and 2 focus on presenting a system for learning that makes the student acutely aware of how the body works, how this applies to drumming and how to practice. In addition

PG. 36 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

to this, some of the concepts covered include likening rhythms to a simple binary code for easy analysis, methods of understanding any odd time signature, Clockwise/Counter-clockwise Limb System and Permutations.

Mike Mangini’s set up shows the thought process behind his method of drumming and the way he strives to play the instrument. Every piece is deliberately placed, designed and conceived for a purpose. Mike admits that in the past he was misunderstood for just having a big drum kit. The more you study the man, the more you understand why he does what he does. Then, you appreciate how good he does it.

Be sure to check out Mike Mangini during his clinics and master classes across Australia, proudly presented by Drum Scene Magazine.

BY ADRIAN VIOLI

ToUR dATES

October 28 – Drumtek Auditorium, Melbourne VIC October 31 – Parramatta RSL, Parramatta NSW November 2 – Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA November 3 – The Acacia Ridge Hotel QLD For more info visit: www.drumscene.com.au Book tickets at www.moshtix.com.au

right word so much as ‘opportunity’ of allowing the bass to explore things beyond its ‘standard’ role. Sometimes you can do this when you’re playing in a very minimal format, like drums and bass. And sometimes you can do it because someone else is holding down the fort for you, like a keyboard player or an 8-string guitarist.

BY PETER HODGSON

DRUMS

WHAT’S MY RANGE AGAIN? CLASSICAL VS CONTEMPORARY SINGING

VOCALS

Myth! If you can sing classically you can sing anything. This is one of the biggest misconceptions in the singing industry? Fact! There are only two genres and styles of singing! Contemporary. Classical. Period, end of story!

They are two completely different styles of singing and so are the methods and techniques required to teach and learn them.

CLASSICAL SINGING The first real serious studies of the singing voice started in Italy with the Roman Catholic Church sometime near the beginning of the 13th century. However, earlier forms have been traced back to the late 12th century in Ancient Greek history. Through time the study of voice moved into Germany and then into other European countries. The classical voice was largely trained to sing in opera houses, churches, auditoriums, coliseums and amphitheatres. A lot of these venues were extremely large or outdoor open venues with no modern microphone technology for projection and volume. So they were practiced by the singer with the predominant mindset of having to have a lot of projection, volume and power so that everyone present at the performance, near or far could hear the performance. In short, classical training is stuck in a tradition or an expectation of what ‘classical’ should sound like. It is not free to explore and grow the voice like contemporary singing does.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CLASSICAL AND CONTEMPORARY SINGING? As any modern contemporary singer will know, you can still sing at a very low volume into a microphone and sound fantastic.

There is a common theme I notice when teaching classically trained singers. Many female classical vocalists who have come to see me have not known how to sing in their “true” voice. They have never been taught to do this and have only trained in their Falsetto when singing up high. This is what I call “Fake Soprano” or “Falsetto Soprano”. On the other hand, many

male classically trained singers have never used their Falsetto or have not known what it even is as they have only been taught to sing in their True Voice. Almost all did not know how to use correct mouth placement to produce a variety of vowel sounds because in classical training they use a ‘yawn’ or ‘round’ shape for most vowel placements.

In modern contemporary singing tuition we use varying mouth shapes for all five different vowels, and there are no sounds that we cannot use! There are no rules in modern contemporary singing except that you need to sing in key and not hurt your voice. All other sounds are acceptable and are interchangeable depending on music genre, song choice and the individual singer! There is no “one and only” method of singing in contemporary singing and this is what will help you to develop your unique potential to create sounds, in a truly uninhibited way and will allow you to understand how your vocal anatomy works.

The idea that “if you can sing classical you can sing anything” is a mistakenly held belief that has caused much confusion, inconsistency and even competition within the singing world. If anything is true, classical singing may restrict you from reaching full vocal expression and flexibility.

SO WHAT IS CONTEMPORARY OR MODERN SINGING? Please keep in mind that I have nothing against classical singing or the methods used to teach it. I have personally studied forms of classical and the Bel Canto singing technique. However, modern singing has really broadened and developed the understanding of our vocal anatomy and

expanded upon classical singing. Sure classical singing is a useful foundation and a good way to start to learn about singing but it will not give you your authentic voice. Many teachers are stuck in conforming to specific traditional systems but this is very limiting to the singing student. If you understand that the human voice works a certain way you can get it to do many strange and wonderful sounds - just look at beat boxing! A worldwide phenomenon that began with a few brave and talented individuals, but 100 years ago this would have seemed like alien language or the Devils tongue! Don’t be afraid to experiment with your voice and let it make different and unusual sounds.

Also a lot of classical teachers say that if you’re singing theatre or drama you should be taking classical lessons. Again a major untruth! 95% of theatre these days is sung in a contemporary voice. Listen to Les Miserables, Wicked, South Pacific and so on. The King and I was in town not that long ago and the main female lead sang all the parts in true and chest voice in a contemporary

style. Also, many classical teachers try to cross over into teaching mainstream singing but fall into the trap of letting their female singers go to Falsetto whenever they want and don’t allow their male singers to use Falsetto. In modern contemporary tuition we try to expand all ranges as high as we possibly can, safely in True Voice and Falsetto. This way the student has the option to use both of the ranges if need be.

CONCLUSION Do your research on the singing teacher that you wish to see and ask them questions regarding what they can offer and give you as a student.

Don’t just pick a singing teacher because they are cheap or close to where you live. There are great singing teachers available everywhere now online too. It is important to remember that a classical method is a classical method and a contemporary method, contemporary.

BY PETER AND RYAN VOX

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MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014 / PG. 37

UNLEASH YOUR INNER ROCK GOD UNLEASHiNG THE FURY wiTH YNGwiE mALmSTEEN

GUITAR

Yngwie Malmsteen is the undisputed master of neoclassical guitar. Other players like Richie Blackmore and Uli Jon Roth had explored elements of the style but none have pushed it to quite the extremes that Yngwie has.

A million guitarists arose in his wake to try to copy what he was doing, but none have managed to capture Yngwie’s pure power and dazzling technique.

As Yngwie himself puts it when discussing the various Yngwie clones who sprung up over the years, “that’s why I call myself Yngwie J Malmsteen, not to be confused with all the other Yngwie Malmsteens.” Yngwie is about to hit Australia for his first concert tour since 2006.

“It’s gonna be high excitement, high energy,” Yngwie says. “A perfect example is the concert DVD I just put out. That was from Orlando, Florida, and they’re two days apart. If you see two shows, they’re not going to be the same, but obviously, having said that, I’m going to play the songs that you guys would expect but with some different nuances.” That’s a great point.

You don’t go to an Yngwie Malmsteen show to hear him play it like the album, because he probably didn’t play it the same way twice in the studio either.

Yngwie has fond memories of last year’s Australian master class tour for Thump Music.

“That was awesome,” he says. “I was really digging that. I had the greatest time. It was just very, very cool. It’s really good when you can show it by talking about it, explaining, playing.”

While Yngwie is in Australia he’ll be doing VIP meet-and-greet/Q&A sessions. “That’s what I’ve been told,” he says.

If you’ve seen the new live DVD you’d know that Yngwie’s stage setup is, in a word, unique.

About three quarters of the stage are devoted to Yngwie, with the rest of the band over in a corner. In a way it says ‘We all know who you’re here to see,’ but Yngwie says there’s another, more practical reason for it. “It’s for 42 Marshall amps,” he laughs. So does he have any hearing trouble from all that volume? “No it’s cool. I’m good. I always thought the Marshalls were never

really an abrasive sound, so it doesn’t really come across as too loud to me. The bad part is the cymbals and stuff like that.”

In terms of live sound, Yngwie’s gear is the same as his studio gear, including mixture of original vintage Marshall ‘Plexi’ heads and his signature Marshall YJM model. “They all look the same except the ones I have are big fat 200watt Marshall Major boxes,” he says. “And the speakers are Celestion 75s. They don’t have Greenbacks in them. I like the punchy sound from the 75s, even though the boxes look like the Greenbacks. I asked my friends at Marshall to make them all with the grey grille because it looks better. When I come to Australia I’ll probably use whatever they’ve got there - I won’t bring all my shit down.” These speakers allow every note to sound clearly, whether it’s a long, sustained scream or part of an intense cascade of arpeggios. “Yeah, I think that’s probably one of the most focal points since I can remember. One of the main reasons for that was because when I heard Pagannini it freaked me out because the way the bowing was done, you don’t play more than one string; you can’t. So each note is solid, like a monophonic thing, and that’s hard to do when you have a bunch of distortion and stuff.

You’ve just got to make sure each note has its place. And each note must mean something, otherwise you don’t fucking play it. To me that was always the big challenge as well as the big

reward. It’s nice when you get it right and the notes come out like that.”

Yngwie’s guitar collection includes a signature Fender Stratocaster and a pair of Ovation acoustics. “It’s an unbelievable guitar, he says of the Ovation line. “I use the nylon-string classical onstage. There’s also a steel-string one and they both come scalloped. It’s like a Viper but it’s not.

It’s got really, really big frets on it and the neck profile is different, and it has violin-style F-holes on it. It has a preamp but I use the EQ flat.

And to me I can’t imagine using anything else.

It’s so perfect for what I do on stage, playing with a keyboard player and all that. And the Fenders, I think they’re the most finely-tuned guitars, they’re like a racing Ferrari. They’re just beautiful.”

Yngwie’s Strats are also pretty durable: “A couple of years ago I was doing a TV show in Sweden, like a family show almost, with a David Letterman-style house band. And I had a bunch of Marshall stacks, smoke machines and shit

like this. After the song I took my guitar and I threw it like 30 feet to my stacks for the tech to catch. It turns out the producer told the tech not to stand there because he couldn’t be in the shot, so the guitar just flies and bangs into the Marshall stacks, bounces on top of the heads and goes behind the stacks. It was feeding back, like [imitates the horrendous feedback sound]. It looked like a part of the show so it was great. I picked the guitar up afterwards and the guitar wasn’t even out of tune. They’re amazing!”

BY PETER HODGSON

ToUR dATES

February 6 - The Metro, Sydney NSW February 7 - The Forum, Melbourne VIC February 8 - The Tivoli, Brisbane QLD February 10 - Hellenic Hall, Hobart TAS February 11 - HQ, Adelaide SA February 12 - The Astor, Perth WA

WHAT’S THAT SOUND mAKiNG wAVES

KEYS

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for just about any synthesizer that has been produced by German sonic stable Waldorf. I think this goes back to an interview with Gary Numan some stage in the 90’s when he was photographed in his studio in front of a Microwave XTk. That orange keyboard stands out a mile away, not only visually but in sound as well and could be heard in his production of that era. A lot of what Waldorf have in their modern sounds, they really owe to a now long-gone company that they took over from, a company that gave us a very usable tool in modern synthesizer development and a company that pushed the boundaries of wavetable synthesis when it was really just beginning. I am of course, talking about PPG, or Palm Products GmbH which existed out of Germany in the 70’s and early 80’s and created some amazing keyboards like their ever-tobe –remembered PPG Wave 2.

