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
JUNE 2015 #254
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THE VACCINES TV ON THE RADIO COSMIC PSYCHOS PLUS: MAKE THEM SUFFER, JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD, MY DISCO
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AC10C1 A CLASSIC , REDISCOVERED
The AC10 was one of the first amplifiers to bear the VOX name and has long been adored for its ability to achieve rich, articulate tube tone. For this reason, the AC10 has become a highly coveted piece of VOX history since its discontinuation in 1965.
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CONTENTS GIVEAWAY
6
NEWS & TOURS
8
THE INDUSTRIALIST
10
PRODUCT NEWS
12
FAITH NO MORE
20
THE VACCINES
22
FORE WORD It’s been a massive month of road testing at Mixdown HQ as you will clearly see from the 20 odd pieces we put under the microscope this issue. Some very cool debut features from the likes of Guild Guitars, Bogner and Barnes & Mullins were reviewed to the delight of our senior staff road testers.
MAKE THEM SUFFER PAGE 22
MAKE THEM SUFFER TV ON THE RADIO
24
Alongside this we’ve joined the Instagram game @mixdownmagazine so make sure follow us and keep up to date with all the new road test gear arriving, the shows we’re frequenting and exclusive backstage content we think you’ll get a kick out of!
26
Did I mention we had time with the life affirming Faith No More, about their latest record Sol Invictis? Or The Vaccines who are about to land for Splendour In the Grass? How about Make them Suffer? TV On The Radio, Jeff The Brotherhood, Cosmic Psychos… My Disco? Did I? Well, this issue we’ve got it all. So go on, flip past this rant and learn something new!
JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD COSMIC PSYCHOS MY DISCO
JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD PAGE 24 MY DISCO PAGE 26 FOR BREAKING NEWS, NEW CONTENT AND MORE GIVEAWAYS VISIT
ROAD TESTS
GET SOCIAL:
Always on the hunt to bring you the best “mix” of content, we have softly launched our new Mixdown TV channel with our first review already up online; the Martinez MDC-15C Acoustic. Stripped back and bare, the way you want to see your next potential instrument, we’ll be bringing you video road test reviews and interviews with your favourite acts, so get in contact if you want to be involved and visit mixdownmag.com. au/tv for more.
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MADE BY MUSICIANS, FOR MUSICIANS JULY ISSUE #255 DEADLINE AND STREET DATES:
STREET AND ONLINE DATE: WEDNESDAY JULY 1 AD BOOKING DEADLINE: MONDAY JUNE 22 EDITORIAL DEADLINE: TUESDAY JUNE 23 ARTWORK DEADLINE: WEDNESDAY JUNE 24 For more information on Mixdown Magazine contact: Aleksei on (03) 9428 3600 or email mixdown@beat.com.au
PUBLISHER Furst Media
PRODUCTION MANAGER Michael Cusack
COVER ART Michael Cusack
EDITOR IN CHIEF Aleksei Plinte mixdown@beat.com.au
CONTRIBUTORS Augustus Welby, Rob Gee, Peter Hodgson, Christie Elizer, Nick Brown, Adam Norris, Nik Corbet.
GRAPHIC DESIGN Michael Cusack, Lizzie Dynon
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Keats Mulligan
COVER PHOTO: Rebecca Houlden www.witheverylight.com
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ADVERTISING Aleksei Plinte E: mixdown@beat.com.au Phone: (03) 8414 9704
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PG.4 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
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Feat DEAD INSIDE, PSYCHO and MERCY
OUT NOW Also available CD/DVD limited edition and 2LP vinyl
muse.mu
GIVEAWAYS Hermida Audio Zendrive Effect Pedal With a new issue of Mixdown comes a new opportunity to give away a featured piece of gear to one of our lucky and loyal readers. This month it is the fantastic Hermida Zendrive effect pedal courtesy of our friends over at Gladesville Guitar Factory. The pedal was designed by Alfonso Hermida who worked at NASA prior to working as a pedal designer. A carefully voiced overdrive pedal with some really exquisite tones that reward you for really pushing it, it sure is one hell of a unit. We’ve been trying to organize another giveaway just so we can keep this one for ourselves, but alas, we cannot, we must gift it to one of you.
Last Month’s Giveaway Winner Sony MDR-7510 Headphones Many thanks at Sony Australia for the Sony MDR-7510 headphones. This months lucky reader who will be tracking and listening back in no time is...
GRANT OVEREND of Travencore, Victoria
Thanks to everybody who entered, visit our facebook page and website for morte giveaway opportunities.
So if you want to be in the running to win this awesome pedal, all you need to do it visit our giveaways page at www.mixdownmag.com.au/giveaways and follow the instructions. For full terms and conditions visit www.mixdownmag.com.au/terms-and-conditions.
*This giveaway is for Australian residents only and one entry per person. For more awesome monthly Mixdown Giveaways, be sure to LIKE our Mixdown Magazine facebook page at www.facebook.com/mixdownmagazine and regularly check our Giveaways page on www.mixdownmag.com.au/giveaways for your chance to win.
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NEWS & TOURS Batpiss
The Milk Carton Kids Earl Sweatshirt
Melbourne bruisers Batpiss are getting ready to release their latest album Biomass, and to celebrate they’ve announced a national tour. The Collingwood legends have remained a constant force in the Melbourne rock’n’roll scene since the release of their debut self titled cassette back in 2012. It’d be pretty easy to add Batpiss’ name to the endless line of uninspired stoner-rock and hard rock outfits that seem to emerge for a fleeting moment, but in all truth, Batpiss’ intricate and thought out guitar tracks paired with their bruising rhythm section place them perfectly in the void between hard rock and garage punk, two genres that seem to be as healthy as ever in Australia right now.
Grammy-nominated folk duo The Milk Carton Kids have announced an east coast Australian tour this month to coincide with their headline performance at the Bello Winter Festival. The dates follow the release of the duo’s third studio album Monterey, out Friday 15 May. The two years since the release of their 2013 breakthrough album The Ash & Clay have been significant ones for the group, with recognition including a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album and winning Group of the Year at the 2014 Americana Music Awards. This June marks the first shows the The Milk Carton Kids have played in Australia since 2013; a tour that was critically acclaimed for the sublime majesty of the music on offer. At hand-picked venues such as City Recital Hall in Sydney, the historic Athenaeum in Melbourne and Brisbane’s Old Museum, these shows are set to be a musical highlight of 2015.
TOUR DATES July 2 - The Phoenix, Canberra ACT July 3 - Rad Bar, Wollongong NSW July 4 - Hamilton Hotel, Newcastle NSW July 5 - Frankies Pizza, Sydney NSW July 10 - Crowbar, Brisbane QLD July 11 - Tym Guitars, Brisbane QLD July 17 - Howler, Melbourne VIC July 24 - Club 54, Launceston TAS July 25 - Brisbane Hotel, Hobart TAS August 1 - The Eastern, Ballarat VIC September 6 – Poison City Weekender, Melbourne VIC
American Rapper and indoors enthusiast Earl Sweatshirt will be braving the elements to head to Australia for a string of headline shows later this year. The tour will coincide with Earl’s performance at Splendour In The Grass to support his latest release I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. Earl reached the dizzying heights of Hip Hop stardom at the tender age of 19 with his debut studio album Doris which debuted at #1 on the Australian iTunes album charts. As one of the figureheads of eternally cool Hip Hop collective Odd Future, a lot of hype was built up before the release of I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. While the expectations were high, it seems as though they’ve been unanimously met as Earl’s latest release is garnering even more positive criticism than the first.
TOUR DATES June 28 – City Recital Hall, Sydney NSW June 30 – The Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne VIC July 3 – Old Museum, Brisbane QLD July 4 - Bello Winter Festival, Bellingen NSW
TOUR DATES July 25 – Max Watts, Sydnet NSW July 28 – Prince Bandroom, Melbourne VIC July 29 – Villa Nightclub, Perth WA
Fraser A. Gorman
Fraser A. Gorman, one of the most affable figures in Australian music, is set to release his long awaited debut album Slow Gum later this year through Milk Records. Since 2012 Gorman has released a swag of singles and an EP that have helped him earn the adoration of the Melbourne music community. In that time he’s collaborated with the likes of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Davey Lane, Courtney Barnett and Jen Cloher among others. A host of Gorman’s musical friends are present on the album too, with Davey Lane, King Gizzard’s Stu Mackenzie and Eagle and the Worm’s James Fleming and Jarrad Brown forming the band. Fraser A. Gorman has locked in an extensive national tour to promote the album set for a July release.
TOUR DATES July 3 - Music On The Hill, Red Hill VIC July 4 - Republic Bar, Hobart TAS July 10 - Newtown Social Club, Sydney NSW July 11 - Junk Bar, Brisbane QLD July 16 - Grace Emily, Adelaide SA July 17 - The Gasometer, Melbourne VIC July 24 - Barwon Club, Geelong VIC August 14 – Darwin Festival NT
Ryan Adams
The Melbourne Guitar Show
Deez Nuts
Fox & Fowl
Ryan Adams is heading to our shores for his first Australian tour in three years. With a career that spans 15 years and 14 albums, Adams has cemented his status as a modern rock icon while staying true to his alt country roots. The tour coincides with the release of Adams’ latest self titled album. In celebration of the release Adams is touring extensively all over the world including shows in the UK, the USA, Europe as well as performances at Coachella and Fuji Rock. This latest release has already caught the attention of the internet, with the lead single from the record ‘Gimme Something Good’ being the first ever vinyl record to go to #1 on the Amazon chart.
The Melbourne Guitar Show (MGS) will showcase Australia’s best brands with a monster exhibition of electric and acoustic guitars, ukes, FX and amps, live demonstrations and plenty more! Featuring the best in home-grown luthiers and builders, the MGS will be held at Caulfield Racecourse on August 8th and 9th. The 2015 MGS will be staged by the Australian Music Association and is also seeking community involvement, and welcomes participation from educators and community music groups. Not only will the 2015 Melbourne Guitar Show provide a hands-on opportunity to see, hear and play a broad range of the world’s favourite brands, it will also see guitar retailers with great show deals on offer. There will be private collectors there too helping make the experience a guitar nerd’s paradise. For further information on tickets and how to get involved visit australianmusician.com.au/melbourneguitar-show
Deez Nuts have just released a new album entitled Word Is Bond via UNFD. The Melbourne Hardcore outfit are a resilient and staunch outfit that continues to put the Hardcore genre on the agenda with their scathing and attention grabbing brand of contemporary punk. To mark the release of this latest album, Deez Nuts are heading to Europe and the UK to tour the album before returning for an extensive Australian tour later this year. They’ll be touring throughout Australia Antagonist A.D, Relentless and Earth Caller.
Brisbane based indie pop outfit Fox & Fowl has announced a three date East Coast tour to showcase their new sound this June. Fox & Fowl perform in Sydney and Melbourne before returning to Brisbane for a hometown show. Notorious for a killer live show, the band have been privileged to support the likes of We Are Scientists, Eagle & the Worm, The Trouble With Templeton, British India, and Hightails. To cap off a big 2014, superproducer Stephen Schram (San Cisco, Paul Kelly) handpicked the lads to record a batch of new songs that would push them in a new direction. The first cut from these sessions is new single ‘Eliza’, a beautifully crafted indie pop dancefloor filler that throws the shackles off their previous work.
TOUR DATES
SHOW DATES
July 19 – Forum Theatre, Melbourne VIC July 23 – Enmore Theatre, Sydney NSW
AUGUST 8 & 9 - CAULFIELD RACECOURSE, MELBOURNE VIC
PG.8 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
TOUR DATES June 4 - The Brightside, Brisbane QLD June 5 - The Bald Faced Stag, Sydney NSW June 6 - Red Rattler, Sydney NSW June 7 - Magpies, Canberra ACT June 9 - HQ, Perth WA June 10 - Amplifier Bar, Perth WA June 11 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA June 12 - Arrows, Melbourne VIC June 13 - Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
TOUR DATES June 5 – Brighton Up Bar, Sydney NSW June 6 – Grace Darling Hotel, Melbourne VIC June 27 – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane QLD
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INDUSTRIALIST Effects Of Federal Budget Kick In
The effects of last month’s Federal Budget have started to be felt in the music industry. The biggest blow to the arts sector was that Attorney General and Arts Minister George Brandis swept the carpet from under the main arts funding body, the Australia Council, and set up an alternate funding body called National Programme for Excellence in the Arts, which will support international touring and special projects. Brandis’ explanation was that small and mid-sized arts associations, and those from outside Sydney and Melbourne, complained they were being overlooked in Council grants. The idea of the Programme, Brandis said, was for a second funding body for a wider and more diverse range of projects. However, the arts sector claims it destroys the independence of arts funding decisions and is open to Government favours. Brandis transferred some of the Council’s strategies (Festivals Australia, Major Festivals Initiatives). Its budget for 2015-16 is now down to $184.5 million from $230 million. With less money, the Australia Council has axed some initiatives. The Contemporary Touring Initiative and Contemporary Music Touring Program will continue. Playing Australia is also still a go-er. But some of the programs slashed will also affect the music community. ArtsStart, which helped recent graduates set up their businesses is gone. So too has the six-year plan for associations. The June grant round is scrapped. WAM, the peak music association for Western Australia, admitted the cancellation of the June round at such short notice “puts us, and a number of other organisations and individuals in a sticky position as we had submissions in this round. For WAM in particular, the September round is too late for the current funding request to be useful.” But other aspects of the Budget is a boon for sectors of the music industry with its tax breaks for “small business” (ie, those that turn over less than $2 million a year). Tax cuts and the $20,000 accelerated depreciation provision (to run to June 2017) means that lighting and audio companies, as well as live music venues and nightclubs can buy as much gear as they want as long as none are over $20,000. It means such firms can look forward to bigger profits.
Edm Agencies Merge
The Australian electronic dance music sector gets a new powerhouse agency, with the merger of the Ministry of Sound’s Sydney booking, management
and tour agency Soapbox Artists and Melbourne’s 360 Agency. They now represent some of Australia’s biggest DJs and producers including Timmy Trumpet, Uberjak’d, MaRLo, Havana Brown, Savage, Stafford Brothers, Bombs Away, Ruby Rose, Kronic, The Faders, and SCNDL. The merger gives them the muscle to move into the Asian and US markets.
… While Brisbane Companies Strike Partnership
Brisbane music marketing companies, SGC Media Group and heavy rock/metal oriented Collision Course have gone into partnership. Tim Price of Collision Course said the team-up “gives us the best opportunity to push (heavy rock) forward” using SGC’s network and resources.
Dan Sultan Goes Gold
Dan Sultan is given a plaque from Liberation Music’s Michael Giudinski for his Blackbird album going gold.
Community Tv Fights For Survival
Last September, the Australian Government cut the access of community TV beyond end of 2015, suggesting it offer its services online. Channel 31 is, after meeting experts, saying it can’t meet the deadline and may not survive as a result. On June 1, it kicks off a ‘Week of Action’ as it meets with the Dept. of Communications for a final meeting to delay the deadline. More at committocommunitytv. org.au.
