X-Press Volume Special #25

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

www.xpressmag.com.au

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YOUR MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

WANNA PLAY SXSW?

The 27th annual South By Southwest Music Festival is now accepting showcase applications for acts to perform at the renowned international festival, which is set to take place in March 2013 in Austin, Texas. All applications must be submitted no later than November 7, 2012. For more info hit up sxsw.com or to apply directly click over to sonicbids.com/sxsw.

INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION 2012

Getting your music into the hands (and ears) of the music industry’s heavy hitters is one of the most difficult goals to accomplish, however the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) is set to again provide this opportunity to all the finalists in its 2012 competition. ISC has again assembled a diverse panel of judges that consists of some of the most iconic artists in the world coupled with influential music executives from all walks of the industry. ISC gives away more than $150,000 in cash and prizes (shared among the 68 winners) including an overall Grand Prize consisting of $25,000 (US) cash and $30,000 in prizes. Open to both amateur and professional songwriters, ISC offers 22 categories to enter, representing all genres of popular music, from rock to jazz to blues to hip hop, and more.

This year’s judges will include the likes of Tom Waits, Nas, Jeff Beck and Janelle Monae. If you think you’ve got what it takes hit up songwritingcompetition.com for an entry form.

Audiofly AF56 in-ear headphones

AUDIOFLY HEADPHONES

In 2012 the new name for premium headphones is Audiofly. With four in-ear headphone products – the AF33, AF45, AF56 and AF78 – of varying specs and prices available for discriminating music lovers and musicians, if you want more information on getting back to experiencing the true sound of music, visit the company at audiofly.com, or by calling 1300 729 359 or drop them an email at info@audiofly.com.

DJ FACTORY UPDATE Joey Jordison

BLACK ALPHA HYPER CYMBALS DV 403 CPC

DVMARK DV 403 CPC

The tone of the Little 40 head earned fans the world over and now you can get the same tone with greater flexibility in a 3-channel version. The DV 403 CPC is a three-channel 40W all-tube head which offers a complete control compliment for each channel giving access to an array of useful sounds, from clean to crunch rhythm to full-on, high-gain lead tone. And thanks to the the DV Mark patent pending Continuous Power Control you can change the amp’s power incrementally, from the full 40W gradually all the way down to 1W, so you can get the tone you want at the volume you need. DV Mark products are distributed in Australia through CMC Music. For more information phone CMC Music on (02) 9905 2511 or visit cmcmusic.com.au.

ERNIE BALL MUSIC MAN IOS APP

Ernie Ball Music Man has completed their iOS app for The Game Changer system, and it is now on preview in Apple’s iTunes store. The combination of Ernie Ball Music Man’s Game Changer technology and their new iPad app gives musicians unlimited tone over their Game Changer Bass or Guitar while remaining totally mobile. The Game Changer app allows players to rewire their analog guitar or bass pickups and discover millions of tonal possibilities.

True to form, the audio signal is never digitized or modelled in any way, providing a transparent analog signal path for the absolute purist. Now, with The Game Changer app, musicians can create and share their tonal selections with the world.

JEFF LOOMIS CLINIC

The next couple of months there are some amazing musos visiting little old Aussie land to do clinics and now Allans Billy Hyde have confirmed monster Metal shredder Jeff Loomis is also making his way down under in September, including a Perth date on Wednesday, October 7. If you attend the clinics you will also have a chance to win a Schecter SGR C7 electric guitar and you could also be shredding it up on stage with Jeff Loomis by entering the Schecter Shred Off Competition. The national winner will take home a signed Schecter Jeff Loomis FR7 PLUS get to open for Jeff at their state’s clinic. State winners will receive a 12 pack of Rotosound strings and a Schecter t-shirt. Simply make a 1-2 minute video of yourself showing your best shred, upload it to YouTube and email the video link to competitions@allansbillyhyde. com.au. Entries close Friday, September 19, so get shredding now!