THE SECOND COMING Before Waldorf gave us the Wave and the Microwave and even a software variant, another German synth design company was working on the concept of using digital wavetables to generate a sound and then combining them with analogue filters and VCA envelopes to give them a really rich and warm sound. What resulted was a keyboard that offered the user the flexibility of a modern digital synth, but also brought so much of the tone that we all knew and loved from analogue keyboards. This was a big step in the early 80’s as we were just seeing the real development of digital synthesizers emerge and people were beginning to get caught up in their capabilities. What soon happened though, with this influx of new technology was that many synth users began to realise what was missing in their new keyboards, and that was the sound.

The sound of the older analogue keyboards just wasn’t present and although the digital units offered so much freedom and ease of use, they were still lacking in the tone department.

This is what set the PPG Wave 2 apart from so many other units and why it was kept alive and reinvented again and again, years later when Waldorf eventually took over the company.

PG. 38 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

THE COMPUTERIZED SOUND Many of you would remember Tangerine Dream; some of you probably still listen to their current works as they have released more than 100 albums in the past four decades. This is no mean feat by anyone’s standards and show just how hard-working this German group has been through all of their line-up changes over the years. Following their success of their album Stratosfear in the late 70s they worked with PPG to develop the first Wave in 1978.

The PPG Wave Computer 360 was born and allowed artists like Tangerine Dream to further experiment with their electronic performance and push their sound into new realms. However, this first synth failed somewhat as it was deemed to be too tinny in tone and lacked any real depth or warmth. But with the release of the Wave 2 and the push towards an analogue back-end on a digital oscillator concept driven by wavetable synthesis, the Wave 2 was firmly cemented in electronic music history. As some additional variations were gradually released, the Wave 2 saw increased polyphony and the ability to operate with two separate oscillators, giving it even more depth in its sound and opening up a range of sonic possibilities.

What PPG did was embrace this new digital technology very early in its music making inception and then had the forethought to blend it with classic analogue circuitry to round off the sound. Because of this, the PPG Wave sound can still be heard in a range of modern productions and the different offerings from Waldorf such as the Waldorf Wave, Microwave and their PPG Wave software synthesizer continues to be popular. In fact, you would be very hard pressed to find any of these varieties going on the second hand market as those who own them rarely give them up.

The sounds of the PPG Wave 2 can very definitely be heard in the works of synth pioneers like Trevor Horn, Thomas Dolby and most certainly Jean Michel Jarre, to name just a few. This was

just one of those “must have” keyboards in the 80s that it popped up all over the place and was to be heard on any number of classic synth driven albums. Like the DX7, a few years later that really took the world by storm for what it could achieve, the PPG Wave 2 was a keyboard that was well ahead of its time and delivered not only a quality in sound unlike anything heard before, but also a way of working that surpassed so many other synthesizers of the time. Because of this, we will forever remember the sound of the PPG Wave 2 whether we hear it in its original form or from a later Waldorf variation of this true classic keyboard.

BY ROB GEE

WHERE NEW TRADITIONS A.R.E MADE The new Yamaha L-Series is the perfect combination of traditional style with real performance. Time-honoured body designs in three styles, a choice of Rosewood or Mahogany back and sides, as well as: •

Acoustic Resonance Enhancement (A.R.E) treatment that gives the solid Engleman Spruce top the linear cell structure similar to that of much older wood for a more mature sound

•

All-new bracing design to create a warm, rich tone that fits perfectly in a mix or solo

•

Traditional styling and finishes that echo Yamaha’s heritage of creating fine acoustic guitars played by legendary musicians

•

A new neck profile made from Rosewood and Mahogany (5-ply) that feels instantly played-in

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WATCH VIDEOS youtube.com/yamahaaustralia PG. 39 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

WIN! YAM

ACOUS AHA APX5 TIC/ 00 SEE PA ELECTRIC GU ITAR! GE 6 FO R DETA ILS

YAMAHA A1M ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $799

The acoustic guitar is an instrument that is as versatile as it is classic. It’s many uses span genres old and new and it’s significance in musical history can’t be overlooked.

Regardless of the type of music you consider to be your strong suit, any guitarist worth their salt needs to be able to. navigate an acoustic.

This month we look at the acoustic guitar, as well as a whole bunch of bells and whistles you can get to further your acoustic sound and performance.

Peer through the following pages and have a look at what our writers have had to say about some of the latest and greatest guitars, banjos, amps, mics,

pedals, strings and accessories on the market and remember to check in with your local retailer to try the gear you fancy, out for yourself. Who knows, the missing piece of your musical puzzle might just be within these pages, enjoy the read.

YAMAHA AC3M ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT BODY ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

ACOUSTIC TYPE: CONCERT BODY ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who is looking at a range of dreadnought guitars with a cutaway and a pickup for around $600 will find this a pleasant change from so many similar guitars on the market.

RECOMMENDED FOR: For anyone looking at a guitar for around $1000 that includes a pickup and feels a little different to all the other dreadnoughts out there, this could well be the instrument for you.

SOUND AND TONE: A big sound that would suggest the back and sides were in fact solid, when they actually aren’t. There is plenty of bottom end and overall warmth to the sound of this instrument.

SOUND AND TONE: A very detailed sound that is somewhat surprising given the body shape and size. It sounds a lit bigger than what it is and has a defined mid-range that is enhanced by the solid mahogany back and sides.

PLAYABILITY: Like the AC3M also tested here, this features a wonderful neck that feels played in and comfortable right away. The semi-gloss finish to the neck moves through the hand effortlessly, making you want to play it as soon as you get it in your hands.

PLAYABILITY: What I love about the AC range of guitars from Yamaha is the necks. They feel like a guitar neck that has been played in for ten years and worn around the edges. The rolled edges of the fretboard are so comfortable; this guitar just feels familiar as soon as you pick it up.

CONSTRUCTION: A very solid build for an acoustic guitar and perhaps a little too solid in some regards.

This instrument actually feels quite heavy for its size and very sturdy because of this fact.

OVERALL: I love how this guitar offers something different to so many other instruments in the price range. Better still, it stands out not only by looks and feel, but by sound too. You need to play and hear one of these before your next guitar purchase.

TOP: Solid Sitka Spruce BACK: Mahogany SIDES: Mahogany NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: System 63 S.R.T CASE INCLUDED: N/A

PG. 40 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

CONSTRUCTION: Solid top, solid back and solid sides sees this as a well appointed instrument with a well designed pickup system built in as well.

These guitars are made to last and see you through many years of enjoyment.

OVERALL: The AC3M sounds great and plays wonderfully. It is a big step up in sound from the lower priced models from Yamaha and offers a body shape and size that is not all that common, but which many people really like.

TOP: Solid Sitka Spruce BACK: Solid Mahogany SIDES: Solid Mahogany NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: System 66 CASE INCLUDED: N/A

RRP: $1199

YAMAHA APX500III ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $529.99

YAMAHA LL6-NT A.R.E ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: THINLINE ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a great guitar for players who prefer a slimmer bodied instrument and also for electric guitar players who want an acoustic instrument on stage that feels more along the lines of the other instruments and not bulky like so many acoustics can be.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone wanting to get the most out of an acoustic guitar and have it sound like a full-bodied instrument, but still having the flexibility to amplify it, should it be necessary.

SOUND AND TONE: There isn’t anything that is left out with the tone of this instrument. Right through its entire frequency range, you can hear all the notes with equal clarity, and it delivers so much volume, projection and dynamic response too.

SOUND AND TONE: This is the best sounding APX500 I have heard acoustically. Although it still sounds thin compared to many other larger bodied guitars, you get the full sound when it is plugged in.

PLAYABILITY: I know some people will take issue with this guitar not having a cutaway, but in reality, how often do you play those notes on an acoustic?

Its full body does restrict access to a few notes, but it delivers so much more in tone that the trade-off is very worthwhile.

PLAYABILITY: The slim, smooth finished neck is more like that of an electric guitar and feels so easy to play on an acoustic. The body is very comfortable and is easy to get the right arm around whether standing or sitting.

CONSTRUCTION: Everything about this guitar’s build is spot on.

The selected all solid timbers are very nice and the five piece neck has been sliced for added strength, tine and straightness ensuring it won’t have problems in years to come.

CONSTRUCTION: A very well appointed instrument with the all too familiar oval sound hole that is featured on APX guitars with a moulded rosette insert for extra strength and balance with the internal bracing.

OVERALL: I think that it is sad that the lack of a cutaway may stop some people from even trying this guitar out. It is so good that you will not worry about that after a few minutes of play. It is all about the timber and its tone with this guitar, so the more you can get on it, the better.

OVERALL: There is a reason why these guitars have been so popular in their previous models and it is easy to see that this popularity will continue with the third generation of the APX500. A great sound when plugged in and a certain ease of playability makes this a very usable instrument for a range of applications.

TOP: Solid Engleman Spruce with A.R.E treatment BACK: Rosewood SIDES: Rosewood NECK: 5-Piece Rosewood and Mahogany PICK-UP: Zero Impact Passive Pickup CASE INCLUDED: Yes

TOP: Spruce BACK: Nato SIDES: Nato NECK: Nato PICK-UP: System 65 CASE INCLUDED: N/A

YAMAHA LL16NT12 A.R.E 12-STRING ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $999.99

YAMAHA LS6M-NT A.R.E ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT 12-STRING ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

ACOUSTIC TYPE: CONCERT ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: When the guitarist wants a bigger, bolder, fuller sound, this should be where they turn.

All the charm, quality and character of the LL16, but with an extra 6 strings.

RECOMMENDED FOR: The discerning guitarist who wants an instrument that is all about sound and isn’t concerned about fancy tricks, pretty inlays or unnecessary cutaways.

SOUND AND TONE: This instrument has a rich and vibrant tone thanks to a combination of the body working with the twelve strings. A beautiful chorus-like tone that sustains for longer than you would imagine is what you get with this guitar.

SOUND AND TONE: This guitar delivers a very well rounded sound that is reminiscent of guitars of this body shape and size, but with a little more low frequency response than you might have expected.