Ibis Hotels Reach For Musicians
Economy hotel chain Ibis has entered the Australian music industry with an ARIA charts team-up with music streaming service Deezer. It set up an interactive music platform and booking portal called ibis Play, where it features local acts, news, playlists and gig info. Touring musicians who book through the ‘Paint It Red’ package get special room rates from $109 per night, with 15% of the room going back to spend at the hotel bar.
More Venues Showcase Bands, But Adelaide Loses Two
More venues around the country are showcasing live music. The new owners of Canberra’s Pot Belly relaunched late last month, while Toowoomba’s rebranded Mort Estate Hotel installed a 800-capacity band room in its old bottle shop driveway. In Melbourne, St Kilda’s Cellar Bar also marked its live music program by appointing Jeremy Jankie as its booker. But Adelaide has lost two venues within weeks. The 450-capacity Cavern on North Terrace closed after ten years. Manager Teresa
PG.10 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
For co n t en t s ub missio ns to this col u mn p leas e e mail to c elize r@ net sp ace .net.a u
Scarcella explained that “My 10-year term is now up and I just simply could not commit to signing to a new lease.” However she is talking to another venue about launching a band room. In the meantime, the 90-capacity music, theatre and cabaret venue The Soul Box in the West End also brought down the shutters.
Aria Launches Streaming Chart
ARIA last month introduced a new weekly Audio & Visual Streaming Chart. It incorporates all official music videos on YouTube, including Vevo on YouTube and user-generated clips that incorporate audio recordings in addition to the audio streams already collected from music streaming services Deezer, JB Now, Rdio, Google Play and Spotify. ARIA CEO Dan Rosen said “We aim to continuously evolve the ARIA Charts to ensure that they accurately represent the new ways that Australian music fans are consuming their favourite music. There is no denying the impact YouTube has today on music and popular culture.”
Paul Kelly To Receive ‘Live Music’ Award
Master story teller Paul Kelly is the recipient of this year’s JC Williamson Award, given by the live sector’s peak association Live Performance Australia. He will be presented with the honour at the 15th Helpmann Awards at Sydney’s Capitol Theatre on Monday July 27. The JC Williamson Award, named after a top theatrical entrepreneur, is given to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to enriching Australia’s live entertainment and performing arts culture and shaped the future of the industry for the better. Contemporary music recipients include John Farnham, Kylie Mnogue and Michael Gudinski. LPA chief executive Evelyn Richardson said Kelly got the award not only for his formidable reputation as a performer for over 30 years, for being “a source of inspiration for not only musicians, but the broader live performance industry” and “his commitment to mentoring and supporting younger artists is legendary as is his engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians and communities.” Kelly himself pointed out that “live performance is the crucible, the nitty gritty, where you make mistakes and find the stuff that works. So this is an important award to be a part of.”
New! Awards For Regional Digital Creativity
The fifth NEW! awards for regional digital innovators has opened. It’s for any business involved in designing, building,
managing, maintaining, marketing promoting a digital asset in Australia or overseas. Last year it received 123 entries. Deadline is August 31, go to www.thelunatickssociety.com.au.
Aussie Auction Site For Music Equipment
An online auction site for musical equipment, Gearflip, has launched in Australia by Chris Shaw, bassist with Dream On Dreamer. He said he’d seen too many musos getting ripped off by international retailers, fallen to scams or lost their money from PayPal disputes. Gearflip only deals with Australian musicians, so everything’s in Aussie dollars. Shaw invites retailers to use the site as an extension of their own websites. Gearflip takes a 2.5% commission.
Nominations Closing For Indigenous Nimas
Nominations for the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs) close on June 20. They’re held in Darwin. Last year had a record amount of applications, and organizer MusicNT expects to break that given the further growth of the sector in the past 12 months. The second round of performers are Frank Yamma, Tiwi Island’s B2M and The Painted Ladies. The latter is a project by Queensland musician Luke Peacock who’s assembled new and old indigenous musos to re-record the legendary Vic Simms’ 1973 “lost” album The Loner. Recorded in Bathurst jail, it is thought to be the country’s first black protest record. In a rare performance, Simms joins the Medics at the NIMAs. Also opened is the triple j Unearthed Indigenous Competition.
Multicultural Arts Victoria’s Emerge Dates
As part of Refugee Week, Multicultural Arts Victoria holds its 12th Emerge In Yarra from Sunday June 14 to Saturday 20. It celebrates the contribution emerging and refugee communities are having on contemporary arts and culture. Free and ticketed events at Fitzroy Town Hall cover music, theatre, comedy, a print exhibition, workshops, craft, language and cooking classes. Close Night features West Papuan harmonies by The Black Orchid Stringband, Afghani-pop duo Reza Fezali and Mohammed Amiri, and Ethiopian reggae force The Lalibelas ft. Nhatty Man at the Workers Club.
THINGS WE HEAR • Aussies continue to blitz the overseas market. Vance Joy’s ‘Riptide’ has gone double platinum in the US for 2 million sales and Sheppard’s ‘Geronimo’ certified platinum in the US for sales of 1 million. Husky are relocating to Berlin for the rest of 2015 as their album is released in North America and Europe, Meg Mac has been added to 13-date US tour by D’Angelo and The Vanguard this month. Melbourne’s Pierce Brothers and singer songwriter HOWQUA got signed to North America’s The Agency Group for bookings immediately after showcases at Canadian Music Week. • Expect tours this year by Mumford and Sons, Violent Femmes, NY dancehall act Kranium and The Beach Boys. Sufjan Stevens is playing only Vivid in Sydney this month but says he’ll be back for a full tour next year • This year’s music industry charity football match in Melbourne, the Reclink Cup, gets its “feel’n’kinda sporty” theme from the Dave Graney & The Coral Snakes’ song from the mid-1990s. Organisers said “It pays homage to the fact that Melbourne prides itself as one of the music and sporting capitals of the world.” This year the battle between the music industry’s Rockdogs and community radio’s Megahertz which draws 10,000 and raises $100,000 for the Reclink charity, it is held at Elsternwick Park on Sunday June 21. • Scammers are ringing up musicians saying they’ve got an Australia Council for The Arts grant and wanting their bank details. • Accountant company Venn Milner, the liquidators of Music Events Holdings, who ran Future Music and Summadayze, have asked for more time to recover the money. There’s almost $3 million owed to 52 suppliers and $200,000 to former employees. They imply assets were transferred out before Music Events went down in September 2013 and suggested they might take some former directors and company officers to court to recover the money. The intellectual copyright of the two festivals were sold to Michael Gudinski, who has no connection whatsoever in the liquidator’s’ matter. • Just before the Motley Crue Alice Cooper Adelaide show, Tommy Lee went off with 15 of his entourage to buy sneakers at a Nike store in Rundle Mall, Nikki Sixx to Frontyard Tattoo in Mt Barker to do ink on its customers, while the Coop headed to the Grange Golf Club for a round (Advertiser). • Cloud Control are having problems with their next album. Bassist Jeremy Kelshaw left before, and now they’re getting booted out of their Redfern makeshift studio by May 30 because the derelict building is being demolished. In recent storms, chunks of plaster fell off the ceiling and water gushed everywhere. They’re asking fans to lend them their living room until they find something. • At the launch of next month’s Queensland’s Gympie Music Muster director Jeff Chandler revealed that the festival last year injected $6.78 million into the Queensland economy last year, a rise of 10% from 2013. It also had an economic impact of $5.07 million for the Gympie region, up 7%. It drew an aggregated 66,000 people over four days, and created 84 full time jobs. “We hope to beat these figures this year,” he said. • A listener’s poll by Triple M to mark its 35th anniversary chose AC/DC’s Back In Black as the best album in the past three decades. The others in the Top 10 were Metallica’s Metallica, Guns N’Roses’ Appetite For Destruction, Nirvana’s Nevermind, Pearl Jam’s Ten, INXS’s Kick, Cold Chisel’s East, Midnight Oil’s 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion I & II and RHCP’s Blood Sugar Sex Magic. • The new Australian Jazz Award Academy was launched at the 13th Australian Jazz Bell Awards, see australianjazzacademy.org.au.
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• MasteringBOX has introduced a free mastering online application. With a sophisticated algorithm, it can detect dynamic and spectral characteristics of the track and make appropriate adjustments, giving people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to any form of mastering the ability to access these facilties and have their song mastered in less than a minute for free!
TC Electronic Ditto Stereo Looper Amber Technology | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au
TC Electronic has announced the latest addition to the Ditto family, the Ditto Stereo Looper. For this version TC has moved back to their larger Toneprint pedal format but kept the same ultra-simple one-foot-one-button interface. The larger format of the new pedal allows for stereo I/O which means an even bigger and wider sound. With up to five minutes of looping time the Ditto Stereo Looper allows for import and export of loops and backing tracks and unlimited overdubs. The Ditto Stereo still includes all the features you’d expect from TC Electronic guitar pedals; true-bypass, analog-dry-through, the option of running on a 9v battery and 24-Bit uncompressed audio, all housed in a rugged metal chassis.
Diamond Guitars Launch Australian Website Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au
It hasn’t taken long for Diamond Guitars to start turning heads in Australia with their impressive and unique guitar designs. Since launching in 2008, Diamond guitars have put together a flashy range of instruments that suit the player who likes to stand out from the crowd with a hot-rodded tone and custom aesthetic to match. Now in 2015, Diamon Guitars are set to sieze an even greater share of the Australian market with the launch of their Australia website, making it easier for Aussie players to learn about and get their hands on Diamond Guitars. To learn a little more yourself head to www.diamondaus.com.au
DV Mark Neoclassic 12 Small Guitar Amplifier CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au
• Warwick and Adam Clayton of U2 have been working together since 2008 when Adam contacted Warwick’s founder and managing director Hans-Peter Wilfer about building a bass to meet his own needs. In 2010 the first Adam Clayton signature model was born, the Warwick Reverso. Now you can see Adam Clayton perform at all live shows with his signature Warwick bass on U2’s 2015 Innocence + Experience tour. • MOTU and the Bob Moog Foundation have released the Bob Moog Foundation Encore Soundbank, a collection of instrument and percussion sounds produced in commemoration of Bob Moog’s 81st Birthday which was on May 23rd. The release is aimed at raising funds for the foundation which operates as an educational and preservative facility that aims to inspire and inform people about the art of sound.
DV Mark is Markbass’ guitar focused cousin. They’ve hit the ground running, releasing a line of powerful and innovative electric guitar amplifiers in recent years. The DV Neoclassic 112 Small issues 150w of power through a light 12” neodymium based speaker. Weighing in at only 8.3kgs and standing only 48.5cms tall, this amplifier crams a whole lot of grunt into a tight little package.
Dixon PP9290CP Cajon Pedal Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au
Cajons have been dominating the drum and percussion headlines lately, mainly due to their playability, affordability and portability. Few single drums can offer you the range of sonic textures that a Cajon can. As the popularity of the instrument grows, so too does the market for Cajon accessories: Introducing the Dixon Cajon Kick pedal. Much like a kick pedal for a rudimentary drum kit, the Dixon Cajon Kick Pedal attaches to the Cajon to further the players scope for creating complex and interesting patterns.
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• Rocktron has introduced the HUSH 2X, a pedal offering two separate channels of HUSH noise reduction in a single compact housing. It’s size enables players to access the unit after their pedal board and into the input of a guitar amplifier with one circious and into the effects look of the amp with the other, offering more versatility than the original HUSH unit.
• Presonus have announced that Studio One’s most recent update, Studio One 3 is now shipping. This update brings new thought to song arranging and experimentation. It opens the doors to new methods of mixing and sound control, giving further freedom to the user and the ability to refine their sound further to achieve exactly the desired result. It is the first DAW to offer a multi-touch interface accessible on both Mac and Windows.
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PRODUCT NEWS
TC-Helicon Voicelive 3 Extreme Vocal Effects Amber Technology | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au
TC-Helicon has announced the next stage in the evolution of the Voicelive series: the Voicelive 3 Extreme. Building on the market-leading technology of the Voicelive 3 the new Extreme edition adds a new level of looping functionality. The Voicelive 3 Extreme has the ability to import backing tracks with automation of FX cues and parameters. This means that you can focus on performing whilst retaining the amazing sound and functionality that the Voicelive brings to the stage. Voicelive 3 Extreme includes all the next-generation features of the Voicelive 3. Stomp-box effects from TC Electronic’s Toneprint series, Amp Tones and flexible routing of outputs to your amplifier or PA are some of the features that guitar players will love. A powerful three-phrase looping feature allows you to easily create and store entire songs on-the-fly. To make looping features – or almost any other function – more accessible the optional Switch-3 or Switch-6 footswitches can be added and if that’s not enough control for you then there’s Mic Control.
Tycoon Acrylic Timbale Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au
Tycoon’s reputation as a top shelf drum and percussion manufacturer is made all the more enviable when you remember that they’re one of the youngest operation manufacturers in the business. One of their latest releases, the acrylic timbale is yet another example of their ingenuity. Built with red and blue acrylic shells, these timbales offer a strong and powerful sound at an affordable price. Absolutely worth a look if you’re in the market for instruments like these.
Music Man HD130 REV Amp Head CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au
We’ve spoken at length about how impressed we’ve been by the reinvigorated line up of Music Man amplifiers, so we’re very excited to hear that they’ll be introducing another amp head to the range. The HD130 REV Amp Head combines solid state preamp with an all tube power stage giving it a familiar grunt of an all tube with the pristine clean that you’d come to expect from a solid state amp. This amp features a classic analogue spring reverb and a tremolo with 4 EL34s to ensure a vintage tone is attainable for lovers of classic sounds. There’s no wonder these Music Man amps have been gracing stages and stadiums around the world for the last 30 years. It’s great to see them coming back into the market.
Bogner Burnley Distortion Pedal EGM Distribution | (03) 9817 7222 | www.egm.net.au
The Bogner Burnley pedal is a unique distortion pedal capable of a delivering hot and devastating distortion tone with added oomph thanks to a custom transformer designed by Mr. Rupert Neve. With a fat/tight switch and an entirely analogue circuit path, this distortion pedal is capable of offering big fat mellow distortion tones as well as super-bitey attackriddled leads.
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YAMAHA PSR-S670 Arranger Workstation Yamaha Music Australia | au.yamaha.com | (03) 9693 5111
Yamaha’s keyboard range is the envy of most, with a reputation for reliability and usability. The company has just announced the release of the PSR-S670 workstation, the successor to the PSR-S650. With 416 stereo sample AWM voices, 34 Drum/SFX kits and 480 XG voices the newly designed workstation brings to the table everything it’s predecessor was so famous for and more. The PSR-S670 features a new live performance dimension with the addition of a new arpeggio function, 2 new assignable live control knobs for controlling effects, filters and arpeggios and 2 assignable foot controller ports for nuanced performance control with optional pedals. With a whole heap of added features, the Yamaha PSR-S670 presents great value for money.
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ABSOLUTE PERFORMANCE POWER Connect with your audience like never before. Groundbreaking FX automation and backing track playback sets you free to focus solely on your performance, while awe-inspiring vocal effects and rich guitar sounds run effortlessly by themselves. From the first song idea to the execution of complex live arrangements, everything you’ve worked for comes together in VoiceLive 3 Extreme.