Slipknot sticksman Joey Jordison has paired up with renowned Swiss cymbal maker Paiste to launch the Black Alpha Hyper line, a special edition in its Alpha series which are both a visually and sonically close fit to Joey’s current Slipknot touring set. As the name reveals, Black Alphas contain Paiste’s innovative black ColorSound coating and each cymbal features nine silver placed Tribal-S logos. Unique and deep hammer marks exclusive to Black Alpha Hyper cymbals are also visually apparent on this completely new developed line. The range includes 14” Hyper hats, 16”, 17” and 18” crashes, 18” China, 20” ride and a 10” splash. For more info on the range hit up paiste.com.

Allen and Heath are one of the leaders in the world of manufacturing DJ equipment. Nuff said…

Their take on the DJ’s setup has always been to produce quality which includes their renowned range of solid analogue XONE club mixers and lead the way in early digital gear with controllers like the 4D, 2D and 1D. Step into now and little has changed in their mantra for quality, solid, everlasting and damn nice products. Their latest range of digital products have wowed the world, some saying their amazing daddy mixer, the DB:4 to be the best in the world for professional DJs. Honestly though most of us cannot afford to spend all your saving on just a mixer. That is why The DJ Factory are very excited to being talking about the Allen and Heath XONE:DB2!

This mixer is lovely! It has all the Allen and Heath charms and is packed full of features relevant to

XONE DB2 & XONE K2 the latest technology in the ever developing digital world. To summarise: high quality soundcard with Midi/ USB; Twin DSP effects engines with more than 50 FX presets; 4 analogue/ 4 USB/ 2 digital channels; Tri-modal EQ & X:LINK. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed with one of these at your fingertips.

Speaking of X:LINK, XONE:DB2 can integrate smoothly with the new XONE:K2 software controller via Allen & Heath’s proprietary X:LINK protocol. Check out this little baby! Thanks to the digital world and over ever growing desire to create music and explore our minds abilities, it is companies like Allen and Heath that create potential in music for stage and for studio.

While we’re on the subject of music production, there is a new school about to open in town running music production courses and workshops, DJ courses and more. For more information please contact The DJ Factory by emailing info@thedjfactory.com.au or calling (08) 9228 1911.

MARKBASS MB7 BOOSTER

The MB7 Booster pedal has a cool, compact design and combines a useful clean boost of up to +20 dB which is very handy for helping you stand out when taking a solo. Additional features include a 7-band graphic EQ with controls ranging from 40 Hz to 4kHz which will help tailor your bass tone to perfection.

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

MiniNova

MININOVA COMPACT SYNTHESISER

Novation has released the new MiniNova, a compact synthesiser that packs new features like push-button animate controls and Novation’s brand new voice effect VocalTuneTM. Built around the same synth engine as Novation’s flagship UltraNova, the MiniNova has three versatile oscillators, up to five effects, two filters, six envelopes, three LFOs, and 36 different wavetables.

MiniNova has two quarter-inch mono jack outputs, a stereo headphones output, full-size XLR and jack inputs for routing sounds through the vocoder and on-board effects, as well as a five-pin MIDI input and output and an input for a sustain pedal. Power can be supplied via USB or a 9V DC power supply. For full specs and details hit up innovativemusic.com.au.

STANTON DJC.4 CONTROLLER

Stanton’s new DJC.4 is a DJ controller with audio interface bundled with an enhanced 4-deck version of Virtual DJ LE. The DJC.4 allows users to scratch and mix Allans Billy Hyde is North Perth is the only place 4 decks of audio, as well as control video. The integrated you’ll be able to pick up the latest edition to the 4-channel audio interface allows users to integrate original American Made custom drum set DW analog turntables or CD decks into their performance, Collectors range – the 40th anniversary designed and the large touch sensitive jog wheels make for maple collectors, white pinstripe over black. Hit up extremely tight scratch and pitch bend control. For more information on Stanton’s DJC.4 Controller visit allansbillyhyde.com.au for full specs and details. jands.com.au.