PLAYABILITY: With a neck that is so slim for a twelve string guitar, and a supremely low action, this is not a chore to play in any way. You really feel like you are playing an electric twelve it is that easy in the left hand.

PLAYABILITY: The neck is lovely and smooth; it feels so slick in the hand. Right out of the case, it plays beautifully and doesn’t need any adjustment at all. This is made all the more easy with the smaller body size that just allows this guitar to sit so comfortably on your legs as you play.

CONSTRUCTION: What can I say, this is a Yamaha and it comes with its own case, so you know the construction is going to be top quality without even getting it into your hands. The all solid timber and precise craftsmanship are of the standards set by Japan in all their guitars.

RRP: $749.99

RRP: $749.99

CONSTRUCTION: I can’t really fault these guitars for their construction. The all solid body has been put together in such a way as to make the most of all of the timber, with no preamp mounted into the side, allowing the wood to resonate freely.

OVERALL: I don’t get to hear a lot of 12-string guitars and when I do, they are usually a letdown.

But the LL16-12 is anything but. It makes sense that it should be impressive, if you start with a very well made guitar and add another six strings, it has to be good.

OVERALL: This is definitely worth having a play of if you can get your hands on one. Don’t be rushing to buy a different brand name when you are looking for a similar guitar, make sure you try this model out first and you might well be pleasantly surprised.

TOP: Solid Engleman Spruce with A.R.E treatment BACK: Solid Rosewood SIDES: Solid Rosewood NECK: 5-Piece Rosewood and Mahogany PICK-UP: Zero Impact Passive Pickup CASE INCLUDED: Yes

TOP: Solid Engleman Spruce with A.R.E treatment BACK: Mahogany SIDES: Mahogany NECK: 5-Piece Rosewood and Mahogany PICK-UP: Zero Impact Passive Pickup CASE INCLUDED: Yes

PG. 41 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

YAMAHA NCX1200R NYLON STRING ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $2099.99

COLE CLARK ANGEL REDWOOD ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR (AN2EC-RDRW - 2 SERIES CUSTOM)

ACOUSTIC TYPE: NYLON STRING ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA

ACOUSTIC TYPE: ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: COLE CLARK GUITARS

RECOMMENDED FOR: This could be the perfect instrument for the classical guitarist who wants extended reach and amplified sound, or it could be just the thing for the steel string acoustic player who wants to branch out into a quality nylon string for a change in sound.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Folk, bluegrass, country, blues, fingerpickers, studio players, guitarists wanting a smaller bodied guitar with a softer, responsive top.

SOUND AND TONE: Responsive and warm, the Redwood top makes a huge difference to the typical Cole Clark Angel tone. A softer wood, it gives the guitar a more refined sound with increased overtones and a slightly darker tone that would be great for finger pickers and studio players alike.

SOUND AND TONE: This guitar delivers a really punchy nylon tone that although very classical in its softer timbre and attack, still has plenty of bite to its sound and isn’t afraid to show it off.

PLAYABILITY: I think a lot of steel string acoustic players will find this is a guitar they will be able to work with very comfortably. It just wants to be played and combined with the slim body and extended fret access, the neck just makes it a really fun experience to play.

PLAYABILITY: Smaller bodied, the Angel sits nicely on your knee allowing you to really wrap around the instrument for more intricate playing.

The cutaway gives you smooth access to the higher register and it’ll handle chords, strumming, finger style and single note picking with ease.

CONSTRUCTION: Everything about this guitar oozes style. The finish is flawless, the timbers used are really nice and the included case is just the perfect addition to a guitar that really deserves to be looked after and treated like something special.

CONSTRUCTION: The Redwood top is something new for Cole Clark and the grain looks amazing whilst also adding some beautiful resonance to the guitar’s acoustic properties.

OVERALL: Resonant and rich sounds with nice overtones and sustain in a small body guitar that feels great.

OVERALL: We don’t often see high end Yamaha nylon string guitars here in Australia, so it is nice to have had this one for a test. I think we need to see more of these guitars and similar models on our shores.

TOP: Californian Redwood BACK: Indian Rosewood SIDES: Indian Rosewood NECK: Queensland Maple PICK-UP: Cole Clark 3-Way CASE INCLUDED: SKB Standard Moulded

TOP: Solid Spruce BACK: Solid Rosewood SIDES: Solid Rosewood NECK: African Mahogany PICK-UP: System 61 2-Way A.R.T CASE INCLUDED: Yes

COLE CLARK FAT LADY 2 BLACKWOOD ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $2599

TIMBERIDGE TR-3LTDA ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: COLE CLARK GUITARS

ACOUSTIC TYPE: ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: JADE AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: Folk, rock, country, blues, strummers and semi to pro live players wanting an acoustic/ electric guitar that can handle the rigours of live work.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Players looking for a well-made instrument with good, quality materials at an affordable price.

SOUND AND TONE: Clear and concise, the Blackwood top produces even less overtones making it an excellent choice for a guitar to be plugged in. Sounds big and vibrant, which really translates well in an amplified setting.

PLAYABILITY: Whilst strummers and chord players will appreciate the bigger body size, it’s definitely not a tough guitar to play. The neck is smooth with a little extra chunkiness that feels like you’re holding on to a battleaxe.

CONSTRUCTION: The darker features are offset against the creamy white binding for an earthy, natural look. Included is a 3 way pick-up system that allows you to blend between the piezo, face sensor and microphone.

OVERALL: A twist on the classic Fat Lady model, great for live and plugging in. It’s also a solid acoustic with plenty of volume and spark in the unplugged realm.

TOP: Blackwood BACK: Blackwood SIDES: Blackwood NECK: Queensland Maple PICK-UP: Cole Clark 3 Way CASE INCLUDED: SKB Standard Moulded

PG. 42 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

RRP: $2999

SOUND AND TONE: Clear and bright, this Timberidge sounds great. There isn’t that real depth of sound you might get with more expensive guitars but you still get nice low end, sparkle and projection that is really pleasing. The simple pick up system sounds great and gives you a good ‘flat’ EQ to play with. Better than I expected.

PLAYABILITY: Out of the case, the TR-3 feels great and well sorted. I didn’t have any intonation issues at all and the action is low enough for comfort but high enough to play a bit harder.

CONSTRUCTION: Solid Spruce top with dark Rosewood back and sides, natural gloss finish, Mahogany neck and Rosewood fingerboard, ‘TUSQ’ Nut and saddle, Herringbone timber binding on neck and body, Grover gold machine heads, B-Band A 3T under saddle pick up with volume control. Also features a Rosewood (TR) bridge with recessed pins. Comes with D’Addario EXP long-life stings and a choice of 3 pick guards.

OVERALL: This is a great guitar for the money. The little details on the guitar won’t disappoint and the Deluxe Paisley complimentary case is a real bonus too.

TOP: Solid Spruce BACK: Rosewood SIDES: Rosewood NECK: Mahogany PICK-UPS: B-Band A 3T CASE INCLUDED: Vintage Paisley

RRP: $599

SIGMA DR-41 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

RRP: $795

MARTIN 000-18 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: JACARANDA MUSIC

ACOUSTIC TYPE: OOO ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

RECOMMENDED FOR: Guitarists who want a dreadnought guitar purely for its acoustic capabilities and not for use on stage are going to love this. For big sound and a great look, this is the guitar to check out.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fingerpickers who need clarity and detail, as well as flatpickers who need dynamics and attack.

SOUND AND TONE: There’s a gently scooped quality to the 00018’s midrange, which makes it a great guitar for delicate fingerpicking, but it snaps back nicely when you pick a little harder for dramatic effect.

Play with a pick and you’ll get a more aggressive treble but the impressive natural sustain keeps this guitar from ever sounding harsh.

SOUND AND TONE: This is a really well balanced instrument tonally. It does deliver plenty of top end, but the lower frequencies are well and truly there too with the Rosewood back and sides. But the best bit is all the stuff in the middle that is so evenly dispersed, no notes are left lacking.

PLAYABILITY: The neck is quite thin and very comfortable and the fretwork is neat and unobtrusive. The factory-set action is a nice gentle medium, which encourages you to try new stuff or to simply dwell on a chord for a while.

PLAYABILITY: Like so many Sigma guitars, this one has a great neck and a decent action, although it could really be great with a slight adjustment of the neck and nut to make the most of the feel.

CONSTRUCTION: Nice fretwork, nice finishing, beautiful pieces of wood. There really isn’t anything about this guitar that doesn’t hit the mark. Nice and tidy on the inside as well, which is always a good indicator of tight quality control and attention to detail.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a little bit special, as you get some beautiful inlays not only around the rosette and on the fret markers, but right around the edge of the body as well.

OVERALL: A great guitar for finger style players who need a full-range instrument to cover bass, rhythm and melody at once or for flat pickers who want a good all-rounder that will fade into the background for chord work but will jump out front when something bolder is required.

OVERALL: Looks and sound are combined in the DR-41 to deliver a really great guitar for a price that seems altogether too low for what you get.

Don’t be fooled, this is so much more of an instrument than the price-tag suggests.

TOP: Solid Sitka Spruce BACK: Solid Genuine Mahogany SIDES: Solid Genuine Mahogany NECK: Select Hardwood PICKUPS: Optional CASE: 433 Hardshell

TOP: Solid Sitka Spruce BACK: Indian Rosewood SIDES: Indian Rosewood NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: N/A CASE INCLUDED: N/A

MARTIN D-35E RETRO DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $5199

EPIPHONE LIMITED EDITION 1963 EJ-45 ACOUSTIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT ELECTRIC ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

ACOUSTIC TYPE: ROUND SHOULDER DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: AMI

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who want the timeless, classic Martin dreadnought tone but with modern amplification capabilities.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who want the famous tone, looks and playability of the classic Gibson 1963 J-45, but can’t afford the justifiably high asking price for an actual vintage one.

SOUND AND TONE: This is quite a bold-sounding guitar, with a little more lower midrange and less treble than you might usually expect from a dreadnought. This makes it a very powerful rhythm strummer and a commanding lead instrument. It features a Fishman Aura preamp with electronic imaging from a 1967 vintage D-35 ‘donor’ guitar for tonal authenticity when amplified.

PLAYABILITY: The factory-set action is pretty high and punchy, which is great if you like to really dig in, but might be a bit intimidating for smaller hands or more delicate playing styles. Warm up your hands first before diving into anything too tricky.

Ouch. Martin’s High Performance Neck taper helps a little.

CONSTRUCTION: Everything is top-notch, from the carefullyfinished fretwork to the thin 1/4” width internal bracing to the outline of the pickguard. Martin’s famous quality control is really on the ball here.

OVERALL: A beautifully musical, well-made take on a Martin classic, with the added bonus of greatsounding electronics. a guitar that rewards you for persevering by offering you amazing tone.