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NEW! 4x internal memory of VoiceLive 3 with USB import/export of loops.
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NEW! Backing-track import with fully synchronized FX automation and recall per preset
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NEW! Performance Recorder allows live 24-bit audio recording to a USB flash drive.
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Complete professional vocal and guitar FX paths, with next-gen Harmony processing and TC Electronic TonePrint sounds.
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Powerful 3-phrase looping lets you create and store entire songs on-the-fly
www.ambertech.com.au
|
sales@ambertech.com.au
|
1800 251 367
PRODUCT NEWS
Bogner Ecstasy Blue Overdrive Pedal EGM Distribution | (03) 9817 7222 | www.egm.net.au
The Ecstasy Blue amplifier came about in 1992, and today Bogner is still hand building each amp. This Ecstasy Blue pedal is build to capture the essence of that classic amp, giving you the famous tones from that classic blue channel. These are designed with four discrete class A gain stages, endeavoring to best replicate the classic circuitry of the amplifier itself resulting in a more dynamic and malleable array of tones.
Samson Expedition XP1000 Portable PA Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au
The Expedition XP1000 Portable PA system from Samson gives you as much power as you could possibly ask for in such a clean and compact design. An all-in-one system, the XP1000 is perfect for anyone that requires a PA system where portability is a must. It’s Bluetooth enabled, which allows you to stream wirelessly using your smartphone tablet or laptop while a removable 10 channel mixer with a 1000W Class D amplifier which features four mic/line input channels makes this unit great for most practical applications. Live music performances, parties, exercise classes, conferences or talks are all made easier with the help of the Expedition XP1000 Portable PA system.
Aguilar Amplification Chorusaurus Effect Pedal Galactic Music | (03) 8813 0241 www.galacticmusic.com.au
The Chorusaurus pedal from Aguilar Amplification has just landed in Australia. It’s a bass chorus pedal that gives a warm and rich tone and uses analogue technology for an organic sound. Offering absolute tone control with an intuitive four knob layout including mix, depth, rate and width controls. On top of that, it probably has the best name of any pedal that’s come through the Mixdown office all year. Chorusaurus! Raaarrrrr!
Mooer The Juicer (MEP-JC) Micro Distortion Effect Pedal Jade Australia | 1800 144 120 | www.jadeaustralia.com.au
Barnes & Mullins Musical Merchandisers | (02) 9905-0311 | www.musicmerch.com.au
There’s something about a banjo that sets it apart from all other instruments. There’s a very grass roots comfort-ability about them. They possess a very ‘old country’ kind of charm, while at the same time they’re often exquisitely crafted and beautifully finished instruments. Barnes & Mullins are a company that really bring out the inherent beauty of the banjo in their products. As a builder of banjos, mandolins and violins, they have an affection for craftsmanship as well as a love for that old country sound. Take for example the B&M ‘Perfect’ 4 String Resonantor Irish Banjo. A beautifully constructed and well finished instrument fitted with a rosewood fretboard, mahogany resonator and neck and chrome hardware, it looks and sounds the part. All lovers of banjos and the like owe it to themselves to check out the Barnes & Mullins range.
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A recent addition to the Micro Mooer pedal line, the MEP-JC Juicer has been designed in collaboration with Neil Zara, and has become a constant both on his pedal board and in his overall sound. This pedal can really make your sustain sing by adding just the right level of overdrive to pull your guitar up that little bit more. Everyone wants control in their overdrive and distortion, and that’s where the Mooer MEP-JC Juicer wins out. A clean and serviceable pedal designed to take your tone to the next level.
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SOUND LIKE A PRO, FROM DAY ONE. NEW
PG ALTA
TM
Microphones
Legendary Shure Sound. Advanced Industrial Design. Choices for every application. PG ALTA™ puts professional audio quality within reach. Expect rock-solid sound and reliability that sets the bar for accessible, professional -calibre gear. For Performing & Recording. Distributed by
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Remote-Controlled Digital Mixer
Any device. Anywhere. The freedom to mix. Ui packs a complete digital mixing system into a compact, road-rugged stagebox format, with built-in Wi-Fi that lets you mix remotely from any device direct from your browser, supercharging your live sound with processing from some of the biggest names in the business - dbx®, Lexicon® and Digitech®.
Distributed by
www.jands.com.au
PRODUCT NEWS
Akai Advance 49 Workstation Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au
The new Akai Advance 49 is a keyboard workstation that gives your greater scope to manipulate any virtual instrument than ever before. With this keyboard, your computerbased plugins are reimagined, bringing them to the keyboard setting for a more natural intuitive playing experience. The Advance 49 also features it’s very own built in colour display, giving you real time control over your plugins and virtual instruments. With the Advance Keyboards, you get uninhibited access to any virtual instrument in your library without losing focus of the instrument in front of you. Nothing else can do that for you. One serious piece of kit worth checking out.
Cordoba The Mini Series Zenith Music | (08) 9383 1422 | www.zenithmusic.com
The Cordoba Mini is something you aren’t going to find anywhere else. It’s a miniature nylon-string guitar. Designed to be transportable for road trips and vacations, the mini gives you the full playability of the full sized nylon string guitar in a compact and lightweight body. Finished with a solid top and a matte finish. It comes with Aquila 96C nylon strings, tuned up a fourth from a standard guitar. It’s available in three different wood combinations including solid spruce top with either mahogany or Indian rosewood back and sides or a solid ovangkol top with ovangkol back and sides.
Neumann KH 420 Studio Monitors Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au
Shure PSM 300 Personal Monitor Systems Jands Australia | (02) 9582 0909 | www.jands.com.au
Shure has released two new products in their PSM 300 series. The P3TR112GR and the P3TRA215CL are both personal monitor systems for performers that need a reference monitor, but also require the freedom to move freely about the stage. Easy to operate, these systems enable the user to move around with reliable and pristine 24-bit digital audio. Featuring a SE112 Sound Isolating Earphones, both products give the user over 90sb of dynamic range for precise, low-noise audio, giving you a brilliant reference sound from any point on the stage. If your looking at exploring the personal monitoring market, you can’t go past trying out the PSM 300 series from Shure.
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The Neumann KH 420s represent the benchmark in professional studio monitoring. Designed for use as a mid-field or main monitor, these are especially useful in music, broadcast or in postproduction studios for all practical applications in those fields. They feature fabric dome, neodymium magnet drivers which are perfect for midrange frequencies, especially important for speech and vocals. The high power magnet reduces harmonic and intermodulation distortion. These monitors aren’t your average knock about speakers. These are the real deal. If you’re really serious about your sound, you should definitely take a look at the KH 420s.
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PRODUCT NEWS
Neumann TLM 107 Multipattern Condenser Microphone Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 www.sennheiser.com.au
When it comes to developing high-end professional microphones, few companies can compete with Neumann. With a long history of reliability, innovation and brilliance Neumann continue to lead the way in microphone technology. Take for example the TLM 107. A studio microphone that perfectly embodies the Neumann philosophy, innovation based on tradition. The newly developed transducer, designed specifically for this model provides unparalleled impulse fidelity. Further proof that where microphones are concerned, Neumann still leads the way.
Regal RC-1-N -1-N Metal Body Duolian Resophonic Guitar Zenith Music | (08) 9383 1422 | www.zenithmusic.com
Have you got a burning desire to play Chicago-style blues? The new Regal RC-1-N might be just what your looking for. Built in the vein of the classic vintage models, the RC-1-N is constructed with steel, and gives you that all-too-familiar blues tone when played with a pick or with a slide. A solid Mahogany neck and a rosewood fretboard make playing this beauty a breeze while a triple nickel plating has been polished to a mirror-like finish making this guitar worthy of having on display. Absolutely worth a look for fans of blues and rootsy music.
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MIXDOWN #253 // MAY 2015 // PG.19
C O V E R
S T O R Y
FAITH
NO MORE
Perhaps the most unexpected aspect of meeting Roddy Bottum, Mike Bordin and Jon Hudson of Faith No More is their spontaneity. Despite the storm of media the band has courted, they treat each question like a true conversation, taking time to consider replies and chatting frankly to each other about different experiences or conflicting impressions. For the recording of seventh studio album, Sol Invictus, the band retreated from the the spotlight to write in secrecy, intent on forging something that was pure Faith No More. You suspect that it’s not just the individuality each brings to the band, but their easy camaraderie that makes the album larger than the sum of its parts.
“I entirely agree with that,” Bordin says. “And you only get that with honest contributions from every side, that’s how it becomes something more. Like cooking, I guess. Someone might have salt, someone might have pepper. The band is more powerful than we could ever be on our own. I believe that very much.” “For me, I think it’s more distinct,” Bottum muses. “You’re coming back in to a situation like this with a lot more experience, whether it’s musical or otherwise. And that was a big part of it for me at least. I don’t think I thought of it in terms of the Faith No More approach.” “You work on music that resonates with you, or doesn’t,” says Hudson in something of a whisper. “You try and refine the things that do seem to work, and if they can take on a shape and life of their own, it will take off from there. None of us were really worried about expectations. We’re not that kind of band, I think. There was an obvious need to stay focused on the material, that was the important thing. And this was unique in that I think the band kept the information to themselves.” “Yeah. I think there is something unique there, because Faith No More is a product of each of us,” Bordin concludes. “We did this really with nobody around, with nobody knowing. Nobody outside was involved, so I could take my past experience directly into the studio and was able to do tracks, make them clean enough to proceed … and it felt great. I loved it, and I knew it was going to be great, and I can’t explain how excited I was to hear how it was going to flesh out. That’s all I cared about.” After thirty-four years, the band is well and truly a unique beast; crafting music by instinct and exposure, drawing influences from decades of disparate genres and experience. While there has always been a vivid, if cryptic commentary on the world at large in the group’s catalogue, within Sol Invictus this exploration of life, death, and the dervish in-between may never have been so pronounced. “I think there’s a spiritual quality to what we did here,” Bottum considers, “but it’s so unorthodox and so twisted, it comes from such a fucked up perspective, that I don’t think it’s even relatable to anyone outside the five of us. We put it out there, but it’s so weird. Billy and I were raised Catholics from an early age, so now we have all this damage from nuns, this whole weird world of spirituality that has seeped in to what we do. But it’s nothing that we pull from directly, or at least consciously. But it’s a big world out there, and I tend to think of a lot of things having a spiritual side, if an an unorthodox way. “But wouldn’t you say,” Bordin turns to Bottum, “that the search
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A lot of this recording was also writing and arranging at the same time, you know? In that regard, the technology helped because it allowed us to have more control, and see what we had right away.
for meaning, the search for faith or belief, is something that man is naturally drawn to? Whether that’s believing in a motorcycle gang or believing in tattoos, or finding your sense of soul in a bottle. People are always looking for something. I think it’s universal. It’s a general, everyday person thing.” Hudson nods. “It’s the human condition.” One of the most striking aspects of the album’s development was the absence of cavernous studios or outside meddling; the songs are unadulterated, a true testament to where Faith No More has found itself after all this time and without the baggage of how people will respond. Part of this creative isolation, however, could only be attained with leaps in technology far removed from the days of Album Of The Year. Working in a digital landscape allows a connectivity and immediacy unknown to those early days, though it can come with a price. “Being able to share music no matter where we are has definitely been a plus,” Bottum acknowledges. “That technology is great. I can be in New York City and so easily send music back and forth. But otherwise we weren’t all that connected. Billy [Gould] and I started Twitter accounts when we began the reunion tour, and that’s one way we addressed speaking to our public. That was a healthy way to address the world, and that aspect is one route. But within this record, technologically it was just what could be used in the space of the music. We only ever shared between ourselves.” “When it comes to making music,” Hudon says, “I think the fundamentals have stayed the same. Because we recorded it in one room, we didn’t have to go into a studio with some massive infrastructure. If we’d had to do that, it would have changed things because it would have put us on a schedule. A lot of this recording was also writing and arranging at the same time, you know? In that regard, the technology helped because it allowed us to have more control, and see what we had right away. Like taking a digital photo, you can see it right away, you don’t have to send it away and wait for it to be developed. But that’s physical technology, that’s nothing that really touches on social media or being at all conscious of what kind of response the music might have.” “Sometimes I might speak out to people online. But honestly,” Bordin laughs, “I prefer the cave. I know some people look at the comments on their Facebook page or whatever, but it just makes me really anxious. I can’t go there, I can never listen to what people say about us.” “I don’t mind sharing what we’re doing, sharing pictures of what we’re doing as a band. But I can’t be on the receiving end,” Bottum mockgroans. “I don’t want to know people’s comments.” “And it’s not really going to change what we’re doing anyway,” Bordin insists. “The only assurance is that we’re going to try and give you our best, what we think is our best. Somebody who is mean spirited, talking shit or just joking, it’s not going to drive us anywhere. Whoever we are, whatever we do, we’re going to give you our best. That’s what we do. You can get somebody else’s best somewhere else. This is what we do.” BY ADAM NORRIS Sol Invictus is out now through Reclamation Records / Ipecac
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I N T E R V I E W S
THE VACCINES
It seems strange to say, but every time some new UK band gets touted as the future of rock music, it’s enough reason to turn away. The superlative-happy UK music press has a history of nominating ultimately inadequate rock music saviours, who tend to fade from view within six months. Back in 2011, London outfit The Vaccines were subjected to this sort of aggrandising treatment. Pounding into view with a brash indie-rock sound, The Vaccines mightn’t have been the second coming of Oasis, but their savvy songwriting prevented them from drowning in the whirlwind of hype. In fact, the band’s debut, What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?, pulled off the remarkable double act of charting in the UK top ten and gaining positive critical feedback. It’s a testament to the band’s career ambitions that they’ve just returned with their third album, English Graffiti. Looking back on the build-up to What Did You Expect from The Vaccines?, co-frontman Freddie Cowan has no lingering misgivings. “I don’t think I was aware of it to the level it was going on,” he says. “In hindsight it was massively hyped. The speed at which we grew in the UK was insane. They’ve touted a couple of bands since, but I don’t think I’ve seen anyone do it and ride that wave like we rode it. We were so lucky for
MAKE THEM SUFFER Old Souls, the second record from Perth symphonic death metal sextet Make Them Suffer, landed at the end of May. It’s an exciting, confronting and even cathartic listen, which is evidently the product of much painstaking labour. The densely produced LP arrives just over three years after the band’s debut Neverbloom, When Mixdown speaks with drummer Tim Madden, he’s a touch upset about how long Old Souls took to get ready. “We did want to avoid that three year gap,” he says. “Even if we had’ve pushed it to two years and nine-tenths, but it wasn’t to be unfortunately. It’s not something that we wanted to do, to have to make our fans wait that long. It’s been hard for us to see all the comments online. People like, ‘Where’s the album? Is it ever going to happen?’ It was feeling like ‘Is this album going to happen? Are we going to be able to get it together?’ Thankfully we were able to overcome the adversities put before us and put Old Souls out.” There’s no doubt about it, a lot of work went into this album. Not only is there a tonne of songwriting ideas crammed into each track, but production-wise, it’s fleshed out with layers of diverse instrumentation. To convincingly pull this off, the band realised they’d have to work patiently. “We didn’t want to do Neverbloom part two,” Madden says. “A lot of bands can go down that road of just sticking with what they do best, and that works for them. But we wanted to expand upon Neverbloom and open a few new doors with our sound. You’ve got tracks like ‘Timeless’ and ‘Old Souls’,
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that really.” Cowan’s grateful attitude is somewhat surprising. See, while embracing such lofty praise might seem natural, the motives behind this acclaim warrant scepticism. It’s impossible to ignore the nostalgic-bent to a statement like ‘saviours of guitar music’, and in this respect, Cowan’s less compliant. “Saviours of guitar music – what does that even mean?” he says. “Does guitar need to be saved in that way? I don’t think so. It seems like everyone wants it to be the ‘90s again – people who talk like that: ‘Go back to the good old days when people who played guitars made more money.’ I don’t want to go back to that. I love where pop music is at and I really understand why guitar has taken a back seat.” With this in mind, on English Graffiti, The Vaccines break away from the formula that birthed their first two guitar-loaded records. “When we were touring [second album] Come of Age we thought ‘This doesn’t represent us at all or what we’re listening to,’” Cowan says. “We were really hungry to get out of what we were doing. The whole Ethan Johns, plug in and play, totally live, raw – we just said ‘Why are we doing this to ourselves? Why are we making it so hard for ourselves?’ At that time it was 2012 and we were recording a record like it was 1971.” The consequences of this realisation are stamped all over English Graffiti. Encompassing added diversity and dynamic scope, the synth-heavy album recalls everyone from TV On the Radio to Simple Minds and The Strokes. The band’s penchant for high-speed pop numbers is still in effect, but with help from producer Dave Fridmann (The Flaming Lips, Sleater-Kinney), the CBGBs grime has made way for neo-Spector gloss. “We didn’t really set ourselves any rules with it,” Cowan says. “We’re the ADD generation and we’re like the worst culprits of that, so we just followed what was of interest at the time. It’s dangerous to have too much of a mission. If you over-conceptualise before you walk the path, it’s not natural.