DW COLLECTORS SERIES

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

YOUR MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

FEAR FACTORY The Future Of Metal

Even with just two original members left in the band, metal pioneers Fear Factory are continuing to deliver album after album of powerfully punishing tunes. Ahead of their performance at Capitol on Sunday, September 30, JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD sat down with vocalist Burton C. Bell to talk futuristic inspirations, line-up changes and returning to their industrial roots.

Through the years some of heavy metal’s hardest hitters have had an eye on the future of mankind, and Californian stalwarts Fear Factory are no exception.

Although their studio albums have touched upon futuristic themes, the fusion of sci-fi and metal is none more present than on their recently released eighth studio album The Industrialist.

“I knew before we went into the studio that I wanted to do a concept album,” vocalist Burton C. Bell begins. “I told [long-time guitarist] Dino [Cazares] that I was interested in doing it again, he was all up for the challenge and he loved the idea. We were literally volleying ideas around back and forth and ideas, titles, words, thoughts, phrases, concepts, exchanging stories of the day, really conversing with each other… but once we came up with the album title, The Industrialist, that’s when everything really started connecting and so every lyric started to fall into place and just created this world again and after all the songs were written I connected them all together.”

As Bell explains, the album follows the story of a “free-thinking automaton” who, upon observing the dissension and repression in the world around it, turns against a mankind that has slowly destroyed a world it was created to make better.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, long-time fans and music critics alike have noted the likeness of The Industrialist to 1995’s Demanufacture, a comparison Bell finds hard to refute.

“Well, they are sonically similar and I mean that in the sense that what I mentioned earlier this is a pleasant return to my industrial metal roots.

Demanfacture was the one that really put us on the

map in the genre and in the music scene and that was considered an industrial metal record and that’s our record that our fans hold a standard to. Such as Metallica fans hold a standard of Master Of Puppets or Reign In Blood is the standard for Slayer or Vulgar Display Of Power is the standard for Pantera, that’s the one record where you found your sound on that and that’s the standard,” he says.

“If fans and the press are saying it’s like Demanufacture then I’m not disappointed, it’s a great record but I think sonically we have moved a little bit further, we’ve experimented more with different things compared to Demanufacture but that’s how I see it. Fear Factory came to the scene as an industrial mellow band and now that sound has made a return and we’re really pleased with it.”

The sonic experimentation Bell refers to includes the use of programmed drums during the recording of the new record. “Instead of a drummer sitting at a drum set trying to play everything live consistently for four hours, we were able to program it and were actually able to expedite the entire process of writing,” Bell explains.

While Fear Factory have more than 20 years of experience under their belt, the band has undergone many line-up changes over the years with Bell and Cazares the only two members of Fear Factory involved in the recording process for The Industrialist.

“The current line-up right now is of course myself on vocals, Dino Cazares on guitars and Gene [Hoglan] made other commitments during the hiatus of Fear Factory so he is with Testament and Deathklok now. So we have a new drummer named Mike Heller, he’s young and fresh and a very promising talent and

Fear Factory’s Burton C. Bell and Dino Cazares he is an excellent drummer. The bass player now is Matt DeVries who was the rhythm guitar player of Chimaira,” Bell says. “The line-up is working out great.

We’ve had the opportunity to walk them through so to speak and they’ve really fit into the program and right now this band is sounding great and the precision of this band has improved greatly, it’s really incredible, the band is performing so well together.”

With this new incarnation of Fear Factory is gearing up to hit down under later this month Bell offers a rare insight into how he keeps his distinctive voice in tip-top shape: “I don’t smoke at all, that helps.

I try to stay healthy and other than that that’s all I do, I just try and stay at the top of my game.”

Despite The Industrialist’s conceptual theme, Bell says audiences can expect more of a “straight up” metal performance during their

upcoming national tour.

“As far as visuals go we’ll have like a good light show, but other than that we are trying to keep it about the music and giving the best high energy show as possible just to make that more memorable to play the song so everyone can recognise them and sing along,” he concludes. “A Fear Factory show is a high energy show, we play with passion and you can expect to hear all the songs that you like. I think we put up a pretty decent show. Fear Factory have a lot of albums and a lot of songs that people love to hear, so the one trick of a Fear Factory set is to have a good flow of songs to keep the energy alive throughout the entire set without having any type of lull to lose the audience attention because they are a lot of people with ADD out there these days.”