TOP: European Spruce BACK: Solid East Indian Rosewood SIDES: Solid East Indian Rosewood NECK: Select Hardwood PICKUPS: Fishman F1 Aura Plus CASE: 445 Hardshell

RRP: $3399

RRP: $399

SOUND AND TONE: The J-45 has a full-bodied tone and there’s still a sweetness to it which is contained in the gentle way the treble frequencies roll off before they become harsh.

PLAYABILITY: A playable guitar that seems to be just right for a number of different styles, from fingerpicking to flatpicking and chording to soloing. It makes a great solo instrument.

CONSTRUCTION: A few rough glue spots here and there, and the sunburst finish isn’t quite as evenly applied as its Gibson counterpart. The tuners also feel a little basic for such a sweet instrument, but overall quite nice and definitely one to hang on to for a lifetime.

OVERALL: A big-toned acoustic which is great as a soloists’ instrument or as part of an ensemble. Chord work sounds full and supportive while solos and melodies are expressive and nuanced. Rather nice for slide too, by the way.

TOP: Spruce BACK: Mahogany SIDES: Mahogany NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: N/A CASE INCLUDED: N/A

PG. 43 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

EPIPHONE EJ-200 ARTIST ACOUSTIC GUITAR

RRP: $449

EPIPHONE LIMITED EDITION 2014 HUMMINGBIRD GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: FLAT TOP DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: AMI

ACOUSTIC TYPE: SQUARE SHOULDER DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: AMI

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who also appreciate the vintage instruments of days gone by. This is Epiphone’s version of the legendary J-200, a powerful instrument introduced in 1937.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Those who need a bright, vibrant-toned acoustic, and who want to stand out from the crowd visually in the same way that they stand out from the band musically.

SOUND AND TONE: Loud, full-toned and not very subtle. This guitar was made to be heard back in the days before amplification was really a thing, and it sounds great for country, rock and singer/songwriter styles.

SOUND AND TONE: Based on the legendary Gibson Hummingbird, the Ltd. Ed. 2014 Hummingbird Artist has a very bright and detailed tone with great projection. It’s perfect for fingerpickers or for single-note lines because every note is so damned articulate.

PLAYABILITY: The EJ-200 Artist is a little unwieldy due to its size, but the Slim Taper neck profile mitigates this to a certain extent.

PLAYABILITY: The SlimTaper neck goes a long way towards enhancing the Hummingbird’s playability and encouraging you to get bolder with your playing styles. This guitar’s natural volume and power is so overwhelming that when you first give it a good thwack you’ll be taken back and forced to more carefully consider your playing choices. That’s a good thing.

CONSTRUCTION: The construction looks great from a distance, but there was a huge splodge of glue running from inside the sound hole all the way down to the treble side bout on the review guitar. Stuff like this won’t affect the actual construction but it does concern some players.

CONSTRUCTION: The Ltd. Ed. 2014 Hummingbird Artist has a beautiful Wine Red flame Maple top (other colours are available too).

OVERALL: A beautifully big-toned guitar which is based on an instrument that’s shared the stage with Don Everly, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, Buddy Holly, Pete Townshend and many more.

OVERALL: A great-sounding, great-playing acoustic which is packed with classic attitude.

TOP: Spruce BACK: Maple SIDES: Maple NECK: Maple PICK-UP: No CASE INCLUDED: No

EPIPHONE PRO-1 PLUS ACOUSTIC GUITAR

TOP: Wine Red - Flame Maple, Ebony - Spruce BACK: Mahogany SIDES: Mahogany NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: No CASE INCLUDED: No

RRP: $349

MATON SRS60 C ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC DISTRIBUTOR: AMI

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREADNOUGHT ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: MATON GUITARS

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone looking for an easy-to-play dreadnought that sounds authentic, has a solid spruce top and a shorter scale length.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a guitar that I regularly recommend to a lot of people. It is great for both acoustic and amplified performance, practice and personal playing. But best of all, it is a guitar for life.

SOUND AND TONE: This is the Led Zeppelin ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ acoustic guitar tone: delicate and detailed, yet warm and full. It’s not quite as complex in tone as an equivalent Gibson model but the general tone is certainly there and it sounds great.

PLAYABILITY: Surprisingly playable. The neck seems pretty narrow which makes it a little bit fiddly to fingerpick, but flatpicking, open chording and barre chords are all very comfortable. If you have small hands but still want to play a dreadnought acoustic, this one is going to suit you just fine.

SOUND AND TONE: This guitar still has that brightness and punchy dynamic that you would expect from a Maton acoustic guitar, but with a very well rounded sound underlying all of that. You can hear the difference going to an all solid design has made for their guitars at this price point.

PLAYABILITY: I love the Maton neck, especially the slightly wider string spacing. Every one of these I have picked up feels great right out of the factory with no further setup required.

CONSTRUCTION: While not up to US-made construction quality standards, this is still a nicely made guitar that feels like it’s in it for the long haul.

The shorter scale length is a bold choice but it sure works.

CONSTRUCTION: There is no doubting the quality control adhered to by the team at Maton. These guitars may reflect their entry level price point, but they are still made to an exacting standard that leaves many others to shame.

OVERALL: A great ‘folk or classic rock’ acoustic which feels and sounds like it’s going to be with you for many a campfire sing along.

OVERALL: Presenting an all solid guitar for this end of the market is something Maton wanted to do without compromise or increased price points. What they have delivered is a real winner and ticks all the boxes.

TOP: Solid Spruce BACK: Mahogany SIDES: Mahogany NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: N/A CASE INCLUDED: N/A

PG. 44 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

RRP: $399

TOP: Cedar BACK: Qld Maple SIDES: Qld Maple NECK: Qld Maple PICK-UP: AP5 Pro CASE INCLUDED: Hard Case

RRP: $1799

MATON SRS808 ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

RRP: $2099

MATON SRS70C ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITAR

ACOUSTIC TYPE: 808 ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: MATON GUITARS

ACOUSTIC TYPE: DREANOUGHT ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC DISTRIBUTOR: MATON GUITARS

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fingerpickers, strummers, flat pickers and anybody who wants a sweet-toned acoustic - not boomy and punchy like a dreadnought, but with lots of nuance and detail for ‘sole accompaniment’ work.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the guitar I think should be the ‘go to’ instrument for musicians who are regularly gigging and want a worthy tool that can be used week in and week out while performing to the standard they demand.

SOUND AND TONE: A very sweet-toned instrument with a gentle, but clear high end, muted bass and a harmonically rich midrange. It sounds fantastic when you play softly too, and upper fret access is actually a little easier than it looks.

SOUND AND TONE: The complexity of sound in this instrument with the solid Blackwood back and sides really brings an added warmth to it. Acoustically it is beautifully resonant and amplified with the new AP5 Pro preamp and microphone system.

PLAYABILITY: Extremely playable right out of the box. A nice low-medium string height makes it easy to wander up and down the entire neck with no discomfort. The neck shape itself is also very welcoming to long playing sessions.

It’s especially finger-friendly for wide chord voicings that might find you stretching by five or six frets.

PLAYABILITY: Just like any other Maton acoustic, this guitar plays great right out of the case it is supplied in. The factory setups are pretty slick and suit the Elixir strings supplied, but a slight tweak along the road to suit your playing style will make it even better.

CONSTRUCTION: The new design work that has been going on at Maton over the last few years is seeing instruments like this come out with increased resonance and combined with strength in the build. You will not have a problem with this instrument; you will have it for life.

CONSTRUCTION: Beautiful construction from the nice solid neck joint to the firmness of the tuners to the finishing of the frets. And the piezo/mic/preamp system is well implemented, unobtrusive and perfectly tuned for great tone no matter what you play it through.

OVERALL: This will be the ultimate small-bodied guitar for many players. It really brings it all together: tone, playability, looks and construction quality.

OVERALL: Although I was saddened to see certain Maton models getting retired this year, the SRS70C more than fills the gap and delivers so much more to the Maton range than there ever was.

This guitar is a real winner, hands down.

TOP: Cedar BACK: Solid Blackwood SIDES: Solid Blackwood NECK: Qld Maple PICK-UP: AP5 Pro CASE INCLUDED: Hard Case

TOP: Cedar BACK: Solid Blackwood SIDES: Solid Blackwood NECK: Qld Maple PICK-UP: AP5 Pro CASE INCLUDED: Hard Case

NASHVILLE NBJ-42 OPEN BACK BANJO

RRP: $595

MARTINEZ MBJ-65E 6-STRING ELECTRIC BANJO

PRODUCT TYPE: 5-STRING OPEN BACK BANJO DISTRIBUTOR: JACARANDA MUSIC

PRODUCT TYPE: 6 STRING ELECTRIC BANJO DISTRIBUTOR: JADE AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: Any banjo player looking for a quality openback instrument that isn’t about to break the bank. This model is especially worthwhile for those interested in learning frailing style banjo.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This 6 string banjo is ideal for any guitarist wanting to get a banjo sound on stage without having to learn a whole new range of chord voicings or techniques.

SOUND AND TONE: From the player’s listening position, this is a very loud instrument as most of the volume is thrown back at the player. Out front, it has a bright, lively tone with a rich resonance that is unlike open-back models of similar prices.

PLAYABILITY: With a slim neck and flattened fret board at the body joint, this is ideal for frailing style banjo playing where down picking with the back of the fingernails is the preferred method. You don’t often see banjos at this price with a frailing styled fret board.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a really well constructed instrument.

The headstock inlays are neatly finished, the planetary tuners offer fast and precise tuning and the 24 bracket ring mount allows for great tone transfer from the skin to the body.

OVERALL: I didn’t think much of these banjos when I first saw them about a year ago, but I changed my mind as soon as I got one in my hands. They are easy to play and sound like a banjo with twice the price-tag.

TOP: Fiber Skin Head BACK: N/A SIDES: Maple Plywood NECK: Hard Maple PICK-UP: N/A CASE INCLUDED: N/A

RRP: $2199

RRP: $849

SOUND AND TONE: The resonator on this banjo does deliver a big sound for the price tag. It projects really well acoustically, but does even more with the included pickup, allowing it to stand out on stage as well as acoustically.

PLAYABILITY: Easy to play for a guitarist looking for a banjo sound. It does have a pretty big neck on it for a banjo, but anyone used to a solid acoustic guitar neck will get along with this one quite alright.

CONSTRUCTION: This is a nicely appointed instrument with a brass tone ring and well finished binding and components. The lower notes don’t quite resonate as well as they should, but no 5-string banjo really tunes that low or uses strings that heavy.