“We listened to a lot of pop radio making this record,” he continues. “But also someone would just come in and be like ‘Oh have you heard this song?’ Deerhoof put out their new album and there was a song called ‘Big House Waltz’, and we went ‘This is fucking really inspiring music.’ Everything about it was just so right on. Then there was an older song from this [Billy Cox album] called Nitro Function, with this girl on guitar called Char Vinnedge and this song called ‘Powerhouse’. It’s insanely musical, insanely brilliant, wild sounding.” One of the primary flaws in the nostalgia-drenched ‘bring back the guitars’ argument is that the guitar itself is simply a tool. With English Graffiti, Cowan and co. set out to demonstrate that it’s more important to communicate something forceful and exciting, regardless of your chosen tools. “When Kanye West put out ‘All Day’, it was like ‘What the fuck?’” he says. “It sounds like someone did it in five minutes, but it sounds like that person was genius. They’re raw sounds and raw hooks and so throwaway but so catchy and these stupid little vocal noises that become huge hooks people will sing at stadiums. It ties your head in nots, it’s like ‘This is the rock’n’roll. This is what people must’ve heard when they heard Link Wray. When jazz was big, this guy’s playing three chords through a busted amp, but it worked. The pop world is living on the edge and its dangerous and heavily referential and so fast-moving. I love that. It’s great just to experience that. So when it comes to bringing the guitars back, I have no interest in going back to that era. I still think there’s a place for guitar music, but I think it’s a place that requires a bit more thought.”
which are like nothing on Neverbloom. Even ‘Let Me In’ is leaning towards that boundary of becoming a bit more melodic, but it’s still heavy. It was hard to write outside of what we were familiar with. We did a lot of chopping and changing, writing and re-writing and replacing parts and replacing songs. It took a lot longer than it should have.” Like Neverbloom, Roland Lim produced Old Souls. Lim’s also worked with the likes of Birds of Tokyo and Lights of Berlin. Make Them Suffer have come to rely on his input. “I feel like he’s the seventh member of this band and understands the band’s sound probably better than we do ourselves,” Madden says. “When we brought him over to start pre-production, then we did even more changes. I think Roland actually spent from September through to December over here working with us on this thing. It seemed like forever and we really pushed it down to the wire.” Three other well-known producers were enlisted to help mix the album; Jason Suecoff (The Black Dahlia Murder, Trivium), Joey Sturgis (Emmure, Asking Alexandria) and Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Dead Letter Circus). “We didn’t have a budget to fly overseas and work with somebody in America or Europe, which we would’ve loved to,” Madden says. “So we thought let’s try to get a few different people to mix the songs, to give it a bit more flavour. We chose the people for those songs that were appropriate; the faster songs were done by Jason Suecoff, the moshier songs by Joey Sturgis, and ‘Old Souls’ was done by Forrseter Savell. He’s phenomenal.” At its heaviest, Old Souls will chill listeners to their very soul. But the album also contains delicate touches of orchestrated strings and piano. While the band attempted a similar dynamic juxtaposition on Neverbloom, it’s executed with greater precision this time around. “If we were to look back at Neverbloom and critique it on a production level, I feel like some parts were not as clear as they should’ve been,” Madden says. “With Old Souls we’re really glad we were able to get the right tones and the right mixing to make it all work
and to have that separation. I don’t think we went as dominant with orchestration. We wanted to allow the orchestration and the piano to be more significant when it was there. It’s the same with the guitar as well – there’s parts where the guitar part comes across a lot stronger and the listener understands it’s the focal point.” For the most part, the record features synthesised strings, but latest single ‘Let Me In’ marks the first time Made Them Suffer have worked with a real string section. “We kind of wish we’d done that on all the songs,” Madden says. “It actually does make a big difference using real violins and stuff like that. But it costs more to do that.” Evidently, a lot of the creative decisions that distinguish Old Souls were motivated by things the band wanted to correct about their first album. Despite such constant reflection, the end result is a markedly different LP. “We could’ve done Neverbloom part two and 50 per cent of the fans would’ve been like ‘Awesome,’” Madden says. “But there are also that 50 per cent who’d be like ‘We would’ve like to see Make Them Suffer expand.’ We’ve got so many elements to the sound, why not try it?”
By Augustus Welby
TOUR DATES July 27 – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC July 28 – The Metro Theatre, Sydney NSW
By Augustus Welby
TOUR DATES June 12 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide SA June 13 - Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne VIC June 14 - Gasometer Hotel, Melbourne VIC June 17 - Magpies Club, Canberra ACT June 18 - BALD FACED STAG, Sydney NSW June 19 - Hombre Records, Newcastle NSW June 20 - Crowbar, Brisbane QLD June 21 - The Lab, Brisbane QLD June 25 - Prince Of Wales, Bunbury WA June 26 - Capitol, Perth WA June 27 - HQ, Leederville WA
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I N T E R V I E W S
TV ON THE RADIO TV On the Radio are one of the 21st century’s most consistent rock bands. The New Yorkers are renowned not just for their innovative art-rock songwriting, but also the deft attention to detail of producer David Andrew Sitek. The band’s five full-length releases are padded out with all sorts of textural curiosities that continue to reveal themselves after several hundred listens. But in spite of this, anyone that’s ever seen TV On the Radio play live will vouch for the superiority of their live show. Given the detailed nature of the band’s five albums, you’d imagine they’re somewhat pedantic about the equipment utilised on stage. But ahead of this month’s hotly anticipated Australian tour, guitarist and vocalist Kyp Malone tells us otherwise. “The songs are the songs,” he says. “[On tour] I bring one guitar and my pedal board and then use backline amps and backup guitars. If a guitar is set up, they’re all kind of the same instrument. Synthesisers too; if you don’t have to program a bunch, then you can mess with the presets on the fly and get them sounding like an approximation of what you want. I remember the first time we played in Brazil, our stuff never showed up. We had to borrow other bands’ stuff and buy stuff and put together a ramshackle kit and it was fine.”
JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD JEFF the Brotherhood’s last LP, 2012’s Hypnotic Nights, was the Nashville duo’s first through a major label, Warner Bros Records. The album was co-produced by The Black Keys frontman Dan Auerbach, so it seemed fated to be a more populist sounding affair than the band’s preceding six LPs. Yet, while Hypnotic Nights includes some of the most on-point Weezer-worship this side of the 1990s, the band hung onto their ramshackle psychedelic roots. “We basically did Hypnotic Nights the same way we recorded all the rest of our records,” says singer/ guitarist Jake Orrall, who’s joined in the band by his brother, drummer Jamin Orrall. “We just went in and played the songs and put some cool stuff on top of it. Most of it is first takes. Dan wasn’t super worried about whether we got good takes or not. He was pretty laid back. He was just there to tell us if something sounded totally whack or if it sounded good.” Two-and-a-half years later, JEFF the Brotherhood have returned with their eighth album, Wasted On the Dream. The relatively prolonged wait for this record suggests the anticipated major label makeover has occurred. Indeed, along with guest vocals from Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino and a flute solo from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, there are tracks like ‘Karaoke, TN’ and ‘Coat Check Girl’, which outwardly embrace pop melodies and structure. “When we signed to Warner Bros. we knew what we were getting into in
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Over the years, Malone’s regularly played Fender Jazzmasters and Mustangs, as well as Gibson Les Pauls, SGs and Firebirds. But strangely enough, the one guitar he never leaves home without doesn’t even join him on stage. “I always carry my National Resophonic Resoelectric and I never play it with TV On the Radio,” he says. “But every tour I have it on me. If I’m practising or if I’m writing or warming up, it’s the guitar that I always have. It’s an electric guitar with a dobro-style cone in it. I really like it.” TV On the Radio’s latest LP Seeds came out last November. Seeds is arguably the band’s most subdued effort, and sound-wise, it’s the warmest album in their catalogue. The band’s live shows are typically explosive, but Malone says they’ve been able to reproduce the album’s core duality. “I feel like we addressed it in regards to what our instrumental set up has been. On this record, re-issued digital mellotrons figure prominently in a lot of tracks, so they end up on stage with us now. Having those and then having more people working back and forth between stringed instruments and key instruments, it’s effecting how we’re playing the older songs. It’s all starting to get sewn together more and more that way. It’s like taking some of the recent approach and sewing it to an older approach.” TV On the Radio formed in 2002, originally as a studio project for Sitek and vocalist Tunde Adebimpe. Malone joined them in 2003, and together the trio produced the breakthrough EP Young Liars. Two songs from that release, ‘Staring at the Sun’ and ‘Young Liars’, continue to show up in the band’s set lists. While he’d be forgiven for feeling less than enthusiastic about the songs by now, Malone maintains a Zen outlook. “My relationship to those two tracks continues to evolve,” he says. “Inhabiting a song live is the closest thing I know of to a yoga practice. I have a lot of friends that teach yoga and talk to me about it; the whole idea of getting into these positions, whether you’re in the mood or not, and having this intended
terms of ‘OK, this is a career thing now, we need to make a record that they can use,’” Orrall explains. “So there was that element of ‘Let’s give them some hits.’” To be fair, the band’s predilection towards sugary melodic rock was evident as far as back 2009’s Heavy Days. “Every album gets more accessible and better sounding because we get better at writing songs and get better at playing our instruments,” Orrall says. “When we first started out I really could not play guitar, so I just made up stuff. Now I’m better at my playing my guitar and that’s why it’s more accessible. We’ve always been really into pop music and writing grunge-pop stuff.” The Orralls’ growing technical and compositional know-how isn’t all that distinguishes Wasted on the Dream from JEFF’s earlier work. In fact, a more obvious modification is the record’s hi-fi, overdub-friendly production. To ensure this was a smooth transition, the brothers roped in experienced producer Joe Chiccarelli (Spoon, Alberta Cross, The Strokes). “We got a list of producers that Warner suggested and we had a list of people we were interesting in working with,” Orrall explains. “We listened to some examples of their work and then we just called them up out of the blue. A lot of working with a producer is, ‘Do you get along with this person? Can you hang out with them?’ It was really apparent very quickly that he was the right guy for the job.” Building a rapport with Chiccarelli might’ve been easy, but making a premium, high fidelity rock record was no walk in the park. “He pushed us pretty hard,” Orrall says. “That was part of it though; we knew that he was a professional, we knew going into it that it was going to be hard work, but we wanted that. We wanted to make the best album we could make. “Working with Dan was very much more like working with an artist and collaborating on finding cool sounds,” he adds. “Working with Joe was not like that at all. It was like working with a professional record producer, which was great.”
effect regardless of whether your heart’s in it. I feel like that about tyring to embody songs in the moment. Even if I look at the set list and it’s not that pleasing to me, when we actually get up and do it, the best-case scenario, I’m going to catch a fire from it and really get into it. The shows behind this record have felt really good in that way. “There’s these songs and these structures and you have to get into the different positions, but there’s also the thing about improvisation,” he adds. “One of my favourite aspects of musical performance and playing with people is the ability to expand and contract during improvisation. That’s also key.“ TV On the Radio’s enduring quality has a lot to do with the fact that each member makes an integral contribution to all of the band’s records and live performances. Adebimpe generally gets referred to as TV On the Radio’s frontman. It’s true, he has one of the most distinctly enveloping voices in contemporary music, but sometimes he’s given more credit than is due. See, Malone has been a contributing songwriter since day one – responsible for such favourites as ‘Golden Age’, ‘I Was A Lover’ and ‘Province’ – and he sings lead on every song he writes. “Sometimes I see people talking about a TV On the Radio song and attributing something that I did to Tunde or vice versa,” he says. “But then also, every time someone makes that mistake I don’t want to get on an ego trip about it, because that’s not really what the point’s supposed to be. I was singing before anyone gave a fuck about it and I’ll sing after anyone does too.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
TOUR DATES JUNE 8 – VIVID LIVE FESTIVAL, SYDNEY NSW JUNE 9 – VIVID LIVE FESTIVAL, SYDNEY NSW JUNE 10 – THE TIVOLI, FORTITUDE VALLEY QLD JUNE 12 – THE FORUM, MELBOURNE VIC
Fortunately, the laborious recording process hasn’t sucked the life out of the record. JEFF the Brotherhood are an incredibly entertaining live act and Wasted on the Dream still conveys a sense of the pair’s onstage animation. This time around, however, the band’s personnel was expanded to include bass player Jack Lawrence (The Greenhornes, The Dead Weather). “He’s a good buddy of ours,” Orrall says. “We knew we wanted to have bass on this album for the first time and he’s just an unbelievable bass player.” In spite of the high-grade production, the root elements of each song were tracked live. “Before recording, we went to a practice space and we worked for ten days, just playing choruses over and over and trying out different drum beats and different arrangements of stuff,” Orrall says. “The four of us went in – me and Jamin, Jack and Joe – and really, really, really worked on the arrangements and performance and then we went into the studio and got good takes of the full band live. Then I put vocals on it and we went from there.” All of this actually happened in the early months of 2014. Then, after various delays, the band were dropped from the Warner Bros roster a mere two weeks out from the record’s scheduled release. They’ve now shifted back to the land of independence, but that doesn’t mean there’s an aesthetic devolution on the horizon. “I think the next one will definitely have a different attitude,” Orrall says. “There won’t be as much pressure to do a single and stuff like that. We knew that our long term hardcore fans might be a little bit weirded out by some of the stuff on Wasted On the Dream, but you’ve got to keep growing. You can’t just keep doing the same thing forever.” BY AUGUSTUS WELBY Wasted On The Dream is out now via Dine Alone / Cooking Vinyl Australia.