POONS HEAD STUDIOS Engineer experience: Multi-WAMi winning engineer/ producer with over 25 years experience.

Artist Credits: Tame Impala, The Floors, Pond, Jeff Martin, Lenny Kravitz, Death Cab for Cutie , Mick Harvey, The Kill Devil Hills, The Panics, Kim Salmon, Jebediah, Jon English, Matt Taylor, Eskimo Joe, Knife Party.

Specialising in: Recording, mastering and producing.

Gear / Software: Very serious collection of some of the finest recording equipment ever made, including – Studer 2 Inch, Ampex ATR ½ Inch, Pro Tools, Sequoia, Lavry Gold, DAD, Apogee, Neve, Focusrite, Telefunken, Pultec, Fairchild, Teletronix, Urei, Manley, Gates, Tubetech, EMT, RCA, EMI, AMS, CBS, AWA, Retro, Quad Eight, Lexicon, Eventide, Empirical Labs, Neumann, Weiss, Algorithmix, Universal Audio, Duntech ,Lipinski, Pass Labs, as well as digital “Plug in” emulations of most of these units, if so inclined.

CONTACT

www.xpressmag.com.au

Location: East Fremantle Phone: (08) 9339 4791 Email: rob@poonshead.com Website: poonshead.com / facebook.com/poonsheadstudios

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X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

YOUR MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

PAUL GILBERT

Shred Master General High profile shredder Paul Gilbert is bringing his Master Class Tour to Perth on Wednesday, October 17, at the John Inverley Theatre at Hale School. Earlier this month JENNIFER PETERSON-WARD sat down with the talented plucker to learn the secrets of his success.

As Paul Gilbert attests, his musical career has been a varied one: “I’ve jammed Beatles songs with Steven Tyler, played back-to-back harmony solos onstage with Alex Lifeson and Rush, I’ve interviewed Angus and Malcolm Young for a Japanese rock magazine, and I even got to sit in and play drums with Cheap Trick.”

Perhaps best known for his work with American rock supergroup Mr. Big and ‘80s heavy metal stalwarts Racer X, the virtuosic guitar player has also made a name for himself over the

years as an inspirational music teacher and has travelled the world delivering acclaimed clinics and seminars in addition to setting up an online rock guitar school.

“I never really set out to be a teacher, but I’ve always enjoyed it, and it seemed to come naturally to me,” he says.

A guitar player from early in his life, Gilbert credits his parent’s extensive Beatles record collection with jumpstarting his career as a musician. “I listened to those records constantly,” he says. “I really wanted

Paul Gilbert to play music and sing like the Beatles, but I wasn’t sure which instrument I should play. I liked guitar, piano, and drums. I finally decided that I wanted to play guitar because I could play it while standing up.”

While Gilbert says he “always had a good ear for rhythm” he is reluctant to label himself a natural.

“I could hear shuffles and syncopations pretty early on, but it took a long time before my fingers could catch up with what I heard in my head.

And my ear was slower to hear advanced harmony,” he explains. “When I went to [the Guitar Institute of Technology] as a teenager I finally started to recognise 7th chords and alterations. Overall, I got a slow start with guitar technique, but after a few years, I started to move forward at a quick rate.”

Perhaps best known for his alternative picking method, Gilbert says this is the technique his new students most want to learn.

“Beginners are often my favourite students, because they don’t have to ‘unlearn’ any bad habits.

And when I show them practical techniques they tend to make pretty quick progress,” he says. “Often the biggest challenge for beginners or advanced players is controlling the strings that are not being played. If you play one note, there are still five strings that need to be muted. This is particularly important for rock guitar, where the strings are very sensitive from the distorted sound. After a while these muting techniques become habit, and you don’t have to think about them anymore. But I think it’s important to start developing them right away.”

Having spent the last couple of decades teaching instructional guitar workshops, Gilbert says the biggest misconceptions from new learners he has encountered over the years is the importance placed on practicing scales.