OVERALL: A great concept that allows guitarists a change in tone but doesn’t quite sound just like a banjo should. This is the problem with 6-string banjos, but in all, this is a very workable instrument made more usable by the included pickup to allow the user freedom on stage.

NECK: Mahogany RESONATOR: Mahogany ARM REST: Chrome plated BRACKETS: 24 brackets TUNERS: Diecast machines

PG. 45 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

WASHBURN B-9 RESONATOR BANJO

RRP: $499.95

OSCAR SCHMIDT OGU6E GUITARLELE

PRODUCT TYPE: BANJO DISTRIBUTOR: DOMINANT MUSIC

PRODUCT TYPE: UKULELE DISTRIBUTOR: DOMINANT MUSIC

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a great beginner’s banjo. For anyone looking to start out and doesn’t quite know what they are looking for in a banjo, this is a great option and will get you on the right path until you find your next instrument.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is a really cool instrument that is going to appeal to guitarists and ukulele players alike. It allows one to play like the other and brings the two worlds together very nicely.

SOUND AND TONE: For a tenor sized ukulele, this is a really big sounding instrument, partly so due to the extended range from the six strings tuned ADGCEA. The all mahogany body delivers plenty of warmth in the tone and the UK2000 preamp works a treat for amplified performance.

SOUND AND TONE: A bright and vibrant tone that jumps out from the instrument, but not really big in the lower frequency range.

PLAYABILITY: As a beginners instrument, this is a really playable banjo. Right out of the box, once the bridge is set in place, it is easy playing and doesn’t need any great adjustment. The lightweight resonator and tone ring make it very comfortable too for those who are not used to heavy brass tone rings.

PLAYABILITY: Being a bit of a hybrid instrument it is hard to liken this to anything as far as playability goes. Ukulele players will love the extended space on the neck and guitar players will find it a comfortable change from larger scale instruments.

CONSTRUCTION: This banjo is a big step up from the model below it in the Washburn range and sees nicely finished binding and inlays with a smooth gloss and Mahogony timbers used for looks and sound.

CONSTRUCTION: With the design team at Washburn behind this instrument, it has been well put together and resonates very nicely. The slotted headstock accommodates some lovely gold Grover tuners and the inlays all go together to make for a special looking instrument.

OVERALL: This is easily one of the best banjos in its price range and a great option for beginners who want something that will last a number of years. It will stand up alongside banjos that sit in a higher price point and deliver confidently.

OVERALL: This is a really fun instrument that will be enjoyable for a wide range of musicians and will no doubt spur on a creative process that hasn’t yet been explored by many.

TOP: N/A BACK: N/A SIDES: N/A NECK: Mahogany with bound Rosewood PICK-UP: N/A CASE INCLUDED: N/A

TOP: Mahogany BACK: Mahogany SIDES: Mahogany NECK: Mahogany PICK-UP: UK2000 active preamp with pickup CASE INCLUDED: N/A

ERNIE BALL ALUMINUM BRONZE ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS

RRP: $24.95

PRODUCT TYPE: GUITAR STRINGS DISTRIBUTOR: CMC MUSIC AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone! The ultimate multi-purpose string, road tested by everyone from Andy McKee and Antione Dufour to John Mayer.

SOUND AND TONE: Some strings are great at expressing clarity.

Others excel at expressing fullness. Ernie Ball’s Aluminium Bronze construction is somehow able to do both of these at the same time, and they do it nice and loud. The clarity seems nice and consistent across the full range of the fretboard, and the low end is full and powerful without being too boomy.

PLAYABILITY: These strings feel relatively smooth (especially for non-coated strings) with the bare minimum of finger noise, which is impressive for strings with such clarity.

RRP: $499.95

MARTIN TONY RICE SIGNATURE ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS

RRP: $19.95

PRODUCT TYPE: GUITAR STRINGS DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

CONSTRUCTION: The windings seem very tight and consistent, the ball end is quite smooth and the strings themselves come out of the package extremely clean, so whatever Ernie Ball is doing to keep corrosion at bay is working. Ernie Ball says the addition of aluminium enhances resistance to acids, sweat and string contaminants, so that’s surely a big part of it, and bodes well for their long-term usability.

OVERALL: Great multi-purpose strings for those who really want their guitar to be heard. If you prefer to blend into the background then these might not be for you, but if you want all of the nuances of your playing to be appreciated you should check them out.

PG. 46 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

RECOMMENDED FOR: Bluegrass legend Tony Rice, or those who want to sound like him. Or for those who want to capture the classic tone of long-discontinued Martin Monel strings, which haven’t been around since the 1970s.

SOUND AND TONE: These strings are designed to mellow quickly which allows the natural tone of the individual guitar to shine through, rather than be clouded by that ‘new string sound.’ The tone will sit nicely within a band setting but there’s still enough projection to let you be heard when it’s time to solo.

PLAYABILITY: These aren’t particularly smooth strings but they encourage you to really dig in, which is important for bluegrass flat-picking.

CONSTRUCTION: Martin engineers are using a new formula to capture the sound of Martin Monel strings.

They use a compound nickel-based alloy that feels suitably old-school.

OVERALL: Legend has it that when Tony Rice tried the final version of these strings he said “Welcome back, old friend.” So if you’re after that classic Clarence White 1935 D28 tone, which hasn’t been available since the 1970s, check out this missing link to strings gone by.

MARTIN RETRO LIGHT ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS

RRP: $19.95

PRODUCT TYPE: ACOUSTIC GUITAR STRINGS DISTRIBUTOR: ELECTRIC FACTORY

FISHMAN SA 220 SOLO PERFORMANCE SYSTEM

RRP: $2149

PRODUCT TYPE: PA SYSTEM DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC RECOMMENDED FOR: Soloists, duos, small bands for rehearsals, gigs at smaller venues and where a large PA isn’t needed and space is an issue. Suits a range of musical styles including folk, country, blues, pop and anything in a more relaxed singer/ songwriter type vein.

SOUND AND TONE: Fishman have employed a line array setup in the SA 220 with six 4” speakers and a single tweeter to help disperse the sound for a full and clear tone. This type of design is great for getting your sound out there, as opposed to it being lost in the front row. With a range of EQ options, built in reverb on each channel, antifeedback and phase controls, you get some added control of those extra nasties that can creep in on the live circuit.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Anyone who has an appreciation for vintage bluegrass tones. Also for those who don’t like the zippy, zingy tone of brand new modern strings.

SOUND AND TONE: These strings are full-bodied with even-tones, which is great for strumming techniques and flat-picking. Fingerpickers might want to check out some of Martin’s other strings though, depending on how sharp they would like their sound to be and how exaggerated they want their note separation to be.

PLAYABILITY: There’s something pleasantly ‘grippy’ about these strings. They don’t punish you for moving your way around the neck, but they aren’t all slippery and slick-feeling either.

CONSTRUCTION: Martin Retro strings are crafted from a longlasting proprietary nickel-based alloy blend.

Similar to the Tony Rice signature strings, these are also designed to mellow quickly rather than sound too ‘new-stringy.’ Like the Tony Rice strings, these are also made with Monel (an alloy which is primarily composed of nickel and copper, with small amounts of iron, manganese, carbon, and silicon).

OVERALL: Great strings for those who appreciate vintage tone and who want their guitar to sound that way now, not in a few hours, gigs or weeks when the strings have broken in. The tones are confident and full-bodied and the playability reflects that as well.

FISHMAN LOUDBOX MINI ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIER

RRP: $899

SOUND AND TONE: Rated at 60 watts the Loudbox Mini has quite a lot of headroom and plenty of tonal variation.

The woofer and tweeter combination helps with covering a broad EQ spectrum and I was impressed with the sound reproduction for both guitar and vocals. Reverb is a nice addition too with controls for both channels.

USABILITY: Straight forward and easy to navigate with an Instrument channel and a Microphone channel. Typical EQ controls and some aforementioned effects built in are both usable and logical whilst you also get a DI out

CONSTRUCTION: Acoustic properties aside, the SA220 looks clean and modern, feels tough and rugged, and the front and rear panels seem logically set out. The complete system design gives you one central point for inputs and control, alleviating extra setup of individual components.

OVERALL: Another option for smaller gigs, buskers, solo artists and small sound installations with the benefit of a complete system that sounds good, yet is uber compact and easy to operate.

TC HELICON PLAY ACOUSTIC EFFECTS PEDAL

RRP: $649

PRODUCT TYPE: ACOUSTIC EFFECTS PEDAL DISTRIBUTOR: AMBER TECHNOLOGY

PRODUCT TYPE: ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIER DISTRIBUTOR: DYNAMIC MUSIC

RECOMMENDED FOR: Buskers, solo artists, live performances, smaller gigs, rehearsals, acoustic instruments in a range of styles and anyone needing something portable that still has tonal flexibility with some guts.

USABILITY: Coming in a well designed carry bag (with wheels on one end), the whole system, including speaker stand, is quite portable and not overly heavy. The all-in-one design then gives you two channels for mic or instrument as well as Monitor in/out, DI outs or Aux in for plugging in a sound source and an effects return. Easy as.

and Aux input if you want to plug in your iPod and the like.

CONSTRUCTION: Tough and well laid-out, the Loudbox seems well-built and at just under 9kgs it’s light enough to lug around for gigs and rehearsals.

I like the slightly angled slant of the face of the amp which gives a bit more spread and fold-back to the performer and the angled control panel is easy to see and tweak when standing up too - well thought out!

OVERALL: Fishman have a solid reputation in the acoustic world and the Loudbox Mini is a strong addition to their line of quality products. As a practice to smallish gig system the dedicated Microphone channel is great whilst the amp does a fine job of reproducing your acoustic tones (whatever instrument they are) with ease of a quick ‘plug-and-play’ type setup.

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is the ideal companion for any acoustic guitarist who also sings on stage with their instrument and wants a simple, all-in-one solution for effects, EQ, compression and harmonies.

SOUND AND TONE: There is so much going on in this unit. You get amazing guitar effects aimed more towards the acoustic guitar, as well as vocal harmonies and voice processing all combined with in-built mixing and compression.

CONSTRUCTION: Built into a tough casing with silent switches and recessed connections, this unit has been designed to be stood upon on stages all over the world.

OVERALL: I love how this unit has been designed with the acoustic guitarist in mind. It works so well for solo or duo acts, doubling as a simple mixer so you can just run directly into your powered speakers and reduce the amount of gear you need to set up for most of your gigs.

PLAYABILITY: This is easy to set up and play around with the pre-set patches, but it works best when you build your own specific sounds. You can run your guitar and vocals out as separate lines should you want them to go to the FOH mixer, or you can simply send a stereo mix direct to you powered speakers for simple solo setups.