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I N T E R V I E W S
COSMIC PSYCHOS Australia’s premiere farm punks, Cosmic Psychos, are back with their ninth album, Cum the Raw Prawn. It’s four years since the band’s last effort, Glorious Barsteds, but in spite of the somewhat lengthy delay, Cum the Raw Prawn is by no means a departure. Led by Ross Knight’s Aussie brogue and bulky bass-playing, the album’s chock full of the sort of lyrical vulgarity and instrumental ferocity that the Psychos have been pumping out since 1982. “It’s funny how it just happens that way, but I guess that’s the way I think and it’s the way I get a bit of shit off me liver,” says Knight. “There’s no real pre-planning involved. Especially this album, it just happened. I had a few ideas that’d been rolling around in me head for a couple of years, but most of it was written on the spot.” The album was recorded in Knight’s Victorian farmhouse earlier this year. The finished product flaunts a tough, ballsy sound, which belies the nature of the recording arrangement. “The drums were set up in the lounge room and me and Macka [John McKeering, guitar] stood there off from the drums a little bit,” Knight explains. “We had the two amps in my sons’ rooms and the control room was in my bedroom and we did the vocals in the laundry.” When it comes to the nuts and bolts of this makeshift studio, Knight remains almost entirely ignorant. “I think it was into a computer,” he ponders. “All I know is that I sing into a microphone which has a lead on
MY DISCO Moody post-rock trio My Disco make music that relies on structural balance and technical precision to conjure up strong emotions and dramatic tension. On their first three records the band have incorporated elements of post-punk, krautrock, drone, ambience, aggressive post-rock and the occasional vocal chant. Understandably, this amalgamation of sounds makes My Disco just about impossible to categorise. These days, the band’s three members are scattered around the globe, but they regrouped in Melbourne last year to put together album number four. Ahead of a brief run of Australian shows this month, Mixdown caught up with bass-player and vocalist and Liam Andrews. The band’s no longer based in Melbourne. Where are you all living at the moment? I’ve been over in Europe for a good three or four years now, mostly in London and I spent all of last year living in Barcelona. Ben [Andrews, guitar] moved to Jakarta last year, so he’s been in Indonesia for about six months. But Rohan [Rebeiro]’s been strongly held here. The next My Disco album is due in the second half of 2015. You recorded it at Electric Dreams in Melbourne with Cornel Wilzcek. How much time went into making this album? We’ve been working on and off on music for this for the last couple of years, but we recorded it in full in December-January. And it was written in
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it that goes into a whiz-bang box with a few dials on it.” Interest in the Psychos resurged in recent years, thanks to Matt Weston’s 2013 documentary film Blokes You Can Trust. However, as depicted in the film, the band’s irreverent and uniquely Australian punk rock has been an influential force for decades. In addition to making fans and friends out of grunge linchpins Eddie Vedder and Mark Arm, Cosmic Psychos continue to embark on regular European tours. Though, such far-reaching respect won’t silence the band’s naysayers. “As long as we’re playing, there’s going to be people who just think we’re a bunch of potty-mouthed pricks,” Knight says. “And you know what, that’s fine. There’s certainly a spot in there for a band every now and again to pull rock’n’roll out of its own arsehole. People just get carried away and take it all a bit too seriously.” You could argue that pissing people off is better than making no impact at all. Also, it’s quite healthy to let yourself simply enjoy something and not worry about whether it’s an optimally meaningful use of time. Either way, Cosmic Psychos’ vocal opponents haven’t impinged upon the band’s fearless attitude. “We played in front of 45 000 people when Pearl Jam first came to Australia,” Knight says, “and there was 45 000 people booing us. We had a ball. They were cranky, it was great. We’re almost an anti-band. We just do it because it’s a bit of fun, and if it pisses people off, well that’s fine. And if people like us, well that’s good too, come and have a beer with us.” To coincide with the release of Cum the Raw Prawn, the Psychos are heading out on a massive co-headline tour with Brisbane pop punk trio Dune Rats. Over the last couple of years, Dunies have been a non-stop touring machine, subsequently amassing a considerable global fanbase. In spite of the major age discrepancy, Knight feels a certain affinity with the Brissy lads. “Their attitude just seems like ‘What the hell, we’re here to have a good time and we’ll drag a few people
along with us,’” he says. “It’ll be quite funny. It’s going to be a collective age group of about 750 years with the Psychos and 75 years for the Dune Rats. But hopefully we all get along fine.” Thanks to a filth-ridden public image and lyrics that frequently glorify marijuana, Dune Rats have copped a hammering for being dumb, foul-mouthed and un-intellectual. Essentially, it’s the same sort of abuse that’s been thrown at Knight and co. since the early ‘80s. “We got shit-canned very early on,” he says. “Even pre-Psychos, when we morphed out of Spring Plains, people hated us. I thought, ‘Well, you can if you like, but this is all we know how to do.’ Since that point in time, as a musician I haven’t fucking changed either. I couldn’t do anything else except play one chord and one string. And I still can’t. “Most of the people that shit-can bands anyway are just people that don’t play themselves,” he adds. “Put it this way, there was people shit-canning the band 30 years ago. Well, they’re probably not music critics anymore. But guess what? I still get to stay up after midnight and drink free beer.” There’s something strangely admirable about Knight’s unwavering approach to songwriting and performance. In a similar respect, his relish of a cold one has never come under serious doubt. “I’m a bit of a wuss now. I drink the low carb stuff, because I can drink more of it,” he says. “But look, I still love me European beers. The main reason we still head over to Europe at the drop of a hat is to get over there for the beer. Any beer’s a good beer really, as long as it’s cold.”
full about six months prior to that. It’s looking like it will be a late 2015 release. It’s been more than four years since Little Joy came out. Is the delay simply a result of involving yourselves with other projects and living apart from each other? Or did you need creative space before doing another My Disco album? Definitely being apart – not living in the same city and not having that routine of going to the studio and attempting to write music every week. But I think creatively it was nice to be apart and to do a few other things in life. We did feel quite refreshed when we commenced writing this record, which was literally done in the space of two or three months. This is the band’s fourth record. Does the creative process involve looking back at your earlier releases to see what’s missing from the My Disco repertoire? We don’t look back. With this we really just pursued a sound, and being written in a short period of time, it has a coherent sound as a record. It’s something we don’t speak too much about, it’s just when we get in the room together it’ll just click in. What can you tell me about the album? It’s been described as long, slow and heavy, and darker than anything you’ve done previously. That’s definitely the case. These songs are of a slower pace and have a much heavier feel to them. From the people I’ve played them to, it’s been taken as quite intense and rather bleak. Listening back to the mixes, it’s feeling relevant to the record we wanted to make. Quite often you go into an album with songs and an idea of how you want them to sound, but it might not quite get there. But working with Cornel on this, we’ve had great help from him in terms of the production. We’ve had an idea of a sound and we’ve really alleviated that with the production in the studio. When you entered the writing process, did you already know that you wanted to make something darker? I think we all felt that. We played around with writing and experimenting with other ideas, but then it just quite naturally came around to this – where we just
started writing this way. It’s still very rhythmic and repetitive, but there’s a lot more space and ambience in the guitars and a much darker sound across the board. What explains the added darkness? Is there anything in particular that triggered the bleaker departure? I don’t really know. I think it’s just something that we all felt comfortable with, just a mood. It might reflect a lot of music we listen to. It’s not like we have a discussion about it and we express our feelings. It’s just, musically that’s what we felt comfortable with and what we felt best represented our sound as a band right now. On the subject of music you listen to, in the past you’ve touched on a whole range of genres without pledging allegiance to anything in particular. If you find yourselves doing something conventional, do you tend to pull back and move in another direction? Only if it’s not feeling right. We would never do it just for the fact that might be a conventional sound or riff or rhythm. If it suits and works for what we’re trying to accomplish, then I have no problem with that. You’re doing a short run of Australian shows this June. Will you be playing much from the new album? It will be all the new music from the new record. Everything before it is well past its use-by date for us to be performing. Something we’ve always done as a band is to keep moving from relevant music to the next. It just feels much more comfortable. Playing old songs we wrote five or ten years ago is not very cohesive in terms of the sound of the new songs also. We’re creating a mood when we perform and trying not to break that concentration of sound.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
Visit www.cosmicpsychos.com.au for all tour dates.
BY AUGUSTUS WELBY
TOUR DATES JUNE 7 – THE TOFF IN TOWN, MELBOURNE VIC JUNE 12 – ANCIENT WORLD, ADELAIDE SA JUNE 19 – DARK MOFO, HOBART TAS JUNE 26 – GOOD GOD SMALL CLUB, SYDNEY NSW
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ROAD TESTS
Radial Engineering 500 Series Workhorse Modules: EXTC Reamp, PhazeQ Tool, Q4 EQ Amber Technology | 1800 251 367 | www.ambertech.com.au | RRP: $419 (EXTC REAMP), $419 (PHAZEQ TOOL), $829 (Q4 EQ)
Having had access to a Radial 500 Series Cube for the past month or so, it has been extremely handy to be able to throw together a compact recording signal path that can go anywhere. For those of you that don’t know the Cube, it’s a great idea that allows for up to three 500 Series modules to be installed and supplies power and output routing for them. It is capable of being mounted within a desktop for a fixed channel strip in a studio, or will happily travel with you so you can have access to your favourite modules anywhere in the studio or on the road. Having been spoiled with an SSL G-Series Bus compressor last month, I got some pretty cool toys to try out this time around too. Installing the modules is fairly simple. They extend a small PCI style card from the rear which is seated into the caddy firmly, and then four screws hold the module in place. The Cube supplies two inputs and two outputs per module on the rear panel. XLR connections are used for the main pair with TRS connections on the second allowing for multiple outputs on certain modules, or various patching configurations. Most importantly, internal routing can be engaged so your signal flows from one module to the next seamlessly should you wish to use them in a serial fashion. A microphone preamp, compressor and EQ can be combined to make a customizable channel strip. There are all sorts of tools designed for specialty audio needs that Radial produce for the 500 series. Let’s take a look at a few.
EXTC REAMP
This device is one that is not very common, but it’s so handy. I can think of countless times over the years where the EXTC Reamp would have solved all number of problems in recording setups, but I never had one at hand. It allows you to incorporate guitar effects into your recording path. How many times have you thought, “if only I could patch a favourite reverb pedal in line with a microphone”, and when
you do so, it just sounds like rubbish. Let’s face it, guitar signals and line levels were never really intended to be mixed up, but there are plenty of cool guitar effects that would work great in a recording setup, all that’s needed is a bridge. That’s what the EXTC Reamp does. It unbalances the line level from the desk and matches the impedance for the send into the effects pedal and then returns the signal back to its original
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line level on the way out. It doesn’t seem like much, but all the magic really happens inside and if it goes unnoticed, then you can be sure that it is doing its job right.
PHAZEQ TOOL
The PhazeQ is yet another Radial design that takes a rather complex issue and simplifies it almost to the press of a button. When recording with two microphones, the PhazeQ allows you to flip the phase of one to achieve alignment between the two signals. The result is a fuller sound where both microphones work together with each other to deliver a result rather than taking away from one another when joined in the mix. On top of this, or rather, below it when looking at the orientation on the rack, is a low pass filter that can be brought in to remove high frequency artefacts. This really makes a difference when using two microphones at different distances to the sound source. What I found was that engaging the filter didn’t seem to audibly achieve much at all, even when wound in fairly critically. But, when you disengaged it, it suddenly became very evident that something was now not quite right. The same goes with the phase adjustment.
Often the problem cannot be heard until it’s removed and the result speaks for itself. Once the correct phase alignment is achieved, with the PhazeQ offering the ability for a full 360 degree phase flip, you are able to blend between the dry and wet signal to find a place where the microphone’s sound fits within the mix and the best result can be achieved before going to tape.
Q4 CLASS-A EQ
As far as EQ modules go in Radial’s 500 Series, this is by far my favourite. It is a fully discrete four band Class-A EQ that really does add to the sound and bring life and warmth to your signal. Like certain EQs found on popular large format mixing consoles, this has a true character of its own that it imparts on the signal as it is passes through. A low and high shelving filter allow you to curtail the extremes of the EQ range with as much aggression as you need, but it’s within the two sweep-able mid-range filters that this unit delivers so much character. The Low-Mid filter operates from 300Hz up to 2.4 kHz and the High-Mid filter runs form 1 kHz up to 8 kHz, leaving a nice crossover point between the two to work with should it be needed. Both have the option
of a wide or narrow Q curve, so you can use them for a soft, general colouration to the sound, or really hone in on a specific frequency if you need to. It can be very aggressive if you want to really abuse their +/- 12Db range, but they can also be very musical if you use them subtly. With all the scope that these offer in such a compact module, Radial have really put together a brilliant EQ section that would complement any signal path. BY ROB GEE
SPECS For a full list of specs on each model, visit our website: mixdownmag.com.au/roadtest
HITS • So many options with a range of modules • Compact and portable recording solution • High quality components
MISSES • A fourth slot in the rack would be nice
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ROAD TESTS
ZOOM TAC-2R Thunderbolt Audio Converter Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $685
Whether it is down to licencing issues or perhaps just a slow market uptake to the format, there has certainly been a limited number of Thunderbolt audio interfaces to make a stand in the marketplace in the past 12 months. It seems that the greater share of the marketplace is a little slow off the mark when it comes to Thunderbolt, and only a few manufacturers have really dived into the deep end with the new Mac port. So, it was with great joy that the new Zoom TAC-2R was handed over to me this month. Finally, we have come across a Thunderbolt interface that isn’t eye-wateringly expensive.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Straight out of the box, I think Zoom are onto a winner with this unit. It not only looks slick, but the build is pretty tough too. Housed in a metal chassis, this unit is going to withstand more than the ordinary wear and tear of the home studio or when used out and about for location recordings. It’s a very real option that wasn’t available on previous Firewire units, where and external power supply was required. The TAC-2R busses power direct from the Thunderbolt port, so you can run it with a laptop and no additional power source. It is nice to see that guitarists continue to be catered for when Zoom design their interfaces as both inputs on this model can be switched to a Hi-Z input for direct guitar recording. The two inputs are very flexible with the
ability to accept microphones, line level or guitars on the one combination connector. The large volume control is a nice aesthetic touch, but it doesn’t really serve any purpose beyond that. I find the master volume on an interface is more of a ‘set and forget’ control and not something that demands attention. It does work well in giving the unit an all-round audiophile look that will appeal to some users.