“I’m glad that I know some scales, and I’m glad that I spent time building the techniques to play them. But in reality, they are not the most useful tools for playing musically on guitar,” he says.“Playing scales is almost like reading the dictionary. The dictionary is a useful tool for writing, but it’s more a reference. It’s rare that an actual sentence is built from words that fall in the exact order that they appear in the dictionary. And in real music, it’s not very common to hear scales being played up and down. If you do hear that, then the song was probably written by someone fresh out of music school. That was the case for me with a song like Scarified.”

Of course, integral to both his teaching and gigging has been quality gear, and Gilbert has been very involved in the design of his signature Ibanez PGM and Fireman guitars. “I have the good fortune to be an endorser of Ibanez guitars. I’ve had quite a number of signature models over the years, but the most recent is my favorite. It’s an Ibanez Fireman, which is basically an upside-down version of their classic Iceman guitar. I was meticulous about many other details of the design, and it is just a joy to play,” he says. “I also use Marshall amps, DiMarzio pickups, Ernie Ball strings, and a large assortment of effects pedals.”

Gilbert will be bringing his gear and his wealth of expertise to Perth for a special Master Clinic in October. Playing live with a band, Gilbert will demonstrate typical lessons he provides for students from beginner to advanced, and will be answering questions from attendees on the night, covering sound, technique, theory and industry questions.

“First of all, I love to play. So I’ll have some local musicians that have learned some songs that I sent out in advance, and we’ll have a great time jamming through those. I’ll also demonstrate the things that I think are important for playing rock guitar, and I’ll bring some guitar players up from the audience to try out these ideas and see how they work,” he concludes.“I like to show that guitar playing can be enjoyable at every level, and you don’t have to wait until you’ve been playing 15 years until you can make music. I think anyone can make some music right away. Then it’s just a matter of getting deeper and deeper into the art.”

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YOUR MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE

PRODUCT REVIEWS

WITH CHRIS GIBBS

going beyond simple simulation with the intention of delivering classic analog-type sounds. The chorus effect does the trick nicely, and the delay and reverb effects are much more lush than one would expect from a unit of this type. This is largely due to Yamaha’s n e w E x te n d e d S te re o technology which creates a wide, spacious audio image even from such a small enclosure.

The amplifier outputs provide stereo playback from a mobile phone or other devices Yamaha THR5 Practice Amplifier through its auxiliary jack or direct from a computer via the USB connection.

A tap tempo function for setting delay time and an on-board chromatic tuner round out the features of this versatile practice amp. There’s even an orange ‘tube glow’ which emanates from the As mobile phone apps and tablets become more and behind the speaker grille when the amp is turned more entwined, many musical instrument companies on, adding to the valve amp illusion which the are finding innovative ways to both respond to amp chassis is heavily based on. potential market threats as well as integrate new The THR5 operates on AC or batteries, technology ideas for coming generations. With both adding to its portability. The amp is also bundled with technology and tradition in mind, Yamaha’s THR5 Cubase AI, popular Steinberg software that offers fullpractice amp aims to provide good quality tones for fledged recording and editing. Also on the software practice situations in a small package. The amp’s size front, the THR Editor available for download from is designed specifically with desktops and carry-on Yamaha allows editing of amp and effect parameters luggage limitations in mind. using a computer. Additional editing options include The THR5 offers five amp types: clean, compressor and noise gate functions. crunch, lead, British hi-gain and modern. The two Ultimately the THR5’s goal is to bridge most impressive amp types were the clean and the gap between regular practice amps and mobile modern settings. The former setting was not just phone or tablet apps, providing a tactile and visual clean, but absolutely crystal and the modern setting solution for guitarists who still want to feel like they had plenty of gain on tap for working on those are plugging into something ‘real’. In terms of overall screaming bends and legato passages. tone quality and included features, there aren’t many The amp’s VCM (virtual circuitry modelling) small practice amps on the market that can match the effects are capable of capturing subtleties that THR5, especially at this price range. The Yamaha THR5 simple digital simulations cannot even approach, Practice Amplifier retails for $299.