PG. 47 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

SENNHEISER MD421 MKII DYNAMIC MICROPHONE

RRP: $567

PRODUCT TYPE: DYNAMIC MICROPHONE DISTRIBUTOR: SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA

RECOMMENDED FOR: As a ‘do everything’ microphone, there isn’t anything else out there like the MD421 MKII. Although not strictly a microphone designed for acoustics, it has many talentscapturing bold guitar sounds on stage or in the studio.

SOUND AND TONE: This microphone shows just how much bottom end can be captured from an acoustic with a dynamic microphone. You also get a really warm high frequency response that offers a different sound to that so commonly acquired with a condenser microphone for an acoustic instrument.

PLAYABILITY: It has the ability to adjust this response with a bass control switch so you can get the microphone up really close to the sound-hole

DPA D:VOTE 4099G ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENT MICROPHONE RRP: $779 PRODUCT TYPE: ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENT MICROPHONE DISTRIBUTOR: AMBER TECHNOLOGY

for a dynamic attack and not end up with a sound that is too booming or overpowering.

CONSTRUCTION: These microphones can be dropped and stood on (but please don’t), regardless they will continue to deliver quality results. I have used some MD421s in the past that looked like they had seen several world wars and a Martian invasion, yet still they got the job done.

OVERALL: This is the sort of microphone every engineer should have in their kit and for any musician who wants to maintain continuity in their sound from one performance to another.

RRP: $369

MOTH SOUND MOTH MIC

RECOMMENDED FOR: For any musician with an acoustic instrument that needs to amplify it on stage, this is the perfect solution to allow you to capture the sound with a microphone, but still have the freedom to move around stage.

SOUND AND TONE: As it is a microphone placed directly in front of the instrument and kept in the same position, you get a much fuller sound than what you would usually hear from a transducer pick-up amplifying the vibrations through the body.

PLAYABILITY: This is really easy to mount on a range of instruments. There is a selection of clips to mount it on just about any acoustic instrument and ensure that the microphone sits where it needs to for a great sound, but also keeping it out of the way whilst you play the instrument.

CONSTRUCTION: Being that it is right in the firing line for getting damaged, DPA have ensured this microphone is built tough. It also offers excellent shock protection in the isolation of the capsule as being mounted onto the instrument can get pretty rough at times.

OVERALL: The designers at DPA microphones have offered all sorts of solutions for difficult applications over the years. With the new 4099G microphone and assorted clip attachments, DPA have got amplification for acoustic guitars pretty much nailed.

SENNHEISER EW 172 G3 WIRELESS GUITAR SYSTEM

RRP: $919

PRODUCT TYPE: WIRELESS GUITAR SYSTEM DISTRIBUTOR: SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA

PRODUCT TYPE: MICROPHONE DISTRIBUTOR: FEDERAL AUDIO

RECOMMENDED FOR: Great for gritty vocals, harmonica, slide guitar and banjo. This microphone is perfect for when you want to create a retro sound in your acoustic instrument or voice.

CONSTRUCTION: Handmade in Spain from reclaimed and recycled components means every Moth Mic is built to an incredible quality, yet each is slightly different.

SOUND AND TONE: A very narrow frequency range means you get a real nasal sound from this microphone that is reminiscent of an old wireless radio. But it has some grit to it as well, so it breaks up slightly when driven hard and so has a lot of character.

OVERALL: This is a really unique tool that is going to have a lot of people interested when they are discovered. Great build, great price and a really unique sound that all come together to deliver a brilliant product.

PLAYABILITY: Easy to set up on a stand and compact enough for any application. Uses a 6.5mm jack connection, so it works well going straight into a guitar amplifier too for an even more organic sound.

PG. 48 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

RECOMMENDED FOR: This is exactly what any guitar player needs if they don’t want to be stuck standing in one part of the stage when performing. For an acoustic guitar player, there is nothing better than being able to roam the stage or room and be free to express yourself on your instrument.

SOUND AND TONE: Clarity is the thing to note with this wireless system. You get an unhindered transmission of your guitar’s signal with a full frequency range to allow all of its tone to be delivered to your amp or PA system. There is no compromise to the tone from your pick-up when you use the G3 wireless.

PLAYABILITY: This is so easy to set up. The transmitter attaches to your guitar strap and you barely

notice it is there once you have the guitar over your shoulder. Then, you are free to move around without being inhibited by the restraint of a guitar lead.

CONSTRUCTION: Metal construction in both the transmitter and receiver means this unit is built for the rigours of touring and isn’t going to let you down even when you take it out day-in and day-out.

OVERALL: The big advancement in digital transmission with the latest G3 wireless systems means they conform to wireless compatibility laws and deliver a flawless signal that stands tall against any rival.

G U I TA R K E Y BODY

PICK-UP CONTROLS BRIDGE MACHINE HEAD NECK

BINDING

SOUND HOLE

INLAYS

HEADSTOCK

FRET NUT

CUT-AWAY

D I S T R I B U T I O N D E TA I L S DISTRIBUTOR COLE CLARK GUITARS ELECTRIC FACTORY AMI JACARANDA MUSIC JADE AUSTRALIA MATON GUITARS

PHONE (03) 8727 5655 (03) 9474 1000 (03) 8696 4600 (08) 8363 4613 1800 144 120 (03) 9896 9500

WEBSITE www.coleclarkguitars.com www.elfa.com.au www.gibsonami.com www.jacarandamusic.com.au www.musocity.com.au www.maton.com.au

DISTRIBUTOR YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA DOMINANT MUSIC DYNAMIC MUSIC CMC MUSIC AUSTRALIA AMBER TECHNOLOGY FEDERAL AUDIO SENNHEISER AUSTRALIA

PHONE (03) 9693 5111 (03) 9873 4333 (02) 9939 1299 (02) 9905 2511 1800 251 367 0475063309 (02) 9910 6700

WEBSITE www.yamahamusic.com.au www.dominantmusic.com.au www.dynamicmusic.com.au www.cmcmusic.com.au www.ambertech.com.au www.federalaudio.com.au www.sennheiser.com.au

PROUD STOCKISTS OF

F35 SITKA SPRUCE TOP | WALNUT BACK AND SIDES

www.guitarfactory.net facebook.com/gladesvilleguitarfactory

PG. 49 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 / OCTOBER 2014

ROAD TESTED mATCHLESS LiGHTNiNG 15 GUiTAR AmP ComBo state practice amp, right? The craftsmanship is flawlessly superb, as is Matchless custom. It’s a very sturdy, heavy, chunky amp, and it means business.

Matchless has made their name on beautifully minimal ‘no more than is needed’ amp circuits designed to give you all of the good stuff, and to pretty much stay out of the way between you and your ideal tone. They make a great variety of amps in different sizes, and this here Lightning combo is one of the lower-powered ones.

LIGHT A MATCH, MAN The Lightning 15 is a 15-waiter with a single 12 inch speaker (although you can also get a head and 2x12” combo versions). There’s only one channel, although you have the option of low

and high inputs. The power section houses a pair of EL84 tubes, while there are three 12AX7s in the preamp and a 5AR4 rectifier tube. There are two speaker outputs - 4 ohm and 8 ohm. And the control system is deliciously simple: there are pots for Volume, interactive Bass and Treble, and Master Volume. And that’s it. You’re pretty much left on your own from there. Matchless has designed it with a scooped midrange compared to the Spitfire and Nighthawk amps, and because this is a tube amp and because it says Matchless on the front, you already know that it’s going to out-volume your 15-watt solid

AN EN-LIGHTNING ExPERIENCE For testing I brought along my Gibson Les Paul Traditional with low-output Seymour Duncan Seth Lover PAF-style humbuckers and my trusty overdrive pedal. Now, when you look at this amp, you might think “Ooh, that’s gotta have some classy clean tones. Maybe I’ll use it for country or maybe some kind of gentle indie kinda thing… well, you, sir/madam, are in for a shock. This amp is capable of sounding… how do I put this politely… absolutely filthy. Matchless has based the tone stage off an early Vox Top Boost circuit but with some unique modifications. The interactive tone controls really bring out the versatility within this circuit. You can clear the tone up by backing the Bass off or you can get it to go to an utterly hairy place by blasting it. The Treble control adds top end when you turn it up (of course), but it reduces midrange at the same time, giving you an angry, scooped sound when you blast the Treble, or a smooth, midrangeenhanced tone when you roll it back. Crank up the Volume, turn the Treble down and the Bass up and you’ll get a tone that’s reminiscent of an old fuzzbox. Sit everything at about halfway and you’ll get a responsive, tactile Joe Bonamassastyle tone that turns into Tony Iommi with a simple twist of the Volume pot. When I hit the input with an overdrive pedal set for a boost it sounded phenomenal, with the Lightning’s preamp being coaxed into a Robert Fripp-style sustain. Yet when you turn the Volume control down and increase the Master instead you’ll get a beautifully clear clean tone which deserves to be heard free of effects. It has all the string detail and fingertip articulation you could ever want from a clean channel.

BRIT-STYLE GRIT This is an awesome amp whether you play blues, vintage 70s metal, country, alternative, punk or dirty rock it really has some bite about it. Still, the clean channel is so dang pretty that you can happily use this amp for all sorts of more delicate musical settings.

BY PETER HODGSON

RRP: $3099 DISTRIBUTOR: GLADESVILLE GUITAR FACTORY WEBSITE: www.guitarfactory.net PHONE: (02) 9817 2173 SPECS

POWER: 15 Watts CHANNELS: One POWER TUBES: 2 x EL84 PREAMP TUBES: 3 x 12AX7 FEATURES: Dual Inputs WEIGHT: 15.9 kg HITS

• Utterly killer distorted sounds • Beautiful crisp clean tones • Looks the business MISSES

• No reverb. Would have been nice!

SEBATRoN AxiS200VU STEREo VALVE PRE-AmP

Any professional audio engineer who is considering adding to their studio collection of microphone preamps will need to look into this.

With that said, any home studio enthusiast will also need to pay attention, as this could be the device that changes how your sound is captured and ultimately heard. For those of you who are unaware of Sebatron, I am sure you will like what you hear. Based right here in my home town of Melbourne, Sebatron have been producing high quality microphone preamps and compressors for more than a decade now and are beginning to get the international recognition they deserve, but that doesn’t mean we at home shouldn’t be able to enjoy them too. This month I got to give the AXIS200VU Stereo Microphone Preamp a test drive.