THE DRAWBACK
Obviously, there is one hitch with this unit, and that’s the fact that it’s a Mac only device, so the PC users will have to look at Zoom’s USB devices for now. That aside, this is a very powerful unit for its size and comfortably delivers 24-bit/192kHz audio both directions without any
audible latency. Surprisingly, with the move to the modern Thunderbolt connection, Zoom have still considered additional legacy hardware requiring MIDI information and two 5-pin DIN connectors are supplied. It’s good to see the old format just refuses to go away. Only time will tell how well these units are going to be received. I am going to put it out there and say that a number of you will already want one before you have even read this. Zoom have cracked the market and price point with this device and I think it will
indeed prove to be very popular.
if needed, or lowered at one or both ends, depending on what is going on the cart. It can even be converted into a tall trolley that can be slid under heavy units and wheeled upright on the two larger wheels. Once finished, the RocknRoller folds up into a compact form so it can be transported to where the equipment next needs to be moved. Sure, this is not a glamourous device and many of you will probably not get excited about buying one. But, for everyone that does get
their hands on one, you will be eternally grateful and wonder why you waited so long to take the strain off you back.
SPECS
BY ROB GEE
HITS
SPECS
BY ROB GEE
HITS • Sturdy case and solid build • Excellent audio transfer speed and AD conversion • Allows for connection with legacy MIDI devices by DIN ports
MISSES • Non-existent PC compatibility
• Inputs: XLR/TRS combo jacks (XLR: 2 hot / TRS: TIP hot) • Impedence: 3kΩ • Power: Thunderbolt Bus Power • Dimensions: 129.5mm x 120.0mm x 51.3mm • Weight: 420g • Frequency Response: -2.0 dB: 20 Hz - 50 kHz @ 192kHz setting -1.0 dB: 20 Hz - 34 kHz @ 96kHz setting -0.4 dB: 20 Hz - 20 kHz @ 44.1kHz setting
RocknRoller Multicart Mini R6RT Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $299
Every gigging musician reading this will know of the pain of lugging equipment in and out of venues before and after gigs. Especially when a PA system is needed to be brought into a venue, or someone decides to bring their Fender Twin Reverb for a jazz gig in a coffee shop. There is all the going to and from the rehearsals and storage between gigs where all that equipment has to be moved around. No wonder there are plenty of chiropractors out there setting up retirement funds based purely on income from musicians. So, this next product is sure to wipe the pain from the brow of many, as it simplifies the whole process and might just stop the back pain before it sets in.
READY TO ROCK AND ROLL
I think the name says it all with this device. The RocknRoller Multicart is not trying to be anything but just that. It isn’t hip, it isn’t trendy and it isn’t made from rare or expensive tone woods. But, it is going to make your life a lot easier when travelling to and from gigs, especially when you can’t get a carpark within three blocks of the venue and find yourself lugging gear halfway across the suburb. This is really simple, yet very clever at the same time. It’s one solid, heavy duty trolley that can be set up in a number of ways to suit the equipment you are
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moving. Once you get it set up to begin with, the no-flat tyres take all the weight and you just need to push. These foam filled tyres mean that you needn’t worry about getting a puncture form a broken bottle in the laneway behind the venue as you leave, they will keep performing night in and night out.
FULLY ADJUSTABLE
From the boot of the car, the RocknRoller is easy to lift out and set up however you need it. You can extend the wheel base with the side rods opening apart in a telescopic fashion for quad boxes or traps cases. A support arm can be raised at both ends
• Length: 71.1cm to 108cm extendable • Capacity: 226.8kg • Weight: 10kg
• Folds down to a compact size for easy storage • Sets up quickly and easily • Capable of large weight loads • No-flat tyres mean no issues
MISSES • Could do with some rubber grips for easier handling
MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015 // PG.31
ROAD TESTS Keeley Electronics Psi Fuzz & Son Of Fuzz Head Gladesville Guitar Factory | (02) 9817 2173 | www.guitarfactory.net RRP: $219 (Keeley Psi Fuzz), $289 (Keeley Son Of Fuzz Head)
Robert Keeley created a bit of a pedal revolution a while back. I still remember regarding with envious eyes the first Keeley-modded BOSS pedal I saw. And his own pedal designs are even more covet-worthy. Let’s have a look at two new fuzz pedals, each by Keeley but each with an entirely different voicing.
PSI FUZZ
The goal of the Psi Fuzz was to create a hybrid pedal combining a modified op amp fuzz and a Germanium output transistor. The clipping LED is on the outside so you can see it lighting up when it’s doing its job, which is kinda fun! The controls are Voltage (volume), Voice (kind of a tone control) and Cream (kind of a gain control), and the pedal is available in two visual styles: one hand-drawn by Erin Lofties in the spirit of the 60s reinterpretation of Art Nouveau, and a Gold Brick Greek God model. This pedal was a big hit at Winter NAMM this year. Essentially it taps into the same spirit as a Big Muff Pi type fuzz the early kind that used op amps instead of transistors - but with that Germanium fatness as well. The Psi Fuzz is a master of thick, creamy solo tones and hairy, gritty power chords. It doesn’t
moved it to the outside of the pedal, a change that fans have been asking for for over a decade, and there’s a switch which lets you remove diode clipping completely for an overdrive - as opposed to fuzz - tone. The controls are Fuzz/Gain, Tone and Output Level alongside the Fuzz/ Gain toggle switch. Oh and the artwork is by Cal Schenkel, who did plenty of art for Frank Zappa!
appreciate you being clever and throwing in more complex voicings but it’s very happy when you slam it with freak-out soloing. What’s particularly interesting apart from that gorgeous art work is that the Voice and Cream knobs feel interactive, to the point where if you nudge one just a little then it seems to affect the operation of the other. You can use it for a treble-heavy rasp or a round, smooth hum.
This is an addictive little fuzz. It can get rather dirty and scrappy in fuzz mode, with great sustain and hair, and more of an upper-midrange bite than the Psi Fuzz. The Overdrive mode is noticeably louder, fuller, thicker and boomier, providing a really dramatic contrast. In fact, it’s kind of a shame that the Fuzz/ Overdrive control isn’t footswitchable because it would be a great asset on stage.
SON OF FUZZ HEAD
BY PETER HODGSON
Keeley describes Son of Fuzz Head as “my best offering,” so you know it’s gonna be something super-special from the get-go. It retains the Differential Pair transistor setup at the heart of the design that is unique to the original Fuzz Head pedal but with the addition of a JFET tube-amp simulator on the front end followed by a germanium transistor gain stage. Keeley also improved the Tone control and
Psi Fuzz
The Son Of Fuzz Head
HITS • Two great modes (Psi Fuzz) • Great artwork • Wide range of tone control
MISSES • It’s a shame the Fuzz/OD isn’t foot switchable. (Psi Fuzz)
Diamond Guitars Imperial AB With Bigsby Vibrato Dynamic Music | (02) 9939 1299 | www.dynamicmusic.com.au | RRP: $1499
As we saw with the Hellfire last month, Diamond is a company that’s not afraid to put its own very unique stamp on classic designs. The Imperial AB with Bigsby follows the general Diamond template that feels familiar while remaining completely different to anything you’ve ever seen before.
HYBRID THEORY
What we have here is a doublecutaway electric guitar which may look a bit like a Gibson ES335 from a distance, but when you get up close you realise it’s an incredibly thin solidbody guitar with extreme bevelling that puts it somewhere between an Ibanez Sabre and a Gibson SG. The body and neck are made of mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard and 22 frets, with classy block inlays that feel visually consistent with the cool two-tone finish. In terms of hardware, this particular model has a Bigsby vibrato bridge, master volume and master tone controls, a three-way pickup selector switch which feels just a little bit flimsy, although I couldn’t trick it into malfunctioning. It also has a recessed output jack which does indeed recall that used by the Ibanez Sabre, and a pair of Diamond’s own humbucking pickups: Diamond Custom an R11 and an N9C.
PG.32 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
CHARACTER STUDY
This guitar is oozing with character. Although it’s capable of really great full-on distortion tones, it utterly excels at ‘dirty clean’ sounds; think ringing chords, arpeggiated jangle, stinging blues licks, moody Bigsby-accentuated melody lines dripping in spring reverb. The bridge pickup is bright and punchy with plenty of upperfrequency detail and a restrained low end, while the neck pickup is a little juicier and fatter. Each is great on its own, but when you combine them you’ll get a great all-purpose tone that’s as suitable for indie and alternative as it is for blues or pub rock. The playability is also good, although if you’re not used to the quirks of the Bigsby, you might find yourself needing time to adjust to the reduced sustain and enhanced attack that this system imparts. The controls are easy to access, the Bigsby bar is easy to reach when you want it but also easy to stow out of the way when you don’t, and the
guitar balances beautifully. It’s hard to think of who the ideal owner of this guitar might be, because it seems to invite and reward experimentation. This is a really great guitar for anyone who wants something a bit different with a slightly vintage attitude but modern playability and unique styling. BY PETER HODGSON
SPECS • • • • •
Pickups: R11/N9C Tuners: Grover Tuners Neck: Mahogany Set Neck Fretboard: Rosewood Body: Mahogany
HITS • Characterful tone • Comfortable neck • Awesome styling
MISSES • No coil splitting • No individual volumes
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ROAD TESTS
Supro Dual-Tone Amplifier Global Vintage | (02) 9569 7009 | www.globalvintage.com.au | Contact For Pricing
Initially manufactured by Valco in the 50s and 60s, Supro amps were known for their raw rock and blues tones with players like Page and Hendrix pushing them to their sonic limits. Don’t forget the early Chicago blues scene which helped define early Supro amps as one of the go to tones. Like many companies, they disappeared from the musical landscape for quite some time but their instantly identifiable looks and big tones were still sought after. Fast-forward to 2014 and the Winter NAMM show saw the release of Supro’s reissue line of amps to much interest from the guitar playing industry and public. The classic looks are there with the Blue Rhino Hide tolex and sparkly grille cloth and featuring circuits ‘re-imagined’ by amp guru Bruce Zinky it seems like the new Supro is all go.
DUAL-TONE
A 24 watt 1x12 combo the DualTone (as the name suggests) is a two channel amp with tube tremolo. Both channels have just Volume and Tone controls with Speed and Depth knobs for the trem. Interestingly, Channel 1 links both channels together so you can effectively get double the gain and it’s really a matter of tweaking and see what you can come up with. Everything from punchy, clean tones through to jangly rock and grit are on offer. And don’t be fooled by the 24 watt rating.
IN YOUR FACE
There is something about the immediateness of a 1x12 combo that really focusses your sound and the Dual-Tone laps it up. As a strictly clean platform it welcomes both single coils and humbuckers meaning you could do funk gigs, country picking, indie swirl and rock. Open up the Volume control of Channel 1 and then dial in some Channel 2 and you’ve got that splatty breakup that pushes through the mix. A strong mention must be given to the onboard Tremolo too – tasteful and warm it sounds like an old
HITS
amp (which is a good thing) and can swamp it up or get a little more psychedelic.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
They’ve got a heap of interest all ready for nostalgic types wanting those classic tones from yesteryear but also modern players looking for clean, broken and jangly drive that can work
across the board. Super hip in looks they really seem to hit the mark in a world where reissues can often leave you feeling a little underwhelmed. Definitely worth a look! BY NICK BROWN
Jade Australia | 1800 144 120 | www.musocity.com.au | Contact For Pricing
Mooer’s Reecho and Shimverb pedals have been big sellers for the company, but still they felt the time was right to introduce a new generation. So after years of research and development, meet the twin Series! Where the originals kept things pretty tiny and simple, the twin Series line gives you a lot more control while maintaining a relatively small pedal board footprint - small for most companies, big for notoriously space-conscious Mooer. The Reecho Pro is designed with floating-point DSP chips with new algorithms to improve on the tone of the original. It includes six delay effects; Digital Delay, Galaxy Delay, Analog Delay, Real Echo, Tape Echo and Tube Echo. There are also three additional effects; Mod, which adds a chorus effect to the delay; Dynamic, which gives you ‘ducking’ functions that fade the delay in when you stop playing; and Reverse, for backwards weirdness. There’s a Tap Tempo function for easily adjusting the delay time, and there are seperate dry and wet level controls, high cut and low cut controls, ping pong function, loop function, stereo input and stereo output as well as the ability to store your preset. The Reecho Pro doesn’t go out of its way to get too weird, although it does have a few
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Weight: 15kgs 24 Watts 6973 power tubes 1 x 12 Supro DT12 Speaker 2 Channels with Tube Tremelo and footswitch jack
HITS • Maintain the traditional looks and features • A range of tones across the board
MISSES • Can’t pinpoint anything
Mooer Reecho Pro & Shimverb Pro
REECHO PRO
• • • •
ear-catching tricks up its sleeve when you use the Reverse and Modulation modes, and the Loop setting is pretty handy although not quite up to the levels of complexity and interactivity you’ll get out of a TC Electronic Ditto-series or BOSS looper. The delay sounds are smooth and present, and it’s great that you can hit the ping pong switch and get bouncing-back-and-forth stereo delays.
SHIMVERB PRO
Like the Reecho Pro, the Shimverb Pro also uses uses floating-point DSP chips and new hardware and algorithms. It has five different reverb effects - Room, Hall, Church, Plate and Spring - plus adjustable ’Shimmer’ effect which gives you +3,+4,+5,+7,+9 half-step modulation, plus an Octave button which adds another octave on top of those. There’s a
dedicated footswitch to engage the Shimmer control, a Dry/Wet knob, Hi Cut/Low Cut function, and stereo inputs and outputs. This is a really cool pedal because it combines faithful ‘real world’ reverb effects that will be at home in country, alternative, jazz, rock & roll, blues, indie etc, but the Shimmer effect gives you a whole new world of flashy processing that opens the Shimverb Pro up to more out-there sounds for progressive, djent or even electronicainfluenced players. It’s also great that you can introduce or turn off Shimmer as you see fit. The reverbs might not be as complex as a high-priced studio ‘verb but they’re very impressive for a unit so compact and affordable. BY PETER HODGSON
HITS REECHO PRO • Flexible tone choices • Great stereo effects • Handy looper SHIMVERB PRO • Authentic reverb modes • Trippy Shimmer sounds
MISSES REECHO PRO • For this price it’s all hit! SHIMVERB PRO • None. How dare you.
MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015 // PG.33
ROAD TESTS Fican Guitars Tornado Fican Guitars | 0414 447 682 | www.ficanguitars.com.au | RRP: $3900
Stuart Monk’s Fican Guitars is a new brand driven by a unique vision. Monk’s guitars aren’t based on those 50s-derived legends we all know and love: instead he follows his own path. He began building guitars after an injury to his finger made it difficult to play C-shaped necks. He built a D-shaped neck that felt more ergonomic.
TWO TONES ARE BETTER THAN ONE
The Tornado is a solid body electric guitar designed to offer both acoustic and electric sounds. It goes out of its way to tell you this by referencing certain visual aspects of an acoustic guitar, in the form of the curvy outline, the soundhole-like circular centre section and the laser-etched pickguard. The body of the review model is Fijian Mahogany, but Fican can use all sorts of woods, even bold-grained Tulipwood. You can also choose your fredboard wood including rosewood or maple on a maple bolt-on neck. The headstock is a little - okay, a lot – unconventional. Using banjo-style tuners for straight string pull. The nut edges of the review guitar could do with some additional shaping for comfort but otherwise the guitar is well made.