YAMAHA THR5 PRACTICE AMPLIFIER

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DW PERFORMANCE SERIES DRUM KIT

Revered by drummers worldwide and played exclusively by many of the greats including Dave Grohl, Jason Bonham and Roger Taylor, DW is currently celebrating 40 years in the drum business.

Aimed at serious drummers looking for maximum quality at a mid-range price, DW’s Performance Series offers a brand new shell technology devised by John Good and the DW Custom Shell Shop in California, which combines the latest grain orientation technology and handselected North American Hard Rock Maple. Visually, these kits are stunning. Inspired by a Custom Series kit, the Performance Series features new quarter turret lugs, low mass die-cast claw hook, new badge, logo head and a choice of 5 hand-sprayed Specialty Lacquer or 3 ultra-durable FinishPly finishes.

Ultimately it’s about the tone, which is deep, rich and resonant. In fact when this kit was

ZOOM Q2HD HANDY VIDEO RECORDER

Zoom’s product lines of handy audio and video recorders have been assisting both musicians and fans in creating better live recordings for a few years now.

It’s a market that is becoming more and more relevant as our society expands its enthusiasm for sharing experiences online through Zoom Q2HD social media. The main obstacle to sharing an accurate version of said experiences in a musical sense is the quality of the audio and vision. Enter the latest from Zoom: the Q2HD Handy Video Recorder.

One of the main challenges prevalent in live music video recordings is getting a decent sound when dealing with high-volume environments. The Q2HD’S analog-type microphone gain wheel allows the dialling in of appropriate gain for any recording, in addition to choosing one of three presets in the auto gain function to automatically set the recording level. The Q2HD is the first handheld camcorder to feature mid/side stereo recording. Originally included

demonstrated, I experienced one of those rare but rewarding moments where the ‘ideal’ sound in my head I was expecting to hear was exactly what was delivered. The superior sound is largely due to the HVX shells, along with DW heads by Remo USA, suspension tom mounts, True Pitch tuning and DW 45 degree back-cut bearing edges.

In order to provide these quality drums to professional players at mid-level prices, only the actual shells are included in this series of kit, all pedals, stands, cymbals and accessories are sold separately. There is also an assumption there that the level of musician likely to purchase a DW kit of this quality and level more than likely already has a hardware and accessories preference anyway.

The Performance Series kits are available in numerous configurations which alters the price point. The white kit reviewed featured a 22-inch bass drum, 14 x 6.5-inch snare and a pair of 12 and 16inch toms and retails for $2999. Mega Music Wangara currently has this kit in store for $2399.

by Zoom on the H2n Handy Recorder, it combines a unidirectional mid microphone that captures sound directly in front and a bidirectional side microphone that captures sound from the left and right. Increasing or decreasing the level of the Side microphone controls the width of the stereo field, assisting in recreating the audio ‘feel’ of a performance.

High definition videos are recorded in MPEG-4 format, which can be played on a computer using QuickTime. The Q2HD can record video at 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, allowing playback on large HD televisions. A 720 pixel resolution setting can be selected for longer recordings. When shooting video, an impressive feature of the Q2HD is the lighting selection function that allows users to record using alternative settings for varied lighting conditions. The settings include auto, concert lighting and night, with each setting making adjustments to the light filters for best results.

Movies can even be edited internally as the unit allows footage to be cut in order to feature the best parts of a performance. Advanced editing is made possible by utilising the included HandyShare software.

As if all that isn’t enough, the Q2HD also functions as a USB microphone for recording with computers or tablets and can also just be used as an audio recorder if a video recording is not necessary.

The Zoom Q2HD retails for $369.

Many thanks to Mega Music Wangara and Concept Music for letting us review their products.

X-Press – First on the street, Wednesdays

YOUR MUSIC GEAR & TECHNOLOGY GUIDE DANCE CLASSES BELLYDANCE CENTRAL STUDIO CLASSES Free class Fri 5th October. Special fun beginners courses. Term 4 starts Mon 8th October. For brochure, info & free class invite shaheena@iinet.net.au 0409 511 125. www.bellydancecentral.com.au MUSOS WANTED BASS PLAYER WANTED For Aussie Rock Tribute.