SIMPLICITY IS BEAUTY I think the one thing that first stood out when I removed this unit from its plain cardboard packaging was just how simple it was. It reminded me of many early vintage looking compressors and preamps that were designed to do a job and were not trying to improve their image with looks. The rear of the unit houses

most of the inputs and outputs, but none are labelled. The grey front panel is very unassuming and the decals appear to have been applied by hand. This unit looks the part if you want hand built quality and attention to detail.

RRP: $1850 (October 2014 Special Price)

IN OPERATION Obviously, looks are not everything, and how a mic preamp sounds is really what it’s all about.

Now, this is not strictly a stereo preamplifier, as the title suggests, but more so a twin channel pre.

There is no latch switch to bring both channels together under a single control, but with its simple selection of controls, it isn’t too hard to double up both channels. That said, you can use it as two separate units should you like and even run a microphone on one side and an instrument DI on the other. This makes it perfect for home studios that require a little bit of flexibility when relying on a single piece of front end hardware to improve their sound. And improve your sound it will. A rich tone is delivered that brings just about any microphone to life. This is just how a valve mic pre should sound. It brings character, liveliness and warmth to your microphone and delivers plenty of headroom too. On vocals it’s

SPECS

PG. 50 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

DISTRIBUTOR: SEBATRON WEBSITE: www.sebatron.com PHONE: (03) 9484 3789

MAxIMUM GAIN (MIC INPUT): +68 db MAxIMUM GAIN (DIRECT INPUT): +62 db MAxIMUM INPUT (MIC INPUT): +6 dbu MAxIMUM INPUT (DIRECT INPUT): +12 dbu MAxIMUM OUTPUT: +30 dbm WEIGHT: 4.5kg FREqUENCY RESPONSE: 20hz to 90khz HITS

a treat, but even more on acoustic guitars as it really brings their sound to life. Put simply, why would anyone want to look to overseas manufacturers for quality sound, we have it right here on our very own doorstep.

BY ROB GEE

• • • •

Classic look and classic sound Handmade detail and quality construction Brilliant tone with very little operating noise Made right here in Australia

MISSES

• Really stuggled to find any

ROAD TESTED MOTH SOUND MOTH MIC same, gives these microphones even more character. In a way, it’s almost like getting your very own custom shop microphone, hand-built in Spain and different to any other one out there.

That means that every Moth Mic will allow their owner to create a sound that is truly their very own. The Moth Mic is very cool indeed.

BY ROB GEE

together and create a truly magical tool that is designed to bring the voice of you, or your instrument to life. Now, I am sure you are all intrigued too.

Every once in a while I come across a new product that gets me really intrigued. Something that makes me remember what it was like to be young and excited again at the discovery of a new piece of kit. Sometimes it’s a cool new pedal, or a newly devised analogue synth, but right now, having just opened a hand-made wooden box with the image of a moth burnt into the top of it, I have struck one of those moments with a new microphone that has really got me hooked.

TRULY UNIQUE The Moth Mic, made by Spanish company Moth Sound, represents everything that is organic about music, and exemplifies this in how you should capture your sound. Made in Spain, largely from reclaimed and recycled materials, these microphones are presented in a hand-made box. It’s a bit of an old world way of working, with a ‘found objects’ sort of philosophy, guiding to acquisition of parts. These microphones come

IN USE With a 6’5mm jack connection out of the bottom of the unit before it mounts onto a stand with a D-shaped mounting bracket and housed in what looks like a small tin can, these microphones have a very old-world style and make as much of a statement visually as they do aurally, but its the sound that really sets these microphones apart from so many others. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what they sound like. It’s somewhere in between a harmonica microphone and an old wireless AM radio, with a suggestion of subtle crunchiness when driven hard. On vocals this is going to have blues guys going mad and on just about any acoustic instrument The Moth Mic adds character and a real liveliness that you usually don’t hear in a dynamic microphone. These are a really unique tool that will not work for everything that you consider recording, but the Moth Mic will give your tone some real soul and grit. The fact that every unit is slightly different given the components are not all exactly the

RRP: $369

DISTRIBUTOR: FEDERAL AUDIO WEBSITE: www.federalaudio.com.au PHONE: 0475 063 309 SPECS

TYPE: Dynamic including electromagnetic moving coil transducer CONNECTION: Jack 6.3 mm Mono WEIGHT: 0.23kg DIMENSIONS: 71mm / Ø 60mm HITS

• Totally unique to any other microphone • Beautifully constructed and packaged • Delivers a sound that takes you voice or instrument back to another era • Incredible value for a handmade microphone MISSES

• Limited range of uses

MAKE YOUR OWN HISTORY

DISTRIBUTION BY JACARANDA MUSIC PH: (08) 8363 4613 WWW.JACARANDAMUSIC.COM.AU WWW.FACEBOOK/JACARANDAMUSICAUSTRALIA OCTOBER 2014 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 PG. 51

ROAD TESTED dV mARK mARAGoLd GUiTAR AmPLiFiER HEAd mean you can’t get some serious volume happening. The Maragold is certainly loud enough for club environments.

MARK MY WORDS So do you need to be a Greg Howe fan to appreciate the Maragold? Hells no! In fact, I like that this is a signature amp for a guitarist who is hugely respected, but also hugely versatile, because there’s nothing worse than signature gear that’s so specialised that it can only do one thing. Put aside the Greg Howe connection for a second and you’re still left with a very flexible amp which can cover all sorts of tones from the sweet and singing to the downright angry.

BY PETER HODGSON

RRP: $1750

The Maragold is part of DV Mark’s revamped guitar line for 2014. It’s the signature brand for guitar virtuoso Greg Howe (and named after his band Maragold). Howe has played with a lot of greats over the years in addition to his own career as a guitar hero. He’s played Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, P Diddy, Christina Aguilera, Rihanna, T-Pain, Nelly and Enrique Iglesias. So you know that any piece of gear that meets his approval has got to be able to cover everything from straightforward cleans to world-class stadium leads and everywhere in between.

YOU ARE GOLD What we have here is a 40-watt, two-channel amp head with a pair of EL34 power tubes (and an ECC83), three ECC83s in the preamp, and independent sets of tone controls for each channel. Each channel has Bass, Middle, High, Gain and Master controls. There’s a shared Presence control that gets its own little area

of the front panel. Channel switching is via a footswitch or a little switch on the front panel.

Around the back you’ll find an effects loop with a 0/-15dB switch for optimising the signal for pedal or rack effects. On the front panel there’s an effect loop indicator LED for letting you know when the loop is engaged. The effect loop is wired in series. The dual footswitch connects in the back with a 1/4” stereo jack. There are three speaker outs - 4 ohm, 8 ohm and 16 ohm.

That’s pretty much all there is to it, really. It’s a very straightforward, simple amp. Don’t expect a bunch of frequency-shift mini switches or push-pull pots or anything like that. Oh, but one super-cool feature about the Maragold and its other 2014 DV Mark buddies is that the logo changes colour depending on which channel you’re using. The two-channel Maragold goes from green (clean) to red (drive), while the Triple Six has an orange channel in between the clean and lead.

THIS IS HOWE WE DO IT For testing, I plugged the Maragold into my Marshall cabinet and used my Ibanez RG550 with Seymour Duncan Perpetual Burn and ’59 humbuckers. The clean channel is capable of a beautiful sparkle which works great with single coils, but you can easily bump it up to a hairy, dirty growl that still responds nicely to pick attack changes. Channel two starts with a bluesy, singing overdrive that has some bite to it but with a smooth midrange as well. Bump up the gain and the same basic tone is maintained but the harmonic overtones soar into the stratosphere. It’s great for 80s rock rhythms too. Then when you blast the gain to 10 for lead you’ll get a beautifully rich, sustaining lead sound that never seems to lose detail even when it’s at maximum saturation. And if you’re the kind of player who prefers their lead tones to be creamy rather than edgy, lower treble settings sound beautiful on the Maragold.

The wattage isn’t super-high but that doesn’t

DISTRIBUTOR: CMC MUSIC AUSTRALIA PHONE: (02) 9905 2511 WEBSITE: www.cmcmusic.com.au SPECS

POWER OUTPUT: 40W PREAMP TUBES: 3 x ECC83 POWER TUBES: 2 x EL34, 1 x ECC83 CHANNELS: Clean and Drive WEIGHT: 12.3 kg HITS

• Huge range of gain from spankin’ clean to wild.

• No-nonsense layout.

• Cool lights with chanel switching.

MISSES

• Included reverb would be nice.

RANdALL Rd100H diVALo GUiTAR AmPLiFiER HEAd remains present, ensuring that your tone doesn’t get lost amidst thrashing cymbals and walloping kick drums.

HOW DOES IT STACK UP? The RD100H is definitely a metal guitarists’ amp, but it’s a great choice for those who explore all sorts of different aspects of heavy guitar tone, whether it’s crunchy rock, brutal metal or savage grindcore. And that clean channel is much more useful and usable than you might expect from a metal-oriented amp. If you do a lot of playing at home there are Randall amps that are much more bedroom-friendly, but this one is made to be played loud, preferably with a thundering band behind you.

BY PETER HODGSON

RRP: $479.95

Plenty of great players have used Randall amps over the years: Dimebag Darrell, George Lynch, Nuno Bettencourt, Phil Collen, Scott Ian, Kirk Hammett… and one thing that has been consistent between them all is the up-front quality of the distortion. Whether it’s being achieved by tube or solid state means. Randall’s Diavlo series looks very metal-oriented (and it is, with its horned-skull-adorned graphics and none-more-black exterior), but Randall seems to have worked hard to create a versatile clean channel too. Let’s investigate…

METALHEAD The RD100H is a 100 watt, three-channel, alltube head packing a quartet of 6L6 power tubes, a bunch of 12AX7s in the preamp and a handy boost feature. All three channels share the same EQ section of Bass, Middle, Treble and Presence, and each channel has its own individual Gain and Volume controls in addition to the amps Master Volume, so you can get all sorts of nice balances happening for solo boosts and what have you. Channel switching is via a push-button

on the front panel (each press advances you one channel) or via footswitch. There’s a speaker emulated XLR direct output with ground lift, Class A Discrete instrument level FX loop and a four-function footswitch to help you work your way around the various channels and the boost.

There’s no reverb (hey, that’s what the effect loop is for, right?).

SKULL! SKULL! SKULL! I tested the RD100H with my Ibanez UV777BK 7-string modified with Seymour Duncan pickups (a Pegasus in the neck, SSL5 single coil in the middle and my Custom Shop pickup, the Alnico 8-loaded Magnetar, in the bridge). I started with the clean channel. It’s a very flexible channel, especially for those who play rock or metal and require a lot of headroom for ambient effects, but it’s also great for those who want to push the clean channel to the edge of overdrive for classic rock or punk tones. You’ll get a great Pete Townshend chordal crunch here, for example.