The pickups are a pair of WSC humbuckers in the basic PAF low-output style, paired with a Graph-Tech Acousti-Phonic preamp, a deceptively powerful system with two modes, Mid and Dark, which are accessible via a push-pull volume pot. The default mode is the Dark setting, which is designed to give you a full-bodied tone which is quite unlike the typical harsh piezo voice. The Mid mode has more bite in the upper midrange for enhanced clarity and detail. The magnetic and piezo systems each have their own volume controls and output jacks, so you can send the acoustic and electric signals to separate processors or amps to optimise the sound of each.
STORMBRINGER
This guitar is very playable, and with a very lively and detailed sound. In fact, it’s surprising how playable it is
given the heavy gauge strings it comes supplied with. It’s great for clean tones with lots of character and nuance, which makes it especially suitable for fingerpicking and country styles. The bridge pickup has a tight low end, warm upper mids and singing treble whereas the neck pickup is smooth and rich. The overdriven tones work best at medium gain levels for classic rock rhythm and lead tones, but it’s not suited for high gain. The acoustic voice is full and punchy, and the two different settings come in very handy for balancing the sound with the magnetic pickup signal. This guitar isn’t going to be for everyone. The outline may be
a little too far a departure for traditionalists. But when you pick it up and play it you’ll find a well-made, very adaptable, very musical and very playable guitar that will inspire all sorts of ideas that you might not otherwise have thought of. In fact, that’s one of its biggest strengths; it doesn’t mimic anything that’s come before, so you can play it without the baggage of knowing what you’re ‘supposed’ to play with a particular body shape. BY PETER HODGSON
SPECS • 21 medium jumbo frets • Graph Tech Acoustic Phonic preamp • Bridge Pickup: Graph Tech Piezo • 23.5” Scale length • Maple Fretboard • 1:1 Banjo style tuners • C type profile neck
HITS • Unique look • Comfortable neck shape • Wide variety of sounds
MISSES • No tonal control • Shape might be a bit out there for some players
DV Mark Little Jazz Amplifier CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: $795
A number of years ago Marco DeVirgiliis and his MarkBass brand really set the bass amp world on its ear thanks to their compact, lightweight amps that were portable yet could pack a heap of punch – often standing up to higher powered and bigger rigs from their competitors. It wasn’t long before MarkBass was being used all around the world by pros and weekend warriors alike for their great tones and ease of use (goodbye back breaking cabs and monster rigs!). MarkBass’ guitar brand DV Mark then took some of these ideas and aimed them firmly at 6 string slingers whilst also catering to guitarists typical tonal needs. Now something for the Jazzers amongst us they’ve smashed another super hip and usable product into the line with the DV Mark ‘Little Jazz’ guitar amp. Bring on the II, V 1s people!
CUBE
Almost a cube and at a touch under 30cm per side the Little Jazz is super compact. Factor in the weight of a pretty amazing 6.9kgs and you’ll realise that almost anyone can carry it (tough handle on top). Whilst many combos have the idea that you can carry them into a gig, this really takes that thinking to a new level! Rated at 45 watts the Little Jazz is a solid state amp with controls for Master Vol, Bass, Mid, High and Reverb. Plus you get some nifty connectivity with an Aux input (mini 1/8”) for plugging in an mp3 player, a line out if you need to send to a mixing desk, a speaker out if you want to add an extra cab, headphones out and an Internal
speaker on/off switch to mute the speaker when practicing with headphones – clever! The whole package is housed in a hip creamy white cab with black corners that looks clean and classy.
FLAT
You’ve no doubt heard it before, but I started with amp EQ set flat (12 o’clock) and added a hint of verb. Half an hour later and I hadn’t budged thanks to the warm tone with that hint of attack that really typifies the classic arch top jazz tone. Of course solid state amps are pretty much staple for most jazzers which is a big tick for the Little Jazz as a start (not to mention
PG.34 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
SPECS
the peace of mind of not having to deal with tubes and the like!). So it sounds great at bedroom volume? Feel free to crank it up (as I did) to 2 or 3 o’clock and you’ve still got a clean tone with headroom that retains your picking dynamics. I could see it easily hanging in a jazz combo and even big band situation. It’s got that nice warmth and body for relaxed chordal arrangements or comping, but can get a little edge to it a la early Martino or Benson.
ALL THAT JAZZ
This amp is seriously setting a new standard for portable jazz amps and many other styles too! If you want clean and loud with a warmth that’s great for jazz and blues and a reverb that sits tastefully (not super surf and washy) then you can’t go past the Little Jazz. Then check the price and you’ll be opening your wallet quicker than you can say Lydian Dominant! BY PETER HODGSON
• Preamp Amp: Solid State • Power Amp: Analog • Controls: Master | Bass - Mid High | Rev • Speaker size: 1x8” DV Mark Custom • Weight: 6.9 kg • Size: 26.8cm x 26.8cm x 26.2cm
HITS • Size and weight • Has the tone that many bigger jazz combos possess • Tasty and usable reverb!
MISSES • Some may prefer the standard ‘amp’ black rather than the creamy white • Script style/handwriting font perhaps looks a little cheap
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ROAD TESTS
Cordoba Fusion 14 Maple Nylon String Acoustic Guitar Zenith Music | (08) 9383 1422 | www.zenithmusic.com | RRP: $1349
Cordoba offers a range of nylon and steel string acoustic guitars. With a wide range of specs, shapes and designs they combine knowhow with traditional designs and build processes. Aimed as a crossover ‘Fusion’ between a traditional nylon string guitar and slightly more manageable acoustic for those coming more from the steel string world, the Fusion 14 offers some slightly modified specs whilst remaining very much a nylon string guitar.
CROSSOVER
A spruce top, flamed maple back and sides and ebony fingerboard are well finished and understated, with a slight modern influence thanks to the cutaway and 14 fret to the body neck. Whilst the 12 model has more of a traditional feel, the 14 is intended to be a bit more user friendly for those coming from a steel string acoustic pedigree. The bridge is set a little further forward and obviously the 14th fret neck/body join more resembles a steel string acoustic making upper register excursions a little easier and general fretboard feel and recognition nice and familiar. On top of this, the cutaway increases reach when needed with access to even high B in the 17th fret quite easy. Predominantly electric and steel string acoustic players should also like the slightly smaller neck profile too. Tonally the Fusion 14 has a tight and controlled sound with nice resonance and sustain. All the
strings seemed balanced and the intonation and tuning was spot on. I also liked the look and feel of the black tuner buttons. Cordoba have gone for the Fishman Presys Blend pickup/preamp which offers a mic and under saddle pickup. On board you have controls for Bass, Middle and Treble, a notch control and Phase switch, Tuner and Mic Blend control allowing you to work between the two pickup sounds. This can be especially good in louder situations when you might need to control potential feedback from the mic by blending in some extra saddle pickup. Overall it does a solid job and has the reliable Fishman name attached to it.
FUSION
There’s nothing quite like playing a nylon string acoustic guitar. Especially if it’s something you don’t do regularly. The simplicity of the instrument and the rich and natural tone really makes you focus on your playing. I like the fact that the Fusion 14 offers some
compromises for an easier transition for electric and steel string players, yet still retains a traditional nylon string tone. The guitar is great also for live use thanks to the Fishman electronics. BY NICK BROWN
SPECS • • • •
Top: Solid European spruce Back & Sides: Flamed maple Neck: Mahogany Fretboard: Ebony radiused fingerboard/fusion style • Width at Nut: 48mm • Electronics: Fishman Presys Blend with 4 Band EQ + phase, undersaddle piezo and internal microphone with blender, built in digital tuner
HITS • Hybrid feel will suit electric and steel string players • Cutaway and Fishman electronics expand the guitars options • Price
MISSES • Would have liked a hardcase insteead of foam here
Guild Guitars Starfire V Electric Guitar Zenith Music | (08) 9383 1422 | www.zenithmusic.com | RRP: $2499
Guild have been around since 1953 and their instruments have been donned by players in a range of styles, from jazz to rock to blues and pop. Acoustics, solid bodies, archtops and the odd funky in between guitar have also seen Guild run the gamut of models, specs and shapes. While their vintage instruments still very much revered, their newer models continue the original tones and aesthetics that have made them such a sought after builder. One popular model has been the Starfire.
YOU’RE A STAR
At first glance the Starfire V is reminiscent of a particularly classic double cut with the horns and body having a little more edge and slightly less rounded feel. Mahogany has been used for the top, back and sides with a 3 piece Mahogany, Maple, Mahogany combo for the neck. With Indian rosewood for the fretboard and Grover die cast tuners up top, this example came in a cherry red – most appropriate indeed with the logos, block inlays and bigsby styled ‘Guild’ Vibrato arm adding to the overall retro vibe of the Starfire V.
FIRE AWAY
Semi hollow archtops can be super flexible guitars, and the Starfire V keeps the theory alive. Warm and round with humbuckers on the neck pickup can do round and clear tones, or flick
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to the bridge for that extra snap and bite. Individual tone and volume controls mean you can set some variation and switch back and forth as needed. The overall Master Volume is an interesting addition too! That hollow body space adds body and woodiness to your tone but the guitar still has nice attack and dynamics to boot. The guitar looks very much like a rock vintage guitar, but tonally it can do a great deal more.
SLEEPY HOLLOW
Whilst the Starfire has always seemed to be around in some shape or form, and pops up now and then with various players, for the most it often runs slightly under the radar. With the current feel, tone and price it definitely deserves a little more exposure as it can cover a heap of styles with ease. Definitely
worth a look as far as mid priced semi hollow guitars go, it’s up there with some of bigger, more expensive, competitors. BY NICK BROWN
SPECS • Top: Arched Laminated Mahogany • Back: Arched Laminated Mahogany • Sides: Laminated Mahogany • Neck: 3-Piece Mahogany/Maple/ Mahogany • Width at Nut: 43mm • Pickups: LB-1, LB-1
HITS • Looks and feel • Flexible across a range of styles • Price
MISSES • Slightly extra ‘retro-ness’ may not suit more traditional semi hollow players
MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015 // PG.35
ROAD TESTS Markbass Big Bang Bass Amplifier Head
THE PASS MARK
CMC Music Australia | (02) 9905 2511 | www.cmcmusic.com.au | RRP: $1495
With an ever evolving user list and constant research and development, Markbass aren’t ones to sit around idle. From their lightweight and portable cabs to their feature packed amps and effects, this Italian based company has really solidified themselves in the bass market. Markbass have recently developed a new small sized high power, solid state head with some new features that people have been asking for.
BIG BANG THEORY
At 500 watt, the Big Bang incorporates some of Markbass’ most popular features along with some new additions on the back of customer requests and feedback. Alongside the standard Gain, Low, Mid Low, Mid High, High and Master Controls you get a Line Out level control, headphone out jack with level control and an Aux In jack.
BLACK AND GOLD
500 watts is a great starting point, meaning the Big Bang should be able to cover most gigs. Thanks to its size and weight, it won’t be overkill for smaller shows either, as it’s basically no effort to carry around, easily slipping into a leads/ accessories bag. Moving onto the EQ and you get Markbass’ typically dynamic range with a balancing of the Gain and Master controls, allowing you to keep things clean
with plenty of headroom, or really grind it up. The VLE and VPF (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator and Variable Pre-shape Filter if you’re not familiar with Markbass’s patented design) are also featured again, and can be bypassed completely or worked to taste in tandem with the EQ section. VLE works with taking out top end for a warmer vintage vibe whilst the VPF is a mid range scoop of sorts. Obviously these can be used sparingly and you’re best bet is to get a solid tone as a base, and
then work in these filters as you hear them - perhaps dialling in the VPF for slap or rocky picked tones whilst the VLE can do the rounder old school funk or rock. There’s plenty of scope and dynamic range with the ability to footswitch the VLE and VPF for solo passages or swapping between slap and fingers. It also has the capacity to play music through a smartphone or mp3 player in case you need to play a along to a backing track, which is a pretty nifty addition.
Sennheiser EW172 G3 Instrument Set With the excitement over Sennheiser’s new Evolution D1 wireless systems causing a bit of a stir at the moment, it’s easy to overlook the systems that originally made Sennheiser Evolution Wireless series so popular over the years. Clearly, the D1 is worthy of its praise, but there’s still a very real place for the other wireless systems depending on the environment your working in. Of course, with all the hullabaloo of late about the government’s changes to wireless transmission laws and with so many existing systems now becoming effectively redundant in the past six months, there has never been a better time to reconsider to benefits of the EW172 G3 Instrument set when running your guitar signal on stage. I recall attending the Australian launch of the G3 Wireless range a number of years ago and was at that time very impressed with the upgrades these systems received. Now, with all available systems brought inline to meet transmission laws, they continue
to impress. The G3 technology in both the transmitter and receiver leave no sound unheard and the frequency range delivered to your amp is exceptional. It was difficult to discern the difference between wireless and wired sound.
BY NICK BROWN
HITS • Lightweight and solid build construction • Powerful tone and options a plenty!
MISSES • For the price and options it’s hard to fault.
option to house within a rack for touring rigs, this is, and continues to be, the wireless system for the serious live guitar player. When you also take into consideration the added extras that Sennheiser have included like built in EQ, Soundcheck Mode and Tuner, this is really a no-brainer.
Sennheiser Australia | (02) 9910 6700 | www.sennheiser.com.au | RRP: $919
IN AND OUT
As mentioned earlier, it’s great to see a company taking customer feedback and suggestions onboard. Especially someone on the forefront of innovation like Markbass. In this case as the upgrades are actually good ideas. Like all of the Markbass gear I’ve played, the Big Bang provides good clean headroom and lots of dynamic range. With the added i/o on this model, and the new footswitchable options they’ve taken that an extra step - good show!
BY ROB GEE
HITS FLEXIBLE PERFORMANCE
One of the huge advantages of the EW172 is the range of channels and frequencies that it can be operated on. This allows for large numbers of wireless systems within an area to operate independently within the fear of crosstalk or
interference. This true diversity system ensures your guitar signal is delivered to your amp without a worry. Automatic channel scanning sets the system up to work in the best possible way as the quick setup gets you ready to play in moments. Housed in a sturdy metal casing with the
• Unsurpassed quality for the price • Extensive channel options • Wireless audio transfer that rivals high quality cables
MISSES • Limited geographical capabilities for some frequencies
Barnes & Mullins BJM 500 Troudador 5 String Banjo Musical Merchandisers | (02) 9905 0311 | www.musicmerch.com.au | RRP: $1199
Bluegrass, new grass, alt country, hayseed hipster – whatever label you put on it, there has been a huge resurgence in traditional country and bluegrass instruments over the last few years. Whilst there was always a massive market in the US of A, Australia hasn’t always been as into country music and its various offshoots. Nowadays banjo, mandolin and fiddle seem to be everywhere (not to mention the ukulele) with players of all ages and demographics giving them a crack.