Dedication & reliability a must. Ph 0409 370 900.

BASS PLAYER WANTED For REDSTAR. Must be professional & have good gear. Ph Tony: 0411 118 304.

BASS PLAYER WANTED Four working 4 piece Blues Rock Band. Ph: 0412 231 126.

BASS PLAYER WANTED Original Alt/heavy rock.

Age 18-35. Infl, Tool, SndGdn, FnM, AiC. No costs.

Call Chris 0400 782 905 DRUMMER WANTED Established hard rock original band Wicked Wench is looking for someone who can come to practice 2x’s a wk in Ozzy Prk & do gigs. Hard hitting w/ great skills req. Check out the music 1st www. facebook.com/wickedwenchband Email: Steve at sophiamariesmanager@gmail.com DRUMMER WANTED Fo r n e w Pe r t h based stoner Rock/Metal band.

Influences BLS, Machine Head, Down. w w w. m y s p a c e . c o m / p r o j e c t 6 1 X X 1 9 .

Ph 0412 417 301.

EXPERIENCED GUITARIST 30+ established original Hard Rock Band. Ph: 0435 825 090.

FEMALE SINGER WANTED For elite rock cover band, 18 - 30 years old covering acts such as Pink, Avril, Katy Perry & anything from todays current hits. Professional attitude, Expirience prefered, Osi Park rehearsals & available for weekend gigs.

For audition Phone/Text 0414189441 or check us out on facebook @ Three-Corner Jack.

LEAD GUITARIST WANTED for working cover band. RU enthusiastic and easy going? If this sounds like you call Phil 0418 440 977 or Peter 0414 1611 110

MENU MUSIC/TOTAL HITS CD SAMPLER Interested in hearing YOUR music played in WA cafes and restaurants? Total Hits & Menu Magazine are launching a 2nd compilation CD. The cost to be involved is only $1,000 + GST and you will be featured on a CD that is distributed to cafes and restaurants around WA, profiled in Menu Magazine, featured on www.westcoastcafes.com.au, featured on www.totalhits.com.au and get 50 copies of the compilation CD. Call 9430 6007 or email us at info@eyersrocket.com.au to get involved.

OPEN MIC NIGHT every Thursday night at Indi Bar. Just call Tash on 0458 095 364.

OPEN MIC NIGHT Every Tuesday night at the Craigie Tavern 8-11pm. Call Corey for bookings 0431 448 235 SINGER WANTED 18-30 yrs old to join electric Blues Rock Band. Ring Wes 0405 455 133.

VOCALIST REQUIRED Tumultum, original hard rock/metal band require melodic vocalist.

Jesse: 0449992907 PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT PHOTOGR APHY Pro m o photography, studio, live, location.

Mike Wylie 0417 975 964 www.projectphotography.com When its time to ice the cakeÖ PRODUCTION SERVICES * L I G H T I N G * AU D I O * S TAG I N G * w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o. c o m . a u w w w. n i g h t s t a r l i g h t i n g a u d i o. c o m . a u www.instandt.com.au www.instandt.com.au 9381 2363/ 9444 6651 CD & DVD MANUFACTURE Check out our latest CD & DVD specials online at www.procopy.com.au 9375 3902 MATRIX PRODUCTIONS AUSTR ALIA Lighting, staging, sound systems, smoke machines, night club FX, intelligent lighting, strobes & mirror balls, crowd barriers, video projectors. 9371 1551

PA HIRE Vox P.A’s and Funktion-One concert systems. Beat any quote. 9307 8594/ mob 0404 410 020. perthconcertsound.com.au.

PA HIRE, PRO SYSTEM, FULL FOLD BACK Experienced operator. Optional light show.

Fidelity sound on 0404 331 320.

RECORDING STUDIOS ALAN DAWSON’s WITZEND RECORDING STUDIO Prof quality albums or demos, large live room, experienced engineer, analog to digital transfers, mastering..