It’s not quite as characterful as blasting through a cranked Fender Bassman but it’s surprisingly

PG. 52 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

useful for non-metallic clean sounds. The two distorted channels won’t get you anywhere near a clean tone though. The first starts with a punchy crunch and works its way right up to a Metallicalike wall of metal. The second is dripping with harmonics and saturated sustain, which makes it great for soloing. The tube boost is effective on both of these channels, so you can get all sorts of textures depending on the musical setting.

In fact, more often then not I found myself setting up a crunchy rhythm sound on the first overdrive channel then just hitting the boost to get my primary lead sound, then using the other distortion channel for a totally separate, third lead sound on top of that. There’s one thing that’s consistent no matter which channel you choose or how much gain you employ: a bold, cutting midrange which will ensure that you stand out in the mix in a live situation. When playing at home it might sound a little harsh, but the amp is voiced with frequencies that are very stage-friendly, and once you sit it within a mix it all makes sense. Even when you scoop the mids you’ll notice that this upper-midrange bark

DISTRIBUTOR: DOMINANT MUSIC WEBSITE: www.dominantmusic.com.au PHONE: (03) 9873 4333 SPECS

WATTAGE / POWER: 100w CHANNELS: 3 + Boost IMPEDANCE:16, 8, 4Ω Minimum FX/GATE/REVERB: Class A Discrete Instrument Level Loop FOOTSWITCH: 3 Channels and Boost WEIGHT: 20kg HITS

• Very stage-friendly voicing.

• Wide range of gain levels.

• Very useful boost feature.

MISSES

• No reverb.

• The midrange may be a bit harsh for some.

• The EQ is shared by three channels.

ROAD TESTED YAMAHA DBR POWERED SPEAKER RANGE This month I had the pleasure of visiting the team at Yamaha and getting a run-through with the new DBR powered PA speaker range. Many of you will know of and will have heard the DSR and DXR speakers, but I think most of you will be best suited to the DBR range as it offers an unparalleled portability and price for a powered speaker from Yamaha up to this point. These speakers are going to redefine Yamaha’s position in the portable PA market and will change the sound of many small groups and solo performers the world over as they adopt that Yamaha sound.

THE RIGHT WEIGHT The one problem I have always had with Yamaha powered speakers is how heavy they are. Sure, they are built solid and built to last, but they can require an Olympic weightlifting team to get them in and out of a venue. This is not the case with the DBR range though. These are so light considering their size and power; you almost begin to question how it is possible. But, considering Yamaha have successfully delivered lightweight power for their EMX mixer for the last few years with very reliable performance, I have no doubt these new lightweight speakers will stand up to the punishment they are designed to handle.

BIG SOUND I first got to hear the DBR10 speakers and was quite honestly taken aback by the amount of low frequencies they delivered. These speakers sound more like a 12” than a 10” driver, and have plenty of SPL to back themselves up with. The DBR12s however, were even bigger sounding with a little more bottom end and a very well defined midrange that had that certain Yamaha sound to it.

The DBR15s then just gave you a little more of everything, including volume, not that this was needed. By far, the standout model in the range was the DBR12, sounding the most balanced and packaged into a very workable sized cabinet.

These speakers should really tick the boxes for most gigging musicians who need to supply their own amplification, or smaller venues looking for

performance and quality in a tightly packed unit in all, these three models are going to redefine how Yamaha sits in the powered speaker marketplace.

I would have no hesitation recommending these to anyone I work with. They include on-board DSP processing to allow you to set them up for front-of-house use or monitoring applications and with a balanced microphone and line input, can work on their own without the need for a mixer in certain applications. The DBR powered speaker range is a big step forward in design and usability from Yamaha and I am sure many of you will agree with me when you get to see and hear them for yourself in the not too distant future.

BY ROB GEE

RRP:$699.99 (DBR10), $799.99 (DBR12), $899.99 (DBR15)

DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA WEBSITE: www.yamahamusic.com.au PHONE: (03) 9693 5111 SPECS

High-Efficiency 1000W Class-D Amplifiers Custom Designed Transducer Rugged, Highly Portable Cabinet Smart Enclosure Design for Floor Monitoring Easy-to-use Onboard 2-Channel Mixer Rigging Points for Installation Applications

HITS

• Lighter than any powered speaker range Yamaha has ever offered • More bottom end than is expected for each model • DSP control for specific setup purposes MISSES

• Reduced thru-put capabilities to other Yamaha models • No sub in the range – but still compatible with other Yamaha subs

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See your nearest DrumCraft dealer or visit www.drumcraftaus.com.au or www.dynamicmusic.com.au OCTOBER 2014 / MIXDOWN NO. 246 PG. 53

ROAD TESTED PAiSTE PST5 UNiVERSAL SET CYmBAL PACK

are, frankly, great for this price-point. Too often you get hats that have no clarity in the budget bracket. Fortunately, these PST5 hi-hats have great stick definition too, and a very clear ‘chick’ sound with either the stick or the foot. They’re leaning towards the heavy side, especially the bottom cymbal, but a lighter top hat gives back some musicality and I found myself playing more and more intricate patterns just to listen to the response. They project awesomely when open too.

Overall, the cymbals are heavy enough to be durable, but light enough so that you don’t have to be hitting at 100% to get some response. This itself, is the clincher in making a cymbal versatile.

If you prefer though, you can get specific rock variations of the ride and crashes, but the mediums are my pick. As mentioned, getting in the game is easier than ever with options like these PST5 packs, and it’s nice to know that as an up and coming drummer, you can make your start with a company name like Paiste.

BY ADRIAN VIOLI

RRP: $599.99

DISTRIBUTOR: YAMAHA MUSIC AUSTRALIA WEBSITE: www.paiste.com PHONE: (03) 9693 5111

PST stands for Paiste Sound Technology, and in the Paiste cymbal company this means a line of cymbals intended to provide a high sound quality from a well-manufactured cymbal without the price tag of the ‘pro’ lines. Let’s face it, all drummers have been in that situation where they need their first set of cymbals, and if I may say so myself, up and coming drummers have never had it so good. Some of the choices today are great, including the PST5.

LOOKING GOOD? The PST5 Universal set could just be one the

best ways to get in the game. In this pack you get 14” Medium Hi-Hats, 16” and 18” Medium Crashes and a 20” Medium Ride cymbal. They look the business, characterized by the deep scoring, hammerings and a brilliant finish. We also see the familiar CuSn8 Bronze as our alloy of choice, also known as the 2002 Bronze, linking the PST5s directly to their 2002 siblings.

SOUND ANY GOOD? Paiste claim that these revised PST cymbals have increased flexibility and versatility, and that they are significantly more musical than before.

I’d have to agree with them. There’s a slightly ‘gongy’ note that’s mostly noticeable from the crashes but the fundamental sound is good.

They’re bright with distinct pitches and they cut through. You don’t have to really belt them to get them to open up either. They have large bells, which help with projection too. Personally, I would prefer slightly thinner cymbals but the reality is that these crashes need to be durable and versatile across lots of styles. The ride especially, feels somewhat lighter than you’d expect, which was nice. It has a piercing bell and good projection when you’re on it. There’s clear stick definition but not that super ‘pingy’ sound that you often get with some thicker budget range cymbals. There’s a really usable wash up for grabs due to the reduced weight. The hi-hats

PRESoNUS ERiS E4.5 ACTiVE STUdio moNiToRS

SPECS

14” Medium Hi-Hats 16” Medium Crash 18” Medium Crash 20” Medium Ride CuSn8 Bronze Alloy HITS

• Affordability and build quality • Lighter and more musical than predecessors • Great Hi-Hats MISSES

• Slight ‘gongy’ nature of the crashes • May still be too thick for some drummers

you don’t need to be forever trying to get to the back panel of the speakers. When running, they do have a somewhat sculpted sound to their delivery.

This all depends on how you set up the controls on the rear panel in regards to your room though, and with a little bit of tweaking, you should be able to find a fairly flat balance. The 4.5” Kevlar woofer does deliver a surprising amount of bottom end, and not just as a side effect of the rear porting given that the room adjustment takes care of any low frequency build up. You get a clear and precise sound delivered directly to your listening position, with a sharp transient attack in the high frequencies. In all, these represent a very good option for the home studio that is not only working within a budget, but also limited to the space within which the monitor speakers need to operate.

BY RoB GEE RRP: $349

DISTRIBUTOR: NATIONAL AUDIO SYSTEMS PHONE: (03) 8756 2600 WEBSITE: www.nationalaudio.com.au SPECS

It is no secret that Presonus are expanding their horizons and are no longer looking to just deliver recording outboard gear and audio interfaces. No, they want to ensure that they can supply you with a total recording solution from the beginning of your signal path to the end. So, it’s without surprise that we’re seeing growth in their range of Eris studio monitors with the Eris E4.5 High-Definition Active Studio Monitors.

TWO IN ONE To keep your setup simpler as far as power leads and audio cable runs, the Eris E4.5 are designed with all the connections in one of the two speaker cabinets. This also means the power amplifier is

housed in just one of the cabinets as well, so you only need to power one box instead of two. From this master cabinet, you then run speaker cables to the second speaker for whatever distance you require the two to be spaced apart. On the rear of the main cabinet, you get two pairs of inputs.

One is supplied on balanced TRS connectors and the other on unbalanced RCA connectors, making it easy to integrate with whatever setup you are running.

ALL POWERED UP When set up, you can get into the workings of these speakers. The rear controls of the main cabinet allow for some tonal adjustment to suit your room.

PG. 54 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

You get a low and high frequency shelving EQ with a workable +/- 6dB range to settle the boxes slightly within your space. There is also a high pass filter set at either 80Hz or 100Hz when engaged if you need to pull out the very low range with a little more aggression that the EQ allows. There is also an acoustic space switch with three different settings. This allows you to change the overall response of the speakers to suit how they are set up in relation to the wall behind them and controls the low frequency build up you get when working in a confined area.

The front panel of the right speaker has your master volume control and power switch, as well as an auxiliary input and headphone output, so

TWEETER: 22mm silk-dome WOOFER: 3.5-inch long-throw Kevlar POWER: High-current internal amplifier PORTS: Rear-firing tuned for bass enhancement OUTPUTS: Subwoofer output CONTROLS: Treble and bass Acoustic Tuning HiTS

• Power housed in only one speaker meaning you don’t need to run power to both.

• Ability to manipulate the overall sound specifically to suit the dimensions of the space.

• Clarity of sound for monitors in this price bracket. miSSES

• Heavy amount of bottom end which some may not like.

PG. 55 / mixdowN No. 246 / oCToBER 2014

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