ANTIQUE
Solid and with a clean and neat finish, the BJM 500 certainly looks the part. Listed as an ‘Antique’ look, the Troubadour 5 features a Maple neck, Burl resonator, Rosewood fingerboard and Maple rim. The Burl on the back of the resonator looks very rootsy with some nice grain showing through and a tasteful cream binding. From there the
hardware, lugs and tone ring definitely have that antiquated look with a brassy finish and some inlaid detailing and markings for an older look and feel (as opposed to super shiny chrome).
GRASSY
My first impressions were of a slightly warm tone with a bassy sound. There’s some honkiness
PG.36 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
in there (good honk!) and nice attack that would blend nicely with other instruments and it produces quite a bit of volume. It’s not overly snappy like some other models, but still has a throaty goodness to it that would be good for relaxed chordal playing or quick rolls. You can also pick a little closer to the bridge if you want to add some extra twang.
WORKING 9 TO 5
Keeping in mind the Troubadour’s price, tone and sound, I could see it as a solid instrument for beginners wanting a step up from the entry level models, intermediate players and even more advanced types who like a nice playing Banjo with a comfy neck. For those doubtful about getting into banjo, they really can open up your eyes (and ears) to new sounds for
players coming from the guitar world whilst complete novices might be surprised how easy it is to get a few notes out fairly quickly and get in the swing of things. Bring on Barnes & Mullins’ Troubadour, roll up your skinny jeans and get into some Banjo action! BY NICK BROWN
HITS • Excellent finish, looks and price • Warm fundamental tone
MISSES • Not as bright and snappy as some other models
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ROAD TESTS
iZotope Ozone 6 Advanced Mastering Software Suite Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au | RRP: $1099
There has always been limited options for high end mastering software suites. In recent years iZotope has become the new name to be added to that very select list. More recently, iZotope products have become readily available in stores within Australia, making sales and support all that much simpler. I got my hands on a copy of their new mastering suite, Ozone 6 Advanced. This is definitely going to change how I approach my plug-in use and how my mixes ultimately come to a final sound.
FEATURE PACKED
As with most things software based these days, there is more than one version of Ozone 6 available. The standard version comes with a big selection of tools including EQ, Dynamics, Exciter and the very powerful Maximizer plugin. This tool I just love, and find myself squeezing the absolute life out of my mixes at times when I get carried away with it, before dialling it back a
little to realise I have achieved the biggest sound already.
ADVANCED ARRAY
Ozone 6 Advanced features a huge selection of additional tools not found in the standard version. At first, I thought there was enough, but once you get your hands on some of these additional processes you will be glad you went all out. Firstly, the newly added Dynamic EQ is
a must. I am usually a lover of simple EQs, where I just use my ears and gently sculpt the sound with limited controls, but every now and then a technological beast like this just blows me away. The way that the EQ kicks in with dynamic punch is something that has to be heard, and changes the way I consider mixing in a number of areas. Combined with a further array of plugins, there is too much to
even briefly touch on here. Put simply, when you consider all the time and effort you put into recording and mixing your music, it really deserves a package like Ozone 6 Advanced to ensure that the finished product is every bit as good as it can be. BY ROB GEE
Having pottered about with the Alesis Sample Rack last month, it was nice to get into a drum module form those guys, especially given that I haven’t used one of theirs for about ten years now. So, after sending that unit back, this month I got to play around with the Alesis Sample Pad Pro, once I was able to pry it out of the hands of my slightly excited editor. We have seen a total overhaul of the Alesis digital drum range in the past twelve or so months. The layout is fairly simple, with six large pads on the top panel and two long bar-style pads running along the top edge. You also have inputs for Kick and Hi-Hat trigger pedals if you wish to add those to your setup for greater versatility. From there, it’s really just a matter of bashing away. Basic operation
BIG SOUNDS
The actual samples within the unit are a real mixed bag, with some of them sounding huge and others that you could take or leave. I’m not overly fussed with all of them, but there are plenty of very usable drum and percussion hits in there. If there
BY ROB GEE
isn’t enough for you, or the preprogrammed sounds don’t suit your needs, you can load more from the SD card port on the front panel. There is more than 200 inbuilt sounds that you can edit and store into the 10 pre-set kit banks. So, you already have a fair bit of variety, but it would have been nicer if a little more of the internal memory had
been spared to allow for some additional kits to be stored, even ones built from the existing sounds. Alas, we can’t get always everything we want at the right price too. When compared to other products on the market, the Alesis delivers well in a number of areas and certainly remains price competitive compared to other digital drum pad solutions. When you
JBL EON206P Portable PA System The entire range of JBL EON speakers including the portable PA’s have just been revamped with the commonly known models beginning with the number 5 getting an upgrade to 6. This is not just a repackaging of the old systems, but a rebuild that will give each model a longer technological lifespan. Many portable PA manufacturers have a few design issues to overcome and this isn’t only something JBL has had to consider when upgrading. Firstly, if a portable PA is too heavy, it simply isn’t really that portable. No one wants to carry a boat anchor and be told that it’s easy. I’m pleased to say that the EON206P does not fall into this class of PA, and is extremely lightweight for its size and power. Secondly, many portable
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PAs actually fail in being easily transported with multiple boxes, stands and cables defeating the actual purpose of the unit. In this case, the EON206P is built into three components including the powered mixer and two speakers with the conveniently located connection latches locking together to form one unit, similar in size to a large suitcase. This means you can walk into a venue with your guitar case in one hand and your PA system in the other.
HITS • Good size pads for ease of use with sticks or hands • Ready to take a beating and deliver results
MISSES • Limited pre-set compared to available • Reliance on SD card seems a little painful
D power amplifier stage that delivers a clear and crisp sound. It’s ideal for acoustic solo or duo acts using guitars and vocals in smaller venues, and would work great for a compact vocal solution for bands looking at their own rehearsal space.
Jands | (02) 9582 0909 | www.jands.com.au | RRP: $899
READY TO ROLL
MISSES
consider that it also has a USB output for direct connection to your computer, it suddenly becomes a very handy recording tool and alleviates so much of the hassle of programming drum patterns into your sequencer. In all, this is a great unit and, ahead of its rack partner, I think the Samplepad Pro has the edge for usability.
Electric Factory | (03) 9474 1000 | www.elfa.com.au | RRP: $599
requires all of about a glance at the manual, still sealed in its plastic bag, to know how to get this thing up and running.
• Huge array of tools for mixing and mastering • Incredibly articulate sound • All new Dynamic EQ with great results
• Fairly CPU heavy in some processes
Alesis SamplePad Pro
TAKE A HIT
HITS
BY ROB GEE
HITS IN USE
For those of you who have heard or used previous compact systems from JBL, you will be well aware of their capabilities. The EON206P has new drivers that deliver plenty of volume and a generous amount of low end for their size. If you need
even more grunt, there is a separate monitor output on the rear panel of the mixer with a dedicated volume control, so you can send the mix to a sub, the venue’s in-house system or just add an additional powered speaker. In all, you get volume without weight due to the Class
• Compact and lightweight High SPL for power rating One hand lift for entire system • Reverb on microphone inputs
MISSES • Limited inputs and routing
MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015 // PG.37
ROAD TESTS Bogner Harlow Boost Pedal EGM Distribution | (03) 9817 7222 | www.egm.net.au | Contact For Pricing
Reinhold Bogner has been a force in the guitar amplification market for some time now, starting out by modding amps for players like EVH and Steve Stevens. Recently Bogner has entered the pedal market with the release of a new range of products, some in the vein of some of their classic amps – namely the Ecstasy and Uberschall, and incorporating an audio transformer from the legendary Rupert Neve.
Give Me A Boost
Playing with the Level and Tone controls you can have clean and pristine for adding level to your existing sound. Push on more and you can drive the front end of your amp for thicker breakup and beyond. It also works well in combination with your guitar volume pot allowing you to leave the pedal on and then work your guitar for cleaner tones at lower settings and then pumping it when you want some extra grit.
Squeeze Me
Classified as a ‘boost’ pedal, the Harlow has an interesting addition with its ‘Bloom’ control. Essentially a single knob compressor, the ‘Bloom’ feature can add some subtle punch and focus or get super squishy if you want that noticeably effected tone. It’s tasty with single coils when you want a funky rhythm line accentuated or to smooth out your lead sound when used as a solo boost.
Bogner Wessex Overdrive Pedal EGM Distribution | (03) 9817 7222 | www.egm.net.au | Contact For Pricing
More from the Neve augmented Bogner pedals, this time in the form of the Wessex Overdrive. I can hear it already, ‘not another overdrive pedal!’ Whist I admit there is a glut of options in this vein, I’m also keen to check out anything from Bogner thanks to their track record of creating tasty sounding guitar gear. With a lavender purple top and those same cool 60s inspired knobs, the Wessex looks the part, let’s have a listen.
TOUCHY FEELY
Again featuring a custom transformer designed by Rupert Neve, the Wessex has controls for Treble, Bass, Gain and Level with an additional ‘Enhance/Natural’ switch to alter the gain stage for either vintage or modern sounds. The taper on the pots feels nice and seems to react proportionally too allowing you to roll through settings with ease rather than going from all to nothing and vice versa.
OD
Man, the Wessex sounds great! Light to mild overdrive, really clear and defined (played with humbuckers and single coils) and dare I say it? Touch sensitive. You can have just a hair of dirt but then dig a little harder and get it to break up more. With more gain dialled in you can open up big chords or more singing, sustained lead tones. Both the enhanced and neutral settings are usable and there’s plenty of level to blend with a range of guitars and amps.
Harlow Can You Go
Simple and classy, the Harlow looks cool and sounds super. I find a boost pedal to be one of the most useful to have on your board or in your gig bag, as it can be anything from a straight ahead volume boost to an additional tone shaper if you’re not happy with your amp sound. I really dig the sound of the ‘Bloom’ on the pedal, and whilst I wouldn’t always have it on for my boosted sounds it’s a great addition that really works well. BY NICK BROWN
H ITS • Clean and clear • ‘Bloom’ compressor is a handy addition • Lots of headroom
M ISSES • Many other clean boosts on the market
BOOM!
You’ve seen the copious amounts of overdrive pedals on the market and no doubt played plenty of them. I’ve tried a heap, and have quite a list of favourites for varying reasons. I think the Wessex is going to work its way in there somewhere too. Clear and almost clean, it’s great for solos and adding some oopmph to open chords. Increase the Gain a little and you get bluesy breakup and rock tones. Push it some more and you’ve got a super musical stomp box that is perfect for big riffs, chords and solos. Killer! BY NICK BROWN
H ITS • Tone for days! • Definition and sensitivity • EQ and Gain controls are usable at almost any setting
M ISSES • Pedal size could be reduced but no flaws as such.
Sennheiser MK4 Large Diaphragm Condenser Microphone Sennheiser Australia | www.sennheiser.com.au | (02) 9910 6700 | RRP: $399
There are plenty of options for home recording microphones these days. In fact, there are probably too many options. The budget price range has become awash with these sorts of microphones that offer all sorts of bells and whistles for a low cost, but never really deliver on performance. A number of years back, German microphone stalwarts Sennheiser decided to shake this up a little and deliver a microphone that doesn’t compromise on quality, yet offers those people looking for a cost effective home recording microphone a viable option, introducing the MK4.
SWEET AND SIMPLE
I believe that a great studio microphone shouldn’t have to hide poor performance behind excessive features. If the specifications read too well, there’s usually a compensation going on somewhere for a lacking somewhere else. So, quite often the best studio microphones are the simple designs that deliver results. There’s no additional circuitry
in the microphone than what’s needed. EQ adjustments, filters and phase shifting has been left to the preamp or mixing console, so all you get is the best capsule and electronics housed in the best casing for the price. And all made in Germany to exacting standards too.
THE VOICE
What Sennheiser have delivered with
PG.38 // MIXDOWN #254 // JUNE 2015
the MK4 is a solid vocal microphone that will act as a bit of an allrounder. In use, it’s easy to hear how it picks up the detail in both male and female vocals, being voiced for a sweet mid-range. That said, it doesn’t lack low frequency response and there is a clear and crisp high frequency roll-off. Because of this, it is equally suited to a range of uses in the studio and works very nicely with a variety of instruments. Set back from a guitar cabinet it captures all the bite of the speakers, but up close to an acoustic guitar you get a more delicate response with a clear, crisp transient attack. As a vocal microphone for the home or project studio, this is a very good instrument microphone for professional use too. BY ROB GEE
H ITS • Solidly built, German construction • No bells or whistles, just great performance • Studio recording from Sennheiser at an unexpected price
M ISSES • Basic stand attachment, no shock mount supplied
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PEDALS BASED ON AMPLIFIER CHANNELS Since 1989, Reinhold Bogner’s compelling, respected and sought-after tube amplifiers have graced the stages and studios of elite players th throughout the world. Based on his legendary Ecstasy and Uberschall amplifiers, the new hand-built Ecstasy red, Ecstasy blue and Uberschall pedals represent the culmination of Reinhold’s sonic skill and creative vision. Each pedal delivers Bogner’s signature amp tone, plus a galaxy of new and inspiring sounds. Bogner for your pedal board is finally here and your tone will never be the same.
ECSTASYRED
Captures the mystical red channel tone of the Ecstasy amplifier, famous for higher gain crunch and lead tone.
ECSTASYBLUE
Captures the mystical blue channel tone of the Bogner Ecstasy amplifier, facclaimed for its ability to deliver iconic and classic rock-n-roll crunch.
UBERSCHALL
Thunderous hi-gain tones from the notoriously brutal Bogner Uberschall amplifier.
WWW.BOGNERAMPLIFICATION.COM
RUPERT NEVE
Masterminds Reinhold Bogner and Mr. Rupert Neve have teamed up to produce superb audio-effects pedals that serve up rich, buttery tones, ultra dynamic ul response and a stunning three dimensional sound quality inspired by the classic mixing consoles of the 1960's.
OPTIONAL STUDIO SERIES: Bubinga exotic hardwood top panel, hand formed, sanded, layered and finished. Look and feel of the vintage mixing consoles from the 60's (as shown in Burnley model).
The Burnley is a distortion pedal with a 100% analog circuit which delivers hot crunch to high-gain annihilation - thanks to a custom transformer designed by legendary audio pioneer Mr Rupert Neve. Flip the Fat/Tight switch, twist the gain, tone and level controls and transform your mortal guitar tone into tr fire-breathing pandemonium.
The Harlow is a unique boost pedal with a “Bloom” compression feature, which serves up dynamic three dimensional punch and tastefully transparent squeeze. The 100% analog circuit delivers a wide range of boost from crystal-clear light boost to a thick and meaty high-output assault on your an amp’s input section.
The Wessex is an overdrive pedal with 100% analog circuitry, delivering classic low gain growl to rich modern scorch. Whether you want to give your clean amp some muscle or juice up your vintage amp’s gain, flick the tone altering Enhance/Neutral switch to find your own dirty nirvana. yo
Specialising in the supply of some of the world’s finest instruments and equipment to the Australian market.
EGM.NET.AU | PH. (03) 9817 7222 | INFO@EGM.NET.AU
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