Alan 0407 989 128 or Jeremy 0430638178 www.witzendstudios.com ANDY’S STUDIO International multi award winning songwriter / producer. No band required. Broadcast quality. A songwriter’s paradise. Ph 9364 3178 AVALON STUDIOS BIBRA LAKE One of Perths best equipped studio. Record to analog tape or digital, Avalon pre amps, Neumann mics, the latest and best universal audio, plug in’s for digital recordings. All styles of music, $55 per hour call Tony 0411 118304 email avalonstudios@bigpond.com GOLDDUSTCONSTRUCTION.COM Production, mixing, recording and composition for your music. Unique award winning skills to take songs from ideas to finished mixes or to fulfill the potential in existing ones. Located in Subiaco. $60 p/h. Andrew 0408 097 407 POONS HEAD MASTERING Analog mastering at its best. Clients include Mink Mussel Creek, Jeff Martin, The Panics, Pond + The Floors. World class facility. World class results. www.poonshead.com 9339 47 91 RECORDING MIXING MASTERING PRODUCING Fremantle location. Call Pete Kitchen Cooked Records. Ph 0407 363 764 / 9336 3764 REVOLVER SOUND STUDIO Ph 9272 7505. www.revolverstudio.com.au

SONGWRITERS! - UNLOCK YOUR SONGS’ POTENTIAL +FREE BAND APPRAISALS. UK Producer, 40,000+ hours studio experience.

20 yrs in London with bands and songwriters.

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ROCKSMITH

Bring Your Guitar Into The Living Room Plastic instruments have appeared in audio output, such as optical out, is recommended.

For this review I used the PlayStation 3 version with many gamers’ living rooms over the an optical cable to an amp for audio and using past few years, with the fad of rhythm HDMI purely for video. I could only detect very slight digital lag, but anyone who has used guitar games like the Guitar Hero and Rock modeling software on a computer may be familiar Band series. But while they can be really with that very slight disconnect between what you hear from the strings and what the computer spits enjoyable with a group of friends, they out. But for me it was hardly there or an issue, in fact are at best a cartoon representation of the lack of lag what was really impressed me.

To call Rocksmith a game, or even review playing a real instrument and at worst it as one, is perhaps not quite accurate. Sure, it’s a clicking piece of plastic crap. Enter made for game consoles, but actually the game part of Rocksmith is by far its weakest point. The Rocksmith by Ubisoft, which promises to technology is clearly there, but the interface and not only let you use a real guitar or bass game experience around that is severely lacking. It has a solid track list, though far from amazing, and as a controller for your game console, an only just passable interface.

I do hope they sell enough to justify but you can use the guitar or bass you improved sequels, as it has amazing potential to already own. TOM VARIAN reports. teach a generation of kids a new, fun, interactive way.

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The first time I heard about the ambitious Rocksmith Rocksmith goes on sale from Thursday, I was instantly intrigued but also highly skeptical that September 27, from all good game retailers. a video game could let me plug my own guitar into my game console and work correctly. Unlike Rock Band or the Hero series, you don’t play some plastic representation of a guitar limited to five coloured buttons, you have to contend with six strings and 21 or so frets. But I’m pleased to report the technology works, albeit not without some flaws.

Depending on your skill level, from complete beginner to long time axe-hound, the game will level up or down to suit your speed. A complete beginner might just have to hit one fret every bar on just the sixth string.

Almost like Guitar Hero but with much more possible buttons. Prove you can move around a guitar fluidly and the game will throw straight up tablature down the note highway, making you play the guitar track as it is meant to be played, chords and solos.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a single guitar cable packaged with the game, expecting yet another bulky box I’d have next to my TV. With a standard guitar jack on one end and at the other end USB, the cable can be used with not only a PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but with the right drivers can be plugged straight into Windows/Mac and used in popular audio programs such as Amplitude. Elegant and simple.

Now, there can be an issue with lag. I noted no less than four warnings, printed and during the game, informing me that using HDMI for both video and audio Rocksmith can cause lag and that using the consoles separate 41

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